Greetings! Thanks to all who are reading this! To understand my story you must have played, or at least be aware of the plot of the following titles: Castlevania-Lament Of Innocence, Castlevania III - Dracula's Curse, Castlevania - Symphony of the Night, Castlevania - Aria of Sorrow.

Although I really like the Lords Of Shadow triology, this fanfic is based on the classic storyline, portrayed in these games above. Also I am not taking into account the plot of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow, because the plot of the first game is much more interesting and is enough to follow this story that happens about FIVE YEARS LATER from the ending of Aria. Also, this will not have only twelve chapters as I had initially said, but officially fifteen.

Enjoy!

Chapter 02 – Soma

The group advanced through the deserted corridors of the old building. It was an abandoned temple that for hundreds of years had been used for rituals and offerings to the gods, and now, today stood on top of a hill surrounded by dense and closed forest. Its structure resembled the Shrine of the Hakuba family, with the architecture and decoration typical of Japanese culture, but as they advanced inside the building, the scenery around them started to transform, disappearing the oriental beauty to reveal a more rustic and somber decoration that very much resembled the buildings from the middle ages.

The furniture, the armor, the swords, all set against the walls, and wooden tables with candlesticks; the flames trembled and lit the place partially. The further they advanced, the more it seemed like they had been transported into a castle, though in fact they were still in the Japanese shrine, certain that the setting had been purposely modified to serve the absolute purpose of bringing the lord of darkness back to life.

Soon the sound of voices singing chants and unfamiliar words reached their ears and gradually increased in volume; the group felt a certain urgency, hurrying across the long distance of the labyrinth corridors until they reached a massive double wooden door sealed by magic.

The witch touched the surface and whispered to herself, a strong light emanating from her hands, and immediately dispelled the enchantment, and the vampire hunter struck a violent blow against the frame, breaking the inner locks and throwing away both sides of the door that fell with loud sound in another point of the hall. Alucard, Julius, and Yoko entered the room, immediately searching on the new environment.

It was an oval room without the presence of any furniture or decoration with a clear marble floor that glowed the light emanating from a row of candles sported on the wall. Ritualistic symbols were drawn on the surface, and in the center, a group of six men wearing cloaks that hid their face were prostrated before a stone altar. Above the altar was a thick black cloud of magic that enveloped the whole stone structure, preventing them from seeing what was inside. The air of the place was heavy, making them extremely uncomfortable with the clear invocation of chaos.

When the priests noticed their presence, the men immediately stood and began to attack.

The fight became violent; the group invoking the ritual attacked with ferocity, trying to destabilize the defense mounted by the trio and kill them. Yoko used her magic to create and hold a protective shield around her and her friends, as the two men struggled to outrun their opponents.

The witch focused on the power of chaos that flowed into the room like a steady waterfall, and concentrated on the altar in the center, beginning to chant the words of an ancient magic that made her body wrap itself in a strong golden light. It began to slowly expand through the room, forcing the darkness to retreat, struggling to close the dimensional portals that allowed the black energy to enter the place.

Julius and Alucard fought tirelessly; the more the light dominated the environment, more they strengthened, for the power of the priests was diminishing with the force of chaos being cut off. The dhampir, using his sword, struck a final blow against his opponent who fell defeated on the marble floor, while Julius with the Vampire Killer ended his match with the last fighter still standing; with a blow hurling him hard to the other end of the hall. The man slammed against the wall and fell to the ground.

Coughing blood, raising a little, the priest looked at them with a hallucinated look.

"Too late ... it's done ..."

"You ..." Julius made a movement to approach, but the man fell again already lifeless.

At that moment a huge flash of light filled the entire room, forcing them to close their eyes to not be blinded, and when the intensity diminished until it was completely extinguished, Yoko slipped, feeling a momentary dizziness, and was supported by Julius.

"Yoko?"

"I'm fine, don't worry. The magic has cost me some of my strength, but soon I will be fully recovered." The woman smiled and with worried eyes her attention fell on the altar in the center of the room and both men followed her gaze.

The thick cloud of black energy that hovered over the stone had dissipated, falling like wires of mist that upon reaching the marble floor disappeared until nothing more remained of it or the presence of chaos. On the altar was Soma's body, and although he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, the completely stillness made them uneasy.

The witch took a step towards it but was held by the dhampir whose black eyes were fixed on the silver-haired young man.

