Author's Notes: Come on guys, I want you to review my work! I really want to see what you guys think about my story. I know it didn't start off like Castlevania stories usually do, but we'll get to that action soon. In fact, an old, familiar face of the series makes his story debut in this chapter. I think you all know who I mean.
So, here is the new chapter. Enjoy everyone.
Chapter One: Forces in Motion
The ambulance arrived at Bucharest University Memorial Hospital only about seven minutes after Justin Belmont had been shot. The medics had been able to slow the bleeding on the way in, but immediate surgery was necessary to stop it completely. Justin was told as much as they arrived and he was carried out of the ambulance on his stretcher.
"How long will I be under for?" he inquired of the doctor who was talking to him while he was being wheeled into and through the hospital to the surgery rooms.
"It shouldn't take too long," the doctor replied, "I'd say if all goes well, you'll be conscious again later tonight."
"Okay, that's fine," Justin answered, "Someone will be here to see me soon, I think."
As Justin was being rolled into surgery, the police officer who talked with him at the scene of the shooting hurried to a nearby desk and caught the attention of the young lady sitting there. "Someone going into surgery, officer?" she inquired.
"Yes, exactly," the officer replied, "His name is Justin Belmont. We still need to perform a background check on him at the station to see if he is involved with any illegal activities. Someone wanted him dead pretty badly. He's suffered a gunshot wound."
"Could you give me the name again?" the woman asked as she pulled up the correct program from the hospital computer system.
"Justin Belmont," the officer repeated, "He's a male in his late 20's, if I had to make a guess at it. I'll contact the police station to find out anything about his background."
"Whatever you feel is necessary, sir," the woman replied as she finished filling out what little information she had been given about the patient. All she could enter now was an approximate age, reason for surgery and name.
However, no one in the hospital outside of Justin knew what would happen next. Although a routine process at a hospital, the name that was entered into this report began a sequence of events that only a select few knew about, starting in an office over a thousand kilometers west of Bucharest.
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Only moments after the report was entered into the hospital's computer system, an e-mail was sent to a computer in an office in the Vatican City. The sending of the e-mail was done via an automatic system that was tied to the appearance of names and phrases that this particular office, the Office of Occult Investigations, deemed important. And Justin Belmont was one of those names.
The e-mail notice interrupted Father Luca Donetti from the report he had been working on about a supposedly possessed estate in the central Italian countryside. "Thanks be to God," Donetti claimed quietly, "I needed a break from that one."
He didn't like this aspect of his job. He felt this was an absurd intrusion of privacy for what usually ended up being minor mentions in newspapers and Internet articles. However, he understood that there were certain individuals that the recently-reunited Christian Church needed to keep track of very closely. So Donetti opened up his e-mail box and saw the high priority message at the very top of his list.
Father Donetti was new to this office, but he recognized the family name of the person in the e-mail immediately. "Justin Belmont," he noted quietly, "What has happened to you son?" Almost everyone who worked in the Church hierarchy had heard the stories of the Belmont Clan's many wars against Count Dracula and his minions. Donetti opened the e-mail while he picked up the red phone on the upper right corner of his desk, just to the left of a beige phone of a standard design. The red phone was used to inform his superiors directly and without delay, and a notice about the Belmonts qualified as something to move to the higher-ups immediately.
"Bishop Rossi, this is Father Donetti," Luca began as he began to read the e-mail's details, "I just got an e-mail alert concerning a Justin Belmont in Bucharest, Romania."
This caught Bishop Marco Rossi's undivided attention. Any news about the Belmonts did. "What has happened?" he inquired as he opened his e-mail account.
"It appears he suffered a gunshot wound and was taken to a local hospital for surgery," Donetti replied, "No other firm details at this time, unfortunately. This is just a preliminary hospital report."
Bishop Rossi was reading his e-mail by this time. "Luca, are you busy with something right now?" he asked.
"I was filling out a report on that incident at the manor just outside of Florence," Donetti responded.
"That can wait until later," Marco ordered, "I want you to keep an eye on this development until further notice. I will contact our friends in Bucharest to make sure they are aware of this development."
"I understand," Father Donetti replied as he hung up the red phone and started doing research on Justin Belmont.
