Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Working on her bible for this series and found something that needed fixing so Beta again: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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"So what exactly is Soma?" Kazuaki asked as he laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleeping felt impossible, his body was exhausted, but his brain was just too wired now for him to easily go to sleep. His brain was so full of conflicted thoughts and feelings that he was sure if he rolled over onto his side his brain would ooze out.
Meanwhile Trevor was focused on jumping up Kazu's chair to his desk, so the hunter could get some reading before movies with Sophia. Causing him to pause while on the chair seat before his next jump and look over at Kazu in question before jumping back down and towards the futon. "Why? You won't have to face him save in school and I doubt that he's going to resume anything 'there'. At least not before he gets detention for acting out."
"Yeah, 'resume anything', why shouldn't I know what he is? Because he's clearly not completely human." Kazu pointed out as he rolled over and looked at the silhouette of plushy dog head.
"I realize that you've had a 'lot' withheld from you, Kazu. But your mother is right about the reasons why things fell out this way. The clan tends to excommunicate anyone who goes against the rules and that would apply to your mother and sister. If I told you more and it slipped out, unless there is a way to 'prove' that your mother has Sophia's blessings? They won't listen," Trevor explained sitting down on the edge just off the futon. "Which makes you being taken into the Grants' clan good sense. Since Grant was a pirate he was used to taking in all sorts and no one would bat an eye to your presence. From there you can learn more of what's going on without it costing the ladies anything."
"A pirate? A real one?" Kazu asked, causing Trevor to start laughing, his plush head rocking back and forth in amusement.
"Yes, Grant was a pirate I met when I was traveling through Draculas' Castle. A good guy, him, easy going and clever with his words and knives. Though he's not super great on the land, since he had the ocean in his blood. Probably part of the reason he got captured and enslaved for a time by said, Dracula." Trevor recalled as he settled back to think on his lanky friend.
"There's that name again, you're going to tell me its better 'not' to know whats going on despite history having a few choice historical facts about the infamous 'Dracula'?" Kazu partly grumbled and partly asked as he looked at his life long friend.
"Kazuaki, I wish I could explain, I really do," Trevor replied, walking over a step so he could rest his soft plush paw on Kazu's forearm in sympathy. "But none of us know what to say. We've 'only' known Dracula as a human hating monster, a vampire lord of extraordinary power that grows the longer he lived. If I fought him right now I could never hope to win because his power kept growing. Our clans' power grows in equal portion, hence why only Julius could fight Soma now. But for all of our clans, Dracula was 'always' evil, there was nothing good about him to start with. Yet Soma somehow isn't evil and we just don't know what to do about this. For our living Clansmen they just don't know how to handle this situation. Julius is getting on in his years, and Soma incarnated brilliantly, since when he reaches his full strength Julius will be far too old to face him."
Trevor reached up and began rubbing the side of his muzzle as he continued talking, his voice not really remorseful, but not enthusiastic. "So long as he doesn't resume his war, there's nothing really 'wrong' with letting him live his life. But if there are people trying to make him regress? Then we have a growing problem. We can't just kill him as a human, but there may be 'no one' strong enough to deal with him if he breaks again."
"Well, how can he stop being evil?" Kazu asked tucking his arm under his head and laying on his side to watch Trevor.
"Fun question, we don't really have an answer to it either. We never even thought he 'had' a good side, sure he fathered Alucard... But beyond that we just kinda assumed that Alucard was a fluke of personality. Only with Soma existing at all it implies that Alucard apparently inherited 'something' good from the man and boy do we ever have a can of worms with him." Trevor replied, going from rubbing the side of his muzzle to going on to rub his nose.
"'Alucard', his son is still alive?" Kazu curiously as he wondered what being alive for so long would do to a mind.
"Yes, as serious as ever, despite your sisters' efforts to give him a reason to laugh or something." Trevor confessed as one ear dipped down slightly. "I remember Simon telling me about the day that Alucard told your mother she was carrying you. We can only think that it was in that conversation that Valencia opted to concoct her plan to keep you."
"Talking her into keeping me." Kazu repeated as he laid back and looked up at the darkness consumed ceiling of his apartment.
"Simon only told me once and refused to speak of it again. But I think it had to do with his pride being wounded by being sealed in his bear body." Trevor confessed, since Kazu never made an effort to engage Simon in conversation, back when they lived together. Though Trevor couldn't blame Kazu, since Simon, again, wasn't a chatty person to start with. Trevor was pretty confident that Simon would only bark orders or go on tirades when he 'spoke' for the most part.
"I think I would like to know what that conversation was like," Kazu confessed as he laid there.
