Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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Soma appeared to be sleeping on a vastly larger couch, one of quality leather build, with a pillow under head and a blanket draped over. One that the castle had created when Alucard finally found time to perform this task.
Two days after the attack on the Vatican and the Pope still struggling to get the Cardinals to permit him to see Soma. The reasoning was fairly sound, the ring 'had' to go. Dracula needed to resume control and soon for all the chaos being created in the wake of his forced absence. Only Soma looked thinner than he actually should have been, his white coat appeared more clean than his pale form. Alucard become reluctant to touch the youth.
Carrying Soma into the Vatican was debasing, his father should be able to walk under his own power as the Lord of Darkness. Bringing the Pope 'here' while doable, well the child would be turned if this process took too long. Indeed the argument was what was keeping the Pope from just storming over on his own. Yoko had barely kept from bursting out laughing at the sight of the last meeting discussing the matter. If Soma came on his own it would be one thing, the Pope?
Though if Dionysus came and performed the ritual was a possible option. IF God still saw Dionysus His representative on earth.
Even then Alucard wasn't sure if Dionysus was safe to travel to the castle. Realistically he doubted it would possess him, after all the boy was now a vampire himself same as Joachim.
"Castle, is my lord father's soul currently back in his body?" Alucard spoke out to the room as he swept the room with his gaze for signs. Something to confirm or deny it, but if Soma showed up in a painting with a piece of toast. Alucard was taking the body and leaving the soul in the castle.
The painting, one of the castle from a cliff at the edge of the still missing lake melted as colors bled and changed. But it didn't need to finish its redesign for Alucard to know that his father was in the room. As it depicted Soma laying on the self same couch sleeping, only he appeared worse in the painting than he did in person. Pushing Alucard into approaching and gathering Soma up into his arms.
Behind him the door clicked as the lock engaged and Alucard turned his gaze towards the walls of the room in answer. "I am taking him to the Vatican, only there can the Pope remove the ring that is killing my lord father."
The door's lock rattled in answering protest.
"You're here, and father is not being killed, as such kindly unlock the door so that I may take him away. He needs the ring removed or do you prefer his constant suffering?" Alucard commanded in less annoyance than he expected. The Castle, before with its ties to chaos, didn't bother to stop Dracula from leaving back in 1999. After all, Chaos only desired to exist, it had no concern who was in charge and even attempted to force Alucard into the role once his power had been drained.
Now... it was clinging to Soma, the last source of its own survival. 'It would appear that I was foolish in the end. Even constructs made from the most deepest of evils can want to survive purely for the sake of survival.' If Soma didn't care for the throne or to return to living here full time, the castle should have ceded its existence to its fate.
Either he had a change of heart, or the Castle was, even bereft of Chaos, still clinging to life.
He walked over to punctuated his statement by leaning over to lift up his father, allowing the blanket to stay on the youth. Soma was so light in his arms, the sound of his heart was still steady, strong even. But his frame was just growing thinner and Alucard loathed the idea of seeing how much of that blackness had spread.
Turning towards the door with the full expectation that the door would unlock itself, Alucard strode forward with the grim determination to defy his centuries of effort to kill and keep his father dead. Perhaps it was something that finally resonated in the Castle or a battle of wills that Alucard was above recognizing. But the lock rattled in its spot before slowly it clicked open allowing Alucard to stride out of the room his momentum unbroken as he departed towards the area that would produce the portal he needed.
Sunlight streamed through the windows lining the great hallway, revealing how Soma's neck and lower jaw near the hairline were now black with this despicable curse. It was also far too much like before when he had to carry Soma out of Fortners' castle. Though Soma had started to lose himself to his past demons he had found his way back to them. The weight wasn't the same, but the sensation of Soma's presence was.
Maids curtsied as the prince passed by, butlers bowed while the bats sleepily roused up from their slumber to accompany Alucard on his walk.
He could hear his foot steps, younger and lighter, scampering down the hallway, the rustle of his mothers' gowns as she gave chase.
All the while Elizabetha followed behind, invisible to both of them as she took in the horror of this. Her beloved lord husband needing to be carried about, and her brave, broken, baby boy trying to be brave.
