Chapter 7: Life

Inside the holy field, the tower took on a more ethereal appearance. Every surface shone slightly more than usual. Colors faded in the ambient light. To Suzume, it felt as if the building in front of her was nothing more than a three-dimensional photograph of the highest tower in the castle, and the developer had overexposed it.

Gaibon approached the building without incident.

This bothered her. There was the obvious reason, yes. Knowing that he had reacted so inconsistently to the field at different times, she could never be completely sure that he would be able to pass through the same route safely later. But something else seemed wrong about the circumstances. It was too harmless now. She was easily traveling through a thick cloud of divine magic on the back of a demon, and a wounded one at that.

If this bothered Death, he certainly didn't show it.

Less than two minutes before, he had explained to her what he had done. Slogra and Gaibon were now her minions. What she commanded, they would obey. This seemed logical enough, but Death's explanation had continued.

She could focus her attention on them, he said. When she had tried it, her vision fogged slightly, and the image of Slogra climbing a flight of stairs in the tower superimposed itself upon her normal vision. From the way he had explained it, it sounded as though she could give them orders remotely this way, as well as monitor their actions. Slogra had first responded in confusion at the sudden change of command, but his reaction was temporary.

Then she had tried the same thing on Gaibon, and the result was a bizarre double image of where she was now, and she had cut it off before she got a headache. Someone with the expanded consciousness of Death would have not had that problem, she considered.

Gaibon reached the window that Death had identified earlier, and she climbed off his back. This room was unfurnished, with only a door leading to the central stairwell of the tower. According to Death's information, the focus of the holy magic field would be twenty-five feet above this room.

She looked back through the window. There hadn't been any more attempts to stop Gaibon. Perhaps he did not need to guard against attack after all. Thinking quickly, she checked on Slogra, determined his position, checked on Gaibon, instructed him to head to Slogra's position and pick him up, checked on Slogra again, instructed him to wait for Gaibon and allow him to pick him up, checked back with Gaibon and told him to meet her at her current position afterward. Moments later, she couldn't help but marvel at how natural the process had felt to her. She hadn't even spoken a word.

The last words Death had said to her before her departure echoed through her mind again. "Suzume Belnades, I trust you. Complete the mission."

She smiled at this. He had introduced himself to her that morning. At sunset, she had formed a pact with him. But now, for the first time since this incident began, she could truly believe that Death himself was on her side.

"You made it."

She turned around in surprise to find Marcus standing next to her. It took her a second to remember that he was still a vampire, and once that moment had passed, she noticed that he was not looking any worse than before.

She glanced toward the window again in surprise, and then back at him. "How did you get in here? I thought that field blocked..."

"It has never been able to stop any vampires from passing through", he interrupted. "The field was specifically created to repel Death."

That explained a lot, she thought. "The cardinal certainly seems to want to keep him away."

He smiled. "Good. You know who the master is. That will shorten my explanation."

"Can we walk as we talk?" she asked him. "I need to get rid of that field."

"I recommend you don't."

She shook her head. "Death won't be happy if I don't hurry."

Marcus looked at her sternly. "That field's the only thing keeping him away from Dracula's power right now."

She grumbled. "I don't understand why you defend the cardinal like this. I thought he wasn't your master."

"He's not."

"Then why protect him? He killed you and stole Soma's power!"

He gripped her by the shoulders and stared her directly in the eyes. "That's not true. Soma shared it willingly."

Her eyes widened considerably. "Are you sure? You're not lying to me?"

He shook his head. "This is too important for lies. Listen. The cardinal had a proposition for us. If Soma was able to share his power with him, not only would it provide security against Dracula's rebirth in the case of Soma's death, but his abilities could be used for the improvement of mankind."

"That's... a pretty compelling argument, really."

"Soma agreed. His power was awakened and spread with his full blessing."

"I'm surprised he did that." Suzume looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember. "Mother told me his power had been awakened several times in his life. Each time, he struggled to keep it from overwhelming him and turning him into the dark lord. He succeeded, of course, but still."

"He had no problem controlling it this time. When I spoke to him, he was still the Soma I knew. His aura was frightening, but not chaotic. I'd call that a perfect success."

"Or perhaps he's accepted that Dracula's power is part of him."

