Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta: No one but myself.
A/N: … sometimes I think created the Bearmonts was a mistake. An adorable, plushy mistake.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"Find Alucard," Juste repeated as he looked up at the spirit before him while settling himself down into a seated position. "Will that be hard? Since we four don't know exactly where he is at the moment. The world is a big place after all, how can you sense one lone Dhampire among all of the people?"
Sophia's expression reflected her own sense of futility towards such a task. She floated herself down to the ground so she was near the hunters. Shrugging slightly in helplessness, "I'm not sure, I figure I'll do a quick search through Japan and then extend my search outwards. Beyond that, I'm not exactly sure, 'undercover' can be so frustrating in a situation like this. Especially if Draculas' good behavior can 'only' be counted on if Alucard is safe and sound."
The hunters nodded in sympathy as they thought about the situation as well, since it wasn't as though Alucard was necessarily 'in' Japan. He could have been in any number of countries at the moment, and they weren't sure how he went 'undercover' anyways. In the history that Trevor passed down, the 'Vampire' who had aided them was blue skinned and black haired, while Alucard was clearly 'not'. No one had ever thought to ask about how he had managed such a change. There was the knowledge he could turn into animals, but shifting his appearance to look different was something else. Not that the Belmonts could ask anything when they were stuck looking like stuffed toys in the end. More the shame really, for all the hurdles placed before Sophia could have been remedied by being vocally curious when they were still alive.
This was far away different than if Dracula attacked the world, the moment he got it in his head to even do something the world always reflected this. His influences always started to grow and the world became more rife in violence and hate. Until his arrival created a type of bulls eye that directed the hunters to where the Castle would manifest. Though in ages past it was always in the same location, now with the Castle in an eclipse... well who knew 'where' it would spring up this time.
Soma's presence and the lack of those negative events was a sign that he really 'was' behaving and that was something they wanted. If they could just somehow get Soma into the cycle of humanity fully and know that when he died he would move along like the dead 'should'. That would mean that the clan's work was finally done, at least on Draculas' end. Even if there 'were' others who sought his power or position, so long as they didn't get access to the Castle everything would be fine. The power to resurrect ones self had been lost with only Dracula knowing the process. Even if Soma knew it at this point, as long as he didn't go about trying to reconstruct it...
Well that would mean all the vampires and other Dark Children who might try something would be forced to deal with their finite life spans. Which was infinitely better than a constant resurrecting Vampire Lord who could control all the Dark Children. There had never been another Vampire who could control the Dark Children off handedly as Dracula could. And so long as another with such strength never rose again, the clan could finally say that their tasks were done.
But if something caused Soma to revert back to becoming Dracula, something he was already close to doing. For whatever reason, Soma's connection to Mina caused him to snap when she was 'killed' in the fake castle. Now if he was becoming fixated on Alucard it would mean there was 'two' people that needed to be protected. Not easy when one of those two people was Soma's bodyguard/protector/executioner/son all rolled up into one.
"Simon, you work the closest to Yoko and have more maneuverability so to speak, so before I go looking for Valencia, you got any hints? Anything you might have heard regarding where Alucard might have gone?" Sophia asked, while Simon turned to look at her though bodily he was still facing Yoko.
His left ear gave a twitch as he sat there, folding his arms across his chest as he began thinking on that matter. Trying to remember any tidbits that Yoko might have blurted out while not in her room, thus in the presence of the other hunters. But they had that meeting in the privacy of Alucards' office in the Date Building, which excluded Simon. Eventually causing him to shake his head in answer, "unless you can convince Kazu to convince Yoko to tell him..."
Christopher and Juste sat around trying to think of a quick answer to this proverbial needle in the haystack. While Richter was busy getting back on the bed and seemed to be studying Yoko more than Sophia's presence. "How about that ghost familiar that Alucard has?"
Four heads turned towards the brown coated dog Belmont as Richter finally got back on the bed properly. From the corner of his eye he could see Simon, Christopher and Juste looking at him, and turning he saw Sophia looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Though lacking anything beyond happy Plush faces meant he couldn't read much into the his forefathers. "Yes, I admit I'm not well acquainted with them, but he has a series of familiars. While it would be possible that Sophia will be invisible to most of them, he 'does' have a Ghost that obeys him. If she can find that Ghost maybe she can get some help out of it. So long as it recognizes her as not a threat at least. Since the Familiars always zero in on Alucard when ever he called them forth. I don't see a reason the ghost can't guide Sophia."
The others nodded, with various levels of reluctance, the most being from Juste, as he rubbed his paw against the side of his face. "Its a solid idea, and could work, the only thing that I can think of that might get in the way is the nature of the summons. As you pointed out, the Ghost might mistake Sophia as a threat and try to fight her. But also without Alucard actually 'summoning' it, the Ghost might not be able to go to him."
