A/N: Is it me or did I write the last few chapters like I'm writing a game? I gave the character's save rooms, a shop keeper with inventory items, and I even had Justus Bell 'get better' at fighting after shredding enemies with his claws… like raising his level after a few experience points from killing baddies. It really feels like I have; especially with Justus in the sanctuary for a night of sleep. It's loosely based off of a safe room used to save one's game. Heh… Okay, now let's learn more about the werewolf transformation and Alucard's situation… also, let's explore Julius Belmont's situation and his new ally. And, of course, after the cliffhanger I made in regards to Alucard... it's time to explore how he's going to react, eh? MUWAHAHA. Ahem.

Chapter -13-
Willpower

Well rested and well fed, Justus Bell left the dining hall, wearing baggy clothing and lacking any weapons. He remained careful to avoid hallways with freakish beings. Animated skeletons, devilish imps and other beings roamed throughout the castle. Navigating the halls without a weapon quickly turned into an arduous task.

He tried various doors to see if there were freaks and monsters on the other side. One of them led into a large foyer and a massive set of double doors on the left. The sound of talking came from the right. A man's voice said, "…And that's why we need to leave this cesspool abomination!"

Another man's voice replied, "Not yet, man! Don't worry, though… I've got enough firepower to keep us safe until this whole thing blows over. The problem is, guys, there is a lethal dose of radioactive fallout on the other side of the castle walls; we're stuck here for a while."

"How long?" asked a third voice, one that Justus recognized. The third man was the old guy he met after coming through the main gates, yesterday. The man continued speaking. "I'm not rightly familiar with the properties of fallout. Or things that are radioactive, for that matter – How long are we stuck here?"

"Depending on the power of the bomb," explained the second man, "It could take three to five days before things become safe enough to leave… and then it's still dangerous. I'm not trying to have cancer, my body hair fall out or get welts all over my skin. I'm not trying to have my organs turn to mush or my… well, I'm not trying to gross you out but, man, it's not cool."

The first man, the Turkish Prime Minister, stepped into the foyer first, his hands outstretched. "No, we wouldn't simply detonate a multi-megaton nuclear warhead on this castle – if anything, it was the lowest-possible yield just to faze this castle or verify its reaction to the blast. Yes, Mister Hammer, you certainly know your weapons; approximately three to five days before the worst is over. I…" He froze and turned to face Justus on his left.

James Johnson stepped into the large room next, directing his gaze to follow the Minister's look of disbelief. His facial features lit up. "Justus Bell! You're alive!" His eyes immediately lowered just as Hammer followed them into the room. Johnson frowned in shame. "I'm sorry I ran away from you – I've never seen such a transformation before and I was overtaken by fear. I'm sorry, young man."

"Hey," said Hammer with a nod.

Justus offered an up-nod and said, "Hey," in reply to Hammer then, "Mister J., it really is fine. Really, sir. You have nothing to apologize for and I don't hold it against you." Finally, he cut his eyes over to the leader of Turkey and nodded forward slowly, as if slightly bowing in a sign of respect. "None of us want to be stuck here for a week – perhaps if we find everyone who is on our side, we can put our heads together and figure out a way to return home safely."

"You're Julius' great nephew?" asked Hammer. "Aren't you supposed to be some sort of monster thing?"

"A werewolf," said the youth with a sigh. "Yes. I am. I changed back and I'm looking for my uncle."

"So is Yoko." The ex-soldier nodded towards the nearby door. "That leads out to the courtyard. My shop is in the horse stable – do you need any supplies, bud? I'll give you a good deal."

"Show me what you've got," Justus replied.

With a grunt, Julius continued to thrash at the demonic lackeys piled up at the magic barrier wall. Sinopa Crevan sat on an empty pedestal meant for a coat of arms near the wall. She brought her dainty, well manicured hand to her lips to cover her yawn. "Are you sure, Julius? I have no problems snapping my fingers so they all turn to dust; we really should be going, dear."

"Hard work pays off in learned experience." He blinked, paused, arched his back and craned his neck. Something caught his eye at the back of the swarm. A brilliant flash occurred, sending several lumbering corpses into the air. One of the zombified bodies came crashing down at the front of the pile. Three spherical orbs of energy rose into the air then came straight down upon the group, piled up against Sinopa's protective barrier. Belmont backed up to the guest room doorway, adjacent to the kitsune. "I recognize that magic attack…"

"Going to leave your friend out there to deal with this horde, all alone?"

