Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: … Yes, Leon is about to be sitting in front of a television watching 'Doctor Who' for a while.
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A spewing sputtering sound caused Julius to pull the phone away from his ear and give it a smug look. He put the phone back to his ear before giving a causal, "you ok?"
"Sure, my tea and I are just fine," she coughed, "I mean, who 'wouldn't' choke on the idea of Dracula as a dog?"
"I'm sure if we leave him with his powers alone long enough he'll learn a wolf transformation, Alucard has one after all," Julius pointed out. He picked up his mug and walked over to the dinning room table. "But honestly, grab the other hunters and do what? I know you're not thinking of having Soma learn how to hunt, he shouldn't know what we do." Julius pointed out as his thick boots clomped along the floor. He put the mug down and pulled out the sturdy oak chair that was part of a dinning set before placing his weight down in it. "Actually he probably wouldn't want to know, he 'did' ask me to kill him if he lost it."
"Certainly not, he's too aware at this point. When I encountered him, unexpectedly I should add, he had all the earmarks of a man who is already too self aware. He's been in various states of self isolation for long enough to start doing as prisoners do. Exam his life," she pointed out, her voice firm and almost forceful.
"Which can't be good," Julius agreed.
"For example; he stated that the reason that the Belmonts can be controlled like Richter. Is due to the fact that witches are under his command and by intermingling our bloodlines via Trevor and Sophia. That the Belmonts are actually under his power as well," she explained and got to hear as 'he' choked on his water. "Exactly, if that were to be believed, it would imply that for ages he has 'allowed' us to hunt and slay him. That it wasn't just a fluke of one lone Belmont who suffered extreme torture."
"Yeah, so bring a leash, some teenager snacks and brace myself."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Back at Alucard' Estate \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"He's old, but I'm pretty sure you're aware of that. I would find it impossible that you 'don't' get updated by your kin when all of you get together." Soma reflected out loud. He swirled about a glass of wine as he relaxed at the dinning room table. Their conversations had eventually resulted in them leaving the office, with Soma giving a more thorough tour of the estate.
Leon sat back on a stack of soft breads that the faire folk brought for him to sit on. Said Fae folk were also currently fussing again with his mane, with a fairy size brush. Which he used as his excuse not to move more than his feet. It was true after all, he was aware that Mathias had a son and that his kinsmen spoke of many things when they gathered. So he sat there, watching as both fairies kept their backs to Soma. They fussed with his mane working to brush it out neatly with pinched panicked expressions.
There were signs that the Familiars had a list of things they were permitted to discuss with Mathias. Though they fairly fell over each other in near manic bids to see to Mathias' well being, it was when Mathias started talking about Alucard that sent up alarms. One Demon had already departed, the Sword also on its 'watch'. The mask over the other Demons' face excluded it from giving any reason to think it knew anything.
At firs he found it strange, if Mathias was curious, why didn't he ask the Familiars? Had he asked them only to be rebuffed? Was this strange behavior born from a fear of what would happen if he 'did' ask? Or a fear borne from being instructed to 'not' speak on such matters? Did Mathias ask as a casual question only to be met by their nervous stony silence? If so, even if the question had been in jest it would explain how he ended up pondering about their relationship. Making Leon want to have a small private talk with the Familiars.
"I remember how I used to look, and it strikes me how similar Arikado looks. His hair is similar, his facial structures... Somehow we're related and I don't remember how."
The Fairies shared horrific expressions, the mask on the demon slipped a bit out of place as it sat up from its own seat. The room felt surprisingly chilled for anyone with the remaining ability to sense atmosphere who was also not Soma.
"I asked these guys, well casually, and its almost comical to watch their panic. So he doesn't want me to know, but..."
"Curiosity." Leon answered, a simple word for him to use for which he was grateful.
"Its strange how he has power over the Castle, can influence the flow of that power that flows into me. Leon, do you think he's a nephew or something? I force myself not to remember details of my life beyond my lessons. So I don't know the details outside of the oral traditions that were passed onto me."
Leon studied the wine that swirled in the glass that Mathias held, accepting Mathias' observation. He had been taught of the notion of 'addiction', to crave something that often had a negative effect on a person. Even if the original use of that thing was benevolent. Mathias' love and devotion to his wife was the 'addiction' and though he didn't remember that, he knew there was something.
But could Mathias confront that mentality, that side of himself and still remain apart from it?
