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It wasn’t the way Julius wanted to spend an afternoon. First, it had been strange, the gloomy relic tailing him like a lost, lonely child. Alucard hadn’t spoken since he rolled out of his coffin, wide-eyed and fearful, shrinking back whenever he saw a weapon and looking to Julius as if he could get him out of trouble. He couldn’t, even if he wanted it twice as much as the dhampir. He felt bad for him, though discontent drowned most of his empathy in cold, black water.
This was who he had to work with, someone who knew the castle inside and out. Hell, maybe Dracula’s son would keep him from dying, if they cooperated well. To the church, they were nothing more than fail-safes to each other. If one fell, the other would step forward. They would topple the demon fortress as they only knew how, and then, presumably, Alucard would go back to sleep, undisturbed until the end of time. Julius wasn’t sure that anything lied ahead for him; once he put his foot in that cesspit of bleaker times, he was sure that he would never see the rising sun again.
He stopped, scuffing his sneakers along the dirt. The shadow behind him grew, hanging over and blocking the mango eventide. Scarlet beams shone around them, battling green blades and shoots of vegetation. A gentle gust fluttered the dying leaves, breaking brittle stems and carrying the heaps of them, the clearing’s greeting to the brooding warriors.
Julius rolled his neck, then nodded to the east. He looked round at his companion.
“There’s an abandoned monastery over that hill,” he drawled, trying to sound friendly. There was so much pain in the dhampir’s eyes. “It’s, uh, not really a holy place, if that sort of thing bothers you. Just a bunch of banshees. And bats.” He wiped his nose on his wrist. “I think there was only one skeleton. Asked me to clean the cobwebs out of its ribcage.” He shuffled forward again, pressing his foot against the incline. His ankle cricked at the initial step.
“Did you?”
That had to be the first time he spoke clearly. The sound was as pleasant as Julius recalled. Dark and warm, a rich, soothing baritone that could rock a madman’s anger to sleep. He wondered if Alucard was aware of it.
“I did.” He responded at last. He scratched his chin, pinching some of his stubble. It was longer than last week. Not by much, but it was something. “Shambled off without a speck of gratitude. Pissed me off, ‘cause I was all dusty and grimy and there were spiders on my sleeves after I cleaned him up.”
Alucard dipped his head. “They hardly mind their manners.”
They didn’t speak for a while. Julius skid down the other side, sliding on plots of earth where the grass did not grow. He stubbed his toe on flatter ground, but he only stumbled once. His companion was just as patient. He watched the dhampir shift into a bat, tucking in his wings after one grand leap. The creature fluttered beside him, and they continued.
It was a shabby place, holiness abandoned to the whims of scoundrels. Then time had whisked them away, and demons took settlement in their place. Whatever Julius claimed to see, it was no comparison to what the past had been. There were far more animals than monsters residing in the crumbling monastery. It was likely that they were passing through, ghastly as they were, forest dwellers that happened upon an unhappy memory.
Thin claws cut into the Belmont’s jacket. The bat rubbed its cheek to his, then pressed its nose into his neck. It was cold as a dog’s. He allowed it; Alucard wasn’t a heavy load.
“ ‘s almost night. Maybe we should wait a little–what are you doing back there?” The dhampir clicked at him like an impatient typewriter, pretended to bite his ear, and Julius realized what was the problem. He reached back carefully, turning his hood right-side out. He felt cold fur brush under his fingers, something sticky drag along his nails. “Alright, that’s enough.”
Julius kept his feet soft, knowing better than to thunder around like an idiot. He wasn’t kidding about the bats he found, and he rather liked them compared to the ghouls. Sometimes it hurt, as he learned to tell the difference between sickness, injury, and death in them. If it tried to flop away, it was hurt. If it was tucked on the floor and making weird sounds, keep the hell away from that. If he stepped on one and it didn’t shriek…well, if it was alive, it wasn’t anymore.
There was a nerve-rattling moment as he ascended. While sidling up the stairs, the animals were spooked by a wandering spirit. She was pretty from a distance, but only from a distance. Julius watched the ethereal “beauty” gracefully twist on air, then convulse and hang forward on whatever threads of her spine accompanied her to the afterlife. She moaned miserably for her lost love to return, like she always did. Julius crushed his scarf and crucifix in the same fist, though his reverie drifted far from prayer after the thought “don’t you fucking look over here” flickered across his mind. If she did see him, it hardly mattered. The bats decided it was as good of a time as any to start flying, and he took their leave as his own.
He wondered aloud if going upstairs was a bad idea. No one answered him.
The hunter kept going, peeking into rooms he had discovered. He quietly explained his adventures in them to his odd little companion. He even poked around ones he hadn’t been to, if only to impress the centuries old being he was carrying on his back. Alucard, having stolen the warmth out of Julius’ hood, took on his original shape.
“One-hundred and seventy-three.”
The Belmont shrugged in bafflement. “What’s that?”
“The age of this place. One-hundred and seventy-three years.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” It was interesting to know. The dhampir’s acute senses put him off, but there were moments when they were enlightening. Alucard smiled then, a small half grin, and stepped forward, placing a cool hand between his shoulder and neck. “Where should we go now, Belmont?”
Julius craned his neck. “We could chance the roof, provided there aren’t any ghouls up there. The way up’s just past this huge, huge corpse. Looks like a, eh,” he gestured vaguely, “millipede with a human face.” Alucard frowned; even his scowl had something regal to it.