Belmont's eyes dropped to the floor and he frowned. "Have your way with these peons. I refuse to allow them to swarm someone I know." He closed his eyes in anticipation of a brilliant fiery flash. He could feel the heat against his face and when he opened his eyes, Yoko Belnades stood alone with her baton in her right hand. The energy barrier dissipated.

"Julius!" She approached her friend and quickly embraced him with a tight hug. "You're all right!"

"I'm fine," he replied, patting her shoulder blades with his palm. "I was never in any danger."

Sinopa crossed her eyes and fluffed her multitude of tails. "…Thanks to me," she murmured.

Belnades looked up and moved from Julius then nodded respectfully to the woman with the red dress. "I don't know what to say… I've heard of the kitsune, I've seen them in entertainment references, like Japanese manga but…"

"But," interrupted Crevan, "…You thought they were make-believe creatures. It's okay, dear. We're all ignorant about something at some point." She turned her attention to Julius and, as though Yoko was no longer present, bluntly asked, "Who is this hussy?"

Julius, anticipating the clash of feminine egos, quickly lifted both his hands, one palm offered to each lady. "Before we get off on the wrong footing, it would be best if I introduced you to one another." He wasn't very good at playing host, nor was he particularly skilled at being a referee. "This is Yoko Belnades of the Roman Catholic church – she's 'Glenda the Good Witch' and fights for good, researches for the RCC and is engaged to John Hammer, the shop keeper you said you passed when you came in, earlier." He licked his lips somewhat with apprehension then turned to Yoko, seeing the scowl on her face, and said, "She couldn't have meant it, Yoko, because she doesn't know you. She's Sinopa Crevan, a five-tailed kitsune messenger of Inari. She's a fire elemental fox and teleported me in the middle of my fall, as witnessed by Alucard."

The multi-tailed woman slid off the pedestal and approached both Julius and Yoko. "I also have dibs on this man, so don't go trying to sink your claws into him like a succubus."

Yoko's eyes widened further. She lifted her left hand and displayed her ring. "Didn't you hear him? I'm engaged to someone other than Julius. I had no idea that magical creatures could be so jealous over un-magical humans."

"The only thing magical here," said Crevan with a smirk, "Is the surprising fact that you've not been killed in a place like this. …Yet."

Belmont cut his gaze to the left then shifted it right, noting that the women had their eyes locked with one another. "You two act like you're sizing up one another," he said but his words went on deaf ears. He watched as the kitsune lifted her right palm; a ball of fire appeared, hovering above her fingertips. Yoko, not one to back down and quickly allowing her emotions to escalate her mood, lifted her left hand. With ease, she conjured a shard of fantastic ice, like a glass prism just above her fingers. He furrowed his brows and, in a commanding voice, said, "This ends now."

A grin tugged at the corner of Sinopa's mouth. "Mmm, I love when the alpha male takes charge. It doesn't happen often enough." The redhead narrowed her eyes, to which the blonde woman returned the expression. Metaphorical lightning bolts filled the gap between their faces, eyes locked in a fierce stare-down.

"Get it together," Julius muttered with a sigh. "United we stand, but divided…"

"…Divided we argue," said Yoko. "She owes me an apology for her 'hussy' remark."

"I never apologize for speaking my mind, mortal girl."

"Enough!" Julius snapped one of the whips. Despite the sharp sound, it wasn't enough of an attention grabber to cause either woman to look away from the other. Belmont took a slow, deep breath then said, "All right. I don't have time for this and I have work to do. If you two are going to scrap, I'm leaving. Furthermore, I don't want to hear any more comments about men displaying their testosterone because this demonstration of un-ladylike behavior is foolish and unnecessary." He coiled his whip back upon his belt hook, patted down both the Hunter's Whip and the Vampire Killer then pivoted on his heel and walked away.

"Wait, Julius!" Sinopa shoved passed Yoko and hurried after the hunter. "Wait, it's me. I don't deal well with jealousy and I'm sorry." The awkwardness displayed in her tone was humbling at the least. "I just need a few minutes to be a silly emotional female. I don't mean to prance about like some sort of Mary Sue; I'll give you some time with your friend while I clear my head. It's been forty-eight hours since I've meditated." She quickly cast a glance over her shoulder, glaring at Yoko in silence so that Julius wouldn't know. She mouthed the words, 'This isn't over, hussy.'

