Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

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They sat in silence for quite some time, for Soma just the actual companionship was enough for him. It took some of the edge off of his days and gave him an excuse not to study tests for school. He had enough experience to know how he reacted when around people if he didn't snack on something. That hunger for blood was more likely to stir awake when he was in the company of the living. While Leon was a plush toy and therefore not the least bit enticing. A mouth full of stuffing wasn't appetizing to a vast majority of people. Himself included.

Where as Leon was taking the opportunity to climb around the interior of the car, it was fascinating really. Though... "Not care... Mathias said..."

Soma blinked out of his thoughts and looked down at Leon, recalling their conversation back to what he had mentioned earlier. "Oh... Its just that I don't really care about people anymore. I spent ages being summoned back over and over again, to 'resume my war on humanity' or to sow Chaos into the world. I'm fed up with being summoned to basically do the work of others, I mean if you want chaos in the world. You don't need me to do it, I could understand if the people calling me were Dark Children who were being abused. But the first time was an accident, intended for nothing more than to wake me up. The second time was some entitled, vain, gold digger who wanted to keep her powers going longer by making me 'wake up'. As though my purpose in life should be to be killed repeatedly via Vampire Hunters just so she could keep up her parlor tricks."

"Gold Digger?" Leon repeated, his head tilted to the side while Mathias gave him a faint shrug.

"Just think of it as a person who pursues wealth and power through..." Soma came to a stop before glancing down at Leon. Did the poor ancient hunter deserve 'that' much of a modern education? "Forget I said that, just a 'vain, power hording idiot', that should be better."

Leons' face scrunched slightly in an effort to express a raised eyebrow, 'well then...'

"Anyway, the apathy I felt was so intense I couldn't break it. I just wanted to be left alone by that point. I just needed to remind those idiots that I'm not a fool to be taken lightly. Awakening me because they want to keep their power? Because they can't just accept they have an ability, but must find the source of it for exploitation? Which in and of itself isn't necessarily 'bad', but the apathetic, analytical approach was also bothersome. There's not much either would be 'candidates' could do 'with' their abilities that's true, well save being a pyromaniac. I guess its the entitlement that they felt was what annoyed me. They treated their abilities and my existence as no better or different than finding a genie in a bottle. That self serving 'I can do what I want because I won the lottery', at the exploitation of this other beings existence." Mathias continued, earning Leon's slow nod of understanding.

Granted Leon knew nothing of the Dark Children, but he understood the situation when he put himself in Mathias' shoes. These would be 'candidates' with no reason to empathize or care about the actual Dark Children would be undoubtedly worse than Mathias. Mathias had been a vampire for some two hundred 'years' before his war, he long since would have stopped any recognition of being 'human'. For him, the Dark Children 'were' his people, not the humans, for whatever it was worth, he would only concern himself with the well being of the Dark Children. 'Not' the human race.

Yet these people with extraordinary abilities were still 'humans'. Raising a concern for how they would treat the world itself, both its humans and dark children. Summoning Mathias simply to either force him on the throne to keep their powers, or kill him outright to take his place was dangerous. Though Leon had to ponder what would happen to the world if something like that happened. True Mathias would be dead, but would not the title of 'Lord of Darkness' pass on to his son, Alucard? Wouldn't the Dhampire, no matter how resistant, become the new ruler?

In fact Mathias 'had' been dead for years before he reincarnated into this form, what had happened after his fall that final time? Did the throne go to his son? Did the Dark Children obey Alucard until his Father was reborn? The question was as annoying as a fly buzzing about his head because he couldn't ask anyone. Mostly because he couldn't address the issue with Mathias without alerting the man to the relationship between himself and the Dhampire. Also, how would Mathias know? He had only just recently discovered his own dark nature, Leon honestly doubted the man went and interviewed a few of the other Dark Children to see what was going on.

Which only strengthened the reason why Death came to him. After all, if Mathias didn't recognize Death even as a servant, it wasn't as though It was free to converse with Its Master without permission. If Mathias would even listen, after all outside of Alucard what other Dark Child did Mathias know about and speak with? Well besides Yoko, which he had confessed to having power over Witches. But she didn't 'serve' him in as much as she protected him from those who wanted him to fall. Though in that regard it 'could' have been viewed as serving he supposed, it was also too coincidental that both she and her brother were born with such unique side abilities.

Each Witch was either combat ready, Belnades, or utility based, Aulin, Yoko straddled the line by knowing combat magic. But could use her magics to extract souls and implant them in other items that made her actually useful to Mathias... Actually as he thought about it, there was a group of humans who had unique powers due to Mathias' death. Witches were under Mathias' providence of rule, so was it possible that Yoko and her brothers' abilities were decided 'by' Mathias? Had he somehow wanted to put people in place to help him be restored to power?

