Chapter 9: Isolation

It was a few years shy of the turn of the millennium when Thanatos appeared before the demons again.

"As prophesized, Dracula's next return will be his greatest yet. It is our conclusion that it will be the best possible chance to win this war. We will be holding nothing back, and I expect the best out of everyone here.

"Unfortunately, our battle fifty years ago was completely unplanned, and it cost us a large amount of resources. We must make up for it ahead of time."

Those events, bizarre and unpredictable as they were, were still fresh in everyone's minds. A number of the demons had been summoned to Dracula's castle, and Thanatos had not ordered it. He recovered quickly, though, and before long he had turned it into another full-fledged war effort.

Once again, he left the conversation at that. Still, the effects of his speech were staggering.

Even though the war was not occurring at the time, everyone was busy. All of the new recruits were expected to be trained with all haste. The group of spellcasters was instructed to meet at least twice as often. The arena was being used for battle practice rather than gambling. The library was filled with researchers who sought information on new technologies and any possible weaknesses the humans possessed. This would indeed be the largest battle that hell had ever waged.

Thanatos appeared to me the next day. "Your services are required. Return to the forge."

"I no longer work there."

"This is an order, not a request." And he disappeared.

This did nothing to improve my day. The war, no matter how climactic it was to be and how much could be gained from it, continued to be a tragedy. I was unwilling to commit myself to aiding the conflict.

But his orders were absolute. Was it necessary to go against them for my beliefs? Would it be right for me to turn traitor, like a forgemaster and a librarian before me? Was I actually willing to do so, especially against the one who was responsible for my continued existence?

I didn't have long to ponder this, as it was barely minutes before one of the lords arrived to confront me in my room.

Galamoth sets down his pen and thinks about Malphas. It's rather odd when he thinks about it, but it is possible to spend over five hundred years in hell and still find out new things about the demons that live there, even when you have known them for a long time.

Everyone had known Malphas, even before Thanatos had designated him one of the lords. He isn't very tall compared to some demons, but he is highly visible with his stark black appearance, golden accessories and massive black wings, which he often keeps folded. Galamoth has read that Malphas was the one responsible for designing the current architecture of hell, but he has never asked him if this is true. His crow-like voice tends to be grating on the ears, but those who listen to it find that the words it delivers always have an aura of true politeness behind them.

Malphas was not the type to fly in anyone's face, not even when facing giants like Galamoth. Instead, he kept a fair distance and crossed his arms as his wings kept him airborne.

"Thanatos has given you your orders, correct?"

Galamoth turned to look at him. "Did he send you to enforce them?"

"He is not a fool, Galamoth. He knows how much you resent this war. He would not demand such a task of you unless he had a reason for it."

Galamoth crossed his own arms. "Does he intend to test my loyalty?"

Malphas shook his head. "This final conflict is going to happen. It has been fated, and Thanatos can do nothing to prevent it."

"But he has not even made an effort..."

"You are known as an armorer, Galamoth. When everyone goes to battle, they count on you to ensure that they are protected as much as possible. Thanatos is not the only one who needs you. Everyone needs you." Malphas uncrossed his arms and flew slightly closer for emphasis. "Even myself."

Galamoth sighed and rolled his eyes. "...I suppose I have no choice, then."

Malphas tried to sound sympathetic, despite his voice. "Thanatos respects you more than you think. You disagree with his ideals. He knows this, yet he believes in you. Do not let him down. Do not let us down."

Galamoth gave him an uneasy look. "I will do as he says. But let him know that I am doing this for the good of the others and not for his ambitions." Then he stood and trudged past the lord, leaving his room and heading for the armory.

I had to admit that the forging process was therapeutic.

It also helped that the forgemaster was sympathetic to my plight, and allowed me to focus my attentions on defensive armor as opposed to the armored minions who would be pawns in the struggle. Still, I was often asked to assist in the moving of the heavier armors and golems, and I felt obligated to aid them.

If nothing else, I could take comfort in the knowledge that this was to be the final battle of this war, no matter who won.

Wait. Malphas and Agni.