“I would rather we left.” He mumbled softly. “Is there another way? It wouldn’t be wise to bother the lady specter.”
Julius chucked a thumb behind him. “The place is covered in vines, and if they’re too stringy I could always find a foothold. Not so hard.”
Easier said than done, he learned. He was halfway down when his foot caught on nothing. His backbone snapped like lightning, bouncing twice off the unforgiving dirt. He stiffened immediately, silent agony churning in his throat. Alucard had lingered over him, regarding the hunter with sympathy. His gaze was deep, liquid, centuries of history and experience hidden behind them. Love, loss, hope, love again, suffering so fierce that it was petrifying, all running together in this enigma of a creature. Something human, but something more.
Julius stared back.
Careful hands pried the hunter from the earth, pulling him close to a chilled body. His hefter chose a random direction, though he walked as if he had intuition. The dhampir rumbled as they travelled, broken snatches of words placing his life around the Belmont, as though an era were a handful of days. He spoke of gardens and werewolves, witches and “saints.” Something made his shoulders quake, and four silver tears splattered the hunter’s coat. The dhampir told him about being hated, how his existence played a role in…and how he lost…what his father did…he closed himself away from the world for a while, with airy dreams and a heavy mind. He woke up with the need to run, to fight, crush the only home he could return to. He fought, made a friend, fought more, found another, slaughtered the priest that had twisted a good man’s will, and even made some peace with his father. It was a welcome world to wake up to.
Julius never remembered when they stopped, but he remembered the tender sore in his back as he was propped against a softwood tree. The battered soul curled against him, trapping him under an arm and a leg. The unwarranted touch woke pangs of discomfort in Julius, only to vanish as he sensed nothing malicious from the act. It was safe to hold him, he decided, embracing the dhampir and inviting him closer.
“I miss them,” Alucard lamented. The words rolled off of his tongue like blanketed midnight. He nuzzled the hunter, pressing into his collar. “You smell like Richter.”
‘He smelled like Old Spice and ketchup?’ Julius wondered.
“Your blood is different. More akin to his family.” He shook with quiet amusement.
A weird question popped into his head. “Any other ancestors you recognize?” The dhampir rattled off a few dozen that Julius had never heard of. Some struck a chord, back in the dusty corners of his memory, but they did not ring. That was alright.
They were comfortable, tucked away in the small piece of the world. It was familiar to the dhampir, who knew nothing but the boundless forests and bright, crystal stars. To Julius, it was a treasure, a getaway from the noisy city. It was quiet out there, and he cherished its serenity.
They had to leave eventually. The night was stirring, and it struck them how late it was. They didn’t fear the beasts, but they had a “home” to get back to. Without thinking, Julius spat something about his love life, all the fibs his parents thought he was telling while he lived with them. He seemed to disturb himself for a moment, but then he laughed.
“You don’t have to keep calling me by my family name. I’ve got one of my own, y’know?”
Alucard came close to turning him down. Calling the young man by name carried the risk of becoming attached. He had already lost so many wonderful people.
“I want someone to know what I did, after the castle. ‘s not really like the past, anymore. I’ll be forgotten.”
His final words were disturbingly familiar. “‘Not like the past?’”
“Monsters. Nobody’s seen too many.” Grass crunched under his sneakers. He stepped on a twig, the crisp sound making him jump. “Past generations did a good job picking them off.”
“How do you prepare yourself?” The query earned him a burst of laughter. His glee shook with disbelief, with anxiety.
“Conjurings. Gathered up some necromancers. Kidnapped a few demonologists. They threw whatever they could at me. Wanted to see me dead. Hell, some of them committed suicide right after summoning. I almost wanted to join them.” He threw his hands up, then snapped them back down. “Too bad I was being supervised.”
“…You think so lowly of yourself? Why?”
“Dropped out of school. Wasted five years doing this.” He pointed to the Vampire Killer. “I can’t really go back, that time was spent. After it all pays off, sure I might get a party, but then what? I’m useless!”
Disputing his outburst was simple. Convincing him otherwise took work. He hadn’t seen the lives that Alucard had. Cutting it short was a wasted trove of opportunity, of experience. He would miss something. He didn’t have the luxury of eternity, to watch the world grow over a century, but there were moments he could treasure in his small life. Alucard didn’t want him to waste it tormenting himself.
“You woke me.” The words poured out.
“So what?” Julius snapped.
“You’re someone safe.” The words came naturally, swathed in sincerity. “I would have fled to another end of the world had I not felt your presence. Listening to you now, I feel stronger about that.” The Belmont tipped his head. “They do not want us for who we are, only for our abilities. I was robbed of a peaceful rest, but you lost parts of your life. They have proved to be nothing but despicable, since I’ve been awake.” He drew closer. “You are a friend to me, and you have been hurt.” He extended a hand. “If there’s anything I can do to lessen the pain, I’ll do it gladly.”
Julius rocked back on his heels, dumbfounded. The dhampir’s friendliness stung pleasantly. He cared. A strange thought hit him, and he tugged down his sleeve. He kept an eye on Alucard, whose gaze was equally intent. He offered his arm, the one bitten days before.
Needled ivory gleamed in the starlight. “I’d rather take from your neck.”
Julius smiled. “Maybe later.” He embraced the darkness. “Thanks.”