Marcus nodded. "It is possible." Then his expression darkened. "The cardinal himself was not so lucky. He was corrupted by evil thoughts, and so were the followers that he chose to share his power. Soma never thirsted for blood, yet they did. They looked for a source, found it in the men that had accompanied us, and struck them all dead and drained them." He was downright dejected now. "Soma objected to this, so they imprisoned him to ensure that he could not find a way to take his gift back. And then they offered me a choice. Join them, or die."

Suzume filled in the blank. "And when you died, Death showed up."

"He said he could help me stop them from causing any more damage. I was angry at what they had done, and I agreed without thinking." He winced. "In time, it became all too clear to me that this was really a chance for him to release all of Dracula's power in one fell swoop. That's why I abandoned him when he needed me the most."

"So you faced the cardinal?"

"I refused to kill him. Instead, I tried to purify him."

There was genuine sadness in his eyes. Suzume had never been in a situation where she had tried to save someone's life and failed. A healer's life was not always a happy one, she supposed.

He looked at her again. "The cardinal is not evil. Dracula's power has gotten the best of him. If we can simply return Dracula's power to Soma, this nightmare will be over." He paused in thought. "If I understand the process correctly, once the cardinal returns to normal, all of his followers will also revert, including myself. We can correct Soma's mistake and Dracula will remain sealed."

She raised an eyebrow. "But what about Death?"

"Do you know why I requested you, Suzume?"

That question had bugged her ever since she found out about it. She went with the first answer that came to mind. "Because you weren't strong enough to stop the Cardinal."

"No. If I used my abilities to their fullest, I could have saved him. That wasn't the problem. I needed to stop Death as well."

"Why's that?"

"They posed a threat to the natural order. If left unchecked, he would have killed them all. Dracula's power would have been released and none of them would have been saved."

She frowned. "He's never argued otherwise."

Marcus closed his eyes and shook his head. "I wish you could have helped me handle this problem before Death got to you. But he did, and he easily convinced you that these vampires were abominations that needed to be destroyed, no matter what consequences would result. And you agreed with this, without considering any alternate solutions." He opened his eyes and glared at her. "If you follow his course, they'll die. Maybe we'll die. And many more will die when Dracula returns."

She shook her head in frustration. "So what am I supposed to do, then?"

"I stand by my belief. This whole thing can be stopped without any more bloodshed, but only if you abandon Death."

She looked at him as if he had insulted her. "What? I made a pact with him!"

"That doesn't mean anything!" he shouted. "He's evil, Suzume! He'll turn on you at a moment's notice if it'll help him!"

"He's done nothing but support me so far. I've come further than I ever could've alone. And he has yet to abandon me."

"That's because he still needs you! Once it's over, he'll toss you aside like the worthless mortal he thinks you are!"

"That's not what he thinks of me! That's what he thinks of you!"

Suzume considered the tone of her words and tried to calm herself. "Look, I've seen what you've gone through. He told me his opinion of you. Betraying his trust at this time would be the worst mistake I could make."

He placed his hands on her shoulders again. "Don't you understand, Suzume? You can! You wield the holy power of the Belnades clan! You carry a staff that can destroy vampires! I've taught you most of the magic I know, and I'll be there to support you! Death isn't invincible! Every Belmont and Belnades in the past has been able to stand up to him and survive! I know we can stop him and save the cardinal at the same time! I mean it! I believe in you!"

In the face of such enthusiasm, she was hard-pressed to argue. He had a point. No one had ever stopped Dracula without stopping Death first. What Marcus was proposing would solve the problem. Lives would be saved. Once he was purified, there would be no more need for a holy field. Even without Soma, Death would have to appreciate that there was no longer a barrier blocking him from his duty.

...and he had saved her life three times, and taught her how to fight, and entrusted her with his minions, and told her of things that he had never told any other mortal being...

Her voice was a mutter. "But so does Death... and that's why I'm still here."

And, she didn't say, you wouldn't be here without him, either. Instead, you accepted his help, and then betrayed him at your earliest convenience...

As Marcus opened his mouth to speak again, there was a soft noise in the background, and the room slowly darkened to a more natural color. He stopped.

"That's odd", Suzume said, realizing the cause. "The holy field is gone."

Marcus looked around, nonplussed. "They shouldn't take it down with Death in the area."

"Do they know he's here?"

"I told you. The vampires are not affected by the barrier. They've known of his presence for a long time now."

Suzume had begun to suspect that the vampires knew too much about Death's plan. The resistance she and Gaibon had met was proof of that. And yet they had not stopped her group. They merely slowed them down. But this was new to her. If what Marcus said was true, then she no longer needed to worry about why the vampires had sometimes been one step ahead of them. Now she was worried why, so frequently, they weren't...

