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Lost Descendant

Summary:

Before her transformation, Lady Dimitrescu had a daughter, both of them were very close. It fell apart once Mother Miranda showed up. Afraid of her own mother, she fled to America, and had a child of her own.

Chapter 1: A Gifted Journal

Notes:

This chapter has been overhauled from its original version. 07-22-2021

Chapter Text

A girl who just turned eighteen gets ready for the day, or at least attempts to. In reality she spent the last ten minutes scrutinizing her rather expansive wardrobe without any success in deciding what to wear. Eventually she settled for a more casual outfit, consisting of a red shirt and skirt with a black belt in the middle, making sure each piece had a slight shine to them. While in the process of putting on said clothing, a soft rapping on the door gets her attention.

“Kala, are you ready yet?” Her mom, Alcina Dimitrescu, spoke from the other side.

“Almost finished mother, you can come in though.” Just as requested, her mom walks in, with one hand hidden behind her back. Kala looks her over and lets out an exaggerated sigh.

“Again with the fancy dress? I know its my birthday, but its not like we're going to have a party or anything.” The mother smiles at her little jab then plays along, matching her energy.

“You wound me Kala, its not like it is a special day or anything, oh no. I just felt like wearing this for no other reason then I wanted to, I can be very spontaneous when it comes to fashion.” 

“Awww, but I liked the idea of you dolling yourself up for me. The biggest of shames.” She puts her hand to her forehead in mock hurt, earning a chuckle from her mother. With the exchanging of words finished for the moment, Alcina takes the opportunity to give her gift

“Happy birthday my daughter.” Kala graciously takes her present, and looks it over, its a book decorated with her mothers insignia. Opening it reveals every page to be blank from cover to cover.

“It is a journal for you, and you only. It used to belong to me, but it never saw any pencil marks under my ownership. So I’m passing it on to you, to hopefully give the poor thing a true purpose.”

“I love it mom, but how come you never wrote in it yourself? Were you scared of someone finding it?”

“That is exactly the reason, I don’t need the trouble of blackmail on top of my usual business, you know me too well.” With the conversation coming to a close, Alcina kisses her little girl on the cheek, then proceeds to exit the room. “I’ll be waiting for you in the main hall.”

“Alright mother.” Wasting no more time, Kala puts on the finishing touches of her outfit, then makes the first entry the journal has ever seen.

 

February 16 1958-   Kala Dimitrescu

Mother has given me this journal for my 18th birthday. She said it was given to her when she was my age, but it went unused because she was too scared of it being found by someone who would blackmail her with it; it even has her flower and sword emblem on it. I don't know how often I will use this thing but hopefully it isn't a ploy by mother so she can learn of my little secrets, though I doubt she will stoop that low.

  -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Kala!” Alcinas sudden call echoes down the halls, even startling the nearby maidens. Her daughter emerges from around the corner of the main hall.

“What is it mother? You sound distressed.”

“It has come to my attention that a new medical professional has arrived at the nearby village, and as such I’m going to pay them a visit right now.”

“A stranger? But we don’t really trust visitors by default, why is this one so different from all the rest?”

“Plenty of travelers come and go. Not every one of them has ill intentions, besides I still need to find a cure for my condition.” Kala looked away for a moment, she hated being reminded that her time was limited.

“Are you still sure you want to go to them? They could be a fraud for all we know.”

“Of course I’m sure, I’ll be damned if I let some sickness take me away from you!” Alcina can feel herself getting emotional, and tries to reign in her heartache. “I want to see my baby spread her wings, even if I’m confined to my deathbed when she does.” Kala hugs her tightly, nuzzling the crook of her neck.

“I’m sorry, I’m just concerned with what foreigners can bring. Please be safe out there.”

“You know I always am.”

 

February 28 1958-

An outsider has come to the nearby village claiming to be a doctor. She caught the attention of mother, who is now planning to visit her as I write. I hope she finds the cure she is looking for, otherwise she may not live to see the next few years.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kala noticed over the past few days that the atmosphere of the castle was changing, and for the worse. It wasn’t even a gradual realization that something was wrong, it felt like the flip of a switch, and it all started with the maids whispering among themselves. She tried to get information off of every one of them, but they kept insisting that nothing was wrong, which couldn’t be more incorrect.

It wasn’t until she noticed them tense up whenever her mother was present, which irked her greatly. Doing a bit more snooping afterwards, she managed to sneak up on a pair of maids doing a bit of tidying up with each other in the cellar, completely unaware of Kalas presence who was also aided by the dim lighting. With the silence that normally accompanied the dark basement, listening in on what is being said was far easier then in other locations within the castle. The younger of the pair decided to break the silence.

“I’ve heard that the lady has been getting desperate, so much so that she is relying on the newcomer.” It was already not off to a good start.

“Is this about the stranger that has set up shop recently? You don’t really believe the gossip that has been spreading, do you?” The responding maid raised her brow in annoyance.

“Well...yeah, I just think she does her job...a bit too well. It seems to teeter onto the black magic kind of treatments, a literal witch doctor.”

“Really now? Do amuse me on how this person performed such feats to gain this reputation.”

“Well that's the thing, she only offers her services if her patients are sworn to secrecy, and as such, her methods are completely hidden from the rest of the community.” Kala has heard enough, she quietly snuck back into the main part of the castle, then went to her room.

 

March 6 1958-

A few of the maids have started getting uneasy around my mothers presence. I eavesdropped on some of them and apparently a rumor has started that she is seeing a witch doctor to get her sickness cured. I don't know who started these rumors but they must be relieved of their services should this degrading talk spread outside of our home.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It was early in the morning, and everyone in the castle was waking up to start the day, or turning in to be ready for the night shift later, as such the dining rooms around the castle were filled with staff eating dinner or breakfast. The Dimitrescus was no exception. Kala is waiting quietly for the maidens to serve her meal, still in her nightgown with a rather extreme case of bedhead. Alcina, on the other hand, already has her daily apparel on, complete with makeup and the usual curled hairstyle. It is evident how restless the matriarch of the castle has been getting, even now she is rapping her fingernails on the table and tapping her foot on the floor in impatience.

“Honestly Kala, how many times have I already told you to be properly dressed by the time you come out of your room?”

“Too many to count, but don’t worry, your message has gotten through.” That was obviously a lie. Her mother sighed in annoyance.

“You have to start someday, make sure that it happens soon.” Her voice is stern, reaching the end of her rope. Her daughter just nods nonchalantly, further frustrating Alcina bit by bit.

They both continued to wait for a few minutes before they were finally served. The maiden bringing in the food was freshly hired, and was being shown the ropes by the veteran maids, though of course they stood off to the side and allowed the new blood to perform some of the tasks herself. Have to get her accustomed to the new environment and all else that comes with the job. For the most part she did well, that was until she got to Lady Dimitrescu, she noticeably became more uneasy as she got closer to her. One by one she removed the appropriate items from the metal cart, placing them in the right spots in front of her, and with each placement her hands got more and more shaky. It peaked when it came to pouring the water into an average tall cup. In her clumsiness, she bumped the side of it with the pitcher she poured it from, which resulted in a small puddle forming on the table. Now to most it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, in fact, both Kala and Alcina fit in this category, but this instance showed that it was no longer the case with the matriarch. The slap echoed throughout the dining room and then some, everyone was frozen in position, even Kala instantly snapped out of her drowsiness.

‘What the hell was that!?’

No one said anything the entire meal time, afraid of drawing the ire of the fuming lady. Once Kala finished her breakfast, she quickly excuses herself to the kitchen, looking to talk to the hurt maid.

“Hey miss, are you okay?” The maid is still shaking in her boots.

“Is she always like this?” Her voice is weak and feeble.

“No, of course not. This is the first time I’ve ever seen her put her hands on someone.”

“Can you tell her I’m sorry?”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, but I will.” Kala turns to the one of the head maids that was just off to the side. “Don’t let her near my mother until her mood improves, just to be safe.”

“Yes, miss.” She bows her head.

 

March 19 1958-

Mother has been getting extremely aggressive with the maids, this worries me, she never was this angry towards them for any reason. A maid spilled a bit of water on the table, and mother slapped her for it, she never abused the help at all like this. Hell, she normally wouldn't even make it that big of a problem, its only water after all. I think the medication she is taking may have something to do with it. I may have to ask her to stop seeing that quack doctor anymore.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kala stands just outside of Alcinas bedroom door, hesitant to do what needed to be done. After swallowing the lump forming in her throat, she gives it a soft knock.

“What do you want?” Even being blocked from view didn’t make it any easier.

“It’s me, mother. I need to speak to you.” Silence proceeds to follow, neither making any sound for but a moment.

“You can come in.” She cautiously opened the large door, which felt heavier then it would normally be. Alcina is sitting in front of the fireplace on her chair, her eyes closed as if to be in meditation. “What do you need, Kala?”

“I just wanted to see how you were doing, especially with the mood swings that are becoming more frequent as you continue to see the outsider.” She finishes that statement with an awkward smile.

“Ugh, this again. I’m getting tired of having the same conversation with you. Let me handle my business, and everything will be fine once it's all said and done.”

“But it’s so apparent that something about you has changed-”

“I’ve haven’t changed anything Kala!” Alcinas daughter is stunned into silence.

‘What is happening to you?’

“You know what, I just had a thought. If you are so paranoid that my visits are doing more harm then good, why don’t you come with me for the next one?” In an instant, Kala needed to end this conversation, subtlety be damned.

‘I’m not paranoid! I’m just trying to look out for you!’

“I’m sorry but no. I’ll just wait for you here when you come back” She hastily left the room, not seeing her mothers narrowed eyes.

 

April 12 1958-

Its getting worse, not just for the maids, but me as well. Mother has tried to convince me to visit the self-proclaimed ‘doctor’ with her, but I refused. I try to tell her that something about her treatment is turning her into a different person, but she insists that nothing about herself has changed. This scares me, has she always been like this inside?  Is this "doctor" who they claim to be? Something is very wrong about this whole thing and I hope it doesn't escalate any further.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Morning has come, and Kala sat alone at the dining room table, not even a maid is present within the room. To her it felt unnatural, her mother should've been here already, and yet, here she wasn’t. The entire situation gave off a suffocating sense of false peace, like everything could go wrong faster then an instant. Thankfully, the silence was broken upon a maid entering the room rather then the matriarch, it was the same one that was slapped a little over a month ago.

“Miss Dimitrescu?” Kala couldn’t stop the sigh from escaping, she wasn’t ready for whatever was she about to say.

“Is something the matter?” Her tone was weak from how mentally tired she still was.

“No, not anymore. I just came to inform you that I’m resigning from my position as a maiden.” Kala wished she could be surprised, but she couldn’t even fake it. All that she wondered is how many others would follow in her footsteps.

“May I ask why? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” She had a feeling she already knew what the reason was.

“I no longer feel secure staying here as a handmaiden.” Kala thought she would be ready when the first maid would quit because of how unstable her mother has become, but she found herself ill prepared for such an event.

