Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: Someone needs to remember Silent Hill!
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Juste had yet to reappear.
Richter was pacing Yoko's room in increasing anxiety, the change into a real dog not enough to distract him. The children had tried to tempt him with foods that he could smell and did want to eat. But his larger concern was his grandfather. Neither Simon or Christopher held scents that he could try to track and even if they did. He didn't know what Juste's 'scent' was so he couldn't just put his nose to the grindstone.
His new height let him easily see the top of Yoko's bed and to feel the texture of modern fabrics. The quality rug under his dog pad paws was also a new sensation... yet inside the Vatican there was just something that was eating away at him. All of them really, Simon and Christopher was only really aware of what they could see or hear. While Richter, now, felt more now that the children were gone.
He was in the castle.
It felt like being in the castle. Something that should never have been possible! From their actual physical bodies being present on the grounds to it being the VATICAN. He wasn't sure how much flesh and blood of this form was real. If he was cut, would he bleed? Because he could certainly smell, and sense all the things he did when he was alive. Just brought down to four paws and a body of fur and tail. But with it he could 'feel' the same type of corruption that the castle exuded.
And maybe it was nothing more than how any living animal felt when in the presence of spirits both benign and malevolent? 'Its not like I'm an expert on animal perceptions. Now if Maria was here...' she would be useful, her connections with animals all the way up to those celestial beasts.
Richter wanted to go looking for his grandfather, but now he was just to obvious. So Simon and Christopher were out and about looking and Richter was left pacing the room. With the occasionally audible whimper or growl of frustration sending him to his...
Footsteps?
Ears pricked forward, Richter approached the door in avid curiosity. The multiple steps of small children he knew now. But these were the weighted steps of an adult that stopped right in front of the door...
Richter moved back a step and sat down, 'well just have to wait and see who would come down here. Maybe a well meaning priest upset at a 'dog in the Vatican'. Or maybe its the murderer...'
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Julius stood facing down a door with all the fury he could muster without it being obvious. The door was no different than any other, the castle had a couple of 'suites' in it, full bed and bath set ups with a small kitchenette. Revealing more that the castle was modifying itself just enough for stay over guests in the slowing changing floor plans.
Which on its own had been dismissed out of hand due to the frivolity of the current situation. But now that Julius had nothing 'better' to do...
'I don't recall the castle ever seriously changing from one form to another after activation in the journals. True a whole copy of the castle existed, twice in history in fact. But it was never as though our families took a tour. Never really stopped to check each and every single room in the castle.' He leaned against the door frame of the suite, watching as a pair of maids walked into the bathroom, then left.
One tried to take his clothes, but he shooed that one away.
Because Yoko and Max had opted to find a bathroom and take a bath.
Here.
In the castle of Dracula.
While there were very obvious threats and issues going on.
But no lets stop and have a quick wash and scrub...
He could hear the pair, very faintly, chatting away like women were prone to and he could feel his teeth setting into a slow grind... Especially when the splashing began and the idea. The sheer, unapologetic nerve of the two of them 'playing' while...
The door to the bathroom burst open with Yoko and Max spilling out into the room. Both wearing what could be considered passible work out clothes. Not quite track suits, but wouldn't accidentally flash some unsuspecting person. The pair were in their shoes though as they raced onward wearing expressions that put Julius on pause.
Whatever displeasure or disapproval he was wont to express was sidelined by how both women ran by, grabbing him as they did so. Since he stepped out of their way due to Yoko looking driven enough that he was fairly confident she would just run him straight over if he didn't move.
"Care to..."
"Succubus in the bath, rose up and told us that Soma's been captured." Max cut him off without preamble as her still wet hair whipped him in the face with drops of water.
"What?!"
The bathroom was just that a 'bath' room, there was a small area blocked off with a wall and door for the toilet. But this was heaven, tiled from floor to ceiling, the bath was sunken into the floor with steps to walk into with, curved on the sides for sitting down. Water was carried in off a large serpent type beast with waves rising around it. Flowing down as waves into the pool keeping the water from becoming dirty or stagnant.
"This room is great for meditation," Yoko sighed as she sank down into temptation.
