The Demon Castle War - Chapter 1: Beginning
The soul of Dracula is bound to a form mortal weapons will never scathe. His body perpetually reincarnates with the passage of time and death. But this is not a true immortality, for the clashing of souls may bring an end to him yet. Death comes with mortality at the cost of mortality.
He had heard such a prophecy before, though how many hundreds of years ago he wasn't sure. It sounded like nonsense at the time. Countless soldiers have raided Dracula's castle throughout the years. Some fought for glory, fame or fortune, yet all died as miserably as the rest. The sole champion standing among them was the Belmont's and their legendary weapon "Vampire Killer". It is an object to be truly feared by the demons lurking within this castle.
The Dark Lord's powers were vast and adaptable. To stand against him wielding a weapon of magic was to be disastrously outclassed. But vampire killer is unique. Rather than match the Count's power, it acts as a magic canceler. By ripping away the demons powers with every slash, the weapon reduces even the most fearful monsters to beasts of ordinary stature. Such an animal is no match for a trained human being. Thus is the genius behind such a weapon, whose power only answers to the blood of the Belmont line.
Facing the dark lord without the whip was preposterous. To propose matching his dark powers with one's own was insanity. But the tale gets more complicated.
In the mid 1800's Dracula spontaneously appeared earlier than anticipated. The Belmont's had been ill prepared for such an encounter and sent their warrior young and ill prepared. Rumor has it that he fell in love with a vampire within the castle and fell to her betrayal. Regardless of the rumors veracity, the Belmont was defeated and he left behind an era without a champion to wield the legendary whip. In that absence the Order of Ecclesia took to the challenge. How had the witches managed to destroy the Count? It was a question lost in time.
That was until Alucard stumbled across that alter hidden in the library.
It was a narrow corridor, scarcely more than two humans' width. At the end of the hall was a pitch black desk covered in speckles of blood and dust, giving the faint rectangular imprint of the book that was once hidden there. He checked the drawer and found several folded pages inside, some squished carelessly in crumbled balls.
Try as he may to unravel the crumbled papers, they were too old to be legible amidst the crinkles and tears. The folded pages were fortunately more legible. There they discussed an ancient king and a journey across Europe in search of a power to restore rule to his kingdom. Many of the letters twisted at odd angles diverging from the straight line one would expect while writing. It reminded him of a time he had tried writing without looking directly at the paper.
He continued reading through the letters until a particular passage grabbed his attention. It wasn't a note itself, but a quote circled and underlined by the messenger:
It was here among these people that I first heard mention of the Grimoire that bridged life and death. A book bound in human skin; written in blood. To possess such a book, much less read, would be unbearable if not for the ones I loved. This was why the organization had no interest in such an artifact as dark as thee.
Certainly, even a mere fragment from the legendary book could grant insight into the origins of Dracula's powers. To have a complete copy, would equate to a blueprint of his entire fortress.
"That girl did seem a little too prepared for a mere witch" Alucard said. "But where could it be now?"
Just as he finished examining the alter a gust of fire flooded the room. Alucard leaped backwards from the chamber to escape the powerful attack. The scrapes of paper swirled into the wind around him and burned to ash.
"I knew someone had been snooping around the castle. I can't wait to see the joy on my Lord's face when he hears who I've found" spoke the intruder. From his dark garb and the affinity for magic Alucard deduced he was a Necromancer. He reached for the sheath on his belt but the mage quickly disappeared into the walls.
Alucard cursed at his misfortune. Dracula's armies would be searching for him now and his journey outside the castle was about to grow complicated.
There was too much chaos in the world for him to believe in a God as the priests did. There was too much evil; too much death. Yet certain events it seemed, could never have happened any other way.
Did he believe in fate? Julius had been pondering that question for a long time. As he waited silently in the bar, he decided right then and there that he did. He would need to for this insane scheme to work.
After many hours of quiet revelation, the masked guest finally entered the room. He was an elderly man, partially crippled with age and wearing a short velvet vest. The man noticed him immediately upon walking in.
"Good evening Julius, it's been a while" said Jonathan.
"Good to see you friend" Julius said, shaking his hand and allowing him to sit down. "I wish we could reunite on more pleasant circumstances"
"I've known this day would come ever since I first gave you that whip" Jonathan said, eyeing the weapon rolled at Julius's side.