'I never thought that what I was asking of you would extend this long my darling.' She thought as grief weighed down her weightless body. It was literally the only thing that made her feel the gravity of the earth below her feet. She could see her precious baby boy trying to walk after his fathers' longer strides.
Sunlight that shown upon the swept up floor and cleaned carpets of the hallway turned dark with the warm oranges of torch and candle light. The warmth of flame danced down the walls of the hallway, and through the few uncovered massive windows allowing sight of the distant mountains. Currently the moon was above it, having begun its ascent before the sun had fully set so it was above the mountains. Bathing the mountains and the expansive forest all the way into the castle in her silvery radiance.
Adrian, or as he preferred 'Kid Dracula', was following his father down the hallway, as it was time for his lessons. The boy's swagger was endearing as Lisa watched him stumble while he struggled to adjust his steps. With the voluminous cloak that his lord father wore, the boy wasn't able to get the timing of the steps right. But undeterred he kept trying to stride down the hallway with the same commanding step his father had. Sooo vampires could be very quiet when they wanted to be... And Adrian was only a half vampire so his senses weren't as sharp.. Still it was coming off more akin to an arrogant swagger that was making her want to giggle.
Her beautiful, apologies, HANDSOME little boy, with his bouncy curled blond haired self was trying so hard to be like his father. He was carrying around this 'can', the castle labeled it that, of tomato juice with an air of absolute importance. The boy sipping from it in time with his fathers' sips of blood from his wine glass.
'And now...' Her beloved Mathias was back, his warmth and kindness, his teasing and compassion. But he tried to protect their son and this was his punishment. Since her death her dearest son had neither smiled or laughed, all that died along side her. Centuries did nothing to ease his grief or resignation all the while his father raged against the world at whole.
"My Lord," Alex called out as he and his sister stepped through the side door that brought one to the gardens where the spider, Jane, resided now.
"Allow us to assist you," Alexis requested as they made their way over to him, despite the fact that he hadn't paused at the sound of their voices.
"The Morris, how fares his wounds?" Alucard replied as they approached the archway that would lead to another long hallway.
"He's recovering and moving about on his own now. But he's still out of commission from combat," Alexis reported obediently. "However; the doctors were tired of me being there... they want me out to get some fresh air so Max is staying in my place."
"Your time here should be nearing its end correct?" Alucard asked flickering his gaze over Alex before returning to the path ahead. "Do you not have classes to teach? Or have you surrendered your position in its entirety?" Alucard inquired, "I can have a portal opened to return you home if that is not the case."
"My duty is primarily in service to you, if my services are no longer required, than I will return to the university." Alex answered easily enough as he glanced down at his sister. The sensation of concern running between the pair. Alucard appeared somber and having Soma in his arms was foreboding in and of itself.
"I have never enforced the obedience your clan has seemed to develop towards my being. More over your lessons are more than merely teaching the current humans. Its meant to support the Dark Children who yet stay hidden. Giving voice to the voiceless in the stories and legends you educate the humans with." Alucard replied as the pair moved to the inter-cardinal northern positions before him.
"Would you allow me to accompany you?" Alexis politely asked and watched as his gaze very slightly drifted above from her back to his path.
"Very well, though I am merely getting this ring removed from his hand." Alucard explained when a wild variety of eyes suddenly opened along the few shadows in the hallway.
"The hateful ring gone?"
"We may rejoin our master again?"
The hallway became swamped in the many voices of souls that Soma had taken over, clearly eager to return to their master.
"Be silent!" Alucard snapped, his voice a harsh slash against the noise of demon voices, enough so that the twins tried to be 'more' quiet.
The demons on the other hand paid him little mind for a moment then slowly grew silent. Alex after a bit fell back with a quiet comment that he would go and see Sam and Max once more then work on returning home. Though Alucard showed little notice to the comment.
He did notice though. Humans with their short life spans and he with his eternal one, it was just as hard to deal with as it was with vampires. One point of view saw them as food, the other as people.
And Yoko had to bring 'that' movie into his sanctuary.
"Fish are friends not food."
Of course mortals would come up with such a pin point comment that would haunt him.
And then the idiotic baby shark song.
