A/N: Sorry it's taken so long! BOY have I found a lot of inconsistencies and loopholes while re-reading this story! I don't mean in canon – I'm already using almost every CV game at once and tying it together my OWN way, knowing that MANY aren't canon anymore. Needless to say, I have all the new ones to implement and I know how to touch upon them without FORCING them into the storyline. Also, I need to touch up this story and fix things. Lots of spelling, grammar in the narration and other things that make it untidy. Some things I can fix in the story, like where I randomly go back and forth between Alucard having silver hair as seen when he's in combat, and suddenly he has black hair, like when he's in the Arikado disguise.

I doubt Alucard uses Hair Color For Men to "target just the gray areas." No, I think he's using a spell to obfuscate his hair with magic because in Dawn of Sorrow he suddenly goes from black to silver and his clothes change in the snap of a finger. It's not like he was saying, "Sure, I'll join your team, Julius. Stand by while I wash this dye out of my hair and get my combat duds." So I'll address that here. One less loophole to worry about, right? I've added a new character and will be writing a few out soon. More on that later!

CHAPTER -14-
"One Big Happy Family"

Soma Cruz glanced back over his shoulder at the sight of a Lesser Demon sinking to its knees in agony. He dropped the dying body of an imp that he had by the throat and turned the rest of the way around. As the tall demon fell forward onto its face, Soma saw a man beyond the corpse clad in all black with hair that came to his collar.

Cruz took a moment to size the man up. The stranger had a black folded bandana with rhinestones that covered his nose only. His shirt was black but shiny with buckles down the torso. Between each line of buckles were enormous round buttons with crosses on each one. His dress shoes were pointy at the toes with some fancy design on the top. They appeared to be loafers. The man offered a smile.

"Wh- who are you?" asked Cruz.

The stranger had a rather average voice, nothing too deep or fancy but he held a tone of confidence and authority. "I am Giakanokus. You must be the legendary Mister Soma Cruz from abroad. Weren't you last in Japan; what brings you to Europe?"

"I've moved to Italy. How do you know me, Mr. Giakanokus?" He pronounced the name the same way as the stranger… Gaia-kah-no-kus.

"You and your allies dethroned Celia Fortner, correct? Just a few years ago, I believe… I am a scout for a supernatural society. I've come to assess the situation at this fortress. How did you arrive?"

Soma sheathed his sword and said, "I learned of a transportation chamber that leads into the castle. Have you been here since before the nuclear blast?"

"I arrived two hours before it occurred."

Cruz rubbed his temples. "Close call."

"Perhaps so." Giakanokus walked in a slow circle around Soma as if sizing him up in return. "So… you're Gabriel."

"Pardon? I've been called names other than my own but never that."

"Gabriel Belmont was dropped off at a church by a member of the Cronqvist family. You know that name, don't you? Mathias Cronqvist?"

"I… I've heard it."

"He was supposedly thirty-two years old, the same age as Jesus Christ was when the messiah left our mortal realm. Some say that Mathias was the anti-Christ but didn't even know it. He was… shall we say… 'reborn' as Vlad Tepes the Third."

Soma looked him over carefully. "How does 'Gabriel' play into this? I've done a lot of historical research on my apparent past life. I think you mean Matyas Corvinus of Hungary's house of Hunyadi. He was called Matthias by many, and had Vlad Tepes as his vassal at times and, once, as a prisoner up in Buda. At some point, probably while in prison, he converted to Catholicism."

"History is written by the winners. Modern history is written by the great, great grandchildren of winners who pass on information to scholars to make their ancestors look great. Vlad Tepes was a real man who died halfway through his campaign against the Muslims. A man named Gabriel Belmont committed what we now call, "Identity Theft." He appeared from the shadows and took over as Vlad Tepes, employing the same tactics of impaling his religious enemies, claiming it was the will of Almighty God – that's where the 'conversion to Catholicism' came from. The Turks were impaled in the thousands - for that reason the name Vlad Tepes is a modern folk hero in Romania. Rome, Venice and Berlin saw him as evil, though. Thank Corvinus for that little 'smear campaign'.