Galamoth hasn't checked on them in a while, he realizes. He decides to head out immediately and make sure that they are handling things well on the surface.

Once he arrives, he finds that they have been reassigned. He can't be sure who is currently responsible for demon-summoning decisions, but Celia has certainly been busy. Some of the demons seem to be preoccupied about something, and Celia is currently arguing with a suit of enchanted flying armor about something he has seen on the horizon.

Instead, Malphas and Agni are currently working with the candidates. It doesn't match Galamoth's plan, but it is obvious in hindsight that the plan will fail if neither candidate can successfully become the dark lord. He is still not sure what they need to do, but Celia seems to be the expert on these things.

Satisfied, he returns to hell and resumes his writing.

"You will not be fighting in this war. You will remain here."

I cannot think of any other possible orders I could have received that would have been so simultaneously expected, reassuring, and irritating. Still, I was interested in the reasoning behind the decision, so I asked.

"You will continue to man the forge and fill any emergency requests. In addition, given the imminent absence of the lords, you will be expected to aid in keeping the peace in the underworld."

I found this notable. Thanatos did not trust me to fight, but trusted me with the lives of the other demons in his absence.

"I will fulfill these duties to the best of my ability."

"I expect nothing less."

In hindsight, there is something highly bizarre about the concept of being a conscientious objector in the final battle for the fate of demonkind and humankind. What made this more unusual was how many demons were present for the battle. Even Rebecca was recruited to go. If Galamoth remembers correctly, the number of demons that remained in hell may have been as low as twenty.

This hadn't lasted. The underlings were the first to return, as they were most likely the first demons deployed. Soon enough, the place looked just as filled as it usually seemed during wartime. Galamoth rarely had to exert effort to ensure order. It was pretty apparent that his presence alone kept everyone in line.

Galamoth sighs. Even then, it hadn't been enough. But not even he could have imagined the final outcome.

If he remembers what the demons had said correctly, the final battle was led by a Belmont, a name that Galamoth had not heard in a long time. And in the end, a number of humans took part in a magical ritual that somehow caused Dracula to be permanently banished from the planet.

When the news hit, everyone had been devastated. Especially Thanatos, whose reaction was downright furious and hardly concealed at all.

The humans had won. Dracula was gone. Completely. The war was over. For good.

I should have felt relieved. I could not. So much had been lost, and we had gained so little.

If that had been the end of the story, things would have ended on an acceptably high note. But it was not, and things were going to continue to get worse.

Galamoth sat patiently in the middle of the main room, waiting for his opportunity.

It had been approximately thirty years since the war ended. Life had returned to normal, yes, but it was a normal that had been rather depressing compared to the demons' earlier lifestyle.

There was no longer a portal, which meant that the demons would never set foot on the surface again. Normally, Galamoth wouldn't have minded this so much, as he had almost never been there and had no experiences of being there in his past about which he could look back fondly.

But the repercussions had affected every other aspect of his life. Without a war in the future, there was no longer any reason to forge, nor were there any methods of obtaining the necessary materials. The library's stock would never be updated again. And rumors from the final war suggested that humanity had advanced sufficiently in technology that it was rare to see a new magician in hell, reducing the interest in holding regular meetings.

It was hard to keep his morale high. The arena helped, even though the knowledge that the demons would never need to use their battle talents again was a major damper on their motivation. Rebecca was depressed that she would never see her people again, although his presence was often enough to cheer her up. He hadn't finished off the last batch of literature yet, so that was a pleasant diversion.

The largest comfort he could take was in the knowledge that, no matter how much the demons were suffering, the humans were finally happy. Lisa's wish had finally come true. Not in the way she wanted, but it had.

The worst consequence was that he hadn't seen Thanatos in years.

This bothered me. Was he still present? Had the end of Dracula devastated him enough that he had gone into withdrawal, refusing to speak to anyone? Was he still doing his job? Was he deliberately avoiding me after I had made my opinion of the war clear?

I considered a number of ways to find out what I was hoping to know. At the moment, I was trying one of the least difficult methods.

