Chapter 10: The Rescue

"Your majesty, you have a visitor." Calcifer informed the queen.

"Who is it?" She coldly asked being disturbed as she was making a battle plan.

"It's..." He was hesitant, wondering what would the queen react after seeing her face, "It's princess Lucy..."

"Let her in." The queen stood up from her seat to welcome her younger sister whom she haven't seen for so long.

"Big sister!" Lucy rushed in and immediately hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're alright! I've heard about father..." There's sadness in her voice.

"Yes... I'm glad you're alright too, Lucy." She said and gently caressed her back.

"But don't worry. I'll make them pay." She added and her voice became dark and cold.

With that, Lucy pulled away and was surprised at her sister's appearance.

"Big sister... what happened to your hair? Why..." She can't believe her eyes. The vampire in front of her seems to be a total stranger.

"Don't worry, my precious sister. I'll make sure they'll pay for everything they took from us. I'll kill Serafino for sure." She said in a cold voice. She's grinning, enough to creep the hell out of her!

"And I'll make sure, no one can hurt us ever again." She was about to reach for her face but Lucy stepped back.

Her sparkling green eyes are no more, all she could see is the fierce red eyes filled with hatred and darkness. Her sweet smile can no longer be seen, rather, there's a devilish grin that would make chills ran on her spine. The trace of the big sister she adored so much is no more. Instead, the one who's in front of her is nothing but a cold-blooded vampire filled with sadness and madness devoured by the darkness.

"N-no... you're not my sister..!" In such fear, she ran and left the chamber.

"Princess Lucillia!" Calcifer was about to follow her--

"Leave her be, Calcifer! It's for the best not to involve her on this." The queen said as she clenched her fist, fighting the urge not to cry.

He was taken much farther than he expected. The place seems unfamiliar to him. It's an abandoned factory where he was brought to a vampire with long black hair. The vampires pushed him and he was forced to kneel down.

He can't move freely, he was tied in chains.

"Is this the infamous son of the vampire queen?" The vampire they so-called "boss" said as he examined the lad.

"He has the same smell like the last time but..." He suddenly grabbed Rae's hair and made him look at him.

He has this grayish skin, pointed ears same goes with his long pointed nose which you can tell, he does not belong to this country. He has long black hair and sharp red eyes.

"It's strange..." He mumbled as his big red eyes continued to examine his face, "You don't look like her. Where's your red hair? Why is your eyes not red?" He sighed in frustration.

"Why... does it bother you so much?" The lad began to speak.

'I hope Cal and aunt Lucy will find me soon.' He said to himself and decided to have a little chat with this vampire to buy some time.

"Why? You ask me why?" The dark vampire seems pissed. He tightens his grip on his hair and the lad groaned in pain.

"Don't you know that the queen is a symbol for us, vampires? Her bravery and indestructible power gave us freedom from the Alucards! Ah! How can I forget her cold and piercing red eyes! Those eyes filled with anger and darkness! Her bloody red hair represents thousands of blood shed through her. Ah, how fortunate for those vampires who died in her hands!"

'This vampire... has gone mad!' Rae thought and was terrified at how he expressed his feelings like a crazy obsessed man.

"But..." His joy suddenly fades away and gazes back at Rae, "After finding out that she bore a son from an unknown being, it shattered my heart in pieces! I refuse to accept it!" He threw the lad on the ground and Rae groaned in pain.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter whether you're her son or not. I'm going to kill you either way." He gave a grin of malice that showed his sharp fangs.

He used his sharp nails to attack Rae and he dodged it by rolling on the side.

"C'mon! Show me that bloody red hair like how you killed one of my pawns back then!" He laughed and kept on attacking as Rae kept on rolling.

'One of his pawns?' Rae thought and recalled the vampire from the truck.

And that's when he realized how this dark vampire found out his existence. Rae kept on dodging until his back hit the wall. It's a dead end for him.

"Die!" The dark vampire was about to finish him when the ground suddenly shakes.

And all of a sudden, one of the walls crushed! From there, Calcifer, Lucy, and Yana entered.

