Greetings! This is my second most favorite chapter that I've written for this story, and certainly is one of the most beautiful, in my opinion. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 11 – Lisa

On that cold winter morning, while Soma, Mina, and Yoko were walking in the streets of the nearest village, an incident occurred that caused great commotion in the small town and had almost become a terrible tragedy if the silver-haired man had not decided to intervene in time.

Talking in the middle of the bustling avenue, the trio's attention suddenly turned to a wooden house a few meters ahead that after a sudden explosion was entirely enveloped in fire. A crowd surrounded the place, there were many people shouting. Firefighters fired large jets of water at the structure that was rapidly giving way to the flames, making it completely compromised and very dangerous for all who were nearby.

The cops began to force the crowd back into a safe distance. An officer was holding a woman who was weeping hard as she struggled to approach the house while screaming in despair.

"My daughters! My daughters are still inside! Please, save my daughters! Someone help them!"

Without a second thought Soma dropped the bags in Yoko's and Mina's hands and threw himself against the human barrier, ignoring the gasps of surprise of the two women who watched their friend jump over the blockade, quickly sidestep the police officers and enter the house on fire.

Soma covered his face and began to search for the two children who were still there. He threw himself on the floor to better see where he was going as the smoke was concentrated closer to the ceiling and using his already sharpened senses, result of his powers awakening, the silver-haired man soon managed to hear the rapid beat of two little hearts in one of the rooms of the second floor.

He used his powers to ward off the flames and climbed the stairs, dodged the fall of a beam and entered the room, finding the two little girls, one of four years old and the other of two years old, hidden inside the wardrobe. Quickly he grabbed both of them in his arms and hurried away from the place, jumping from the second floor to the ground floor, landed on his feet and threw himself at the door just as the whole structure finally give away and the house completely collapsed.

"My daughters!" The woman cried at the sight of the two girls, filthy by the smoke and destruction, but well and safe.

Soma handed her the two children at the same time Mina and Yoko arrived by his side. The mother took the man's hands and kissed them several times.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you! May God reward you for your kindness; I will never be able to repay what you have done to me and my family! Thank you!"

Soma just smiled softly at the woman and the children and watched them walk away, being led by nurses to an ambulance. They offered him the same treatment, but he refused, and even with several voices calling and congratulating him for his action, the silver-haired man didn't pay much attention.

His blue eyes stared at the fire that still alive consumed what remained of the house. The sight of the flames that rose high in the sky left something in his heart strangely restless.

That night, as the cold prevailed over the region and the snow fell heavily, Soma remembered her.

It was very cold on that winter and the snow was falling heavily, covering the entire length of the forest that surrounded the ancient castle in white. The lord of the Eternal Night had just awakened and observed the scenery beyond the high walls of Castlevania. The sun had gone out completely over ten minutes.

He didn't see his wife and son waiting for him, and strangely restless, he entered the Throne Room where Death awaited him.

"Where's Lisa and Adrian?" The vampire inquired immediately.

"Mistress and the little prince left the castle to pick medicinal herbs near the human village." Death bowed respectfully to his master.

"When did they leave?"

"This morning, Lord Mathias."

"And they still have not returned?" He inquired, frowning at the creature's silence.

He couldn't say what had made him move at that moment, leaving the security of the old building to go towards the human village. A great deal of apprehension struck him, and a sense of urgency made him use his powers to quickly cross the forest.

Just before reaching the edge of the village, Mathias heard a child's voice scream near where he was, and immediately recognizing his son's voice, the vampire changed course and within seconds came to the scene.

What he saw made his blood boil.

The seven-year-old boy was laying on the snowy ground, covered in blood, his garments ragged and dirty, and a group of more than seven men surrounded him with swords and spears.

"Kill him!" One of the villagers shouted. "Kill the devil's son!"

A man wielding a sword approached the paralyzed boy; his golden eyes staring at his tormentor filled with absolute fear and horror.

A sharp cry cut through the forest and the villager who had advanced against the child fell on the floor, his head cut off by the same sword he had carried.