Malphas had met with me before the war. He seemed to know a great deal about Thanatos and his motivations, and he had spoken freely with me before. If there was one lord who would answer my questions, it was him.

The problem was that, unlike the room I shared with Rebecca, the lords' rooms were considered off-limits to the other demons without orders or an invitation. As a result, my best option was to wait in the main room and hope to catch him leaving so that I could get an audience with him.

Malphas was perched on Galamoth's arm in crow form as the two entered the lord's room. "You should have visited me sooner", he squawked. "I would not have turned you away."

Galamoth sat on the floor. "I obey the rules, my lord. Only other lords can enter your room freely."

"...that's true. You're not a lord." He was almost speaking to himself.

Galamoth looked at him quizzically. "Sir?"

The crow shook his head. "You do not need to use such honorifics in my presence. I do not mind." He hopped from Galamoth's arm to the ground, changing into his more human-looking form along the way. "So why did you wish to speak with me?"

"I am worried about Lord Thanatos. I haven't seen him since the day the war ended, and I wanted to find out if there's something wrong with him."

Malphas paused for a second in thought. "It is true that he has been more withdrawn than usual since Dracula died. However, I can assure you that he has not given up on his duties."

"You're that certain?"

"He still reaps souls. And all the signs I have seen suggest that he is trying his hardest to figure out what he is going to do next."

"That you've seen?"

Malphas nodded. "You would not know this, but he has his own room as well. It is more isolated than the others. No hallways lead there."

Galamoth also nodded. "That makes sense. He can teleport, can't he?"

"He spends much of his time in there." He seemed hesitant now. "To be honest, I have not been able to visit him in a while."

"So how can you be sure that he's okay?"

"I cannot. But I know him as well as anyone. He always has the interest of the underworld in mind. I would be surprised if he was not trying to figure out what he can do to bring us back to prosperity."

"It's odd to hear that", Galamoth said with a smirk. "Isn't he the kind to always have a plan?"

Malphas did not return the good humor. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts.

"Malphas?"

"It is difficult to be a lord, Galamoth. We do not know enough of what Thanatos knows, and what we do know is not to be known by others."

Galamoth sighed. "You can't tell me and you won't tell me."

"In short. Still, I can assure you that you can trust Thanatos to know what he is doing." He gave Galamoth a nod. "You are correct. He always has a backup plan."

"And sometimes his backup plans have backup plans."

"Even without a plan, he still has a backup plan. Do not let him down."

Galamoth stared at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Malphas walked in the direction of the door, then turned to face him. "I am sorry that I could not be more helpful. However, if I hear anything that I believe you need to know, I will inform you. Personally, if necessary."

No more words were exchanged. Galamoth left his room silently, trying to figure out what he was talking about. A backup plan? What did he mean?

If he had figured it out sooner, it would have saved him a lot of trouble.

I can pinpoint the exact moment where everything went downhill. Annoyingly enough, it was largely my fault.

It started with great optimism, as Thanatos was making his first public appearance in a long time. "We have a plan. There is still a chance that we can revive Dracula."

The demons looked at each other in a confused manner. Dracula wasn't gone forever? How could he possibly come back?

"His power still exists within his castle in a chaotic form. We cannot normally enter the castle, but it will become temporarily accessible in a short amount of time. I will return there and bring him back myself."

Many of the demons reacted enthusiastically. One spoke up from the back. "How can we help? There's no portal."

"There is a man there who wishes to follow in Dracula's footsteps. I will help him claim his power and thus accomplish his goal. That way, he will be able to create the portal. Our return will finally be at hand, and the war can resume." And with that, he disappeared.

I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Create a new Dracula? One who possessed none of his motivation, yet who was inspired by his cruelty? A Dracula who would never have been like the one who recruited me, but who would be like the one who kept the war going for over 500 years?

I had had enough. "Absolutely not."

The other demons turned to stare silently at me.

Galamoth looks up suddenly. Something is wrong. Leaving his writing behind, he heads to the surface without hesitation.

The castle looks like someone has been rampaging through it. The hallways he sees no longer contain any demons. They have all congregated on the upper and lower levels.

