Life

Disclaimer: Castlevania belongs to Konami not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Alucard . . . then he’d be mine.

Warning: this fic contains really Light YAOI (GuyXGuy), blood play and vampires (is this a necessary warning for a Castlevania fic?). However although the first few chapters are very easy going the later chapters include, Heavy Yaoi, Violence and discussing of sensitive subjects.

Express warning: This chapter contains Violence and Death.

Rating: NC-17

Authoress note: I have changed aspects. I am aware Alucard’s eyes are a soft grey-ish colour, I was however inspired to change this as I have been before in my other fics.

Italics are memories

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Chapter Seven

During their exploits to change Adrian’s form the father and Adrian discovered Adrian’s strange ability to wield fire, in a similar fashion to his father. This was most unusual as it is very rare that vampires or Dunpeal’s will manifest the same abilities as the one who fathered or sired them.

Different to his father Adrian also gained a sort of immunity to flames with this gift, however the immunity only went so far and if he remained in contact with flames for a long period of time he would burn.

It was over the next few months and years that Adrian’s true powers began to fully manifest.

Holy symbols. Holy symbols are a complicated matter when it comes to Adrian. It maybe his status as a half breed over that of a full breed vampire, or it could be some manifestation of his powers or it could be something else entirely.

Holy symbols alone will not hurt Adrian; occasionally he uses this advantage and wields them himself. It is written in places that Dunpeals have the power to fight the vampire, maybe this is a manifestation of those powers.

We have put this down to faith. As many hunters have thrust holy symbols at Adrian only to find him trying not to smile at their foolishness. However there was a time when a man successfully used a symbol of God to harm Adrian, this man was a priest.

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They stood together at the entrance to the village, entering to see what damage had been done and what damage could still be done. A wide smirk covered Vladimir’s jaws while Adrian looked gloomily at the ground beneath him, occasionally kicking at a stray pebble.

“This is what humanity disserves my Child” Vladimir’s voice was almost a purr

“Yeah” Adrian sighed, he’d already tried to explain his views on humanity and why he found it difficult to hate them but it had had no effect what so ever on his father and little effect on anyone else.

They continued to watch the attack, Vladimir occasionally letting out little chuckles at some sort of action he found amusing. While Adrian continued to glare at the ground, trying not to listen to the cries of those being slaughtered.

“Adrian” Samuel’s voice came over the sounds of carnage

Adrian looked up finding Samuel easily, he nodded to him. Samuel smiled widely with a childlike joy, strange how he could seem innocent and childlike with human entrails clasped between his jaws.

Then suddenly the smile dropped from the werewolf and a shocked, pained expression took its place, he looked down slowly, his eyes resting on the spear protruding from his torso, piercing his heart. He looked back up at Adrian with bleary, confused eyes. The skin around the spear was turning black at an alarmingly fast rate. Tiny flames sprang up from the flesh.

Adrian was over beside his friend in moments trying to pull the spear out, but the spear was solid silver and melting the werewolf’s flesh, it wouldn’t budge. Adrian covered the small flames eating at his friend with frantic hands but they were spreading to fast, like corrosive acid eating through tissue paper. The smell of burning hit Adrian’s senses as Samuel gripped his friend’s coat between blackened paws, his jaws working to make a sound, but no words or sounds came forth. His jaws opened wide in a silent scream as the blue flames of Castlevania started to consume him.

In the end all Adrian held was ash.

He stayed perfectly still for a moment to shocked to let what had just happened sink in completely. The smell of burning was still strong, he could smell burnt wood and flesh, and it was making him sick. Then suddenly he remembered

“Mother!”

“Adrian”

“Mother! I’ll save you”

“No! If my death can help others I’d gladly surrender my life”

“Mother!”

“Adrian!”

“Don’t touch me Human! Mother!”

“Adrian! Please”

“ADRIAN!”

But some thing hard was suddenly forced against Adrian’s back, Adrian turned and blinked slowly at the extremely worried face of his father, who was half way across the village square towards him. Then he turned to the person forcing this object against him. The man was a hunter of some sort and held a large silver cross to Adrian’s back, nothing was happening. The relief on Vladimir’s face countered the fear in the villager’s eyes a vampire that could withstand holy symbols

“How?!” the hunter demanded “why do you not burn like the . . .” he was cut short as black clawed fingers raked across the man’s throat, a sharp growl accompanied them.

