Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
A/N: This chapter had some serious work on it. Had to correct some stuff, change parts of paragraphs. Hopefully this will be better.
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"Professor? Um... Excuse me, Professor LeCarde?" A nervous lanky young woman spoke up as she quietly pushed open the door to teacher's lounge. Black Gothic eye make up, her blond hair up in pigtails with tribal extensions of yarn and charms hung down, an airport security employee's nightmare given form. The black shirt with skull motifs was tight, the striped skirt mid length held down with belts and straps. Hard to believe that such a girl was in an University earning a degree in psychology.
Then again, appearances could be deceiving, her grades were solid, her mind sharp, her personality was modest and slightly subdued, and underneath all that goth resided yet another, different appearance. Earnest doe like brown eyes, long light green hair that flowed freely down her back, a lithe agile body. Oh and the young woman was a wood nymph hiding among humans, in broad day light no less. Normally her classification was of a happy goth, because no matter how much she worked on looking different... she couldn't quite master the mannerisms. Her true nature was a wood nymph who would go skipping along with a very nerdy, modest girl who was almost as tall, but more tone than lanky. But the Nymph was alone and her uncharacteristic nervousness was a bad sign for the Folk Lore Professor.
"Yes, Willow?" Alex got up and gestured for the young, supposedly human, to join him in the lounge. Yet she seemed overly anxious at the invitation despite the more quiet lounge, though maybe it had to do with so much actual 'wood' office furniture. She 'was' a tree after all, and though few things were made of 'willow' well. He stood up and joined her though, stepping out of the teachers' lounge and amid the flow of traffic of students. She began pulling him down the hall away from offices and towards the stairs, seeking something out obviously. Greetings were called out as they moved, both in greeting to Willow and to him, along with pleas for him to please add another folklore course for the coming semester. He sent a rueful smile towards those students as he continued moving along.
It wasn't as though being a vampire hunter paid the bills in the modern world.
Which was why Alexander LeCarde served as a professor of both world folklore and literature. Teaching the myth and fact of the old fabled monsters of the day to the unbeknownst humans and the secretly hidden Dark Children. Teaching during the day and night, since 'Dark Child' didn't always equate to exclusion of the Sun. He was quiet popular because of the folklore class, as it was intially viewed as a class of escape, something imaginative and easy. But even if someone signed up for a seemingly 'easy' class, he made sure they had to 'think'. Not just about the myths, but also broadening the minds of the students. Even as it also taught a bit about psychology, the working of the minds of the people who created these myths.
Willow finally found what she was looking for apparently as she dragged him to an unused class room, with a model of the human body resting at the far corner of said room. A science lab, which was a bit ironic and amusing at the same time as science tried to disprove the supernatural, only to have it support claims. But that humor was lost the instant he lowered his eyes to look properly at Willow. The girl was looking up at him with her innocent doe like eyes filled with concern about something and 'where' was Carolina?
"It's Carolina, she's... heard things through the moon speak," Willow's voice had dropped to a whisper, which was typical. 'Moon Speak' was how werewolves communicated over distance in a manner that didn't use any modern devices. A means during the shift to convey things that should never leave a human trace. "Is there a chance you can see her today? She's badly shaken up and I can't get her to open up about the Speak. But you're friends with that pair, right? Even if they're American, there has to be something the two of you can do to help her. Isn't there?"
He nodded, patting her reassuringly on the shoulder as he did so, "see if you can set up a time for me to meet up with her. My last class ends at 5:45 today, so I can see her afterward."
The girl looked relieved as she left, skipping out of the room quite happy with knowing she had help. Girls, nymphs, like Willow were a growing breed among their kind. She wasn't a wild born nymph with the knowledge of the winds. Her tree was a simple willow resting on the grounds of a local church. More and more elder trees were being felled in the wild, the knowledge they passed down was being slowly taken away. Ages of history that spanned back to the dawn of creation was being lost for more room. While girls like Willow lost out living in restriction and only lasting until some human decided that they 'didn't' fit in. They also didn't have a real 'voice' when there was trouble, often times left to worry themselves sick. At least with Alex around, they had someone who could help them with their troubles, at least to a point.
These Spirits thus were more attracted to the life of humans rather then their woodland ancestral home, and unable to get the teachings of their elders. Simply because they couldn't leave the cities or live long enough to master those skills. Nymphs only had so far a range that they could survive from their tree, most Nymphs lived so deeply within city boundaries that they couldn't reach the true wilds. Without those wild grown ancient trees, the words on the wind were lost on the new forests.