Bishop Rossi called the Church offices in Bucharest to find that they were already aware of the developments and were monitoring the situation as well. But just as he hung up his phone with them, it began to ring and the phone's caller ID system failed to provide a name or a number. That meant that whoever was calling him now either had access to very advanced technology or was a powerful agent of the Church who wanted to keep their identity hidden at first. Cautiously, Marco answered the phone. "Hello?" he inquired.
"Don't be nervous Bishop Rossi, I am calling to assist you," an unaltered male voice began, "I have seen the message. A Belmont is in the hospital."
"Who is this?" Rossi asked quickly, "How did you know that?" But he swore that deep voice was familiar. The accent told him he was either Romanian or he was of one of its neighbors.
"My apologies, perhaps an introduction is in order," the man replied, "I am a man of great mystery, yet known by many in your profession. In Japan, they call me Genya Arikado. My full name is Adrian Farenheights Tepes."
Bishop Rossi needed to hear no more as a shiver ran through his body at the recognition of whom he was talking to. "You're Alucard!" he exclaimed, "Son of Count Dracula!"
"Yes, that is what most call me," Alucard affirmed.
Alucard gazed north toward the Transylvanian Alps in the distance from his location in southwestern Romania. It was a beautiful sight, but those mountains held within and behind them a dark legacy of which Alucard was a part of. Alucard held a cell phone to his right ear with his right hand as he continued to talk to Bishop Rossi.
"I understand that Justin Belmont has been injured in Bucharest," he continued.
"Aren't you in Japan?" Rossi inquired, "That's where your last known location is."
"I left Japan in 2042, 32 years ago," Alucard corrected, "Once the business involving Soma Cruz was ended, I found no reason to remain there and I returned to Romania. Don't be upset that the Vatican didn't know, Marco. I did not wish to be found by the Church until it was necessary to reveal myself."
"And why is now that time?" Marco asked, "For all anyone knows, Justin Belmont was a victim of random gang violence. Bucharest isn't a crime-free place, you know. This could be much ado about nothing."
"It might, but I highly doubt it," Alucard countered, "I have met Justin Belmont on many occasions and he is not the kind of man who would be careless enough to walk past a raging shootout. And you forget that The Sword of Allah operates somewhere in that city."
"The Sword of Allah?" Rossi repeated incredulously, "Their membership numbers less than 100 people. Unless Belmont put a high-ranking terrorist or Islamic Fundamentalist sympathizer in jail, I seriously doubt that they would be involved in this."
"I am simply keeping options open for consideration," Alucard defended, "I am led to believe The Sword of Allah is involved because of the timing. You may not be aware of this, but the Church recently authorized a 100,000 Euro reimbursement to Justin Belmont."
One hundred thousand Euros wasn't too significant a sum of money for the Church, but for a single individual who was not trying to establish new churches, it was an unusual event. "That isn't my department, but what would Justin Belmont need a 100,000 Euro reimbursement for?" Bishop Rossi inquired.
"Drugs, of course," Alucard responded, "To be specific, opium. Five kilograms of the stuff to be transported to the village of Warichylia."
"And the Church is reimbursing a drug deal?" Rossi asked incredulously.
"It's for a good cause, Bishop, trust me," Alucard assured, "In any case, the closest major source of opium is Afghanistan. And The Sword of Allah is a known opium smuggling organization here in Eastern Europe."
"Why would Justin Belmont risk running illegal drugs like that?" Rossi inquired, "He is a lawyer of great reputation."
"Because Justin Belmont is a Belmont," Alucard replied, "And Belmonts always help their own out. This opium was meant to help create a cure for that disease running rampant across central Africa right now. I believe it is being called the T-14 Disease."
"That's a totally different matter at the moment," Bishop Rossi interrupted, "Right now, Justin Belmont is our primary focus. Now, you said you are in Romania, yes?"
"That is correct," Alucard replied into his black cell phone.
"How quickly can you make it to Bucharest?" Rossi inquired, "We need you to talk to Mr. Belmont before the police do, assuming he survives."
"I can be in Bucharest within a few hours, wind currents permitting," Alucard answered, "I am guessing your orders are to interrogate Justin Belmont on why he got shot, yes?"
"That is accurate," Rossi affirmed, "And if this does involve drugs, make sure you clean that up without the police learning about it. The last thing the Church needs is to be embroiled in a drug scandal so soon after reforming itself."