Leon stood there staring at the steering wheel as he tried to think of how Mathias would have handled that moment. If he couldn't resurrect, maybe he expected Yoko to retrieve his soul and get a host body for him? But she wasn't born on the day he died either, so was she just a luck of the draw or...

"You look like you're over working your brain, Leon," Mathias noted casually from his seat.

Distracted by Mathias, Leon felt his face smooth out and his ears stop moving while he turned to look up at the vampire. Trust Mathias to put Leon in a state where he was displaying his thoughts, unlike the ladies who's 'interests' just kept him patiently amused. "Apologies," he answered unsure if he should mention the reason 'for' his over thinking.

Mathias spoke like an adult dealing with a child when addressing Leon, which made sense to a degree. Mathias recalled Leon when Leon was a 'child', yet he was being honest and patient so as much as it annoyed Leon, he resigned himself to tolerating it.

"You know, caring about people sucks." Soma decided as he sat there, folding his arms across his chest and a small frown crossing his face. "It sucks more than simply blood. I can't recall what originally made me go Vampire. I can't recall what made me decide to wipe out the human race, but I can recall why I decided that I needed to repaint a room in Summoner Cultist blood."

He covered his face with his right hand while gesturing with his left towards the door of the garage. "I hate being alone, yet my personality drives people away and so the moment I finally start making any friends... I just go super crazy murder spree if anything happens to them. I mean, I 'did' kill Graham without so much as a 'by your leave' partly because he stabbed Yoko as much as he threatened me. I flipped tables when I thought Mina was killed," Soma shifted in his seat so he was facing Leon again. "I think the world would have been better off if I was totally apathetic. Because while I know most of my friends are safe, one is missing and I am forced to spend most of my time alone in this estate. I am, to quote a quip, going 'batty'."

'Well that is most certainly an accurate self assessment of one's state of mind. A terribly dark and concerning one, but accurate all the same.' Leon thought as he stood there looking up at Mathias. But how to articulate the need for Mathias to learn better management with his limited number of words per breath... "Church friends?"

Soma snorted in amusement, partly because he knew that Leon had never seen the interior of the church. He shook his head, "I've been 'assigned' to Elmo by Arikado, that aside I enjoy the choir kids. The adults are tolerable, but the adults that I interact with that are well aware of who I am? React accordingly. They're more interested in figuring how I think and function than hanging out or being friends. The kids are innocent in that aspect, though that just means that I'm protective of the kids as well, and that puts us right back at the start of my problem."

'Was... was I and your Lady wife the only friends you had?' Leon thought to himself as horror crept up his spine. Was the idea 'literally' if Mathias made friends 'at all' they got placed into this ever widening group of 'people Mathias will destroy the world for'?!

But that was foolish, he wasn't that emotionally out of control. It was more reasonable to note that everyone that he had actively listed? Were women who had been harmed, rather than warriors who had been wounded. With the lone exception of Arikado, who he didn't know yet was his son. Though Leon wasn't holding his breath to find out what Mathias would do if it 'was' Alucard who got injured. He was already aware of what Mathias did to that one Cardinal who hurt Alucard, granted Mathias didn't 'kill' the man. But literally slicing off the man's hand?

"Stop injuring... Cardinals..." Leon suggested and watched as Mathias gave a faint sigh.

"I'm not sorry. They shouldn't feel entitled to physically hurt people at a whim," Soma retorted as he glanced at his reflection in the window.

Which was a counter that Leon couldn't argue about, since it was true. Unless they were interrogating him which even then, Alucard worked in the service of the church. Why hurt him? 'So perhaps its time to change tactics a bit...' Leon thought before waving his paw until Mathias looked at him. Once he had the man's attention he pointed at Mathias and asked "Study cults?"

"No, I suspect that's part of 'criminal science', I was eyeing politics in school honestly, though now knowing what I do about myself... I'm back at trying to figure out what I want to do with my life," Soma answered. While he mentally whined 'I'm so SCREWED.' He had honestly no idea what he would 'like' to do for the rest of his life. He had picked politics as a major and psychology as a minor because 'why not' only now, after his run through his castle that felt like the worst choices. 'Is there anything in the world that I 'could' do, that does 'not' result in the use of the phrase 'and that is how I expanded my army'.' "There are days when I look at school and think to myself, 'I should just move back into the Castle, I won't hurt anyone and I won't have to worry about a 'higher education'."

"Wrong cults." Leon corrected, his face twisting just enough to show a mild attempt at chastising.

"Oh? Oh... Oh! You mean those..." Soma realized and shook his head at his misunderstanding. "Come on its actually more interesting if I show you."

