Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: Welp going to have to do some story adjusting I see now that my Bible is being updated finally...

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The Castle of Dracula peeled itself out of the void it had been banished to, liberated from the space between. It loomed over the ground, free for all to bear witness to, a starved beast returned to the world. For if there was ever a way for a structure to look 'hungry'; it was the Castle of Dracula.

The outer walls held large gaps and gaping holes all around them, in some spots almost appearing as the lone tooth in a mouth. The towers were just as battered, appearing thinner than what was first recorded when the military made visual contact with the restored castle. With the moon staring down through those gutted out holes, it was hard not to think of them as demonic eyes glaring down at the ground. Shingles were missing, shutters hung broken or swung wide and loose, with the world having failed to run away.

The organic life around the area had attempted to flee, trees, brush, grass, all of it was huddled away from the castle. Frozen in sudden death the branches were outstretched towards safety away from the grounds. What light from the moon managed to filter through the Castle to the ground below began to wither away the trees and brush as efficiently as a death ray.

While the lake that once placidly resided below the castle was evaporated away to the point where there was a dry bed. Not even skeletons of fish or roots of the now evaporated lake plants remained. Gazing from the ground below the Castle, emaciated in appearance, loomed as hungry as a predator sizing up its prey.

Prey that now cowered in rapture and fear.

For the influence of the Castle spread as a shadow across the land, stretching far into the distance. The Children were already aware, their eyes glued to the moon or the horizon depending on where they were at the moment. They waited with baited breath, for they could feel their Lords' rage, barely in check.

While the Castle began to consume anything it touched. Deprived of the Chaos that had been part of its core being for so long, it gorged on the chaos desired in the souls of man. From where the Castle was once grounded it reached far and wide. Crossing the world as a spider building a web would. Securing places all over the night covered land to ensure that it was never sealed again.

Meanwhile; live video feeds captured the ominous color of the moon as well as the hovering castle. People, who were awake, were standing outside staring up at the moon in confusion, some unable to see the castle due to mundane means. Pictures were taken on phones, while the masses varied only slightly, some bewitched by the moon. Staring in adoration, as others cowered and screamed while the shrill scream of alarms went off on military bases around the whole of the landmass.

Fighter jets started to be fueled up, soldiers woken from sound slumber were barked at until they were in uniforms. While soldiers of a completely different group started to step out under the night sky. Vampire Killer was bound to be active now. But there was no heir to wield it against Dracula, and this was no longer just an isolated area. The whole side of the planet could very well see what was hanging up in the sky. A bloody sign announcing to everyone that the age of myths and legends was making a come back.

Even as far away as the Vatican.

Where Richters' ears wiggled, and seemingly in response the other hunters' shared that sudden wiggle. "Everyone feeling that?" He asked noticing the others looking up from their various work out routines.

"Its..." Christopher's nose scrunched into his face, if he had a sense of smell it would have appeared as though he smelled something unpleasant.

"It reminds me of how it felt when I was turning into a zombie," Simon answered, his voice low and he was already making for the window.

"Well that can't happen to us..." Juste pointed out as he followed suit. "Granted that's because we're bound to these stuffed bodies, but even that aside..."

"No... Its a conflict of interests..." Simon explained as he climbed up the chair. "That part of me that was all about destroying Dracula. Warring with the side of me that was turning into one of his undead soldiers."

"You never wrote about the experience, just the part about you hunting down Dracula and what it entailed," Juste pointed out as he jumped onto the chair seat.

"Did it ever come up as something important?" Simon asked as he pushed aside the curtains. If the moon was visible he couldn't see it. However; he 'could' see the faint pink glow that seemed to paint everything on the grounds that was normally made bone white in the full moon... "This isn't supposed to be a full moon is it?"

"Wrong group to ask," Christopher noted with a faintly amused tone. "But am I seeing things or does everything outside have a pink hue to it?"

"Well that would go badly with that sensation we all had..." Richter noted as he joined his fellows on the desk. "Think we should step outside and check on the rest of the Vatican?"

"I think we should," Simon answered as he dropped the curtain, allowing it to sweep by and bloc their view of the outside world.

While back on the old hunting grounds directly below the gorging castle, illuminated by the pale blood moonlight was its Lord and Master.

A very agonized one as Soma struggled to deal with the dual assaults on his senses. His ringed hand was burning with a pain that made thinking difficult. As every thought was dragged kicking and screaming back to the fact that the accursed ring 'hurt'.