"There's something very wrong about this."

"I agree", Marcus muttered.

As if to provide an additional opinion, Gaibon showed up outside the window, his claws carefully holding onto Slogra's shoulders. She noticed the pair immediately. "What's going on? Where's Death?"

Without any hesitation, Slogra turned his spear upward and pointed with it. Toward the top of the tower. Toward the cardinal.

She turned quickly to Marcus. "Death was getting impatient. Is there something else going on? Maybe another part of the plan?"

"I wouldn't know", he replied. "They never explained anything to me."

She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. "In that case, I guess I have to find the cardinal. Gaibon, can you carry me and Slogra at the same time?"

Gaibon looked down at Slogra, then up at the tower, then toward Suzume. His expression was uncertain. She understood why. It was a lot of weight, and he was injured, and yet he was stronger than before, so...

"We'll have to take that risk", she decided. "I'm coming."

"I'm capable of flight", Marcus said from behind her. "I can take you myself."

She looked at him and shook her head. "That isn't necessary."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

"Are you sure?" Marcus looked at her evenly. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"That's not the point!" Suzume was clearly being frustrated by all this. "Look, you told me your theory. Death had a different one. And everything... all the stuff that's been going on, it doesn't fit either of them. I don't have a plan. All I can do is wing it."

"Then why are you putting your life in the hands of demons?" he asked.

"Because I can actually trust them to do what I want them to!"

Everything went silent, except for the beating of Gaibon's wings. Suzume realized what she had just said. Marcus looked downright offended. She wondered if he deserved it.

"Sorry. That was a bit harsh."

He didn't look at her. "I noticed."

She tried to sound apologetic. "Maybe you're right. Maybe Death is. But I need to decide for myself."

He shook his head slowly as he stared at the floor. "Don't make a mistake, Suzume."

"Everything so far has been a mistake." She turned slowly toward the window. "I just hope I can lessen the damage." And without another word, she jumped onto Gaibon's back. The reddish demon struggled slightly, and then slowly started making upward progress with Slogra in tow.

Marcus looked at the empty window as she left, muttering to himself. "I don't know. You may be right. Maybe I can't be trusted." He sighed. "But I've always tried to do the right thing."

He climbed out the window and levitated into the air, watching the skies above him. "And I won't stop now", he said, as if Suzume could hear him. "If you fall, I will catch you."

Suzume could hardly believe her eyes.

Gaibon loosened his grip, and Slogra dropped gently to the staircase below him. Then the gargoyle landed on the ground and allowed Suzume to climb off his back.

She had seen this view multiple times in the books. A long staircase, surrounded by no walls, backlit by the moonlight, connecting two parts of the castle. Every Belmont had told a story of a staircase like this one. Dracula had always had a flair for drama.

Gaibon didn't stand. With concern in her eyes, she walked over to his position and checked him. He didn't seem to be any more injured than usual. If anything, he had just exhausted himself.

She turned to Slogra. "Guard him. When he is ready, join me." Slogra gave her a quick nod, and she started the long trip up the stairs to her destiny.

A quick roar stopped her. She glanced backward at Gaibon, who pointed.

Suzume paused for a second in thought. And then she smirked. Actually, she was trying her hardest to not burst out laughing at the situation right then and there.

Gaibon had been doing the surveillance. He knew what he was doing. More than her, anyway. And she had forgotten something very significant.

This was not Dracula's castle.

She headed down the staircase into the top room of the main tower, where the cardinal was last seen.

This room was no less dramatic.

The doorway led to a balcony that overlooked a grand circular room. Two staircases, each traveling a quarter of the way around the boundary of the room, led from the floor up to her position and the exit behind her. The only other entrance to this room was a small opening in the floor directly opposite her, the top of a spiral staircase that traveled much of the upper tower's height. A skylight in the center of the ceiling cast the moon's light upon the center of the room, which added to the ambient light of the candles that were positioned on the outer boundary of the room.

The outer wall of the room was also surrounded by vampires. All of them of the Somaesque persuasion, she quickly decided.

And they had seen her.

"Ah, Lady Belnades. I'm glad you could make it."

The man who spoke had been standing near the center of the room, close enough that she could barely see him over the balcony. She moved closer to the edge and looked straight down. The ring of vampires continued there, and directly below her position, a man with white hair was chained to the wall.

