Chapter 7: Fulfilled Wishes

Thanatos and many of the demons had left hell again. And it had only been half a century since the last time.

When Galamoth first heard about this, he headed directly to the portal room to see for himself. The portal was wide open. In an effort to figure out what was going on, he asked one of the demons that was currently on guard duty.

"You know how that Belmont revived Dracula last time?" Galamoth nodded. "Well, Death was thinking, if the humans are capable of bringing him back without waiting a century first, why not let them do so?"

Galamoth blinked. "I find it hard to believe that any human would be foolish enough to want to do that."

"Well, you know how it is. Power is seductive, they think they can harness it for themselves, wham, we're in business. If that doesn't work, I think the vampires can do it, too."

"Let me get this straight. Dracula's already back?"

"Nah, not yet. Death thought of something else. Apparently to revive Dracula, you need to get into his castle first. So Death went and set up some spell in the place that summons him directly if someone tries to use the castle. Then he can make a portal for us, we come charging through, we help in the Dracula revival process... it's kinda cool, actually."

Galamoth nodded. This sounded like something Thanatos had been wanting for a long time. "So everybody's already up there?"

"Not everyone. The battle hasn't started yet, and it sounds like a bunch of us were caught off guard by this. Not all of us are ready to fight, you know. A few said they wanted to finish off some project first."

"That would be why the room wasn't deserted..." Galamoth said to himself. Then, in an inquisitive tone, "By any chance, did Thanatos have any orders for me..."

The demon shook his head. "He didn't say anything about it, but I don't think you should push your luck. I'd stay here." Then, as an afterthought, "I heard someone wanted you to go to the forge, anyway."

Galamoth sighed, thanked him for the update and headed down the hallway to take up his usual station.

None of the other forgers were on duty when I arrived. However, Rebecca was sitting near the entrance, reading a book.

"Oh? What are you doing here?"

She looked up and smiled at me. "There you are!" Then the smile disappeared. "Well, I was in here talking to the forgemaster, and he said that he knew you were keeping some of your things in this room, and we talked about it, and he thought it would be a good idea to put them someplace else."

I groaned. "I couldn't think of a better place to put them. At least, no place where anyone who saw them would know that they were mine."

"What things, by the way?"

"Your scepter. And the gold outfit." I pointed her to where I kept them. "I don't know where else they would be safe, aside from the library."

Her eyes lit up. "I can think of one place. I'll show you where it is."

We struggled to pick up all the items. In the end, she carried the cloth and scepter and I bore everything else, which would be admittedly too heavy for her. She suggested at one point that I could put some of it on. I didn't think it was a good idea, but I did end up wearing the bracers and carrying the rest.

Eventually, we walked down another hallway and found ourselves in an empty room. It was fairly large and seemed to be a lot less cramped than the others. I wondered to myself why no one else was using the room for anything.

She smiled. "You recognize this room, right?"

I looked around. There were some markings against one of the walls, which I supposed resembled some kind of weathering. I ran my hand over the wall, but I couldn't think of what would cause such a thing.

"Remember? I froze that wall that day?"

Memories came flooding back. I had just picked a random room at the time, but it seemed she remembered it better than I did. "This room? It doesn't look like a safer hiding place than anywhere else."

"Really? Have you looked up at the ceiling?"

On reflex, I looked up. The ceiling of this chamber had apparently been carved by hand to the point that it was lacking the stalactites normally found in the rooms and hallways around here. While it would mean less chance of anything falling in the room, and it gave the room a slightly different feel from the others, I didn't know why...

...and then I suddenly realized that I was looking up at the ceiling.

She must have seen the change in my expression. "I was talking to everyone else, and they agreed with me. After all you've done for everybody, the least you deserved was a place around here where you could stand up straight."

It was such a minor thing, and yet it meant so much to me. I spent a minute or two walking around the room, getting used to stretching out all my limbs fully, and then turned to look at her again. "Wait. Was this okay with..."

"We spoke with Death, and he gave us permission to modify this area for you if we did the work ourselves."