“I suppose that is to be expected with how things are going with my mother. I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience here, unlike the older maidens. Inform the head maid, she will sort out the situation, and give you your final cheque.” She went to do just that, not seeing Kala cover her face as her eyes began to water.

 

April 30 1958-

One of our maids resigned, but she didn't go to mother to report, she came to me instead. She said she no longer felt safe to work in our castle anymore and frankly, I don't blame her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.- 

“Mother please, I implore you, stay away from the foreigner! Ever since they arrived, your ability to think and react rationally has been impaired!” They were having yet another confrontation within the main hall. The maids have long since steered clear of them both whenever an argument inevitably happened.

“You seem to have forgotten the stakes, daughter. I have worked and traveled for far too long trying to ensure my longevity, and now is the only chance I could break free from my contract with death.”

“I understand that you want to live, but is it really worth sacrificing your integrity?”

“I...I don’t know.” There was uncertainty in her tone, before she quickly regained her composure. “Although I’m sorry you feel this way, I have already committed to this procedure, and I will see it through!”

“Even if it means driving me away?” Alcinas breath hitched within her chest, she was stumped, and she couldn’t come up with a rebuttal good enough for both herself and her daughter. So she stayed silent, having an unwilling staring contest with her. Her silence being all Kala needed to get her answer.

“It’s fine...I won’t hold it against you. I want you to be around too...just...not the way it seems to be heading. I’ll still be here, if you need me.” She only gave a half-truth, if her mother was truly going down the path of no return, then she wasn’t going with her.

 

May 23 1958-

I begged my mother to stop seeing that doctor for almost a month now, but she refuses to listen to me. She says that she is her "only chance" at getting her sickness cured. I don't think she even gave my words a second thought in all that time. I think I'm going to have to start packing my bags if this situation gets any more unstable.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

All is quiet, and for all the wrong reasons. Kala looked down upon the main hall from up the balcony, making sure to stay out of view from its only occupant, Alcina Dimitrescu, who had a tea cup on hand with a red liquid inside of it. Only something is very off about her, and it was physically visible for all to see, for her skin had become as pale as death itself. The matriarchs daughter slowly descended down the stairs and came behind her just off to the side, mentally preparing herself for what was to come. All she hoped for is that it would be a quick back and forth.

“Are you okay mother? You look like you have half a foot on the other side of deaths door.” Alcina sipped from her cup without making acknowledgement that she heard her, then she spoke without turning to face her.

“I’m feeling much better then ‘okay’, I would go as far to say that this is the best I’ve ever felt in my life.” Alcina possessed a devilish smile upon her red lips. Kala swallowed the lump in her throat, bizarre wouldn’t even begin to describe the situation. “Not to worry though, my daughter, the visits should be ending soon, and when they do, I look forward to what comes in the near future.” She looked at her daughter, who noticed another change to her physical appearance. Her eyes turned golden, and they looked hungry.

“This...isn’t natural, mother! Have you looked in the mirror this morning!? How can you let this have continued for this long without even questioning the methods of the stranger!? Look at what she did to you!” Her words fell on deaf ears.

“I’m well aware of my looks, and I don’t mind as long as I’m free from the shackles my aliment has always had me under!”

‘This has gone too far, so much so that you’re forgetting who you used to be.’

Kala didn’t even look back as she retreated back to her room, with her mind having come to a conclusion.

 

June 2 1958-

Mothers skin has turned ghostly pale with her eyes becoming a harsh golden color, she claims that she has never been better, with a predatory look on her features. I hate to think that my own home is no longer safe but it seems to have come to that. I must be ready to leave at a moments notice. This, I'm sure of.

Chapter 2: What Did She Do To You?

Chapter Text

June 7 1958    7:30 PM         Kala Dimitrescu

 

I sat in my room with my bag, I packed at least two days of food and water with a large sum of my mothers money to ensure that I can travel far enough away. Mother has left four days ago and hasn't returned. Half of me wanted to go look for mother, while the other wanted to stay put and wait. I was desperately hoping for the time before she started seeing that "doctor", everything made sense before then. After more waiting for something to happen I went downstairs to the fireplace to try and relax, with the bag still on hand. Upon reaching the bottom floor I sat down on the chair and took in the silence. More maids had quit over the last few days and the stress of that combined with mother missing made for an awful headache.

 

June 7 1958

 

Mother still hasn't returned since the 2nd, and I'm starting to think the worst. I fear that I may have to finally leave the house to either look for her or go on my own path and find stability elsewhere, where I would go I have no idea----

 

I was startled by the front door in the entrance hall slamming open, I even dropped the pencil I was using. I quietly got up and walked towards the hallway that led to the entrance hall and peeked around the corner. Nothing. I walked backwards slowly towards the dining room, keeping my eyes from leaving the hallway, and then a hand gripped the doorway and I saw her. It was my mother, or at least it used to be. She was freakishly taller then when she had left, and upon seeing me had a smile that showed her fangs, what really set me on edge was the blood she was covered in. She couldn't be my dear mother, NO SHE COULDN'T.

"There you are darling." Mother spoke to me with a deceptively sweet voice.

"N-no, w-what did that witch DO to you!?" 

"Witch? No she is a miracle worker and has rid me of petty mortality, and I want you to come with me to go see her. NOW."

I didn't even hesitate to start running through the dining hall and out to the Courtyard towards the Opera Hall, I could hear and even feel her footsteps gaining on me.

"YOU DARE DISOBEY YOUR MOTHER" It shouted at me

At this point I started to cry, I was being hunted by my own mother and there was nothing I could do about it. This was worse then any nightmare I've ever had, and it only seemed to be just beginning. Why is this happening, why to mother of all people? WHO THE HELL IS THIS DOCTOR SHE WENT ON AND ON ABOUT? I barreled through the Opera Hall doors and locked them behind me, only for my heart to sink when its hand burst THROUGH the door and unlocked it from the inside.

"Don't make this harder then it needs to be sweetheart" It spat out as it opened the doors.

Running out of options I made a mad sprint upstairs to and through the library and into another hall. At this point I could hardly see through my tears as I basically threw myself at the door that led back into the main hall. I forced myself to get down the stairs and to the exit outside. It was cold, REAL cold, and without a proper mode of transportation I wouldn't get too far at all

"Why do you insist on delaying the inevitable" Lady Dimitrescu once again made herself known, opening the front doors to continue to give chase. This only encouraged me to keep going despite feeling like I'm about to drop dead, and honestly, I wouldn't mind that right now. Anything would be better then being caught by a monster wearing my mothers skin. Running across the castle bridge I came to a horrific sight, the village was turned into a bloodbath. Fires were everywhere, buildings were collapsed, livestock were gutted and mauled, and the people. Oh god the people. There was nothing left of them, like they have been half eaten for sport rather then survival. I've never had the misfortune of seeing human corpses, but today was a hellish day of firsts. I should have followed the maids lead long ago. But how could I? I wanted to be there for mother, I was the only person she put above herself. She was dying, and I couldn't find it in me to just up and disappear without a trace.

"Please come back to the castle, with me. You don't have to see this" I hear its voice again. I turn around and see it standing at the other side of the bridge, murderous intent no longer in its eyes

You don't know how much I want to, but can't. I don't believe you.

We keep up our staring contest while the village continues to burn down behind me

"I can no longer live in the castle knowing that you exist. I love you mom. I'll miss you" I turned back around and continued my run. She stayed behind.

Under normal conditions going through the village was a time for exploration and getting to know new people while catching up with old ones. Now both types are just bloody piles of meat on the ground that I desperately tried to ignore, and it was simply too much. I ended up emptying my stomach in the middle of the road. Did mother do all of this? Or was it a group?

Was the doctor responsible? Everything started going to hell when she arrived.

In the distance I see a carriage and horse completely intact. As if it just missed everything that happened around it. This made me suspicious immediately, and carefully approached it. As I got close enough to open its door, the largest man I've ever seen beat me to it.

"I was wondering when you would show up Miss Dimitrescu." What...?

"How do you know who I am? Who are you? I've never seen you here before."

"I have my ways with getting to know my customers, as for who I am. That is a mystery to even myself."

"Why would I be your customer?"

"Oh, my apologies I am a humble merchant, but you may call me Duke." He told me with great enthusiasm.

"Really then? How...convenient. Do you know a travel service I can get to?"

"I would be more then happy to take you anywhere myself, provided you have the coin to compensate."

"How much to take me as far as you can from this place?" It probably wasn't my greatest idea to travel with someone I just met, but I was desperate to leave this place. It is nothing but a graveyard now.

"5000 Lei"

"Done" I handed him the money and got on his carriage.

"Feel free to rest while your back there, it seems like it would do you some good."

"Thank you, Duke" I see the cot that was in the carriage and take refuge on it. Whether I liked it or not, this night will live on in my nightmares, for the rest of my existence.

Chapter 3: Aftermath

Chapter Text

"Miss Dimitrescu?" Nothing..... Duke chuckles to himself "Poor dear, I know you need your rest, but I regret to inform that we are almost at our destination. Wouldn't want to miss your stop would we?"

I stir then begrudgingly sit up "How long was I asleep?"

"Its been almost 24 hours, however you seem to have been experiencing intense nightmares. You tossed and turned throughout the day and night."

"Yeah... I'll.... I'll be fine."

"Excellent. Excuse my prying, but tell me, where are you actually planning to go after this?"

This question catches me off guard I didn't think I would get this far, let alone crossing over borders. "Honestly I don't know yet, my leaving was a heat of the moment decision. I'm open to suggestions though."

Duke hums to himself at this. "Well one place comes to mind. Tell me how do you feel about America?"

"Never really learned much about it, but what matters to me is if I will be able to live without the fear of being found by... someone." I'm not even sure if it is my mother that I'm scared of finding me. Duke lets out a hearty laugh.

"It's my one of my favorite places to conduct business, and not even for the money. It is a massive melting pot of many different cultures and traditions, depending on where you visit of course. You may even find love, settle down, start a family. As for being found by unsavory characters, it would be extremely hard to find one specific person in such a diverse place, not to mention that you would be on the other side of the ocean, I know you would be safe from all that ails you here in Europe."

I take in his words, not just leaving home but all of Europe? It makes me nauseous. This wasn't supposed to be how I left the nest dammit!

"If it gets the result I'm looking for, then yes." I could feel the tears welling up again. The thought of leaving behind mother, the castle, all my childhood memories, even the maids. It left a sick taste in my mouth. A chain of events that came and gone. It happened so fast, but so slow at the same time. My brooding was interrupted by the Duke speaking again.

"So what was your life like before yesterday, I assume that you were getting ready so leave for some time."

"You're right about that. As for my life, it was rather isolated. It was always just me, my mother, and the maids. I didn't even get to go to a real school, mother always had hired a personal tutor for everything I would need to know in life. It wasn't my idea of a perfect childhood, but it suited me fine. Books was always my interest rather then interacting with other children."

I start feeling sentimental, the weight of my decisions starting to rear its ugly head again, makes me think of what could've been. Mother deserved better then what she got, even dying peacefully in bed would have been a better outcome for everyone involved, but her desperation of seeing me grow into a fine young lady outweighed any potential consequences. Now look where it got her, just a few feet taller, fancy teeth, and nothing to show for it.

