A/N: Sorry I've been busy. Read my BIO for the link to where I'm posting my current material... I'm now doing all original stories. :D ...I'll talk more about that later. ON TO THE CHAPTER!

The Information Age

Alucard made his way down to the cathedral and flung the doors open. It was clean and orderly with no creatures. A girl wearing a maid's outfit looked up, feather duster in hand. She placed the duster on a podium to the far right side of the stage then held her hands up as though ready to attack.

"Have you not heard?" he asked her. "I am the lord of this castle, now. I have the four eternal monks working to transfer the castle's power to me; their incantation is nearly complete."

She stared at Alucard for a moment then picked up her duster again. "Very well. My job is finished in this room anyhow." She disappeared in an explosion of rose pedals, which disappeared before they touched the ground.

Alucard approached the altar and placed his hands upon it. He stared at the smooth marble surface. "I'm here. Where are you, old man?"

An older looking gentleman stepped from the shadows and drew a hood back. "Adrian."

"Zobek." He narrowed his eyes. "Lord of the Necromancers, Lord of the Dead. …Pawn of Satan."

"Not anymore," said the older man. "Not for a long time."

Alucard folded his arms and stood up straight. "You look like a cross between Sean Conner and Patrick Stewart."

"You've become cynical. No matter, boy. So, you've touched the diamond. You've been filled with dark magic. Do you know why?"

"Surely you will tell me."

"Black magic is the only form of magic that will work against Lucifer. Your father lived and breathed black magic, because Satan was his enemy. Satan sought the apocalypse. Your father stood in his way. He murdered innocent people and feasted on their blood and made a pact with Death in order to increase his power. He used that power, combined with the power of the castle, to fight Lucifer."

Alucard eyed the old man. "Ironic that you were a founder of the Brotherhood of Light."

"Mm, you know your history, boy. And with a disguise, I was called Death."

"Yes, this I already knew. It's rare to see you with your flesh upon your face. So, it was you that brought the stone into this castle. It was you that wanted me to touch it. I've touched it. Now what do you want of me?"

"Errant boy, it's time you take your father's place. You will follow in his exact footsteps and use black magic to fight Lucifer. You may fight him however you wish, so long as you defeat him. Your father chose to bare this burden alone and increased his power by sacrificing innocent lives, and by drinking the blood of every creature he could find. He made his castle alive, and gave it the ability to draw power on its own, then used the castle as an amplifier. The castle, itself, was your father's…sidekick of sorts."

"When is Lucifer going to attack? How do I fight him?"

Zobek smiled, seeing Alucard so willing to take up the mantle. "Sir Isaac Newton had several predictions for the end of the world. One was in 2034. Lucifer did in fact attempt to amass power, and the Castle began to amass its own power to counterbalance… After a year, the castle became fully powered and it appeared."

"Ah." Alucard began pacing in front of the altar. "That's why it appeared in 2035 in front of Soma. It was calling to its previous owner like a dog barking for attention."

"Indeed, that is one way of looking at it. Isaac Newton's final prediction is set for 2060. Fifteen years from now."

"That gives me plenty of time, then. Why power the castle, and send the stone out to call me in so early?"

"Lucifer will attack in fourteen years. The world will end a year later, in 2060. The seven-headed beast will devour the Great Whore of Babylon. The seven mountains will come to power."

"I see the pattern in the sevens. What does it have to do with Lucifer's attack in 2059?"

"Adrian, come now… Seven-multiplied-by-two is fourteen and that is when the attack first begins. You must stop it now while Lucifer's power is weak. That way, when he attacks in 2059, fourteen years from now, the world will not breathe its last breath the following year in 2060. Do you understand everything I have told you?"

"Yes. Heaven knows you keep repeating yourself. I get it. Lucifer is attacking in fourteen years, whether or not he is at full power. If I defeat him now, in my father's stead, then he will not be at full strength in 2059, thus making it possible to defeat him before Newton's prophecy happens, regarding 2060."