Soma.

"I'm sorry I've never been able to meet you in person before now." The man, who looked like a healthier version of the cardinal from Death's flashbacks, looked up at her with a smile. "You have quite a reputation in the church."

She prepared her staff quickly. There were too many vampires for her to fight directly, and their positioning would allow them to surround her easily if she moved in. Her best bet, she decided, was to stay at the top of the stairs and make them come to her. "Don't mock me", she replied.

"Why would I mock the woman who has helped make this possible?" He gestured to the room around him. "Thanks to your efforts, my plan is now complete."

Suzume started to second-guess herself, but responded nonetheless. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid I had nothing to do with Soma's arrival."

"You are familiar with the power of dominance?"

She nodded. "It's been explained to me a few times."

As if she hadn't responded in the affirmative, he continued. "Dracula possessed more than simply innate power. He was also capable of claiming the souls of the fallen to boost his own power."

She knew all this already. "So you're saying you've gotten stronger from the creatures we've killed."

"That was only the beginning. You should appreciate the amount of effort Death spent helping you and your friends." He grinned knowingly. "I certainly do. He was so busy opposing me, he neglected to put the usual amount of effort into his reaping.

"So I did my best to cover for his inadequacy. Every human, animal, plant, demon... everything that has died while you've been keeping him busy has given its soul to me."

She started slightly. "You..."

"Each time that Dracula has risen in the past, Death has freely given his reaped souls to him. Through our combined effort to eliminate the middle man, I'm proud to say that I've finally managed to become as strong as Dracula."

She muttered to herself. "He must have seen that this was happening. And I kept slowing him down... I failed him."

"Dracula was a great man, you know", the cardinal continued. "If he had not waged his war against humanity, he very well could have been their most powerful ally. Perhaps he could have even led them."

"Look." Suzume's voice had become impatient. "Why are you telling me this?"

The cardinal's face seemed friendly. "You and I should not be enemies. What I'm doing benefits you as much as anyone else. Especially now that you have brought Death with you."

If he's talking, she thought, she might as well figure out what he's planning. "It was my understanding that you didn't want him to show up."

"True enough", he admitted. "I wonder how much you have studied, Lady Belnades. Perhaps you can name at least one type of force that can keep Death from performing his reaping duties."

She thought about this. "You once said that divine power isn't enough, and there's no reason why Dracula's unholy power would hurt him enough to stop him. Good question."

"You were close", he responded. "It'll help you to know that holy power, used creatively, can bolster Dracula's power."

Her eyes widened. "So the combined power is strong enough to stop him?"

The cardinal shook his head. "You're thinking about this the wrong way. I'll give you one last hint. How was it that I could stop Death, but not any of my followers, and not even the demonic beast that brought you?"

He did stop Gaibon briefly, she considered. "Just tell me the answer."

"I am disappointed in you." Some of the vampires grinned to themselves as he continued. "Let me remind you of something you should already know. Death has a pact with Dracula."

It finally started to make sense to her. "You mean..."

"He didn't even realize this." His expression was that of victory, the kind of victory that no one could have seen coming. "The reason he couldn't approach me is that, using Dracula's power, I was ordering him to stay away."

She nodded slowly. "I see. Then you bolstered the effect with a field of holy power, weak enough to remain sustainable and have as much range as possible. And he mistook that for the cause."

"So it seems."

"Can I assume that you gave the same order to his minions once you noticed them hanging around?"

He gave her a slight smile. "You draw logical conclusions well, Lady Belnades, but you're not so good at coming up with the ideas yourself." He turned toward the other entrance. "Hopefully you can understand why I have no complaint with Death returning now."

A vampire entered the room from the lower staircase. He was followed by Death, and then another vampire bringing up the rear. As Suzume watched, the two vampires stood at attention. A short moment later, so did Death.

Suzume realized the truth. They had been too late. The cardinal had fully awakened his power, and now Death was at his command. As she continued to watch, he produced his scythe and held it above his head for everyone to see. She wondered just what he intended to do with this new power.

In retrospect, given everything she knew about the cardinal, it should have been obvious.

Death dropped his scythe upon the ground. The vampires cheered loudly.

The cardinal turned to face her again. "I present to you a world where Death is a slave to the whims of the common people. No one must ever die needlessly again. No one will have need to fear danger. Hatred will be fruitless. War will be meaningless. People will finally know peace." He gestured in the direction of the reaper, who was now on the ground in a supplicant position. "Death... is powerless."