"Yes you did, and that's not the only thing you've kept from me" Julius said.
"Secrets? I haven't kept any secrets from you Julius, you should know better after all the years we spent together" Jonathan said.
"You haven't used the whip since the day you left that castle" Julius said.
"Yes about that" Jonathon said. He raised a hand to gather the attention of the waiter.
"Don't dodge the subject Jonathon, I know you've see it. She caused me a lot of trouble in the past few months" Julius said.
"Dracula hasn't emerged in over fifty years. There hasn't been a need for the whip since then" Jonathon said.
"You also failed to mention the full restoration of its powers" Julius said. "Since only a true Belmont can wield the whip you were never able to completely contain the Dark Lords energy"
"That's why I had Charlotte. We've been over this before during your training" Jonathon said.
"And you didn't think there was a reason why?" Julius asked.
"You think I've deceived you but your wrong" Jonathon said. The waiter finally arrived with his drink. "What is it you think I've seen?"
"The tower of sorcery, deep in the castle's catacombs" Julius said. "You have no recollection?"
"I do not Julius I'm sorry" Jonathon said.
"Aye" Julius said. Laying back in his seat. "Then that changes things"
They sat in silence for several seconds before Julius started to chuckle.
"Then it seems there really IS something about Dracula's Castle that I know and you don't" Julius said.
"You've been there already?!" Jonathon said.
"Aye, I left mere hours after you gave me Vampire Killer" Julius said. "Relax though, I didn't go alone"
"Then I take it you've explored much of the damned place already" Jonathon said. His time in those hallways did not make for fond memories, though the events remained engraved in his mind as if they happened merely a few days ago.
"I've seen enough. We found a girl sleeping in a crystal chambers beneath the waterway. Well, more like hibernating. She's from the 19th century." Julius said.
Jonathon nearly spilled his drink. The 1800's? That would mean she had lied undiscovered by not only himself, but several other Belmont's who visited the castle. "You're sure of this?! Could it be a trick?" Jonathon said.
"Believe me. We went through a lot of trouble trying to find out. She's real, and also the reason everything's happening the way it is." Julius said.
"The whip hasn't been used in over fifty years, nearly a hundred if you only count the true Belmont's" Jonathon said. "But that's not enough time for the Dark Lord to reach his full power. Not normally anyway"
"That's why I thought it was intentional that you kept that whip locked up for so long" Julius said. "She's the key to all that, she's a witch who's been fueling his growth for over a century. What we see today is not only a reincarnation of Vlad himself, but the full scope of his power and his soul."
"And that means he's vulnerable" Jonathon said. His eyes grew wide with the realization.
"Aye" Julius said, sipping from his drink. "But I thought you knew all that"
"Julius, I now understand the importance of our meeting here today" Jonathon said. "You'll need more than help, you'll need an army" A large grin swept across his face. "Looks like I'm going back after all"
"Keep that on the down low will ya?" Julius said. "I don't want to see any nightcrawlers show up at my door before we've even set off"
"The girl, what's her name?" Jonathon asked.
"Carrie" Julius said. "Carrie Fernandez"
She had hoped she'd never have to set foot in this dungeon again. Deep into the bustling cities of London lay the headquarters of the magus organization. It was a place that once held her prisoner and her trust of the old farts inside hadn't strengthened since their last encounter. But she was going to need all the help she could get.
A woman with blonde hair and a scarlet uniform approaches as she enters.
"Go away Olga" Carrie said.
"Nice to see you too Carrie" Olga said. Her full name was Olga Belnades. She was a witch from a long line of magic users once rumored to be part of the Fernandez clan. This was impossible of course, as the entire clan (save one) was wiped out by Dracula's lackeys over a hundred years ago.
"His forces are strengthening far faster than I anticipated" Carrie said. "We need reinforcements now, and I don't have time for your flirty chats"
"Flirty?" Olga asked. "I can assure you I don't lean that way"
"Then shut up" Carrie said. She slammed open the doors of the audience room, interrupting the councils chat. It was a large room with wooden desks lined in a half circle similar to a government office.
"I am NOT here to play games" Carrie shouted. The audience grew silent. One wizard at the front by the name of Daniel, leapt from his chair to approach her.
"What in blazes do you think your…." Daniel began to say.