"Excellent. Then we have a pact? Typically, your father makes his pacts with me but I suppose I will settle for working with you this time around."

"Zobek, I only received half of the stone's transference. And I will not be able to wield as much dark magic as my father, because I am not capable of hating as passionately as he once did. Therefor I can never be as powerful of a black magic wielder as he was. And without black magic, I cannot fight Lucifer."

"You have friends capable of fighting alongside of you, do you not?"

Alucard opened his mouth to speak then paused. He glared at his father's most trusted, yet most hated sidekick then narrowed his gaze. "They do not use black magic either. But they would help. But how do I ask them, now that they don't trust me because of what you've done to me?"

"You manipulate them."

"Oh! You mean the way you manipulated my father, in his mortal days as Gabriel, to behead his own wife, Marie?"

"I was under Satan's possession."

"Do not call me boy. I have a question, first…who is the Whore of Babylon?"

"The 'city' capable of overthrowing kings. The false prophet. The mother of prostitutes and Abominations of the Earth. The Great Idolatress, an associate of the Antichrist and the Beast of Revelation. She makes the inhabitants of the Earth drunk on the wine of her fornication."

"Who or what is she, exactly?"

Zobek smirked. He folded his arms. "The people of this world have many names for it. They call it an Internet, a World Wide Web, a Network… it is a soulless place of false knowledge intermingled with truths and half-truths. This soulless beast has become its own monster, self-sustaining and widely idolized. Billions use and worship it. Billions believe what they see within it. Millions fornicate to it, and it has millions of images of abominations at its heart."

"Surely you're not serious."

"I am. And its users, people of the entire world, idolize it and things they see upon it. Yes, this interconnected community is that which could 'overthrow kings.' This internet is the false prophet, bringer of half-truths and false prophecies. This internet is the mother of abominations and prostitutes – where a person can promise their body to another in exchange for a payment done as an electronic transaction. The Whore of Babylon has been with us in its full glory since around the time Julius Belmont single-handedly won the day during the Demon Castle War of 1999. And, Alucard, you cannot defeat the Internet. You cannot fight the Great Whore of false prophecy. You can only sit back and let the seven-headed beast it rode in on devour the internet as prophesized to happen."

Alucard looked away with a frown. "Very well. Then chapter seventeen, verse twelve: "And the ten horns which thou saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast." The ten kings with no kingdom but with power as kings… who are they?"

"Ten kingdomless kings. They are the ten horns that fight. Perhaps one will be a Belmont. Perhaps one will be the child of Soma and Mina. Perhaps one will be your child. Perhaps one will be the child of the Merchant and the Belnades witch. But this troupe of fifteen year old boys cannot fight alone. They will be led into battle by the werewolf and you, and their closest friends… and they will be backed by the seven heads of the great monster upon whose back once carried The Great Whore. And these seven heads will fund the ten horns. And the werewolf will lead the battle with his claws of fate."

Alucard ran his hands back through his white hair. "Verse fifteen, the back of the beast where the whore sat… is the people and multitudes, and nations and tongues…"

"Indeed, Adrian. They were the users of the internet. Verse eighteen speaks that the Whore was… is the community that has reign over the kings of the people. For a simple line of false information from the internet has the power to topple a government or reign over a ruler by sparking revolt. And now you see the internet is that community… that city… that is, herself, The Great Whore. She cannot be defeated. Only the people, themselves, can defeat her."

"If I cannot fight The Great Whore, then how do I fight Lucifer?"

"You have fourteen years to figure out a plan. Else, you'll all be dead in fifteen. But I brought you all here, now, so that you can find a way to fight Lucifer while he's weak and attempting to begin gaining power. The Anti-Castle can link you into the heart of the Chaotic Realm. Once there, it's up to you to figure out how to cross the river of Hell and lead your band of merry men to victory."

"I cannot ask my friends to fight alongside me in such a battle as that."