There was a level that he found himself appreciating Yoko's efforts to pull him 'out of his shell'. It most certainly kept him up to date and informed about the modern world, things he would have missed had he stayed in his offices working all the time. Yet at the same time he couldn't find it in him himself to explain to the child.
The older Alucard got, the more vampire he became, the fish comment was irritating not just because of how often it was repeated. Rather instead, because he couldn't often feel anything anymore for his human side. Modern psychology had names for it, but no one researched lived as long as he and others of his kind did. It was only when Alucard spent time among other vampires that he found his emotions warming up...
Only for his father to reincarnate as a human. Centuries of absolute apathy towards humanity, protecting them merely because it was his mothers dying wish... Then Soma came into being and somehow, someway, he was starting to care again. Perhaps that was really why he took in Yoko as well, he could have ignored her. Their common trait of being half bloods with high expectations could be something he forced himself to ignore. Let Valencia abandon her son as her line had done for centuries...
Instead he meddled.
He got involved.
He allowed these foolish, violent, indolent mortals to become something akin to important to him. When he never really knew any humans save his mother until the day Elmo walked up to the castle gates and played with him. Now he had seats waiting for him in those god awful noisy night clubs, fawning humans.
And they were all going to die leaving him alone..
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Outside the walls of the Vatican there were a number of reporters and influencers milling about. They were calling out questions about the attack, trying to rouse someone to answer. Tasteless questions that delved into the vulgar when they didn't get the answers they were looking for or the acknowledgment.
Turning minds already seeped in the surface levels of greed and cruelty was simple enough, the news hounds turned to their phones for information scrounging. While the influencers turned their backs to the Vatican so they could snap some photos of themselves. All of them tapping away on their phones for whatever.
There were only two cops posted before the gates of the Vatican, understandable due to the chaos in the city. But they were well enough informed to recognize Alucard and not impede Alexis when she pulled open the gates for the three of them allowing them entry. Security braced as the reporters began running for the gates, only to receive the comical view of all these people slipping and falling.
No idea why the ground suddenly became slick with ice, but whatever.
Outside was mostly empty, the Vatican's damage had been interior really before the chaos exploded outside its walls...
While inside the nuns and priests were still scurrying around the Vatican with mops, buckets, brooms and bags full of trash. Even two days later the mops bore a pink hue in their dirty white strands, as did the water that got carried around.
The atmosphere was quiet, few were the prayers that resonated through out the building, there were no choir practice today.
Yoko had reported that the majority of the boys who hadn't escaped were put to blade to 'feed' Dionysus. Though among the survivors; most didn't show up due to the attack and their parents were too afraid to let them go out. Then there were those that did were like Elmo, no longer with parents and with only the Vatican as a place 'to' go to. At least until their extended family came for them. The adults choir was down to three people out of a group of 35. Alucard ascended the stairs to the second floor, to the sight of people either fleeing at their approach or dropping into wordless prayer.
Windows were kept open, the breeze was struggling to carry out the scent of blood. For humans the scent would disappear in days, weeks at most while he would continue smelling it. Right now basic cleaning made sense, washing with water and soap, rag and mop. Either the rugs and cloth would be thrown out, or the harsher chemicals would be used next to get whatever was severe enough.
At the end of the day no one had the energy or drive to do more, the elderly were far too scared while the younger clergy were too shell shocked.
No one had warned Alexis what to expect if she visited the Vatican. Yoko was here obviously, and the Ice witch was well aware she could run into Yoko at any time. Yet she was hard pressed to imagine Yoko being her bubbly self in the face of such adversity. The Belnades had been stationed here for over a decade, she formed bonds with the clergy. So now all the routines were disrupted, the idea of going into a particular sector of the Vatican expecting people and seeing empty spaces...
"I thought I would hear the choir... Forgive me, at a time like this singing would be inappropriate..."
"Most of the Cherubs are being kept with their parents at their homes, those you find here are newly orphaned. The adult choir is in worse shape with only three remaining, though at a time like this singing 'would' be for the best. The wind can carry away the scent of blood, but the singing would help with the cleansing as well." Alucard began explaining, "humans often forget that the vibrations found in music no matter how basic has cleansing attributes."