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Blood Is Chapter 3-3
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Do I really have to mention that I don't own Castlevania? If I did, we would have gotten to see Julius curbstomp Dracula, the storyline would have been neatened up a bit, and Dracula and Alucard would have just HUGGED already after the reveal in Lords of Shadow 2.
Summary: Lords of Shadow Continuity: AU to Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2: Trevor wasn't the only one that had the truth of his parentage kept from him by the Brotherhood.
3.
Gabriel stumbled as he climbed the rise. Four nights since he had fled his parents' house, two nights since he had left Trevor with Master Liam. He had run as fast as he could manage, not stopping to rest or feed, using the thick forest canopy to hide from the sunlight. Part of him realized that he had made incredible time, making what was normally a fifteen day journey in just under six, but he paid no attention to that as he staggered on shaking legs out of the thinning trees and into the foothills near Wygol village.
He wasn't sure what had compelled him to come out this way, but since he was here, he might as well see if the ruins of the castle had a dark place for him to rest for a while. The sun would rise in a few hours, and there was little shelter that he could see, and none that would be guaranteed to stay shaded as the sun moved across the sky. No, as much as he loathed going near the castle, he would have to for the moment. He could move on as soon as the sun set, and then he could see about finding some way to feed himself.
He topped the rise and allowed himself to sink to his knees for a brief moment as he surveyed the scene before him. Wygol lay sprawled out below him, and beyond it, in the mountains, he could see the ruins of the castle that had sheltered him after his defeat of the Forgotten One. He let out a sigh and lowered his head, absently noting the ragged state of what had once been finely made clothing. Well, it didn't matter. Creatures like him didn't need such finery anyway. It wasn't like he had to worry about his parents fussing over his appearance anymore...
He shook his head to clear those thoughts away and pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled as his legs buckled but he righted himself and began the slow descent towards the village below. The sounds of heartbeats fell upon his ears, and his veins burned with thirst, but he forced himself to move away from the village and up the overgrown road that led to the castle ruins. The abandoned path was rutted, mud caked, and weed choked, and he struggled to find his footing and keep himself upright as he went.
The faint cheeping of the earliest birds fell on his ears as he approached the gates, which had rusted and fallen from their hinges. On the other side of them was the courtyard, and it was in a similar condition to the road. The front steps were half hidden under a build up of dirt, dead leaves, and other debris, as well as one of the massive front doors. The other door had fallen inward and was partially buried under what had once been the roof. The walls had collapsed outward.
He stood at the base of the steps for the longest moment, staring up at the rubble that had once been a grand castle, and then he sighed again and began to climb up them. There had to be some kind of cubby or hole he could hide in to wait out the day. He reached the top step, crossed the few feet to where the doorway had once been, and stepped onto the rubble that had been the entrance hall.
Warmth against his chest made him pause, and he reached into his collar and pulled out the silver crucifix that his mother had given him three years before. The bright silver had still not tarnished, and he absently ran his thumb over the intricate design before a surge of anger rose up within him. He clenched the tiny figure in his fist.
"I have had enough. No more. You've abandoned me for the last time."
He pulled on the chain -
No, Gabriel, don't!
-and the fragile metal broke easily. He threw the crucifix and its broken chain aside, and immediately, the temperature around him plummeted, so far that even his chilled breath could be seen in front of him.
Welcome home, my prince.
Gabriel stopped in mid step, one foot hovering just above the worn, pitted surface of the fallen door.
We have been waiting for you.
"No..." Gabriel whispered as voices, hundreds of voices, moaning, crying, screaming, calling out to him, filled the cold air around him. He turned to leave...
.. .and was flung up into the air, as the rubble strewn floor beneath him seemed to erupt.
You're never leaving again!
Something looped tightly around his waist and pulled him down, but instead of landing on the broken stone and shattered glass that covered the floor, he landed in a rapidly expanding pool of sticky red liquid that his nose was quick to identify.
"Let go of me!"
Ropes, seemingly formed from blood like the ones that had bound him years before, erupted from the blood pool and seized him by his wrists and ankles.
You belong to me!
"No!" The ropes tightened as he struggled against them, and he realized that he was sinking into the blood pool. It couldn't be that deep, could it? Hadn't there been a pile of rubble there just a few seconds ago? He shouldn't have starved himself on the way here! He should have taken time to sleep during the day! Then maybe, he might have an easier time getting free.