"Very well. Kill Camilla and assume her half of the power she absorbed in the stone. Then kill Soma Cruz and absorb his soul – your father's soul. With dominance over that soul, you would have the power necessary to use Satan's army against him."

Alucard looked away with a sigh.

"I've told you everything you need to know. Go and do what is necessary. Do what your father had to do… with every innocent you murder, your mastery of black magic will grow stronger. And with that black magic, you will be most effective against Lucifer. The only thing that stands in your way is an old vampire hunter and his friends."

"No. I don't have the hundreds of years that my father had in order to learn how to wield the dark arts properly. My father threw away his humanity for the sake of mastery over the only force capable of hurting Satan… by fighting fire with fire. And after centuries of fighting, Satan is still unbeaten. He still commands men by reaching into their souls and triggering their original sin. My father's way may have been effective, but it wasn't capable of besting Lucifer – only driving him back into his hole for a while longer. I've decided to take a new approach. I will not be like my father. I will do things my way. Without murdering innocent people and without mastering black magic."

"Very well. Tell me, Adrian, how do you plan to achieve what your father strived to do for centuries?"

"I do not yet know. But the boy seems to have perfect balance. He's a monster – a werewolf. He's also able to bring out the good in all those who flock about him, which is just about everyone in the castle right now."

Zobek rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Indeed, they all flock to a creature with claws. He will be the queen of this chessboard; the most powerful offensive piece. If these claws of fate are capable of leading the charge in fourteen years… then those claws are capable of being put to use against Lucifer right now. Today. But I still suggest you kill Camilla and Soma."

"No. I will not kill Soma. Camilla, however, is a possibility. But I will need Laura to do it. Why is Laura capable of protecting Camilla? How?"

"She's one of the only creatures capable of allowing vampires to mate. But she is a virgin. Also, she is one of very few who are capable of producing a child from the seed of a vampire. You could give her a child, you know."

"I see."

"Go on, Adrian. Do what you must to fight back Lucifer. You have my scythe; I will fight at your side."

"Very well. I will amass them like troops and we will find our way out of the Anti-Castle and into the Chaotic Realm. And we will cross the River Styx, and fight through every level of Hell. Then we will leave Satan, alone and powerless in his frozen prison, just as Dente has foretold it. My father used Black Magic as a defense to ward off Satan's attempt at ending the Earth Realm. But I have to ask… why would he attack the Earth Realm? Why not simply amuse himself with it?"

"Adrian Tepes…"

"What?"

"Lucifer's war is against Heaven. It always has been. But the Earth Realm stands between Heaven and Hell. The Earth Realm has always been the great chasm of defense between Heaven and Hell. If the physical plane falls, the war between Heaven and Hell will commence."

"My father had a very strange way of fighting to save the world. Murdering innocent people, manipulating, killing, impaling, blood drinking..."

"I will see you soon." Zobek stepped into the shadows and was gone in an instant.

Julius and Soma dropped from a high ledge, landing adjacent to one another. They both narrowed their gaze at Adrian.

In return, Adrian glared back. Silence. After a moment, he said, "I understand now. After all these centuries of wondering why my father could be so evil, so cruel… I now understand his true motivations. But where does this leave us, Belmont? Cruz?"

Julies and Soma looked at one another then they both nodded. Julius reached forward and offered his hand. After a brief pause, Adrian reached forward and took it in a firm shake.

"Very well, gentlemen."

Julius relinquished the shake then said, "I take it you don't want us to leave your castle now, Alucard?"

"I never truly expected you to… there's fallout out there in the real world, and leaving the Anti-Castle would take more than one Seal Cracker. Unfortunately, this means we'll need the entire team. I am trying to fight the effects of whatever that stone did to my mind, but my father had quite the passionate personality. My serious nature has been compromised because I've received my father's impassioned feelings. It's made me playful, cynical, temperamental…I will try to be myself, but it's not been easy. Forgive my behavior in advance."

"Fair enough, Alucard."