Crevan swatted the hunter's rump and said, "See you soon, love." By the time he turned around, she had vanished in a wavy miasma of heat. The fire kitsune stepped from the physical realm and into the umbra. This left a confused Julius and a befuddled, aggravated Yoko to eye one another.

"Sorry about her," said Julius. "She's an odd one," he added.

"It's not like you to even apologize over something like that," she returned with a shrug. "You're usually all business until the danger subsides. Are you all right?"

"If I'm coming off as moody, it's probably a lack of nutrition." Julius immediately changed his demeanor to one of a stoic professional. "I'll locate something to eat and I'll be myself in no time. What brings you to this side of the castle alone? Don't let Sinopa's words bother you – I know you're capable of traversing Dracula's Castle alone… I just want to know why you're not paired up with another set of eyes and ears for safety-sake. You're usually very careful, Yoko."

She sniffed in a disdainful manner, a reverse sigh in through the nose and out through clinched teeth. "I was separated from Genya; he and your great nephew went off together in search of you, while I offered to do the same – we thought to cover more ground this way. I performed a tracking spell – it worked. You were off the radar all day, though… I took a short break in a safe room then, when you became active in combat, I tracked your energy. I'm glad you're alive."

"Fair enough. Accompany me on my mission – I'm going to activate the castle's teleportation chambers." Belmont canted his head to the left, as if gesturing for her to fall into step with him. He began walking down the hall with Yoko following.

Armed with a medium sized sword, Justus wore the sheath on his back and ventured back into the castle. The first foe he crossed proved itself a successful test; Bell lopped off the skeletons fleshless skull with ease. It collapsed to the ground harmlessly. He continued deeper into the castle, still avoiding any congested hallways where there were numerous enemies.

Halfway down a rather illuminated hallway, he heard footfalls and turned about with his sword at the ready. His eyes widened just in time to see a demonic imp coming at him. The fantastically athletic monster dove at Justus only to be impaled on the boy's sword much like Gmork in The NeverEnding Story. He grunted, easing the shuddering body to the ground.

"It would be easier," said a feminine voice, "if you used your claws, boy."

Justus glanced over his shoulder, blinking at the sight of an attractive woman with multiple fox tails behind her. She also had fox-like ears in her rich red hair. "Should… I know you?" He rubbed his eyes with the backside of his wrist then sheathed the sword.

"I'm a friend of your Uncle," she replied. "He's well; I've come to check on you to win his favor. It seems like something he would appreciate." With a flowing sanguine color dress, she approached him and shook her head. "You need to use your claws, darling. You're not practiced with such a weapon as this," she continued, motioning to his sword. She then reached for his hands, addressing the claws he possessed last night. "…See, you need to use the weapons that come natural to you. Why have you changed back to human form? You're practically defenseless in this form, Justus."

"I don't know!" he returned in frustration. "I never asked to have this curse to begin with. I sure as hell don't have control over it!"

"Of course you do!" she rebutted with a sarcastic voice. "Don't be a fool, child! It's easier than you think! It merely takes but a thought to change and yet you're stuck in only one form? It shouldn't even take meditation; the mere thought should suffice," she reasoned. "Do you need some sort of instruction on the matter?"

"Could you?" he said, wanting her help if she was somehow able to offer it. "I've tried to change back and forth between the two forms, believe me. I visualized myself changing and nothing happened. I tried imagining the change but it never occurred. What am I doing wrong?"

"Hold your breath," she said. He did as he was told. She folded her hands. "Now release it." He complied. Sinopa grinned slightly. "Now, part of your brain does that for you but you still have control and can hold or release your breath at will."

"Right, the medulla oblongata. But is there a part of my brain that turns me into a freak then back to a human? How do I control that?"

She placed her hands upon his shoulders. "Justus, sweet boy, when you were a baby, you breathed because the 'medulla oblongata' was doing its job. But one day, probably the first time your parents took you to a swimming pool or what-have-you… you learned how to hold your breath. That part of your brain also controls your heart beat. Most mortals never utilize the mind-over-matter ability to start and stop their heart at will but they're very much able to do that as well. Now, you've never learned how to will your body to transform, and you have to learn it just the way you learned to hold your breath when you were young, shoulder deep in the water… Why? Because if you took a breath while you were under water, you would drown. Well, learning to change is for self preservation, too. Don't imagine or visualize changing… just change. It's honestly that easy."