"Anyhow, 'Vlad' married the reincarnated version of his wife, lost several centuries prior. And, for a time, Gabriel was happy. He allowed the head of the real Vlad Tepes to be taken to the Sultan of Constantinople. He lived as 'Dracula' for a time; with Vlad thought to be dead by the Muslims, they left Poenari Castle alone. Dracula was a vampire at this point but he had a human wife. The mother of Adrian "Alucard" Tepes. She was killed – her humane use of medicine and science was seen as witchcraft. That was the second time Gabriel experienced the loss of his mate. And, when it happened, 'Dracula' proclaimed himself at war with humans."

Soma appeared to have absorbed most of the story but confusion marred his brow. "So… Mathias wasn't the evil Dracula? Gabriel Belmont was?"

"Humanity writes history as they understand it… but lines were blurred. You see, my boy, Gabriel Belmont was a member of the Brotherhood of Light. But he didn't age – that's an entirely different story for a different day. At any rate, Gabriel found out that the family who left him on the church's doorstep was named, "Cronqvist." When you're immortal, you have quite a lot of time on your hands. He changed his name to Mathias and married. His wife, Elisabetha, was the reincarnated form of his first wife, who was murdered. With a love-healed heart, he sought to redeem his past and joined ranks with the church to fight in the crusades. He became friends with a man to whom he was related. That line took the 'Belmont' surname; the friend's name was Leon.

"Elisabetha died and, again, Gabriel was in anguish. Again, the love of his life was taken from him. He was immortal because of as Mask he'd found in his past. But his hurt made him spiteful towards God. And, so, he became a vampire in order to obtain mastery of shadow magic. He asked Leon to join him but Leon vowed that his bloodline would fight against Mathias… against Gabriel forever. Mathias, in defeat, assumed the identity of Vlad Tepes the Third about two hundred and fifty years later. Again, he found the reincarnated version of his wife and he married her. They were quite happy but the Muslims attacked the castle. To avoid capture, rape and dismemberment, his wife flung herself from Poenari Castle – we now refer to that water as "Princess River." As Vlad, he impailed thirty thousand Turks, lining the Danube Delta for many miles with their bodies. He went to war against them until 1476 when he, again, met the reincarnated version of his wife. At the time, she was far too young to marry. During that time, he'd married a woman named Ilona Szilagyi to help ease his recent hurt and because she was a cousin to King Matthias… she provided him two sons but both eventually died – the second one passed from illness in 1482, six years after his father was assumed as 'dead'. You see, when his reincarnated wife was discovered, Vlad faked his death and assumed the name "Dracula". He disappeared, waiting until the woman became of age. He married her and they gave birth to Adrian "Alucard" Tepes, although Adrian's surname was a secret, really. Dracula had not chosen another identity and was quite fond of his most recent one. So Adrian's surname became Tepes.

"When she was killed for 'crimes of witchcraft', Dracula exclaimed that he was at war with humanity. I used to watch for the reincarnations of Gabriel's long-lost wife – he never found her again, you see, but rumor has it, she was somewhat-recently reborn in Japan. I wonder if you'll ever become reunited with her again as you two were obviously soul mates."

"J-Japan you say?"

"Indeed. Love transcends mortality, Soma." Giakanokus lifted his left hand, showing Soma that he once wore a metal band on his finger due to the discoloration of his skin – a tan-line. "I know the power of True Love from my past life but I haven't found her in this one. My recent wife wasn't true love and, ultimately, it ended in divorce. But I will one day find my soulmate."

"You're sure my… Gabriel's wife's soul was reborn into a Japanese girl?"

"I'm not sure if she's Japanese. I just know she was born in Japan – whoever or wherever she is, if she's like her past lives then she's a sweet girl and a wonderful caregiver."

Soma looked at the floor and licked his lips, thinking of Mina Hakuba. He pondered if his shy adoration for her might have truly been something deeper and more meaningful than simple human emotions. Cruz glared at the ground for a moment longer then lifted his eyes and said, "I was born 2017 – that's eighteen years after Dracula was finally killed."

"Ironic. Whoever the soulmate is, she was also born in 2017… in Japan," he repeated at the end. Giakanokus smiled in a knowing way. "If you find that girl, treat her well. You'll know her because you'll trust her more than any other in your whole life." He reached for Soma's left hand and motioned to the Cruz's empty ring finger. "Why is this finger still bare, Soma? Marry her. You won't regret it."

The young man licked his lips and nodded. "I… I sure will. You seem to know a great deal – do you know where I can find Adrian… "Alucard" and, if so, can you take me to him?"

