Meetings

The stranger stood motionless, staring down at the gaping hole in the ground. This isn't over yet. Not by far. He thought grimly to himself, glancing briefly toward the bloodied blade lying abandoned on the ground before raising his eyes again to meet the gaze of the mysterious newcomer.

I'm surprised you made it this far," said the man quietly. "All alone like you are." There was something odd about his mannerisms; the way he spoke, the tone of voice, everything seemed oddly distant somehow, detached. It gave him a sense of power and authority, but also a certain distance between his words.

Dominic felt uncomfortable under the man's scrutiny, unable to identify why though there was certainly something strange about the man. Something unsettling about the way he carried himself, perhaps...

.or maybe it was simply the look of sheer determination in his eyes. Whatever it might be, Dominic couldn't quite put his finger on it. After a moment of tense silence, the stranger cleared his throat and reached inside one of the pockets of his coat, withdrawing a single piece of paper.

"My name is Alucard, if it means anything to either of you."

Raven narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Alucard? I've heard of you..." She paused for a moment then shrugged noncommittally. "...but I don't know much else."

Dominic glanced at Raven, noticing that she too had sensed something off about the stranger. "So what brings you here?" he asked.

Alucard folded up the letter and tucked it back inside his pocket.

"I've come to deliver a message from our master." He held out his hand, palm facing down.

Dominic grabbed the offered hand and shook firmly. "You may call me Dominic."

The man nodded curtly. "I see. And you would be...?"

Dominic considered the question for a moment then glanced over at Raven. "It's just us two right now. So unless you're planning on sticking around, I think we can dispense with the formalities."

Alucard nodded silently, having expected the answer. "Very well. Then let us begin." Without warning, he grabbed hold of the boy's arm and began dragging him away from the scene of the battle.

"Wait! What are you doing?!" Dominic struggled to free himself, but the other man held fast, refusing to loosen his grip. "Let go of me!"

Before Dominic could utter another word, Alucard spun around violently, forcing the boy to stumble backwards. The stranger glared coldly at the young fighter. "What is your business here?"

Dominic gritted his teeth and prepared to defend himself. For a split second, he was confused on what was going on, was this man a being from the spiritual plane, or was he someone who could help him on his journey he had to take in order to get the answers he so desperately needed.

Suddenly, the realization hit him like a bolt of lightning.

This is my father!

After all these years, the man who had abandoned him was finally here, standing before him in the flesh. His mind reeled with confusion and fear as he tried to reconcile this revelation with the image of the man, he knew in his heart to be his father.

His mother had told him the truth. She had been carrying twins, and one of them had died shortly after birth.

He hadn't known which twin, until now. He knew his twins death was not natural, but he could not figure out why.

Now, however, he saw that the story he'd been told about the deaths of his parents was a lie. All along, it had only been one of them who was killed, the brother he was born with.

That must have been the reason why the man had wanted him dead, so that he didn't end up like his little brother.

How could they? How could his own parents do such a thing? Why did they want him to suffer?

The questions began to plague Dominic, and he bit hard on his lower lip to keep himself from crying out loud.

"Stop!" cried Alucard suddenly, causing the boy to drop his guard.

The man turned to face Dominic, his cold eyes scanning the boy's body for signs of injury. "Are you hurt?"

Dominic shook his head quickly. "No. It's nothing."

Alucard looked dubious but relented. "Very well. You should wait at the base of the mountain where my men will be waiting."

"What are you going to do with me?"

Alucard smiled faintly. "We'll get to that soon enough." He motioned towards the rest of the battlefield. "But first, you need to see this."

Dominic followed the man across the field, watching in horror as more and more bodies were hauled into view. He recognized some of the faces, including those of his mother and siblings, but most of the dead were strangers. In fact, he counted less than ten people among the entire group.

He had never seen so many corpses in his entire life. They lined the ground like a macabre parade, their blood stained robes drenched red by the heavy rain.

Alucard led him further through the battlefield, beyond the line of fallen heroes. Dominic looked around at the devastation, finding it difficult to believe that hundreds of soldiers had been slain in a mere matter of minutes.

"They're all dead," muttered Dominic aloud.

"Yes," responded Alucard as though he had read his thoughts. "All of them."

"Why?" asked Dominic. "What happened?"

Alucard hesitated only briefly before responding. "A demon attacked."

"What?" Dominic felt his breath catch in his throat, unable to comprehend what he was hearing. "A demon?"

Alucard nodded. "There was an attack by a dragon-like creature called a Dragorn."

"Dragorn?" Dominic repeated the name of the monster with hesitation.

Alucard glanced over at him. "I know it sounds strange, but it's true. This is no ordinary beast. It has dark powers that can kill anyone with its touch. Even without touching them, the effect of their presence lingers, killing those nearby."

"So that's why the dragon was attacking us..."

"Yes. Unfortunately, you were caught in its wake, and as a result, you were exposed to the effects of the demon's presence."

Dominic found it odd that Alucard seemed to be completely calm about all of this, but he suspected that everything the man had said was true. After all, he had heard stories of dragons in the past, and even seen them flying overhead. But none of it made sense. Why would a dragon try to harm anyone?

They were beings of great beauty, benevolent and wise.

"Was this what happened to my family?" asked Dominic. "Is that why they died?"

Alucard nodded. "It seems likely. I'm sorry to tell you, but that's how this world works. There are forces both good and evil in the spiritual planes that are constantly fighting each other for supremacy, and sometimes they spill over onto our plane. The Dragorn were responsible for the deaths of your loved ones."

Dominic felt his heart breaking again, and he struggled to stay focused on the conversation. "Then...why did you come here? Why save me?"

"Because there are things far greater than us. Forces greater than any of us. That's why we exist. To serve them. And that's why I came to bring you home."

"Home?"

"You belong somewhere else. Somewhere safe." Alucard gestured to a series of large rocks blocking off the western side of the field. "This is where you'll start your training."

"Training?"

"Yes. We call it The Way of Dragons. It's a method of binding spirits and souls together in order to strengthen the bond between them."

"Sounds interesting," murmured Dominic sarcastically.