Sophia nodded thoughtfully as well, "yes, without knowing the nature of the Familiar its possible that it just won't go against Alucards' wishes. But its the best lead we have so far! So I'll go check on Valencia, then Leon, make sure he's doing ok, and then see if I can find Alucards' sanctuary."
The others nodded while Richter made his way to the head of the bed and began trying to dig his way under the blanket.
"No, go away, I don't want Sophia to see me," Yoko whimpered out while Simon face palmed himself that this was 'still' going on.
"Poor girl, if I had known then what I know now," Sophia ruminated out loud as she waved her farewells to the rest of the hunters.
"Leave her be, Richter she'll fall asleep on her own," Juste scolded as he began stretching out and wishing he had a book to read.
"And if she doesn't but tries to drive? Do you want to experience a fiery crash?" Richter asked as he finally managed to wiggle himself under the blanket.
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
Valencia had proven to be getting along well with her husband despite her instance that she should get ready for a red eye. She had instead opted to go to bed at her husbands' and rest for the night which allowed Sophia to now visit the founder of the Belmont Clan. Leon seemed to be doing well also, Sophia decided as she arrived at Minas' place. A hunt that took far longer than she wanted, though if she was to be honest wasn't 'that' bad. Since she had plenty of context clues about the girl. Shrine maiden, hill, seal upon Draculas' Castle, very easy to find her once Sophia got out of the house and high enough in the sky.
Perhaps it was the anxiety of knowing that once she found Leon she would no longer have an excuse. She would 'have' to start looking for Alucard, and it was not a task she looked forward to. The idea that there 'could' be a situation brewing that would result in the need for the Belmonts to take up the Vampire Killer was disheartening. Not because she had turned so soft that the ideal of people going into combat was troubling. Far from it, even if she was a witch, she was more than willing to get in the battle once more. Despite knowing that, being dead, it would never happen for her.
Instead it was knowing what her clan had been doing and seeing how it had affected the generations of her clan that was disheartening. She wanted to talk to Yoko and tell the poor girl that, despite everything that Yoko had gone through, that Sophia was proud of her. Even if she plushed up Trevor and the other hunters. Ok to be fair she couldn't help but find their state of being hilarious, but Yoko's ability to cast such spells was impressive.
Granted back when Kazu was a baby, Sophia had bemoaned that Yokos' seeming talent was so far below what Charlotte accomplished. Yet between Trevors' admonishment and just watching, Sophia had finally began to see Yoko for more than her magical abilities. Even now, Yokos' ability allowed for her to work alongside Dracula in a way that gave her leverage in dealing with the Dark Lord. Her personality allowing her to stay friendly would allow Soma to have someone to connect with. Hopefully ground him in dark moments, at least until Alucard could arrive and defuse whatever situation. Interesting how being dead had given Sophia a reason to see her clan's worth as more than just their value in the fight against Dracula.
She found Leon resting upon a series of pillows positioned to look like a bed, with a small blanket tucked over him. Presented in such a way as to show that Mina was being absolutely respectful towards the Belmont. He was even rested near the window so he could view the outside world, Sophia figured. While a series of books were placed in such a way as to look like a wall so she was provided privacy.
Sophia hovered above him and looked down before giving a small wave to him, "hello, Leon. I see that the young lady has provided for you quite nicely."
As the minutes crawled by and Mina gave a sleepy sigh as she slipped deeper into sleep, Sophia noticed that Leon... wasn't responding. While the witch could recognize the fact that this was the only plushy that was given such special treatment, he seemed unresponsive. Which didn't seem right because Yoko had yet to produce a defective Stuffy. "Leon? Sir Leon Belmont? Is there a reason why you won't communicate with me?" She asked, waving a hand a bit more while searching for some sign of acknowledgment from the lion.
Which by the way was absolutely adorable, though it was incredibly odd that someone who wasn't a hunter or connected to hunters would be given a plushy. For that matter, there was a strange correlation with how Leon's name meant 'lion' and the plush form he was placed in was that of a lion. As she thought about it, Trevor and Simon were the only ones who seemed to have been rather oddly placed. True Simon was placed in a treasured toy of Yoko's and Trevor was just something she got as a child. But she had been an adult, presumably, when she established the other three in their stuffed bodies. Christopher with his protectiveness towards his family was in a bear, white haired Juste was in a pale colored Husky, and Richter was in a two brown toned dog as well.
As Sophia thought on it, even if the clan didn't realize they were going to be planted in a stuffed body, or Yoko herself aware she was doing it. When she reached adulthood she seemed to have subconsciously selected shells closely associated with the Hunter who was going to be placed in them. Which was fascinating, given her brothers' ability to communicate with spirits and the dead, so it was always possible that this was an inherited trait. There had to be a gene or something that Valencias' husband must have been carrying that was passed to the two that gave them this talent.
Which meant she was going to miss more of her dramas, and watching as much science shows on genetics in her future.