I stared at her. "You got an audience with Thanatos? How?"

She shrugged. "We were all talking about the idea and he just showed up. You can't say he doesn't pay attention to what everyone is doing."

"I may have to remember that."

"By the way, he wants you to know that he hasn't forgotten about you. Be patient. Your chance will come."

I gaped. "You told him about that?"

"No. But somehow, he found out about it."

I wasn't sure of the implications, but I nodded nonetheless. "I'll have to thank everyone, then. I suppose some of the other demons could also rest..."

She had a slightly guilty look on her face. "Uh... no, that's not necessary. I mean... actually, to be honest, I was the one who thought your stuff should be moved out of the forge."

"What? Why did you..." I stopped. I suspected that she was building up to something, and I decided to let her finish. "Go ahead."

She smiled brightly. "It's completely unofficial, and there's no way Death will enforce it, but the others are all willing to treat this as our private room."

"Wait. This isn't right. We don't deserve a private room. I'm not a lord."

"It doesn't matter to them. Official or not, they respect you a lot."

I didn't know what to say. This had come completely unexpectedly. "I suppose the best thing would be to continue to deserve this, then."

My morale was high, tensions were much lower than before, and things seemed

"Galamoth!"

Galamoth looks up suddenly with a slight hint of annoyance. He is just about to finish the section, too. Why had someone called his name? Seeking an explanation, he listens to the demons in the main room.

"Why did you do that? He said not to disturb him!"

"But look at this! This is... look, I'm sure he meant he didn't want to hear about minor things. This... he needs to know."

"It's another summoning circle. You didn't make a big deal about the first one."

A third demon interrupts. "Yes, but the other circle wasn't specifically requesting Galamoth's presence."

"So..."

"I don't think his name is well known among humans."

"I need more details", Galamoth says as he strides into the room rapidly. "Are these the same summoners who wanted Death?"

"I think so", says the second one. "It uses the same kind of magic, and it hasn't been very long since the first one."

"Any idea of the source?"

"None."

Galamoth ponders for a short time. "What are the possible consequences if I allow myself to be summoned?"

The other demons fall silent. "You can't be serious!" one exclaims.

Galamoth takes a deep breath. "Look at what's happened to this place. Think of what could happen next. We need a dark lord. And we can no longer simply wait a hundred years if Dracula is gone. We have to do this Thanatos's way."

The third demon speaks. "Death could summon demons. We can't. It won't work."

"Think about it. If these humans can summon me, they can summon anyone. All they need is incentive. I will speak with them."

"But they might enslave you!"

Galamoth hesitates. "Does the summoning process force a pact?"

There is a brief discussion among the other demons, including some analysis of the circle. "No. It will, however, bind your body to the summoning circle. They can refuse to release you until you obey."

"I assume they have the means to force a demon to obey once it agrees."

"Definitely."

Galamoth sits down and starts to think. There are several options. He could agree to a pact, but then he would be forced to obey whatever they wanted, and he knows that would be unacceptable to him. He could refuse to agree to a pact, but then he would be potentially trapped there for eternity. Or he could just refuse to be summoned.

But, if he doesn't take a chance on being summoned now, he will be passing up a very good opportunity to create a new dark lord.

An idea comes to mind.

"I will need a minute to think about this." This said, he returns to the room. Acting quickly, he gathers up the pages he's written so far, as well as the pen and remaining paper. He also grabs Thanatos's book, just in case. The other one, he decides, would be completely counterproductive.

Too bad, he thinks. I wish I had finished writing this by now. This is exactly the right moment to use it as a backup plan.

He returns to the main room where the circle is. "I'm going. I think I have a strategy. I only hope that it works."

And before any of the other demons can say anything, he steps directly into the circle. In a flash of light, he is gone.

The humans must not have known as much about Galamoth as they thought. The summoning circle is too small to contain him normally. His body appears to have changed its dimensions in order to compensate. At least, he thinks, I still have the size advantage if I wish to intimidate them.