"I can tell you that he is, in fact, here in this castle. But I have no connection to him and, so, I cannot locate him like a bloodhound. …Vampire pun not intended."

Cruz's face contorted to show he found the joke in poor taste. "…Yeah. You're a funny guy. So, why are you here?"

"Again, I'm here as a mercenary – I'm assessing the situation to determine whether or not the supernatural community needs to intervene."

"Have they ever done so before?"

"Many times," said the man. "Not directly. Think of us as a master Illuminati. We do what it takes to ensure the right people are put into a position to take down Dracula if the Belmont family is unable to do it. We manipulated the Order of Ecclesia into taking him down once. We manipulated a Devil Forgemaster into taking Dracula down three years after being destroyed by Trevor Belmont. It wasn't exactly pretty – we manipulated Isaac Lebedenko into murdering Hector's wife, Rosaly. This sent Hector into a blind rage where he headed back to 'finish' things – we felt Trevor needed help, as he did three years prior. Trevor wound up wounded, Isaac wound up being the vessel for Dracula's rebirth, which would have happened anyhow, as Dracula wished it… in the end, Hector did exactly what we needed… he slew Dracula. Ironically, he fell in love with Isaac's sister, Julia Laforeze. Also, we've woken Alucard and sent him after his own father. Not once but twice."

"I thought fairies were humane and kindhearted."

"Not all of them," said Giakanokus with a smile. "And not all the time. How do you know it wasn't the Lycan people, though? I'm half were-beast, after all."

"Because werewolves are in the thick of things as much as I was… they're pawns, too."

"You're quite perceptive. And that's why the Fae are so disgusted with me – the offspring of a princess and a pawn is disgusting. But I am happy with my life so it matters not."

"Happy but divorced, huh?"

Giakanokus smiled. "I'm back on the market, looking for a woman with whom I am compatible. I've not yet found the one from my past life but that doesn't mean I can't be happy with someone else in the meantime. It's a fact, True Love is more powerful and satisfying than marrying the wrong woman, but… I'm also in love with the idea of being in love. So, until I find her, I'm content to be a bachelor on the prowl; I'm content to date around, you know?" He abruptly changed the subject. "Soma, I'd be honored to fight alongside the reincarnation of Gabriel Belmont. I'll help you look for Alucard. Perhaps there are enough 'players' in this castle that my kind does not need to intervene. I'll take my leave once I've finished amusing myself here."

"I thought you only interfere when Dracula needs to be defeated? He's dead." Soma lifted his right index finger. "I'm living proof." This time, he was the one to offer a pun.

The man shrugged off Soma's attempt at humor and said, "But Dracula's essence is here and it's very much in control. So, believe it or not, this situation is quite serious. Let's go."

X

A stone axe flew over Julius' head. He ducked easily then unleashed his whips, snagging two demonic axmen by their throats in unison. He turned his palms upwards, tightened his fists around the handles then pulled them together. The two ghouls slammed into one another.

Yoko lifted her arms. Her clothes ruffled up from an unseen wind then electricity raced from her fingertips, killing both undead enemies. Their armor crumpled harmlessly to the ground. She lifted her hand, pushing back a lock of blonde hair. "Both whips at once, huh? Isn't that a little like crossing the streams?"

"Talk about classic pop culture," he murmured. "Mm, perhaps it is but if you remember the movie correctly, they couldn't beat Gozer until they crossed the streams. Sometimes, your best bet is to kick it up a notch and use all the tools you have at your disposal."

She nodded, giving her scepter another practice twirl. "What happens after we activate the inter-castle teleportation chambers?"

"I hunt down Camilla… Vampira, whatever she's calling herself right now. Then I whip her repeatedly and we see what comes of that." Julius' slight smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth until there was a small grin. "We're almost there." His voice, gruff as ever, held a hint of good nature towards Belnades.

"At least you didn't leave me high and dry like last time."

"That was nine years ago," he murmured. "I left you at the drawbridge because I knew it would be dangerous."

"I'm a strong woman. I don't need to be treated like a little girl."

"If I were to have died, you'd have gone in to finish what I'd started. But if we both got killed together…" He shook his head, continuing into the next room. "Yoko, it's in the past." He grumbled under his breath, "Just like a woman to hold the past against you."

"What was that?"

