Let the Symphony Last for Eternity

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta: I'm doing the beta.

A/N: … O...M...G... How did I make so many screw ups?! So sorry! Here I think I got them all.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"Look at those curves, I bet they bounce real nice."

Trevor glanced at Alucard in mild amusement as Grant continued whistling and making semi crude comments about whatever he found in that book he was holding. Alucard didn't look the bit impressed or even interested as he stood there. Instead he gestured with his hand for Trevor to approach with the apathetic expression of someone who found such crass talk beneath himself.

They stood in a grand library with seemingly endless rows of shelves with everyone of them filled completely with books. Tables rested along the rooms in orderly placement with chairs placed as well to allow the idle to sit down and enjoy a good read. The walls were of a honey gold tone of color and newly dusted, with the floors of similar colors and swept. All in about the area was as clean as the other parts of the Castle and in some off shoots they had found the occasional random monster actually reading. Thus finding Grant sitting alone in one such area had been entertaining to say the least.

Shaking his head Trevor did his best to sneak forward and see what was consuming Grants attention. When he traveled the Castle before, there had existed no such library, and its sudden inclusion had been a surprise. Coupled with how absolutely well lit this area was, considering all the candles and fire necessary for reading. It made it easy to sneak with the crackle of the occasional fireplace or candle. While the light illuminated the images on the page that Grant was enamored with, those being the lines of a ship.

"DAMN IT GRANT! LOOK AT WOMEN!"

"JESUS CHRIST!" Grant went leaping out of his seat and scrambling over the table while grabbing a dagger among his many other throwing blades.

Trevor stood there hiding his face in his hands in disbelief that Grant was looking at pictures of 'ships' and making dirty comments. Alucard mentally decided his father was right about humans and despite his promise to his dying mother, he was never friending another human. While Grant stood there panting from the alarm that Trevors' outburst had given him. The air was suddenly filled with a very angry 'Shhhhhh' and Grant wasn't going to argue about that.

Despite how good it was to find his friend again, it was a total jerk move, "What's the problem Trevor? Don't you have the good sense not to scare a man like that!? Especially in the house of Dracula!" Grant argued as he shoved the blade back into its holder while walking back to the book that had fallen back onto the table. He shut it close with a snap and made sure to read the spine so he could find a copy later. "Also who's your friend?" Grant asked tilting his head towards Alucard's direction while putting the book back.

"Hmm? Oh that's Alucard," Trevor answered after a quick glance over his shoulder showed that Grant was acknowledging Alucards' presence.

"Huh? No... Alucard's skin is all blue and his hair is dark too," Grant pointed out after he slid the book back into its place. Turning around to look at his friend while he leaned back on one foot and crossed his arms. Trying to figure out who the stranger was, while said 'stranger' shifted from one foot to the other.

"Is it 'that' hard to believe I used a spell before? I didn't want to see myself at the time," Alucard pointed out in a decidedly unamused tone.

"Huh... well he certainly sounds like our Alucard. Right down to the grumpy, 'leave me alone' tone." Grant replied as he swaggered his way up to the taller Dhampire, his expression curious and relaxed. "A spell you say? What's wrong with the way you look that you would hide from it?"

"That is not of your concern, have you seen anyone else since your arrival?" Alucard snapped, as he swept the room with a glance. No maids or servants could be seen in the area despite how clean it was, and he noted that the further they walked the less servants he found. Giving him the feeling they were all drifting away in response to Soma's absence from the Castle.

Grant glanced at Trevor and shook his head, "Nay, I've seen no one since I got separated from Trevor from before. Well save one person, but he won't talk to the likes of me, he's got a room here in the library, filled with stuff I say. Purple robes and long white hair and beard that one," Grant recalled off the top of his head.

"The Master Librarian? Well I suppose he wouldn't speak with someone here to kill the Lord of the Castle." Alucard noted before turning away from them, "I might be able to get some information out of him."

The pair of humans looked at each other and fell instep with Alucard as he walked away. Well past used to Alucards' tendency to take charge at random moments. Though, because this was his home they were walking through at least they didn't get lost. When Trevor first walked the halls of the Castle, once he found Alucard, the Dhampire was able to direct him properly around. Saving time from getting lost or falling into traps via being sidetracked.

The trade off being that Alucard had been raised as nobility and as such he had the sharp aristocratic air that made dealing with him a bit... Touchy. He often wouldn't just 'say' why he was changing directions or casting certain spells. He just did whatever he wanted with no regard for those with him. Though at least he was willing to listen to instruction and take orders so long as it was given politely.

