#aludmil

After the Aria: Reunion

“Genya, where are you?”

“I am on my way now. What is your status?”

The voice on the other end of Genya’s phone was drowned in a tiring haste. It was nearing dusk. It was the time of day where the sky was still blue, but the edges of sunset began to sear the sky. Genya usually stayed late at work, usually late into the evening. However, his affiliate Julius Belmont had an urgent call which forced him to alter his plans.

“Yoko and I have split up in the the wooded area to the west,” Julius began to explain. “We are trying to corner it, but it’s hard with just the two of us. He’s faster than I anticipated. Do you know if this guy is dangerous?

“You can probably handle him.”

“Have you taken any consideration that I am not as young I used to be? 1999 was a long time ago. Things change.”

“Do not kill him until I get there.”

“Fine. Whatever you say. But you better make it here soon.”

Without another word, Genya Arikado took the cellphone from his ear and hung up. He stormed out of the doors of the heated agency as fast as he could into the chilled and unforgiving late autumn air.

He had to get to them, and fast. There have been vampire sightings lately, but never have they actually found said vampire. That is, until now. Julius Belmont -the same man who destroyed Dracula for good over thirty years ago- got word of a mysterious figure roaming near the city. So he and Genya’s colleague, Yoko Belnades, got a head start on finding this character. Genya knew for sure the two of them could take this rogue vampire down on their own, but Genya had a primary obligation to take in this monster with his own hands. That was his job after all.

Once he reached his ebony motorbike which was parked in the routine space outside the front entrance of the agency, Genya pulled back his sable hair and put on his matching helmet. Throwing his leg over the apparatus he revved its engine and as soon as he could get it to start, he drove through the security gate and sped towards the road. He raced down the thoroughfare and merged onto the upcoming parkway. Leaning in on the black vehicle, as if it were a black stallion, he zigzagged through the impending traffic with cold air pounding against his body. The competing cars wailed as he let them fall behind him. It made no difference to him. There was absolutely no time to waste. His raven chariot buzzed below as he made his way closer to his destination.

The motorbike was fast, yet it would be so much faster if he could just run. But that would only affirm the existence of vampires. The whole point of his job was to secure that ghouls and ghosts were merely myths, not to show off his own vampiric abilities.

The crowd of trees Julius told him about came up on his left. Of course, he was on the right side of the parkway. There was a whole road, a median, and another group of lanes until he could get to the location he so urgently had to get to. Genya looked at the oncoming traffic to his left and in a split second decided to cross in front of all the cars coming towards him, nearly getting slammed by them. But his mind was on his job. He had one goal and that was to stop whatever was out there. In a matter of seconds he crossed the stretch of grass and barely passed the other vehicles that ran towards him. He blazed into the coupling of trees and leaped off the machine, throwing it sideways and simultaneously threw off his helmet. The pitch-black motorbike braised the terrain as he bolted into the cluster of green, trying to find out where his associates were, and where this threat was.

The leaves below him crunched as his feet pounded the ground. As he got deeper into the woods he heard the cracking of a whip and knew that Julius must be close. When he got closer he could even hear the crash of Yoko’s ice magic. He pursued the sounds of battle and slowly began to summon Hellfire. Genya preferred the use of a sword. Alas, this hunt was on such short notice he could not waste any time retrieving the sword passed down to him by his mother. So magic would have to suffice.

Eventually he came upon an area that was void of the heavy woods that not too long ago was he using as cover. It was an odd area to find in the middle of such a vast sea of trees. It actually was a blessing they were so deep into the woods, giving them a nest of security that prevented any outsiders from observing the confidential situation. The only ones who would know about what happened here today were the hunters and the one being hunted. But he won’t much of a problem for long.

Once he crossed the border, he spotted his associates mercilessly trying to hit a target that was constantly on the move.

On the battlefield, Julius wielded the legendary Vampire Killer and Yoko utilized all the ice spells she could conjure. Yet, nothing hit this speed demon. As Julius stated perfectly, this vampire was fast. So fast Genya could barely make out it’s figure. When it moved, it was practically a blur. Genya refused to attack until he could figure out why this monster was here and where he came from. It was crucial to determine that there are no other predators on the loose or, God forbid, any connections to his father. Yes, Dracula has been destroyed for over three decades now, but ever since what happened on the night of the solar eclipse, nothing can be taken lightly.

To be honest, there is no evidence of this vampire causing harm to any innocents. But it could still be a valuable source of information regarding other vampiric locations. Of course, if it became a threat, Genya would destroy it no questions asked. Surprisingly, though, it seemed to refuse to fight back. It just kept flinging itself side to side, dodging their attacks.