"I never learned of her sickness until a few years ago, when she came home crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she told that she might not live to see the next decade because of her hereditary disease. So begins my realization of why she was gone for such long periods of time. All I didn't know was how much she was willing to give up in order to get any type of cure, until last night."

I let out a drawn out sigh, recalling all the events that led up to this moment. After a short pause, the carriage comes to a sudden halt. End of the line, I guess. I open the carriage doors and see a boat with a few people waiting to embark.

"Your words touch me Miss Dimitrescu, but I'm afraid this is where we part ways. However, this is not where my service ends." He reaches behind him and pulls out a decorative sigil of an owl. "I will have someone with this symbol waiting for you when you get off. They will help you with anything you need to ensure you have a... comfortable transition."

"Thank you Duke." I get off the carriage and approach the boat with heavy steps. This was it. The captain speaks to the Duke from where he stands.

"Anyone else sir?"

"No, she is the last one. Have a safe trip, good luck to you all, I wish you the best." With that he departs, and disappears into the night.

Chapter 4: A Morbid Anniversary

Chapter Text

February 16 1978

 

Alcina's footsteps echo down the halls of the castle, slow and calculated. Today was an unavoidable reminder of her mistakes, of what she lost. She wandered aimlessly with no particular destination in mind, paying no mind to the maids that tried their best to avoid a confrontation with her. She made her way to the courtyard, it wasn't nearly as glamorous as it once was, but then again, who was here that cared? Not her, not anymore.

Walking across the steps, she made her way to the opera hall, the silence of the area was deafening somehow. Bending down to get through the doors, she the comes back up to see her past self playing the piano that has sat dormant for years, it used to be her way of calming down. She found herself hypnotized by her own apparition, only interrupted by a young voice that seemed to have no source.

"When did you learn to play the piano?"

Her past self glanced down to her side towards someone she couldn't see.

"I was just a little over your age when my father taught me how. It wasn't my choice to learn, but I realized that I enjoyed it."

"Can you teach me?"

She smiled "Of course, when would you like to start?"

The ghost faded, and Alcina tightly shut her eyes to keep her tears from escaping. Moving on upstairs she wanders into the library, once again she sees herself, talking to the same disembodied voice.

"Mother have you read this one?" She picks up a book that is handed to her by an unseen force.

"Yes I have, I remember enjoying this one myself" She smiles warmly to nothing, but at the same time something.

"Do you have anymore like this one?"

"Oh I'm sure I do, take a look around, You're sure to find something that interests you."

Once again, the ghost fades away, it was getting harder to keep her composure in check. Going back into the main hall she finds herself hesitating to continue forward, but presses on. As she goes back down the stairs she is confronted with a replay of what happened many years ago. This time her daughter is visible.

"What did that witch DO to you"

"Witch? No she is a miracle worker who has cured me of petty mortality, and I want you to come with me to go see her. NOW."

The apparitions disappear, and Alcina scolds herself for losing control of herself that day once again, she could never escape it. She continues her wandering outside going to the castle bridge, stopping just before she could set foot on it. She sees her daughter once again. This time she looked tangible. The villagers in the background didn't react to her sudden presence.

"I can no longer live in the castle knowing that you exist. I love you mom. I'll miss you." She could only watch as her flesh and blood disappeared in the crowd, never to be seen again. Alcina shakily lets out a deep sigh, at least she didn't curse her name. She walks back the way she came into the castle and up the main hall stairs. This time she stops in front of a specific room, one that has been avoided all other days of the year. She opens the door slowly, bent down to enter, then closes the door. The room is dark, too dark to see properly. Alcina reaches in her cleavage and pulls out a match. She lights it on the wall and uses it on nearby candles.

The room is frozen in time, left almost exactly how it was since its original occupant left. On the foot of the bed, was a small table with a framed photo of her daughter. Alcina gets on her knees and closes her eyes, then finally allows the tears she was holding back to fall. She hears footsteps approaching the room she's in. There is whispering behind it, before it is gently opened. Alcina looks to see three hooded figures approach the shrine, each placing a single black rose in front of the photo. They turn and hug Alcina, who gladly returns the favor. She looks up at the photo once more.

"Happy Birthday"

Chapter 5: Next Generation

Chapter Text

Los Angeles, California, April 11, 1984

 

Kala was not having a good time. She was currently in her husbands car who was speeding down the road just above the limit. "DO YOU HAVE TO GO SO FAST, ELLIS!?" Kala shouted at him who was trying his best to get her to the hospital.

"This is our first child, and I'll be damned if I can't get you the best chance at your and our babies survival!" He responded, he was currently driving as fast as he confidently could.

"THAT DOESN'T GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO BREAK ROAD SAFETY LAWS!" She was breathing heavily trying to keep calm. If she had the energy she would be strangling him.

"It does if you're about to give birth in the middle of the road, besides, it'll stain my car." He replies with a smirk.

"NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO BE AN ASSHOLE, ASSHOLE!" Kala's insult only makes him laugh. "I love you too, sweetie." She hits him weakly in the arm. "BUT CAN YOU PLEASE STOP DRIVING SO RECKLESSLY!?"

"If I wanted reckless driving, I would let you take the wheel, even before you were pregnant. Plus, no cops are looking."

"OH HARDY FUCKING HAR! YOU'RE A REAL COMEDIAN, HAVE YOU CONSIDERED STAND UP!?"

"Nah, I like strangers not giving a damn who I am, besides you're all the audience I need." This calms her down enough to stop shouting his ear off.

"Alright fine you win, but can you please go about this more safely!?" 

"Oh quit your worrying, were almost there. Look I can see the hospital right now."

Sure enough the hospital in question has just came into view. Kala let out a heavy sigh of relief. Her husband quickly pulls into the parking lot and finds a spot. After getting out he opens the door for Kala and offers his hand. "Hold my hand and lean onto me if you need to, you're going to be okay, were almost there."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile...

 

Miranda is currently rolling in a new test subject strapped to a makeshift gurney, having already put them to sleep to stop them from struggling. She was taking her subject though a dim candlelit hallway with a steel door at the end that led to her little cavern. Walking through the door revealed a mad scientists laboratory, complete with beakers, diagrams, surgical tools and much more. Finally halting the gurney next to an empty table, she proceeds to undo the bonds and lift her subject onto the table, only to be rebound again in case they wake up.

Satisfied with their position, she goes around her lab collecting all the tools she'll need to begin her experiment, before stopping at a jar with a creature inside. She took the time to take it and inspect it very closely, reminiscing on the amount of work it took to get to this point, all the trial and error that has happened to finally create a specimen to produce the perfect vessel . She snaps out of her nostalgia and brings everything she collected to the table where her subject still laid. Next she went to grab her notebook flipped though the pages to finally get to her next blank slate. Hundreds of failed tests, and the number only seems to keep climbing. She sighs in frustration, she was already prepared for this one to fail.

Subject Name: Salvatore Moreau

 

"Alright then Moreau, let us see if you have what it takes"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ellis was pacing back and forth in the hospitals waiting room, biting his nails nervously. This was a moment he long thought he prepared for, but quickly realized how wrong he was. There was all sorts of scenarios going though his head. What if she didn't make it? What if the baby doesn't make it? BOTH!? Then he blocks those negative thoughts out, thinking of the good that can come from this. Years of both of them trying to have a child and now they were almost home free. 

Just think positively, it will be okay. It will be okay.

Finally calming himself to enough to sit still, he remained focused on the joy of finally becoming a father. He was already thinking of going home with his wife and newborn, and what can come in the near future. He didn't even realize that hours have passed when the hospital staff called for him.

"Mr. Winters?"

He looks towards the doctor expectantly and stands up so fast he made himself dizzy.

"I'm here!" He almost shouted out.

The doctor gestures for him to follow. "Congratulations."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Hours has gone by since Miranda completed the procedure, and Moreau has had the worst mutation that she has ever recorded. He was essentially turned into a hideous fish/man hybrid, except he was hardly recognizable as either species, and still somehow managed to smell like a dead animal that was in the water for an indefinite amount of time. He had a pulsating mess of sacs on his back forcing him to hunch down, with a massive fish eye on one side, his hands and feet had a thin membrane lightly fusing all his digits together, and his face was so deformed it would make even Quasimodo feel beautiful. Overall, he was pretty ghastly to look at for any length of time.

Miranda became extremely frustrated. She wasn't sure if this was progress or a setback, but regardless he couldn't be further away from perfect vessel if he tried. Finding a good use for him would be challenging to say the least, but she'll manage. She always manages. 

 

Subject has massive physical deformities including changes to internal organs turning into something more fitting of a fish. Final mutation has yet to seen.

Result: Failure. Too many defects, an unfit vessel for my daughter.

 

Miranda threw the notebook at the wall in a small fit of rage. Another failure. She thought she would get used to it by now, but it was actually harder to keep her cool when after all this time she still couldn't find the results she was looking for.

'One day it'll happen, one day'

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

April 14   Kala Dimitrescu

 

After a few days in the hospital, both the baby and I showed no signs of illness or adverse effects, which allowed us to finally go home and quell the worries of my anxious husband. This time he was driving as carefully as he possibly can, a vast contrast to how he got us there before. I was in the backseat, holding a bottle of formula for my baby to drink, I never thought I would go down the path of parenthood and yet, here we are. It feels so unreal, like a dream that I refuse to wake up from, goes to show how sometimes we can't believe what is in front of us. For better or worse. After a few more minutes we finally arrived home. I got out with the carrier and walked inside the house with Ellis.

"How is our baby doing?" He asked

"Perfectly fine" I responded warmly.

"Can I carry him now?" He asked with a bit of excitement.

"Of course." I carefully bring the baby out of the carrier and pass him our baby.

"Make sure to support his head" Ellis nods in acknowledgment

While he was cooing at the baby I went to the shelf that had our wedding photos and a music box that was gifted to us that day. I slipped open the little compartment of the box that even Ellis hasn't noticed yet. I take my journal and write my first entry in the last 9 months.

 

April 14 1984

Our child has finally been born, after so long into our marriage we finally took the next step. He took his fathers last name, but that is fine with me.

Welcome to the world Ethan Winters.

Chapter 6: Back in Hell

Chapter Text

February 9 2021

 

"Gifts we gave, but more you took, she snarled. So, more in turn is due. In a blink, the girl was trapped inside a mirror."

Ethan wondered what compelled his wife to choose such a weird bedtime story for an infant.

"There. She's asleep." Ethan decided to voice his opinion on Mias taste in story time.

"What is with the creepy story? She's only six months old."

"Woman at the store said it was traditional, a local tale." She hands Ethan the book.

'Pretty sure I would have seen at least the cover of this long before you did.'  She didn't need to hear that. He sets the book to the side.

"Besides, Rose doesn't seem to mind."

"Because she doesn't understand it, thank god. We moved here so she wouldn't have to fear the very real monsters that are lurking out there, remember?

"There is nothing wrong with my memory!" She snaps at him. Ethan winces at her irritated stare.