He frowned, standing before her in his human form without turning. "Is there some way to instinctively trigger it, so that it just naturally happens the first time? Maybe I can figure out how it happened if I change again."

"Subconscious willpower will work," she mused. "You'll change in order to preserve your existence. If you're threatened or if someone you care for is threatened… it'll happen without so much as thinking about it."

"How do I trigger it?" he asked again.

"Who here concerns you enough to make you angry, frustrated or something similar?"

He thought about the question then said, "I suppose Molly Fields; she's missing right now."

"If you knew that her life was in danger, you would become emotional and aggressive?" Sinopa released his shoulders and rubbed her chin in thought. "She's not exactly safe right now but she's not in immediate danger and will remain that way for the time being… anything else?"

"That's good to know; I'm not sure if there is anything else. I guess if I felt like a caged animal or something… I don't know."

She grinned again, patting his right cheek with her left palm. "Let's not endanger your life just to test a hypothesis, love. I came here to help you for Julius, not harm you. We'll figure something out soon enough. Let's continue onward and see if we can't make some sort of progress in this castle, hmm? I'll need to help you change so you can help me sniff out Alucard. I'll explain why later but until we figure out how to change you… there's not much we can do but search with our eyes and ears. C'mon, darling youth." She walked down the hall and he fell into step behind her, his gaze bouncing about on the group of tails in her wake.

"If you know so much, do you know where this werewolf curse came from?"

Sinopa smiled and said, "Cristofor Belmont, also known as Christof, was the brother of Simon – not your father… the original Simon Belmont. He was bitten by a werewolf and, quite surprisingly, he survived. That's another story for another day – let's worry upon that when there is time."

23:45 (11:45pm), July 24th, 2044 – Rome, Italy

"Soma!" Mina lowered to one knee, placing her hands on his back. Soma Cruz knelt, doubled over with his forehead almost touching his knees, his hair splayed out across the hardwood floor. She quickly looked him over, checking for physical abnormalities. She eased her right hand under his arm, her palm on his chest in an attempt to help him sit up. Mina Hakuba's eyes widened. She exclaimed, "Your heart is racing wildly! What's wrong, Soma?"

"I…" He drew in a shallow breath then began panting. "…The seal is an Enochian style mandala, and I can see it clearly as if it was before my eyes. There are three bridging arcs between the center circle and the outer lines, but it's overlapped with a similar pattern… it has four symmetrical bridges – it's beautiful… it's four feet in diameter."

"…Soma?"

To her sudden surprise, he sat bolt-upright with his eyes wide. His hair fell about his face in disarray, beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. One went so far as to trail the bridge of his nose, moved to the tip then down over the camber. She caught it with her fingertip just as it came to his top lip. His eyes shifted towards her, discolored with widely dilated pupils. He licked his lips and whispered, "Adrian Tepes is in trouble. He's my guardian angel in a way – I have to make sure he's okay, Mina. I have to go."

"You're not going; you'll get radiation poison!" She pulled his face to her torso, resting her chin atop of his damp hair. "You can't, Soma. You know what that place does to you… it changes you. Your body and soul are bombarded with the souls of those demons and it's hard on you, mentally and metaphysically."

He looked up at her, his weary expression eased to offer a slight smile. "Demons with souls – if not ironic to say, it's still rather… well… polemic, to say the least. Mina, I have to go. If something happens to Alucard, we're no longer safe. How could I marry you, raise a family and live to an old age… knowing that something could threaten us, you, our children… No, I have to make sure he's not dead."

She opened her mouth to reply but was at a loss for words. Her other knee met the floor and she knelt beside him, looking straight into his eyes. His words of children, something she'd never heard him mention before, caused her to smile. "…Oh Soma, do you really see us together in that way?" Her hands lifted, cupping either side of his face. "You really see me as your future wife? The mother of your children; your lover and mate?" She couldn't help her strong feelings for him, welling up in her chest – not to mention the butterflies in her belly. "And you didn't even blush when you said it."

