Alright so I’m sorry I haven’t updated this story in so long but I just got a bunch of new ideas this week so I can continue. As usual I apologize in advance for any stupid typos I made.

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Nathien sat in the car feeling rather awkward with his boss, Integra Hellsing.

Nathien had been peacefully sleeping at his desk, drooling all over the papers he had been working on, when at some at some ridiculously late time of the night he had been awoken by Walter. All so that he could accompany Integra on some sort of business outing which the butler had no elaborated on. Nathien himself couldn’t even begin to guess as to what they could be doing at this time. Regardless of the occasion, Nathien found it undyingly cruel that his rare and elusive sleep had been disturbed.

Of course not that he dared voice that complaint aloud to the woman who sat next to him. That would probably be a wonderful way to get himself shot. Nathien honestly thought this woman was entirely capable of shooting him on the spot for little to no reason. Now while that wasn’t quite true it wasn’t too far from it…

Nathien made the mistake of yawning tiredly and for reasons unknown forgot to cover his mouth. Integra gave him a disapproving look; “You work for me and are on duty at ALL times of the day. From now on I expect you to be prepared to deal with any task I give you regardless of the circumstances.”

She eyed his wrinkled and not recently washed clothes before she went on, “And I also require that my subordinates dress… presentably.”

Nathien himself was at a loss for what she meant. He thought his sweatshirt and sweat pants were presentable enough given the situation, never mind the coffee stain.

But he knew well enough what she expected of him to respond, “Yes sir.”

They drove on for about another thirty minutes before they stopped. During which Nathien had had to suppress the urge to yawn several times. Have you ever tried to not yawn? Nathien found it impossibly difficult and the face he would make as a result was one of such stupidity that if he had been in the company of anyone other than Sir Hellsing they would have laughed themselves shitless.

When they stopped Integra got out of the car with only a single word, “Follow.”

Nathien did as he was told and found himself on a street somewhere in the countryside. The darkness making it difficult to tell where exactly and the only visible structure was a pleasant looking country home on the side of the road.

Nathien followed Integra as they ascended the steps into the house and passed by two Hellsing soldiers who saluted them. As they entered the house Nathien took a look at the door handle, “Good god I think that’s blood.”

Integra’s voice was harsh, “Keep up.”

Nathien was forced to pass the bloody handle without getting a good look as he followed Integra into the living room. There he found a sight that he would never forget.

The room was painted red with blood. It was everywhere… the floor… the walls, even the ceiling. Nathien covered his mouth and failed to suppress the violent gagging. In here the air was heavy with the thick and curiously vile smell of burnt flesh and blood. As for the people to whom the blood had belonged to… they were simply beyond recognition. It may have been a family of six; it was hard to tell since they were scattered throughout the room in heaps of organs and limbs. On a table a corpse had been dissected wide open with the entrails hanging out onto the floor. The only other two whole bodies were lying in the center of the floor charred black.

Nathien was on his knees making violent choking sounds. The atmosphere gave an aura of pure death and he couldn’t even breathe. His stomach was clenching and trying to heave out everything he had ever eaten. His mind was in no better state as it replayed the images he had just seen even after he had covered his eyes over and over again.

Alucard was sitting in a blood soaked chair looking as if he belonged in it. He watched Nathien’s reaction to the massacre scene with great amusement while the soldiers who were taking pictures/notes didn’t even spare him a glance.

Seras was in the room as well off in the corner watching Nathien as he coughed on the floor with pity.

Integra herself stood over Nathien’s prone form with a disbelieving look on her face, “What on earth is wrong with you? You dare call yourself a man? Stand up, I will not have you vomiting and making this place a bigger mess than it already is.”

When Nathien remained on the floor she said in a louder more commanding voice, “UP.”

Then, slowly, Nathien did as he was ordered and got himself back on his feet. His face deathly pale and after taking another quick glance at the scene he took his glasses off and shut his eyes.

Integra voice was level, “Now… I have brought you here because we do not understand or recognize what was written with the blood. I have a suspicion that you will be able to tell us something… again I command you, look.”

Nathien turned away from the wall to look at Integra, he stared right into her blue eyes. Integra immediately saw the hollow look in Nathien’s own eyes and knew he would not be able to function properly. Integra was about to order someone to get him away from her and outside when Nathien started stumbling into the blood drenched room.

Integra followed him with her eyes and Alucard was no longer smiling. Nathien stared at the ceiling for a while and saw the runes and symbols drawn; when he spoke his voice was quiet and flat. Integra had to walk over to stand beside him to hear him speak, “Say that again.”