"Never mind. I'm sorry. I'm just being cautious."

Ethan briefly remembers finding Mia in a cell at the Bakers estate, and takes a deep breath. Never again.

"Here, take her to bed, I have to finish dinner."

Mia passes Rose to Ethan then retreats to the kitchen. Ethan peers at Rose and whispers to her.

"It's okay Rose, your mother is just trying to forget about what happened. I wish I could too."

What happened in Dulvey will forever be with him. No amount of therapy or medication will ever wash away the memories or make it okay. He had the scars to prove it. He still wakes up in cold sweat sometimes on the verge of crying his eyes out, he couldn't believe he was still alive. He lost count on the number of times he could have and should have died in that god forsaken place, the luckiest unlucky man on the goddamn planet. He never learned if he truly freed the Baker family, but finding out that they were once like normal people changed his stance on what makes a monster. The puppet master is who you want, not their minions.

'Please, free my family'

Putting aside his mental anguish, he proceeds up the stairs to the master bedroom, stopping for a moment on the steps to calm a fussing Rosemary. He gently places his baby girl into the crib and activates the baby monitor.

"Don't worry, daddy will protect you from all the scary monsters." 'Where ever they surely are.'

Walking down the steps, he joins Mia in the kitchen, who is finishing up her cooking.

"Is she okay?" She questioned.

"Sleeping like... well a baby." He responded softly.

Mia hums in acknowledgement and places a steaming pot on the counter to cool.

"Mm, that smells good. What's that?" Ethan reaches towards the pot get a closer look before Mia taps his hand and with a hot ladle.

"No touch mister. It's a local recipe."

"Wow you are really fitting in now, huh?"

Mia smiles at his statement, and grabs a bottle of wine to bring to the dining room table, while Ethan grabbed the glasses.

"Local wine too, but if you want to keep sulking all evening, maybe you should sit out on this one." Mia starts to pour the wine for both of them. "You really need to stop worrying."

"I'm sorry, it's just... Finding you in Louisiana, the pregnancy, Chris moving us here. It just happened so fast you know?"

"Well, at least were here together. You, me, Rose, everything is going to be-"

"You seriously think we could just forget what happened at Louisiana?" 'Especially me?'

"It happened so long ago. I just don't understand-" She was interrupted by a gunshot hitting her shoulder. It strangely looked like it only inconvenienced her rather then cause any pain. Ethan could hardly process what happened by the time the power went out.

"MIA GET DOWN!"

Before she could even react, a hail of gunfire ripped through the windows and walls of the house hitting Mia and forcing Ethan to duck down below the table. Ethans mind was a jumbled mess.

'What the fuck is happening!? Who did we piss off!?'

 When the bullets finally stopped flying, Ethan regained his voice.

"M-Mia? Oh god." Ethan was already crying; his lovely wife has been killed in cold blood. He sees someone stepping towards them from under the table, the culprit shoots the rest of his magazine into Mias head then moves the table and reaches their hand towards Ethan. He looks up and could hardly believe who did this to his family.

"C-Chris!? What the fuck!?" Chris gazes at Ethan with sympathetic eyes, and gestures for him to quiet down. He gets on one knee and leans towards Ethan.

"I know what it looks like Ethan, but hear me out, that wasn't your wife." Chris whispers in his ear.

Ethan doesn't know how to respond to that. He was more inclined to believe Chris after seeing the transformations the Bakers went through. Wasn't his wife? Then what the hell was he talking to!?

Chris drags him into the main hall to and once again whispers to him.

"It was a shapeshifter named Miranda, who was playing house with you. As for how long, we don't know yet. Go get your kid and anything you think you'll need; we need to leave now."

Ethan nodded, and rushed towards his room, his daughter now crying and waving her arms and legs in her crib. Ethan grabs his backpack and fills it with baby supplies. Diapers, clothes, bottles, you name it, before finally picking up Rosemary. He does his best to calm her before hastily making his way to the stairs before he paused. He looked towards the music box that was sitting in the corner, A gift from his mother that she passed down to him when he got married. He couldn't fit it in his backpack, but he could take what's inside of it. Making up his mind he opened the music boxes slot, took the journal resting inside of it, and puts it in his bag.

Upon getting down the stairs with his wailing child, Chris gives the signal for them to depart. Ethan was escorted into an armored van with Chris going to another.

"I'll tell you more once you're both completely secured. Sit tight, everything will be fine."

"O-okay Chris. I'll trust you." Chris smiles at his cooperation. He looks to all his men and gives the order.

"Alright everyone! Move out!" With that they were off into the forest, with Ethan wondering what has gone so wrong.

Chapter 7: Breadcrumb Trail

Chapter Text

Ethan had the thousand yard stare in the armored van he was currently stuck in. He just managed to get Rose to stop crying, but was unable to put her to sleep. Ethan himself wanted nothing more then to rest, however the thought of his own home being breached combined with the fact that Mia was kidnapped or killed made for an effective adrenaline boost to his system. Ethan looked towards the soldiers that were assigned to protect him and his daughter, maybe they’ll shed some light on this situation.

“So how long were you guys planning to kill her?” Ethan was anxious to learn how long he was housing the imposter.

“Chris learned of her infiltration a few days ago, after that he opted to take her out as quickly as possible, although we had to wait for both you and Rose to get enough distance from her so there isn’t any unnecessary collateral damage.”

‘Well at least they didn’t wait on purpose’

Ethan glances down at his daughter, who was now asleep. Using one hand he removes his bag from his back so he could lean back against the wall more comfortably.

“Do you know where Mia could be?”

“Sorry, that is classified.” This doesn’t give Ethan high hopes, in fact they plummeted into oblivion. He leans forward slightly, in anger.

“The fuck you mean classified? This is my wife were talking about dammit! This is HER mother that is missing!” Ethans blood is boiling now. He didn’t go in Dulvey and get put through hell on earth to be told that his missing wifes location is motherfucking classified .

“Look, Mr. Winters, I get that you want to search for her, with or without us, but I guarantee that you are out of your element this time. If you want to make sure that your daughter has at least ONE parent to grow up with, I advise you stay put in the safe house until further notice.”

“So you’re telling me that I, a random guy off the street, who went through a mold infested area, who has gotten stabbed, cut, burned, stung, beaten, tortured, almost drowned, and has literally lost an arm and a leg to find his wife! Is out of his element?”

“Yes.” The soldier didn’t even bat an eye.

‘Fucker’

Ethan was livid, until he thought about it a bit more. Someone needed to watch over his daughter, and he didn’t trust anyone enough to do it for him. Maybe the trained professionals are needed this time around.

“Well, I suppose it-”

Ethan is cut off by an extreme force ramming the van, leaving a dent next to his side. He curled around his daughter to shield her from any incoming harm, then was knocked unconscious when the van crashed.


Miranda was gleefully walking to the broken down church near Lady Dimitrescus castle, she has finally done it. She has found the perfect vessel for her daughter, and all it took was about a hundred years of research and two months of masquerading as that mans wife. All there was left now is to prepare for the ceremony. But first, she had to make a few summons. Everyone had to be on the same page. Well…at least until she didn’t need them anymore. Maybe she could get that man to dispose of her false children for her. Now that was an idea worth exploring. After all, her true daughter was finally going to walk the Earth again.


Ethan woke up for an unknown amount of time later, at first he was sluggish in his movements, then jolted upwards after recalling what happened. He observes his surroundings taking note of the wooded area with the destroyed van and dead soldiers. However, Rose was missing.

“Rose? ROSE!?”

Ethans thoughts were in shambles. He just got told his wife was fake, was forced to abandon his home, now he lost Rosemary!? He crawled his way to the van and picked up his bag that was surprisingly intact. He looked around a bit more then noticed a trail of steps in the snow, he didn’t want to follow an obvious breadcrumb trail, but at this point there wasn’t much he could do other then follow and hope he saw some friendly faces. Fishing out a flashlight from his pocket, he began trudging through the deep snow.

Further along the trail he saw what seems to be blood, not too long after that, dead crows all over the snow covered ground along with being strung up in trees, even a live one that gave him quite the scare.

‘This is like the Bakers all fucking over again. Please, don’t let it be so.’

He reluctantly continued forward eventually running into a shack, he was about to knock when he noticed the door ajar. He gradually opened it and entered.

“Hello? I’m just looking for help.” No answer. Not even a sound. ‘Definitely like the Bakers, Fuck me.’

He forced himself to further search the cabin, occasionally hearing sounds around him, and looking in closets and drawers for anything useful, so far nothing.

‘Why am I going in the basement? What is wrong with me?’

All that was left for him to search was a single wardrobe in the back of the cellar that had blood on its door. He takes a deep breath then opens it slowly, only for a rat to jump out and scurry off, startling him in the process. He looks around sheepishly.

‘Good, no one saw that.’

As he went to go back upstairs there was a sudden crashing that caused dirt and dust to fall from the ceiling. He freezes on the spot and hopes he wasn’t followed by any predators. After dead silence for a few moments, he lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Going back up, he crawls below a fallen wardrobe, and is greeted by a massive hole in the wall that leads back outside.

‘Well, guess I’m doing this’

He's amazed by how bright it is all of a sudden, how long was he in there? He literally just walked in and out of the building! Shaking off the mystery of the passage of time, he hops the small fence and continues following the trail from before, through a rocky passageway before finally emerging to reveal a small looking village, with a MASSIVE castle overlooking it all.

“Where the hell am I?”

Chapter 8: Saved By The Bell

Chapter Text

Ethan hates this, why him? Why now? Couldn’t he have a break from all the blood and pain? He was finally settling in with his new life. Was he just destined to never know what being safe feels like again? Or did his unlucky streak strike again? Regardless, his concerns rested with Rose. He can complain to fate about his life later.

The village is a ghost town. Dilapidated buildings, No people, no animals. Just a lovely bunch of blood and goat heads, but you know what? This is still not the worst welcome he ever had. At least no one is eating unknown food substances, and cutting off family members' forearms at the dinner table. Ethan shudders at the memory.

In time he comes across a house with what seems to be a fresh pot of soup, pointing out that whatever happened here, it was recent, a bit too much for his liking. He drew near a curtain that covered the doorway to what seems to be a walk-in pantry, before he could even draw the curtain back, a gunshot just barely skimmed by his hand.

“Geez Louise, what the fuck!”

“I’m terribly sorry, I thought you were one of them!” An old man stumbled into view from the darkness of the pantry.

“What do you mean? Who is them?” As if on cue, an eerie series of howls were heard nearby.

“Is that-” He was stopped by a hand covering his mouth. The old man studies the area around him with panicked eyes, before quickly pulling Ethan in the pantry with him, covering the doorway with the curtain again.

“No matter what you do, don’t make a sound. Not even breathe.”

The growls were getting closer to the little house before the windows and door burst open with rabid snarls accompanying them. Even in the dark pantry, Ethan could feel the old man gesturing him to be quiet. It was extremely tense, the creatures were wrecking the place with no care in the world, going as far as demolishing a few walls just to let out their pent up rage. After they effectively trashed the place without finding their prey, they left the house letting out a few huffs as they went. As soon as the footsteps faded out of hearing range, the old man discreetly moved the curtain a crack. Upon seeing the coast was clear, he put his hands to his knees and let out a sigh of relief.