"Done," said Soma, adding, "Some part of you, to some degree, is my son, Adrian. Alucard, if you prefer. I felt a connection to you. I dreamed you were in danger. I promise that Mina won't be involved this time. I love her too much to endanger her. We've begun a relationship. Anyhow, I hope you understand why I'm here. And I hope you won't follow the suggestion of your friend."

"Death was offering an option. I do not need to kill you, Soma. If anything, you can help me using your ability, and stay very-much alive. We'll need to gather the rest and explain this plan. Also, we'll no longer have the help if the time traveler. He cannot travel outside the mortal realm because Hell is timeless. Germaine is a Saint, and probably couldn't go into Hell anyhow. We'll meet here in six hours. Find everyone you can and bring them here."

"Very well." Julius shook Alucard's hand again.

Soma motioned to Alucard and said, "I'm staying with Adrian. Not as the soul of his father, but to ensure his protection. If he's part of the one who will save the world, I want to make sure he stays alive. Julius, you need to keep your nephew alive, because he's apparently important as well."

"I'll find him." Belmont nodded to them both then left the chapel.

X

X

Justus used his palms to rub his face. He stretched a bit then looked around. Silence. He opened a door and peered into a room with Molly and Laura, then said, "Are you two going to be okay by yourselves? I'm going to check on that lady."

"I appreciate it," said Laura in a respectful tone. "I will protect Miss Fields."

Justus nodded then shut the door behind himself. He waited until he heard a lock click into place, turned from the door and headed up the hallway. His eyes shifted from left to right and he sniffed at the air.

All at once the werewolf took off up the hallway at breakneck speed. His long legs helped him to gallop at a speed in excess of thirty miles an hour.

Halfway up the hallway was a hunting squad of skeleton soldiers. Justus tucked his head down and bowled through them with ease. In the background, he heard bones clattering to the floor.

Endorphins flooded his body. The run felt amazing. His heart raced and his jaw opened, tongue flapping in the wind like a happy dog. He galloped like a horse, blazing through several intersections. Some creatures ignored him as just another monster, others stepped into the hall to watch him race by.

The hallway ended at a 'T'. He put his forepaws forward, bound off the wall and ran along the wall to the left briefly then back to the floor. Something felt incredibly natural about the free-run.

The hall ended with a sudden stop, as though it had been partially bricked up a long time ago. He slid to a halt then stood up on his hindpaws, eyes narrow. The wall seemed to be partially concave, bricks sunken in at the center of the wall. The ledge jutted forward. It made it difficult to scale the wall.

After two failed attempts of reaching the ledge, Justus sneered in frustration.

"Don't give up, kid."

Justus blinked, sniffed, then looked up. His uncle stood on the ledge above. Justus backed up a bit and gave it another go. He ran towards the wall, put his foot on it and reached for the ledge but couldn't make it.

"It's called Parkour. Try using the sidewalls and momentum and you should be able to shoot straight up it."

Another failed attempt ended with Justus sitting unceremoniously on his tail. "Yeah? I'd like to see you do it, old man."

Julius grinned, another rare glint at the man's personality. He stepped off the high ledge and dropped down onto the lower section, knees bent to absorb the impact. He stood up, adjusted the fabric of his coat then motioned with his hand. "Step back, newbie."

Belmont walked halfway down the hall, turned about, then darted back towards the ledge. He put one foot on the inwardly-slopped wall, his other foot on the side wall, then put his hands on the ledge. He used his momentum to make his way up to the top in a blink then turned around and put his hands on his hips. "Now you."

"I just got showed up by an old man."

"I train for this," said Julius, adding, "and you don't. So I'm not judging you. I'm trying to help you." He lowered to one knee.

Justus made his way back up the hall then broke into a hard sprint. He tried to make his way up the corner of the wall again and reached for the ledge. His forepaws caught it but not with enough purchase to pull himself. His claws dug into the floor, cracking tiles that went to the edge. His large clawed feet scraped wildly at the wall, unable to gain purchase.

