Castlevania: Aria of the Ascending Soul
Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix
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"So we have errant spirits of the Belmont clan do we?"
Fear ran its icy fingers up Annettes' non existent spine as she hovered in front of the worrying painting. With the voice coming from behind her at the door. While Soleil's hand went uselessly to the whip he was carrying. While not Vampire Killer, it was also used for hunting vampires and just as useless as Soleil was. For it was a memory of when Soleil was alive rather than an actual harm inducing weapon. In the same way as their clothes and ages were intentionally reconstructed by each spirit in question.
The pair turned and found Orlox standing in the doorway with his arms crossed his chest and a person barely visible behind the towering vampire's stature.
'Oh no, no no no nononono...' Annette began thinking and in a blind panic dove to the floor only to smack into the stone. 'Nononono...'
Soleil tried to sink down, even as Annette was left sprawled out on the ground, only to be confronted by a force in the floor that he knew all too well.
"They're in here are they?" Another voice asked, male and with a little fatigue in tone.
"Most certainly, and they shall not be leaving I assume?" Orlox added as the pair made a desperate scramble for the door.
As fast as a pair of ghosts could move Orlox moved faster still, moving outside the doorway before the pair smacked into the invisible wall that was once empty space.
Orlox stood there with a middle aged man, standing outside the doorway, the man was as tall as the vampire, though he was dark haired, and slender. While in his hands were slips of paper that the pair recognized as sealing wards.
Soleil noticing a quick glance from the man, made the hunter feel as if they were being noticed before reasserting his attention on Orlox. Beating his fists uselessly on the ward he could now actually see the vampires' face. Painfully gaunt, the rotted yellow eyes sunk into the face and the fangs were slightly present hidden mostly by the helmet.
He wasn't physically imposing, at least not to one trained to hunt vampires. Soleil was thus left comparing how 'this' vampire was meant to be a decoy prey for Richter to toy with. It felt weird and not a little disturbing how far Shafts' plans were thought out to keep Richter in power and Dracula safe. Regardless if Orlox knew how little he mattered, that he was here with a painting of Soma. A 'disturbing' painting of Soma no less...
But it wasn't Orlox that had Annettes concern. Comforted that the maids had not materialized back in the room, she could only hope. Praying that it meant they would reach Alucard and let the others know what happened. 'Before, did he know he sealed several people when he was going about the castle?' The questioning thought stumbled to a halt as she noticed how he was... studying Soleli? Humans, sans Kazu, had been unable to see them from even before they arrived in the castle. Even the trapped prisoners of the castle couldn't see any of them. However; she couldn't shake the feeling that the man 'could' see them.
'Maria said Jane can see us and she's now an Arachne, so perhaps the changed cultists can see us?' It was a question for later when the pair were left staring at each other, four walls and this painting... 'The painting! What is it? Obviously we stopped them from destroying it so is this their next attempt?' Annette pondered as she studied the man before her.
It would be important.
This she told herself, after all they couldn't afford him disguising himself as just a 'member' of the cult. The others would need to know what the man looked like! Black hair remarkably thick, but there was a hint of gray at the roots, towering in the way Orlox was. Bony if she was to describe the build, his hand were also thin, and uniquely delicate. Bringing to mind those who made their living using their hands, but not like the blacksmiths or leather workers. Not the rough type of work that left hands cracked and worn.
He was also dressed as though he had been pulled from a sound sleep, wearing a thick night robe that had a wad of paper peeking out of the hip pocket. He had slip on shoes and his eyes were tired and not really open. Making seeing the eye color difficult, so his height was the only thing that really stood out to her. With a towering frame that roughly appeared to match Orlox. It was the last time Annette got a chance to notice before the door suddenly, and violently, slammed shut in their faces.
Leaving the pair with a growing anxious feeling as they looked, first at each other, then turned as one to the painting.
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Rising up before the door to the room that the Young Master had taken over. The maids fussed with their uniforms before giving a polite knock. Hoping that Death would approve of their appearance in passing and not just strike them down for not being on point.
"Young Master? May we enter?" The red head called out, as the brunette began fussing with the bow on the back of her uniform.
"Enter."
