Cathedral of Evil

  After opening the castle gates, the knights were able to take the courtyard and clear it of enemies. Soon, in just a few minutes of holding our position, we were able to regroup with the other Inquisitors. It was time to face what lay inside the castle. Standing near the door, we could see the immense columns of its towers, imposing and majestic, seeming to rise endlessly into the sky. They gave the adventure an aura both solemn and tragic, as if what we were doing here would never matter in the grand scheme of things.

  Lord Van Helsing was the first to speak, explaining that most of the army accompanying us would remain outside to guard the castle's surroundings and gardens, while the more experienced members would enter to guard the halls that the Inquisitors and Umbra Venatores had managed to clear of enemies. We were best prepared to deal with whatever beasts and traps might still be hidden within the castle. Heinrich Lecarde jotted down notes in his notebook and seemed to pay close attention to the various things we encountered on our journey. He even went so far as to interview some of the werewolves, trying to gather as much information as possible about the strange tree we had just defeated. He also inspected the machine that opened the gates.

  I was afraid he might become suspicious of the magical tablet, but luckily Tamamo, alert to the situation, managed to distract him with a few questions about his grimoire. Lucy Lecarde, on the other hand, returned to talk to her father about what had happened. The man, however, paid no attention to her, continuing his work and simply reminding her that the mission was the top priority.

  For my part, I was focused on my new purpose. At first I saw this adventure as little more than helping a desperate group against a dark evil, but now that has changed completely. There are traces of Atlantis here, lost knowledge that can only bring suffering to others. Now I must discover what that information is, how it got here in the first place, and most importantly, destroy it so that no one else will be tempted by the power of its use. I cannot stop on moral grounds alone - if I have to betray everyone here to prevent a greater evil, then so be it. I must be careful; that damned Heinrich Lecarde seems to be the type who takes note of everything and always wants to learn new things. If he finds out that there is new knowledge about power and magic, he will want to investigate it further. I have to make sure that he learns nothing about Atlantis, no matter what. To make matters worse, his daughter also seems to be watching me, which makes her a nuisance.

  The group of priests carrying the huge golden cross also arrived at the gates. With prayers and rosaries in hand, they touched the doors and asked that the Lord be allowed to pass. Three times they struck the door with the cross, and three times their call went unheard. The fourth time the golden cross struck the door, it glowed golden and fell to the ground, clearing the way for those brave enough to face the perilous path ahead. Once again, it was the Umbra Venatores who fearlessly entered first. The other Inquisitors followed, and I went in with them.

  Upon entering, the first room to greet us was the Grand Entrance, with its enormous hall, large murals, and even larger windows. It was beautifully decorated, like a church of great importance. But on these walls was nothing but heresy. Beasts attacked us from the ceiling - lesser vampires trying to harm the group. Van Helsing wasted no time with his crossbow; with each shot, two beasts met their end. The Lecardes cast a barrier to protect us from the dark magic the bloodthirsty creatures were throwing at us. Eberhart Meyer managed to locate the enemy commander, and with a single shot from his bow, his head exploded. However, both Sakura and Alejandro del Toro did not move from their positions, as there was no need - within moments, the room was already cleared.

  "Is that the best you can do? That didn't even work as a warm-up," said a confident Sakura, who hadn't experienced the attacks on the walls of some myths before.

  "They weren't here to stop us, they were just scouting."

  "They measured our strength, reaction times, strategy, formation," Van Hellsing interrupted.

  "But they all died, they gained nothing, it's a useless tactic," Sakura said.

  "They sacrificed themselves so the others could see our way of fighting."

  The real observer has probably already left to inform the real team."

  "Sometimes there are creatures who don't care about their own survival, only about destroying the enemy, especially if they are controlled by someone else," Alejandro added.

  While they argued, I continued to observe the great stained glass windows in the hall. A terrifying mysterious man smiled in a way that could only mean madness and death, a city struck by the dark winter and angels descending from the clouds, a castle bombarded by fireballs from the sky, an apple tree growing upside down at the bottom of a floating island, a skeleton king sitting on his throne of death, dragons devouring the faithful of the dark church. The windows had unique images, with mysterious stories unknown, strange and important events never seen before. Even though they were just images in the glass on the walls, they were still a way of telling a story, the "poor man's Bible" as it was called in the Middle Ages. So my question was, what kind of story were these images trying to tell? Why did Dracula have such things on his walls? It seemed that Heinrich Lecarde had the same question, as he took pictures of each one with his digital camera.

  Continuing our journey, we saw that on the sides of the dark cathedral was an almost endless spiral staircase that seemed to never end. On the third floor, however, there was a long corridor next to it that seemed to lead to several smaller rooms. When we checked one of them, we saw nothing more than a simple room with a bed, a table, a hearth and a window to the outside. It seemed that this was some sort of section for guest rooms in the castle, with each room being identical to the previous one. The march through the guest rooms did not stop, the werewolves checked each room, counting more than 30 on a single floor.