Belmont reached down with his right hand and snatched his nephew's furry forearm. "I got'cha kiddo. Use those claws on your feet. You just need to bounce from left to right and zip up that corner. If we ever make it home, there's an old Chinese movie star named Jackie Chan. You'll want to watch his footwork."

Justus made his way up over the ledge then rolled onto his side with a grunt. "Yeah, I've heard of Jackie Chan." He sat up on his haunches then rose to his feet. "You make it look easy."

"It's like headbutting someone. It looks easier than it is. In reality, you can knock yourself out doing that crap wrong."

"That I do know," said the teen. "Did a lot of wrestling in high school. You're not supposed to smack your forehead against someone else's forehead."

"Yeah. Aim for the face. Pray they don't lower their head when ya' do. Look, Justus, I'm impressed. You haven't trained yet you've survived admirably. You even killed stuff with a sword at one point. I brought you into this because I wanted a stout man to have my back and you've done just that. Hell, you've outdone yourself. So we need to talk."

"What about?"

"It's going to get harder from here on out. And it's going to get weird. You're going to see things you've never seen before. You're going to see things that look upside down. You're going to see things that look unreal. I might not make it. So I need to teach you whatever I'm able while we're working together."

"What's the plan. I've seen enough that I'm ready to believe whatever you say."

Belmont began walking alongside of the werewolf hands on his whips from where they clung to his belt. "I've just learned something that has really tested everything I've learned about my life. Dracula was a real bastard. But it turns out he was doing every bad thing he could on purpose to do something good."

Julius didn't let his nephew chime in. He gestured for the youth to stay quiet. After a moment to compose his thoughts, he continued his explanation. "I've learned that his mortal enemy was Lucifer. As in Satan. He never gave his soul to the devil. Don't know why, maybe it was a simple case of two alpha males bucking horns. But the fact is, Dracula learned the only way to fight Lucifer was by using black magic against black magic. The only way for Dracula to increase his mastery of black magic was to kill innocent people, drink the blood of his enemies, and corrupt the righteous. The only way to become powerful enough to repel Satan's grip on this realm was to dominate every soul he could."

Julius furrowed his large bushy brows. "He stole the souls of humankind in order to repel… what? The apocalypse? He committed atrocities in the name of the greater good?"

"You're better with words than me, kiddo. He had to forsake his humanity in order to save humanity. I went to the library after learning this stuff and I took an hour to do some research. You know what I found?"

"What?"

"A journal. He lamented his Christian upbringing. He lamented his wife…he's lost more than one over the course of his eternal life. I also learned that he got tired of immortality and heartbreak. In 1999, he personally fought off the devil and saved the world. Then he went up against me and my father, Vincent Belmont, and now I have to wonder if he just… let us beat him so he could go away forever. I slayed a hero to humanity in the name of 'good.' But I've never saved the world. I've never fought Satan for control of this physical realm we call home."

"Sounds like this really bothers you."

"Yeah. I guess the Romanians were right to celebrate him as a folk hero, despite what people like Bram Stoker have said about the man. He fought two fronts – one against Muslim expansion, and one against Satanic expansion. He used his demons to fight off the demons of Hell itself. And now he's not around anymore to save the damned world from the one thing scarier than Dracula."

"Oh." Justus licked his chops then a frown tugged at the corner of his muzzle. "So now what?"

"We go to Hell and stop Lucifer from gaining power by fighting him, beating down and keeping him frozen in his prison. We hurt the devil, because he wants to amass power and fight the world in fourteen years from now. And if we don't stop him from gathering that power, the world will end the following year – 2060."

"Shit."

"Justus…"

"Don't get like my mother. You've just told me I have to fight the creatures of Hell. I thought I already was. I thought Dracula or this castle was filled with hellspawn. But something tells me they were just an army of creatures loyal to repelling Hell. And whatever we go up against, they're going to be way harder to beat."

