They couldn't even get near Alucard as he held his beloved, consumed by rage and grief.
Trevor and Sypha followed him to the cellar, barely catching up to him as he flew through the halls . The door was bashed open and they bore their weapons preparing for an onslaught of night creatures and vampires, only to find dozens of their corpses scattered across the grounds, scorched or sliced open by the mage's prowess. Sypha tensed with electricity coursing between her fingers, and Trevor gripped the Morningstar.
They found the lower cellar littered with vampire corpses and half the ceiling collapsed in, permanently blocking the hidden passage to the outside woods. In the center of it all Alucard cradled his guardian angel in his arms, sobbing into her.
"Shit." Trevor hissed with a heavy weight in his heart. Sypha gasped covering her mouth with glistening tears in her eyes. The two steadily approached him. Trevor saw the blood dripping from her glyphs and the floor around her dark from the stab wound in her belly. She didn't go down without a fight, and she took her enemies with her. Fearless and unyielding. Like the Belmonts she bred.
"Leave me." Alucard warned in a low, ragged voice.
"Alucard." Trevor stepped forward, lowering his guard. Alucard lashed at him still holding her corpse. "Leave me!" His eyes glowed yellow and he snarled like a vampire.
"We're not leaving you!" Trevor backed away, instinctively gripping the hilt of his cross-knife but kept it closed. "It wasn't your fault, she knew what she was doing. She gave her life to save those innocent refugees. Honor her memory by stopping the bastard who caused all this."
"It does not matter." He growled deadened lowering his head to her body. "Nothing matters. She's gone...." His chest shuddered. "She's gone."
"It does." Sypha approached cautiously. Her eyes filled with sympathy. " We can still stop him, and protect the survivors remaining. She would have wanted us to do so."
"I don't care." He snarled. "Let them all die. It doesn't matter anymore. Nothing in this world matters now she is gone. She was the only thing worth living for, the only light in this dark pitiful existence. The only reason why I stuck my hand out and helped those meek humans, and because of them, she is gone!"
"Alucard you can't give into despair, she wouldn't have wanted that!" Sypha cried. "Please! We need your help! This is your home!"
"Go!" Alucard bellowed wreathed in flames and eyes glowing red while clutching his beloved to his broken heart. The flames left her body unmarked and unburned. "I don't care! Let everything burn! Let the castle fall and let them all die! They weren't worth her life! Let them die and leave me with her!! Leave now or I'll kill you!"
"Stop this!" Sypha summoned her ice and Trevor brandished his whip.
"This isn't you, Alucard!" Trevor said desperately. "Don't be like him!"
A guttural growl rumbled deep within Alucard's chest and his form changed into a vampiric wraith. Smokey grey with great batlike wings and terrible claws. He'd kill them if they didn't leave him to his all consuming despair. "Snap out of this!" Trevor bellowed, not wanting to attack his friend.
"Trevor we have to go!" Sypha shook his shoulder when the castle tremored. The ritual was nearing completion despite the lives saved. Alucard bared his teeth, snarling. The glyphs on the angel's mortal body glowed brightly, and a low humming emanated in the surrounding air.
Trevor and Sypha held each other close, sensing an electric tension in the room. An otherworldly light poured into the dark cellar and all eyes cast in awe at the body in Alucard's arms. The angel's husk shone like a star in cosmos, and with a sharp gust, the light poured into her mouth. Her chest heaved a mighty breath of life.
She opened her eyes, and they gleaned like the summer sun. Alucard recoiled, his clawed hands burning from the aura consuming her body.
She became an embodiment of pure light, levitating in the air shining as a great beacon. Great feathery wings spread from her back, bathing the room in the brilliance of a thousand shimmering crystals. Her form grew until she dwarfed everyone in the room, light dazzling around her as her body glimmered in ivory gold feathers. Her fingernails elongated into birdlike claws, her toenails sharpened into talons, and her head, though still humanoid, bore the feathered crest of a harpy eagle. Longer, silken plumes flowed down her back and curled past her legs evoking a tail.
When her feet touched the ground, she absorbed the surrounding light, appearing to incorporate it into her ethereal, yet very corporeal body. The trio stood breathless, unable to comprehend in body or mind the celestial being now standing before them. She was brilliant, beautiful and otherworldly, (And a hell of a lot different than the church statues depicted as! Trevor thought mesmerized. More like a celestial harpy than a messenger of Heaven.) As she towered over them fifteen feet tall, Sypha bravely addressed her. "Zaharial?"
The angel jerked her head like a bird of prey, staring directly at her. Her eyes unlike any living creature. Bright gray sunbursts with flecks of pure white, looking in her eyes was like looking at a twilit sky full of stars. If she recognized her friends, nobody could tell, but she acted non-hostile for the moment.