"The demon! It's the devil!" The remaining villagers screamed and attempted to attack the vampire, who, without great effort, subdued by fury, defeated them one by one until they were all lying on the ground, lifeless, tingling the snow with blood.

Dropping the sword on the ground with disgust, Mathias immediately knelt down and took the child in his arms.

"Adrian?!"

He called him and the child looked at his father, barely registering what was happening, completely in shock.

"Adrian, where is your mother?!" The vampire inquired, shaking him, feeling a terrible weight falling on his shoulders.

"Lord Mathias!"

The man turned and saw Death and some of his other servants standing near him.

"Take Adrian back to Castlevania! I'll go search for Lisa." The vampire handed the boy over to his most trusted servant and set off quickly towards the village, sensing that he would find his wife there.

When Mathias finally arrived, he saw a large column of fire rising to the heavens from the center of the village and noticing that all the concentration of inhabitants of the town was there, the vampire walked in that direction without caring to hide his presence, for with every step he took, more and more he felt a great darkness descending upon his heart.

That was when he finally saw her.

"Li... sa..." The man stammered incredulously, his wide-eyed golden eyes could not immediately comprehend the scene he was seeing.

His wife was bound, crucified on a wooden cross whose base filled with logs made the whole structure catch fire. Her head was drooped by her chest with her long and beautiful golden hair completely destroyed, the flames embraced her body, enveloping and consuming her entirely.

The vampire could no longer hear her heart beating.

She was dead.

"Look! It's the devil!" A woman screamed, noticing the vampire's presence.

"He came here because of the witch!" A man said.

"Let's kill him!" One villager shouted."If we managed kill the witch and her spawn, we can kill him too!"

"Kill the monster! Do not let him get away!" Another woman yelled.

"Witch..." Mathias muttered, looking at the crowd that began to move towards him. "You dare call her a witch... and me a monster?!"

The vampire's golden eyes acquired a deadly glow, his fangs showing, his voice even colder than the winter.

"Miserable and despicable creatures... how dare you shed the blood of AN ANGEL?!" The man bellowed, feeling a voracious hatred begin to consume him from within.

"Kill him!" The crowd shouted, advancing on him.

Mathias went blind.

Darkness and hatred seized his body and with a cry the vampire threw himself at the villagers, and with his hands he crushed one by one in the midst of his thirst for blood. He destroyed all that he touched and killed all who crossed his path, no matter whether they were men or women, young or old, crushing them as insects, as if he were annihilating a plague that had spread throughout a city, overthrowing every single one of them, crumbling the buildings with his powers, plunging the village completely into a sea of fire and flames that quickly spread and consumed everything, reducing the whole town to ashes.

And when nothing else remained, neither the village, nor the villagers, nor his relentless thirst for blood, or even his hatred...

Mathias fell on his knees before the cross with tears that slid across his face, cold and bitter. A terrible pain pierced his heart and spirit in half and the man howled; his scream filled with despair echoed gravely into the forest. With great effort the man stood and removed the ropes and spikes that tied his wife's body against the wooden stake.

Fallen, sitting on the cold stone, the vampire embraced his wife's body in his lap and touched the woman's face tenderly, her skin still warm but burned and blackened by the flames, revealing a completely unrecognizable face that resembled nothing with the beautiful and sweet woman who hours before had been at his side, kissed his lips and joined him in the high heat of love...

Only then he realized that it had been an unexpected final farewell.

God had given him back his wife Elisabetha, in that life as Lisa, just so that this time humanity would take her away from him.

Feeling as if he were dying at that very moment, Mathias lifted his face to the heavens and wept.

Soma woke violently, feeling the air lacking in his lungs. Startled, he fell on the cold floor of his room. Extremely shaken and unable to think straight, he leaned on something close by and stood up. Just as he was, wearing only black pants, no shoes and no shirt, the silver-haired man, feeling himself suffocating with each passing second, hurriedly left the room, shooting through the deserted corridors of the Belmont mansion.

He needed to get out of there immediately. He needed air. He needed to end the agonizing pain that was ripping in half in his heart together with the deep sadness that enveloped his soul.

