As Shanoa entered the mist-veiled mansion, she immediately felt a malevolent presence inside its blood-soaked walls.

Since I defeated all the monsters of this manor, the evil presence must be something or someone else...

Walking through the Mystery Manor, Shanoa tried to remember what Daniela told her about the manor.

"T'is a cursed mansion that has witnessed countless people die within its walls, and no matter what hour it is, it is always night around it. None of the

murders were solved; it is said that a vampire lives in it, and will seek to kill any intruder in the most horrid way. Many vampire-hunters from the Belmont

Clan died, attacked by the vampire. Many, many years ago, there were two friends who lived in this village. One of them was a Belmont who defeated

Dracula. His friend, having his parents killed by the mansion's vampire, set to avenge them. He got careless, and was too, murdered. His friend from the

Belmont Clan sealed him in a room inside the mansion. But the vampire still lives on...And his hatred still burns...Beware,

Shanoa! Beware of the Mystery Manor's cruel vampire!"

Now that she thought about it, Daniela seemed quite emotional at the time. But Shanoa didn't have any second to lose; if the legend was true, Anna

was in danger.

The manor was silent, for all Shanoa could hear was the sound of her own footsteps above the creaking wooden floor.

She arrived at a room she had never seen before; unlike the others, there was no blood on its walls. There were also stairs, on top of which was a well-lit room. She decided to investigate it.

Arriving upstairs, she found a richly decorated room, unlike the other rooms. There is even a bed ...Does someone live here?

But what really caught her attention was a large door sealed by a holy power. So this is where the vampire dwells...With Dominus' power, I should be able to break it.

Focusing all her power on the door, Shanoa summoned Dominus' Anger, effectively blasting away the door.

Entering the door, the first thing she saw was a sword flying at her in great speed. Quickly using her shield glyph, she deflected it. Taking off her shield, she noticed there was a silver-haired

individual in the other side of the room.

"BELMONT! I WILL TAKE REVENGE ON YOU FOR SEALING ME HERE!" and he lunged right at her, sword in hand.

Shanoa quickly brought two sword glyphs, effectively stopping the man's assault.

"Swords...? Do you not use your damned whip?" He lifted his head up, and Shanoa quickly understood that he was a vampire by seeing his fangs.

"Vampire! Where is Anna? Why did you take her?" asked Shanoa.

"Anna? I don't understand what you're talking about, Belmont." the vampire said, whom still didn't notice that he was talking to a girl.

"So you do not wish to speak, I see. Then I will have to take the words out of your mouth!" Shanoa said, as she used her Nitesco glyph, not expecting too see it being totally absorbed by a black

hole in the vampire's hand.

"Foolish human. Did you think that you could fight me, the Ebony Stone's holder, without the Whip of Alchemy? Hahaha!" he laughed like a madman.

"So you hold the Ebony Stone. I do not need the whip to kill you. This will be enough." Shanoa said, using Dominus' Anger on the vampire, effectively knocking him out.

"Will you talk, now?" Shanoa asked, but she received no answer. I don't feel his presence anymore. So he is dead. I should go now.

She decided to search for Anna in the manor. In one of the rooms, she found a sword. There was something written on its blade.

What is this...? Oh! and then Shanoa ran out of the manor.

"Father Nikolai, your house is very well decorated."

Nikolai, Daniela, Irina, Laura and Marcel were all sitting at a table in Father Nikolai's house.

"Thank you, Laura. I have always loved decorating." He said with a hearty laugh. Daniela muttered a little "Heh." but nobody noticed her.

"Shanoa hasn't come back yet...I wonder if she's okay..." Irina asked, but it was obvious that she was more worried about Anna than Shanoa.

"Of course she will be okay. She has fought battles harder than this one." Daniela said, sipping some tea.

"I guess you are right. But I didn't think there would still be vampires within this country. Unfortunately, I didn't have my pictograph with me when I saw it." Marcel said, sighing.

Suddenly, Shanoa entered, interrupting his sigh. She was holding a sword.

"Shanoa! It's you! I was worried about you! Where is Anna?" asked Irina, going from joyful to sorrowful when she saw that Anna wasn't with her.

"I didn't find her. I found a vampire inside the manor." she said, glancing at Daniela. "I defeated him, but he didn't have Anna. I searched for her all over the manor and didn't find

her."

"What? But you said she was in the Mystery Manor! YOU LIED! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO TOOK HER! GIVE HER BACK, KIDNAPPER!" shouted Irina, threatening to strangle Marcel.

However, Shanoa quickly stopped her.

"He isn't the one who kidnapped her. I know who did it." Shanoa said, to everyone's surprise. "I will go now and bring back Anna with me. Daniela, can you please come with me?"

Daniela nodded, not surprised at all.

As they got out of the door, Daniela began to speak, "So you found out, didn't you? You truly are a clever girl, my dear Shanoa."

"Not at all. If I truly was a "clever girl" as you put it, I would have understood all of this sooner. I actually understood only after I saw this sword." she said, giving the sword to

Daniela.

Daniela took a look at the sword. "Oh, I see. So he gave you a hint..." They were now at Daniela's doorstep.

Opening the door, Shanoa entered, followed by Daniela. They weren't the only ones in the house.

"So you have come, Shanoa." said a man.