The summoning circle is in the middle of an otherwise unoccupied dark room in what appears to be a castle. He begins to wonder. Is this Dracula's castle? If so, this is only his third time on the premises.

He was getting close to writing about the first time, wasn't he? Well, as long as none of the humans are around...

My morale was high, tensions were much lower than before, and things seemed to be going well. Except, of course, for the part where we continued to lose the war.

Another half a century passed uneventfully. I had gotten used to staying in the new room, as well as staying with Rebecca. So when yet another iteration of the war was declared and she decided that she would be visiting her old homeland for a while, I was disappointed.

Naturally, this meant that I spent my time forging, as usual. Also, I decided that it might be worth it to get a few more fights in at the arena.

This led to what must be the most bizarre rivalry I've had in my entire life.

My opponent was a demon by the name of Zephyr, a highly-rated fighter who used acrobatics and knives in battle. I had been told that he had an uncanny rate of speed, so I wondered if I'd even be able to land a hit on him. As was often the case in matches where I was fighting, the policy was no ringouts. Zephyr agreed happily; he apparently liked using the walls.

As soon as the match began, he beckoned me to make the first move. Obliging, I feinted first with a downward pound and instead kicked him. He took the kick directly and went flying across the room. Getting up, he cursed loudly and charged at me. As I held my hand up in preparation to block, he drew a knife and jumped on my hand. This was not a smart move. I simply closed my hand around him and slammed him headfirst on the ground.

It was not enough, as he stood up again well before the five second count. This time, he pulled out an entire set of knives and threw them at me. I didn't expect this, and I was too slow to dodge some of them. They stung a little, and I started wondering if they were treated in any way.

Rather than press the attack, he held up his hand. "I forfeit", he said.

The arenamaster didn't understand, but I received his 20 coin wager and was declared the winner. Zephyr shot me a dirty look as he left.

When I was about to leave the arena at the end of the day, the arenamaster came up to me and asked me to enter the arena with Zephyr and himself. As soon as I arrived, Zephyr held up his hand. I looked at him. He turned to the master, who nodded and told me that I could return to what I was doing.

The next time I went to the arena, the arenamaster told me that I was forbidden from attending any matches in which Zephyr was fighting.

I still have no idea

"So you have arrived."

Galamoth drops the paper and pen in surprise, then looks up to see that there are now a pair of humans standing in the room. He stands up and does his best toothy, menacing sneer.

"About time you humans showed up. It doesn't seem wise to dabble in forces beyond your mortal ken and then not stick around for the display of power. Who do I have to blame for my presence?"

One swallows audibly. At least, audibly to his hearing. "Well... that is, we weren't the ones who..."

The other elbows him. "Stop that! We don't need to do what he says! He's supposed to be obeying us, remember?"

Galamoth rolls his eyes. He is being held prisoner by amateurs. "Tell me. Someone here knows my name and believes that I..."

"Quiet, you!" the second interrupts. "We summoned you, and now you have to help us!"

"I think not."

"Look, they wouldn't have invented summoning circles if there wasn't some chance of the demon being obedient..."

Galamoth sighs. "You are clearly not the ones who summoned me. Bring me the human responsible, if you would. I will wait."

The first walks closer to the circle. "And if we don't? You just might be stuck here forever, pal!"

Galamoth shrugs. "It is no bother. I have reading material." He holds up the book that reads THANATOS.

A quiet mumble from the second one. "Thanatos? The Greek word for death?"

"I was not your first choice of demon, was I?" The two share a glance, neither apparently knowing the answer. "You cannot fool me. You two are merely doing a job, trying to convince me to become compliant before you put your master at risk. But I think it should be known that I was not required to allow myself to be summoned, and that I believe that this is a situation that warrants further analysis. So I again insist that you bring me the actual person in charge of the summoning so that we can resolve this in a rational manner. Understood?"

A lengthy pause. Then one of the two pulls out a piece of paper, looks over it briefly, and stuffs it into his pocket. "Yes, sir. I can do that." He turns and runs off into the castle.