"One year! I've been here one year! You can't all really be that clueless can you?" Carrie said. She and Julius had tried, in vain, to gather the council's support a long time ago. They locked her up like a vampire since she had come directly from the castle. Physically, she was still in her early twenties, but being born over a century and a half ago didn't exactly scream "human" to them. Long story short, they held her captive for days and refused to take action despite the verification of her story.
"I don't care WHO you are. You have no place barging in like that!' Daniel said.
"Carrie, I was trying to say I'd already spoken with the council on your behalf" Olga said.
"You did what!" Carrie said. She was rarely angry, but this was her job. She had one job. And that wasn't Olga's responsibility.
"We have already assigned an agent to investigate the situation" Daniel said. "There is a procedure to be followed here and those who ignore it are not welcome"
Two men in thick magic garb approached from the entrance. The atmosphere had grown incredibly quiet.
"Are armed guards really necessary?" Carrie said. Everyone is this room was a capable magic user, they should be able to handle themselves.
"Carrie, we need to go" Olga said.
These people weren't even considering sending aid. She was pissed, but violence wasn't persuasive in these kinds of situations. Carrie locked eyes with Daniel and reluctantly followed the guards out. Olga followed closely behind as they walked into the rainy streets. Cars zipped past the busy intersection.
"I knew you'd be angry if I asked so I didn't" Olga said. She pulled an umbrella from her purse to hold over Carrie's head but she shook it aside, pulling up the hood on her green hoodie instead.
"They're idiots, every one of them" Carrie said. She exhaled a long breath to try and calm down.
"It's not just that. There's a side of them you're not seeing" Olga said. Indeed Olga had worked closely with the organization for many years. But after the awkward situations brought about by Carrie's awakening, she left the club to work alongside warriors in the church. The church had a better track record for resisting the Count anyway.
"If Dracula destroys this city he won't pick out favorites. He'll destroy everything and everyone, including them." Carrie said. She had seen the destruction herself many times over, from both sides.
"Dracula's never been an issue for them before so why bother now? Besides Carrie, you terrify them in every way. They don't want to be within a thousand kilometers of you." Olga said.
"Me?" Carrie said. Daniel hadn't seemed scared when he talked back to her earlier.
"It can't be that hard to understand dear. If what you say is true" Olga said. "You conquered Dracula's castle when you were twelve. Then you grew up to marry the Count and lead a conquest nearly destroying all of Europe"
"There was a lot more to it than that" Carrie said. Indeed she had done as Olga suggested, but only to acquire enough power to separate Dracula's soul from the boy Malus. "Malus" Carrie said aloud. He had hopefully gone on to live a normal life. She had often found herself fantasizing about what his life might have been like. "It's not like I'm going to actually attack them" Carrie said. "People could die if we do nothing. People will die"
"We understand that, they don't" Olga said. "They aren't hard to comprehend if you pretend to stop caring about other people"
"Maybe" Carrie said. She was a bit unwilling to admit that Olga was right.
"It's not the end of the world. I've spoken with some old friends of the clan and I think I found someone who can help" Olga said.
"We are gathering at the rendezvous point in two days. Whoever it is just make sure they aren't late" Carrie said.
"I don't think that will be a problem" Olga giggled, and turned down a different street.
Carrie paused. Her clothes had become soaked on the walk. It wasn't a new experience for her. She had grown comfortable in the rain during her life in America a century ago. Though she had originally been sent there to exterminate a splinter cell, it was one of the few times in her life that she had ever known peace. There was a home carved out of the base of a giant tree. Elof was there, an old friend and mentor, as were many other friends. She had gone to a dance with the red dress Suzan gave her.
She checked her magic pockets to ensure her belongings were still there. As hoped, there lay her twin melee rings and the dozen vials of holy water Julius left her. Nestled safely underneath was the Necronomicon, the book she had fought her entire life to assemble.
Her clan was killed when she was only a baby. Then they came for her step mother, and from there on she became a murderer herself. She lit fire to entire villages, slaughtering thousands within their homes. All in the hopes of restoring the Dark Lord's power for these very moments, and the creation of a weapon he could never anticipate. She should feel proud.
Yet here she was crying in the rain.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave a review as it helps me develop my writing and motivates me to keep writing chapters.
This story is the sequel to Midnight Blue, a crossover fic I wrote on Carrie's recovery from inside Draculas castle. Reading is optional to this story but you can find them on my profile if your interested.