The man convulsed a moment and fell to the floor, while emotionless eyes of the dunpeal watched him writhe a moment before dying. Adrian remained perfectly still, blood dripping from his hand, eyes watching but not actually seeing what was in front of him, images of his mother continually flashed before him.

A second hard object was thrust upon him, he turned ready to take care of this human as well but suddenly the object didn’t feel cold and lifeless anymore, it began to heat up rapidly, before igniting, burning Adrian like liquid fire, the air filled once again with the smell of burning flesh, Adrian’s vision blurred and his head spun then the pain was gone.

A holy man had been struck down harshly by Vladimir’s claws, the same claws that caught his child before he collapsed to the floor.

“Adrian” Vladimir snapped, giving his son a rough shake, lifeless eyes cleared and blinked

“It burned me” Adrian muttered confused his vision still blurred and his head sill spinning, “but . . . how . . . I can’t burn”

“You may control hell fire daemon but the fire of god will strike you down” one of the villager’s yelled

The villager went ignored, as Vladimir lifted his son in his arms and they both vanished in a purple light.

They repapered in Adrian’s room, Vladimir set Adrian on his feet and held him as he swayed a little. When Adrian’s balance returned Vladimir lent down to inspect the wound on Adrian’s lower back. Adrian winced as his father pulled his melted clothing from the wound. The pain began to dim slowly until it became a dull throb, the melted flesh healing.

“You’ll scar” Vladimir said matter of fact “but you’ll live” he sighed “I am sorry about Samuel, but why on earth did you just . . .” he was interrupted

“I remember” Adrian whispered turning to look up at his father with watery eyes “I remember everything . . . Mother”

Vladimir’s expression changed as he understood, he swallowed before nodding and speaking

“You understand why I hate them so?” Vladimir asked, but got no reply as his son dropped his burnt and bloody cloak on the ground and crawled on top of his bed, curling tightly around himself.

* * * *

Three days had passed since the burning of the village, since the death of Samuel and since Adrian retrieved his memories.

In the past three days Adrian had lain in bed not sleeping, just thinking, maybe humans were the mindless violent animals his father had been telling him about, maybe they had just been hiding that side of their nature from him. He felt guilty admitting this but he could understand why they would want to kill Samuel, he was attacking them, ripping them apart in his jaws. But he remembered his mother and she had been an angle made of flesh, she was perfection, she was a harmless creature.

They had murdered her.

Today Adrian sat up in bad, a plate of half cooked meat in his lap, strictly speaking Adrian would never really need solid food but Vladimir would not deny him simply due to the lack of necessity. Vladimir sat on the edge of his sons bed watching as Adrian glared angrily at the meat before stabbing it with the fork and shoving it into his mouth, chewing it venomously.

He swallowed loudly, nearly chocking. Before slamming his fork down and glaring at his father,

“They all deserve to die” he hissed, Vladimir smirked and nodded.

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He felt his soul twist with anger and become black. Although a tiny fragment inside him still cried out for him to be rational, that he could no longer justify his actions, this was not what his mother would have wanted. But the anger was so strong, it was impossible to ignore. He truly felt like he was finally himself, behaving the way he was supposed to, letting himself go.

The uncontrollable joy he felt at his vengeance, slipping into villages and tearing them apart.

Hunters came to the castle every now and then, the more attacks the castle made on the surrounding villages the more hunters would arrive at the castle. Although many of the hunters who arrived were mostly men lining up to be martyred, they were still humoured.

They kept the human spirit alive, their sense of hope. They also provided ample entertainment for the immortal hosts. Forever is a very, very long time to live.

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“A hunter?” Adrian asked raising his pail eyebrows

“yes a mere trifle we can eliminate the threat easily but then the human’s spirit would stagnate and become broken they would realise they have no hope, if we at least humour the hunters it give off the illusion that there is hope for the humans yet and provides us with ample entertainment”

“Oh” wine coloured eyes lit up at the idea.

Vladimir watched calmly as one eye stayed purple, the other became blood red. His son had suddenly started getting mismatched eyes a lot, it worried Vladimir a little to begin with but when nothing else strange occurred his worry lessened.