Julius' grin returned to that of a smirk. "Nothing. C'mon, this way. It's at the end of the hallway." He reached for a door handle but it wouldn't budge. Belmont kicked the door but it appeared well constructed. "Stand back," he murmured with a wave of his hand. Yoko moved back a few paces and folded her arms around herself as if cold. Julius moved away from the door then sprinted towards it. Yoko couldn't be sure but, to her, Julius appeared to glow for a mere instant. He delivered a powerhouse kick that blew the double doors off their hinges.

Yoko watched him, impressed. She drew out her fancy cell phone and checked for reception then shoved the useless device back into her pocket. "Even all the way up here, I'm getting almost nothing."

"What's the matter? You don't have '6G' coverage out here?" His words were mocking but in a semi-playful way. He knew she wanted to be his fighting protégé despite the danger. "Let's do this, kid." He walked into the room, stepping over the doors that wobbled precariously on their knobs. Four hooded people looked up from across the room. One of them drew back his hood and narrowed his eyes at the couple in the doorway.

"What is the meaning of this?" He lifted his hand and gestured to someone off to the left. "Kill these interlopers."

From out of the shadows of another doorway, two vampires came into the room dressed in leather with studs. Their hair was reminiscent of the 80's hip-hop scene but their clothes were a mix between punk and 'biker'. Decorated in jewelry and brass knuckles, they moved to flank the left and right sides of the doorway where Julius and Yoko stood.

"Fly, look at this dude's duster coat and crazy ascot. His collar is leopard print!"

Julius sighed in irritation. "Step aside, Bebop and Rocksteady. I don't have time for your…"

"WHAT!" The one with the curls in his hair punched his right knuckles into his left palm.

Yoko shrugged. "Sorry, Julius. Pop culture only goes so deep for me – your joke went over my head. I guess it's a thing from your youth – I don't get it."

The other vampire, with the flattop, sneered. "I got the joke. And the humor dates you, old man. You've gotta be at least in your mid-to-late sixties."

Julius uncoiled a single whip. "Good guess." He waited for both vampires to run towards him. His left hand fished out a bottle of Holy Water from his pocket. Instead of throwing it at them, he crushed it into his palm. A hard rain came from the ceiling, drenching the immediate area, although it appeared to be repelled by an unseen barrier that surrounded the four hooded men. (A/N: Yes, that was an item-crash. lol)

Meanwhile, the two vampires shrieked in pain. Spots began to show up on their leather jackets. They covered their faces with their arms. Now vulnerable to attack, Julius approached the one with the flattop hair and snapped his whip around the man's waist. Belmont caught the tip then crossed his wrists, pulling the tip away from the handle by the ball at the whip's end, in reverse, so that he used the whip to squeeze the man around his waist. Vampire Killer diced through the vampire's waist, as if it were a knife cutting through warm butter. The whip left a gash all the way around the vampire's waistline that went in so deep that his entrails spilled out down the front of his pants.

The leech shrieked and flailed, trying to get away. "STOP!" Julius continued until he got all the way to the vampire's spine. It snapped with a jarring sound, breaking through bone, sinew and decayed organs. The vampire's upper half fell to the floor and he began to hurry away by using his hands. His lower half remained motionless, leaving an enormous puddle of blood on the floor.

Yoko Belnades turned away, swallowing back bile that threatened to race up her throat. She bit her lip, swallowed again and shuddered from the mental image now stuck in her head. "J…Julius, don't play with him."

"He doesn't mess around like the wolf kid," said the one with the curls in his hair. "This isn't good."

The one on the floor shouted for help. "Fly, help me!"

"Mc G, he's …all he did was wrap that whip around you like a belt and it cut right through you! We can't fight someone like that!" He glanced up just in time to see Yoko waving her hand. "Wait, wait, hold on lady, what are you doing?" The floor began to glow with fire in a circle around him. "Whoa, WHOA! Goddamn fire…" His eyes widened further and he exclaimed, "The fire is getting closer!" The circle closed around him until all the chemicals in his hair combusted, followed by his clothes then his skin. He screamed in agony, writhing around as the fire consumed him.

Julius knelt down by the one who was now cut in half. "You saw the 'wolf kid'? When?"

"Yesterday!"

"Did you kill him?"

"No," Mc G shouted, "He was too tough but he didn't man-handle us like you! You sawed me in half, it effing hurts!" Using his undead healing abilities, his lower portion began to frost over with lumpy flesh, sealing the bottom of his body from bleeding out. "Look, mister, I'm just here because I'm told to be here!"