"Please." Sypha bowed before the founder of her clan. "Help us. We need you." The angel bowed her head, arching her wings as they brushed her robes.
Sypha backed away when Zaharial stood rigid, her feathers rippling and her ethereal gaze pinned on Alucard, still in his wraith form.
"Alucard, stay back." Trevor warned when the angel zoned in on him the way a hunting beast stared down its prey.
"Don't be afraid....." The dhampir slowly approached her. His claws shortened and he became more human, pitiful golden eyes looking up at her, softly speaking her human name. "It's me."
The angel struck with her great divine glaive, sparks crackling in the air where the blade clashed against the cobbled floor. Alucard dodged her attack, and to Trevor and Sypha, the pain in his eyes was worse than when he killed his own father.
"My love...Please." He stood piteously before dodging another strike. Again and again she went after him, sparks alighting the darkened cellars as Alucard was forced to run.He knew he couldn't fight her, she was stronger than any foe he'd ever face, and he wouldn't. He didn't have it in him, even if he were forced to.
The angel cornered him in a smaller room, towering over him raising her great glaive. Alucard stood hopelessly. A fireball hit her in the back of her head, followed by the whip cracking her hand. She twisted around startled.
"Forgive me." Sypha murmured summoning another fireball.
"Run!!" Trevor lashed the whip at her face and Zaharial hissed. A sharp chilling noise like the air being sucked out of the room.
"STOP IT. You'll hurt her!!" Alucard cried.
"That's not her anymore Alucard ! Get away!" Trevor struck Zaharial again. His other hand clenched on the knife hilt. Trevor knew he couldn't do damage to an angel, Belmont weapons weren't meant to harm celestials with immeasurable power, but he could piss her off and divert her attention long enough for Alucard to escape.
He lashed the Morningstar and it caught around her wrist. Trevor grunted, pulling it back with all his might. Zaharial sprung at him and cuffed him with the blunt end of her claws, knocking him down like a mother bear reprimanding her cub. She brushed the whip off her wrist, and when Sypha struck her with thunderbolts, she knocked the Speaker off her feet with a gust of her wings.
Zaharial clicked in annoyance, trapping the two in a force field they could not break. Trevor and Sypha pounded on the field, screaming at her to stop, but to no avail. They could only watch helplessly as the Last Watcher zeroed in on her former love.
........
I have it now.
The swirling black void of a demon couldn't escape me . I cut off its escape routes and backed it into a corner. It was a particularly strong entity, the darkness of its soul sharp in my vision like the Whisperer forgemaster and Visitor of Arges. Though I was surprised it survived my Heaven's Light attack. When I spread open my wings, radiating my inner light, the faint grey smudges of the nearly dead demons faded out of existence, but the black void held on so close to those I held dear.
No way I was going to let it hurt my friends.
I recognized their souls the moment I reawakened as my true self. Trevor and Sypha, what a sight for sore eyes! Especially when your world is readjusting to its former nature. Where is Alucard, I do not see him here....he's probably fighting with Greta.
Perhaps that is a good thing. I'm sorry my love, it's probably best you don't see me like this.
My celestial vision was familiar, thank goodness,I saw the cellar as luminous grey and glittering, the light of their two souls shining like stars in the twilight, a stark contrast to the black hole of a demon standing behind him. Did they even see it!?
Apparently they did, Trevor called it Alucard and warned it to stay back when it approached me. It had Alucard's voice, I nearly fell for his soothing tone so perfectly mimicked by the demon.
Of course they couldn't see it the way I could. It's a doppelganger, a demon that mimics the form of another person to lure and kill its victims. It's taking Alucard's form as a ruse....
That bastard might have fooled my friends, but it cannot fool me! Angels see the truth behind illusions.
I let the fighting instinct take hold and pursued the demon through the cellar, striking at it with my legendary weapon. What a fast little shit, copying Alucard's abilities to escape me! It certainly didn't help that my human friends couldn't see past the illusion.
They attacked me, thinking I was going after the one I loved. I refrained from speaking, I was still getting used to my true form again, and the power of my divine voice would shatter their spirits if unchecked. Once I killed the doppelganger, it would shed its disguise and reveal its hideous true form. If only Trevor wasn't being such an idiot, attacking me as if I were the foe and encouraging Sypha to follow!
You stupid Belmont I'm trying to protect you! I cuffed him gently but sharp enough to knock him over , flaring my wings in a gust knocking Sypha over and trapping them in a force field.
I advanced on the black demon, making myself as large and imposing as I possibly could. It tried darting away from me, its blurred shape zipping here and there, blocked by my glaive strikes. Raising my hand I surrounded us with holy flame, further cutting off its exits. When it flared its cape into and tried to fly over the flames, I grabbed it forcefully pinning it against the wall with one hand, and pointing the business end of my glaive at its center with the other.