  The march continued through the castle, each step plunging us deeper into its cold and dark belly. The shadows seemed to extend beyond the natural, as if the place had a mind of its own. We reached a large room, barely lit by the pale light filtering through the broken stained glass windows. The humidity of the air mingled with a heavy silence, broken only by the echo of our footsteps and the creak of the wood under our boots. Van Helsing raised his hand, signalling us to stop.

  "Something is wrong here," he said quietly, loading his crossbow.

  Heinrich Lecarde leaned into a corner of the room, examining with interest some engravings on the walls that appeared to be ancient runes.

  "These marks... they're not common, the language is old, it looks like a variation of cuneiform, stranger and more complex. It seems to be a magical language, something like..." His voice trailed off as a barely audible whisper slipped through the room.

  "Not that! There's someone else over there!"

  The air changed, and a shiver ran down my spine. Then we saw it. A tall figure emerged from the shadows at the far end of the room. His presence seemed to absorb what little light remained. It wore a black robe, emblazoned with strange symbols that seemed to move, alive, on the fabric. In his hands he held a dark staff with a jewel at the top that pulsed like a corrupt heart.

  "Welcome to the residence of our lord," he said in a deep, mocking voice.

  "Please, allow me to give you a proper welcome worthy of heroes."

  The strange man struck the ground twice with his staff, and circles appeared behind him, from which emerged two great chimeras, the ancient Greek beast, a combination of an animal with the head of a lion, the body of a goat and the tail of a serpent. As the lions roared, the goat heads on their backs somehow began to cast lightning spells with their screams. The head of House Lecarde only had to move his finger to redirect the electricity back at the mages, but they suffered no harm as the snake protected them with its sacrifice, only for a new reptilian head to grow back in a matter of seconds.

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  "Damn, more snakes," growled Tiberius Blackthorn as he deftly dodged one of the heads that came at him, its massive mouth opening to bite in fury.

  The beasts moved quickly, but Sakura, who had been silent until then, grabbed the hilt of her katana and sliced one of the creatures in half with a single movement, only to easily sheathe her weapon when she was finished.

  "This is ridiculous," Sakura exclaimed, wiping the blood from her face.

  "Is that really all they have?"

  "They're slowing us down," Van Helsing said, never taking his eyes off the man in the black robe.

  "He is only deceiving us, his true plan is something else."

  Tamamo and I, for our part, attacked the other Chimera. It wasn't difficult when the goddess used her flying naginata to land a treacherous blow and pierce the creature's heart. When we had finished, we all stood and stared at the strange man who did nothing but smile.

  "Oh, what heroes have been summoned today."

  "Please do not take this simple greeting as anything more than a mere formality."

  "But I believe it is time to begin the great activity of the night, so please allow me to show you that we have worked these past hours just for you, Inquisitors."

  The old man banged his staff on the floor again, and a new wave of magic circles appeared around the mage. At first we thought it was an attack or another summoning, but instead we were shocked by what happened next.

  "My name is Cornell Vincent, a dark mage in the service of the lord of this castle."

  "Since his resurrection, I have been devising a plan for my master's amusement, one that will show the inevitable forces that will fight against him the true implications of raising their weapons against Dracula."

  "O brave heroes, you have come here today to risk your lives and face your enemies."

  "But that will not be enough tonight, for more than your simple lives will be needed if you are to succeed."

  "Are you really determined to triumph at any cost? Will you really go to the ultimate consequence?"

  "If so, I will show you tonight how strong your will is."

  "This is my small gift to you."

  Bright light began to emerge from the magic circles on the floor, only to reveal that there were now more people in the room. People emerged from the circles, as confused as we were to see them. But among them, I quickly noticed a familiar face, and when I saw her, I couldn't help but call out her name.

  "Maria!" "What the hell are you doing here?"

  "?????"

  "Elise!? What's going on?"

  "......"

  "Forget it, it's just a normal day, right?"

  My sister had a look of disbelief as she watched the situation she was trapped in. Once again, she seemed to be the victim of strange events in her life, but despite the danger, she seemed willing not to take the situation too seriously. Unfortunately, she wasn't the only one trapped.

  "Mitsuki!"

  "Hang in there! I'll save you in a moment!"

  "....."

  "You bastard, she's just an innocent person in all of this! Release her immediately!" Sakura threatened with her borrowed katana, seeing her sister next to mine.

  The girl, for her part, looked around in panic at the strange situation she had suddenly found herself in. When she found her sister, it seemed that was what had really awakened the terror in her. But even so, she was only one of many.

  Heinrich Lecarde stared in shock when he saw one of his daughters asking for help. Ivana Lecarde was the eldest of his daughters and the future heir to the house. Lucy was also frightened by the precarious situation her family was in. The other person on the list of prisoners was someone called Albus, or at least that was the name Tiberius Blackthorn mentioned when he saw another boy in one of the circles. The last of the prisoners was Sebastian Belmont, who, despite his young age, was chained. It seemed clear that he would fare worse than the others, being a member of Dracula's enemy clan. Even Alejadro del Toro could do nothing but watch, trying to prevent further harm to the young child, his master's son.