Grant and Alucard were as different as day and night, literally. Grant was laid back and good natured, with an easy laugh, while Alucard was aloof, self contained and driven. With Sophia as a balance to Trevor himself with her desire to exclude nonhumans, while Trevor accepted Alucards' presence. It was a strange balance to be certain, yet it had been these unique individuals that aided Trevor so that Dracula's first reign could end.

And now?

Now they were brought centuries into the future, with time itself having suddenly been twisted in some unimaginable way. A number of vampire hunters who had been brought to the Castle now unaccounted for, a future incarnation of Dracula now absent. While all contained within a Castle that, logically, should have changed as well. Somehow the Castle was holding its form despite the, horrifying, reality that its history changed as well.

"So, nice of you to join us Alucard. Mind telling me what's been going on here?" Grant asked as his gaze followed the sheer walls of books in the library. He could only figure that it was the only plus side to being a vampire. Being able to read all the books in the world, since vampires were immortal, certainly justified the incredible collection.

"A traitor has caused time to rewrite itself," was Alucards' clipped answer, as he took the steps leading downward.

Grant turned and gave Trevor his most 'help me here' look as he realized that Alucard had said all he was on the topic. Trevor shook his head at how easily everything slipped back to how it had been back when they first were in the Castle. Despite the fact that 'this' Alucard was over a century old now, and somehow hadn't changed in all that time. It made him actually curious on what Alucard did exactly when he left them after the Castle's fall.

"It would seem there were traitors in the Castle, and that the Castle itself brought us here to deal with them. Only one of my descendants was captured and in doing so has altered the flow of time significantly. The question is. At what point did the change happen? As we're clearly here, but without knowing who was here originally and who is here now?" Trevor paused to shrug his powerful shoulders. "Well, we're going to check out the whole castle and see if we can find anyone else. Who knows? Maybe we'll be fortunate to find someone who met others and can give us a better idea." Trevor explained while wondering how Alucard knew where the Master Librarian was if he hadn't been in the Castle for so long.

"So wait..." Grant walked along as his brain tried to fathom all the location jumping doors, the insanely human like monsters, and the fact that now all that had changed and time 'itself' had changed? "What's the current time line like now?" Grant really didn't want an answer. Sure the two of them were hail and hearty, and Alucard seemed to have survived well enough. But he had not run into anyone else, and the idea that there were 'future generations' who might have..might have what?

"It would see that Dracula has managed to take over the lands again and there is no longer a Belmont to stop him." Trevor answered grimly. "The Belmont that he now has as a prisoner, had yet to sire a child to carry on the legacy and his Whip. There would have been no way to recover it thus no one could take on Dracula."

Grant glanced up at Alucards' tall frame, took in the large sword at the Dhampires' side and the rich clothes before asking, "how have you been holding up all this time, Alucard?"

The Dhampire grew stiff, more from avoiding shaking his head and rattling his head back into the headache than from annoyance. "I am as well as to be expected."

Grant, forlornly, looked at Trevor once more for an explanation and watched as Trevor looked between the two and shook his head in amusement.

"Alucard was in the Castle when the time line shifted, as such his memories have been tampered with my friend. He's suffering from a serious headache as the world outside has a new history and its trying to force its way into Alucards' mind. Its actually pretty serious because he's been forced to rely more heavily on his vampiric side for stability." Trevor explained trying to keep his voice even before offending the noble with the chuckling he wanted to do.

"Oh... aye that sounds rough.." Grant agreed as they walked through an arch way into a large cross section that held even 'more' books. "Did Dracula ransack the library of Alexandria?!"

"The Castle would have brought them on its own. It brings books from all points in time and all across the world," Alucard explained nonchalantly or as close as one could in social level.

"That would explain those weird types of books I found," Grant admitted with a nod before walking to the edge and looking down. For it was a cross sectioned hallway only from above, the trio themselves were walking along a thick sturdy bridge of wood. But Alucard could turn into a bat so it made sense that the expectation was that he could just fly to where he needed to go. Then came the mental image of a bat flying with a book hanging from its feet.

"By the way, did you happen to come across anyone else after we were forcefully parted?" Trevor asked, looking down at his Pirate friend.

For his part, the Pirate shook his head in answer, before giving a shrug, "nay. I figured if I waited here long enough someone would find me and hopefully have the brains to know how to deal with the doors. I figured it would be a sound enough plan, since when I arrived I 'did' hear very faint voices off in the distance. Didn't get there in time though," Grant recalled as he pulled out a dagger and began tossing it in the air to catch.

"Voices?" Alucard inquired as he turned to glance at the Pirate.