Soma left the interior of the old building, running blindly into the night, caring little about the cold, his lack of clothes or the snow that had grown immensely in the last hours, covering everything in white and continuing to fall steadily and mercilessly.

The man entered the forest, not registering anything that was around him. His extremely disturbed mind was constantly replaying the dark and terrible memories of that afternoon. The day he had lost his wife.

He stumbled on an old branch and fell hard to his knees in the middle of the snow, his hands clasping his head, tears pouring copiously down his face while his chest seemed to explode. Soma screamed loudly, his voice, just like that day, echoed far and wide through the forest, having only the strong cold wind that caressed his face and half-naked body in a desolate embrace.

He fell completely into the ground, the cries of agony and suffering of the villagers reaching his ears, echoing deep in his soul which seemed to be consumed by the same living fire of his memories that had destroyed the village that very day.

"Lisa... No..." He cried in a broken whisper.

Lying with his face buried in the snow, Soma slowly felt himself being taken to the brink of unconsciousness and the darkness embraced him once more.

The dark, starry sky expanded over completely above the region, demonstrating the advanced hour of the night. At this moment the seven-year-old boy laid on his bed before the serious look on the vampire's face, who patiently waited, observing him until he were done.

"I don't want to sleep now." the boy muttered.

"It's too late, Adrian. Your body is not completely like mine, you need to rest."

"But, father...!"

"No more," the man scolded and the boy fell silent, lying flat under the covers. Mathias then sat on the edge of the bed and stroked the child's face, kissed his forehead, saying more gently. "Good night, my son."

"... Night." Adrian whispered, half-asleep, the weariness of the day finally falling on him.

It took not more than three minutes before he fell into deep sleep and the vampire shook his head amused; every night was always the same thing. He stood, went to the exit, looked at the boy one last time and left the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

Half an hour later, inside the Royal Library, the lord of the Eternal Night stood near the large fireplace, staring at the flickering flames thoughtfully. Suddenly he felt a pair of arms wrap itselves around his waist in a soft, tender embrace.

"What are you thinking, my dear?" His wife's melodious voice sang in his ears. "You seem worried."

"Just a foolish thought, mind you." He smiled, turning back to look at her.

His wife was lovely that night. She wore a long, white silk gown that wore perfectly the curves of her body, falling flat until it touched her feet, while a darker cloak of fur embraced her shoulders to keep her warm. Her long hair, as golden as the sun, plunged down to her waist in harmonious waves, her pale face displaying all the womanly beauty she possessed.

But it was her eyes, blue and bright as the morning sky filled with great wisdom and intelligence, watching him now with adoration, that made him fall in love once again every time he looked at her.

He lifted one of his hands and tenderly touched her face in a gentle caress.

"Mathias..." The woman called him in that knowing tone.

"Alright..." The vampire shook his head. Why did she always do that? "I'm not comfortable with you leaving almost every week to the human village."

"Why?" Lisa inquired softly. "Are you afraid they may do something to me or Adrian?"

"I fear what they may do because of the relationship you have with me." The vampire answered. "They... often tend to jump to hasty conclusions and once they put something in their heads, there's nothing that can pull it off... I know that, I've been one of them once."

"I am still..." The woman laughed.

"Just for a little while," The man said gently. "If you accept my offer."

"I've been thinking, my dear..."

"And what is your answer?"

Lisa looked at him longingly with lovingly eyes.

"... that I would not mind spending an eternity in this world... if I were by your side, Mathias," She told him truthfully. "But not now... I would like to see Adrian grow up first, become an adult man, as strong as his father is. Just then, yes... I'll accept."

The vampire smiled at her, feeling his heart be filled by happiness and a great relief that took over his being, something that did not go unnoticed by Lisa, who laughed lightly and gently stroked her husband's dark hair and face.

"You silly..." She smiled and pulled him down, sealing her lips with his in a deep, passionate kiss. And when they finally parted, she took one of his hands with a warm, tender touch, and whispered as a secret shared only between them. "I love you, Mathias... I'll always be here... You'll never be alone."