At a crack of Julius’s whip, the figure was finally thrown against one of the trees that edged the vacant space. Standing over his hit, Julius called to the man who told him to hold off from killing the rogue. “You finally decided to join us. Arikado, what should I do to this demon?”

“Is he violent?” Genya yelled back as he started to make his way over.

“Not as of yet. But who knows when he could turn.”

Yoko went to Julius’s side, making sure the vampire couldn’t escape until he could be questioned by the agent. The figure began to beg:

“Wait please, let me explain.”

“Be quiet and await your judgement,” snapped Julius. But he kept pleading:

“I swear, I haven’t hurt anyone, just let me explain myself.”

Genya listened close to the voice he approached. It was a young male, which oddly sounded human. It… It actually sounded familiar.

Julius and Yoko stood in Genya’s view of the cornered prey, and as he got closer, about six yards from their current post, he asked for them to let him see this being. As he asked, the two of them cautiously flanked the vampire.

At the sight, Genya froze. 

“Is everything alright?” inquired Yoko, with a look of concern.

Genya stood there staring, shocked, straight into the eyes of this thing. 

 “Arikado, what’s wrong?”

Just as unanticipated, this monster looked back at the man in black with a similar expression of disbelief.

Genya knew this face. But it wasn’t possible. This, creature of darkness, he looked just like him. His hair. His hair was the same silvery-jade. Slicked back the same way as well. Well, slicked back for the most part. He never had a neat head of hair. What you could call “bangs” still curled in front of his ears. Just like his. And the eyes, a deep scarlet.

But it wasn’t possible. He was dead. The man Genya felt this was died three-hundred years ago.

The vampire stood up, forgetting all the danger he was in. Julius was on guard, but Yoko gave him a look as if to tell him to stand back. Arikado never froze on missions. There was a reason for everything, and Yoko knew to let Arikado handle it. Apparently he knew something they didn’t.

Arikado and this person just stared at each other. They stood still in time. A tranquil breeze brought a chill in the air, enhancing the icy silence. They looked across to each other, as if they were the only two people left on this entire Earth. It was as if they have known each other for years. Time no longer mattered.

The vampire overlooked him, stared into his eyes and questioningly regarded the black hair upon his shoulders. Genya let him. He let him look into his eyes. He let him figure out who he was.

“Master,” the vampire started. “Is that you?”

Genya felt a strong pang in his chest. He said it just like him. It was his  voice, there was no doubt about that. But that could have been a coincidence. Some strange coincidence. After all, this wouldn’t have been the first time demons posed as someone he loved dearly, making him fall into a false sense of nostalgia only to try and kill him moments later.

But on the breeze was a scent: blood. The smack of Julius’s whip drew blood from the vampire, and it was that that told Genya it was true.

Within the vampire’s blood was the ancient remnants of a human scent, that f someone he knew long ago. Unfortunately, it was coated in that of a monster, an inhumanity that caused him to starve for human crimson. Even worse, Genya could smell the echoes of his own blood within this beast.

The bite scar on the right side of the vampire’s neck. Those were Genya’s fang marks, without a doubt.

Genya couldn’t stop himself from trembling.

By the Gods, it is him.

Barely audible, Genya whispered a name. A name he never thought he would ever get to say again. His voice was shaking, as if his speech was rusty from lack of use.

“Lyudmil?”

The figure with silver hair staggered. He began to reach one hand out, as one would do to check if there was a barrier keeping him from progressing forward. He took a single step forward and faintly whispered, “is it...?”

Then he stopped short. His suspicions were not in vain.

The staggered steps instantly became a rushing run and with crimson tears streaming down the side of his pale vampiric face he called out “Master!” and threw his arms around Arikado’s neck.

And Genya stood there, just like one of the statues that adorned his father’s castle so many years ago. This was him. The voice. The face. The mere presence. It was him.

The man now sobbing on his shoulder just whimpered, “I never thought I would see you again.”

Genya took his petrified arms, and hesitantly drew closer around the friend he lost so many years ago. It was so warm. With a shake in his usually-stoic voice, he barely said the name again.

“Oh Lyudmil.” And the arms that were once paralyzed now fully clutched him. “You were right,” Lyudmil said into his Master’s shoulder. “I suppose this in the next lifetime.”

Genya felt his core tremble as Lyudmil said those words. Everything came back in a blinding flash: The fight with Magnus, how he had to destroy Lyudmil because he became a lost soul in a world of darkness. He held him in his arms as his vampire body shut down, and when he still went by the name Alucard, he told Lyudmil that wasn’t the end. He told Lyudmil they would see each other in the next lifetime.

Never did he expect it to be true. But at realizing the fact that it was, Genya felt his own emotions overwhelming. He clutched Lyudmil’s head and forced it to his chest just as a crystal tear fell from his own stoic eyes.