"Understood sir," Alucard replied as he closed his cell phone and placed it inside a pocket in his black coat. He removed the clasps which held his cape, which seemed to transition between black and blood red as it fluttered in the breeze, and folded it up so that it fit inside a special pouch on this inside of his coat. From the same pouch, he pulled out a red neck tie which he placed around his neck so that he looked somewhat respectable in the city.
Alucard gazed at his surroundings one last time before he left, thinking about how his story began in a village not unlike this one some 700 years earlier. My God, has it been that long? Alucard asked himself with a small amount of shock. He put those thoughts out of mind as he muttered an incantation once he was sure no one was watching him atop the church's roof. Moments later, Alucard transformed into a large bat which immediately began to fly eastward toward the Romanian capital city.
Lisa Farenheights left her home about an hour before sunset on September 14, 1381 as she walked toward the church in her village of Tranlya, where she assisted with the healing of the sick who came to the church. The 19-year-old young lady had blonde hair which reached down to her shoulders and was wearing a black gown of sorts. She was a beautiful young woman of average height, but she had always seemed to have kept to herself more than was usual. Ever since her parents tragically died in a fire three years earlier, Lisa seemed to have entered a constant state or mourning and became very withdrawn and only seemed to converse with the village priest and those who required her help. It seemed like she was destined for a life in service to God. And while those who thought that were correct, they could have never imagined what that service would entail.
As Lisa entered the village center on this date, something changed within her suddenly. A feeling unlike any that she had ever felt before overwhelmed her. It was a feeling of being drawn to a place as if she knew something she needed to do or find was there. She felt drawn to the north, where the only structure she saw was the old castle that towered over Tranlya.
The old Radal Castle was not an unfamiliar sight to Lisa. In fact, she had seen it almost every day of her life. The village once served the Radal Family who resided in that castle, but it was common knowledge that the Radal Family had been wiped out in the Crusade campaign of 1270, over a century earlier. Since then, everyone had assumed that the castle lay empty and was thought to be falling apart due to neglect. However, as Lisa looked at the castle now, she began to see things about it she had never noticed before. Most prominent among these things were the sections of the castle that seemed to defy common sense, such as supports that would not be able to hold up what they appeared to.
"Is something troubling you Lisa?" the priest inquired as he left the church and caught sight of her, "Do you need guidance?"
"The path to the north here leads to that castle, Father, is that correct?" Lisa asked without even looking at her employer.
Father Cornel Andone looked in the direction Lisa was momentarily. "Yes, the road to the north leads to Radal Castle," he answered, "But the castle has been deserted for over a hundred years."
"No, there's something, or someone, there that I need to find," Lisa countered, "I can't explain it, but I suddenly have this feeling of being drawn to that place, though my better judgment tells me to stay away."
"You are being called to the castle, Lisa?" Father Andone inquired, "Is that what you mean?"
Lisa nodded. "Yes, yes, you could say that Father," she agreed as she began walking toward the north.
"If that is the case, it is either a call from God himself or a call from The Devil," Cornel warned, "But I doubt you can resist it either way. Lisa, be safe on the path you travel."
"Thank you Father," Lisa replied as she continued to walk north, breaking into a run once the path north narrowed. She needed to find whatever was calling her to the castle.
As soon as she rounded a bend and could no longer see her village at all, Lisa stopped as she spotted a horse-drawn carriage waiting only 20 feet ahead of her. As Lisa approached the red carriage from behind, she saw that there were two large horses in front that obviously pulled the carriage around. Both horses were completely covered with metal armor, but neither seemed to mind the burden and remained perfectly silent as Lisa walked up toward them.
"Excuse me, my lady, but what is your name?" Lisa heard a raspy voice from behind her suddenly. She gasped and turned quickly to find the man who had driven the carriage to this location. He sat on a platform behind the horses with a full set of reins in hand. However, Lisa could not see any part of the driver's body, as he was completely covered by a dark blue cloak that even hid his face from view. He seemed to be a man of slightly larger than average height and resting behind him was a rather large scythe which lay across the platform he was sitting on, blade on the side which Lisa could not see from where she stood.
"Um, my name is Lisa Farenheights," Lisa answered cautiously, "Why are you here, sir?"
"Are you on your way to the castle up there?" the driver inquired as he gestured toward Radal Castle.