Soma began to wake, feeling someone desperately shake him and a familiar voice that also was calling him insistently. He felt completely cold, but at the same time there was a tender warm touch on one of his hands. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed his son kneeling beside him in the snow.

"You're finally awake!" The dhampir spoke with clear relief, his black eyes filled with concern. "Soma, get up! We have to get out of here immediately or you may die!"

The silver-haired man felt weak and utterly exhausted, but he understood the other's request and managed to rise with Alucard's help, who propped his weight upon himself, passing Soma's arm around his shoulders and started to half bring, half drag him as fast as he could back to the Belmont Mansion.

As soon as they entered the old building, Alucard led them to the library on the ground floor, and leaving the other man partially conscious on a large armchair, he threw several logs into the fireplace, and with some magic, made them immediately catch fire to warm the room.

The dark-haired man disappeared through the door and returned a few minutes later, bringing with him a long warm blanket and thick socks that he proceeded to dress on the other quickly.

The dhampir knelt in front of the armchair and held the other's hands, frowning gravely when he felt them as cold as ice, and used his powers to try to warm him. The magic made a translucent orange-colored aura that passed from his hands to Soma and spread through the body of the silver-haired man, whose eyes with half-closed eyelids seemed to stare into nothingness.

"What were you thinking, going out this way in this terrible weather, Soma?" Alucard inquired in a low voice, watching the other man's face with concern.

"How... did you find me?" Soma whispered.

"I was awake... I saw you rushing out of the mansion."

"You should not... have followed me..."

Alucard glared at him.

"You wanted to die? For it is what it seemed."

"Sometimes... I think... it's not worth... living anymore..." Soma muttered with some difficulty.

"Are you mad?!" The dhampir questioned him harshly, looking at him as if he had indeed gone mad. "Stop talking and think nonsense! Stop acting without pondering your actions!"

"Why... do you care?" Soma's blue eyes focused completely on the other man, filled with an indescribable pain and sorrow he didn't even have the strength or will to hide. "If I live... or if I die...? My existence... should have been finished... a long time ago... I'm dangerous... you know this... I feel my mind and my soul... be shrouded in darkness... as it happened five years ago... I almost succumbed then... Now I... I have no more strength... to hold on..."

Alucard stared at him with dark eyes filled with deep emotion and he swallowed dry. A single tear ran down Soma's expressionless face, and others followed, cold and bitter.

Without any hesitation the dhampir touched his face and in an impulse that he could not contain he brought the other man to him and embraced him tightly, and Soma wept silently on his shoulder.

"I do care..." He whispered in his ear. "I care... More than you imagine... more than I allow myself to show... Soma, I..."

Alucard paused and took a deep breath; he choked at all costs the words that so significant almost escaped his lips at that moment.

"You..." The black-haired man said at last. "You do not have to face this darkness alone... If you do not wish to surrender to it, you will not be alone to fight it... I will always be here, and I will hold your hand to help you stand again if you fall..."

Soma said nothing, but the dhampir was sure that the other man had heard his reply.

A long time later, when Soma, already warm and with his skin color back to normal, was sleeping a dreamless sleep reclining against the armchair, Alucard remained seated in a nearby chair, staring at the silver-haired man with black eyes that revealed all the restlessness of his spirit.

He himself was no longer able to hold the strength of his own feelings. Not when he looked at Soma every day and seeing him made the dhampir increasingly remember his own father. Not the vampire who tormented him every time he returned with hatred and desire for revenge against humanity, but the good man who had lived for seven years with him and his mother in the past.

Unconsciously Soma was walking like him, talking like him, the weight of his gaze held the same weight as his, and swallowing, trembling, the dhampir no longer could separate the image of one another, that seemed to merge perfectly into an only being in a way that was leaving him deeply shaken.

The words that had choked in his throat earlier echoed now like a grave sentence in his mind.

Soma, I care... Because I am your son...

Alucard closed his eyes and in the solitude of the library, he put his face in his hands and cried.