"Yeah. You got it, kid. Those creatures banded together with Dracula to fight for their freedom from Hell. And those creatures no longer have a leader to lead them. All they do now is protect the castle from capture. That's it."

"Will you lead them?" asked Justus.

Julius looked away. "A good portion of these creatures were once humans. And I lead them into the Demon Castle War of '99, and they got slaughtered, transformed into monsters, and their souls were given to Dracula for use in fighting off Lucifer. I'm a horrible leader. I work better alone. I'm a commando. A splinter cell. I can't lead. Hell, I'm no good with Chess, either."

"So… we're going to go into Hell and fight creatures that make these castle halls look tame?"

"Castlevania's strongest creatures haven't died. They've been defeated, but it's akin to knocking them out. They retreat into the Chaotic Realm of Castlevania and recharge. There is a section of this castle that exists in a parallel dimension. If we can find a way to leave the Anti-Castle, we'll be standing on the shores of Hell. Don't ask me to explain – I've just learned most of this stuff in the past two hours."

"Jesus."

"He can't save us. He can only save our souls if we lose. Did you learn anything else about your father?"

"No, not yet. Just that Ortega saw him die from the belltower. I promised to release Ortega's soul from this castle so he can go to Heaven. That makes me curious – if we die in this castle or in Hell… are we trapped there?"

"It's possible. But your father's body was never found, Justus. If he was killed in the castle and trapped here like Ortega, you'd have seen him by now. But if he was killed outside of the castle, his body would have been found. Was Ortega in the Anti-Castle's belltower?"

"Is there a difference?" The voice came from behind.

Julius turned about, hands on his whips. Justus turned around, recognizing the voice, and reached for his uncle to stay the old soldier's reaction.

"Apparently so," Justus said. "Do you remember which belltower you were at when you saw my father die?"

"They were driving a vehicle. One does not drive a car into Hell," said Ortega. "That is what modern horseless carriages are called, are they not? A car?"

"It is one term," said Julius, looking the ghost over, admiring his impressive size. "I wouldn't know anything about Hell. I've never been there. I wouldn't even know where to go. At least in Dracula's castle, you simply go to the tallest tower and strike with everything you've got. But Hell…"

Justus grinned. "You telling me you're nervous, Uncle J.? I thought you'd be happy as …well… hell. You get to fight everything you see."

"My job is to fight vampires and save Earth. I'm out of my zone fighting Hellspawn in Hell, trying to find the devil. And I don't know how to fight him. I don't know what to expect. The devil is temptation. It's a credit card that gives you what you want when you want it at the cost of an insane APR later on, which you can't afford. It's a neverending debt. How do you fight the real devil?"

"Perhaps I can help answer that question." Ortega stepped between them, passing right through their bodies. He turned around, folded his arms and faced them directly. "You should know that a lot of gossip passes through this castle. Dracula increased his mastery of dark magic by doing evil acts. We captured an Angel of Heaven and kept that angel far from the sight of heaven. We forced information out of him… Weapons belonging to the Arch Angels have been stolen and wound up in Hell. Even though hellspawn cannot use those weapons, simply having them means they can't be used against Hellspawn. They can only be handled by a worthy being who is free of the desire to sin, and free of temptation. It sounds like you, Belmont, have no temptation in your life. You're not even tempted to go into Hell and fight everything you see."

"You think we should find these weapons and use them?"

"I do. Perhaps, if God did know we captured and tortured his angel, he let it happen in order to allow this information that would come into use tonight. And now you can use that information to strike the Devil."

"I cannot do it alone." Julius turned to Justus. "Young man, we'll need everyone's help. Giakanokus, Sinopa, Alucard, Soma, Hammer, Yoko, Laura, Molly… perhaps even the help of Vampira."

"Uncle J., you think you'll be able to do this? I need you to be confident. I need to feel like we're not going to die as soon as we arrive."

Julius eyed his nephew for a moment then cracked a thin smile again. "We'll make it to Satan's chambers. The question is… will I live to the end of the fight? I'm an old man. But you… you'll lead the charge, and lead it again in 2059."