"Once we figure out what to do about Soma, maybe I'll tell you what Simon told me," Trevor offered. He turned back towards the desk in Kazu's room, itching to get back to reading before he went on patrol. Then he would settle in for some shows to watch, since being a plush meant that sleeping wasn't something he did anymore. Who would have known being comfortably awake for 24 hours a day, 7 days week was even possible. Sleep deprivation was something that effected the living after all, with irritable moods as just a start. Then again Trevor was 'dead', there really wasn't a flesh and blood body to experience the exhaustion that burdened the living.
He had the reading lamp on the desk for his books and magazines, and the computer for the shows he or his wife wished to watch. Between the Shishi and himself they would make sure no negative spirits would try to take a chance at slipping in. Soon enough Kazu would wake up and get ready for his day. Which wasn't a bad things, Japan was decidedly different than Europe and Trevor would be lying if he ever tried to deny the fun.
Granted he was generally kept in his travel bag and the most he could do was stick the top up enough so he could peer out. Sticking his head out would mean he couldn't move and he despised being forced to sit perfect still for long periods of time. It was unpleasant when he could end up stuck staring at a wall or the same rotating platform for over an hour.
Shaking himself of his thoughts, he heard Kazu finally settle in to get to sleep, allowing Trevor the chance to get back to the top of the desk. Yet even as he climbed up onto the top of the desk and began walking to the lamp light he paused. Turning he looked back down at Kazu and found himself feeling pretty bad for the kid. Denied a mother most of his life and finding out now exactly why. There had been nothing that he or Sophia had been able to do.
They were dead, their voices had no further weight in the clan activities, and while both could agree with the justified fear of the Witches' clan. Well... It made living with a victim of those decisions a touch harder from time to time. The futon laid parallel to the desk, the heater was running near by allowing a soft red glow to light a corner. While on the side of the desk, safely tucked on a pillow was Valencia's birthday gift.
Its soft flickers of light encouraging Trevor to walk over and study the magical orb. He reached out with his paw and lightly touched the orb, wondering if he could will it into doing something. But the item wasn't made for him and Valencia had no clue to Trevors' existence when it was created. So it didn't upset him when nothing happened and instead he sat down facing the orb.
"So I animated Snuggy, that means you gotta let me sit on your lap!"
"YOKO!?" SLAP!
"WAAAAAAAAA!"
Trevor often found himself wondering what went through Simons' head the day that conversation took place. Finding out that the reason he had been put in the plush body was simply so that Yoko could win a bet against Alucard. True Simon told him what happened that day, but Simon only reported the events. He kept to the bare minimum of facts, conveying only that Yoko had made a bet with Alucard. If she could prove that she could use magic, then he would let her sit on his lap for a bit. For which Yoko proved that she 'could' cast spells, not in the elemental battle magics her ancestors were known for. Rather in the ability to animate objects into motion, something more along the lines of the Aulin branch of magic. In fact if not for the supposed permanent death of Dracula, Yoko would have been transferred over to the Aulin branch of witches. As she got older though, she showed that she also could wield the elemental, combat, style of magic.
"She's an odd child I do confess," Sophia admitted as she emulated sitting at the kitchen table. She patiently waited as her now plushy toy husband worked and struggled his way up to the seat of the chair. Her gaze taking in the warm wood tones of the kitchen, the counter space and the modern conveniences that she never had. Being dead, however, meant that she could only admire them from the outside, touching was not allowed. "Why isn't Simon with you?"
"Well, unless you want to have this conversation in her room, and she can't hear us anyway. We'll have to go into Yoko's room because she sleeps with Simon, last time I saw them she had Simon in an iron grip." Trevor answered as he peeked from the seat, unable to get up on the table and only able to shove his face between the chair and the table. "Also I hope you know how to open doors because hers is closed."
She stood up and walked through the table to join him before looking down at him with a smile on her lips. "You know dear, despite the fact that I can clearly tell who you are... This new body of yours is rather adorable."
Trevors' ears flattened in displeasure at being reminded on his state before he brought himself back down and jumped from his seat to the floor. "Its for her brother, Kazuaki. He sees spirits despite being a baby. In fact the only reason I can even be here is because he's safely asleep, if he was awake I'm not sure I 'could' leave. Yoko wants him to be 'guarded' and regardless of what I want, I have to do what she ordered."
"Indeed, a geis of sorts, its impressive that a child can cast such spells on her own without training. And with Draculas' death there is no reason to really test her to see what her actual strength 'is'." Sophia floated along side her husband as he guided her to the rooms beyond the kitchen.
"Sophia... There 'was' something that Simon mentioned once that I never even knew about... what does your descendants do to magic lacking males?" Trevor asked looking up at his wife to the best of his ability given his new form.