"Yes, I am," Lisa answered, "You wouldn't happen to be heading there as well, would you sir?"
"It just so happens that I am on my way there now," he replied cheerfully, though still with a raspy voice, "Why don't you get in the carriage? I can get you there faster than you can on foot, I assure you."
"I would take your offer sir, but I don't have any money to repay you with," Lisa answered.
"Oh, you don't have to pay me anything," the driver explained, "Just get inside and I'll get us up to the castle in no time."
Lisa hesitated a moment before she walked to the carriage and opened the door leading inside. As she climbed in, she saw about a dozen valuable items scattered across the interior, but right next to the door was a place where she could sit down while looking forward. Lisa climbed up into the seat and sat down in it, shutting the carriage door behind her.
"The road is a little bumpy, so be ready for that," the driver called as he used the reigns to get the horses moving forward at a trotting pace. Lisa watched the countryside roll by her for the 20 minutes it took to reach the castle entrance. She noticed that the closer she got to the castle, the more desolate the landscape became. The number of trees around her became less and less as the carriage approached the castle. And she could tell it wasn't due to anyone cutting down trees around the castle, for there were no tree stumps to indicate that. It was as if the trees simply could not grow near the castle.
Lisa's looking around at the countryside was ended when she felt the carriage come to a complete halt. She looked out the window in front of her and saw the entrance to the castle. The drawbridge for the main entrance was down, allowing anyone to enter.
Now that she was this close to the huge structure, the calling that Lisa felt was much stronger than before, forcing her to continue on inside. However, her sense of foreboding had grown as well, telling her that she should stay away from this place.
"This is your last chance to change your mind, my lady," the driver pointed out, "You want to go into the castle with me?"
After a moment of hesitation, Lisa replied, "Yes, please continue."
With that said the driver took the reins and directed the horses over the drawbridge and toward the large wooden entrance, which opened for them seemingly automatically and then closed behind them, sealing them within the castle as the drawbridge was also brought up behind them. Whatever had led Lisa to this castle had now sealed her within it. Whatever had called Lisa Farenheights up to the Radal Castle, it had sealed her within the walls of the "abandoned" structure, perhaps to become her tomb.
About a minute later, the driver stopped the horses at the far end of this large Entrance Hall, which was dimly illuminated by the few small windows carved into the walls. "Miss Farenheights, I cannot carry you any farther in this carriage," he informed her, "Please step out of the carriage."
Lisa complied by his wishes and left the carriage, grabbing a short sword from the compartment before shutting the door behind her. She had never handled such a weapon before, but it was better than nothing. However, now that she was here, the pull she had felt was gone. She looked around her, looking for anything that seemed important, but couldn't find anything.
"Relax my lady, you will not be harmed as long as you listen to the master's instructions," the driver assured as he got off his bench and picked up his scythe from the bench and held it in his right hand like a staff.
Lisa turned around and immediately realized who her driver was. The scythe's blade, which reached well behind the cloaked man's head, and his skeletal hand holding the scythe upright were all she needed to see before she began to retreat from him, holding her sword up as a defense. "You're… You're the Grim Reaper!" she stated in fear, "You're Death itself! Stay away from me you demon!"
Death stopped momentarily and reached for his hood with his left hand. When he pulled it back, his face was revealed to Lisa to be a skull. Indeed, there was not a scrap of flesh on Death's entire body, just a skeleton that could walk and talk and carried a fearsome instrument of destruction. Lisa was at once horrified and intrigued by the sight and she stopped retreating from him.
"My lady, there is no need for that sword in your hand," Death promised as he stood in place, "Please stay here while I inform my master that you are here." And with that, he began walking toward the wooden door leading out of the Entrance Hall.
"Who is your master?" Lisa inquired quickly as Death reached the door, "Is he what drew me here?"
"Those questions will be answered shortly," Death answered as he opened the door, "This won't take long." Death shut the door behind him, leaving Lisa alone with the horses in this room.
"Oh Lisa, what have you gotten yourself into?" Lisa asked herself as she began to walk toward the door that Death just went through, continuously looking around to avoid her demise as long as she could, "This castle is going to become my tomb. I should have known better than to come here! What was I thinking?" Finally, her emotions overcame her and she sat down next to the wooden door and buried her face in her hands as she began to cry. She knew crying would solve nothing at this point, but she just could not help herself. If only she could leave now, she would never leave her village again. But it was already too late for her, and she knew it.