Carolina was a werewolf, amusing that a dog was a friend to a tree, but there you go. And Carolina had access to the woods, often going camping and been trained by some of the local werewolves. She was a head shorter than Willow, a quiet mouse of a girl in school with russet colored hair. Carolina had been bitten during a trip as a child, but fortunately Sam had come across her and sent word to Alex. Carolina had been young enough that the local werewolves had seen her as a cub and treated her as such.
But she didn't have a rich family and it was only because of her grades that she got the scholarship to the University. There currently wasn't any safe pack of werewolves in the States that they had connections with, while Alexis held a friendship with a previous alpha. Sam spent more time dealing with werewolf related gang wars now then he ever felt was reasonable. But that was life after Dracula's departure, how life became after the lull. The Children didn't allow themselves to be pushed into the most remote regions of the world. They hid in the modern world, slipped into the cervices of society and made their homes. Sometimes quietly, sometimes making problems, but as far as he was concerned, better normal crime then a war.
He left the classroom, carrying out his normal routine for the day, classes, student problems, relationships just starting, just ending... Alexis claimed he had a chick magnet charm that brought all the girls to him about their problems. He brushed back chestnut brown colored hair that had slipped past his ear. Alexis had been undercover for a year now, working to get as much information as she could on both cults.
After Grahams' appearance and claims, it was just smarter to find out more about his cult. They couldn't afford to let this cult try to enthrone a 'new' Dark Lord. Only to have Fortner to reveal 'her' own plans. Two cults trying to bring back Dracula or take over his position and was it any surprise that all these weird things were starting up again? Despite being only in one, and had worked her way up to a position to know the basic foundation of the planning stages.
Most people only knew these organizations as spiritual centers, so distracted by the latest entertainment gossip that they never realized. These centers that promoted 'spiritual awakenings' that instead poisoned the willing mind with evil thoughts. Bringing back wars and destruction leaving the innocent Dark Children like Willow and Carolina in the crossfire. Preying on the spiritual needs of the masses while misleading them on 'what' they were supporting, while at the same time hurting legit groups. Even he and his sister would be in danger with their own Witches Blood working against them as witches were not considered different from the Dark Children.
The LeCarde and Morris clans were spread through out the world keeping tabs on as many of the Dark Children that they could. Though not as big as the Belmont clan, they did provide a 'kind ear' to the plight of the Dark Children. Giving them, at the least, faint hope that they could survive in this world without Dracula. And while Carolinas' parents didn't realize the real reason she wanted to attend 'this' particular collage, they did care for their daughter. Alex wasn't sure if Carolina ever confessed to her parents that she had become a werewolf. But Willow and Carolina were only snowflakes on the top of that mountain of work. Richter had worked hard to get the clan to branch out beyond just hunting, so that they would be easier to hide among the civilians. Easier to lend assistance if things got 'bad' while not standing out to be kidnapped or corrupted as he had. Making finding the 'heir' to the Whip a more tricky feat than it had been before. Yet there was still a chance that all their work would end up for nothing, if the Dark Lord returned.
Alex, along with the outer clans had never even seen the reincarnated Dark Lord. Alucard had kept the boy hidden in secret for years, out of sight of both the clans and the church. There had been a question as to why he would willingly allow the world to be put into danger by entrusting the future to the hands of a child. Indeed, Soma was younger than all of them, and with youth came weaknesses and a head strong sense of entitlement to strength they may or may not have yet obtained. With his 'strength' being the strength of the Dark Lord, there was a hovering question over Soma's ability to handle himself. Considering that he had been pushed at one point to rage, even after he had been pulled back it still held the example of what could happen.
But perhaps Alucard had been correct, because if the Church or the Clans had gotten wind of Soma before hand... Well Graham was proof of what would happen to someone with dark powers given an inkling that they 'might' be a Dark Lord. While Soma had been allowed to just live his life and make his own calls all by himself. Yet even having said that, he was only human, so to speak, and it had shown recently.
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"Freelance police."
"So Max must be there hmm?" Alex rested back into his chair, his eyes scanning the ceiling for the common sense that pair sometimes seemed to lack.
"Yeah, so what's with the call Lex?"
They were just two words, that's all he needed to say. Two words to explain why he was calling his Texan associates.
"Carolina isn't here?"