"Yeah," Max noted as the gentle waves lapping against the bath was so rhythmic she could almost nod off from it alone.
Warm water was seeping into the skin, the flecks of blood washing off and carried away by the ever flowing water.
"Hello ladies."
Yoko could have sworn she heard her eyes pop open as well as Max while a succubus rose up from the water.
Because of course Soma had a succubus soul so why NOT? Baths were 'wonderful' spots to attract.
'Calm down, she's not evil, she's one of Soma's willing...' the mental screaming that followed Yoko's line of thought was as entertaining as it was telling.
"Is this your bath?" Max asked while Yoko was busy mentally digging her brain out of the idea of her demon lord of darkness/little brother having sex demons under his command.
"Oh just one of several, but its not why I'm here in this one at the moment. Just that you and the Belmont outside are needed. Now." She was a redhead, the hair flowed down her back into the water. A healthy red when compared to Galamoths' blood that they had been washing off.
"Where?" Yoko followed up with and the gold eyed Succubus pointed off to where the clothes rested. Not their 'actual' clothes, a helpful maid had run off with that to wash the blood out of them. But the shoes were still there at least.
"There will be a map in one of those pocket things you use. Lord Soma has been using the paintings to transverse the castle. But he's been captured in one such painting, it was moved too far from his body for him to return. Not a problem were it not that stupid ring that tethered him soo..."
She took the opportunity to enjoy watching the pair of young women streak out of the baths. Struggling 'not' to fall and hurt themselves as they grabbed the towels and began desperately drying off in a bid to get dressed and out. Before adding, "the young master has gone to attend to his lord father and left Death to protect the body. Normally we're fine with this, but you Belmonts have proven that even Death itself is not always a deterrent. And the young master may need not just support but protection himself."
The women were out the door by then, but it wasn't as though the two of them needed 'details' not when there was a whole scorched earth mark around the castle grounds. Even reincarnated Dracula looked after his son!
"How? How could someone just grab a painting and move that fast?" Julius pondered aloud as he ran.
"I think Galamoth should have been the warning," Yoko answered as she patted down the pants of her outfit. The sensation of something padded in the pocket got her digging her hand in and pulling out the much, much needed map. "Soma may control the souls he absorbed, but what about souls he 'didn't' absorb?"
"Exactly, there's been like two vampires who openly defy him as their lord. Orlox and Brauner." Max added as her wet hair whipped water all over the place as they ran.
"And unlike Galamoth who Soma 'did' absorb in this life time no less, he never absorbed either of them." Julius acknowledged as his brows furrowed. 'This isn't good, we're splintered too much, someone needs to support Death in looking after Soma's body. Can't ask Sam to come back because rescuing the last humans is the priority.'
Pain, it was pain to think of the situation, if Alucard got captured or sealed away. Whatever current 'luxuries' that the hunters had could be lost. There was just so much gray, be it the safety of the civilians or if Soma would reincarnate again. 'And reincarnation is not reliable, Graham was proof of that. Soma doesn't have to incarnate in a body now, whatever point he does the clans won't be what they were. The curse on the whip will be gone unless he goes evil, techniques could be lost. If I'm not ancient, Yoko or Sam could be in my position. There is too much here...'
Soma needed to be their base line of understanding. They needed to understand how reincarnation affected him and what should be done for future generations. The possibilities were dark as far as he was concerned, a witch hunt across the world for one child. If Soma was 'always' going to reincarnate with that unnaturally white hair... 'No just no...'
'But should I send the girls back to protect Soma's body? It wouldn't do anyone any good if Somas' body was destroyed. It might help to bring Soma's body 'closer' to where ever his soul is being held. However; I don't know if the seals work on Soma's soul the way it worked on our ancestors. And relocating him just makes him more vulnerable to the cult.'
"You ever wonder why we don't just pop open a window, jump out and make a direct line to our target?" Max thought aloud as they charged through the hallway sending a butler skeleton to the wall for its own safety.
"Because not all of us can fly? Some would have fallen out a window like a flung brick in fact," Yoko replied smartly.