Unseen behind the fires,Trevor and Sypha screamed at me trapped.
"Go on. Kill me." The black void lightened to smokey grey. "I've already lost you." I now felt the heartbeat in my hands, the slow, shallow breath. "I am so proud of you. My love. My light. You may have forgotten me....but I will always remember you. You've given me a gift that I will forever cherish, even after my last breath." I loosened my hold enough where the figure freed its arm and gently brushed my scaled knuckles. No doppelganger could mimic that gentle, reassuring touch.
The grey cloud vanished like passing smoke, and in its place a brilliant shining soul. My glaive dropped with a rattling clang, the force field disintegrated. I placed him on the ground, lowering myself so I could get a better look at him.
Adrian.
I released him from my grasp and tenderly held his face, seeing the soul within.
"It is you."
I gazed at my beloved in his full beauty. Adrian. His small hand touched my feathered cheek, tears glistening in his eyes. "You're as beautiful as the day I met you."
I touched his forehead with mine enveloping him in my wings, their warm light poured over us like the sun.
The Morningstar's sting ruined the moment. "Get away from him!"
I twisted round and hissed at Trevor, feathers rippling down my celestial body. "That's right you haloed asshole. Come after me!"
"What the bloody hell are you doing Belmont!?" Alucard snarled viciously.
"Saving your life!" Trevor lashed his whip at me again as if I were a lion to be tamed. "Now go!"
"Alucard run!" Sypha's palms blazed. "We'll distract her!"
"She won't harm me!" Alucard bared his teeth. "It's her! She remembers me!"
I growled at Trevor bearing my teeth with a sharp hiss, my foot talons gripping the wood. Even crouched down I towered over him. He was a small meat bag, but his soul burned brightly inside.
"It is all right." Alucard's hand gently touched my claws. I looked down at him in pure adoration, brushing my wing over his shoulders.
The two humans let their hackles down instantly. Their eyes cast on me in astonishment, wonder, and a tiny bit of fear. They stood before an honest to God angel, who could blame them? Sypha knelt and averted her gaze, Trevor stared at me frozen, instinctively gripping his weapon despite knowing too well he couldn't put a scratch on me. "Is that you, kid?"
I knocked his feet from out under him with a swipe of my glaive. That's for hitting me you shit.
"Trevor!" Sypha cried out and helped up the stunned Belmont. "That's my girl." Alucard whispered, not even hiding his smirk.
"Never mind, that's her." Trevor grunted a curse, shaking his head. "I might have deserved that."
The ground tremors and I hissed, gritting my teeth. We needed to move. I flared my wings and pointed to the exit. They understood we were running out of time.
I was apprehensive about entering the main hall in my true form. I hung back when Alucard introduced our friends to Greta. Trevor asked how many casualties were there.
"That's what I'm going to find out now." Greta looked around the hall. "Where's Zaharial?"
" She managed to get the refugees to safety, but...." Alucard paused. Sympathy cast in the village leader's eyes. "I'm so sorry. I know how much she meant to you."
"She's not dead." Alucard responded. "Not anymore..however.." He turned his gaze down the hallway where I lay low, far in the back. " You don't need to hide. You are among our friends." I folded my wings and entered the main hall.
The dark grey hall radiated in a warm yellow light, making it appear dreamlike. Every human eye in that room locked onto me. Just like in Arges, but I do not see any fear in their eyes this time. Few people cried, many uttered prayers of thanks. Good old Argyle cheered and applauded, and for the first time, Greta appeared genuinely shocked.
"Now I've truly seen everything." I crouched down, nearly perching on my knees giving Greta a friendly blink.
"It's definitely you." Greta smiled. "I cannot thank you enough for protecting my people. Go put a stop to this madness once and for all. I'll guard the survivors here." She winked at me. "And be sure to keep your goslings out of trouble, will you?"
I chuckled, a strange tingling lighthearted sound, standing full height and walking outside the castle. The sky shrouded in impenetrable darkness not even the moonlight could pierce.
"You were saying something before about a madman upstairs?" Trevor asked. I hissed in response, glaring at the tallest tower glowing red.
"A little shit by the name of Saint Germain." Alucard growled. "Go. we will meet you." Trevor nodded and turned to me. "Don't get cocky, kid. You can still get hurt in this form." I clicked my teeth. Me? Never.
I crouched into a sprinting position, spreading my wings. Alucard knelt beside me, spreading his own black wings and touching my hand in reassurance. I dipped my head, clearing my head and letting my instincts remember what my mind had forgotten.