"We've come to pick the young master." He seriously said and stretched his knuckles.

Lucy coughed from the dust, "Do you really have to make a dusty entrance?!"

"Tch! You're just jealous I've managed to create a cooler entrance than you."

"What did you say!?"

"Hey there!" Yana stopped them, "Don't you think we should rescue Rae first?"

"You're right." Calcifer agreed.

"Hmph! I guess I have no choice but to work with this old man." Lucy grumpily said as they were forced to work together.

"Is it snack time yet?" Primo said as he slowly went out from Calcifer's pocket.

"What's this? More visitors?" The dark vampire tilted his head to the side and laughed.

"The more I kill, the better!" He said and commanded the level-D vampires to attack Calcifer and the others.

Calcifer took Primo out, "Primo, protect miss Yana."

The small bat sighed in defeat, "As if I have a choice." He said and flew beside the lass.

Lucy releases her ice power and freezes her enemies in a short time. While Calcifer, releases his fire power and burned the vampires to ashes.

"Is that all you've got?" Lucy said mockingly.

The dark vampire scoffed, "Then I suggest you go and take a look above." He pointed upwards and when they looked above the ceiling, there are a lot of pair of eyes glowing in red. There are many vampire bats hanging above them, just waiting for his command to attack.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Yana gulped.

Then, all these monster bats flew towards them. Calcifer and Lucy stood side by side to protect one another.

"Hmph! I'll kill more than you do." She said in great boast.

The gentleman scoffed, "You wish!"

And they turned the heat and cold all around the place as they started fighting those vampire bats. And while this dark vampire is busy watching them, Yana sneaked in and went towards Rae. She got separated from Primo who kept on fighting the monsters as well.

"Psst! Rae... What if your plan didn't work? We have to get out of here!" She whispered.

"It will be fine. They're working together now." Rae whispered back.

Yana was about to insist when they suddenly felt the dark vampire's presence behind her.

And then, he suddenly grabbed her neck.

"Yana!"

"How kind of you to bring a human meal here! I should be thankful and eat her in front of you!" The dark vampire opened his mouth and was about to bite her.

"Stop it!" Rae exclaimed and break his chains off as his hair turned bloody red and transformed in his vampire form.

In a blink of an eye, Rae forcefully removed his grip on Yana's neck and kicked him as hard as he could that the dark vampire bounced through walls.

Yana coughed as she held her neck, "T-thanks..."

"Tch! What a troublesome girl." Rae grumpily said.

Then, they heard his laughter.

"Finally! You're awake." He got up and shook the dust off of his clothes, "You indeed have her features. But let's see if you have the same power like her!" His red eyes glowed and his long dark hair moved on its own like tentacles.

Then, he jumped towards Rae and attacked using those dark tentacles which became as sharp as the blades. Rae, on the other hand, tried to dodge his attacks but he still got wounded inevitably.

"Tch! Such annoying hair!" He mumbled before grabbing his hair altogether.

He swings him around before throwing on the wall. Then, his wounds heal like nothing has cut him earlier.

He knows the battle doesn't end there. He jumped towards the dark vampire to deliver another attack when suddenly, some sharp blades appeared from his shadow and stabbed his shoulders and legs.

Being attacked in midair, it's impossible to dodge those.

"Argh!" Rae groaned in pain.

"Rae!" Yana worriedly said as she saw what happened.

'I need to get close to him. He'll be needing blood with such deep wounds he has.' She thought.

The dark vampire laughed, "I got you!" He said and got up, "Now, let me return the favor!" He raises his hand and then, another shadow blade came out and stabbed his stomach.

"Ack!" Rae vomited blood as he felt the pain sink in his body.

Then, he was thrown hardly on the ground.

"Look how weak you are!"

As the dark vampire laughed mockingly at him, Yana ran towards Rae's side.

"Here, you've got to drink my blood." She said and offered her arm. But Rae shoved it off.

"Save that for later... I can still fight.." He weakly said.

"Can you see it now? You're nothing like the vampire queen! She's the strongest!" The dark vampire said and walked towards them.