Sophia stopped floating after her husband and gave a rather hooded look at her spouse, one that he couldn't see until he reached the kitchen door and turned to see her. She had this completely shady look to her face, as though he touched on something she didn't want to discuss.
He sat down on the floor and cocked his head to the side, which given his form probably looked more adorable than stern. "See apparently Valencia had a talk with Alucard and apparently your clan has an addiction to male cullings."
Sophia looked deeply offended, straightening up while snapping, "we had nothing to do-"
"-with the book. No, I don't mean 'those', they're 'Cullens', I'm talking about the willful removal of male kin from your clan." Trevor replied attempting to appease his wife about 'that' potential insult while clarifying his question. Because when a person could create something that could offend a group of people that are 'dead' you 'know' it had to be bad.
Sophia gave a casual shrug for an answer and watched as her husbands' muzzle twisted itself to the side just slightly. Giving her the impression that, had he his human face, the corner of his mouth would be up. "Don't give me that look Trevor, you know the world we lived in, and even now. Women hold no power anywhere else and my clan does what it has to, to preserve our autonomy. Granted the severity of the situation is over, and realistically he 'has' an ability that I wouldn't object to him being kept in the clan. But we're dead dear, our time has come and gone and the children must live their own lives for good or bad."
If he had lungs he would have sighed, instead Trevor turned and made his way down the hallway. The floor was wood and neatly swept, with a rug that ran down the center of it, since Yoko didn't have fire magic. In theory. There were some nature pictures hanging up along the wall that showed trees and off into the ocean. What Trevor would eventually come to realize was the shot from the edge of a temple in Japan.
There were three rooms the two on the left were bedrooms for the children, the furthest one was for Yoko, and could be recognized by the big pink bow on the door. The one closer to Trevor was the baby room for Kazuaki, which bore nothing on the door. On the furthest right was actually the door that led down into the basement that held a hidden second door that led deeper to the witches workroom. The closer one was the parents bedroom, and by sharing the wall with the staircase allowed for Valencia to hear when someone was going down there.
Unless your name was 'Yoko' because apparently that girl had the stealth found by only mice and cats. Seriously, Simon could have been just been a fluke when it came to soul sealing, but Simon AND Trevor? And that she could get a door open and get into the workroom without raising alarms? No, clearly this girl had a gift beyond spell crafting and talking.
Trevor walked along the cool blue rug through the white washed walls of the hallway on his fluffy mission to reach Yoko's room. Neither plushed Hunters could talk and weren't being given the means to communicate with the living. So perhaps it was time to have a proper meeting with Simon and try to decide the next course of action. At least that's what he hoped for when suddenly he felt himself being forced to hang a quicker left turn than he wanted.
His path was redirected towards Kazu's bedroom where it was open a crack. Just enough to allow Trevor to nose his way into the room. The door made only the smallest of sound as he made his way into the pink adorn room that hadn't changed since Yoko last used it. The further left corner of the room was where the crib rested. There was a device that projected light as a field of stars against the ceiling of the room, filling the room with gentle light. So that Valencia wasn't blinded if she had to come in and check on Kazu.
There were soft sounds coming from the crib, as Trevor approached his new duty of baby sitter. He jumped up and caught the bottom of the railing of the crib in his mouth, then used his paws to climb his way up. Squeezing through the bars and into the crib he could see the fitful fist pumps of a baby waking up. Thus Trevor walked over and gently began rubbing Kazu's head with a soft furry paw, since the rest of Kazu was bundled up in baby clothes.
"Oh he's adorable!" Sophia cooed the moment she stuck her head over the crib to look at this new member of her bloodline.
"And I hope you don't scare him," Trevor retorted looking up at his wife. "I don't know what triggers his fears yet you know."
"Oh I'm sure I don't scare him, look! He's smiling!" she cooed down at the baby and Trevor had to agree. Sophia wasn't doing anything really different from a living human and Kazu probably couldn't see her clearly anyway. So Trevor sat there stroking the boy on the head and trying to think of how he was going to make Kazu go to sleep so he could get to visit Simon.
"But you see what I mean, right? I didn't know he was waking up, I just walked in on my own and came here. How could Yoko cause this to happen?"
"Its a spell dear, so long as she knows what she's doing and puts the proper intent there's really nothing stopping her. Just how someone so young could figure out how to do it is the question."
Or if she was provided the right materials to make it happen, spells were nice and all. Sure Yoko had plush toys at her disposal, but how did she manage to pull 'souls' from the 'AFTERLIFE' to use for the fusing? Or were they provided to serve a purpose?