"…I." He found himself embarrassed but rather emotionally charged. Between the vision of Alucard and his buried feelings for her and the adrenaline in his blood, he couldn't help but lean forward and kiss her. The surprising passion in his body language took her by surprise. She kept her hands on his face throughout the kiss, ramped up further with a pounding heart. After the kiss ended, he whispered again. "I won't be long and I'll find a safe way in without endangering myself. Besides, I'm sure Romania has the area quarantined so it's not like I could physically walk up to the castle, anyhow. I'll find a way in, though. And, I'll make you a promise for dealing with my… my… impertinence. When I come back, I'll give you something nicer than that promise ring."

A sly grin tugged at the right corner of Mina's mouth. "Is that a fact? Well, only if I say yes, of course." Both knew that she would and that she longed for him to ask 'the question'. She lifted her head and kissed his forehead. "I'll call the shrine; my father will wire us the money you'll need to travel west. I'm not going – I don't want to be a ward needing your protection. Just… go there, help Alucard and come home safely. Avoid trouble when you're able… Don't come home with fangs."

A nervous sort of chuckle slipped from Soma; he quickly brought his left fist to his mouth as if covering a cough. "I'll be safe." He then changed the subject. "Where did you put my sword?"

She closed her eyes and leaned back a bit. "It's under my bed, in a flat case between the mattress and box spring. It's oiled and with its metal sheath, Soma. I didn't have it in the leather scabbard, because I read it's bad for the blade. Somehow, I knew your cutlery would get use again… but it's better than the pocket knife you carried the last time you went charging into that stupid castle."

"Yeah, we both know I had to plan for a third trip. I'm a little older; a little wiser this time."

Her face lightened again. "You survived two times before; don't let this third time be 'the charm' or I'll never forgive myself for letting you go back." She stood up and backed away a few steps. "Come home to me, Soma Cruz. I mean it."

"Your father's phone number is in the small white book in the second drawer under my nightstand. It has a large '+81' in front of the number."

Mina tilted her head and offered a coy expression that could have passed as a thin smirk. "I memorize daddy's phone number, Soma. You'd better hurry before I change my mind. Go get dressed and ready – I'll… pack your lunch." She put her hands under his right arm and helped him to his feet.

His fingers closed around something soft, like fur. The soft sensation against Alucard's face felt strange. As the veil over his mind lifted, he recognized the sensation of fur blankets against his face. His eyes opened, looking up at his mother. She placed her palm against his cheek turned her hand over, placing her knuckles against his forehead.

"You have a fever," she said. "Your body needs water – the amount of salt in the blood you've been drinking has dehydrated you, Adrian. You know better." She turned from him, humming softly. The woman picked up a carafe and poured water into an eight ounce glass. Lisa turned back to the bed and handed him the glass with a slight grin. "Funny how the body works, isn't it? You could take an arrow in the torso, legs and arms… but still manage to pick up a fallen comrade and carry him off the battlefield. You could walk ten miles in this condition and not even know you're hurt because of the adrenaline rush… but then something as simple as dehydration causes you so much misery and cripples you. Ah, but such is life. Finish this pitcher of water and you'll be fine. I need to go into town for supplies. I also plan to stop by and check on the nurses over at the church – they have their hands full with a small epidemic. Everyone's come down with horrible congestion and terrible achiness. I love you." She left the room.

Alucard sat up in bed, surrounded by fur blankets. He glanced from left to right but the room setting changed. The carafe of water was nowhere in sight. His mother's sheathed sword hung by a leather strap on the far wall. He lifted his left wrist, noting the time of his wristwatch. His eyes widened in surprise. Monday, July 25th, 2044, sunset. Quarter after eight in the evening – he'd been unconscious nearly a full twenty-four hours. With a sharp kick, he shoved the blankets from his body and swiveled on the mattress. His boots were at the foot of the bed – he was otherwise fully dressed. His long coat and cape were neatly folded over the backrest of a nearby wooden chair.

He checked himself for possession of the diamond but it wasn't anywhere to be found. He stood up and pivoted, looking around the room. In a nearby bed was Vampira. She remained unconscious. Alucard approached her body, drew back the blankets and frisked her for the diamond. She didn't have it. She wore most of the gown she had on when he saw her last. The incomplete manteau was missing part of the hooped section of the lower gown. It was a rather tasteful if not somewhat in a dishabille state, the loose-fitting gown, deshabillé, showed the woman's shapely feminine build.