Soma leaned against the table next to him, eyeing the glass of wine with a critical eye. "When I first came to live here it wasn't bad. I felt safe, as though I was back at home even if at the time I couldn't tell which 'home' I was in. Mostly due to the nature of the estate and its connection to the Castle. I was brought here for recuperation, but then the Church happened and... now I am pretty helpless. I guess part of what I did to alleviate the boredom 'has' bitten me in the ass."
"Mathias!"
Soma winced at the scolding tone from Leon before carrying on as though he hadn't been interrupted. "Honestly I don't think I would have realized that thing with the cults if I had let things be as they are." Soma threw back the rest of the wine before grabbing the bottle for a refill. "By the time I was only marginally done with my lessons I ended up feeling as though I had woken up in the middle of a complex game. Which isn't fun, but you deal with the cards life has handed you I suppose."
Leon would have nodded, he even started to until his head slipped out of the hands of the fairies and he was guilted into straightening back up.
Soma glanced at the ring on his hand once more mentally grumbling. "I could use my ghost soul to leave my body and spy on different locations. Break down walls, set stuff on fire... raise the dead or hurl scythes from random points, change my forms into demons. But not anymore and now I've been in here so long. Its just a matter of time before people start insisting that I get out 'for my own good'. Which will leave me vulnerable to the cults, if they get it into their head that the oddly white haired college guy in Japan is the one they're looking for."
"Should behave..." Leon began as the fairies stepped back and began judging their work on his mane. "Better." Leon finished coolly.
"Kinda, I feel that whole 'bangs over one half the face' is normal for you, but the ear is causing this gap near the edge of your... oh you meant my behavior..."
"Yes," Leon replied in a tone that went with the slight flip of the tip of his tail. Though he was concerned now given the mention of robes and the connection to the Vatican. Leon feared that the event that Mathias had been subjected to had been staged. That alone had serious consequences for it implicated a high ranking member of the clergy. More over being a stuffed lion would make investigating such claims impossible. If nothing but for the fact that Leon was no investigator himself, he wouldn't know what to look for.
Even his own kin probably wouldn't know either, as they were already in the Vatican for most of the time. He felt fairly confident that if there was something going on, at least close enough range as to affect Yoko, they would already know. Nor could Leon really do anything, for he was normally in the shrine surrounded by priests and priestesses. Though his learning of the culture was rather fascinating, their foods and beliefs were interesting. In fact, he had been allowed to help take part in various processes of food preparation, so long as it did not involve sticking his lion paws directly into food at least.
"Game, solution?" Leon asked, as the fairies began fussing with his tail and the brush. "Chance to win?"
"It would be tricky, I'm a reincarnation of someone none of the hunting clans are going to hand information over to. Its too foolish. So I can only do so much nonviolently, I would have to rely on Arikado to be my cats paws in this, which I can't since he's not here. But I think I wouldn't have to do 'much', he's a smart boy and I would only have to apply only a slight bit of pressure to get him motivated." Mathias pointed out, not even blinking that he had already stated that he knew Alucard was 'very old' before referring to the man as a 'smart boy'.
The count down to the revelation was already ticking away.
"As to the chances of winning? Well, I'd say we're already behind enemy lines, but turning this to our favor is always a possibility. Depending on how stupid or sloppy the enemy is, again I don't have access to that much information. The summoning rituals could be stupidity or a calculated risk since they have yet to be caught. So I'll say 50/50 at the moment."
"Worst case?"
Mathias sighed in answer before closing his eyes, though Leon could see that Mathias was looking at things from an internal sense. The way the eyelids moved showed that Mathias was scanning mental maps for an answer. Which to Leon was odd, since Mathias always looked at both possibilities before giving Leon an assessment. "Not thought about?"
"Well, I had an ideal of what would happen if I didn't talk to you. Which, in part, spurred me into bringing you here. But I did take into consideration that you might refuse what I'm telling you to do," Mathias explained, opening one eye to look down at Leon before opening the other eye as Leon crossed his arms.
"Haven't agreed yet."
"Uh huh. So about the current assessment..." Mathias retorted as he leaned back with his eyes shut. "Honestly, in terms of causalities, the cost is already too high, there have been far too many deaths in this stupid farce. However; one option is that they give up trying to find me and instead switch to routinely trying to install a new Dark Lord. If they try to bring the Castle, its tied to me so it may not return on their whim. So the most you'll have are pretenders to the throne causing chaos and endangering the Dark Children with their foolishness."
"But then you would be stuck in a continual cycle, Arikado explained that the Power of Dominance is unique to myself. Vampires are just that, they drink blood, live forever and are shunned by the sun. Even as a human I still have that as my power since its 'my' power, regardless of human or vampire, I'll always have it. Which is where things get ugly."