"Aye, I heard the sounds of a fight. Came rushing along hoping to get some answers done, but by the time I found where I 'think' the fight was? Wasn't anyone there but some black hair, black robed woman who teleported away. After that I settled down where you found me, though there were more maids and they were more chatty at the time. Found so long as I was nice they were nice back, talked bout how the Master had been in the library recently and wanted food. So normally, there's no food here but in case the Master came back they were keeping snacks around.."

Trevor blinked at the reference of the 'Master' and considering the timing, figured it must have been Soma that they were speaking of. "Say Grant, at any time did you see a man with short white hair and a white coat? The collar trimmed in thick white fur and a black top and blue pants?"

Grant blinked at the detailed description given as he looked up at Trevor and then at Alucard in mild confusion. He wanted to instantly shake his head, though given how large the castle was, he took an extra moment to pause and think on the question. "No. I've seen nothing of any sort to fit that description. Any reason why you be looking for him?"

"That persons' name is 'Soma' and he's the reincarnation of Dracula. I think he's the reason for the Castle's previously neutral behavior." Trevor answered as Grant sucked in a shocked breath.

"What? What even 'is' reintarnation?" Grant asked in shock while Trevor looked at Alucard for help.

"I know it means that he's Dracula in a new body. But I never bothered my wife over such details, since its not really her area of study. I doubt she would know a great deal about the concept." Trevor confessed as Alucard glanced back at him as they approached another archway.

"A non-aggressive Dracula eh... Interesting," Grant thought aloud as he rubbed his chin at the thought. "Bet it would be nice to not have to fight your own father again." Grant commented at Alucards' back.

"Indeed," it was about as good as an answer as they were going to get out of Alucard as they walked.

"All in white you say? Sure he be not a ghost?" Grant asked as they walked past volumes upon volumes of books. And while he wasn't one for reading often, and couldn't read a lick of what was in the book he had found beyond the title.. A book on ships around the world? Yes, please. "So then what happened to him?"

"The change in history caused his future to change and he disappeared," Trevor explained while his eyes caught sight of a candles' light. They appeared to be heading to a dead end, and he could see beside a well lit lamp an old, old man in purple colored robes sitting in a high back chair. The man looked at the trio approaching and Trevor's keen eyes could see the conflict as the old man looked between Alucard and the two humans with him. "Let's hang back, Grant," Trevor advised causing Grant to glance around Alucard and see what Trevor had seen.

The pirate nodded and stopped along with Trevor, while the Dhampire stepped away from them and into what appeared to be the Master Librarian's office. "You know... Seems strange that the office would be on the bottom floor."

"True, though a part of me wonders how would he get any work done if he has to carry books around. There 'were' some serious number of jumps and I don't believe that all the monsters transverse like the Zombies." Trevor noted with a faint shrug of mild indifference towards the matter, now that they had arrived his mind had gone back to the other matter. "Though with time having changed, there are possibly new servants of Dracula. I can't be certain, though it feels that way to me."

"Oh?" Grant looked up at the lumberjack turned Vampire Hunter looking for clarification.

"Yes, and that leaves me worried, for without our clans defending humanity what has happened to the world outside? Already Alucards' memories have been distorted and damaged as the new history tries to replace what he has already experience. Which... from what I gather is incredibly easy, it seems he's been asleep this whole time." Trevor informed Grant, as the thought that maybe Soma was still trying to influence the Castle came up.

"Well, that would be easy by my guess. It would be real easy to shove brand new memories into someone who has been doing nothing but sleeping for the past number of years." Grant agreed with a nod as he tried to put himself in that situation.

"It has given him nothing but headaches, but it might be due to the sword at his side," Trevor tilted his head slightly towards the Dhampire. "He came across the Reincarnated Dracula when he first arrived and said the reincarnation gifted him that sword."

"How? If the future version is gone, shouldn't the blade disappear as well as the one who created the very event of gifting it is gone now?" Grant asked perplexed as he looked at the sword in question.

"Indeed, it should have, however; its clearly still here and when Alucard touches it the original history stays strong in his mind. Which makes me wonder if Soma, the name the Future Dracula used, is somehow still here. Maybe even a hidden aspect of Dracula himself."

"The Lord of all Evil has a good side?"

"Crazy I know."

"If he had a good side why would Alucard even be helping us?"

"Because what his father does is wrong. However; its not as though Alucard isn't upset at the prospect of fighting his father."

"Thanks Trevor. All I needed was a reason to make fighting that bastard harder. Now thinking he has a possible good side gets to weigh in on me."

Trevor clasped Grant's shoulder in a strong, friendly grip. "You're welcome my friend. Share the weight I always say."

"Going to ruin ALL our hunts huh, mate?"