Disclaimers: I don’t own Castlevania: SOTN, though I DO own a copy of the game. I’m just borrowing the characters as muse for this fic and will return them quietly afterwards. *Sigh* Konami is one lucky company...

Dedicated to the children of the night Harle and Charliedoggie, two very good friends of mine and to the bazillion Alucard fan girls who are as rabid as I am. ^^

Notes: As noted in the above disclaimer, I don’t own anything Castlevania except a copy of the game. However, the original characters that I will be adding in this story are of my property and I will not allow anyone to take them unless they ask for my permission and my blessing...This shall be my first REAL attempt at SOTN fic-writing, so DO forgive the discrepancies and please keep an open mind about everything here.

O-tanoshimi, minna! J

And so it came to pass that Adrian Tepes attempted to rid the world of his accursed bloodline one last time...

* ~ THOUGHTS ~ *

Do you watch me now, Father? Are you seeing me from the Gates of Hell where I cast you?

Yes, I shall once again pass into slumber and relieve the world of this blood that flows through me. ‘Tis my curse and my gift, but ‘tis one thing I shall not burden mankind with.

I do this in honor of my mother, Lisa Tepes, who long forgave you and loved you even until her death by the fire of the same humans you used as sacrifice for your evil pleasure.

I do this for the Belmont Clan, for long have they opposed your evil and dared to stop it from spreading.

I do this for the world, to give them a glimmer of hope. Yes, Father, to give them hope.

And I do this for the Renard woman, whose pure soul I shall not allow myself to taint. I do love that woman, Father. The life that pulses within her is innocent and though it pains me, I must not go near her for fear of cursing her blood just as you have cursed mine.

Forgiveness...

Did I learn to forgive those who persecuted my mother? Despite the pain I bore being witness to her death, I could not lay a finger on those who could not understand. My mother’s only crime was to give love to one who could only bring hate and despair, yet they burned her, torturing me by letting me watch her die.

But I could not lay a finger because my loyalties were tangled. I was made to know that I was a heretic, cast out by the villagers because I was a child of a human and a vampire. And yet I could do them no harm, for they were, perhaps, more lost and confused than I could ever be.

I was loyal to you because you were my father and you were the man who gave me my powers, teaching me how to use them to the fullest of my abilities. But your soul was dark, empty...

I was loyal to my mother, because in her, I had my solace. She was the comfort I often sought, soothing me with the whispering melodies of her voice and her words, her stories of dragons and knights, of fair maidens in distress...

Was I wrong for siding with humans when I finally came to a decision? Was I wrong because I swore to remember my mother’s last words before she ceased to live?

I do not know if I was wrong, but the anger I felt for you is no longer there, only pity because you did not see how my mother had died, with a smile on her lips, professing her undying love for you despite your wickedness... 

Hope.

Man always dares to hope, foolishly sometimes, and yet he remains strong. As long as his heart beats, he will continue to hope. It is for this reason that I still live, Father. My heart is both vampire and human, and as long as it continues to give me life, I will always hope that you will someday change...

Castlevania is no more, Father. And if the time comes that the evil shall once again arise, I shall be there to stop you.

As I have always been doing for the last three centuries...

Castlevania had been destroyed.

Nothing, save the crumbling stone pillars overrun with moss, remained.

This, Maria Renard was sure of as she got ready for bed. Fleetingly, her mind conjured up the waxen face of a man no older than 30, but in reality, was more than 300 years old. 

He was a beautiful man. He had sharp, angular features that bordered on androgynous, a straight and delicate nose that seemed upturned in haughty disdain, with high sculpted cheekbones and thin lips that quirked slightly at the corners as if mocking anybody who dared challenge his authority. His hair was a long flowing waterfall of pale wheat, his skin an even paler shade that gave him a Gothic appearance and his deep-set eyes were of amber beneath rather long lashes, able to pierce anyone with a silent command. He carried himself with pride, his broad shoulders and back straight, his stride graceful and cat-like.

Despite the fact that he was not as muscular as her brother-in-law, Richter, he radiated a certain amount of strength and power that was not to be underestimated. The air of arrogance he displayed only seemed to heighten his beautiful features, making him look more like a mysterious deity of sorts, haunting and ethereal.

"Alucard..." She whispered his name, walking up to the open window to gaze at the full moon.

She had been so fascinated by the dhampire, ever since they first met within the walls of Castlevania. He was there to destroy the castle while she was there to search for Richter Belmont, her brother-in-law who had mysteriously disappeared. But just as quickly as she came to know him, he bid her a cold farewell, standing amidst the ruins of the castle that Chaos had created.

And just as the sun rose up behind the decomposing remains of Castlevania, the man named Alucard disappeared from her life, perhaps for forever.

Richter had suggested that she go after him. He had even URGED her to go when the dhampire started walking away. But she shook her head and decided – though her heart had ached with a strange longing that time – that it was best that they go their separate ways. The optimist in her said that they would probably meet again someday. But that someday would probably be never, since she was but a mortal while the dhampire was practically ageless.

Where was he now? Was he safe? How was he doing? Questions continued to swirl around in her head as she continued to stare out at the moon. It seemed larger now than usual, full and pale against the purple-black sky, illuminating the entire village in a silvery glow. It somehow made Maria uneasy, but she shook off the feeling and shut the windows.

The moon laughed outside, watching as Sleep, brother of Death, wove a spell around the village. ‘Pathetic fools,’ she whispered, her laughter turning sinister. ‘Evil never sleeps.’