We will never let go of you!
Gabriel howled as he felt something settle over him, like a heavy blanket, suffocating and stifling, and his first reaction was to try and kick it away, but the ropes looped around his ankles only tightened.
"Get away from me! Let go!"
We need you here!
He felt a low rumbling from all around him, and he shrieked as he felt his power, the power he had inherited from Laura, the power he had taken from the Forgotten One, being leeched away. His body burned as he arched his back, the fire tearing shriek after pained shriek from him. The rubble shook, and through eyes hazed over with pain, he saw the walls began to reform. It was almost as though he was seeing the collapse in reverse. Broken stones rose up from the floor and settled themselves neatly on top of each other as fragments of glass flew towards the window holes and reformed back into panes.
"Please stop!"
No one will take you from us again.
This is your home now.
We are your family.
The remains of the roof rose up from the floor and fitted back together, and for a brief moment, he thought he could hear cries of alarm from the nearby village. He screamed as the drain on his power increased, sapping the strength from his limbs, and his vision grayed out as he felt the blood around him rising. It lapped at his shoulders, slopped onto the sides of his face, and the ropes tightened further and began to pull him downward once more. He couldn't feel the floor under him – what had happened to it? He pulled and twisted his body, but the ropes only tightened even more, until he thought his bones were going to break under the pressure. As the blood pool began to cover his face, he managed to raise one arm, to do what he wasn't sure, and his screams gurgled to a stop as he was dragged under.
******
Edeline huddled in a corner of the cell close to the door. Her stomached growled constantly to be fed, and her only source of water was the condensation on the walls. How long had she been down here? A few hours? A few days? She had no way of telling in the lightless space. Someone would come down eventually, right? There had been talk of cremating Wolfram's body, so sooner or later, someone would come down to retrieve him and find her.
At least she hoped. She knew her brother-in-law well enough to know that he wouldn't hesitate to leave her down here to die without giving either one of them a proper burial. Adelar might protest it, but he wouldn't act on it as long as his father stood behind him.
The sound of something moving broke her from her worried thoughts, and she raised her head and stared into the darkness in front of her as a soft groan came from the other side of the cell. Her heart jumped as she sat up. Could he...?
"Wolfram?" she called out. "Wolfram, is that you?"
******
He felt as though he was drowning. He couldn't breathe, and his body felt so heavy. What had happened? He couldn't remember... something about a glass of wine? His mouth ached, and he felt his body burning as though it were surrounded by flames. What was wrong with him?
"Wolfram?" came a voice that sounded familiar. "Wolfram, is that you?"
Wolfram must be him, he realized, and the voice was... Edeline. Edeline, his wife of 39 years. His body began to wake up then, and he felt the hard, cold surface he was lying on, and he could smell water. He could also smell blood and hear multiple beating sounds. Heartbeats, he realized. Strange, was that what Gabriel heard?
Gabriel.
Gabriel?
Gabriel!
Wolfram sat up with a gasp, and his eyes flew open. He blinked and stared at the small room that he was in. A dungeon cell, he quickly realized, and its walls, ceiling, and floor were clearly visible in various shades of gray. He could even see the moisture glistening on the rough cut stones. Across from him, in the far corner by the door, was Edeline, looking at him as her heartbeat jumped and accelerated. His nose twitched as he caught her scent, along with the smell of water and mildew. He reached up with one hand to push his hair out of his face, but he paused when he saw something different about his hand. He held it up in front of his face and saw the long, white claws at the ends of his fingers, and a quick inspection of his other hand showed the same. He licked his lips as the implications of that began to work their way through his thoughts, and he tasted something metallic on his tongue. He wiped his mouth, and his fingers touched a dry, sticky substance that he was quick to identify.
"Blood," he whispered, and then he jumped and looked around the small space at how loud his own voice seemed.
"Wolfram?"
He turned to look at her, and her heart jumped again as he did. "Edeline?" he said, and again he winced at the sound of his own voice.
"Wolfram!" She shifted onto her hands and knees and began to scoot towards him, and his eyes immediately moved from her face to her neck and spotted the large artery there. It pulsed in time with her heartbeat, and his teeth began to ache, as the fire in his body suddenly grew in intensity. He wrenched his gaze away and turned his head.