“What were those?” Ethan taps the old mans shoulder.

“Lycans. We occasionally had run-ins with them before, but not like this. They never had brought enough numbers to wipe us from the map. Until now of course.” Ethan mulled over this new information.

“Is there anywhere safe from them?”

“I wouldn’t say safe, but maybe fortified. Luiza’s house is your best bet of holding out until the smoke clears. It is near the fields.”

“Then that's our destination. Let's go.” Ethan was about to exit through the massive hole in the wall before he was stopped by the old man.

“No. I’m not going anywhere” The old man holds out his double barrel shotgun for Ethan to grab.

“What do you mean no? You said it yourself, it's not safe here.”

“You looking at me son? I’m an old man, a liability. I will do nothing but hinder your efforts, I simply don’t have the energy anymore. Besides, I’ve lived my life.” He pulls out all the shells he has and puts them in Ethans front jacket pocket. Again he holds out his shotgun. “Please take it, you will need it more then I do.”

After a bit of hesitation, Ethan reluctantly removes the shotgun from the old mans hand.

“There are some bolt cutters in the pantry to open that gate, along with a handgun. I insist that you have ‘em. Please.”

Ethan goes in the pantry and retrieves said items then walks back outside.

“Before I go, can you tell me your name?”

“Gerald. Not that you’ll need to remember.”

“Ethan. And I WILL come back for you. That is a promise.”

“Don’t make a promise if you don’t know if it can be kept.” With that he retreats back into the pantry, and closes the curtain.

Ethan turns around and opens the gate to continue forward. He crosses a small river with an equally small wooden bridge to another cabin that had some barbed fence on its side. While searching for supplies he overhears a nearby radio parroting what the old man said.

“Hello? If there are any survivors out there, come to Luiza's house near the fields.”

‘Nice to be reminded of exactly where I’m going’

Ethan was about to exit when he heard the Lycans again, and they are closing in. Fast. Ethan quickly barricades the door with a nearby shelf and waits for them to show up. It wasn’t long before they were all over the doors and windows; some of them even made it in from the roof.

Thankfully, the shotgun was quick to deal with them with a single well placed shell, reloading was a bitch though. When he dropped a few of them they retreated once again.

“Is it over?” Ethan removes the shelf and peers through the door before opening it. The barbed fence that was previously in the way was now knocked down allowing a new direction to go in. The Lycans were all over the place, just staring, not even moving. It’s like they were waiting for something to give them a signal to attack once again. Taking advantage of their passive state he quickly runs over to the next house. On the table inside he found another shotgun, this time a pump action. As soon as he touched it, the attack began. Without much time to prepare Ethan quickly dropped down a ladder to the cellar, crouch walking his way to the hole in the foundation of the home. Moving to the next cabin he found more shotgun ammo, and moved to block the door with a shelf. Peeking outside, he could only look on in dread as he saw waves and waves of Lycans closing in on his position.

“There is no end to them!” Ethan was now getting a sinking feeling to the pit of his stomach. Was this it? He couldn’t die now! Rose was counting on him!

Ethan took notice of the ladder in the middle of the cabin. As it was his only way out now, he climbed up as fast as he could, just narrowly avoiding the Lycans that broke through the shelf and windows. Upon reaching the roof an arrow landed just beside his head.

‘These bastards have BOWS!?’

Ethan jumps down the building and continues to essentially just run in circles, no matter where he went he just couldn’t find a way out of this predicament. Eventually his run has come to a halt when an arrow finally got him in the leg. A Lycan took advantage of his immobilized state and threw him across the river. Ethans heart was withering away in his chest. Was this really it? All this effort to get back Rose, only to find his death? To add insult to injury a massive Lycan showed up to the party, with an oversized hammer to match.

“Trying to compensate for something you big bastard!?” Ethan shouted in defiance.

Big boy gets in his face to incite fear, but Ethan didn’t even flinch. It was about to bring down the hammer when bells started to go off. All the Lycans look in the direction of the castle before retreating, including big boy.

‘Saved by the bell, just like in highschool’

After removing the arrow out of his leg he sees a hunched over hooded figure watching in the distance, then retreats behind a red gate.

“H-hey come back!” Ethan was about to follow before he remembered the old man. Limping back to where he found him, he walks to the pantry.

“Gerald? I’m here.” He removes the curtain and sees him getting up from a sitting position.

 “I didn’t think you survived. That was a huge attack for one person to handle.”

“Seems that they followed the sound of a bell. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all that, but it should be safe to move now.” Ethan hands him his shotgun back to him, along with some shells.

“I found another one earlier, we’ll go pick that up real quick then we can make our way to Luiza's house.”

After picking up said shotgun both of them walked/limped through the gate that was left open by the mysterious figure. They saw an old woman drawing in the dirt with a long staff.

“I’ve never seen her around here before.” Gerald said in a hushed tone. He approaches the little old lady.

“Uh, are you okay? You should find shelter, the Lycans are out and about.” She looks up and slightly narrows her eyes at Gerald, then passes her gaze over to Ethan.

“It’s you. The child's father.” Ethan immediately rushes to her.

“You mean Rose? She’s here!? Where!?”

“She is in great danger. Since Mother Miranda brought her here, we have fallen into darkness.”

“What do you mean? The monsters are here because of her!?” Ethan is interrupted by the bell going off again

“The castle bell heralds danger. They’re coming!” She begins to walk off back towards the red gate.

“Wait! Where's Rose!? Who’s Mother Miranda!?” Ethan then has another passing thought.

‘Wait, how does she know I’m her father?’

Before he could say anything else. The gate was shut and locked behind her. Gerald decides to throw in his two cents.

“That was strange. And cryptic. Is what she says true? Are you here because Mother Miranda took your child?”

“Yes, my daughter was taken from me, and with no other place to go I followed the trail here. Rose being here was probably the greatest game of chance I’ve ever played.”

“So you are an outsider then? We don’t see many outsiders here, and the ones who do arrive either check out early or disappear.”

“Sorry if that bothers you.”

“Don’t be. I probably would have died a much more painful death if it wasn’t for you.”

“So do you know who this Mother Miranda is?”

“Oh yes, the entire village worships her, she even has her own church just up the trail here. Me personally; I don’t care too much for it, I just go about my life and just follow the motions whenever she comes up. If she does have your daughter though, one of two things could be true. One: She has your child herself. Or two: She passed it down to one of the four lords.”

“Who are these lords?”

“No one really knows much about them aside from some rumors and stories from people that do manage to come back from their respective domains. They are very mysterious in their own right.”

“So where can I find them?” 

“You're really serious about going toe to toe with them, huh? Well, Lady Dimitrescu resides in that there castle over yonder. Lady Beneviento has an estate just east of this village. Lord Moreau lives at the reservoir to the north. Lord Heisenberg has a factory somewhere around here, though I don’t know where.

“Thank you for telling me where to look, if it comes to that. Now shall we continue to Luiza’s house?”

“We should hurry, the Lycans could come back at any second.”

Chapter 9: A Cold Greeting

Chapter Text

Gerald led Ethan throughout the village towards Luiza’s house, being forced to take multiple detours because of all the destruction and debris that clogged the walkways of the village. Getting through the fields proved to be a different beast altogether with a few Lycans hiding among the tall wheat. With some luck they made it to the gates of their destination, however it was locked from the other side. Gerald huffs in frustration.

“I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.” He glances to his side and spots a shack. “Lets see if we can get in through here.” Upon opening the door, a girl quickly prompts him to close the door.

“Shut the door! Please!” Gerald frantically waves Ethan in, to which he swiftly slips in, closing the door as he goes.

“Elena? What happened? Why aren't you in Luiza’s house!?” Gerald is greeted by a gruff voice from someone hidden behind some crates and boxes.

“Because one of those freaks fucked me up!”

“Crap, you okay Leo? You're not losing your mind?” Gerald checks his wounds for any irreparable damage.

“No. At least not yet.” The newly identified ‘Leo’ peers over Geralds shoulder and spots Ethan.

“Who is this outsider!? What are you doing here!?” He sends Ethan the best intimidating glare he could manage in his current state.

“It’s okay Leo, he's with me. Without him I would be long gone.” Leos features soften up, but doesn’t completely peter out.

“You know what, fine. Why don’t you help out a little more by getting that gate open for us. Not like we’ll be going anywhere.” Leo leans his head back against the wall with his eyes squeezed shut.

“Alright, I’ll be right back, don’t come out until I call for you.” Ethan then hops through the back window, over the wall and opens the gate. After making sure that no Lycans were around, he gave them the signal.

“All clear, hurry!” Ethan steps aside to let them all in, but not without a quick verbal jab from Leo.

“What took you so long?” Ethan ignores him and turns to Elena.

“He always like this?”

“Actually, yes, but to a smaller degree. He is pretty hurt right now.” Elena rejoins the others while Ethan relocks the gate.

“Luiza, it’s Gerald, I’ve got wounded out here.” Instead of an aging lady opening the door, a young man comes out instead, who immediately points his gun at Ethan.

“I recognize you three, but who is this?” Ethan slowly raises his hands above his shoulders.

“I am Ethan Winters, I mean you no harm. I’ve just come looking for a missing person.”

“Well I’m afraid you came at the wrong time, stranger. Whoever you’re looking for was probably already caught by the Lycans. I reckon you leave while you still can.” Ethan could detect a bit of venom in his voice.

“Relax, I’m not staying long, if at all. I just wanted to get these people to safety before I continued my search.” As Ethan was about to exit the property, an old lady appeared.

“Iulian, why don’t you escort the guests inside instead of holding them hostage.” Iulian grunted before submitting to her will.

“Fine, you three follow me.” He turns to Ethan with his gun lowered. “You stay here. Luiza will decide what to do with you.”

As they were passing by Luiza, Gerald whispers in her ear. To which she responded with a simple nod.

“So tell me Ethan. Are you sure that you want to intrude on the four lords' property? I don’t think it would be wise to risk your life to such a high degree.”

“Without my daughter, there won’t be any life left to live.”

“I see. Now normally I wouldn’t do this, but seeing how we were seemingly abandoned by Mother Miranda, and all who fall under her, I suppose I could make this one exception. Wait here.” She disappears in her house.

While he was waiting Ethan decided to take stock on everything he had. A loaded shotgun, some spare shells, and a loaded handgun. With the more mundane items being the baby supplies, flashlight, and his mothers journal.

Luiza comes back with a screwdriver and undos a bolt at a cage with a stone crest inside.

“You will need this if you want to continue your search. The other one is in the church. Please, don’t make me regret this.”

“Thank you ma’am.” Ethan walks out the gate, which was then locked behind him.

‘So the other one is in the church’

After a minute of wandering he finally entered the church, the pews empty and crooked. At the shrine he sees not just the crest he is after, but pictures of all the lords and Mother Miranda herself.

‘Gerald didn’t exactly tell me what each one looked like. Mother Miranda is a dead giveaway though, so thank god for small favors.’