She shook her head in disbelief. "This is your plan? Eternal life? For everyone?"

He grinned. "It sounds good, doesn't it?"

To some degree, she had to admit, it did. Death had mentioned humanity's latent fear of death. He had also argued that fearing death was beneficial to living a full life. Of course, he was working from the assumption that death was a necessity...

There was another concern. "What about blood? You still need it."

"It is easily obtained by feeding on the rest of humanity." He gazed into the sky with a dreamy look on his face. "Those who submit freely shall join us as heirs of Dracula, free to enjoy the wonders of our existence."

She continued to look skeptical. "Eternity is a long time. What happens when the blood runs out?"

"Didn't you pay attention? Death has been stopped! We can live without blood now!"

"Yeah", she grumbled to herself. "If you want to live like a vampire."

The cardinal gave her a sudden glare. "Don't knock it until you've tried it, Lady Belnades."

And suddenly she was tackled from behind by someone, and she went flying over the railing into the center of the room. On the way down, she felt a sharp pain in her neck. Her body suddenly started to feel weak, and the staff in her hand started to burn slightly, and the recoil of pain caused her to drop it. Then, as she was preparing to brace herself for impact, she realized that she was decelerating. As she landed softly on the floor, she was turned on her back and pinned down, leaving her staring up at the face of Marcus.

"...why..."

"Dracula's power stems from chaos", she heard the cardinal say. "In the act of claiming it, I have brought order to it. Those who share my power and become chaotic can easily be ordered if I so desire."

Marcus's face was frightened. "...no... what are you..." He moved behind her, lifted her head up, and resumed the process of draining her blood.

Behind her, she could hear the voice of Death. Somehow, it was less supernatural. In fact, to her, it sounded almost identical to the voice he had used when he had called himself Gregor. "No!"

Her vision started to fade. Before she blacked out, she heard the cardinal again. "That leaves one unfinished point of business." A brief pause. "Guard the door. If you find those demons, kill them on sight."

Despite her looming unconsciousness, her mind strained to contact them. "Run... leave..."

She would never know if they had received the order.

Marcus released Suzume, and her body fell back against the ground.

The cardinal turned to face Death again. "You see, my dear reaper? Your plan was for naught. Few can stand against Dracula. And this time, no one has any reason to do so."

Despite everything, he defied his master's words. "You are wrong. The world needs death."

"Hardly", the cardinal responded with a voice of disdain. "What man would choose death over life?"

"The man who is too old to walk. The man who cannot breathe without feeling pain. The man for whom life holds nothing else."

"Do you think I have neglected to consider this?" The cardinal paced slightly. "We are not relieving you of your duty. You are merely being reassigned. If they wish to die, we will command you to reap them. This is not a flaw of my plan."

"Do you believe that you will be able to correctly choose who lives and who dies?" Death's voice was filled with contempt. "Humanity cannot be entrusted with such a task."

The cardinal gave him a severe look and responded simply. "I would expect such words from the being that followed a lord who wished for all humans to die."

"You are no better than he is."

That had been a female voice. The cardinal stared in shock and turned to look at Suzume. She had risen to a seated position and was now looking in his direction. The bite mark in her neck was still present.

She opened her mouth to speak, revealing the fangs within. "Your army killed an entire village of innocent people. If left unchecked, they will do so again. And again. As long as it takes. You claim to be able to overcome it, but you are a slave to your bloodlust." She shook her head in disgust. "I hope that you do not intend to butcher humans when they will not actually die from it."

The cardinal's expression became furious. "Why, you..."

"And even if you give up blood, what is the result? A race of vampires, living a life of constant starvation, never quenching their thirst, with no end to the suffering in sight. Is this the paradise you have in mind?"

"It is still preferable to death!"

"Not only that, but your plan will eventually force everyone to become one of the undead or perish." She rolled her eyes at this. "Dracula wanted to end humanity as well. The only difference between you and him is that you are convinced that they will support your actions."

She stood slowly. Despite how recently she had been drained, she succeeded. With as much menace as she could manage, she slowly advanced upon the cardinal.

There was a latent thought in her mind. Obey him. She ignored it.

"...you are..."

"I am a Belnades. My blood possesses the strongest magical power known to humanity. We have sworn to stand beside the Belmonts to destroy the forces of Dracula whenever they surface, so that mankind needs never be subject to the misery that results from his unholy ways."

