Disclaimer: I only own Saito and the weredragons. Well, the names, anyway.
Extraneous: See the last chapter for a complete list of the marks I will be using.

Author's note: Hello, and a Happy New Year to all! School has started for me once again, and that is why this chapter is so late in coming. I just got caught up in all of the holiday distractions, including playing Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow on my brand-new Nintendo DS. YAHOO! Anyway, time that we get back into the swing of things.

Interlude I: Finding a Lost Brother
Last time on Requiem of Shadows:

The trio of Soma Cruz, Mina Hakuba, and Saito Onago each went their separate ways when the corridors suddenly branched out. Mina headed towards the Clock Tower, Soma headed in the general direction of the Study, and Saito explored the new passage that had been discovered off-of the first save-room. He ended in the Catacombs, and had his first encounter with Alucard's Bat Familiar, named Marissa. He sent a warning to the others not to attack her, and then he continued on his merry way. Eventually, he was forced to face the twin Zombie Dragons. Meanwhile, Soma entered the Boss Room inside of the Chapel only to find that the Manticore had been ripped apart by some unseen force. Sensing a vampire nearby, he called out to the creature. She responded easily, introduced herself as Karina, and explained what she knew about the castle. Apparently, she was going to be offered as a sacrifice to Baal, but the Count Orlox had other plans. Karina was transformed into a vampire, but then the two were split-apart. She gave Soma an ability soul that granted him wings, and she also told him what she knew about the Soul-Keepers. Soma wished Karina luck in finding her love, and then he proceeded into the Study.

Mina, on the other hand, was having quite an adventure going through the Floating Gardens. After gaining entrance to the Chapel Tower, she proceeded through, only to find Malphas waiting for her near the top. The King of Ravens was virulently cursing Shaft under his breath, because the Dark Priest had clipped his pinion feathers, thus taking away his ability to fly. Upon meeting Mina, he willingly gave her the ability soul, but under one condition: that someone would come and heal his wings. Mina agreed, and then she proceeded to exit the Chapel Tower, only to stop in horror at the sight that greeted her.

Saito, meanwhile, had vanquished the massive foe before him, and then he proceeded into the next area. He met-up with Karina, and the two had an excellent time wiping out every single demon that they encountered. At the same time, Soma felt a disturbance in the basement of the Study. Racing down, he found the Boss Room locked, and proceeded to smash the door to bits. Inside of the room, he met with Maria Renard, Alucard's vampiric bride, and he helped her to finish-off one of the many Doppelgangers that Shaft had created. When the young vampire had finished absorbing every single soul, the duo proceeded into the next room, where they were greeted by Karina and Saito.

Mina had emerged before the black door, but her path was also barred by several Alura Unes. After trying to quietly sneak past and failing miserably, she was nearly forced to resort to violence in order to save herself. When one of the younger Aluras revealed herself to be a former draconic, she gave Mina a warning to pass on to Soma. Mina smiled, thanked the young plant, and then proceeded to the Clock Tower Entrance. Upon her arrival, she was stunned to find Genya Arikado, AKA Alucard, waiting for her. The elder dhamphir lightly scolded the young woman before Saito reached out with his mind to make things clearer. Dracula's eldest son acknowledged the mage, and the group held a fairly long mental conversation. When all was said and done, Alucard reverted to his traditional appearance and set his Sword Familiar to watch over Mina.

However, let us first proceed back to Earth, in order to find out how Seth Belmont's search for his brother is faring...

Open-Air Market: Tokyo, Japan
Year: 2040
Time: Just over 2 hours after Soma&Co. entered Castle Dracula

Daniel "Seth" Belmont was searching anxiously through the crowds for one face in particular. When he saw the young man standing next to Saito's empty stall, he began to get a little suspicious as to who it could be. As he drew closer, it became apparent as to exactly who it was. Seth looked over at his girlfriend and grinned. Luck was indeed with them.

"Where in the hell did that guy go to this time?" the 26-year-old man muttered under his breath. His reddish-brown hair was curling lightly at the ends, but he refused to notice as his blue eyes narrowed. He was wearing a black turtleneck with blue jeans, and a whip was resting at his right hip. His hair was hanging around the small of his back, and he bore a small crucifix around his neck. No one was sure as to who the man was or why he was there, with one lone exception.

Timothy Belmont did not know exactly who crept-up behind him, and he was surprised when he felt a tingling sensation running up and down his spine. He turned around slowly, and then his face lit-up when he saw his only sibling. "Seth! What are you doing out here at a time like this?" "Well, I was looking for you, you big goofball," Seth responded with a grin before embracing his brother. Both of the men stood at six feet even, and Tim could not help but smile at his younger brother. "What's wrong this time?" he asked, knowing that there was another motive to finding his brother by chance. Seth's face grew grim as he looked at Riala. She nodded once before beckoning the two into the tent behind Saito's stall. "Pull-up a chair, bro," Seth told his brother. "You are not going to BELIEVE what happened to me a little over two hours ago..."

After nearly a half-hour of explaining, Timothy was caught-up with the most recent series of events, including the arrival of Saito and the revelations about Soma and Mina...

"So, let me get this straight: you're telling me that Mina Hakuba is the reincarnation of DEATH?" Tim asked in disbelief. Seth nodded grimly, but then he fell silent as Riala hissed silently at him. "Someone is coming, but I'm not sure who or what they are..."