Taking the crest from its stand, he exits the church and goes to the stone door with two round crevices. Upon placing them in the correct position, it opens. The sinking feeling that was gnawing in the back of his head increases to eleven.

‘Can’t get cold feet now.’

He cautiously makes his way across the castle bridge and into an in-ground hallway, with a closed gate at the other end. Before he could make a move to open it, he is distracted by random pieces of metal flying around him. Looking back, he sees someone from one of the pictures in the church, with a massive hammer that he shouldn’t be able to lift.

“Well, well. I didn’t think anyone was left.” Ethan is frozen like a deer in headlights.

“What? Not gonna address me properly?”

“I don’t even know who you are!” Ethan finally shouts back.

“Oh? So you’re not from here. Looks like I hit the jackpot.” With the flick of a wrist, a piece of rebar pierced his side. Ethan let out a sharp cry in pain, with metal starting to encase him.

“What are you doing!? S-STOP! LET ME GO, PLEASE!” He was now incapacitated on the ground, with only his face exposed. All the response he got was a maniacal laugh with a heavy piece of metal slamming on his face, causing him to black out completely.


Heisenberg dragged the newcomer to the old church, which served as Mother Mirandas preferred meeting location. Extracting the metal from his body, He entered the partially collapsed building, placed the man on the ground, then chained his leg to the floor. He was currently the only one to arrive, so he decided to take the time to confiscate all of the items from his person.

“Lets see here… handgun...shotgun shells...  Ooooh, beautiful looking shotgun, you sir have great taste.” He takes the bag and searches it. “Lots of baby stuff. Family man, huh? I like that. Flashlight...you know what, I’ll let you keep that.” He reached the final item in his bag, a book, and upon further inspection, it had the tall bitches insignia.

“Why hello there blackmail, I wonder how this guy found you before I did. If you were awake right now, I’d give you a hug.” He throws everything in the corner, but places the book in his trenchcoat. “All that is left to do now is wait.” He sits on one of the pews in the best mood he had in years.

Chapter 10: Everyone Is Here

Chapter Text

When Ethan comes to; the first thing he notices is the voices, accompanied by a high pitch ringing in his ear. Opening his eyes he is greeted by the creepiest and most disgusting looking doll he has seen in a long time, along with a deformed creature that looks so ugly it rounds back up to being adorable. Looking past them he sees them all. Every lord is present as well as their leader.

Rise and shine, sleepyhead. It’s time for supper.

Ethan attempts to back away as far as possible, only to be stopped by a chain strapped to his leg. The rattle of the metal attracts the attention of everyone in the room. Ethan tries his best to hide his fear, but how could you when everyone was looking at you like their new chew toy. Without further acknowledgement, they went back to what they were discussing.

“Unfortunately for you, your tallness, I’m the one who caught him about to break into your castle. Meanwhile, what were you doing? I’m willing to bet my height that you were just stuffing your mile long gullet with stale month old blood!”

“You shouldn’t have been anywhere near my property to begin with, you little scoundrel!”

“Hey, I did you a favor. You hate men so much it’s a wonder how you didn’t smell him coming.”

“Like you would do anyone a favor unless for your own benefit! All you did was deny me and my daughters a rare meal!”

“You and your little gremlins have plenty of ‘meal’ to spare. Don’t you still have that massive pool of blood in your basement somewhere?”

“How do you know that!?”

While this back and forth was going on, Ethan was slowly putting it together that they were fighting over who got to have him. However, without any tools he wouldn’t be able to unlock the shackle keeping him in place.

“Enough of your bickering!” Miranda finally decided to intervene before this meeting turned into a brawl. “Dimitrescu, Heisenberg found the man, it is only fair that he decides what to do with him.”

Dimitrescu stands up in protest, showing off her full height.

‘Jesus H. Christ’

“Heisenberg wastes his victims for petty entertainment that only satisfies himself! Give him to me though, and I will provide something of substance, not just for me. But you as well.” 

Heisenberg takes one last jab at Dimitrescu.

“You seem to have forgotten that you are the only one who needs to consume blood to survive. Not much of a bargain for anyone but yourself.”

Ethan stops listening at this point and gives the room a once-over. All the potential ways out were blocked by some form of barricade, except for the hole in one of the corners of the room.

‘That is a trap if I ever saw one.’

“SILENCE!” Ethan is startled out of his scheming.“My decision is final. I will hear no more of your petty quarrels!” Heisenberg bows his head while Dimitrescu scoffs indignantly.

“Thank you. Now let us begin.” Thus Heisenberg began his sick game.

Ethan never felt more dehumanized, at least the Bakers, and by extension Eveline, had started off with trying to include him in their fucked up perception of a family. Lycans were showing up from every opening of the building now, in no time flat he was already surrounded. Heisenberg gets on one knee and speaks for only Ethan to hear.

"Put on a good show, yeah?" Smug prick.

He stands back up and closes his fist tightly, resulting in the chain crumbling into dust.

His little 'game' was nothing more then a glorified set of deathtraps. Designed to make him take a single path with the end having no escape. Overall, it was another Lucas Baker situation, the end has that one flaw that allows him to squeeze through with minimal blood loss.

'How the hell does he not know about the little crevice in that wall?'

Making his way out of the final room, he reaches the door revealing the same hallway that he was captured in the first place.

‘Aw hell, I’m back here.’

Making sure no one sneaks behind him this time, he finally opens the gate to the castle.

Ethan sees the many ‘scarecrows’ that line the trail, making the foreboding feeling that was building up to increase tenfold.

‘I swear to god if Rose is here.’

 Further up the trail, there is a carriage, with a large man reading a book. Not the biggest person Ethan has ever seen, but he was up there. Without even looking up from his reading material, he greets Ethan specifically.

“Mr. Winters. It is a pleasure to finally meet you after all these years.” He closes the book and looks down at him.

“Wait, what do you mean ‘all these years’? How do you know me?” Ethan looks back at all the people he has met since coming to Romania, not a single memory of even seeing a person of his size.

“I have connections all over the continent, and then some, Mr. Winters.”

“Wait wait wait, are you implying that you have known me since before I came here?”

“In a manner of speaking, but never mind that. You are here for a very specific reason. Are you not?"

"Judging by your behavior, I'm just going to assume that you already know why." The man chuckles at him.

"You would be correct in your assumption, however I think you will find answers to a different question you've never asked yourself."

"What do you mean by that?"

"That is for you to discover yourself Ethan. But please, forgive my manners, call me Duke. I am at your service."

Ethan wanted to press him further, but couldn't find the energy to do so. His daughter needed to be found asap.

"Alright then, I'll keep you in mind Duke."

"Before you go Ethan, please take this." Duke hands him a familiar green bottle. "This is a gift from me to you. I trust you will put this to good use."

"Thank you Duke." Ethan pockets the disinfectant and resumes his way to the castle. He pushes on the heavy doors, and is introduced to a luxurious looking room, with a painting of triplet women hanging on the wall. The silence is palpable.

‘How is this place maintained so well? There is nobody here.’

He gets deeper inside and finds a door with an inscription. Half way through reading it, he hears an ominous buzzing.

"You lost, little mouse?" A sickeningly sweet voice came from within the mass of bugs they were now surrounding him. From the black mass, 3 girls with sickles materialized out of thin air and stalked towards him, each of them were a head taller then him. Ethan backs up until he hits a wall, which allows two of them to pin his arms back, while the third takes her sickle and impales him through his already injured leg. Ethan holds back his scream, he refuses to give them the satisfaction. The impaler takes out the sickle and licks the blade.

“Man-blood.” Her voice is sultry and suggests that she wants more. In quick succession, he is let go then dragged on his back at inhuman speed throughout the castle. Despite Ethans best efforts, there was nothing close or heavy enough to stop the momentum. They finally come to a stop in what seems like a bedroom with a huge fireplace in the middle of it. Once he is let go Ethan immediately attempts to stand only for his leg to buckle beneath him. A girl throws him on his back once again, and plants her heel on his chest to prevent him from any further escape attempts.

“Mother, we come bearing a gift.”

“Oh you shouldn’t have.” Ethan recognizes the voice as the tallest lord Dimitrescu and redoubles his efforts to shake off the heel holding him down.

“Oh, want to leave so soon? We were just getting to know each other, outsider. Stand him up.”

The pressure from his chest is finally released, and he is held up to stand before the lady. Ethan has to strain to look upwards towards her. One of her daughters forces his hand outwards towards the lady, who promptly uses one of her sharp nails to cut into his wrist. Ethan grunts in pain as the lady drinks his life fluids, only for her to quickly withdraw with her face scrunched up.

“Ugh, extremely bitter, he will never make a good wine.”

“Really mother? He tastes great to me.”

“Is that so? Well he won’t be completely useless after all, but before you three can indulge. I must inform Mother Miranda of our guest.” Lady Dimitrescu approaches Ethan menacingly. “Once she gives me the okay, there will be more then enough for all of you.” She gives him a false smile. “Hang him up.”

‘Hang me up? WITH WHAT!?’

Ethan frantically looks everywhere in the room then sees the hooks hanging from the ceiling. He futilely tries to shake them off him once again.

“NO, STOP! DON’T!” He is ignored and strung up on the hooks. This time he couldn’t hold back his screams. He is then lifted off the ground to just above eye level of the lady.

“L-Let me down from here.” He begs.

“Oh we can’t do that, you haven’t even been served the main course yet.” She tauntingly smiles once again, and struts out of the room with her daughters following suit.

“W-Wait, you can’t just leave me here!” The door slams shut. Ethan looks up at the sharp hooks that have him held up. Without any leverage he had to do the unthinkable. Once he thought for sure they were far enough, he pulled downwards to allow the hooks to slice through his hands. The pain makes Ethan cry out again.

‘Again with the fucking hands.’

Ethan pulls out the first aid the Duke gave him and pours it on both his hands and his hurt leg, sniffling the entire time.

“I just want Rose goddammit!” He wanted to leave the castle right then and there, but first, he had to make sure his daughter wasn’t here. Taking a deep breath, he limps out of the room.


Heisenberg walks down the path to his factory, with a pep in his step. He got to have his fun with a complete outsider, he has potential blackmail for Lady Bloodsucker, and his experiments are coming together nicely. So far, what's not to like about today? He wanted to read his new material right away, but first, he needed to test some new ideas. After all, those robots ain't going to build themselves. Walking to the elevator of his factory he goes down into its depths, upon reaching further down he is greeted with a massive production operation. Heisenberg chuckles to himself, he has come a long way from where he started in this fucked up family circle.

“One day you’ll get yours, bitch, and I will be there to deliver it to you.”

Chapter 11: Regret

Chapter Text

Heisenberg reaches his desired floor and steps off the elevator, intent on testing out two new prototypes he has been working on. Walking down the long corridors, he passed by many already successfully tested and built bots, some were heavily armored but lacking in numbers, while the more lighter ones were made to be essentially cannon fodder, and required hardly any resources compared to their tankier counterparts.