  "Those are the faces I wanted to see! True despair!"

  "It's so beautiful, so pleasurable!"

  "This is how it should be tonight!"

  "....."

  "I know you're panicking, but I'm not a rude person."

  "At times like this, theatricality is important. This has to be a night you'll remember for the rest of your lives."

  "How you failed miserably, how you betrayed those who trusted you, what you had to sacrifice so foolishly."

  "......"

  "Each of my guests, your friends and family, will be sent to different parts of the castle. "Where will they go? I don't know, it won't be my problem."

  "However, they will all die within the next hour."

  "I imagine you'll have to run if you want to have time to save some of them."

  "It's your choice, I'll see you later with the results."

  "Go ahead, see what will probably be the last time you see them alive."

  "But time has already run out!"

  With an extraordinary stroke of his staff, an explosion of light filled the room, and the prisoners disappeared without a trace, leaving us alone in the room to discuss the next step. Van Helsing was the first to break the silence after the explosion of light, his face tense but his voice firm.

  "We must remain calm and act quickly."

  "The Belmont Clan have been the defenders of humanity for centuries, fighting the evil that Dracula has tried to spread throughout the world."

  "Their lineage and powers make them an important group in our entire organisation."

  "The loss of their entire lineage would be a devastating blow to our power, not to mention the burden of having to admit that we failed to help those who have helped us against the enemy for so long."

  "Rescuing Sebastian Belmont must now be our absolute priority."

  "His blood is the key to whatever Dracula is planning. If we lose him, we weaken the enemy."

  "It is the right thing to do, despite his youth. Now that he's in the castle, his power can help us in future battles." His authoritative tone echoed through the room, trying to impose order on the chaos.

  Tiberius Blackthorn gave a frustrated grunt. He leaned against a column, his fists clenched and his eyes burning with rage.

  "What about my son? Doesn't he count?"

  "He was torn from his family too."

  "Maybe his mother is dead while I'm here!"

  "But I won't hesitate in the face of the evil we face. Every member of our Clan is born with the understanding that they may die fighting evil."

  "Even now, Albus will fight with all his might to join the Umbra Venatores or die trying."

  "Right now, he knows no one will save him, and it's up to him if he wants to live."

  "Sebastian Belmont was brought up the same way. Ever since he was born, he knew that sooner or later he would have to fight for his life. It's time for him to show the strength of his ancestors.

  "We cannot stop our mission because of nonsense. Cornell Vincent wants to divide our group, to weaken us.

  "If instead we simply continue on our path, we'll take them by surprise and have a better chance of victory."

  "Victory can only be achieved through sacrifice!"

  "Sebastian Belmont is not just any kid, Tiberius!"

  "He is a Belmont. If Dracula uses him, he could destroy us all."

  "I see things as they are."

  "You speak of sacrifice as if it were a number! But I won't offer my daughter as a pawn in your stupid chess game!" said Heinrich Lecarde, surprised and angry.

  "This is all your fault, Van Helsing!"

  "If I hadn't listened to you, Ivana wouldn't be in this situation!"

  "Pay your debt, you lying bastard!"

  "As if you could talk any better today, you damned booksworm!"

  "I can't... I can't leave her like this..."

  "Ivana is in that dark castle, surrounded by monsters! She's my daughter, my heir."

  "We can't waste any more time with useless arguments!"

  "Dad..." Lucy said, frightened.

  "Shut up!"

  "Just come and help me save Ivana!"

  "If you won't help me, I'll do it alone!" Heinrich shouted, moving towards the exit like a desperate man, although he was clearly losing his mind, almost as if he didn't realise that another of his daughters was standing next to him.

  While the others continued to argue, I remained silent. I didn't have time for nonsense like stupid arguments. Unlike them, I knew exactly what I had to do. My eyes were fixed on the exit, my mind full of images of Maria. Every second that passed could mean the difference between saving her or losing her forever. Without saying a word, I started walking towards the darkness, away from the group. Tamamo, who was beside me, knew my plan without me having to say a word between us. The mission of the others was important, but there was only one thing that mattered to me now.

  As my figure slipped into the shadows of the castle, I heard the echoes of the argument behind me. The voices of Van Helsing, Heinrich and Tiberius mingled in a chorus of despair and determination. But I was no longer part of the conversation.

  The weight of the mission was overwhelming, and I knew that every step I took took me further away from the group and its priorities. But my loyalty wasn't to them - it was to my family, and as such my only duty now was to Maria. Atlantis and Dracula would come later. The cold of the castle grew as I delved deeper into its bowels. The walls seemed to close in on me, whispering dark secrets that threatened to distract me. But my goal was clear and there was no room for doubt.