He has no idea if the humans are safe. Agni has moved to the upper level, so he heads directly to his location. Dario is still with him. Both are unharmed. Galamoth sighs in relief, and then starts to check for...

Malphas is missing. Entirely.

He heads immediately to the chapel where he last saw him. No sign of him. Dmitrii's deceased body has been left in the middle of the floor. The two must have been attacked, Galamoth decides.

Who? Who would attack this place? He told Celia and the demons to keep a low profile! He sighs. It will still be a long time before demons are welcome on the surface again, it seems.

He starts following the swath of death to figure out who is responsible.

He finds his answer in the clock tower. Zephyr had been battling in there, and he has just been struck down. As Galamoth watches, his body is collapsed into a mystic symbol, and his soul is trapped within the body of...

...Soma Cruz? He came back? He is claiming the souls of demons again? And now he's fighting against us?

Galamoth immediately heads back to hell to tell them what he's learned. Unfortunately, he doesn't get the chance to say anything before one of the demons gives him an update.

"There's another summoning circle for you."

Less than a minute later, Galamoth is back in the castle, this time in a physical form. The summoning circle had been the correct size this time, which meant that he had to be in a sitting position when he arrived, but he still viewed it as an improvement.

The room is abandoned. Blood can be seen on the walls. Were the summoners killed? He cannot tell.

"Why is Soma here?" he yells into the distance. "And will someone let me out of this circle?"

No reply.

He sighs to himself. He had jumped into the portal almost immediately after he had seen it, knowing the situation, and now it appears that he is trapped for the moment. All he can do for the moment is...

...he didn't bring his book-in-progress with him. Or any books, for that matter. He had been entirely too hasty.

If nothing else, he decides, he can remember the events of the past and figure out how he intends to write them later.

Galamoth continued to stand adamantly among the demons. "I refuse to go along with this plan."

He hoped that it would work. It did. Thanatos appeared before the demons again.

"What?"

"What you are proposing will extend the war while losing track of the reasons why the war was waged in the first place. This man knows nothing of the death of Lisa. He knows only of the power Dracula possessed and what he did with it."

Thanatos shook his head. "It does not matter. We need Dracula. Without him, we..."

Galamoth interrupted him. "If we need Dracula, we need the Dracula that existed prior to Lisa's death. We need the Dracula who strengthened the cause of the underworld. The one who was fierce to his enemies, yet not viciously so. The one who would not spend 500 years in a war of attrition due to a slight caused by a group that died centuries ago."

Thanatos might have looked surprised, if his skull was capable of such an expression. "Are you questioning my orders?"

Galamoth stood as defiantly as he could manage in a room that was shorter than his full height. "I am questioning your motives. What Dracula had proposed was nothing short of the genocide of humanity. He felt that they deserved it. Whether or not they did, humanity would not give up without a fight. And they gave us one, and they won. The war is over. We need to rebuild. We need to stop holding a grudge."

Thanatos was starting to become furious. "Dracula gave you your life! He gave you a chance! And you would..."

"He should have given a chance to humanity as well!" Galamoth responded in the same tone of voice. "He abandoned them completely that day! There is a reason why Adrian opposed him, and the same is true of Hector. Both retained their ties to humanity, and they saw the war from both sides, and they agreed which side was in the right."

"So you plan to betray us like they did!"

"THIS IS NOT BETRAYAL!" Galamoth roared. "I am reminding you of your duty!"

He realized what he was doing, took a deep but unneeded breath, and continued in a calmer voice. "If anyone should remember the importance of keeping a link between demonkind and humanity, it should be you. How many human souls have you had to deal with? How many of our demons were born of humans or their societies? The two groups are closely tied, and we would not be any better off without them!

"We have two sensible options. We either need to restrengthen the underworld and regain our glory, or we need to reform our link with humanity. What we absolutely do not need to do is continue to push them away with this war.

"Forget about Dracula. His grudge should perish with him."

Complete silence. Especially from Thanatos.

"I agree with Galamoth."

Rebecca moved her way through the crowd to stand next to her mate. "This war has no reason to continue."