He... didn't sound happy really... If it was his Lord Father the pair would have been petrified, but for the Young Master? Even if they were zombies the maids were now on high alert and anxious.
Opening the door, they were confronted by the Young Master, sitting regal and calm on a leather high back seat. Ever his fathers' son, he held the poise and confidence of his father, even if he wasn't seated in the Master Chambers. His suit was neat, not a speck of dust to be seen, not a wrinkle or sign of disturbance. Shoes polished and unscuffed, it was hard to believe their Young Master was ever wickedly crucified with how neat his clothes appeared. His hair even was a warm wood brown with slight blond highlights to go with his gold eyes...
Uh oh...
Gold eyes take warning.
"Young Master." The pair curtsied as they entered the room before approaching. "We felt we needed to report a situation that has arisen within the castle." The red head reported dutifully.
The Young Master was quiet for a moment before bowing his head ever so slightly, "very well. Proceed."
Nervous glances between each other, the red head continued. "As the Great Master has taken to traveling through the paintings. Circumventing the restrictions on him placed by that horrible church, we just learned.. Oddly through the assistance of the Belmonts, that the Great Masters' soul is in a particular painting. One that had been put to fire..."
Off to the side, next to the lit fireplace was the Great Master, unmoving as he was. He was under a thick blanket of rich reds. His youthful face and white hair framing his face looked remarkably peaceful given the situation. Somehow looking at the slumbering Master was a comfort in that moment almost as though...
"WHAT?!"
Both maids flinched in response to the sudden exclamation.
Red lost her ability to speak and was reduced to a stuttering shell of a corpse.
While the Young Master was now ramrod straight in his seat. Stillness that drew the attention of the maids to the glittering gold eyes of the Young Master as he sat there. The fire in the fireplace was silent, it even seemed to shrink when an errant pop of a log chipped at the silence of the room.
The brunette turned her head, her hand slipped into her pocket where she pulled out her tongue and slipped it back into her mouth. She felt it wiggle against her teeth as it made its way to its root in her mouth. It served as a comforting distraction as the Young Master continued sitting there clearly waiting for them to explain themselves.
"Pray forgive us, the lady wife of one of the Belmonts beckoned us to assisted her as she can not touch. There was an easel in the room with a large roll of cloth draped over the painting. On fire at the edges..."
She shut her eyes as she saw the Young Master rise from his seat, his fury preparing her to be struck down the instant he reach the pair.
"Where? Where is this painting? And why did you not bring it here directly?" The Young Masters' voice was razor sharp and cold as it was close.
"We..." Saying 'forgot' was not going to be a good answer they both knew... "forgive us Young Master, we did not realize there was a threat so close to the room.."
"Threat? What has been going on?!"
Red flinched at the voice before giving a meek, "we left to bring you the information, but as we left... a ward went up.."
The door to the room was thrown open as Alucard stalked out, several servants drew back in mounting alarm at the power that erupted from the room.
"Death!" Alucard called out, for which the manifestation materialized with a promptness that was reserved for the Lord of the Castle.
And while Death lacked flesh or muscle to reflect emotion... "Ahh the Young Master calls?"
"You are to stay at this room, no one is to approach this room living or dead. If the Belmonts or their kin arrive you are to explain the situation. Allow them to leave to seek me out, if someone else without my permissions attempts to enter the room you have my permission to take their lives."
The twin flames that made up Deaths' eyes sparked into greater flames at the instruction. So unlike Alucard and so like Dracula. "What has happened to cause you to make such a declaration?"
"Father has been traveling through the paintings, and has somehow managed to have his idiotic soul trapped in a room." Alucard 'explained' as he turned to the pair of maids. "Both of you, direct me to this room, 'now'."
"Of course Young Master!" the pair dipped into curtsy's and quickly turned towards the distant doors in the hallway.
"If you could stop straggling that would be appreciated..." Alucard began sharply his impatience for the pair dripping from each word.
Leaving Death floating there watching as the trio left and while not prone to feel much sympathy for the living or the half living. There was some for the maids who were seemingly doing their best to retain a servants walk. While Alucard was trying to make them run.
"Young Master!" It called out, schooling the humor from its voice. "Do try to remember that zombies do not move at the speed of angsty vampire teenagers!"