The effort it took to turn his thoughts away from the pain in his arm only shoved him face first into what now rested before him. Mental shock and grief became ignited into fury that thrummed down along his nerves. He wanted to lash out, scream, tear everything and anything around him into pieces.

So instead he sat still, afraid to move, fearing that anything would cause that torrent of rage to explode outward and rend everything to pieces. It would make him feel better of course, but once Alucard woke up he'd be upset.

Needs and wants were now in utter conflict both in the physical aspect and emotional one. Soma, in his naive modern memories had no child and his attachment to Alucard was of a civilian needing protection. There was some sense of attachment to Alucard, as the man was the only outright Dark Child that Soma knew since this began. He was trained, experienced, and perhaps it was that unconscious awareness of their deeper relationship that made it easier for Soma to accept Alucard. There was some nebulous 'thing' between them that equaled trust in Soma. Which he had just gone along with.

Dracula was different. God had taken Elizabetha from him, despite his devotions. He might have even done it out of spite, another casual 'test of faith' that involved ending the life of an innocent. As though murdering an innocent woman to test the faith of her husband somehow glorified him in some way. Maybe to the mewling weak of mind too afraid to stand up to an oppressive magnificent bastard.

Yet this was his son, Alucard was all he had left of his wife's reincarnation. Perhaps he was a tad over indulgent, willing to give all to his child with little to no restraint. Was it so wrong to want to give his only child the moon and the stars? The boy had lost his mother to violence and Dracula had no idea what else he could do. Kill the threats before they turned on his precious child, it was the only sane answer he could think to give.

But neither of them were human, Alucard saw himself as an adult and wished to be treated as such. Which... whatever tattered remains of Dracula's humanity often did point out, the boy long since outgrown his overalls. He was 'employed', earned a 'paycheck', did things like an adult. So if Dracula was to humor his child he had to respect his childs' wishes.

It was absolutely killing him to do.

Nothing could be more rage inducing than to see family, crucified and bloody, and know that if Dracula did as Dracula always did. Alucard would hate him again.

Alucard, miraculously, lowered his defenses enough to be around Dracula when Soma was allowed to be unobstructed by past memories. Grant the child the ability to play adult around his father in the role of 'guardian' and Alucard let his father near. But he was bleeding, wounded, stained in those wrenched oils.

Then there was that wrenched ring on Somas' left hand.

The diamond was cracked and the edges blackened.

While Yoko was at a loss for what she could really do at this point. Alucard needed blood, he had yet to stir leaving the only way he could ingest anything that would help, would be via blood. Even to Yoko it seemed to be the state of Soma's current mind set. When Dracula had lashed out against the village at the death of his wife, well, she had been dead. Yoko had never asked where Alucard had been when his father reached the village.

But this was slightly different, Alucard was still alive and needed help. Perhaps that was why she wasn't a horrible smear on the glassy ground now. Soma was prioritizing Alucard above all else while not looking to Yoko as a food source to give Alucard. It was a faint hope that he hadn't succumbed to all his past memories. That he wasn't in some type of PTSD flashback thinking he was back in the Middle Ages.

When his only friend was Death and the best way to deal with human stupidity was scorch earth genocide.

'Think Yoko, think... Chronologically, that Glyph wielder Shanoa was the next to deal with Dracula after Richter. Without the Vampire Killer and survived no less. Mother described Dracula as history painted him back during the Demon Castle War, but he was apathetic later in Fortner's own castle.' Soma's personality was reasonably moderate when compared to his past incarnations, even his modern one when he went full Lord.

"Soma... I need to help Arikado, you don't mind do you?" She asked, feeling ridiculous, addressing her friend more like he was a rabid dog. But she had already faced him once when he was in that state of mind. When he struck out at them simply because it was alleviating his momentary boredom.

That was when she was with Julius and Alucard and... and... 'I never 'did' get a straight answer as to why he relented into returning back into... wait did he even ever 'turn' back?!'

Yoko racked her brain for that battle and everything after. Trying to remember the moment he had returned to being human. Only nothing came to mind, despite Soma clearly walking in daylight without negative repercussions. Despite talking 'to Soma' and not Dracula in Soma's body... There had been some faint worry over his well being when he never really... turned back to normal after the Castle itself.

Soma always seemed to retain that elevated amount of increased speed, not that she ever cared enough to pressure him. There was a long standing tradition among the Belmonts that they would retain the relics of the Castle after their trips. From Justes' numerous spellbooks to the other odds and ends collected over the centuries. Short of Dracula organs. She had just accepted that he retained some of those self same relics as Julius had even after all these years.