Lisa was so consumed in her own sorrow that she didn't realize that the door right behind her was opening slowly. When the door opened completely, a tall man stood looking down at the weeping maiden at his feet. His skin was extremely pale but his very stature demanded attention and displayed his noble background. His white hair was even longer than Lisa's, but could not hide his pointed ears. His facial features were very sharp and he also had a mustache and goatee. His broad shoulders and impressive height (he stood six feet, six inches tall) completed the commanding presence he had.
"My lady, please forgive me, but I needed to see if my eyes were deceiving me," the man apologized in a very deep voice that seem to resonate through the room.
Lisa immediately stopped crying and slowly stood up, removing her hands from her face. The voice was an assuring one to her. She turned around and gasped at the man who stood before her. He's… He's beautiful! she thought, not expecting this to be the master Death had spoken of. He also had an aura of charisma around him. He seemed too perfect to be human. But there was also something dangerous in those gray eyes of his, filled with both sorrow and hatred. "Who are you?" Lisa inquired.
"My name is Dracula Vladimir Tepes, but you may call me Vladimir, Miss Farenheights," Dracula replied, "May I call you Lisa?"
"Um, yes," she answered, "You are the one who brought me here?"
Dracula nodded in reply. "Again, I'm sorry I had to have us meet like this," he began, "But after watching you for so long, I needed to see if I was right about you."
"Right about what?" Lisa asked, somehow finding it hard to get angry at the fact she was more or less kidnapped. Vladimir was just too charming for her to get angry with.
"I will explain to you at another time," Dracula replied, "Suffice to say that you have free reign to my castle and may leave at any time, if you wish to. However, I believe dinner is being served now, so if you would follow me please."
And with that, Lisa followed Count Dracula and decided to stay in the castle after the dinner she had with him, his charm and mystery winning her over. He would tell her everything about himself, including that his real name was Mathias Cronqvist and that he was actually a vampire. He would tell her the story of his life, including how his first wife, Elisabetha, had died of illness while he was at war, leading Mathias to curse God himself, changing him into the accursed creature he was now. And he told her that she was the reincarnation of Elizabetha, as she would not have answered his call otherwise. In return, Lisa opened her heart to Dracula. She fell deeply in love with Vlad, as she often called him, and soon saw herself as his chance to redeem himself. And Lisa soon found that Vlad loved her in return. Three years after their initial meeting, they would be married in the castle. It was the happiest moment in both their lives to that point. A year later, another event occurred which brought them even greater joy.
Justin Belmont woke up that night, feeling a dull pain in his left shoulder. As his sight began to sharpen, he noticed a few sensors and needles attached to his body and heard a regular beeping noise from a nearby machine. He slowly began to sit up, using the head of his hospital bed as support. He saw that the room was rather small and very white. Justin decided that since he didn't need much care for recovery besides his own natural healing abilities, he should try to get out of here as soon as he could.
At that point, a young woman of about 25 walked into the room and stopped upon seeing Justin conscious in his bed. Justin thought she was very good looking. She stood at five feet, three inches tall and had light brown hair that was tied in a single ponytail behind her head. She was wearing a white nurse's uniform which consisted of a blouse with short sleeves and a skirt which reached down to her knees. Justin couldn't see her white socks and blue shoes. Her skin was actually very tan for a person from this part of the world, but Justin saw that she was definitely Romanian. She also had green eyes and walked with confidence, which Justin liked to see. He saw she had a nametag pinned to her blouse.
"Oh, Mr. Belmont, you're awake," she stated as she walked closer to his bedside, "I'm happy to inform you that your surgery was a success. Your shoulder should be fine in about a month."
"You mean I'm stuck here for that long?" Justin inquired, "I can't stay here. There's work I need to do."
"No, you aren't staying here for a month," the nurse answered with a slight giggle, "You'll probably only be here for a week, if not less. But the shoulder won't be completely healed at that point. You'll have to take it easy for a while."
Justin nodded, relieved that he would be back to work within a week's time. "Well, I guess it's a good thing that I won't be wasting too much of your time, Miss …"
"Balint," she finished, "Mary Balint."