"Don't."

"What? We have to help him!" She said worriedly.

"It's not a wise idea. We do not know what they did to him and how long he has been exposed to the energy of chaos. "

"Alucard is right." Julius approached them feeling apprehensive. "Did you hear what that man said? He was convinced that the ritual was finished."

"That means that ..." The woman looked at the young man on the altar with growing horror.

"Yes ... he may be back." The vampire slayer said gravely, his hands gripping the whip hard. "If this is indeed true, we cannot hesitate to do what must be done."

"No ..." The witch whispered, shaking her head. "This cannot be happening ... Soma, he ..."

Yoko looked at the dhampir, the man kept his silence. There was an indecipherable expression on his face and in his black eyes she saw great seriousness ... But also something beyond, hidden ... Was is caution ... Or fear?

"Alucard...?"

There was a moment of silence, tense minutes that had been dragging on, the hunter and the witch waiting for any manifestation of the man.

"I no longer feel the presence of chaos in this room ..." The dhampir began and slowly approached the altar. "... I do not feel it in Soma either."

"He doesn't seem to be breathing," Julius noted, following the other closely.

"Weakly, but he is." Alucard placed his hand on the young man's forehead, frowning at the coldness of his skin. "I cannot say if what the priest said is true, for Soma's life is by a thread ... apparently the ritual doesn't seem to have transformed him, or we would already be feeling the ripples of chaos emanating from his body. On the contrary, it seems to have severely injured him, throwing his conscience into a world of darkness. He's very weak."

Glancing at Yoko, he asked.

"Use your magic to steady him and bring him back. We need him to wake, then, we'll have the confirmation of what actually happened."

The witch nodded, placing both hands on the unconscious man, conjuring spells that rapidly began to spread over him.

"What if it was the worst ... Alucard?" Julius questioned uneasy, observing the altar with a heavy heart.

The dhampir didn't answer.

The silence remained between all while Yoko worked. As the minutes went by, the man's appearance started to improve, becoming more colorful and the skin warm again, the heart beatings more present, and the breathing became constant and regular.

Alucard touched his face and called.

"Soma? Are you listening to me?"

No answer.

"Soma?" The man insisted on a stronger tone.

At first nothing, then the other moaned and half opened his eyes, staring at them with a tired, confused expression.

"What...?"

"Soma?" The dhampir questioned again, holding the man's face in both hands forcing to look at him.

"Arikado ...? What the hell ... Aren't you in California? ... Where I am?"

"Still in Japan, you may be reassured." Alucard answered in a tone that clearly showed some relief; it seems his assumptions were correct and they had arrived just in time.

"Oh Soma!" Yoko hugged him tightly. "We were so worried!"

"Ow, hold ... hold on ... Yoko! My head ... argh ... it hurts like hell ..." Soma put his hands on his face and closed his eyes.

"How are you feeling, Soma, besides your head?" Julius questioned with a softer look, holding him by the shoulders to help the man sit down.

"As if I had been hit by a train." The other mumbled, feeling a little dizzy.

As his vision stabilized, he looked at the ritual hall and at the priests' bodies scattered around in disgust.

"These crazy people ... they came out of nowhere in the shrine when I was helping Mina. They drugged us and I saw nothing more ... Mina, how is she?"

"She's fine, Soma; She become desperate when she woke and saw that you had been kidnapped, but nothing happened to her, they were just after you." Yoko replied, she and Julius helped him up from the altar and Alucard looked at them.

"We must leave immediately. Better not extend our stay here, for we do not know if these six men were the only ones."

Agreeing, Julius and Yoko wrapped their arms around Soma's shoulders and waist, and together the group slowly advanced towards the exit, the silver haired man limped, leaning heavily on his companions.

"Hey, Arikado..." Soma called in one moment, and the man spared him a glance. "Did you bring that Route 66 chain I asked you?"

"How can you even remember about that at this moment?" Yoko asked incredulous.

"Shit, I want that chain…"

"I will think about you case." The dhampir shook his head and said nothing more, completely ignoring the dark mumblings coming from the other man while they proceeded through the corridors.

Soma felt exhausted but at the same time something within himself felt strange, different and he could not name or explain. The man decided to not tell this small thing to the others, for he believed to be just a foolish feeling provoked by the horrible experience he had lived a few moments before.

But in the deep, though he kept ignoring it, something within him seemed to have changed.