"Wolfram, what's wrong?"
He pressed himself against the wall behind him. "Stay away from me, Edeline."
"What's the matter?"
"What happened -" He swallowed heavily and turned his face to the wall as the urge to bite and drink rose up from within him. "What happened after I collapsed?"
"What do you -"
"What happened!"
She went silent for a few seconds, and he heard her swallow. He shouldn't be able to hear that! he thought. He shouldn't be able to smell her from several feet away!
"Gabriel came in." she finally said, and Wolfram forced himself to keep his face to the wall and not look at her. If he did, he would seek out that artery again, and he didn't know if he would be able to stop himself.
"And?' he prompted as his own heartbeat sounded in his ears, slow, sluggish, and heavy.
"He begged you not to leave him and..." She paused and took a slow breath, and he shivered when he felt her exhale blow across his face. That shouldn't be happening! "He gave you some of his blood."
Wolfram shook his head and shivered. "You know then, what I've become."
"Yes." Her reply was so soft that he doubted a human's ears would have heard it. "I know."
Wolfram looked down at his clawed hands again before he clenched them into fists. The smell of his wife's blood was making his teeth ache, and the fire in his body seemed to only grow hotter. He grabbed a hold of his upper arms, squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. From a few feet away, he heard Edeline began to scoot closer again.
"Wolfram? What's wrong?"
"Stay away!" he gasped as the urge to bite her and drain her dry seized hold of him. "Back away from me!"
"Wolfram-"
"You will die if you get close to me, so stay away!"
She retreated to the corner she had been in when he had woken up, but his relief was short lived. Good God, no wonder Gabriel had killed those highwaymen years ago if this is what he had been feeling at the time. Wolfram felt as though his veins contained liquid fire, and his breath came out in harsh gasps as he fought to keep himself against the wall and facing away from his wife. He was so thirsty.. thirsty,.. thirsty!
God, he needed to drink!
He leapt to his feet and streaked towards the door. He had to get out! He had to find blood!
"Wolfram!"
He reached out intending to throw himself at the door hard enough to break it down, but that plan came to an abrupt end the second he touched the wood. White light that was painful to look at flooded the cell as well as the corridor on the other side of the door, and Wolfram screamed as he was flung backwards away from the door to collide hard with the wall. He then collapsed bonelessly to the floor, his hands and arms smoking slightly. He raised shaking hands to look at them, gasping for air, and saw the burns inflicted by touching the door already healing. He dropped his hands then and closed his eyes, and the fire in his veins grew in intensity. Edeline, at least, made no attempt to come closer to him again, and she watched him silently from the opposite corner. How long.. how long could he resist this? How long before his wife died under his fangs? He dragged himself into a corner and curled up in a tight ball on the floor, facing away from the door. His entire body shook as he fought against the part of him that demanded the blood flowing through his wife's veins. He would fight against it, for as long as he could.
******
Liam watched the moon rise through the window in his bedroom, and he sighed as the silvery light filled the room. He should get to bed and try and get some sleep, but a quick glance at his bed ensured that he wouldn't be resting any time soon.
Trevor Belmont was lying there, still clutching at his father's tunic, having cried himself to sleep for the third night in a row. He should move the boy to the nursery, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Gabriel had asked him to care for the child as his own, and the child certainly needed more than a nursemaid after being abandoned by his father.
Liam sighed; he had gotten a few details out of the distraught boy, such as the fact that Wolfram Cronqvist had passed during his grandson's fifth birthday celebration, as well as Cordrin Cronqvist blaming Gabriel for the death. Despite his strength and skill in battle, Gabriel had always had a fragile spirit, needing support to hold him up when things were bad. Only the hope of getting Marie back had kept him upright during his quest to destroy the Lords of Shadow. Liam was one of the few that was fully aware just what Cecil and William had intended for Gabriel after that, leaving him alone to go slowly insane in Bernhard Castle to form him into the weapon needed to permanently destroy Lucifer once and for all. The thought of that happening to the one he loved as his own child made him feel ill, and he had been so happy, so relieved, to learn that once again Gabriel had the love and support he needed to continue on.