'But if they weren't relics... what 'were' they?' she found herself floundering feeling this growing dread in the pit of her stomach.

Soma blinked once, slowly, the only real movement he gave for a rather unhealthy length of time. Then he turned his gaze up towards the castle hovering over them, a massive reminder of what he commanded.

Yet despite the fact that he turned his focus away, Yoko didn't move. If it was a test of trust it was for the best that Soma 'see' her when she moved. Once his gaze returned to her, he moved his ringed hand out from below Alucards' knees. Reaching to take and expose Alucards' hand, turning it just enough so she could have a better view from the distance. While also revealing his pale hand...

The ring was barely in one piece. The stones that had been blessed were visibly shattered, light glowing from some internal source was cast outwards. The golden band that the stones had been inlaid to was now a black twisted affair. Blood was trickling down Soma's ring finger from where the newly twisted metal pierced into his skin.

The pit that existed in Yoko's stomach turned into a numbing cold of mute horror as the revelation hit. 'No no no no... Alucards' going to be infuriated and... and... oh no Soma no...' She blinked back the tears as she turned her gaze over to Alucards' hand. The present hole had closed up a good deal. Shadows meant she couldn't confirm if it was closed completely through or if there was some small gap.

"Soma, let me give him some of my blood... I know he doesn't drink it often, but unless you're willing to let me channel my healing spells to him while bopping you on the head a few hundred times..." Yoko offered, noting how Soma's red, she refused to believe they went completely black in fury, eyes shifted focus. Looking over her shoulder towards something in the distance. It wasn't the castle, so she could only suspect it was Alexis.

The LeCarde was devote to Alucard, and if there was anyone who would definitely not be a threat it was her. Yet in this almost void of sound, and just Soma's flick of a glance was enough to make Yoko realize how absolutely silent it was... The area was a dust bowl, void of everything save the three of them. Even the wind wasn't carrying any sound, be it because all of nature was too scared to move. Or because there was no nature left 'to' move.

"Soma?" As much as Yoko wanted to look behind her. She just had to hope it was Alexis and focused instead on getting Alucard healed. The Castle wasn't returning to the seal, despite Soma actively keeping the seal and in check before this. There should have been signs of Soma's power releasing its hold on the world. He should have started to dampen down his own power so that he couldn't be felt.

Yet here she was, still feeling the raw power he wielded, unable to figure out if it was due to the Castle looming over head, the damage to the ground, or the broken ring. He couldn't go back to Japan like this, when his power was an almost physical sensation to her. Leaving Yoko to shudder at the thought of him trying to interact with the normal world again. 'Hell, Trevor got banished from civilization for the innate holy power he wielded. People who don't understand are going to freak out...'

'Who am I kidding, he's a dead man walking now so it doesn't really matter any more,' Yoko dejectedly thought when she braved to inch herself closer. "Soma, some vocal recognition would help..." she pointed out. He was moving about at least, even if it was to notice the blood on his hand. Licking it off while keeping his eyes fixated on her, a warning but not a threat.

"If I feed him myself he'll become a full vampire."

Yoko wasn't sure what she expected when Soma 'did' finally concede to speak. If she would hear the same slightly higher cranked up tone he used when he turned in Fortners' castle. Or maybe he would deepen his voice to more how it probably sounded when he was in his original body. Seeing that he was clearly on paternal alert. The fatigue and frustration didn't mar Soma's voice, though, instead she just heard the same Soma she had known.

"So its me time..." She took another few steps, keeping a keen eye on Soma's face. Looking for the first sign of displeasure or outrage stirring in those ruby depths. 'I need you to wake up Alucard. But I wish it was anyone else other than me doing this...'

Soma shifted the arm holding Alucards' upper body so that Alucard was tucked under his chin, but it freed up his hand. It was almost mesmerizing to see how a lone index fingernail started to sharpen and elongate. Yoko glanced at Soma, curious at to the action which earned her a slightly put upon sigh. "You have any other way you're going to feed him? Have a clean blade on you?"

"Erp... When was the last time you got a mani?" Yoko asked, striving to keep the, 'hopefully', levity that Soma was showing going. But she finally scored a spot by Soma's side, with Alucard cradled between them. Still silent as death. 'I'm so sorry Al... I know you want to save your father. But I think they won, we can't save him anymore.'