"Allow me to say this much, young werecat: I intend to do none of you any harm," a slightly deeper voice called from the doorway of the tent. Seth spun and raised his whip, only to let it fall to the floor once again as his jaw dropped in amazement. The man before him smiled easily, his silver eyes glittering with mischief. "My name is Michael Lamington, and Master Saito sen me here to ensure that all of you were in prime condition for the battle to come." Tim stood up and bowed to the Seraph. "My apologies, sir. My name is Timothy Belmont, and this is my brother, Seth. The werecat over there is his girlfriend, Riala." The head angel nodded before turning back towards the door. "Come with me. There are still plans that need to be made." Both of the Belmonts nodded before following the silver-haired man out of the tent and back into the market. As they headed back towards the Hakuba Shrine, Michael informed the two young men of the dangers that were ever-present in the Forge. As they reached the Dimensional Gate, he raised an eyebrow at Riala. "Are you certain that you want to come with us? Once you go through the portal, there will be no turning back." Ria flashed the head angel a smile before nodding her head. "I know the risks that I am taking. However, as long as I am with Seth, then I can face anything." The Seraph chuckled lightly before gesturing to the Gate. "I must remain and make sure that the gate here is sealed before I return." Seth nodded, grabbed his girlfriend's hand, and then proceeded through the Gate. Tim was quick to follow, and then the Seraph passed once more over the threshold. The Gate promptly sealed behind him, leaving no trace that it ever existed.

Onago's Forge: Draconia
Time Period: N/A (Exists outside of space and time)

As soon as Seth stepped through the Gate, he was greeted by a fairly familiar face. He bowed easily before straightening and smiling at the older man. "It is a pleasure to see you again, Master Leon," he said, extending his right hand. The creator of Vampire Killer returned the smile as he shook the hand of the latest generation of hunters. "It is a pleasure to see that both you and your girlfriend are doing fine. I take it that your brother is coming as well?" "You bet!" came a call from the portal as Tim came through with a natural ease. He stopped for a moment, looked around, and then let out a low whistle. "Man, how does he manage to get anything done in here?" "He multi-tasks, young master Timothy. That is how he is able to get so many things done," Michael said as the portal closed behind him. He looked over into one of the side rooms, and then he raised an amused eyebrow at the scene before him.

Sara Trantoul, Maderas, Laharl, and Juste Belmont were sitting around one of the tables. There was a Scrabble board sitting in the center of the table, and it was obvious that the game had been going on for quite a while. The board was non-standard, meaning that there were seventeen rows instead of the normal fifteen. That, and there was also the small note that most of the words on the board had something to do with the Oricaltos. There were a few proper names on the board, and he raised an eyebrow at this before turning to look at Hector. "Hey, they cleared it with me first," he responded to the unspoken question as he looked down at the board. He then rolled his eyes and sighed. "Maderas made a bet that no-one would be able to beat him, but I think that is about to change," the Forgemaster noted as he looked at Sara's letter set. She had a fairly random bunch of letters, but it soon became clear as to what she was going to do with them. Maderas was gloating at the moment because he had the most points on a single word with "Alejandro." However, THAT was about to change...

Sara thought for a moment before she began her move. She placed all seven letters, and Maderas' jaw dropped in shock at the name that she had formed. "Soma Alejandro Cruz? How can you be sure about that name?" The young woman shrugged and then she smiled. "I'm not really that certain, but I know for a fact that Soma Cruz is the reincarnation of Dracula in the year 2040." The Nosferatu sneered as he reached out with his mind, trying to find the Oricaltos. It wasn't too long, and Maderas was quick to ask his question. Hey Saito? Do you happen to know what Soma's middle name is? I have no clue at this point. Could you hold on a minute? Sure. There was a brief pause, and then Saito returned with his answer. Soma's middle name is Alejandro. Could you please spell it out? Sure! A-L-E-J-A-N-D-R-O. Anything else? No sir.

The vampire broke-off his mental link and cursed his luck. "It appears that you were correct, Miss Trantoul. Now, how many total points does that give you?" There was a brief pause, and then Hector coughed lightly. "It appears that you have finally fallen, Maderas. Counting all of the multipliers in, plus the fifty point bonus for getting rid of all seven tiles, Sara scored a grand total of one-thousand, one-hundred and thirty points on that word alone. It looks like this game has finally come to an end." The vampire raised an eyebrow, but he refused to speak as the points were tallied. In the end, Sara beat him by a margin of nearly one-hundred and sixty-five points. He slowly shook his head as he rose from the table. "It appears as if you were correct, Laharl. Now, how much mana do I owe you from this?" "You only owe me twenty-five, but thanks for remembering," the Overlord said, smiling.

Michael Lamington slowly shook his head as he turned back towards the main room. The main portion of the Forge had been divided into sections, and each group of people were discussing a different kind of strategy. The Seraph smiled when Sara came bouncing out of the room to meet her husband and tell him what had just transpired, and everyone gathered around to hear how she had beaten Maderas at his own game. Well, he knew that it was going to happen sooner or later. You're right about that much, Saito. How are you holding up? Well, considering the fact that Maria, Karina and I just finished fighting Cerberus, in addition to the fact that Alucard finished-off Paranoia, I'd say that we are doing fairly well. Listen, I need to get back to you. Al wants us to meet at the entrance to the Final Floor, so we need to get moving. I'll talk to you later. Take care, Saito. Shaft has laid many traps for you. We already know that. SEE YA!

Author's note2: Sorry about the story interruption. I just needed to tie up this loose-end before we continue with the main event in Dracula's Castle. What horrors will Mina encounter on her way to free Orlox? What is Saito planning to do next? And what other nasty surprises await our heroes? Find out next time in Chapter 8: Search For The Seal, Part 2. Please remember to READ AND REVIEW. Thank you, and good-bye.