The voice kept repeating itself in her head. It was irritating, but hardly effective.

There was motion behind her. She charged enough holy power to knock a vampire down, yet not cause it any significant harm, and released it just in time to stop Marcus's next attempt at an assault. As he collapsed, she noticed that the other vampires in the room were not moving toward her, in fear of being the next victims. She smiled to herself. She was looking pretty damn impressive.

The cardinal started to panic. "This is not possible! Obey me!"

She traced a complicated gesture at her side with one hand, while sweeping the other arm in a simple yet grandiose motion. She applied the healing spell to herself quickly, and then released a small amount of harmless light upon herself with the visible hand. Image was everything at the moment, especially against these odds, and it appeared to be working. To the eyes of everyone around her, she had just cured her own vampirism with a mere wave of the arm.

Her next target was right in front of her. She continued to speak. "The power of Dracula cannot sway me. I have been charged, by both the light of purity and the shadow of death, to put a stop to your actions. It is time to stop the suffering! Your foolish goals end here!"

And, with a quick roll upon the ground, she scooped up both dropped weapons. In her right hand, the staff she had received from Marcus, certainly capable of stopping a few vampires, and the key to making any kind of stand here. In her left...

...only now did she realize the significance of what she had done. She was now holding the scythe of Death. She had seen him produce it from thin air minutes ago. He had once called it a metaphor, but in her hand, it felt like a true weapon. She could practically feel the sharpness even at the other end of the long pole, and the supernatural power throbbed through her entire body. She started to wonder if even she could remove the souls of her enemies from their bodies with a single slice.

She stood, holy staff in one hand, unholy scythe in the other, and stared directly at the cardinal.

"You are bluffing." The cardinal walked toward her, shaking his head. "While you may be a priestess without peer, you are not the warrior that you think you are. You cannot wield both weapons at the same time."

Her expression flickered. He was right, of course. She had stretched the illusion too far.

A quick glance at Marcus, who she had left flat on his chest, yet still conscious. "Use the staff..." he whispered. "Relieve him of his wicked intentions..."

At her side, another voice. "Wield my scythe", Death intoned. "End his existence now."

And suddenly, in front of her, a series of fireballs flew in her direction. She leapt out of the way quickly.

"Indecision?" the cardinal said mockingly. "That moment of hesitation will be your last!"

Throughout the history and legends of the world, many examples can be found of the concept known as the moral dilemma.

Some are more significant than others. In the case of Suzume Belnades, the question of which weapon to use against her opponent was a fairly minor choice. She could use the staff, or she could use the scythe. The question had practically been handed to her in that form.

The term "dilemma", however, is a misnomer. Its very use implies that there are exactly two choices. This was clearly not the case here. Suzume could try to use both weapons at the same time; the cardinal's criticism was valid, but it was still an option. She could drop both weapons and rely solely on her magic, or perhaps physical combat; granted, this would be largely irrational for her when facing a vampire. Even when considering practical options, she still possessed a spear that she had long ago removed from the innards of the corpse of an undead creature, which she had since realized must have been killed by the demon known as Slogra.

And even a choice of a single option does not automatically dictate the fate of the person making the decision. Suzume could choose to wield the scythe and destroy the cardinal instantly. She could also wield it and win only after a long-fought battle. Or she could lose. Or she could turn and use it on any of the vampires in the room. Even Marcus. Or, if she was feeling particularly eccentric, herself. She could even make an attempt to answer the age-old question of what happens when you kill Death and claim his soul.

In this case, Suzume chose to wield the staff. Many motives could be speculated. Perhaps she decided that she trusted Marcus more than Death after all. Perhaps she realized that she had never used a scythe before, and focused on using the weapon with which she had trained. Or perhaps she just really hated sharp objects.

In truth, her decision was based on the fact that she was right-handed, and it was more convenient to hold onto the weapon in that hand. No one ever said that a moral dilemma had to be resolved solely with one's morals.

Afterward, however, she would consider that it made more sense to purify the enemy, with the option of killing him later, than the other way around. Even hindsight can be victim to morality.

In the end, she had defeated the cardinal, largely due to the fact that he had not had much experience battling with his vampiric abilities, and ultimately adopted a pattern of teleporting himself around the room and throwing fireballs at his opponent. Perhaps there was a lesson to be learned about the extent of Dracula's influence. To his credit, he also possessed a few knives, treated with poison, and he had attempted to use those to catch her off guard.