Galamoth continues to look at the second one. "Guarding me?" The man nods. So does Galamoth. "Suit yourself." He picks up the pen again and...

...where did that last page go? He cannot seem to find it.

...that human was not carrying a piece of paper when he entered the room, was he?

He grumbles to himself. At least it didn't contain any information of value, he thinks. He considers rewriting it, but decides against it. That story wasn't actually all that important to his life, was it?

He pulls out a new sheet of paper, positions it so that the man can see he that is writing but can't make out the words, and starts a new section.

Rebecca returned shortly afterward, yet another war was lost, and life was back to normal. Mostly.

Thanatos made another public appearance and explained that this last defeat was part of another lengthy plan. He had found a way to ensure that the Belmont bloodline would not continue. I reacted in my usual jaded manner, and figured that I would not hear of the plan again until it had failed.

I was proven incredibly wrong.

Less than five years later, I was in the middle of reading when Thanatos appeared in front of me. "It is time to fulfill your wish", he said. "Finish all current tasks. You will be brought to the surface in one hour." And with that, he disappeared.

When I told Rebecca, she was both happy and concerned. She knew that I had been looking forward to serving a purpose for Dracula and Thanatos, but she was concerned that I might be wounded or killed should a conflict arise. I reminded her that none of the demons had died in battle before, but she told me that she heard that the Belmont clan was in possession of a whip that was capable of destroying demons completely. Knowing nothing of this artifact, I couldn't reassure her.

A short while later, she started insisting that I take her with me. I asked if Thanatos had recruited her, and she responded in the negative. Thus, I told her, it would most likely not be tolerated by him. She begrudgingly accepted this.

Minutes later, a blue gargoyle arrived and instructed me to follow him to the portal room. This had clearly been arranged ahead of time; the guards didn't try to stop me. When instructed to enter, I pointed out that it was not large enough for me to walk through. This didn't dissuade them, so I ended up having to crawl. This was not as much of a problem as I thought.

On the other side, I found myself in what appeared to be a castle. Judging by the instructions, I decided that I must have been within Dracula's estate. As that imp had told me on my first day as a demon, I was far too tall to stand upright, so I knelt on the floor.

I looked around for the gargoyle, but he was no longer in the room. Instead, I was in the presence of four other demons: a mummified pharaoh (I hoped he wouldn't ask me questions), a large bat, an artificially-constructed oversized human, and a snake woman that might have been the Greek gorgon Medusa.

Eventually Thanatos appeared. "My plan has just shifted to the backup plan. Dracula's son is coming."

Adrian? I remembered our first battle, back when I originally arrived on this planet. Was it finally time for a rematch? Was this the reason I was called forth?

"Pay attention. I will run interference early. This should make things easier for the demons that have been assigned to the backup plan. If the plan works, Alucard will be forced to either abandon the Belmont to his curse or kill him. Either way, the Belmont bloodline will come to an end.

"We are concerned with the interference of a sorceress who is heading for this castle. If she successfully intervenes and the curse is broken, we have another backup plan ready, in which our magician Shaft will revive Dracula directly. This is where you all come in. The revival will require time, and you will need to slow Alucard down."

The snake woman interjected. "We're the backup to the backup backup plan?"

"That is one way to look at it. But if you manage to defeat him, Dracula will face less opposition. There is much to be gained from your success."

He distributed objects that resembled desiccated body parts to the other four. "Keep these guarded with your life. To stop the resurrection, Alucard will need to collect them. I will also split you up in order to lengthen his trip and increase the amount of time Shaft has available."

I spoke up. "What is my duty?"

Thanatos gave me an even look. "I will be protecting one of the items myself. You will be protecting me."

I thought about this. On one hand, I was the backup to the backup of the backup backup plan. On the other hand, I was Thanatos's bodyguard. It was hard to tell if my position would be considered important or not.

"Alucard is almost here. Shaft will send you to your positions."

Moments later, I was transported again, this time using a portal that was designed for my size.

Galamoth looks up. The human is still watching him, but he appears to be getting bored.