Because in the back of her mind she could see Snuggy sailing out the window after the first time he silently sassed her. Didn't know it was Simon, had no honest clue what she had done. Just the very real satisfaction of sending that suddenly snooty bear out the second floor window of Alucard's private estate! Especially because Simon couldn't reach the door to open it leaving Snuggy outside.
"Simon goes jumping out the window, falls to the ground shattering both his legs. And I suddenly hear some game over jingle in the back of my head." Max noted snickering not realizing how she nearly sent Yoko tripping. "Actually, how did Richter survive such jumps?"
"It took multiple generations of my clan to get used to the castle own dark magics. We learned to augment our powers with the castle creating a..." Julius paused to try to decide which was the better descriptor. "Slowdown, almost like a parachute that could be pulled. It took the artifacts of power from the castle itself to give us the ability to jump again once in midair. Otherwise all we can do is soften the fall."
Yoko paused at a hallway looking between the map and the halls before she hit left and resumed running. 'They don't know about Simon, or Richter, or Christopher, oh just everyone...'
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"Mama?"
Flames crackled somewhere ahead of him, up the stairs into the unknown. It was quiet, the paintings only made rudimentary attempts at emulating the real world it portrayed. But that voice was real to him. He could hear her, childlike but not a child, a lost woman trapped up in that strange place. The walls on either side wouldn't stay in place, wavering in response to the heat that the fire was giving.
"No, just stuck for a bit," Soma answered, as he painfully rolled himself so he could force himself into a sitting position. Being cut off like this was sudden and his head spun from the forced move. Shutting his eyes he struggled to get his thoughts in order when something quietly pushed to the front of his thoughts.
That one girl who demanded vengeance for her death. "What happened to you?" he asked, but she didn't answer. Maybe she couldn't hear him, or perhaps she was just a recording of an event that happened and now haunted the painting. There 'were' haunted paintings he had encountered as he moved about the castle but this...
The smoke and lines of the walls weren't 'wavering' they started to form a shapes. He rubbed at his eyes, recognizing the suggestive gestures. "They hurt you didn't they?"
"I was bad..." Her voice wobbled while the castle, even here, 'spoke' volumes.
Soma felt his stomach churn in response as his fangs tried to extend, "no, not for that. No one deserves that..." he replied answered as he looked ahead.
'No one is in the room, and I can't seem to draw them here,' he mused. 'Wonderful place to be stuck...' "When I get out of here, if I can get that stupid ring off me. I think its time to do some soul absorbing and torture. Nothing major, just enough to break a few idiots." He decided, and somehow his ears didn't rebel against it.
Crackling fire at his back would have been stifling were he in better health. A glance behind showed it reached the ceiling, bright and vivid oranges and golds that were stationary, no different than a tree in a high wind. It fluttered and bowed, but it didn't greedily eat the walls it was moored to, but its intense heat did travel. Warming the wooden floors under Soma and easing the chill he was often forced to endure when he stepped away from his body.
Adrian had the decency not to freeze him to death, at least not intentionally. 'Though if he sees that doll when he gets back to the room. I probably should prepare for being forced into another reincarnation cycle.' Soma found himself musing. Though the hallway wasn't 'bad', it would be an almost pleasant place to nap! If not for the uncomfortable stairs and the quiet undertone of crying he could hear mingling with the crackling of fire.
He pushed himself to the right so he could lean against the wall instead of lay sprawled out on the ground. And while breathing wasn't a requirement for him anymore it was something nice to do, something even paced to focus on. Meditative while waiting for rescue or the end, 'I've done all I can old friend. I can do no more for your kin...'
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"I don't like this Soleli. I don't like this at all," Annette pointed out, anxious and worried as she studied the painting with wide eye concern. "What if he dies? What happens to all of us? The living currently still in the castle?" Soma went from laying on the stairs to sitting and now leaning against the wall. But he was gazing up the stairs, so she doubted he could see them trying to contact him.
"Have faith in our kin, my lady. We need only have faith." Soleli replied, maybe a bit flowery in tone, but he couldn't help but feel useless. As he had been used as a tool against his father, now they were trapped unable to help what amounted to as a linchpin to so much.