Justin nodded. "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," he stated with a smirk.
Mary blushed slightly at this compliment. Most guys didn't think of her as anything special. "Thank you," she replied as she checked some of the equipment in the room.
"So, I assume you are a nurse, Mary?" Justin inquired.
"Yes I am," Mary answered, "It's the best job in the world, if you ask me, helping others, but our pay says otherwise." That was Mary's only real complaint with her occupation. The pay was just barely enough to get by on and pay back the loans she needed to take out to get through college.
Justin nodded, also understanding the pressure that the "college economy" put on those who got through it. It seemed as if the world had forgotten the lessons of 2008. However, as a lawyer, he was easily able to pay off the loans and necessities of life. "Yeah, I know how you feel," he replied.
Mary giggled at that. "You're a lawyer," she countered, "What do you know about financial hardship?"
"At least the government offers you free money to go into medicine," Justin replied, "I had to loan my way through law school. And I'm not the kind of person who likes to take out loans." The Belmonts were always a very proud people who hated to owe anything to anyone, hence their emphasis on self-reliance over the centuries.
"I just hope you don't sue us for anything," Mary said.
Justin shook his head. "No, I don't sue doctors," he responded, "A little oath I made to myself when I entered law school. My firm tends to focus on contracts, not malpractice."
Mary nodded and then snapped her fingers as she finished checking on the equipment in the room. "Oh, I just remembered, Justin, you have a visitor who wanted to see you as soon as you were awake. He's a very… odd man," she reported.
Justin knew exactly who it was and was relieved. "Send him in," he said, "And it was nice talking to you Mary."
"Nice talking to you too, Justin," Mary replied as she left the room.
Definitely girlfriend material, he thought with a smile as he waited for his expected guest to enter the room.
Sure enough, only a few seconds later, a man wearing a black business suit entered the room. Justin had met Alucard on many different occasions before, though usually in the village of Warichylia. While he could blend into urban settings well enough, Justin knew Alucard always felt a bit out of place there. And so did Justin at times, to be honest. The old village life had more pull than one thinks it does, especially when you grow up with it as Justin and Alucard did.
Alucard's black suit stood out very prominently against the white background. The background even seemed to be bothering Alucard's eyes, as he was squinting slightly, as if he had just walked into a very bright place after being in darkness for a while. Well, that's the vampire in him, Justin thought, They don't like bright places. Unlike pure vampires, Alucard's dhampir status allowed him to actually travel around in the daylight, but the light obviously bothered him a bit, as did the heat.
"It is good to see you again, Justin Belmont," Alucard began in that deep, resonant voice of his which commanded attention, "Although I wish it could be under different circumstances."
"You and me both, Alucard," Justin agreed, "I assume you are here on orders from the Church."
"That would be correct, although they had no idea that I was actually back in Romania," Alucard responded, "That should set them scrambling in the Vatican."
Justin chuckled at that. The Catholic part of the Church was still getting used to some of the realities in the Orthodox part, including all the occult myths actually being somewhat true. But Alucard was one of the good guys and always had been, as far as Justin knew. Alucard knew otherwise, however.
"So, how did you get shot?" Alucard inquired.
"I guess those backstabbers wanted their opium back," Justin mused, "But don't worry, it's in safe hands for you to pick up and bring to Warichylia."
"Excellent," Alucard declared, "Before we get to the opium's location, do you know if you were dealing with some group of individuals for this deal?"
Justin thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. "No, they never mentioned that they were part of any group," he reported, "The trade and the shootout did involve Arabic men, but since most of the opium trade in this part of the world comes from Afghanistan, I didn't think anything of that."
Alucard nodded. Arabs pretty much ran the illegal opium trade business in Eastern Europe and there were plenty of what were called "lone wolves" in the trade, since the drug was on the cheap side as far as illegal drugs went. So it wasn't unusual to deal with small groups of people when buying and selling opium.
"How many people attacked you after the trade was made?" Alucard asked.
Justin thought again for a few seconds. "I'd say at least four," he replied, "I heard at least four different voices, though it could have been more."
Alucard took this information in. This was actually the exception rather than the rule in drug deals. Double-crosses were rare and usually were the actions of desperate dealers looking to make a last big score before leaving the market. However, this still told him nothing about who might have been on the other side of the transaction, and definitely provided no confirmation on his theory about The Sword of Allah being involved.