I shot into the air with the speed and brightness of a comet, wings billowing as the world shrunk below me. Flexing my renewed wings I soared around the castle towers, letting their light shimmer on the darkened stones. A cry like a falcon released from my throat from the joy and exhilaration of a birthright returned. A dark shape darted beneath me before coasting at my side. Alucard kept up well, his black wings and vampiric stamina equaled mine. I suppressed an involuntary growl in my throat detecting a grey smoke surrounding him. That's him utilizing his powers. Keep control, you've got this. My love for him suppressed the instincts to kill a vampire or demon on sight.
I dove towards the highest tower where Alucard's childhood room lay and struck it with my glaive. A red force field deflected the strike and I continuously battered it with talons, claws and bladed beam. " It's no good!" Alucard called to me, hovering in front of me. "We must take it from the inside!" I huffed with a nod and followed him to the connecting bridge, steadying my feet prepared to land.
I'd be lying if I said I landed gracefully. I stumbled forward and crashed onto my belly. Imagine that, an angel with the elegance of a waddling goose. "Nice landing." Trevor snickered. "I thought angels were supposed to be graceful." Sypha shot him a look and I gave him an equally heated glare. Shut it Belmont. I scuffled onto my feet and led them into the tower, diving under and over the platform they ran across.
At the entrance to the western wing, a welcoming committee awaited us. The scarlet armored vampire along with his merry band of necromancers and vampire warriors.I flared my wings at the black shapes, but the overgrown lobster gave me a devious smirk and signaled his goons to attack.
I cut the vampire warriors down like a scythe through fresh wheat,slicing them in half as the bodies burnt to crisp. Some fled me in sheer terror and I hunted them down, others focused on attacking my friends which I pursued and killed at point blank. I screeched in pain feeling a lash to my back, a helmeted necromancer bore a brimstone whip, a weapon specifically designed to harm angels. Three of the remaining strong-armed warriors went after each of my friends and I rushed to their aid before stopping myself.
I can't protect them all at once! They can handle themselves, focus on the necromancers!
Even for a full fledged Egrigori, combating a quartet of skilled vampiric necromancers were no small challenge. Each of them stunk of dark magic which they used to their best abilities. The mean old Stitchy Witchy tied my wings together with burning silk, though I didn't need flight to defeat her, a square kick with the talons forced her back. The hooded Castsper blocked my glaive with a wave of bones, but I darted around him, swooping under his feet with my glaive. I lunged to impale him but the Brimstone whip caught around my throat, pulling back and burning me when I tried to bolt loose.
One by one the necromancers threw chains around me, imbued with brimstone and burning through my form. The same chains the Hierarchy used to bind me. The necromancers pulled the links forcing me to the ground. The more I struggled the more they burned deep, until lay strapped on the floor unable to shake them loose. The scream I made unlike anything heard by mortal ears.
My friends rushed to help me, but each was confronted by the necromancers. If those fiends can subdue an angel, they could easily overcome mortals, despite their incredible skills and lineage. They were faltering and failing, and I could only hopelessly watch. The armored vampire finally leapt down, standing next to me and watching the fight with amusement. He was close enough that I could slash his foot clean off if I could get an arm loose, but I'd lost that strength, overcome by the burning chains and a cold numbing shock.
"Take a good look angel, and watch your friends die." He grinned devilishly. He spat at my face before returning to his perch. Each of my companions struggled and I couldn't register the danger they were in, still numb with shock. Only when Alucard nearly choked to death by Stitchy Witchy's silk did I scream again and struggle.
That's when I saw Trevor's cross-knife fly through one of the necromancers. It was like a hive mind activated. They stopped fighting as a single unit and stood together, one helping the other successfully destroy their foes! Alucard and Trevor rushed to me, throwing off the chains and freeing me. "Brimstone." Trevor grunted kicking the chains away. "Bastards knew she was here." Sypha burned the wires pinioning my wings.
Alucard glared infuriated seeing my body burned and my light dimmed, touching my cheek. I shook myself and stood up, brushing my wing over his shoulders. A sharp snarl rippled from above. The armored vampire finally met us head on.
I stood my ground, flaring my wings with regained light and charged. Tearing my glaive through his armor stripping him bare to the chain-mail. He tried blowing me back with the swinging mace, but a thunderclap of my wings knocked him up on his belly. I seized the moment and pounced, pinning him down with my talons. With one hand I grasped his head in my claws, and ripped it free of his body with the entire length of his spine attached.
Standing over the bloody holed corpse of the vampire, I turned to the trio still holding up the severed head and spinal column. Was I not supposed to do that?
"Jesus Christ Alucard, never piss her off." Trevor remarked gobsmacked. I tossed the head and spine aside, nonchalantly walking back to them. Picking up my glaive. Standing together once more we turned to the gaping hole in the wall revealing the glowing red hallway.
This ends now.
And this time?
We are ready.