Thanatos didn't look at her. "...I see. And does anyone else agree with him?"

A number of the demons started muttering to themselves. A number of the lords stepped forward to stand alongside the two. Notably, Galamoth noticed that Malphas was one of them. A large number of the underlings also joined the group.

Thanatos turned his back in thought for several seconds. Then he spoke again.

"...my plan will continue. The backup plan is already in motion. If both should fail, I shudder to think of the consequences."

Another pause.

"And you."

A metallic sound.

"I believe that you need some perspective."

Galamoth was too slow. Before he could react, Thanatos turned and sliced him across the chest with his scythe.

And when I awoke again, Galamoth thinks, I was a soul.

He looks around his current location. The two situations are annoyingly similar, he considers. He is in a room that is actually shorter than his body, with few notable objects to suggest its purpose. He is incapable of moving, and there is no one else in the room.

And in both cases, he spent far too much time thinking about his purpose.

Back then, the thoughts were more conflicted. He wasn't sure if he had betrayed Thanatos or not. He didn't know what happened to the others who stood with him. He didn't know if he had died or if he was merely being punished. And he was even more confused about the backup plan that everyone kept mentioning. Did it involve him? Malphas had implied as much. But Thanatos had said that it was already in motion...

And just when he had decided that he would be trapped for the rest of his existence, Soma Cruz had arrived.

He wasn't much to look at. He was a young human with white hair and pale skin who happened to be carrying a sword. And he had taken fewer than fifteen seconds to completely shatter Galamoth's initial assumptions.

He broke the pedestal that had contained his soul, and then absorbed Galamoth into himself.

The feeling was bizarre from Galamoth's perspective. It felt as though he was seeing the world from the eyes of the young boy, except that he had no control over his own actions. He could muster up an amount of innate power from the depths of his soul, but that was his only option.

Galamoth hadn't even realized all of this at first. He hadn't known much about souls, and certainly wouldn't have called himself one. This changed when he had started wondering just who the kid was...

Soma Cruz, age 18. A high school exchange student living in Japan. Highly introverted, except toward his best friend Mina Hakuba. He is currently trapped in Dracula's castle, which has been sealed away since the great battle of 1999. He has absolutely no idea why this is the case, but he has the ability to claim souls for his own. He has associated with...

...and had actually gotten an answer.

There were other souls present. Malphas had been one such example. His innate strength was frequently being tapped by Soma, allowing the youth to move around far more easily in the air. He wondered what that would have felt like for Malphas.

He himself had not been tapped in that manner. Well, there was one occasion. Soma had confronted a rabbit demon in a hallway, tapped Galamoth's soul for power, and then struck the rabbit down in one blow. Galamoth couldn't even figure out if he had done anything. He wished that he could have bestowed some kind of impressive power, like controlling lightning or giving Soma a boost of strength or even turning him into a thirty-foot giant. But it seemed that he was cursed to sit by and do nothing.

And then he had discovered that Soma possessed Death's soul as well.

Thanatos was also a slave to this boy? How had this happened? Were none of those events going according to plan?

As he had pondered the situation, it happened again.

Death, also known as Thanatos, the Greek god of death. The son of Nyx and Erebus and the brother of Hypnos. Eventually became ruler of the underworld...

Galamoth had tried the same thing with the other souls in Soma's possession, but had gotten no results. With this in mind, he decided that something unusual was going on with Thanatos, and tried to press his soul for more information.

...ruler of the underworld. Swore allegiance to the bearer of an artifact known as the Crimson Stone, which was eventually discovered by Mathias Cronqvist in the year 1094. Since then, has aided Mathias, now known as Vlad Tepes, or more commonly Dracula, in his efforts, including his war against the human race.

And, with that one revelation, Galamoth realized what had been going on. Dracula's war against humanity had taken its toll on demonkind, as he knew all too well. And Thanatos had specifically been aiding him the whole time, ignoring the demons in favor of his master. And to that day, Thanatos refused to turn his back on Dracula, no matter how unreasonable he was being. Galamoth should have never tried to talk any sense into him.