"So, are you going to be okay?" Alucard inquired.
"Yeah, I'll be out of the hospital in a week," Justin assured, "I hope my co-workers don't ask too many questions about how this happened to me. I'd be disbarred immediately if anyone learned I was involved in a drug deal. I guess I could say I just happened to be collateral damage in a gang battle."
"Without any hard evidence and witnesses, I'm sure that the police will get nowhere with investigating this," Alucard mused, "Speaking of witnesses, did you have an accomplice of your own that has the opium with him?"
Justin nodded. "Yeah, his name is Francis Mauscu," he began, "He lives in the King Michael Apartments on the other side of the city, room 403. I told him to listen for the verbal exchange we created."
"The one involving me having a preference for blood?" Alucard asked for clarification.
"Yeah, that one," Justin confirmed, "He should let you in and give you the opium, which you can take to Warichylia so that I get the reimbursement from the Vatican."
Alucard nodded as he stood up. "Any progress on that dream of yours to become a judge?" he asked.
Justin shook his head. "No, not yet," he admitted, "I'm not surprised about that, though. I really haven't done anything to raise anyone's attention yet. Hopefully, I can get in contact with the right people who can help me get that position I want. I can't keep working like this forever. I'm already feeling the effects of all this stress at work."
"Good luck in your future, Justin," Alucard said before he left the room. As he did, he passed a police officer who immediately entered the room after Alucard left it. The officer couldn't help but glance at the dhampir before he began his interrogation of Justin Belmont.
"Are you sure you read those coordinates right, sir?" Anwar asked his leader, "There is nothing but a clearing in the woods there."
"The coordinates are correct, Anwar," Amir confirmed, "Give us a route there."
"We can't get there by car," Anwar explained, "There's a road here that would put us within 5 kilometers of the coordinates, but it looks like a hard trek through the woods from that point forward. You'd think these infidels would all embrace this new world nonsense, but those people out there still live in the dark ages."
"Anwar, just give me a route to the location," Amir ordered, "We can pack our gear with us. We have lived outdoors before."
"Okay, generating the route now," Anwar replied, "Hmm, it looks like there is a partial clearing near the coordinates of some kind. We should travel through there."
Amir looked at what Anwar had seen on his computer screen and nodded. "Yes, that looks convenient," he remarked, "It doesn't appear to be inhabited by anyone."
"Sir, are you sure this plan is wise?" Anwar inquired, "We are giving this witch 20 million Euros for what?"
"She says that she can give us the world on a silver plate," Amir answered, "This is our last chance. If we fail, we die, which is going to happen anyway. But if we succeed, we could bring Allah's will to this sickening world. And Allah's will shall be done."
"Yes sir," Anwar replied as he studied the route he had just printed out. There was something about the clearing around the coordinates Amir had received that gave Anwar some anxiety. I feel like no man should step foot in that place, he thought, though he had no reason why he felt that way. So he just kept it to himself.
Francis was extremely nervous. He knew the laws surrounding illegal drug trafficking. If he were caught by the police with five kilograms of opium without a license for its possession and transport, he would be in jail for at least the next five years. Not to mention his career would be over. He wasn't a very religious man, but Francis had already said many silent prayers, hoping that Justin's contact would arrive soon.
Francis glanced at his wristwatch again. It was approaching nine o'clock at night when there finally came a knock at his apartment door. Francis jumped out of surprise at the sudden noise, then cautiously approached the door and gazed out the peep hole there. Outside, he saw a tall man with a regal appearance, blonde hair, gray eyes and a black suit. The very look of the man sent a shiver down Francis's spine. "Who's there?" he inquired.
"I am a traveler, sir, and I am in need of sustenance, if you could spare some," the man replied in a deep voice that put Francis even more on edge.
"I'd be happy to share some of my food with you," Francis answered and waited for the expected reply.
"Actually, I was referring to your blood," the man answered.
Francis immediately opened his door to let Alucard in. "Thank God you're here," he began, "The cases are behind the kitchen counter over there. Just take them and leave, please."
"Don't worry, the police have no idea what really happened," Alucard assured as he grabbed the two cases and began to leave with them.
"How is Justin?" Francis asked.