Ortega smirked at Julius. "You'll live. I was there, watching you spy on Adrian Tepes' conversation with Death. They expect your nephew to lead the war in fourteen years. And they expect your future child to be part of the fight. I heard them, so did you. Are you getting cold feet?"

"No. I'm feeling my age. I'm used to fighting creatures on my own, but I don't want to hold anyone back because I'm not what I used to be. I'm disgusted by the thought of ever being the deadweight."

"Yeah. Look, I went to check on Vampira. Let's go take a look then figure out what to do next."

"In that case, we're close." Julius nodded to Ortega then started walking up the hall. He made a right turn at the next intersection, crossed a large empty hall, into another hallway then opened a door on the left. Vampira looked up, sitting on one of the two beds in the room. She saw Belmont; they glared at one another.

Justus cleared his throat and stepped into the room. "We have Laura, so you're not invisible right now. Things are complicated. We learned that gaining Dracula's essence means you've now gained Dracula's mission to use black magic and hatred to save the world against the Devil. No, I'm not messing with you. I need to know if you're going to help or hinder us. And my uncle doesn't want to deal with your drama. So if you're not going to help all of us, then you're in our way."

Vampira looked from one to the other then back. After a moment she said, "I need to know that Laura is safe. I understand you're keeping her away from me, but how do I know she's still alive."

Julius cleared his throat then, in his usual gruff voice, said, "We'll let you be reunited if you're going to help us repel an attack on this realm from Lucifer."

"We'll need Belmont to not be an old man."

"Hey," Julius said, eyes narrowed.

"No, you foolish man. We'll need for you to be young and fit to keep us all alive if you're planning to fight your way into Hell. And I know how we can do that."

"You know, don't you?" asked the werewolf.

"I was given the essence of Dracula and visited by Death. He explained everything to me just as he apparently has done with Adrian. So yes, I know what's being asked of us. I understand that we'll have to work together in order to survive. And I understand that we'll need a Belmont. Lucifer and Dracula fought against one another. Lucifer could never take down Dracula directly. Instead, he would cause a situation that would lead to a Belmont defeating Dracula for Satan. Manipulation is the name of that fallen angel's game. He's the master. In order to have you at your full power, Belmont, you'll need to have myself and Adrian cast an incantation. We'll use our combined power of dominance to draw the souls of the greatest past Belmonts and put them into your body. You will become Simon, Trevor, Juste, Christopher, Leon, Richter, Vincent, and many others."

"My father, too? How in God's name can you make that happen? Their souls went to Heaven. They're inaccessible to you."

Vampira shook her head slowly. "Have you met Death? He's a founder of the Brotherhood of Light. He's had access to Heaven. He will bring the mightiest of your ancestors – you can only take on the souls of your direct bloodline. Not all Belmonts will be compatible with you. But those that are will be summoned into your body to help you be at your mightiest. It will be confusing, as you may struggle with your own identity."

"I've lived with memory loss for three and a half decades. I can handle it." Julius turned to his nephew and frowned. "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is something you get from the battlefield, or from surviving this castle. But at least people struggling with PTSD usually hold onto their sanity. But Hell, itself, may threaten to strip that from you – from us both. From us all."

"I've seen some crazy stuff. At first it bothered me. I fully expect Hell to scare the shit out of me, Uncle J. But you know what would make me stressed and insane? If I knew this stuff was going to happen and I didn't stop it. At least if we go and we stop this nonsense, I'll know that I can sleep at night. I'll know that I can sit in the sunshine again and not freak out that it'll all be gone soon. Does that make sense?"

"You handle stress fairly well, considering all you've seen. You adapt quickly. I've trained my whole childhood away, and the last ten years for this nonsense. And I don't fit into society because I'm told I have severe PTSD. But here, in this castle, I can be myself and I don't feel broken. But you… I think you'll walk away from this nonsense and still have your wits about you."