Leon tilted his head to the side in question as he stuck his paw out to stave off the attempt to tie a bright blue ribbon on his tail. "War?"
"Hmm... Possibly. For centuries I was known as a vampire lord with the whole of the Darkness at my heel. But it is highly possible that they would think this power came from being a self entitled Dark Lord. Thing is that my power is automatic, once I control a soul I control the race, whoever they would call a 'dark lord' would be so in name only. They won't be able to walk up to any Dark Child or Demon and expect their orders to be taken seriously. Creating an age of witch hunts and outings, another race war between humans and non humans."
"That's one option. The second option is that the Dark Children themselves realize I'm not going to return to power, either because I've been killed. Or because I am serious when I say I don't want to. Some fool from this group tries to stylize themselves as the Lord of these people and no group accepts them? If there is open conflict already between the Dark Children and then the cult humans join in, its going to get exasperated. You'll have different groups of Dark Children fighting for my position already on top of each new human thinking they are the 'One'."
Mathias shook his head, his expression growing pensive, "this is a game where we 'need' a check mate fast. Eliminating the board is useless because pieces can be restocked at a whim, if the Vatican 'has' been compromised... The Pope is in a vulnerable position, assassination and casting blame on a Dark Child would turn a 'race' war easily into a 'holy' war with the right words and connections. Turning the world against your Clan would be easy as well, an ethnic cleansing of anyone who isn't human could put the hunters in danger. There's a reason that the Belmont Clan was reduced to one man who served as a wood cutter before he met Sophia. The witches would burn, the warriors would be slaughtered..."
Leon watched as Mathias put his now empty drink glass aside, while he grew anxious as Mathias talked.
"You need to learn to speak normally quickly... if something happens to Arikado I don't know what will happen to his estate. If its an extension of the Castle it may get reabsorbed if he's not around. If the other hunters get captured or go into hiding it may come down to you and Kazu. The other Belmonts don't have the ability to speak like you do. They'll have to rely on you and Kazu to talk and if worse comes to worst, it maybe the two of you who will bear the responsibility of communicating what is involved in Vampire Hunter training."
"What..."
"Kazuaki is the only person that the Vatican may not know about. Over the years they've gotten to know who and where every main hunter clan is. The only one that I can possibly think that might have escaped notice is that pirates' family, if it is still around and part of the group. If, and its a big 'if' they're still around, they along with Kazu are the only ones who would be under the radar of the Vatican. You'll be left to train the next generation of hunters..." Mathias finished as he stood up from the table.
"Any good outcomes?" Leon asked in exasperation, as the idea of him in this toy body being expected to train warriors? Kazu wasn't a warrior, asking a civilian to perform the duties of a former knight was unacceptable! But he could already see the danger of what Mathias was asking him to do. He wasn't just spying on the Vatican, he was going to be actively looking for possible traitors, ferreting out possible threats. Any positive outcome that Mathias could provide was going to require that these cults, and false priests to be found and eliminated.
The faster, as Mathias pointed out, the better as it would spare more innocent lives. The idea that his whole clan and those of the allies could be wiped out due to such manipulation was upsetting. The knowledge that this could be part of why Death had been willing to bend its own rules to bring Leon back was shocking.
"Well kill the bad guys while we can still convince the right people that they 'are' the bad guys and we win?" Mathias suggested with a shrug before standing up. "So we should begin by helping you get more comfortable talking with that voice box. Which I think I'll start by introducing you to the good Doctor." He walked to the door without further warning or offer to help Leon get off the dinning room table he had been sitting on.
"Doctor who?" Leon inquired, standing up himself and walking to the edge of the table.
"Oh I see you've heard of them!" Mathias sounded almost childishly smug.
Leon tossed him a dirty look before dropping to the ground below, even if he landed on all fours. Dusting off his hands he began walking after Mathias realizing that this was going to be a long 'session with the doctor'. "Them?"
"Well they used to be only a 'he', but then they started having the Doctor regenerate as a woman and so its a toss up," Mathias explain as best as he could.
"Regenerate?"
"Instead of dying the Doctor regenerates into a new form, but you'll see for yourself."
"Like you?" Leon asked while he walked through the door out of the dinning room.
"Well... I... never really thought about it, but I don't think I would want to be a Time Lord, it seems painful. Emotionally, mentally, the regenerations look painful as well..." Soma commented as he thought about the transition between Doctors.