He reaches the end of the corridor and enters his workshop, inside there are two bots that have yet to be activated, with their respectives files attached to the wall next to them. One dubbed Pyromaniac, while the other, Demolition.

“Aright boys, time to put you two to the test.” Summoning two heavy bots, he orders them to carry the prototypes to the testing area.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan escaped into the main part of the castle, so far he has yet to encounter Lady Dimitrescu or her bug swarms from hell. The prime difference of the hall last time he was here, is the four new pedestals, with one of them having a mask on it. The eerie silence put him on edge, but at least he would hear them coming, with Lady Dimitrescus heavy and calculated steps and the daughters loud buzzing. Unfortunately there weren’t too many places he could actually go, and with the front door being barred with a metal barrier, escaping the way he came in wasn’t an option.

Repeating his steps again he notices a new door has been opened, and he can hear someone shuffling inside. Slowly entering, he sees the Duke in all his glory. The Duke joyously greets him.

“Ethan! Fancy meeting you here.”

“Duke? Why are you here?” ‘And HOW did you get here.’

“I am always where my services could be needed. And have you found what you were looking for?” Ethans silence is all the answer he needs. “I see. Have you searched the rest of the castle?”

“No. I’m stuck here. All the doors are either locked or blocked off.”

“Is it now? Don’t you have a ring?” Ethan wonders where he is going with this.

“Yes? Why is it important?” Ethan pulls out the mentioned ring and inspects it for anything he could have missed.

“Take out the eye, and you will have your key.”

Ethan looks at him dumbfounded, and does what he says. He now had the eye itself in his hands. With the ring now effectively a paperweight, he turns to Duke to try and sell it.

“How much is it worth?”

“I’ll give you 1500 Lei for it.”

With the transaction done, Ethan now searches for the door that the eye can go into. Before long he finally comes across it on the upper floor. Unlocking the door, he is confronted with a swarm of bugs, to which he swatted at them as much as he could.

‘Not this shit again’

“How nice of you to gift wrap yourself to me.” He hears one of the girls nearby. Without thinking of where he was going, he ran through the door.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Heisenberg was now in his test area, which was an arena-like space with his booth hanging above on one side, allowing for an unobstructed aerial view. In the booth with him was a control panel and desk, along with one of the prototypes that will be activated later. Using the panel, he summoned a horde of Drill Bots to behave as test dummies. While he waited he started taking his notes.

Test subject: Pyromaniac

Subject is a lightly armored bot with a flamethrower as a weapon. Its tank has been placed on its back and its arm removed then replaced with the nozzle. Other arm is the standard drill. Will be tested against 50 light Drill Bots.

Metallic steps brought him out of his writing, they have all arrived.

Activating the Pyromaniac, his test has begun.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan was now in a dark dungeon, flashlight in hand, after having a close call with one of the daughters. There were groans and moans of creatures sharing the space with him, but without his weapons, he didn’t have much choice but to perform evasive maneuvers whenever he could. Making his way through wasn’t too difficult, although he still got new cuts and bruises for his trouble. It wasn’t until he was nearing the exit of the dungeon that he encountered one of the sisters again.

“You shouldn’t be down here. At least not without us.” Thus another chase has begun. Ethan was lucky enough this time to actually make it out of the dungeon but was stopped by wooden boards blocking the way.

“What is wrong little one? Don’t want to play?” He is shoved through the wood face first.

Ethan sees a pile of logs and decides to use one as a projectile. Unfortunately for him, the woman dodged with ease, and pinned him to the floor.

“I love it when they fight ba-.” She stopped when she heard an ominous cracking of glass. She slowly looked behind herself, and saw the window shatter before her eyes. The cold hit her like a train, with ice now partially forming throughout her body and clothes.

‘So the cold is their weakness? Good thing I have a jacket.’

Their fight eventually became very one sided with her movements slowing, allowing for Ethan to hit her with random objects in the area. At some point she dropped her sickle and opted to hug herself to keep from literally freezing to death. Ethan picked up the blade and raised it above his head, ready to deliver the killing blow, but ended up hesitating.

“I...I don’t understand. This...this should be EASY.”

“Please stop. No more. I don’t want to die.” She says in a tearful voice. That sealed the deal for Ethan, he just couldn’t find it in him to kill her. Dropping the sickle, he drags her back down into the dungeon, away from the cold.

“The destruction of your family is not what I’m after. I’m just trying to save my own.” With that he goes back upstairs and picks up her weapon, keeping it for himself for now.

“MOTHER!” She cries out for Lady Dimitrescu.

And that was his cue to leave. Ethan starts running to avoid being seen by the lady. Making it to the dining room he is stopped when the door to the courtyard is being unlocked. Thinking quickly he drops himself to the floor, so he can be covered by the chairs and table. He sees the Lady Dimitrescu walk through and immediately head in the direction he just came from. After a few moments, he quietly exits to the courtyard.

“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY DAUGHTER!?”

Ethans breath hitches in his chest, if Lady Dimitrescu wasn’t taking him seriously before. She is now.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Heisenberg ruffled his hair in annoyance, his test has been a failure. It started out pretty well, with the Pyromaniac literally melting down its opponents with relative ease. The problems started when it ran out of fuel for its primary weapon. It didn't register that it was out of ammo, and continued to try and burn everything without the means to do so. This left its drill hand completely dormant. It didn't take long for it to be destroyed.

Test result: Failure, Pyromaniac failed to use its drill when out of fuel. Will have to tweak its intelligence in the future.

He destroys all the remaining bots in the arena. It was time for his next test.

Test subject: Demolition

Subject is a heavy armored bot with an explosive launcher in place of its right arm. Other arm is the standard drill. Will be placed against 50 Drill Bots.

With a huff, Heisenberg prepared to begin his next test.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan was currently trapped hiding beneath the window of Lady Dimitrescus private chamber, eavesdropping on her conversation with Mother Miranda. The lady was informing her of his escape from Heisenberg, and how she wants Miranada to help her get rid of him, only for her request to be denied. Once she was done talking to her, he heard the slam of her phone, followed by a loud crash. Whatever she destroyed, it was heavy. As soon as she left the room Ethan quietly entered through the balcony door.

‘She lifted an entire vanity and threw it!?’

The vanity she was using was in shambles on the floor, with everything that was on it scattered all over the floor. Hidden among the mess was a key with the flower sword insignia.

‘ Where have I seen this before?’ He pockets it.

Then he saw it. A baby crib at the corner of the room. He wastes no time to scramble towards it, only for his hopes to be crumbled to dust, doused in gasoline, then set on fire. Rose was not here. He falls to his knees, with the only thing keeping him up being his grip on the crib.

‘All of that. Just to end up with an empty crib’

In his silent misery, he fails to notice the door open next to him.

“There you are.” Ethan looks up at the giantess before him, completely stunned in place.

“All of this for a child who isn’t even here.” She grabs him by the throat, then slams him on the floor, cracking the boards. Ethan couldn’t listen to her rant with the wind knocked out of him, instead he was trying to focus on staying awake with the amount of punishment she was dishing out to him. On the third slam, she temporarily forgets her strength and puts him through the wood.

“Rest while you can! Cause I will hunt you! AND I WILL BREAK YOU!”

Ethan couldn’t even respond, he could only lay there in utter agony. Once he regains control of his lungs, he unsteadily gets on his feet. He fell into another goddamn dungeon. Getting out of the first room he is greeted by more corridors and iron bars blocking his path. Ethan felt more and more like passing out as time went on, at this point he was running on nothing but fumes and willpower.

“Man its...been a long time...since I’ve felt this bad.” Ethan approaches the second gate on wobbly feet, almost collapsing on the switch. Straining to pull up the switch, he almost makes it up before his hand is disconnected from his arm.

Ethan! It’s okay. It’s okay, it’s me. I know you didn’t mean to hurt me. But you shouldn’t have done that! It fucking hurt!

Ethan couldn’t even scream. It came out as choked sobs. He looks up to the assailant, and sees none other then Lady Dimitrescu herself.

“You won’t get away from me!” He attempts to run past her but gets grabbed by the throat again. He is lifted in the air and brought up to meet her malicious grin, then she pulls back her other arm to finish the job. In his moment of desperation he bites down as hard as he can on her hand gripping him, which comes to fruition. He is tossed across the hallway onto the ground.

“You barbaric, insolent little worm!”

Outrunning her was immensely difficult for him, especially with his bad leg and her stride length. His only saving grace was the fact that he could move through the halls without needing to bend down. Getting past the gate with his severed hand, he runs into a locked door with the same emblem as the key he found earlier. He fumbles through his pockets trying to find the corresponding key. Pulling it out, he frantically attempts to put it in the keyhole, even dropping the key at one point, he could hear the lady getting closer to his position. Finally getting the door open, he is terrified seeing it as a dead end with only a large statue to provide him with cover, but remembers the masks that were missing in the main hall. Taking a chance, he removes the mask of the statue, and feels the entire room lifting upwards. He looks behind him to see the lady standing at the door with a ferocious snarl, only for it to change into a maniacal grin.

“Running will get you nowhere!”

Ethan completely collapses on the floor, and holds his stump close to him.

You can use this to fix your leg. You can do it!

“I need to get to Duke. Thank you Jack, you're a limb saver.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The arena is covered in scrap metal, and Heisenberg is partially impressed with his new creation, but it was still a failure as it was destroyed with everything else in the area. His Demolition bot was extremely lethal, that was a given. The flaw was that it had no concept of using its explosives at a safe distance, so it resulted in it taking its own explosions with no regard for self preservation at times. Thankfully its armor protected it from a few blows but overall it still fell apart along with its user not long after. 

“Maybe a few changes to either its logic or its positioning in my army. Eh, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.”

Test Result: Failure, Demolition destroyed itself with its weapon before the test was completed, armor held up fine against the hostile Drill Bots, but fell apart after a few explosions. Will need to adjust its position in my army.

So his tests were sort of a downer, and he was contacted by Miranda that his toy had escaped from his deathtrap, but luckily he still had a pick me up. Pulling out Lady Bloodsucker's book, he gets comfy and opens to the first page.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

His hand slowly knitted itself together before his eyes. It was just as strange as it was the first time it has happened and thankfully, it was just as easy. Duke observed in astonishment at the limb that literally glued together.

“You are full of surprises, aren’t you Mr. Winters?”

“Yeah. I suppose I am.” Ethan is exasperated at this point. He already put the mask on its correct pedestal, and he was begging for any divine being to let him rest for a moment, or better yet, to give him his daughter.

“Rose isn’t here. I looked in Dimitrescus personal chambers, only for nothing of significance to be there. Why am I so un-goddamn-lucky?"

“I’m sorry that you are going through this, but if it is worth any consolation, you have one of the strongest wills I’ve ever seen in a person.” Ethan doesn’t respond, but does smile to himself.