The jupe was supported only by another petticoat and a bumroll fasten, where the cone-shaped hoop skirt would have adjoined to the rest of the piece. The manteau was made of an expensive and richly decorated fabric, with fancy embroidery. The sleeves were about elbow-length with frilly winged cuffs from which the lacy frills of the chemise flowed.

She looked pale. He used a finger to open her right eye. The atropine gave her a glazed wide-pupil look, but her eyes were already dilated enough from having been shut. Nonetheless, he could smell a hint of nightshade on her breath. Alucard smirked and said, "Atropine to make your eyes glaze over, little belladonna? Stop living in the past; that look has been out of style for three hundred and fifty years." Alucard received no response.

His eyes lifted, watching Laura enter the room from the far left side. She wore a white petticoat with a flounce, a blue jupe and robe with the bodice hinted at. She wore a negligee jacket and where it opened displayed the front laced corset. A black mouche was displayed over her right temple. She quickly approached her mistress then paused, looking up at Alucard. Watteau pleats from her contouche were worn in casual style, caught up in loops of cord, fixed to the skirt, through pocket slits. Atop her petticoat, she wore small panniers. Laura blushed and knelt down by the bed to hide her body from Alucard.

"Why do you hide?"

She peered up at him and said, "I did not intent for a gentleman to be here or I would not have worn only underclothes."

Alucard turned away from her and the slumbering woman in bed. "Your underwear covers your entire body – a far cry from modern fashion. You're silly to be ashamed – you're wearing more than me right now… and I am fully dressed." He returned to his bed and sat on the edge. He pushed his feet into his boots and laced them then reached for his coat and cloak on the nearby chair. "No matter," he mused. "Are you the one who brought us here?"

Laura remained crouched in a pool of disheveled cloth. "No. I found her here at four in the morning. I came back to check on my mistress just now, only to find you here, as well."

"Why did you leave her side?" asked Alucard, reaching for his sword and fastening the sheath to his hip. "I'm surprised you didn't stay by her all night."

"You know why, you errant bumpkin! I was keeping the house in order while you were tearing it apart!"

"Come off it," Alucard snapped. He drew his sword and caught a glance of her cowering further behind her slumbering mistress. He inspected the blade then returned it to the sheath with a satisfying click. Her head lifted again, peering over the mattress at him. "You act as though I tried to remove your head – you know I only have my sights on your foolish friend."

"Not this morning," Laura replied in a weak voice. "You swept through this abode like a whirlwind. The lower domicile remained safe but everything on the first floor… well," she reared her head further, her voice growing in strength to some degree. "You've spared only the main foyer and adjoining hallways. The clock tower has been cleansed, the Hall of Sorrow is now empty and the grand gallery is in ruins. I couldn't tend to my mistress because I was cleaning up after you!"

"My last conscious memory is reaching for the diamond. I cannot find it, however."

She stood up, looking insulted. "Not like you needed it, after you touched it! Gaining its powers require a mere touch! After that, you tossed it aside like trash; only God knows where it is, now!"

Alucard tilted his head, feigning amusement at her outburst. "How long did my rant last?"

She placed her fists upon her hips, glaring at him. "You were in full-blown frenzy for five hours!" Laura stomped in disgust, leering at the man on the other end of the room. "I have no idea how you wound up here, nor do I know how Mistress Bathory arrived here. I sensed her and found here sleeping here. She's not been away from this mattress for quite some time."

"Whoever or however she came here," said the ever-young Tepes, "I can only assume we both arrived here by the same means – whether we were drawn here and laid down without help… or whether a castle caretaker brought us here, I cannot be certain. As for your claim of my activities, how do you know she hasn't been running amuck between four in the morning and now? You said so yourself… you only saw her then and now."

"The harpies would have told me if she moved," said Laura. "You're quite the presumptuous man, aren't you? She's not moved."

"Interesting how the harpies didn't mention to you that I joined your mistress in this room at some point in time. Quite reliable, those harpies, aren't they? The only reason I'm not killing your precious little friend is because I need information from her. When she wakes, I'll return. On a semi-related note, where did you two hide that girl?"

Laura sighed. "She escaped less than an hour ago. I came to tell Mistress but, as you can see… she is still unconscious. I do hope you'll behave yourself, Mister Alucard. You were a fearsome sight to behold, earlier today. Odd how you managed to remain on the opposite side of the castle from your allies."