Julius drew out one of his throwing axes, quickly severed the vampire's head then stood up and slid the handle back into the belt of his long coat, at the small of his back. He snapped the Vampire Killer then addressed the four hooded men. "I don't like when people waste my time." No one answered him. "Any more goons? Serious ones, this time?" Again, the four men didn't answer.

Belmont approached them, drew his arm back and cracked his whip but it struck the barrier and flopped to the floor without even so much as snapping. He drew his arm back and took a sideswipe, but he couldn't land a hit through the barrier. "Yoko…"

Belnades approached the edge of the barrier and placed her palms upon it. She focused her energy on it then glanced at Julius and said, "So long as those men are all alive, they might be able to sustain this barrier for quite some time."

"Forget'em for now, then." Julius circumvented the invisible magic dome that surrounded the four men. He approached the far wall and reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a stone object then pushed it into an effigy carved into the wall. A soft mechanical hum started up behind the wall. Julius turned to Yoko and said, "Okay, the inter-castle teleportation rooms are back online." He snapped his whip against the floor, glaring at the four men within. "You boys have to come out some time… and when you do, I'll tear you apart if you don't answer my questions." Nothing. He snorted disdainfully then sighed at their lack of a reaction.

Yoko watched them for a moment then quietly said, "They look older than you." Julius didn't respond to her joke. She fidgeted then said, "Well, maybe. It might be close. Didn't you just have a birthday recently?"

"Does it matter?"

"Aw, come on, Julius, everyone loves birthdays. You get free stuff. Yeah, you get a year older… but come on, you get cake and people sing to you. It's not all that bad." Again he didn't reply. She smirked and said, "You just keep right on going with that tough guy act. I know, deep down, you love birthdays, too."

Julius kept his eyes on the four men in the center of the barrier. A thin smirk tugged at the corner of his face. "Yoko, do you know what a birthday is? It's when they set fire to your dessert; they stand around laughing and singing while you desperately try to put out the flames."

She leered at him for a moment then, quite suddenly, silvery peels of soft feminine laughter rang out. "Oh my goodness! Julius, you just made a joke! That's so cute!"

"Don't get excited. Humor happens. Keep sharp – these men may be waiting for us to let our guard down."

"You only ever have that problem because you have too many candles to blow out in one try." She waited to see if he'd reply but he didn't. Belnades frowned. "Julius, come on, you can't even smile at my jokes?"

"What kind of energy could act as a solid barrier capable of holding someone off?"

She sighed. "Dark energy." Seeing he was business, she decided to be business as well and folded her arms in a semi-stoic way. "Why?"

"That's like matter and anti-matter right? They cancel each other out but have strikingly different properties?"

"Yes," she said. "Negative energy can be solidified without transferring… so you won't be shocked by it – it won't flow through you or electrocute you."

Belmont came alongside of her and used his free left hand to take her by the elbow. He guided her back to the barrier and said, "Introduce it to positive energy."

She frowned. "Do you know what happens when matter and anti-matter come in contact?"

"I'm not a scientist. I'm a mercenary of God. And one thing that mercenaries know how to do is blow things up. Strike it with lightning." He released her elbow and stepped back a few paces. "Go on."

With a slow shake of her head, Yoko grumbled under her breath and rubbed her palms together. "This is foolish, stupid, immature and…" She continued to grumble then pushed both palms out. An orb of pure lightning came from her fingertips and struck the barrier. Just as she'd predicted the reaction was explosive. The energy reacted similar to same-polarity magnets, throwing her body back.

Julius caught her with ease, standing firm like an anchor. He put her back on her feet and gave her a gentle push at her shoulders as if suggesting she try again. Yoko huffed, shoved her blonde bangs back then rolled up her sleeves and tried again. This time, she gave it twice the raw energy, focusing the channeled lightning into the barrier. Same as before, it blew her backwards and Julius caught her. However, the stronger attack caused the barrier to fizzle out on one side. The bright aura visibly disappeared for a brief amount of time.

Julius didn't waste a single moment. He shoved Yoko forward and the two charged in through the gap. All four hooded men looked up at the approaching duo. Belmont drew his fist back and snapped it forward, using his whip to swing at them. The Vampire Killer wrapped around all four hooded robes but to his surprise, all four men disappeared. The robes dropped, getting tangled up in his weapon. Quite suddenly the duet was alone with two dead vampires' remains on the floor. Julius clenched his left fist and said, "Something tells me those four men know what's going on and why everything is happening."