“Yes” Vladimir nodded

* * * *

Jason swallowed hard staring up at the imposing castle, that sight alone made him want to turn back, fear twisting wildly inside him. But no, someone had to protect the people, Jason knew he was the best candidate for this; he had always surpassed others in any test of strength.

He took a deep breath and started towards the castle, his thoughts focused on his father, how proud he would be, how his victory over Dracula would go down in history, his family would be safe, and his little Sister.

He paused at the moat and waited, thinking. The gap was too far to even attempt a jump and other than that he was fresh out of ideas. Jason cursed loudly, ideas and thinking were not his forte, he should have brought Jonathan with him, as he was always the one who had smart ideas.

He was about to start throwing things when the drawbridge dropped. Jason smirked, Dracula must recognise true greatness when he sees it, must be shaking in his boots now. Jason sniggered when he imagined himself heroically slaying the fearsome Dracula with ease.

He was confronted by another barrier this one in the shape of a door. Grunting in frustration he took a step back before ramming the door with his shoulder, nothing happened

“Allow me” a voice behind him offered

Jason turned faced by a human, but then he notice the wolfish ear protruding from the creatures head, the creature smiled showing inhuman teeth and turned to the door, Jason noticed a bushy wolf like tail and claws on this things hands, a werewolf! The werewolf pushed the door once before running through it, avoiding the small arrows fired from Jason’s crossbow.

Jason snorted as the Werewolf ran away, before entering an elaborate chamber, one of Castlevania’s entrance halls. He made his way forward rather confused as to why he was not yet encountering anything overly threatening, he paused however when he noticed something dark on the carpet, blood, he knelt down and touched it with his fingertips, it was warm, fresh.

Taking a few more steps he noticed more blood, and then more a little further on. He followed the trail until he came across what appeared to be a man, doubled over and leaning against a marble pillar. From a distance he made out the man was dressed in black, had long almost pure white hair and skin and he was obviously the source of the blood.

He approached grinning to himself, ready to make his first kill and put this creature out of his misery. The creature turned and looked at him with pure golden eyes that were watery, Jason’s breath caught in his throat, this creature before him was stunning. Even doubled over, arms wrapped around its midriff, its face pained and eyes watery, it was still stunning.

“You come to save us?” the creatures voice was broken but beautiful

“I . . . I come to end this” Jason replied, the creature nodded

“Yes, you come to end our suffering, I thank you” the creature tightened its grip around its midriff and winced before letting out a small cry of pain “aarrr . . . Please forgive my weakness” it mumbled “But I . . . I can help you even broken like this, I can aid you”

“Aid me how so” Jason snapped, fighting the urge to move a bloody strand of pail hair from the creature’s face

“I can lead you to Dracula” The creature sunk further down to the pillar wincing in apparent pain

“Then do so and I will end your suffering” Jason had a strange feeling about this

“Um . . .” the creature seemed confused it looked around and coughed nothing happened, “our suffering is truly great at the monsters hands . . . the things I have had to bear witness to . . . would drive any sane man to madness”

“Well take me to him now!” Jason poked the creature with his sword, the creature collapsed to the ground and the hunter felt guilt, he had harmed this creature, something that was clearly divine and did not belong in this hell hole.

“Divine? Adrian he called you divine” a second voice sprang forth from the shadows, Jason turned worried, a trap?

The creature on the floor had an expression of exasperation on its face, it released its grip around its midriff, exposing the fact that it wasn’t hurt, it stood gracefully and snapped at the new creature emerging from the shadows

“You are late”

Jason snapped his head to the creature now emerging from the shadows, it also appeared human, but with darker skin, black hair and eyes that glowed crimson. It approached the first creature, and reached out brushing its cheek

“Devine Adrian” it smiled

Jason suddenly jerked to life and fled. Hearing voices behind him.

“Damn it Orlox”

“Relax moonbeam he won’t get far”

“I wanted to kill him, brainless lug thinking he can just come . . .”

He ran out of ear shot and through the gate, over the still lowered draw bridge and half way into the forest. He ran until his lungs were burning before he stopped and lent against a tree gasping for breath. Safe, he was safe, he’d escaped the castle, and then a thought struck him like lead, what would he tell those at home. That thought quickly evaporated as he hears footfalls chasing him.

Jason turns his head and finds himself face to face with the creature from the castle.