It could almost see the indignant outrage from Alucard as the maids continued moving forward allowing Death to hover there. Slipping through the air it settled against the door and began to study the world around it again. There were fewer humans out to its right, the line of living ants as they traveled away from the castle. The others scurried about within the castle itself, hunters and prey... It was so different, ages of the same game played and now, suddenly, a new one.
Across the hall, several maids walked by, trays of food in hand moving towards the living outside the castle. Overhead the sun was peaking above and would make its eventual descent into evening.
"I see you're back," one of the living called out, as he approached Death. One of the hunters, though not a Belmont, and not one of those lesser Belmonts...
"The Young Master has declared none may enter the room, if you wish to gain access you must speak with him." Death announced and watched as the hunter stopped short, alarm clear on his face.
"Wait, he got 'you' to protect... Where is he then?" Alex asked, his gaze darting from the door where he once was allowed to enter freely back to the ultimate doorman. Doordeath.
"Clearly you missed him you entered from the very doors he left from."
"I don't suppose he told you anything about where he was going?" Alex asked before Death shook its head. With that Alex turned and starting running back down the hallway, the door in question split between left and right, and they had been using the left hand side. Intending to sweep around the right side as they moved through the castle. Alex recalled seeing a pair of maids disappearing around the corner... 'Were they attending to Alucard?'
The hallway was not different, but it was also empty, a sign that Alucard was either walking at a vampires' pace or out right running.
'What happened? Death guarding Soma means something must have happened but what?' Worry ate at Alex as he traveled, with the growing dread that came from how splintered they were. He wasn't confident about where everyone was anymore, he knew he left his sister with Sam. And Max had stayed with the soldiers for a time due to language barriers.
LeCardes served Alucard though and with Death guarding the door Alex couldn't shake the feeling that this was just one more thing. The cults had managed to capture Alucard before, and they had a use for Soma. Stopping and trying to listen to the sound of footsteps would have been nice, but Alucard was clearly moving at a speed that by the time Alex could hear it...
Ahead of him a skeleton butler was occupied with a bouquet of roses shifting the vase around as Alex quickly approached.
"Which way did the young master go?" he called out, hoping that despite his living voice the servant would just react. Especially using the 'Young Master' title.
The skeleton turned to look at him, but it was only a look before it raised its left arm pointing further into the castle at a northwest angle. More over the arm moved to track where Alucard was going!
"Thank you!" Alex called out as he reached the door. A part of him wished for Alexis to be there, so they could levitate themselves and hopefully catch up to Alucard. Alas, levitation was a twins together spell...
The hall gave way to a large room, its purpose lost to Alex as he ran past indifferent to its high ceiling, marble floor. Perhaps if he gave it time he would have realized it was a dance hall, but for now all he focused on was the doors across from him.
Suddenly the door opened and a red head maid stuck her head out to seemingly look at him. "You certainly got the Young Masters' attention..." She noted as she pushed open the door and stepped out of the way for him.
"Where is he going at such a pace?" Alex asked even before he reached the threshold of the door.
"The cult sealed another room," the maid answered as Alex hurtled over the doorway with the determination of a charging cheetah. She shut the door behind him and turned to give chase to this hunter before calling out. "I know where they are going..."
Alex slowed down to a jog that allowed for her to catch up, unlike the Young Master who was fairly abandon the servants nightmare. He wanted them to show him to the room where the painting was, but he was just going so 'fast'. They could not travel on land with the speed he could, so he was forced to slow down for them. But that he had to slow down was sending his power into waves of nails stabbing into her. This terrible feeling of being ripped apart was just below the surface so being sent to attend to this hunter was almost a blessing.
"Is there nothing you can explain to me as we go?" Alex inquired between puffs of air.
Thankfully lacking lungs, the redhead opted to answer. "A pair of the Hunters clan called for assistance, there was a painting in the room that was set to be burned. Being dead they could not remove the covering so we came to give assistance." She reported granted she was neglecting to add the fact that it held the soul of their Lord and Master.
But she was a zombie maid.
Not an idiot.
The Young Master was currently in charge of the Castle and neither servants, or Alex welcomed the possible reasons for his clearly seething presence.