"Of course... I can't be like her..." Rae panted as he raised his hand,

"Because... I am... Me!" He closed his fist and suddenly, the blood he vomited earlier exploded on the dark vampire's side.

'Woah! He can make his blood explode!?' Yana blinked several times at what she saw.

But then, they saw a shadow standing from the explosion. It was the dark vampire in flames and he's running towards them.

"You'll pay for this!" He exclaimed but then, his lower body got frozen by Lucy.

"Play time's over, maniac!" She glared at him.

"Surrender now, or die?" Calcifer releases fire from his hand.

"No! Nonononono!!! Me defeated?" The dark vampire laughed hysterically.

"I cannot be defeated!" Suddenly, the shadow tentacles on his hair went on rampage and attacked randomly with its sharp blades.

Lucy and Calcifer used their powers to defend themselves as well as Rae and Yana.

Unknown to them, this dark vampire is just finding the right opportunity to attack them from below while they stayed busy fighting his shadow tentacles. He released one tentacle from below and decided to attack Calcifer.

"Look out!" Lucy noticed it and she rushed to push him away.

"Princess!"

And with that, her shadow binds by the shadow of the dark vampire.

"Tsk! You dared interfere!"

Calcifer rushed towards Lucy to check her.

"Princess, are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

She slowly looked at him and mumbled, "Run..."

Calcifer furrowed his eye brows, "What are you saying? We won't leave you here."

Lucy shook her head, "You don't understand..." Suddenly, she releases cold smoke from her hands, "I said... run!" She blasts off her ice power at him and good thing, Calcifer managed to counter it with fire.

"Princess, this isn't the time to fight!"

"I-it wasn't me! I can't control my body!" She cried.

The dark vampire laughed knowing what was happening. He destroyed the ice which kept him stuck.

"Finish him, now!" He commanded and even Lucy doesn't want to obey, she strengthen her power that's almost reaching Calcifer.

"Tch! The shadow's controlling her!" Rae said and slowly got up.

Despite Yana's warning, he rushed and punched the dark vampire as hard as he could. All of a sudden, Lucy groaned in pain.

Her right cheek went swelling, the part where Rae punched the dark vampire.

Upon realizing this, Calcifer shouted, "Young master, stop! If you continue to hurt him, you'll hurt the princess too!"

"What!?"

The dark vampire laughed, "I win! You've lost! There's nothing you can do to defeat me!"

Then he glanced at Lucy, "Now dear princess, finish them!" He commanded and Lucy rushed towards Calcifer and released her ice power.

The gentleman countered it with his fire. The more that Lucy strengthens her blast, Calcifer does the same.

And Yana, being an observer she is, noticed that the shadows get bigger and bigger when this happens.

"Calcifer," Lucy called, "There's only one way to stop this... Kill me!"

"What are you saying!?"

"Kill me so that you can end him!"

"Princess, I wouldn't do such a thing!"

Lucy smiled bitterly, "You still... call me that..." It feels like her heart has been torn for a hundredth time whenever he can hear him say that.

While this is happening, Yana quickly rushed towards Rae who's now struggling because of his deep wounds.

"Rae, I now know how to stop this!" She whispered.

"What?"

"How do shadows form?"

Rae flicked his tongue, "I don't have time for your riddles!"

"This is no riddle! Think, Rae! This is the only way to defeat him!" Yana insisted.

'How shadows form?' The inner Rae, his human form, pondered at what Yana said.

'Why there are shadows? How they are created?' He mumbled and like a lightning strike, he finally realized the answer to the question.

And since his mind is connected to his other side, the vampire Rae learned the answer as well.

"Are you sure you're not going to drink blood?" Yana asked once again.

"I can still go on... I'll prove that maniac that I can beat the hell out of him with my own strength!" He said as his regenerating skills slowly takes place.

At least, his wounds stop bleeding. Before he go, he glanced at Yana.

The lass flinched, "W-what?"

He looked away, "Thanks..." He mumbled and suddenly pulled him in his arms.

"I'll make sure to drink that blood." He huskily whispered to her ear which made her blushed.

Then, he jumped towards Lucy and held her down.

"Cal, turn off your fire!" He said.