"I sure as hell hope so," said Justus. "I need to get Ortega out of the lower level before we go. I promised. And I'll meet up with you guys shortly. I've got a few hours, after all. Ortega will help guide me. It seems the creatures have stopped attacking me, even when I attack them. It shouldn't be difficult."

Vampira smirked. "They've been ordered to stand down. As it turns out, they'll be fighting to keep the castle safe in our absence. When the castle is opened from the Anti-Castle side, hellspawn can flood in. They'll need to keep the castle safe or we won't have a way home. Go and do what you must do. We have a few hours before we have to meet in the chapel. Belmont, take me to Laura. Then I will take you to Adrian and we will give you the borrowed souls of your ancestors. Adrian can use the four eternal monks to give you back your youth, to a degree. You'll look and feel as though you're in your thirties again. Not because we want to help you, but because we'll need a young Belmont to survive."

Julius eyed her briefly then nodded. "Fine. I'll take you to Laura." He turned to Justus in time to see Ortega appear in the hallway again. "Stay safe. Even without monsters, this castle can be dangerous. Traps, spikes, crumbling floors… just be careful. You're family. Something I've never really had for the most part. Stay frosty, okay?"

The werewolf put his large arms around his uncle. Belmont tensed up, never having been hugged by anyone except Yoko before that he could recall. After a moment, he returned the hug, albeit in a standoffish way. The awkwardness began to melt then he put his other arm around the large beast and gave Justus' back a firm pat.

Justus relinquished the hug then they shook hands. "See you in a few hours, Uncle J. Stay frosty." A grin tugged at the werewolf's maw. The old man smirked in reply.

X

X

A/N: Much more to come. I really needed a break from my original story found on FictionPress dot com using the same penname as I use here: Kit-Karamak (with the hyphen).

I have a large series of stories there and I'm closing in on a book deal that I want from a publisher. But I won't accept just any ole deal. I'll self-publish for e-readers before I accept a crappy book deal, y'know?

This is now the end of the first half of this story.

Act 2, as it were, will be in the Anti-Castle, going into Hell.
I'm sorry there was so much information and not much action for this chapter. But I wanted to explain what the hell was going on (pun not initially intended), and I needed to answer a lot of questions before forcing the good guys and bad guys to work together. And believe me… it's not going to be easy. Furthermore, Justus will finally learn about his father very soon. And Alucard will be struggling with his father's essence. And Soma, and Vampira… And Julius is going to be overwhelmed with the souls of other Belmonts within him… but it will give him a lot of the cool abilities we've seen used by past Belmonts. I was thinking only a handful would be compatible with him, allowing him to be more powerful, but… NOT 'all powerful,' so to speak.

GOD this story is really bad, though. Lots of times where I didn't edit it. I just wrote it to relax, and posted it. But god, re-reading through has been super painful, LOL.

Plus I don't even write in the same style anymore. If you go to FictionPress dot com ( forward-slash u/543072/Kit-Karamak ) and look me up as Kit-Karamak, and read my prequel story for the series, set in 1999, you'll see that my writing style is FAR different (and much evolved and improved) than it used to be, and my storyline is more professional and it's the same Science-Fantasy genre I'm writing here with this story, but more realistic.

Anyhow… this is how I have fun, y'know? Editorial is something I should do but… I don't do it for this story because this story has always been my way of just writing, writing, writing, writing, writing and then posting. I don't even plan the story out like I do with my original series of stories. I just write to write. It's calming, y'know? Anyhow… thanks again for reading if you've read this far.

See you in Act 2, HELL.

Or, if I'm lucky, I'll see you on FictionPress. Also, you can look me up on Facebook! Facebook dot com, forward slash, KITKARAMAK.

I'm currently at 500 fans / likes. I could really use your help to increase my number because publishers are all about numbers. And with your help, I'll come that much closer to fulfilling my pipedream of becoming a successful writer!

Take care!

-Kit

August 30 2013, 11:21pm