"I'm sorry they got away from you, Julius."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Don't ever be sorry for something that isn't your fault." He recoiled his whip on his right hip then told her, "Something tells me they won't utilize the same method of defense a second time. Okay, well, our job here is finished. Let's head back towards the first floor and see what's going on?"

"I'm right behind you," she said, adding, "Whoever they were, those men put up a very powerful barrier. I had to amplify my energy attack – I practically gave it all I had just to open up a small side in their energy shield. That was draining. I won't be able to do that sort of thing multiple times and still have the energy to fight afterwards. Let's try and find another way to disarm them, just in case."

"Quite right," he replied, headed through a door in the wall that took them to a teleportation chamber.

X

"At this point, I should let you fight everything for me." Justus reached for his sword then dropped his hand with a shrug. "You kill those things before I can even blink."

"I'm growing tired," she murmured. "As a man, you should pull your weight, you know. Perhaps if we were in danger, you'd transform."

"Am I not already in danger?"

"I mean mortal danger," she said. As if on cue, or perhaps as if Sinopa Crevan had planned such, a demonic creature bound up the hall headed for Justus. This time, however, Sinopa folded her arms instead of destroying it. "Transform, young man."

Justus drew his sword quickly and swung it just as the creature approached him. However, the blade struck the creature only serving to agitate the being. The demonic imp grasped Justus by the neck and threw him up against the wall. Sinopa watched on with interest but for all the struggling the boy did, he didn't transform. She sighed, watching as the creature threatened to devour him. Justus cringed away from the being's foul breath. It was obviously far too powerful of an enemy for him to handle.

He pulled his sword up and the blade diced through it, protruding from its back. The demon screamed in pain then opened his jaws, ready to lunge. Sinopa shook her head, murmuring, "This simply won't do." And just as the demonic imp was about to bite into his throat, the entire creature vanished. She watched Justus slump to the floor for a moment then she shook her head with said, "Well, you were certainly about to die but… it didn't happen. I'm running low on options."

"Fine, whatever. Maybe it stopped happening, whatever. Get me to wherever Molly Fields is located. Now," he said with a tone of authority.

"Well, I do love when a man takes charge… I suppose we'll do things your way, just once," said Crevan. She headed to the nearest door, opened it and said, "Come along." And, together, they began to walk down the next hallway.

"You know, that girl has an enormous blue diamond that turns red in certain lighting. She was trying to get it to the next city over for money."

"All she wants is money?" Sinopa smiled. "Such a mortal commodity is quite easy to obtain – if she seizes it before I do, I would surely give her such as money is useless to me."

"Make her an offer, but she'll know where it is most likely… why do you want it?"

"Long story."

They continued through the dimly illuminated corridor. Several moments passed and Justus sniffed at the air. "I… guess I still have some of my abilities or whatever. Do you smell that?"

Her dainty nose twitched then she shook her head. "I smell only you, dear."

"No, there's two people coming this way." Justus continued alongside of her. At the next intersection, they saw two men halfway down the hall, their backs towards the couple. Bell cleared his throat to catch their attention. The two men turned about and cautiously approached. Justus noted the one had silvery near-shoulder-length hair and an impressive sword. The other had his nose covered, a fancy black outfit with shoes, and his hair was long at the center, like a Mohawk. "You two obviously aren't freaks. I'm Justus and this is Sinopa."

"Soma," said the first.

"Giakanokus," replied the other. His eyes flitted to Crevan. "A pleasure, miss."

A wry grin tugged at the kitune's maw. "Hello, gentlemen." She nodded to Soma, adding, "You I know." Her eyes flitted to the more mysterious man with the noseband. "You, however, I do not know. Why hide your face?"

"Because I can," he replied. "The two of you shouldn't be here."

Sinopa smiled. "The same could be said for the two of you, boys." Her eyes lowered then lifted, drinking in the build of each man. "So, Dracula and a lackey – to what do we owe this 'honor'?"

"He is Dracula?" asked Justus with wide eyes. "I thought he was supposed to have a cape and a fancy medal with a ribbon. I thought he was supposed to have dressy clothes and all that other nonsense." Justus paused briefly then added, "But your coat is pretty cool."