He taps the side of the circle and receives the expected burst of pain. The circle is high quality, he notes. What could the human expect him to do? He couldn't break out of it if he tried, even if...

He decides to do something about that later. For now, he continues to describe the prelude to the battle.

The first thing Galamoth noticed about his destination was that it was considerably larger than the other chambers of the castle. He would be able to stand up straight and move around freely in this area.

The second thing he noticed was that there was no way for him to exit the room. There were doors, yes, but they were designed for someone of Dracula's height at the most. One of them was even placed at the top corner of the room, where no one could possibly...

The third thing he noticed was that, if the furnishings of the room were any indication, he was actually standing on the ceiling.

"I have completed the first step."

Galamoth turned to face Thanatos, who was now floating behind him. "Where..."

"This is a duplicate of Dracula's castle that cannot be detected while standing within the real one. Dracula's essence has been moved here. If we are fortunate, it will appear to be missing completely from the main castle, and Alucard will abandon his search after finding the Belmont."

Galamoth nodded. "The way you speak, it doesn't sound like that outcome is likely."

"That is why I have made further plans."

"I understand."

"I acknowledge that we have never given you an opportunity to prove yourself in a serious battle since the day we met. Do you honestly feel up to the task?"

Galamoth hesitated. "The last time I fought Adrian, he was a prepubescent youth. I can only imagine how much stronger he has grown since then."

Thanatos turned to look at the lower door. "That is a valid concern. However, one of our goals is to ensure that he is weakened before he has a chance to reach us."

"Do we have guards as well?"

"I have stationed a number of them, including some of my closer allies." He paused in thought for a moment, then turned to face Galamoth again. "There is still a good deal of time before we will learn if this plan must go into effect. We can certainly enlist additional warriors of your choosing."

Galamoth considered this. "In the past, the magic users have expressed a wish to assist me in battle if I was called. I cannot ignore this. I request the witches."

He remembered something.

"And the Frozen Half."

If Thanatos had a facial expression, it might have been amused. "Am I correct in assuming that this was the Frozen Half's idea?"

Galamoth nodded.

"I will see about having them brought here to aid in the defense."

"Thank you very much, my lord."

Thanatos floated in thought for a moment. "One more thing. I vaguely recall that you wielded a sword back then."

Galamoth wondered briefly how he knew that when it was destroyed in battle, but disregarded the thought. "I am trained in wielding weapons. That would be rather helpful, now that you mention it. Is it too late to request armaments?"

"You should know better than that. There is a reason why you were expected to meet quotas in the forge."

Galamoth shrugged. "I merely filled them. I was never informed who was receiving them."

"Suffice to say, it would be inappropriate to not allow you to take advantage of the very service that you have been providing all this time."

A messenger was sent back to the underworld with my specific requests.

Thanatos was considerably more polite than I had anticipated. I figured that either it was a sign of respect, or he had heard about my near-breakdown and was trying his hardest to prevent another one.

In the end, I came up with a short list of requests and he relayed it via blue gargoyle to the underworld.

Not all of the requests were important. For instance, my first request was the golden garments. Thanatos had to ask me if I was serious, as he recalled that I disliked them. I assured him that I had a reason. It was a fairly minor one, but one I stood by: I wanted Adrian to identify me on sight as a person rather than as a beast, as I still respected his ability and the last time he saw me was as a child.

In addition, I requested some chest armor and a helmet that would fit me, which I was told later was hard to produce without my help. While Thanatos was convinced that a sword of my scale would not be much help against Alucard, he suggested a curved blade that could be held comfortably in the hand, which would serve better as a defensive weapon.

I had one additional idea, and I wasn't sure if anyone in the underworld could possibly fill it, but I was inspired. So I was pleasantly surprised when the gargoyle actually delivered it to me.

"One scepter, modeled after the one in Galamoth's possession at a 5:1 scale, with generation of electricity as its focus."