Liam sighed again as he leaned against the window frame and looked across the grounds without really seeing anything. Growing up believing that he hadn't been wanted, forced to murder his own wife, sent on what amounted to a suicide mission, losing the father he had only just found, and then being accused of killing him... No, it didn't surprise Liam at all that Gabriel had fled and left Trevor behind. How much longer could that fragile spirit go on before it shattered beyond all repair? The urge to go after him, to try and soothe him and bring him safely back, was so strong it was almost painful, but Liam admitted to himself that it wasn't possible. He was nearly 75 years old, much too old to go tramping across the countryside in search of a vampire that was capable of moving much faster than any horse. He had no idea which direction Gabriel had gone, and no idea on what his final destination was, or even if he had one in mind. Gabriel might intend to run for the rest of his life. The thought of the boy spending centuries on the move, never having a place to call home, in a vain attempt to outrun misplaced guilt, made Liam shut his eyes as his heart constricted in pain.
And there was also Trevor to consider. The road was no place for a young boy, and Gabriel had asked him to raise the child as his own son, something he fully intended to do. He would also give Trevor his name, as soon as he settled in and calmed down some. Gabriel's third request, that Trevor forget him, Liam was having a harder time with. Every child deserved to know their family, even if said family had left them far behind. What's more, Trevor was a perfect blend of his parents, and it was doubtful that no one would notice. It was easy to see that he was the same boy that Wolfram Cronqvist had taken from this same building three years ago.
Liam still remembered the day his father had left him with perfect clarity, just as he remembered the nights that followed. Crying himself to sleep in the nursery while being expected to keep himself together during the day had been a struggle for him then, something that he had no intention of forcing on Trevor. He couldn't help but notice that Trevor was the same age as he had been all those years ago as another unwanted child left with the Brotherhood. Another child left to cry himself to sleep and wonder why his father didn't want him anymore.
Did Trevor know about his mother? Had Gabriel told him anything about her? Did the boy know that his mother had also abandoned him, allowing Cecil and William to take him without a fight? Oh, Liam knew what the mirror had shown them, but he had always found prophecy and seers to be suspect at best, especially when he knew that someone was trying to force a given outcome. Perhaps Trevor would have died along with his mother back then, or perhaps his presence would have prevented his parents from encountering the Lord of Shadow to being with. Perhaps Gabriel would have gone insane in Bernhard Castle, or perhaps having a son waiting for him would have convinced him to come home.
A sniffling from the bed made him stand up and turn around to see Trevor sitting up and looking at him with a pale, tear streaked face.
"Papa?" Trevor called in a small voice, but there was no hope in his tone. He knew that the answer he wanted would not be forthcoming. Liam didn't say anything. Instead he walked over and sat down beside him, and Trevor hesitated only for a moment before climbing onto his lap. He wound his arms around the sniffling child and rocked him as he tried not to think of Gabriel. Trevor needed his attention now.
******
A heartbeat, coming closer.
Footsteps.
Wolfram raised his head and listened closely and realized quickly that someone was descending the steps from the house above. Light appeared in the cell, and he received a brief, brilliant glimpse of the cracks in the walls, the moisture on the floor, and the faded green of Edeline's eyes before the light dimmed, accompanied by the sound of a shutting door. It did not go away entirely, and the light that remained flickered – a candle flame – and he could smell the burning of the wick as the light, and the person carrying it, came closer.
"Uncle Wolfram?"
Wolfram sat up in surprise. "Caleb?"
A face appeared in the small barred window in the door, and Wolfram sagged with relief for a moment before he stood up on shaking legs and made his way over. Edeline did the same, and he had to grit his teeth for a moment as he moved closer to her.
"Caleb." Edeline breathed, and she reached up through the window. Caleb grasped her hand for a moment. "Can you get us out? Your uncle couldn't touch the door."
"Yes," He let go of her, and then he passed a small loaf of bread through the bars. "Here, eat this while I get this door open. Someone hung a large cross from the door handle on this side, and I think it might have been splashed with holy water too."
Edeline paused in the middle of eating the bread. "But Gabriel could touch those things. Why not your uncle?"
"I am not God's Chosen One." Wolfram said as he forced himself to look away from his wife. He just needed to bite, and rip, and tear, and feed, and... He shook his head and stepped away from her. He turned his back to the door as Caleb fumbled with the bolt, and his own heartbeat throbbed in his ears, drowning out the other sounds around him, sounding like a death knell counting down to when he would no long be able to hold himself back...