And then he had stood again, and he had screamed that it was not yet his time to lose when he had come so far, and he had drawn upon the power of some of his souls to encase himself within the form of a frightening beast with massive claws and naturally hard flesh protecting his true body. This form change had been enough to convince the other vampires to flee, which had made Suzume feel much better about her chances of survival if she won this battle. And even this was not enough for him to stand against her, and the beast's form dissipated, and the cardinal's body was left lying upon the ground, nearly helpless against whatever fate Suzume had in store for him.

If it sounds as though the story of this epic battle has been rushed and left undetailed, it is only because the aftermath was considerably more interesting for everyone involved. A more significant and anticipated moral dilemma would finally rear its ugly head.

"I've... failed..." The cardinal spoke these words in a weak voice, and then he collapsed face first on the ground.

Suzume, upon her realization that the fight was over, took the opportunity to drop to her knees in exhaustion. Marcus took the opportunity to approach her from behind and hug her. "You did it!" he exclaimed.

She stood up again and turned to face him. While his face was cheerful and no longer bore any reminder of that dark expression he had worn when he was commanded to strike her, he was still a vampire. The cardinal's influence had yet to be removed from him.

And behind him, below the balcony where she had once stood, Soma remained chained to the wall. She looked at Marcus and pointed at him. Marcus nodded immediately and headed over to free the man that he had once been assigned to find and safeguard.

She turned to look at the cardinal again. He had still not risen. She was still holding her staff. The scythe continued to rest upon the floor. And Death... could no longer be seen in the area.

Behind her, she heard the sounds of Soma regaining consciousness. He had apparently missed the entire battle.

In her opinion, his voice was somewhere between surprised, friendly and subdued. "Marcus. I see that you've come to save me." A brief pause. "Is that Yoko's daughter?"

"Don't thank me", Marcus responded. "Suzume's the one who saved you."

She turned to smile at him and greet him, only to see a gathering of dark power directly in front of his body. It took on a more humanoid shape, and eventually revealed itself to be Death, standing mere feet from the prisoner. With a single bony hand, he shoved Marcus to the side.

"This will be our final meeting, Soma Cruz." His voice had returned to its full supernatural strength. "The cardinal is defeated. I will now fulfill my duty and claim your soul." He produced another scythe and brandished it in his hands.

"Is that my fate?" Soma somehow remained calm about this.

"Perhaps you will prefer it if I make my cut quick and painless."

"No!" Marcus shouted as he scrambled to his feet. "You can't do this! Suzume, help me stop him!"

And Death turned slightly to glance briefly in her direction. His meaning was clear. You made a pact. If you interfere, your soul is mine.

Suzume stared at the execution scene in front of her. If she was going to act, she had mere seconds to do so.

Behind her, there was the faintest amount of movement from the cardinal...

Despite the heightened amount of significance, this moral dilemma is no more complicated than the previous one. The repercussions, however, can be considerably more severe.

There are thousands of tales that can stem from this one decision. Many are unfulfilling, especially from the perspective of Suzume. There are a number of stories in which the cardinal recovers and strikes Suzume in the back with a poisoned dagger. In others, Suzume opts to stand up to Death, only to drop dead an instant later as her soul is reclaimed.

There is even at least one outcome in which Death's very existence is ended, and even though he does not live to see it, the "paradise" envisioned by the cardinal comes to pass. It is not pretty.

Given the amount of focus that Suzume has received during the adventure so far, perhaps it would be preferable to limit the stories to those in which she survives and lives out the rest of her life in something other than great suffering. The number can be lowered further by considering only the stories where the results of her decision are interesting and shape the remainder of her life, as well as the lives of her friends and allies.

From this considerably smaller pool, four conclusions have been chosen, and each shall be offered in turn. In no two stories did Suzume make the same decision. And once again, it must be emphasized that these are not the only possible conclusions for each choice.

Perhaps Suzume followed Marcus's advice, mustered up her courage and challenged Death.

Or perhaps she lived up to her end of the pact, right down to its very intent, regardless of the consequences.

Or she may have tried to find a solution that would satisfy everyone involved.

She may not have even considered where her priorities truly lie yet.

Moral dilemmas are rarely pleasant. Sometimes they turn out horribly. Sometimes things work out in the end. Consequences are always unpredictable. And most importantly, not every dilemma has a right and wrong choice.