Metamorphosis 1

[fatherssins]

Characters: Alucard and you!
Setting: Room 2-16, then the open halls of the Tower
Format: Prose
Summary: Woken from his long sleep Alucard finds himself in an unfamiliar setting. Curious, he decides to explore the area around him.
Warnings: N/A

The long, dark sleep of the undead could seem like a limitless stretch of time to those that slept it. How the all enveloping pitch blackness of the night worked as a comforter to Alucard, the beautiful, hideous, half-cast son of the Vampire King. Neither dead nor alive, existing entombed in an ageless, cursed body for all eternity. The sins of the past haunted his dreams as he relived the final moments of his mother's life spliced together with the finishing blow he had dealt his bloodthirsty father. He had designed the remainder of his days to be lived out in his coffin, sealed away from the world where Dracula's cursed bloodline could too slumber, keeping the innocents safe from the unholy desires of the undead.

But now he finds himself woken, no longer surrounded by the confining security of his coffin walls but outstretched on a very human bed. Pale sunlight filters in through dirty windows and he feels the familiar sting of light on his skin. A soft groan eases past the dhampir's lips and he finally moves to sit up, blankly staring down at his gloved palms, tensing his hands and then relaxing them. His limbs feel tired and strained, as if he'd been torn apart and then haphazardly put back together again, his joints ached and it took the dhampir some time to summon the strength to stand and even that was with some difficulty. Alucard's eyes begin to adjust to the dim light in the room and as his pupils dilated and focused until he spots a letter on the tattered bedside-table next to him. Feeling his bones flex and crack as he steps closer he picks up the small paper envelope and unfolds the parchment inside to skim its contents.

And then he reads it a second time.

The dhampir's head throbs all of a sudden, aching a piercing, penetrating pain. "Ce înseamnă acest lucru..."* Alucard murmurs in his mother tongue (Romanian), his voice low and solemn. These printed words could not possibly be true, he knew he had extinguished the last, true evil in the world. He was the only one who could have done it. So how it is that his homeland is now destroyed. No, the dhampir would not believe it, and proceeded to convince himself that this was some illusion, black magic devilry that was designed to plant the seed of doubt in his mind.

The confines of this small room held no answers for Alucard and so, after delving deep into a hidden reserve of energy, he decided to step out into the corridor and upon doing so he saw what appeared to be an endless line of closed doors mimicking the one he had just stepped through. Turning back he noted the number he had stepped out through and, feeling his senses overwhelmed with a variety of scents, sights and feelings, he had no choice but to simply choose a direction to walk in (which happened to be left) and begin walking until he came across someone or something that could explain this madness to him.



* "What does this mean..."
[ooc: For any characters with a particularly strong sense of smell or who can pick up the "scent" of blood Alucard has a very distinct odour. Any character who recognises the scent of a vampire will definitely be able to smell that undead blood in him. For those who don't know what a vampire smells like then he will give off a general aura of death and foreboding...!]

 

 

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[fatherssins]

Alucard could see that distant, forlorn look in Haldir's eyes and, although on most occasions the dhampir couldn't guess one emotion from the next, he had a feeling that in that moment Haldir was thinking of his own homeland. That sort of nostalgic look said much and he quietly sympathised with his new friend.

New friend? Had he made a friend? Wasn't that a terrible thing for a killer like him to do?

The dhampir struggled to push those negative thoughts out of his mind as he listened to Haldir speak, one word piquing his interest "Elf-ling?" he echoed curiously "Is that another word in your tongue?" Alucard asked, subconsciously stepping closer to his new companion.

And now he was offered a tour? God, how he knew he should have said no, how in his heart-of-hearts Alucard realised that accepting this would only put his new friend in more danger... but he was unable to decline. He wanted a tour, and he wanted to spent more time with Haldir.

"You would do more than humour me, I would be delighted to go with you, if you are quite sure?"

[marchwarden]

A gentle chuckle escaped Haldir as he signaled for the other to follow. Despite the fact he was hoping to spend the remainder of the day indoors, Haldir was more than content with the idea of acting as Alucard's guide in order to kill the time. His right shoulder may have ached terribly but he wasn't about to send this exotic man away to fend for himself. Remembering how difficult it was to stomach life here at the tower, Haldir couldn't imagine how horrific such an experience would've been if he was here on his lonesome.

"I'm a Elf as your people call us." He relied with a gentle laugh. "One of the Firstborn Sons of Eru. My people have existed in Middle-earth nearly as long as the earth itself stirred." Offering him another smile, Haldir's gaze rested briefly on the dhampir as he spoke.

"Did I not already confess that you keep me from nothing, mithaer?" His smile grew a little wider. "Come, I shall show all that I know about this tower."