"He'll be out of the hospital in a week," Alucard answered, "Trust me, it'll take more than a bullet to the shoulder to kill Justin. Oh, and if the police ask, you never saw me, got it?"
Francis nodded. "Yeah, I understand," he affirmed.
"Good," Alucard replied as he left the apartment room with the briefcases. Francis shut the door behind him and was finally able to relax. His ordeal was over, but he couldn't know of the forces he had helped to set in motion on this day, forces that Francis wouldn't be able to comprehend even if he knew of them.
At around this same time, in a rather large stone cabin in western Romania, a black cell phone began ringing on a wooden desk. The phone lay on top of a white sheet of paper which covered the entire desk and was surrounded by various devices, most of which were made of metal. The phone's ringtone was the one that came with the phone when purchased, and so it was generic.
The ringing caught the attention of a woman in her early 30s, who was going over the sheet on the desk, which had various drawings all over it that appeared to be schematics for some device. She already had these schematics memorized, but she knew she could not risk a mistake in them. There was simply too much at stake for that. She picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID name. The name there was from someone she had been waiting for to contact her. She immediately took the call.
"Hello?" Emma Francescu asked.
"Miss Francescu, I just reviewed the schematics you sent me," a man replied, "I have to say; this is quite the nasty device you have here. If I actually gave a damn about the world, I'd tell you I couldn't build this."
Emma knew this man better than that. "Of course, you aren't turning me down on moral grounds," she replied, "Can you build this?"
"I believe so," he answered, "Obviously, it's going to take some time and a lot of money. I think the 20 million Euros we agreed upon will suffice, though. Do you have the money, by the way?"
"I will within the next 30 days," she answered, "How long will it take you to build this?"
"Once I have all the parts I need, it shouldn't take me more than a month to construct it," the man replied, "But I'm not starting until I get my money."
"I'll give you 10 million to begin and then the other 10 million upon completion and delivery," Emma responded, "Will that be suitable?"
"Make it 15 and 5 and you have a deal," he countered.
Emma grimaced for a moment upon hearing this. She did not like that arrangement, but she knew this man was the only one who could build the device she needed. "You have a deal, but if you cross me, I will make sure you will regret ever being born, do I make myself clear?" she asked.
"Perfectly Miss Francescu," he answered, "When will you be able to give me the 15 million?"
"I will send coordinates to you tomorrow," Emma replied, "Meet me there on June 9 and you'll get your payment."
"A pleasure doing business with you," he said before he broke the connection.
Emma put her phone down and sat motionless for about 30 seconds. She was analyzing the situation, trying to see where things in her plan could go wrong and how to minimize her losses if and when they did go wrong. Obviously, Amir could try to double-cross her, but she would be more than capable of dealing with that. The biggest problem she could foresee was having the man she was just talking to suddenly jack up his price on her, but he had no history of doing that to his buyers. Indeed, the two of them had done business on multiple occasions before, though this was much bigger than anything he had done for her in the past. In any case, she really had no recourse in that situation except to put her plans on hold and get more money.
But Emma Francescu could wait. Patience was a trait that ran in her blood. Having done all she could for the day, she retired to her bed to sleep. Tomorrow, she would send her contact the coordinates of her cabin. And until June 8, that was all she could do.
Before going to bed, she gazed out of the window in her bedroom and stared at the place where, 75 years ago, a medieval castle had once stood. She had never seen this castle herself, but she had heard all the stories about it. She knew that her plan would bring swift retaliation. But that was where Amir's goons would come into play.
If the Belmonts come, she thought to herself, Let's see how they deal with modern weapons.
Author's Notes: This chapter had the first flashback sequence, which I will try to keep in chronological order so that people don't get confused with them. I have noticed that most stories here that focus on the events surrounding Alucard's beginnings and Lisa's death have Lisa dying while Alucard is young. I'm going to break that mold a little bit. In fact, I am going to portray an Alucard that you are probably not used to seeing. But that's not going to happen for a little while. But anyone who has read my other works, especially my Harry Potter one, knows that I'm not big on purely good or purely evil characters. There are some nasty skeletons in Alucard's closet, and I'm going to bring them out and let you judge on him then.
This chapter has introduced you to most of the players in this pivotal saga in the Castlevania series, but one is still missing. And you'll be meeting this rather eccentric character in the next chapter. But until then, read, review and have fun!