Soma offered a weak smile. "Thanks. And yeah, I'm not much of a Dracula. Dark colored clothing just isn't my style." His eyes cut back to Sinopa. "How did you know?"

"Because I'm good like that," she replied with a smile. Her gaze cut back to Giakanokus. "And you, Mr. Lacky? What was your name again?"

"It doesn't matter," said the mysterious man. "I've come separately from Mr. Soma Cruz. I'm here to make sure he doesn't die. Heaven forbid his soul is reincarnated again without Last Rites, then he comes back as a tyrant once more." He glanced back to Justus and tilted his head. "But you… you're interesting." He inhaled deeply, causing the noseband to twitch slightly. "You're a werewolf, full blooded with quite the scent."

"I…" Justus trailed off with a frown. "It's been almost two days without a shower, sorry."

"Nonsense," said Sinopa. "He smells like a man and it's rather nice."

Giakanokus shook his head. "No, I mean that Mr. Justus is impressively endowed in the supernatural sense."

Sinopa turned to Justus, feigning faux sexual interest. "You are, my dear? Why haven't you mentioned such before? I'm an adult woman and I wish to know these things."

Despite Justus' blush, Giakanokus stepped between the couple and said, "No, miss. I mean that he's capable of breaking a kitsune in half with brute force if given the opportunity."

She lifted a hand and pushed her bangs back, pretending to be insulted. She shook her head then said, "I don't 'break'. I'm more than able to handle any man." She paused then moved closer to the semi-masked person and looked him over as if looking through him. "Your aura…" She blinked as if surprised. "You're a familiar?"

"I am no one's familiar," he said in a firm tone. "Yes, the Fae have been familiars to many but I am not here acting as Post-Dracula's familiar spirit. I am here to do reconnaissance. What brings you here, vixen?"

"A Hoshi no Tama – again, why do you hide your nose?"

"Perhaps, one day, I will tell you if you still wish to know. So, you're seeking Alucard for your diamond?"

Sinopa looked delighted. "Indeed, I am!"

Giakanokus nodded. "Then join us." He trailed off then quirked a brow at Justus. The man moved closer then brought his right hand to his mouth. "My word… You're a Belmont." Silence. He blinked twice. "No wonder you radiate with power. But if you're a werewolf then will you not take up The Whip?"

Justus looked to the floor with a shrug. "Maybe I'll just pass it along to my future kid or something. If I even decide to have one."

Soma said, "You should. It's important I'm told."

"Indeed it is," Giakanokus said. "Perhaps one of the greatest contributions you can offer, just in case. Not every Belmont needs to fight. But every so often, a lucky generation comes along and is called to battle. I would advise you to keep the line going."

Sinopa glanced back at Justus. "I'm not sure how I failed to see it before but… the man is right. You are a Belmont, aren't you?"

"Yes." Justus fidgeted. "I'm still not quite sure what that even means. But yes, just so we're all clear here… I'm a Belmont."

"Have you ever used that sword before?" asked Soma. "Just today. I've already killed things with it, if that's what you're asking." Soma smiled. "Have you ever used a sword before today?" He waited, watching as Justus shook his head. Soma's smile broadened. "And yet you've killed 'things' with it… plural. See? You're a natural warrior. You pick up a weapon and use it naturally. It's in your blood. The Belmont family is supposed to be mighty and honorable. You look like you could bench press more than myself, even though I'm no slouch."

"I did weight training in gym class back in high school." Justus glanced back at the other man. "How did you know I'm a werewolf?"

The half-breed folded his hands. "Because I'm part Lycan, too. I must admit, I'm intrigued to see a Belmont Werewolf on the battlefield."

Justus frowned. "I don't know how to transform back into that thing. Last time it happened was in the light of the moon. I already tried that again but I won't change back anymore."

"The moonlight is for a first time effect," said Giakanokus with a shrug. "Once it happens that first time, you have to will it to occur again. Cornell had it down to a science. He had impressive mastery of it. But what took him years to figure out has been passed down through generations. It's an on-off switch; it's honestly that simple. You just need to learn what your 'activator' is."

"My what?"

Giakanokus rubbed his hands together. "Have you ever read that study about the guy who was a volunteer to be awake during open brain exploratory surgery?"

Soma snapped his fingers and cut in. "The one with the guy who had the memory thing?"

