Chapter 3: Dearest Madeline

Dear Myoko Sumpana,

Thank you for your kind words and great well-wishing for my daughter. Madeline had stated earlier before the surgery that she has missed you deeply, and that she excitedly waits for your return back to England. As for the whole hospital situation…the operation was a success. However, I now believe that my little girl will never be the same as she once was beforehand. Besides that factor, I have realized that it's been over two months since we have last replied to each other by mail.

I regarded your earlier letter about the downfall of Jedah Dohma, but unfortunately, I did not give it enough time for any thoughts. The church is not as busy as it usually is during autumn and winter, leaving only me and the rest of the church family in the cooler corners of the cathedral. Rain has been constantly pouring in the area, but otherwise than that, we are actually quite fine. While the summertime allows us to take the evenings off, I shall try my best to research about the late heir to the Demon Realm.

With Best Wishes,

Benjamin DeRais

Walking along the gray, partially damp sidewalks, Myoko made her way towards the gated front yard of the enormous DeRais Manor, home to her good friend, Father Benjamin DeRais, and his only daughter, Madeline. To the woman, it had been over five years since the last gathering at Benjamin's natural home, and even so, there was still a lot of exploration to do within the brick and wooden walls of the compound. Making no hesitation, Myoko entered through the metal gates (which were already unchained and opened upon her arrival), and she took even further steps on the polished, stone steps leading towards the manor entrance. Finally, the middle-aged woman reached the front porch, and she pounded on the double doors with one of the heavy, antique lion-head knockers with the lightest force. At first, there was silence, but then, light footsteps could be heard from the inside, eventually getting louder as time went by.

"Hello…,"Myoko replied as the door opened, revealing the face of a young girl. Her dull, blue eyes contrasted with her lush, reddish-brown hair that was styled in fancy, curled locks. Before the woman could say anything, the adolescent girl quickly slammed the door in her face, preventing the older woman from entering.

"Madeline, my dear, do not slam the door," a man's voice said from the inside of the mansion. The door reopened once more, but this time, it was a man, dressed in his buttoned cassock and wire frame glasses. Myoko's eyes brightened with joy as she recognized her old friend from the previous days.

"Benjamin, is that you?"

"Why, yes it is. It's a pleasure to have you back, Madame. Please, please, step inside." Kindly escorting her in, the priest shut the wooden entrance behind them, allowing the former demon huntress to take a short glance around. It had been a while since the last time she had entered his humble abode, but now, it was even more beautiful than she could ever remember.

"You must've had a lot of time on your hands to collect all of these," Myoko softly murmured as she observed a small collection of artifacts near the side of the hall walls.

"Oh, don't worry about it. Those were from our previous explorations, remember?" Father Benjamin replied. "I have kept those a simple reminder of our past. Spiffy, aren't they?"

"Of course." Madeline, Benjamin's only daughter, was also quietly walking around the room, minding her own business. The blue-dress girl silently came up to the glass display, not even paying attention to the female guest beside. Stooping down to her level, Myoko tried her best to make a worthwhile conversation with the girl, even if it seemed that Madeline didn't seem to enjoy her presence. "Hello, Madeline. I haven't seen you for a very long time. The girl only glared at the Asian woman with a cold, deathly glare, her blue eyes barely twitching. Stunned by her inability to respond, Myoko heard Benjamin's answer to the long, awkward pause that had just occurred.

"She…cannot speak," he said in a mournful tone as he rested his hand upon his child's shoulder.

"She can no longer speak?" The reddish-violet haired woman rose back up to face Father Benjamin, her face slightly tinged with worrisome thoughts. "The surgery…"

"Yes, it was the surgery that caused this problem. When the doctors successfully removed the tumors from her throat, they were quite anxious and saddened to tell me such news. They were unable to repair Madeline's voice box, so now…her voice is permanently gone."

"When I looked into her eyes, I could see anger and despair in her eyes…did something happen to her?" Benjamin took a deep breath and cleared his throat, as if he was trying to refrain himself from a certain force. Myoko couldn't help but notice the redness in his chocolate brown eyes as he spoke.