He opened the door to the car and stepped out, shaking out his hair and his coat before shutting the door. The estate was as quiet as ever and he wasn't touching the car any further than the door handles. Unlike Leon who could be considered polishing it just by rubbing one of his paws against it, 'I'm so terrible' Soma thought to himself. Feeling Leon follow him as he walked around the car even if the Lion could only stand so tall.

'The maps are in the main office so I can give Leon more of a tour as we go there.' Soma thought to himself while pondering how much, if anything, that Leon might know of computers. Once he reached the other side he opened the door and watched as Leon walked to the edge of the seat. If the one time man wanted or needed help he was bound to ask. So instead Soma stood there and merely watched as Leon stared at the ground for a moment and took a leap. "And he sticks the landing," Soma teased as Leon landed on the ground neatly with his arms out like a gymnast.

The Belmont looked up at him from the comment, his head tilted to the side slightly in question, causing Soma to shake his head in amusement as he explained. "Its something you hear in certain sports when people have to jump from one place to another and land without falling over."

Not that he needed Leon to reply, it was amazing how per-designed happy expressioned toys could give such stern looks. When they lacked eyelids and their mouths were always in those 'happy' positions before being twisted to accommodate new expressions. 'I wonder... Alchemy is about transmutation, and these are toy versions of animals. Maybe I can make them into the animals they look like... Simon will be a JOY to have at the Vatican...' Soma thought as Leon stepped away from the car so he could shut the door.

Rampaging angry bear alert!

Once the door to the car was shut, Soma walked alongside Leon when the realization that he was thinking about giving Leon a true lion body came to mind. Would he be able to talk like a human still? Or would the voice box get in the way? Either by physically, making Leon choke at the physical obstruction, or mute him by 'having' the physical obstruction?

The estate was sparse by Leon's standards, high quality but absent of personal touches that would indicate anything about Alucard. The rooms that Mathias pointed out as being used by Yoko were far and away more expressive. Though locked behind the years of the lady, stuffed toys, pictures on walls of outrageously dressed people, video games and books. It was like a large cake with each layer indicating another milestone in Lady Yoko's life.

It was a curious thing that Alucard would allow for it to remain, some of the stuff clearly coming from the womans' childhood. The room was bright and well kept without much in the way of dust, and there were signs that Mathias spent time around the 'gaming system' as well. So it was still in use, which was a plus he figured.

There wasn't much interest in Lady Yoko's rooms, toys and games though; with time he probably would grow interested if he was stationed here. But what 'was' interesting proved to be Alucard's office, a stern place with dark colors and little life. It looked rather lived in at the moment, there was a couple of white coats strewn about and a book with a pen on the side of the 'computer'.

"So... the downside of being bored is that I've had plenty of time to do research," Mathias began as he touched a button on the machine. Then without so much as a 'by your leave' he picked Leon up and placed him on the desk that the machine was resting on.

Watching Mathias use it was interesting, the tactician was moving this small black thing with his hand that was causing a tiny white arrow to move in concert on the screen. There was a small sound of clicking and images began flashing onto the screen. Ending with a large... what he could only figure to be a map.

"Now this is the world at large, and this," click. "Are colored dots that represent all the human sacrifices that have taken place over the world for the past several months even before Arikado left."

Leon's stomach dropped as multiple colored dots spread across the globe, so much so and so overlapping that there were several dots that rested upon one another of two different colors. "How many?"

"1,521 to be exact as of yesterday," Mathias stated as he leaned down to sit in his chair his eyes on the screen. "Though they have several things in common, one being that they happen in groups of five with a varied number that happens across the world at the same time. So, for example; three happen at once, or eight happen at once, across the world."

"Colors represent?" Leon inquired, grateful that the voice box didn't convey is worry.

"Well, they represent elemental alignments or 'quarter calling locations', and this is where I give you a basic series of lessons on alchemy, elements, and why the people of the modern era are idiots since a simple phone call could accomplish more than all of this." Mathias answered as he crossed his legs and got comfortable. "Seriously, one call and I could tell them to leave me alone, but 'no'."

"So the alchemy side of things. There's the transmutation of either a physical property, say the often used 'lead into gold' and the spiritual 'base, savage human spirit into a saintly pure soul free of corruption or temptation'. When you see an pentagram that points up, the message it sends is 'My intent , thoughts, emotions, offerings and energy are pure.' When its inverted it means that its done out of pure selfishness, normally. Now when they are attempting to summon 'me' it takes a slightly new meaning, because they're viewing 'me' as the source of these negative traits and want me to manifest. The whole 'bring chaos until this world' motif."

"Chaos..." Leon echoed looking at all the various colors across the map, and indeed the world map 'did' look chaotic. It wasn't exactly replicated the same either, particular colors in one area in one group was moved to other areas in others. Though at least he was fortunate enough that Mathias was taking the time to explain this to him. Leon feared that by the time this was over, he was going to need the help.