"No, it looks like she took off. But where would she go? It doesn't make sense, she was scared out of her mind!" Willow exclaimed, climbing back to her feet after a fruitless search under the bed, in the closet, under tables, desks, the list went on.
"She's a were, she might have gone to see her pack for comfort," Alex offered as the goth nymph dusted herself off. "I'll go see if the were's will speak to me."
"I'm sorry I can't go with you, the forest is beyond the range of my tree," she apologized. Then an idea seemed to go off in her mind, "but I can give you something that should help in getting them to talk to you!" Willow offered, as she lifted her hands to her hair. With a quick pair of tugs, she freed her hair from their pig tails, and with some fussing got the hair back to it's more wild willow style.
The thing about tree nymphs, that Alex had found over the years, was that when they were showing more of their true nature, how it presented itself. Nothing about her looked like a 'tree', she just looked like a goth girl shaking out her hair. But he could hear the sound of the rustling of leaves when she did that. Hearing the sounds around her actual tree, the wind through the branches, the church bells as they sounded.
The quiet reminder of how fragile she was, because anyone could decide the kill her tree and thus her. Willow couldn't just move out of the city, she was trapped with her tree inside it, unless someone moved her tree. She would have to hope that her cosmetic alterations would be enough to get her jobs as she lived. Eventually the 'Willow' identity would not look right with her 'age' and her inability to 'leave' meant a higher chance of people 'remembering a girl like her'.
But this wasn't the time for introspection, as a limb of leaves slipped out of her hair, vivid green that should have been glaringly visible from her blond hair. Winded and braided onto the slender branch was long strands of brown hair with mixed in brown fur. The nymph extended her hand out, offering it to Alex with trusting eyes. "Here, this is our friendship branch, if you take it with you, the were's will let you speak with them. Since it's proof of my friendship with Carolina," she explained.
Nothing more needed to be explained, because to take a friendship token from a nymph by force caused said items to rot. You simply did not force the mystical side of mother nature. He accepted the token and slipped it into his jacket before leaving the dorms. Pretending that she was telling him something he didn't know. For the branch would also carry this conversation, allowing the Were's to hear that it had been explained to him what would happen. Now he just had to find the pack, for a were to run back to their pack? What had the message transmitted?
"Did you find her? Is she ok?" Sam voiced the concern from the pair in the States.
"Yes, but the situation isn't good. I haven't been called, but the moon call was that there are Black Masses being created globally and starting to get 'closer' to Japan." Alex explained as he flicked between pages of school lessons.
"The humans know not what they are doing, their behavior will enrage the king! We've heard the cries of our distant brothers and sisters. Innocent pups are being stolen and sacrificed near the island where the King rests his head. Our winged cousins are taking off from the lands, the scaled cousins are going into hiding. LeCarde, you and yours have slain the king before, but you will have no hope this time. His power exceeds the limits of your champion now. If the king takes on one of those souls, just one human soul into his grasp. You and your kind will die."
"Whatever reason is probably to draw out Dracula. Historically a Black Mass was only used to prematurely summon Dracula." Sam noted, the faint sound of a chair creaking indicating that the speaker was sitting down next to the speaker phone.
"But Dracula is here, isn't that what has already been confirmed? Why use a rite to summon what already exists?" Max asked from that side of the ocean.
"This may be a final test to prove whether or not Dracula 'has' returned. The Black Mass 'should' work if Dracula isn't here, failure may be proof that Dracula has revived on his own. It may be the final confirmation that Graham's cult might need before they settle into merging with Fortner's cult." Sam worried the idea out loud for them all to hear.
"We need you guys to come here, if that's the case Julius and Yoko are going to need serious back up. I don't know how the Black Mass will affect Dracula, with the Prince currently out of range for him to communicate. From what I gathered from the meeting, Dracula relies heavily on the Prince for his knowledge about his power," Alex explained as his selection on the screen was sent to the printer.
"So we need to set up to meet you when?" Max asked.
"Not just 'when' but 'where'. Turns out that Dracula is located in Japan, so we'll be meeting up there," Alex corrected.
"Well, that makes sense, great grandmother Charlotte 'did' go to Japan. Would make sense that if Dracula was going to return, he'd do it near the access to his castle."
"Well, just to let you know, turns out that Dracula is a barely legal kid."
There was a long silence as the pair tried to process that thought then in the best imitation of a genie, "Limitless dark power, tiny baby wielding it."