Justus blinked, remembering something about that on the news a year ago. "Right, the guy whose brain was exposed while they did stuff to study him. Didn't they apply low voltage current to parts of his brain and it caused him to experience his entire life in an instant in perfect detail?"

"Something like that," said the man with a nod. "There's a way to stimulate the part of your brain that allows you to transform. I knew a man who couldn't do it until the day he was electrocuted. …After that, it came natural."

"I'm not trying to get myself shocked to hell," said Justus with a grunt.

Sinopa shook her head and placed her palms on either side of Justus' neck, standing behind him. Quite suddenly, his eyes jolted wide and his hair stood up. His body dropped to the ground, a wisp of steam emanated from his shirt and hair. She folded her arms, standing over his collapsed form.

Soma blinked. "What the hell did you do that for?"

Giakanokus put his arm out, guiding Soma to stay back. "Blunt and sudden but she's doing what I'd just mentioned to try and give Justus the ability to change at will. Don't worry, Mr. Cruz, his heart is still beating and he's breathing." His eyes lifted to Sinopa. "Ma'am, your straightforward tactics are commended yet must be brought into question. Why transform him if we're all supernatural here?"

"I'm not," Soma murmured.

"Like hell you aren't," said Crevan with a smirk.

"You have the dominance ability, plus you struck down plenty of blatantly supernatural creatures when you were last in this castle. You did what military types could not. You fought your way through this castle, alone, with a mortal man's weapon – swords, axes and what-have-you. That's not normal or natural, it's supernatural."

"If you say so but those abilities cease as soon as I leave the castle each time." Soma knelt besides Justus, placing a hand on his forehead. "He feels like he has a fever. That was …I don't know how I feel about this. Have some humanity for the guy. He's apparently new to all of this craziness."

Giakanokus shook his head. "No offense, Mr. Cruz, but the 'newborn Dracula' is being a pussy."

Sinopa's smile brightened. She put her hands on Giakanokus' left arm. "You have moxie, my dear sir." She glanced back to Soma and added, "Justus Bell will be fine. Help him up, we should continue on to find Alucard. The sooner we finish, the sooner everything can return to normal again." As she spoke, she came alongside of the half-breed, snaking her hands around either side of his black-sleeved bicep. "Soma, just help him up, dear."

"Fine," said Cruz, reaching to take Justus from beneath his arms. It took a moment of struggling with dead weight but Soma finally managed to get Justus to his feet, hoisting the youth up with an arm around the shoulder. "Okay," Soma told them. "I'm ready to move forward. We need to find Hammer, too. He's bound to be in here somewhere. Gut feeling." Cruz carefully reached around Justus' form and found a belt loop then hoisted the unconscious teenager up over his left shoulder. "Okay," he repeated. "I wanna finish this and go home to my girl. So… let's get through this nonsense."

X

A/N: There's a lot going on! Justus still has to get the body belonging to Ortega down in the lower chambers below the castle. Soma shows up after all. Giakanokus is a wild card that I came up with. He's the last Original Character, I swear. Justus will be okay when he wakes up. Soma wants to find Hammer, Alucard and go home. There are a lot of characters throughout the castle right now. I'm going to start bringing them back together and writing a few out soon. Does anyone have any favorites? Just let me know! J

ames Johnson is definitely going to be a candidate for leaving – he was in purgatory along with the castle since one of the appearances in the 1800s, which is why he'd never seen a modern piston at the beginning of the story. Just let me know how you guys feel. I'm going to finish Sly Cooper: Dawn of Progeny's last chapter and epilogue then I'll be back to put more time into this story.

You'll notice I tied Lords of Shadow into this story right at the beginning of the game. Also, Giakanokus being half fairy came from an idea I had while playing CV: Symphony of the Night because I was using a fairy familiar in a boss battle with Alucard. Then it hit me… why not have a character like that? That'd be kinda' neat. But I don't want him to be just any old fairy. So I made him a half-breed that is judged heavily by his own peers. Making him part werewolf seemed like fun so he had something in common with the main character. ANYway, now Justus will have his own familiar, lol. Finally, I think I'm going to have Sinopa find the stone soon now that its intended purpose has been fulfilled.

OH! And what OF Alucard? Last we saw him, he was starting a metaphysical and mental change. Will it last? Will it worsen? Who knows… and what of Camilla? She touched it at the same time, maybe they didn't get the full effect – it was split up amongst them? Only time will tell. xD