Edeline shrieked, and Wolfram spun around to see a face he was rapidly coming to hate standing behind his nephew. There was the sound of metal against flesh, and Caleb's head tilted back against his father's as his mouth and eyes flew open wide.
"Cordrin!" Wolfram snarled as he moved to the door again, and he had to stop himself from touching it.
"I should have cut you out of your mother's womb the instant she told me she was pregnant, boy." Cordrin hissed in his son's ear, as Caleb's entire body jerked and fell back against him. "Get back here."
"Caleb!" Edeline said as she tried to reach through the bars to him.
Cordrin dragged Caleb away from the door. "Get that hand back inside there bitch before I remove it! Get back! Away from the door!"
"Step back, Edeline." Wolfram said raggedly. He could smell fresh blood, along with the sour stench of what had to be fear, and... God, he was so thirsty! He needed that blood! He felt himself shaking as the bolt on the door was slid back, and the door opened. He streaked forward again, but a cross was shoved in his face, which forced him to hiss and back away as the very sight of it seemed to burn him.
"Wolfram!" Edeline said from off to his left, but he ignored her as Cordrin came into the cell, dragging a stumbling Caleb and holding a cross out in front of him. Wolfram growled and backed up until he hit the back wall, and Cordrin smirked at the sight as he shoved Caleb to the floor and began to back out of the cell, still holding the cross out. Wolfram stared at it as it was pulled away, and he snarled as his brother gave him a mocking salute just before he slammed the door shut and latched the bolt. Cordrin began to laugh as he walked away, and Wolfram snarled again and rushed the door, only to be met with the same result as before.
He growled as he sat up and shook himself, but the sound of a weakening heartbeat distracted him from thoughts of making a meal out of brother. He turned to the side to see Edeline kneeling over Caleb, who was lying limp on his side on the floor. A dagger was protruding from his lower back, and blood was seeping out around the wound, staining his robes.
Wolfram ignored the howling on the thirst as he moved across the floor to his nephew's side.
"Caleb?"
"Uncle? It's... it's a fatal wound, isn't it?"
"I'm afraid so." He gently ran a hand over the boy's hair, and he could fear his heartbeat pulsing through his scalp as it accelerated in an attempt to keep up with the blood loss.
"That's all right then."
"Caleb?"
Caleb raised his eyes to look at him. "Gabriel's fate changed, but a sacrifice was needed to keep things on the correct path. I was asked not long after you brought him home if I was willing to be that sacrifice, and I agreed."
Wolfram sat down and gathered his shivering nephew up into his arms and cradled him like a child. "Why you? Why not someone else?"
"Because my death would hurt him the least, and it would prevent a death that would devastate him." Caleb looked up at him again. "You're very thirsty, aren't you?"
"No, Caleb, I won't do that to you!"
"You must." A shudder shook the boy. "If I die here without being fed upon, you will bite and kill your wife within hours, unable to resist any longer. The path will change again, and it won't be a good change. Please, Uncle, you must do this."
"How do you know all this!"
Caleb managed a feeble smile. "I can hear His voice and the voices of His angels when needed. Gabriel needs you both; he can live without me just fine."
Caleb went silent and closed his eyes, and Wolfram stared down at him, not sure what to believe. He could hear Edeline's quick breathing and rapid heartbeat nearby, and he swallowed as his thirst screamed to be sated. There was fresh blood right there in front of him! Just take it! He bit his lip and looked up at Edeline. Tears were glistening on her cheeks, and he could trace every single vein and artery under her skin.
He looked down at Caleb. "Are you sure about this?"
Caleb didn't say anything. Instead he merely nodded, and Wolfram closed his eyes as his heartbeat thundered in his ears again. He opened them after a second, and saw the large artery on the side of the boy's neck, pulsing in time with his heartbeat. He let the restraints go on himself, and before he could think, he bared his fangs, held the boy up, and bit hard into his neck. Caleb stiffened, but made no sound as Wolfram began to drink.
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How long do you plan on Act 3 being? As long as Act 1?
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Indeed, as you'll see next chapter, that was Cordrin's plan. As for what's going to happen to him? Well I guess you'll see, won't you? XD
I don't know how long it's going to be just yet. Give me another couple chapters, and I might have a better idea then.
Thanks for reading. :)
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