His eyes raked over her form. "Interesting how I failed to notice you in the past, girl. You're quite an attractive one with rather intelligent eyes."

Laura, again looking insulted, huffed and stomped her right foot. "I am not on the market! Besides, I'm nothing like Sonia, nor am I remotely equivalent to Maria Renard! Funny how all of your lovers were enemies of this castle; your flirtatious notion disgusts me!" She looked away, arms folded. After a moment, she peered back over her shoulder to see if he was looking at her.

Alucard Tepes, drew his coat then his cloak. "I'll return when she's awake – I have questions. Tell her if she resists, I'll turn her to dust and free you, little slave girl." A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, very much unlike his typical behavior. "Until I see you again, girl." His eyes flitted over her form one last time then he walked out of the room. Once outside, he inspected his palms with furrowed brows and a crease of confusion upon his forehead. He felt… different.

However, he didn't feel hateful or vindictive or even remotely spiteful. Were the rumors about the diamond incorrect? He had to find out more answers and for that, he needed to do research. He couldn't sense Yoko Belnades but he did know where the library was. Books were a good place to start. As he walked down the hall, he glanced back at the doorway, insulted by his own behavior in regards to Laura. He no longer had any concern for the trivial tasks from before.

He saw things in a new light now. The teleportation chamber no longer mattered – no one could leave the castle at this time and so that meant there would be plenty of time to figure a way to the far corner tower. While it was currently inaccessible, it didn't have the diamond, it held nothing of importance, save for the most direct route out of the castle… It no longer mattered. He wasn't sure if Julius was dead, but that seemed unimportant as well. Finally, Alucard now felt apathy in concern to Julius Belmont's great nephew. Whether or not the boy had the power to wield the Vampire Killer whip, Dracula was already dead… In hindsight, it seemed fitting to think the Belmont clan would come to an end, too.

The castle was shielded from harm, beyond the grasp of the mortal realm. If anything, this was the perfect place for Alucard to return to slumber… or, better yet, enjoy himself. It was a protected sanctuary, sealed and impregnable. Why worry upon the woes of the mortal realm? Was it really anything more than drama, anyhow?

After a moment of studying his hands, Alucard grew further apathetic and dropped them to his side. So what if he felt differently than before? Trivial past happenstance suddenly held no meaning – he lost interest in the last several days. Now he only wanted one thing… to be left to his own devices and relax. For that to happen, he had to clear the castle of scum then he could devote himself to things more fascinating than what the mortal world had to offer.

He opened the library door and stepped into the fantastic hall. Adrian Tepes rubbed his hands together in anticipation. He had something on his mind that he wanted to know… diablerie – were he to become a diabolist, would he become more powerful from draining Vampira? It was a rumor – the ultimate vampiric sin. But he wanted to know before going to consume her. After all, if he did drink her into oblivion, wouldn't her thrall fall into step beneath him? Dark thoughts began to consume his mind… Why destroy other vampires and freakish beings, when he could simply possess their energies for himself?

A/N: Okay, so… I was shocked to receive feedback on this chapter. I usually have only a very few reviews per chapter but this last one netted me four in a short amount of time. So, because I was really glad to get noticed, I decided to write another chapter. Now, keep in mind… I have NO IDEA where I'm going with this plot, LOL. I'm making this stuff up as I go along. I usually don't do stories about original characters, either! So for me to bring in Justus Bell, James Johnson, Sinopa Crevan and Molly Fields… that's pretty over-the-top for me. What can I say? I LIKE my original characters, but I usually don't write fan fiction about OCs, because you're here to read about castlevania characters. That's what Fan Fiction is… stories about the franchise and the characters of its world. But by tying Justus into the Belmont line and Cornell's line, well… whatever. Like I said, though… I'm making this stuff up as I go along. Not only that, I'm pretty surprised (and impressed) at the amount of female readers in this fandom. Hoorah for chicks who like Castlevania! I'm not going to lie – that's hot.

Anyhow, it's time to finish up one of my older stories, The Curse… it's time to finish up Spy Cooper and Reflections of Marcus McCloud… and throughout, I'll be by to update THIS story, since I've always liked it. A lot. And stuff. Rawr.

-Ken