Nathien didn’t look away from the bloody messages on the walls as he repeated in the same quiet voice, “They are blood seals… blood magic. All of them that you see… written in blood. All in blood…”

Nathien’s empty eyes moved to the two charred bodies in the center of the room and he began making his way over to them when Alucard appeared behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him, “You shouldn’t get too close to those bodies.”

Nathien didn’t turn around to look at the vampire and just stared, the only indication that he had heard him was given by the fact that he had stopped walking.

Integra spoke, “The second burned body was a soldier who went over to look at the first corpse and burst into flames when he got too close.”

After a moment Nathien began walking towards the burned bodies again, this time Alucard did not move to stop him. He stopped perhaps five feet from the two bodies then knelt down and rubbed the floor.

His hand came away red and a large circular pattern drawn in blood appeared around the two bodies.

“Mr. Raymer?” Integra questioned curious as to what it meant.

Nathien’s voice was void of emotion, “This rune is some sort of trap that kills people who enter the area inside it by burning them to death. Also something in this pattern conceals the seal from sight. All I did was break the outside of the pattern and it ceased to function.”

Nathien nodded over to another seal on the floor off to the side, “That one is a variation of this one here except that it wasn’t functional due to errors in the way the triangles were inscribed within the circle. It is obvious when you look around that whoever did this was merely experimenting with the power of the blood seals…”

Nathien then sat on the ground, “They used people… as material and test subjects…”

Integra’s voice sounded distantly sad, “That’s enough Mr. Raymer” She looked to Seras, “Get him outside and away from here before he loses it…”

Seras went to help Nathien off the ground and slung his arm over her shoulder. As she lead him back outside and away from the nightmarish scene she heard quiet sobs escape him.

She set him down on the side of the road beside the house where he continued to cry before he spoke, “There were children… Some of that was blood from children. She wants me to study this… learn to duplicate it. I can’t… this isn’t a science. It’s a monstrosity. I know now why nothing I tried ever worked, it’s so simple.”

Nathien looked up at Seras with tears in his green eyes, “It’s the blood… Blood magic, hence the fact that you need blood to perform it. Simple isn’t it?”

Nathien smiled bitterly, his tears momentarily stopping, “Oh but that doesn’t bother you one bit does it Seras? You drink the stuff, what’s it like to be a vampire? All that in there doesn’t bother you at all right? Is it like a buffet to you?”

Seras felt guilty in that moment simply because she hadn’t cringed the way he had at the gruesome scene. She told herself it was not because she was a vampire but because she had simply seen it so many times. That was at least what she’d like to think.

But she recognized that Nathien wasn’t quite himself right now and choose to not take his words too seriously. Seras knelt down so that she was at eye level with him. She looked into Nathien’s eyes and let her own flash red as she put him into a comfortable dreamless sleep and caught his unconscious form as it slumped towards her.

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Integra and Alucard were still inside the house conversing.

Integra was walking around the room looking at each seal while she spoke, “I have no doubt this is all related to those notebooks Nathien’s father wrote. Odds are someone got a hold of one and what we see here is the result… This is why my family tried to eradicate this form of magic. Mankind simply cannot be trusted with it. It’s demon’s magic anyway, anyone who uses it is as damned as any vampire.”

Alucard smiled, “Have you told that little fact to your pet mad scientist yet? Not that it matters, after tonight he might not be able to think straight ever again. Some men are just weak of mind…”

Integra rubbed the bridge of her nose, “No, I haven’t told him yet. I’m not sure if I can… but we need someone to who can use these seals right now.”

“So sacrifice him?” said Alucard, “Do as you wish, I have no interest in what happens to that whelp’s soul.”

Integra looked troubled, “This outbreak in the use of magic has to be stopped before it has a chance to spread. Nathien’s fate is of secondary importance to this. But it feels wrong to be using him like that even if he is a pathetic soul. Alucard we need to find a way around this problem.”

Alucard shrugged not particularly interested, “It is nothing new that you have to make a few sacrifices to achieve victory, do as you must. That is all the advice I can give my master.”

Integra’s wondered over to the two charred corpses. She was starting to get a very bad feeling about all this.

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Ok so I think I broke Nathien in this chapter. Anyway from here there are just so many ways this story can go and I’m not sure what to choose. I already have the basic plot/conflict thought out but the development of characters is totally up for grabs. At this point I can easily make a Seras X OC pairing if I want to or make it a one sided pairing. Since Nathien is pretty much the main character at this point any other pairings, while totally possible, would kind of be a background thing. Also what about Nathien himself? I can leave him in this kind of shocked state and he won’t whine as much as a result. Or I can return him to normal and find a different way to develop his character. He needs to develop as a character somehow though. Please review and give me feed back on what you think!