"But young master, if I do that, we'll be killed."

"Just trust me! Put out your fire!" He demanded. Without any complaints, Calcifer obeyed and everything went in pitch black.

The dark vampire panicked, "What's happening! I can't see anything!"

Then, he heard the voice of someone laughing.

"I've said this before... I'll say it one more time..." It was Rae's voice echoing around.

"Show yourself! Where are you?!" The dark vampire has gone madder when he can't see his enemy.

He can't even use his power now that the light is gone.

The voice continued, "I'm nothing like my mother... Because I do things my own way!" His red eyes glowed and suddenly punched the dark vampire's face with all his might.

One of his fangs was removed as he spitted blood from his mouth. Rae was about to finish him when all of a sudden, someone blocked his attack.

"What!?"

Three vampires in black hood appeared and took the dark vampire.

"Where are you going to take him?"

"We gravely apologize for the troubles that master Shade caused." Said the one who blocked his attack.

"We shall take him back now and to ensure you'll never see him again." Said the other.

Rae scoffed, "Do you really think I'll let you off easily?"

The other one replied, "No, that's why we've come prepared." Then, they suddenly threw light bombs before getting away.

And when they opened their eyes, they're gone.

"Tch! They got away!"

Since they can't find them anywhere anymore, they all went back to the Van Helsing residence.

Calcifer carried Lucy to her room while Yana helped to tend for Rae.

"You got me worried there. I'm glad they're gone." Yana sighed in relief as she applied the bandage on Rae's body.

"We can't stay relax. They might return anytime."

"Yeah, you're right." She sighed at the idea.

"Hey..." He suddenly called, "Your blood... can I drink it now?" He asked, looking away.

The lass blinked, "Sure. You've used a lot of strength to protect us. You need to regain it." She raised her arm but Rae stopped her.

"Not there... I want... somewhere else..." He suddenly leaned forward and went towards her neck.

It was so sudden that she didn't get to react to stop him. She just closed her eyes and waited for the pain to come.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen. She didn't feel any pain. All she can feel is the weight of his head on her shoulder. When she opened her eyes, his hair turned back to white.

That's when she knew that Rae is back in his human form.

"Whew! That was close!" She sighed in relief as she blushed.

Then, he gently laid his head on his pillow as he peacefully slept.

"Is the young master doing fine?" Primo asked as he went inside the room, "Ugh... he got some deep wounds out there!"

"Primo..." Yana called, "I'd like you to help me with something..."

"Check." The black queen can nearly defeat the white king as it landed on the right spot.

Lucy blinked, there's no way she can save the king. And with that, she sighed.

"I lost... again!" She groaned.

Calcifer chuckled as he arranged the chess pieces.

"Do you want another round?" He asked.

Lucy placed her chin on her palm, "What's the point? You'll win anyways. You always win."

"Well, I'm flattered. But princess, maybe you just need a motivation."

"Hmph! Like what?" She raised an eye brow.

"Hmm... Like..." He held his chin, "How about this? Let's make a bet."

"A bet?"

"Yes. The one who loses will grant one wish from the winner." He suggested. And that made the princess think. It wasn't a bad idea at all.

"Hmm.. Alright. Let's play another round."

"That's the spirit." Calcifer chuckled and arranged the pieces.

"And if I win..." The princess said, "I want you to call me by my name."

She slowly opened her eyes after seeing a childhood memory in a dream. How she wished she could go back to those days.

"You're awake." She looked and saw Calcifer sitting on a chair near her bed.

"Are you alright now?"

She nodded, "Yes, thanks for... carrying me..." She looked away to hide her red face.

"Yeah, you're kinda heavy." He said and stretched his arms.

"Y-you--!" She wanted to hit him. But she chose to calm down a bit.

"That maniac..." She changed the subject, "He's mentioning my sister a lot. Does he know she's long dead? Why are they after my nephew? He does no harm to anyone!"

Calcifer remained silent before he stood up.

"Princess, you can stand now, right?"

Perplexed, she still nodded as a response to his question.

"Then, follow me. I'll show you something..." He seriously said.