"A dead woman looking to the future... sounds like the setup to a joke, doesn't it Leon?" She commented offhandedly down at the lion that had yet to react to her presence. "Hmm maybe its just that you got made... like yesterday right? Ahh well I'm supposed to go looking for a family friend, but I'll stop by regularly to see how you're doing!" She offered the poor Belmont before she drifted out past the walls of the girls' bedroom.
Right back into what looked like a metaphysical messy yard.
That had been another thing that had told her that she had found the right place. The seal to Draculas' Castle was here, tattered and torn all over the place. It was frayed and sparking, bringing to mind when she saw a 'downed line' once on a show. Everything should have been invisible to her eyes unless she willed it. Instead it was bright, vivid, and very dangerous, more akin to a cord pulled taunt then cut. No longer holding the Castle of Dracula back, it was Soma who willed it to stay where it rested.
And that made things absolutely terrifying for Sophia. That it was 'Dracula' that was holding the seal in place himself. It was almost patronizing, the imprisoned soul that opts to stay in the cell to humor the inept jail keepers. Perhaps there would be those who would scoff at her worry, try to reassure that Soma was Soma and everything would be fine now. But who really 'knew' Soma well enough to gauge his reactions? When Soma first awakened, the seal on the Castle had mended the moment Soma returned to the Earth, and the damage to the seal here was far too recently done to be from when Soma awoke. When he lost himself to his rage, it would have seemed that he knew where to find his Castle and on instinct tore the seal to reach it.
No, all the damage that existed before her was new enough that she would have put money on Soma having torn the seal open recently. Back then it was simply the girl sleeping behind Sophia who drove Soma to this state. Now? Now if something happened to Alucard, the Castle could easily be called back into the world again. All about Sophia the tattered seal sparked as it tried to mend, and she felt it necessary to take this time to check things out herself. So she started at the front bells of the Shrine while checking all the damage about her.
It was enough to make her shake her head, as a variety of marks were shown all over, from bites, slashes that didn't cut through. Strangely enough the grounds were still clean, no beings of evil intent had been on the lands. Well save Soma himself, but nothing else seemed to have made an attempt at entering the grounds. Which was odd, for the shrines' protections were clearly damaged, unless there was nothing left in the area to try and enter the shrine. After all what did Sophia know? Somas' original awakening could have killed everything off in a short radius for all she knew. Or he just scared everything off with his anger point blank.
Though as she thought about the fact that everything was manifesting for her like cords, it raised a question in her head. What were the cords real function? Were they supposed to be a manifestation of the wards and protections of the shrine itself? Was it that they were supposed to serve as the chains that anchored the Castle to the earth while at the same time keeping it 'off' the planet? With that in mind she took a change of direction and flew high above the shrine, deciding a birds' eye view would be for the best.
From that altitude she could see that the cords 'were' ringed around the whole of the shrine, only to curve inward and connect at the shrine bells. It almost made an apple shape and gave Sophia a place to zero in on as she returned to the 'ground' level as it were. Western magic was so different from Eastern, just that one cartoon... 'anime' blew her mind with its talk of Eastern elemental magic. So as much as she wanted to say in confidence she knew the shrine was ok. Even 'with' all the clear damage she saw, she was unwilling to really risk it.
The bells at the front of the shrine held probably the strongest and best of the cords that she could see. They were healthy and pulsed with life, while further down the 'cords' was clearly damaged yet they still encircled the whole of the shrine to the best of their ability.
"If you would just give them more time, you'll find the damage 'is' mending" a woman's calm business like voice came up behind Sophia.
Then again, Sophia had been dead so long it took a moment before she realized that there was no one awake or around the shrine. So who was... Whirling around, she turned to see who was possibly talking to her. Only to find the shrines' courtyard, no one behind her and she was a ghost to start with, so who on earth could spook a ghost?
"Who is there?" She asked, looking around, feeling exposed and wary.
"My lord husband accidentally destroyed the wards around this place recently, on some level he seemed aware of the damage. The tattered remains you see are actually 'his' doing, as he is attempting to hold the remains and allow the shrine to mend itself. But something must have happened for his touch has left this place. I'm doing what I can to hold what he placed here up but... I am no priestess. However; with the hard work of the people here, my lords' work is being sustained and cleansed even. In time they will once again be guarded by pure divine light of their gods, until then..."
'Lord husband'? Sophia didn't like the sound of that. The idea that Soma 'himself' attempted to put the guards for the shrine back in place, even if he was unaware of his efforts? As though he was aware of the damage he brought upon the place and attempted to remedy the situation. It showed mercy and consideration, but also that if Soma was unaware that he was doing it at all. His subconscious was dangerously powerful for one so young, no, the young man 'needed' to learn about what he could do. But what would happen once he gained that knowledge, if he attempted to use it against humanity once again? Not to mention the person speaking...
"Are you Alucards' mother?" Sophia asked, even as her eyes kept scanning the grounds for some clue as to where the voice was coming from.
"Yes, however you can cease trying to see me. I have not left the Castle, only relocated the portal so I can see you at this location."
Yep, Sophia needed to find Alucard as soon as possible.