"Indeed, I believe this is yours, Alucard." Shanoa said, giving the sword to the dhampire.

"Thank you." the dhampire said gallantly.

"Now...what were you doing with Anna?" Shanoa asked, glancing at the little girl who was sleeping peacefully on Daniela's bed.

"Hohoho! I think we have a lot to explain you, don't we, Shanoa?" Daniela said, laughing. "How about we have some tea?"

Politely refusing the tea, Shanoa said, "I already know, or almost know what you have to tell me."

"Really? And how did you figure it out?" Alucard asked.

"When I first met you, you told me that you wanted to talk to Maria's spirit." she said, pointing at the dhampire. "At first, I didn't think much about it. However, when I went to

Daniela's house that same night, I found her house's door open! Again, I didn't think much about it. Finally, when I found your sword at the Mystery Manor, all became clear to me.

That night, you were the one that left Daniela's door open. Daniela often talks about trainings with her grandfather, and she even knows about the Banshees at the Monastery.

Which led me to think that she too, had been a vampire hunteress, and that it was very possible that she knew about you. I also knew that Anna possessed a special gift; she could

talk to spirits. Thus, I understood that you were the one who "kidnapped" her, and I understood that you were at Daniela's house and were waiting for me to come."

"You are really as smart as Daniela said." Alucard chuckled. "But let's not talk about this. I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?" Shanoa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I have talked to Maria through Anna. She forgave me, and told me that she wanted to talk to me before, but couldn't." Shanoa felt relieved for the dhampire. "However, when I

asked her about Anna's cause of death, she answered that she didn't know."

"What? But why?" Shanoa asked, shocked.

"She didn't know what was the cause of death because there wasn't any." Alucard said.

"What..? But she came singing at Anna's window! Didn't that mean that Anna's death was soon to happen?" Alucard shaked his head.

"Maria came singing at Anna's window, but that is because Anna is the only one who can actually hear her. She was singing for someone else's death."

"Really? But who's death? Irina's or Serge's?" Shanoa asked, suddenly having a bad feeling.

"No. The person she told me about was... You." Alucard said, looking down.

"...I see." Shanoa said, not as surprised as she would have expected. "And what is my...cause of death?"

"Maria was very vague about this. She said it was a vampire, but I don't know any vampire other than the one you killed at Mystery Manor..."

Then, all of them stayed silent until Shanoa broke the silence.

"I must go see Father Nikolai now." Then, Alucard said, "I must go back too. I will most likely see you again, Shanoa, take care of yourself."

"Anna is sleeping at Daniela's house, Irina. You should go see her." Shanoa said, smiling.

"Oh! Thank you, Thank you! Shanoa!" Irina said, bursting out of the room.

Father Nikolai and Shanoa were now alone.

"Father Nikolai, I have some questions to ask you, if you don't mind." Shanoa said, taking a seat in front of the priest.

"I was actually expetcing you, Shanoa. Go ahead." He said, smiling.

"Father Nikolai. Your are a member of the Belmont Clan, aren't you?" Shanoa said.

"Haha, so you have me found me out. Pray tell, how did you?" Father Nikolai asked.

"Both your house and a room in Mystery Manor are richly decorated. I know that it was a Belmont who sealed that vampire away. It was not hard to deduce." Shanoa said.

"But...You wanted me to kill that vampire, didn't you?"

"Hehe...I must ask you to forgive me for that. When Alucard took Anna, Marcel saw him. And so I had an idea; I told Alucard to go to the Mystery Manor, so that Marcel would see

him and tell you so you would follow him there and...slay the vampire. Back then, I tried to fight the vampire but I couldn't do it, so I sealed him with my clan's powers. I waited for

the day when someone strong enough would appear and avenge my friend. It was you, Shanoa."

"I see now...So it was you after all, huh." Shanoa said, thoughtful. "I have something else to ask you, Father Nikolai...As you know, I have lost my memory. Do you know if I am from this village?"

Father Nikolai seemed surprised. "Hmm...As far as I know, you are not from here. But...I will search. I will tell you if I find anything."

"I see..Thank you. I will go home now, sorry for bothering you." Shanoa said, her voice trailing off.

After she left, Father Nikolai went to Daniela's house.

"I have been waiting for you." Daniela said.

Taking a seat, Nikolai said, "I know. I was talking with Shanoa."

"So she found you out, didn't she? I always told you shouldn't have decorated that room in the Mystery Manor, Juste."

"It was a bit tasteless. But it doesn't matter. Shanoa defeated the vampire, and avenged Maxim." Father Nikolai said, visibly happy.

"Don't you feel ashamed that it wasn't you who avenged him?"

"I certainly would, if it was another person. But Shanoa isn't totally unrelated to Maxim, is she?" Nikolai chuckled.

"Indeed." Daniela sipped her third tea cup that day.

-Meanwhile, at Mystery Manor-

"DAMN YOU, BELMONT!" A lone man shouted. "YOU THOUGHT YOU DEFEATED ME, DIDN'T YOU? I, JOACHIM ARMSTER, WON'T BE DEFEATED SO EASILY!"

Coming out of his abode, the vampire destroyed all the furniture in the room, and burst out of a window.

"Just you wait...I will make you PAY!"

After that, he made his way south.

I hope you enjoyed ;p Please review! I might have made some "logical" errors so please correct me if you find them ;)