That was the third advantage of the original scepter, to be used as a guide in creating a better one. Thinking about it, he immediately wishes that he still possessed it. It not only served the same purpose as a memento of Rebecca's kindness, but it also made up for one of his major shortcomings. With the ability to produce lightning added to his repertoire, he could truly become the magical powerhouse Dracula once suspected he was.

The rest of the equipment was of good quality, he recalls. The armor fit and the weapons were comfortable to wield without much training required. You have to hand it to the forge demons, he thinks. They have never had a problem with their quotas.

Satisfied that all was well, Thanatos temporarily left to conduct some "necessary business", as he called it. Galamoth suspects he knows what he meant. He never did figure out just how frequently Thanatos went on his soul retrieval runs.

And then Rebecca had arrived, and the day couldn't have gotten any better. The two of them had frequently practiced a technique where he would bend down on one knee and hold out his hand just below it, such that she could run toward him, jump on his hand, jump to his knee, run up his thigh and hug him at the waist without needing to use her levitation magic. Despite the presence of his kneepad, they...

"What are you so happy about?"

Galamoth looks up at the human, who is eyeing him warily. "It is not your business."

"Heh. I've never seen a demon smile before. I wouldn't think you have much to smile about."

"Hell is not limited to suffering and torment." He smiles maliciously. "If you wish to find out more, I can certainly arrange for you to go there."

The man doesn't respond to this. Galamoth looks at him for a moment longer, then returns to his writing.

"Are you sure you want to battle? It will be dangerous."

"I wouldn't be a very good possession if I didn't protect you, would I?"

Galamoth smiled. "I haven't decided where to station you. I can't leave this room, so you will be fighting before me."

Rebecca nodded. "I will fight my hardest." The expression on her face was surprisingly serious. He had a hard time picturing her using ice spells with intent to kill. At the same time, he considered, he never would have met her if Thanatos didn't think she could do so.

"The witches came with me. I hope they will be enough."

"We shall see soon enough. I leave their positioning to you. You know them better than I do."

"I understand. Good luck to both of us."

"I hope we will not need it."

Her attention turned to the scepter in Galamoth's hand. "They actually made it, huh?"

He nodded with a grin. "I thought you would recognize this."

"You forget that I had to give them the other one as a reference."

He looked at it. "I suppose I..."

Something was hanging off the tip of the scepter. Due to its comparative size, it wasn't easy to notice, even though it glittered. His curiosity piqued, Galamoth removed it and took a closer look. It appeared to be a ornate necklace, appropriately sized to be worn around the neck of a human, bearing the letter J. He had not seen any jewelry of this design before.

Rebecca didn't have a good view. "What is that?"

"I don't know." He took a closer look, and then examined Rebecca as well. "But I think it would look nice on you".

He lowered his hand to where she could reach its contents. She took the jewelry slowly, examined it closely, and then placed it around her neck. In his opinion, it did nothing to hurt her beauty.

He nodded appreciatively. "Just as I thought. A perfect fit."

"I wonder what the J is for."

Before Galamoth could venture a theory, Thanatos returned. "Our part of the plan is beginning. I recommend that you move to your stations."

"I understand."

"Take care of yourself." And she left through one of the doors, leaving the reptile alone with Thanatos again.

Thanatos watched her leave. "I thought that your friend would like that necklace."

Galamoth blinked. Several times. "You put that there?"

"I obtained it during my effort to slow Alucard down. I have no need for such an object, so I decided that it would make for a nice gift."

"Thank you, my lord. She seems to like it."

Thanatos paused for a second, as if there was something else that Galamoth needed to know. But rather than continue the conversation, he simply nodded, turned, floated toward the ceiling and headed out the opposite door.

Galamoth watched him leave, wondering just how much he knew about himself and Rebecca, despite almost never meeting with them. For all he knew, one of the demons may have been instructed to spy on them.

If that was the case, it was probably for a good reason.

Galamoth sighs. If only the battle had also ended on such a high point.

"What is it now?"

Galamoth looks up at the human with a dirty look, and then returns to his writing. I really need to stop visibly reacting to my writing, he thinks.