"Today is the anniversary of my wife's death. It's always been the saddest day of the year for both of us, especially for my daughter, for there is so little to remember her by. Madeline believes that you are here to replace her." The middle-aged woman nervously smiled and chuckled to herself as she glanced back at angered child. Madeline may have been muted eternally, but she certainly was not deaf, nor blind! Madeline sprinted and hid behind her father, still angrily brooding over Myoko's appearance, but the woman ignored her, still paying attention to Benjamin's message. "So, shall we discuss the plans for tonight?" The Anglican priest offered to his guest. She nodded, and both of them headed to the living room, where archaic, classical paintings depicting the life and times of Jesus Christ adorned the pine green corners of the room.

The thick, maroon draperies heavily shielded sunlight from entering the room, so a grand, marble fireplace illuminated the musty room with light emitted from the flickering flames. Benjamin pulled up a chair for his good friend, and then he offered her anything to drink before joining her. "No thank you, Ben. Anyways, has your research prevailed on any measure?"

"Not much has been found to be quite relevant or important to the subject, however…" The priest pulled up a thick, leather book from the side of his cushioned chair, handing the ancient text to the dark-skinned woman. "This special book was written by a renowned demon known as 'Varvle Mattlayer. Apparently, his works cover a lot of history upon the Demon World and its royal denizens, including the species that currently reside there. There wasn't anything else that I could find, except for a few other excerpts of his previous work, such as the mythos behind the Dark Ones." Myoko accepted the book with great amounts of gratitude.

"Thank you, I'll take a look at them later." Looking at the brown and gold-embossed cover, she recognized the strange insignia upon leather-bound text, her head slightly hurting as continued to look on. Myoko quickly placed it to her side, also remembering something very important that she received the night she left Italy for England. "Benjamin, last night, I…"

"Yes, what is it?" he responded, pouring himself a hot cup of tea."

"…I had a vision. Before I arrived here, I saw two large gates, the portal gates to the Underworld. I walked through them, and I found myself within the chambers of an unfamiliar castle that seemed nowhere near the cursed place itself. I managed to find my way to the castle throne room and inside, a young man was lying silently upon a stone table, as if he had just fallen asleep. I rushed over to him to see if he was okay, but the minute I touched him, everything went black!"

"Then what happened?"

"I woke up. That was all." Myoko eyed the demonic leather book out of the corner of her eye, suspiciously thinking about its content.

"Well, I don't know what to say," the priest added, "But I certainly believe that all of those things from the past are getting to your head."

"Benjamin?!"

"Sorry, my lady, but lately, nothing else has been really going about in these parts of the world. I would totally agree with you on the fact that your visions may mean something, but do keep in mind that things aren't quite the same anymore, my dear. The Dark Ones, or Darkstalkers if some prefer, are no longer considered heavy threats to them, or to us anymore. As a matter of fact, most of those distinctions are gone now. We have been long forgotten, Myoko. Nobody needs us anymore."

"So you mean to say that you don't believe me?"

"No, not at all. I know how important your visions are; they have saved my life twice already. However, you cannot force me to partake in these "little hunting adventures" anymore. You are retired, I am retired, we both are retired, and I wish to keep it that way." Benjamin offered Myoko a small pastry as well, but she too, declined in that offer.

"But what if I am right?" the woman asked, her curiosity prevalent in her voice. "What if something truly happens and you are stuck right in the middle of it? Then what will you do?"

"I'm so sorry, but I can't answer that question today," the priest replied as he left the room, taking the dirty china dishes and cups with him. Myoko quickly left her chair, pursuing the middle-aged man with top speed. He began to go up the stairs, and Madeline speedily joined her father, her face still not changing emotion. "Sorry, my dear Myoko, but I am…retired. I can no longer help you when it comes to hunting down demons and creatures from the beyond, but I can still give you the tools necessary to continue your research on the Dark Messiah." He disappeared up the steps, but the curly-haired girl still glared at the Asian woman with a frozen tone of malice. "Follow me; I will show you to your room for tonight. Come, Madeline." The two females broke their eye contact as one followed the other up the winding staircase towards the upper floor.

Myoko regretted the fact that she had forcefully endangered her relationship with her good friend by threatening his way of life with her meddling visions. Things of that category would've made Ben rise to his feet in ultimate panic and preparation, but nowadays, things seemed to be a bit different this time. More modernized that ever, Benjamin still had a family to tend to, as well as a reputation, for that matter. His youthfulness and free-spirit were gradually replaced with wisdom and conserved matters, so the glory days of being vampire and demon hunters were no longer important, or even relevant, for that matter. Myoko regretfully sighed, and with no questions asked, she finally entered the guest room prepared specially for her.