Castlevania: Lisa's Last Words
Chapter 1: The Void
In the profound depths of death, Dracula found himself ensnared in an eternal realm of darkness, an endless expanse of nothingness that enveloped him like a shroud. His identity, once a fixed entity, had become as fluid as the shadows that surrounded him, a chameleon's guise that shifted with each passing moment. Mathias Conquist, Vlad Tepes, Count Dracula... The only constant in this desolate landscape was his all-consuming hatred, a burning fire that fueled his desire for revenge and kept him tethered to the fragile thread of sanity.
As he drifted through the Void, Dracula's mind wandered to the cyclical nature of his existence. He would return, again and again, his resurrection a fleeting moment of triumph before the inevitable fall. And yet, with each return, he would continue his eternal war against humanity, driven by a rage that burned hotter with each passing moment.
But amidst the darkness, a voice whispered words of wisdom, a gentle breeze that soothed the flames of his anger. "Do not hate humans," it implored. "If you cannot live with them, at least do them no harm, for theirs is already a hard lot." The voice was familiar, an echo from a past life, and Dracula's heart stirred with recognition. It was Adrian, his son, who had spoken these words, a plea for mercy to a man long since gone mad.
Dracula's stride, as much as that meant in the Void, faltered, his momentum halted by the weight of regret. Lisa's words echoed in his mind, a gentle rebuke that pierced the armor of his hatred. She had never wanted him to despise humanity, but to help them, to heal their wounds as she had done in life. Even in the face of her own tragic end, Lisa had shown no animosity towards the humans who had wronged her, instead imploring their son Adrian to forgive and move on. In stark contrast to the man she loved, Lisa's heart had been a vessel of compassion, untainted by the poison of hate.
A pang of longing stirred within Dracula, a glimmer of hope that sought to guide him out of the abyss he had so willingly embraced. In the early days of his vampiric existence, Mathias had reveled in his newfound immortality, a defiant gesture against God himself. As Vlad Tepes, he had wandered the land, taking sustenance when needed, but otherwise leaving the living to their own devices. Yet, the constant pursuit by the Belmont Clan had made his existence a lonely and nomadic one.
Vlad's heart had been tempered by the loss of Elisabeta, his soul forged in the crucible of sorrow. Only Death, the Grim Reaper, had been his constant companion, a macabre friend who offered occasional solace in the form of chess games and morbid conversations. Though devoted to Vlad, Death's humor had often worn thin.
Humans had long been beneath Vlad's notice, mere vessels for his sustenance and amusement. With his centuries-honed strategic mind and vampiric powers, he had deemed them inferior, their minds clouded by brute strength and religious zealotry. The women were simple enough to convince to allow him to enter their bedchambers to feed upon them, but a man's love for any of them had not passed into Vlad's mind.
But then, Lisa entered his life, and the tedium of his immortal existence was disrupted. As he reminisced about that fateful night, Dracula's perception of the Void shifted, like a veil lifting from his eyes. He had stalked Lisa, intent on draining her blood, a routine hunt that had become all too familiar. Yet, as he at last gazed upon her sleeping form, he was taken aback. Her fragile beauty and platinum blonde hair stirred a long-dormant memory, and for a moment, he thought Elisabeta had returned to him.
The woman's stirring sent a shiver down his spine, and Vlad's instincts screamed for him to flee. But he was transfixed, rooted to the spot as she awoke, her eyes locking onto his shrouded form without fear. "Hello...? Who's there...?" she asked, her voice a gentle whisper, as she lit a candle, illuminating the darkness.
Vlad's voice caught in his throat as Lisa lifted the candle to illuminate his face. Instead of the expected terror, she smiled warmly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Hello, sir. May I have the pleasure of knowing who I am addressing?" she asked, her composure a stark contrast to Vlad's own bewilderment.
"V-Vlad," he stuttered, his voice barely above a whisper, like a young boy nervously approaching his first love. "Vlad Tepes."
"Oh, what a lovely name," she whispered, her voice a dulcet melody that lingered in the air. "I'm Lisa." As she spoke, her words seemed to dissipate like whispers on the wind, and the scene gradually dissolved into the darkness, leaving naught but the faintest hint of her presence. Dracula found himself once more ensnared in the desolate expanse of the Void, clinging to the memory of their initial encounter as a lifeline, a tenuous thread that connected him to the world of the living. Lisa, that ethereal beauty, was lost to the annals of time, and he was left to wander the endless, dark corridors of existence, struggling to preserve the fleeting recollection of their meeting in the vast, eerie silence of the Void.
Author's Note: I haven't seen the Netflix series so this will be based off the Castlevania games. As I hope is clear now, this story takes place immediately after Castlevania Symphony of the Night. All events of Castlevania canon post SOTN are not guaranteed to occur.