The first clue that things were going wrong was a skeleton who entered the room to inform me that Death had left his position to check on his minions when Alucard arrived and defeated him in combat. This caught me completely off guard. Was I not supposed to be his bodyguard? Why would he get himself killed early and ensure that my involvement was no longer relevant?

The second clue was when Alucard entered the chamber.

He had aged to young adulthood since I last saw him, and he carried himself with dignity. His hands gripped a sword and shield, and he was clad in dark armor with gold trim and a cape, as well as a familiar necklace. He hesitated when he saw me. I didn't know if it was because of my size, my familiarity, or my outfit.

Unknown to my allies, I had many questions to ask him. This would prove beneficial to everyone, including the magician for whom I was stalling.

"We meet again, Adrian. Do you remember me?"

He didn't reply. His facial expression remained serious.

"We fought once before. You were a child at the time."

"I prefer to not remember the details of my previous conflicts. They only lead to additional hatred and regret."

"Back then, you called yourself by your father's name. You respected him and wanted to grow up to be just like him." I took a step forward with intent to tower over him. "Why did you abandon him?"

Alucard did not react visibly to this intimidation. "He started this war against humanity. His anger has only led to the suffering of others. His actions should not be allowed to continue."

Galamoth notes that both had improved their vocabularies significantly since their first meeting. It was a welcome change.

"Lisa was your mother. Do you not bear hatred toward her killers?"

"It is natural to feel anger towards those who have wronged you and those close to you. But those humans are long dead, and his war continues."

"Perhaps his goal is to prevent further conflicts from occurring."

"He is the one who is creating conflicts. Most humans have never met a demon, let alone antagonized one. Yet he labels them all as his enemies."

I watched his expression as he continued. There was no trace of self doubt on it. He was starting to be rather persuasive.

"My mother did not want this war. She told me this before she died. She asked us not to hate the humans, not even those who were responsible for her death."

"I have heard that she was a kind woman."

Alucard looked at me angrily. "Have you never met a human? Have you never seen how they react in fear of you and those like you, whether or not you have done anything to deserve it? This is the work of Dracula's war. The two sides could have put their differences aside and gone their separate ways centuries ago if not for his persistence."

He had a very good point. I remembered the day when I had first met Rebecca. She was convinced that the demons would kill her if they felt like it. Truly, this war was harmful to both sides. And it had lasted more than three centuries so far...

I was convinced. No matter who won this battle, Dracula's war had to end soon. Somehow. For Lisa's sake, and for Rebecca's.

Rebecca? I looked at Alucard again. The evidence was there. But I had to be sure. I didn't want to make a mistake.

"I have a further question", I said. "If your father had made the decision to kill Lisa's killers, but spare the rest of humanity, would you have accepted this?"

"I would have understood his actions, but I would hesitate before inflicting death due to a single act."

"Then suppose these killers had a lengthy history of harming people like your mother. Would you be quicker to pass judgment on them?"

"I suppose I would. But this has little to do with Dracula's war."

"You are correct. Now explain the necklace that you wear around your neck."

Maintaining perfect composure, he answered. "It is originally of my possession. I retrieved it from the remains of the magician who bore it."

Just as I suspected. I gripped my weapons tightly. "That magician was the most important person in my life! Perhaps I will agree with you that this war is wrong, but I will not forgive you for killing her!"

Alucard shook his head. "Then a pointless fight it is."

"It is not pointless if it will teach you that you must show the same mercy to demons that you wish us to show to humans!"

And we clashed.

A female voice speaks. "And you lost."

Galamoth looks up suddenly. There is now a light-haired woman standing in the room with him, and she is staring intently at the words that he has been writing. The man from earlier has moved further away.

He removes the paper from her sight rapidly. "It is none of your concern."

"But it is. The son of Dracula was no minor threat to his father. To this day it is rumored that he survived while the dark lord fell. If he poses a risk, we must consider it."

She holds up her hand as close to the circle's field as she can manage without touching it.

"It is an honor to meet you, Galamoth. You may call me Celia."