In the end, with little other choice, he had continued to watch Soma continue on his quest. He couldn't hear anything, though, so he had no idea who the other people Soma met were. He was having difficulty determining if Soma was on the side of the demons or not. The boy killed many of them, but then took their souls into his body and was granted access to their abilities as well.

Eventually he started a conflict with another man, this one with brown hair, who was residing in the throne room of Dracula's castle. This man attacked using a fireball-based offense, as well as many souls...

...was it possible that this brown haired man was Dracula? Galamoth couldn't perceive his energy. Perhaps this was the man that Thanatos had been thinking of reviving.

Nevertheless, he fell easily, once again making Galamoth wonder if anyone with a slight hint of weapon training was qualified to defeat Dracula in a fight, with the exception of himself.

And that's when things got interesting. Galamoth felt the power that started coming from Soma immediately. A great deal of energy washed over all of the souls, formed entirely of chaos.

The boy must have been Dracula. Galamoth could not convince himself otherwise. His magical aura was identical. And yet... his personality had been completely different. His methods were not the same. He had not attempted to kill any of the humans he had met during his journey. Not even one who was equipped identically to a traditional Belmont.

This moment had inspired Galamoth. Perhaps it was possible to revive another version of Dracula after all. One who was not the one who led the underworld to ruin, but one who respected others and would be able to lead without tarnishing the reputation of either realm. Was this what Thanatos had wanted to do? And had Galamoth ruined his plan for everyone?

He was just about to find out if he could get more information about Thanatos when Soma had adventured into a room filled with chaotic energy, causing Galamoth to black out completely...

"I apologize for the delay."

Galamoth breaks away from his memories to notice the man, who is dressed in the standard outfit of a member of Celia's group.

"What happened here?" Galamoth asks. "Why have we been attacked?"

"Soma Cruz..."

"Yes, I know about Soma!" he snaps impatiently. "What I want to know is, why is he attacking us? I thought he gave up on being the dark lord!"

"Celia still sees potential in him. She is the one responsible for his arrival."

Galamoth is taken aback. "Why would she sabotage her own..."

"It's part of her plan. For a dark lord to rise, Soma must be eliminated first. She baited him here, and now intends to have the candidates destroy him in battle."

"He already killed one of them! I saw the body!"

"That was Dmitrii. Dario is currently battling Soma. If he wins, he will have proven himself to be the most appropriate successor to Dracula."

Galamoth ponders this for a second. If Dario becomes the dark lord, will he be what Galamoth had complained about back then? Someone with the same personality as Dracula, but without the deeper motivation behind it?

"And where's Agni?"

"The fire demon is directly aiding him in battle."

Galamoth nods. "I've seen the state of things. You need as much help as you can get. Let me out and I'll help you."

The man stares at Galamoth for a second. Then he takes a short breath before speaking. "I can't do that."

"What? Then why did you summon me?"

The man produces a piece of paper. "I have distinct instructions. Galamoth is to be summoned to the castle. Upon his arrival, we must convince him to form a pact before he can be released. If he refuses, keep him confined until I, that would be Celia writing this, arrive. Feel free to convince him of the severity of the situation until he gives in. Do not let him loose without me or a pact. So you can see, I have to leave you here for the moment."

Galamoth growls loudly. "This is stupid! Our demons are dying! One candidate is all that remains! What would I possibly want to do to make things worse?"

"It is not for me to say. This is not my decision."

"Galamoth!"

An imp flies into the room. It looks at the man, then flies around the circle to land near Galamoth's side. "Have you come to help us?"

Galamoth glares at the human. "Apparently not."

The man sighs. "Please form a pact. It really will make things easier."

Galamoth crosses his arms. "I will not."

The man walks out of the room. "Suit yourself."

Galamoth slams his fist against the side of the summoning field and ignores the pain that results. "This is stupid."

The imp speaks up. "Why didn't you just do what he asked? We need your help!"

Galamoth looks at the imp in a depressed manner. "Because I know why I exist. The instant I agree to a pact, I will cease to be helpful."