[fatherssins]

"Then-" he pauses a moment, trying to understand "you are not a man? No son of Adam?" Alucard was not disappointed, no, in fact he found himself doubly intrigued. Another species of men stood before him, kind and gentle and quite different to anyone he had ever met before. The dhampir's smile seemed to grow more intense with each passing second.

"How fascinating! Ah! Is that why you look different to most men? Forgive me, but I did notice your ears and thought them unusual for a man." It explained quite a bit really, Haldir's aura had seemed quite atypical for a human man. There wasn't the same sort of fragility or aggression that Alucard was used to sensing in men. "I have much to learn, it seems!" The poor half-breed, he was forgetting himself. Forgetting the act of coldness and separation he strived so hard to maintain for the sake of others.

[marchwarden]

Another chuckle escaped Haldir as he turned to face his new friend. A look of mischief settled in his gaze once Alucard mentioned how unusual his appearance was. It tickled him somewhat this strange being, despite how otherworldly he may have seemed, looked so surprised to meet an Elf. Alucard's fascination with him borderlines on childish intrigue at this moment. "No, I am no son of Adam." A brief pause. "Whoever that 'Adam' is..." A snicker was probably heard by Alucard since the Elf was finding all of this to be too amusing for words. "It seems as if you certainly do have much to learn, my friend. There are various realms that exist beyond your Transylvania. Some perhaps more beautiful than you could ever imagine."

Falling into step with Alucard now, Haldir's cheerful gaze settled on him fully. "Tell me," He began with a smile. "What are you? You look like a Maia but you seem quite different from them in some regards. They are lesser Ainur who entered Eä in the beginning of time, some would claim them to be the Hands of Ilúvatar, the All-Knowing Father."

[fatherssins]

How terribly cheerful Haldir was, poor Alucard had no idea that the Elf was chuckling at his blatant naivety, rather he simply thought that he had come across an incredibly happy man Elf. There were few of them about and it was such a refreshing change to meet someone so upbeat. How he was enjoying Haldir's company.

Until he asked the question.

Everything up until now had seemed so innocent, how Alucard had wanted to avoid the details of his being, but he felt unable to ignore Haldir. As much as he wanted to dodge the question he could not, and there was a blatant, familiar look of sorrow back on his features as he spoke (he had seemed so happy only moments earlier). "I do not know what a Maia is, but I can confidently say I am not one. No, rather I am..." he paused, this was more difficult than it should have been "I am a mix, a muddied gene pool of man and..." more quietly now "monster."

[marchwarden]

The doom and gloom that settled over those regal and fair features shocked Haldir into silence. What did he say that pained poor Alucard so? It had been a simple question, one that gave thirst to the Elf's intrigue. He hadn't expected to upset his friend over such a simple question but once he realized that Alucard was a "half-breed", an knowing frown settled on his lips. So this man was half-human and half-something else? Whatever that else might be, Haldir didn't dare ask. Instead, he gave a gentle pat on Alucard's shoulder and looked at him with a wan smile.

"Aye, say no more. I once knew another who was born of both human and elven blood. He and his brother grew to become great kings but the blood they share with men shames them still." Now gazing into Alucard's oddly beautiful eyes, Haldir couldn't help but wonder if the nobleman was half wolf by any chance. Only wolves could have such clear golden eyes.

"Forget I asked and let us continue on our way."

[fatherssins]

What pain those solemn eyes held, such a deep root of suffering within them, secrets and a dark history that would probably never come to light. But it was there, pleading for comfort, clear as day.

"The... blood of man is the purer part of me." Alucard whispered with an excruciating beautiful agony. Concerned that if Haldir considered men to be the pollutant of his friend's blood then what was he to be?

[marchwarden]

Still staring into those uniquely gold pools, Haldir found it difficult to speak as he gazed at Alucard. "The Blood of Men is rarely pure, mithaer. However, there are some exceptions that I'm more than willing to note." Letting his hand drop from the dhampir's shoulder, a playful smile returned to the Elf's lips as he continued to lead them deeper through the tower.

"Don't dwell on the makings of your past or lineage, for all of that matters not here."

[fatherssins]

Haldir was, in time, warming Alucard to the Elf's more open-minded ideals. There was the smallest hint of a smile and he nodded in response. "You're quite right, forgive me for dwelling on something that must seem quite foreign to you. Now, lead the way Haldir, you know this place better than I."

[marchwarden]

Haldir couldn't help but try to match Alucard's smile with one of his own. The mild mannered nobleman was rubbing off on him. The Elf was already starting to admire Alucard quite a bit. Maybe it was his folorn beauty that attracts him or perhaps the way Alucard rolls his words in that strangely exotic accent that adds such excitement in his blood. Whatever the reason, Haldir felt strangely blessed to meet such a unique individual here. Individuality amongst his elven kind was always lacking, one of the reasons why Haldir seemed rather fond of outsiders. "Now that's settled," Haldir began with a smile. "Let's take a visit to the meadow upstairs. I can assure you that you'll love it there."