He gets back up and sets out to search for the rest of the masks, the door that they lock is his only chance of getting out of this castle. Key in hand, he searches for more doors with the flower sword crest. Heading back up the stairs, he enters the first hallway that he was chased through and unlocks the door at the end. Sure enough, there was a mask. Only problem was that an iron gate came down if it was removed. Observing the room, he gets an idea. First he shoved all the loose items off a table, then he moved said table to where the gate would fall and trap him. With it in position he took the mask off its resting place again. The gate slammed on the table which began to sprinter and crack. Acting quickly, he manages to get under the gate and out the room just before the table snaps in half. Ethan celebrates with a small fist pump to himself, and proceeds to the main hall.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Heisenberg paces around his table with his glasses off, and hands to his hips. He didn’t know what he expected from this material, but it certainly wasn’t finding out that Alcina had a child. A real one! From the womb and everything! He didn’t even know that she liked the touch of a man at some point in her life. He thought he would see her personal thoughts, a list of maids she liked, her guilty pleasures, what she thinks about Mother Miranda, you know... stuff she would never share with anyone else. Never did he think for a second that he had her daughter's personal journal in his possession. But he still hasn’t learned how or why it got here in the first place, wasn’t she in America? There were even a few photos accompanying some of the entries. Working up the energy, he continues to read.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan had the final mask in his possession, he went through hell trying to find it with all the creatures that stood between him and his goal. It also didn’t help that he had an encounter with one of the daughters in the library, he was still standing for the simple reason that the room that they fought in had a skylight that can be opened remotely, and even then he still almost got killed by her. Thankfully the room looped back in the main hall so he didn’t have to go through her again. He reached the final pedestal and placed the mask, the exhaustion hit him so bad he now had tunnel vision both physically and mentally. The door mechanisms began to audibly unlock. With the process complete Ethan continued forward, once again failing to notice the lady stalking him.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

It didn’t take long before Heisenberg blew through the rest of the journal, but he knew what he must do. Even if he didn’t like it, he had to make sure that Alcina didn’t do something she would regret for the rest of her indefinite life, although he didn't think of himself as a good person, there was still a line he refused to cross. Ultimately he hoped this would be enough for her to turn against Miranda, a bit selfish but he needed all of them to stop sucking up to her or he will have a hard time completing his goal of freeing himself from her clutches. Freeing everyone else was a bonus, and a pat on the back for him. He just hoped she didn’t finish off Ethan yet. He ran as fast as he could to her castle.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan was stumbling across a stone bridge to a cathedral. He was on his last leg and found himself on the verge of dropping out of consciousness, he just wouldn't give in to the demands his body gave him. He was motivating himself with thoughts of his wife and daughter, safe at home, going through with life and raising Rose to be the best she can be.

“I can’t give in...I won’t give in.” He had a hard time believing his own words.

The cathedral was overcast with heavy shadows; its only sources of light coming from the entry and the large windows at the end. The pews were destroyed or knocked over, spider webs hung from the ceiling, layers and layers of dust on every surface. This place has been abandoned for quite some time. Ethan walks down the aisle, hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, Rosemary was hidden in this place and that he was just an arms reach away, but that wasn’t how his luck works. As soon as Ethan reaches the coffin at the end, he is impaled by Dimitrescus long finger blades from behind, and to add salt on the wound, she just takes them out and lets him fall back.

“My daughters will love to feast on you.” With that she lifts him onto her shoulder and walks back to the castle.

“I...just...wanted…” Ethan loses his ability to speak and feels himself going numb.

‘I just wanted to go home with Rose. I’m sorry Mia, I failed to protect our family, despite all the efforts of both myself and Chris. Please forgive me.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Heisenberg forcefully entered the castle by lifting the iron bars on the other side of the front door of the castle, this will be the first time he came here without the prompting of Dimitrescu hosting one of Mirandas “family” meetings. So naturally he felt out of his element, it was disgustingly clean, not even a speck of dust on any of the furniture. Not even blood is anywhere in the halls, he thought there would at least be a drop somewhere in this god forsaken castle. The sound of a door opening shortly followed by heavy footsteps clues him in on where she is. Following the audio cues, he is greeted by a satisfied bloodsucker with her prey caught.

“How dare you track your filthy boots on my floor! Get out of my presence!”

“Look Alcina.” Her entire body language shifts on a dime, he has never used her name before. “I understand you don’t like me, and I sure as hell don’t like you. But that man you have on your shoulder is more then you realize.”

“What are you getting at Karl?” She growls out.

“I did many fucked up things during my time in this village, but I’ve never actively tried to destroy families, be it the villagers or otherwise.”

“Quit dancing around the problem and get to the point!”

“Oh, my words alone won’t convince you, but maybe the author of this here journal will.” Karl brings out the book that he swiped from Ethan. Lady Dimitrescu was at a loss for words, she recognized it instantly. She snatched it from his hand.

I love you mom. I’ll miss you

“Where did you find this.” She sounded deceptively calm. Even Karl began to feel on edge at the tone of her voice.

“All I can say is that he had it with him when I found him. Look I thought I could use this against you, maybe learn a dirty little secret from you. Instead I found one of the reasons why you act so cold to everyone except your daughters.”

“Get out.” She says through clenched teeth. Karl lifts his hands in surrender, then quietly leaves the castle.

Alcina is now alone with a bleeding man on her shoulder, his breathing shallow and labored.

‘That man is more then what you realize’

“Cassandra! Daniela!” She sees a swarm of flies appear and morph into her daughters in front of her.

“Yes mother?”

“How is Bela doing?”

“She is still warming up in your room.” Alcina lets out a gentle sigh, at least they are all okay.

“Bring the man-thing to the dungeon, and I want no further damage to his being. He is already on the verge of death.”

“Yes mother.” Both of them take an arm and drag him downstairs. Being careful this time to not anger their mother.

Alcina walks into her room soon after, and checks on Bela herself. She is resting by her fireplace.

“Bela, sweetheart, are you feeling better?” Alcina puts a finger to her chin and gently lifts her head to meet her eyes. She can tell that she has been crying. Tear streaks run down her face.

“Y-Yes mother. He could’ve killed me.” Alcina grimaces and holds her close.

“I know. I know.”

“He refused to.” Alcinas eyes widen in surprise. “He said that he didn’t want to destroy our family, and that he just wanted to save his own.”

“Did he now? I’ll take that into consideration.” She and Bela stay in that position for a few minutes, comforting each other with their hug.

“Bela, are you okay enough to go to your own room?”

“I think so mother.”

“Please go, I have something I need to do in private. I love you.” With no further words Bela swarms and exits the bedroom.

Alcina holds her daughters journal in her hands, its been such a long time since she last seen her, and she never truly got over her leaving. How did this man manage to get it in his possession? After a bit of hesitation she sat at her desk and begins reading. The first page is nothing but a reminder of the buildup to what she is today, and when she lost her daughter in the first place. It is when she got to her entries about her new home that brought a sad smile to her face, she found happiness even after the traumatic events Alcina put her through. Some of the pages even had photos to go with the entries of the journal. Seeing her daughter with a smile she missed for so long, made for a bittersweet feeling in her heart.

Then came the subject of her having found a suitor, Alcina wanted to tear apart the man already for just looking at her daughter in such a way, but then came a wedding photo.

‘She got married. If only I was able to see it.’

What she wouldn’t give to go back and change her decisions, if it meant being there for her. The tears were flowing freely now, and she didn’t even attempt to stop it. Flipping through a few more, she finally gets to the point where she had her first child.

Alcina held her hand to her mouth, she was a grandmother for over 30 years! And didn’t even know it! She looked at each and every photo of the family with great interest. She felt a bubbly feeling she hadn't had since her three daughters came to life. That feeling quickly disappeared though. As the boy in the photos aged, she began to notice similarities to the man in the dungeon, once he became an adult, he looked exactly the same.

“No...no...nonononono!” She backed away from her desk, with both her hands to her face. If that man was her grandson then that made his daughter...

It started as quiet sniffling, then it turned into louder cries, ending with a wail of despair heard throughout the castle.

Chapter 12: Old Wounds

Chapter Text

“Mother! Are you ok!?” All three of Alcinas daughters came at the sound of her distress, they had never heard her in such pain before. Their mother didn’t respond to their concerns, she was blinded with her own tears and couldn’t hear over her own bawling. Both Cassandra and Daniela went to comfort Alcina the best they could, but to no avail. Bela, on the other hand, searched for the source of her anguish. Nothing of interest was in the room, her only clue was an open book that sat on her mothers desk. Picking it up, she closes it to see the cover; only mothers insignia was on it, which was unusual. Opening it revealed who it belonged to, then she immediately shut it. Bela decided that it wasn't her business to know what made her mother so upset, nevertheless she went to Alcina and joined her sisters. They don’t know how much time has passed before Alcina finally calmed down enough to acknowledge their presence. Daniela was the first to ask questions.

“Mother! What is wrong!? Did you get hurt!? Can I kill them!?” Alcina snaps her gaze to her in an instant.

“NO.” Daniela shrinks under her glare “I mean. No.” She didn’t want her daughters to hurt him anymore.

“Please go get Ethan from the dungeon.” Her voice is unstable, and lacking its usual commanding tone. The sisters all look at each other confusingly.

“Who?” Alcina almost snaps at them but reigns in her temper. Of course they don’t know his name.

“Please go get the...man-thing.” They all notice how the words came out strangely, like it suddenly brought her physical pain to say. Regardless they did so without question. This gave Alcina a moment to think.

‘What have I done? I almost killed my own legacy. My own blood. My daughters offspring. What would she think of me if she saw what I did to her baby? What I allowed to happen to his? Will she ever forgive me? Will he? Can I forgive myself?’

The daughters bring Ethan in the room, making sure he doesn’t touch the ground.

“Place him on my bed.” Bela brings up her concern.

“Are you sure? This man almost brought me to my end.”

“Yes I am sure.” Alcina is barely in control at this point, her vocal chords felt shredded. The sisters place Ethan on the bed, he hardly looked alive. His breathing was almost inaudible, and he already looked drained of his blood.

“Does this mean I can’t taste him?” Daniela asked innocently. Cassandra tapped her on the back of the head.

"Go bring me some medical supplies from the maiden rooms, please be swift about it.” Alcina left no room for argument.

Once the girls have taken their leave, she turns her attention back on the bleeding man now laid on her bed. He has taken a lot of punishment from both Alcina herself, and her daughters. She needed to see the extent of his wounds, and has begun to take off his green jacket, so far nothing new has revealed itself to her; just another hooded black sweater. Removing that, he had a white button up shirt stained with red underneath, but now she could see just how broken he really is. Bruises and cuts covered his arms, he had hideous stitches on his left hand, and a nasty pink scar on his other one, delivered from Alcina herself. She held up his right, wondering how he managed to recover from a severed hand so easily.

"I'm so sorry. Please forgive what I've done to you.  If I had known...I can only imagine what words your mother would say." Alcina said to him.

Closely inspecting his left, she could see it was sloppily cut with a sharp object. But here is the thing. She didn't do this, nor her three daughters. If either party were to do so, it would be a clean cut all the way through.

"Who, or what did this to you!? I'll...I'll…" She'll do what, exactly? She doesn't know how old the wound is, nor where he acquired it. It couldn't have happened in the village. There was no one left there with any medical knowledge for stitching up wounds, never mind putting a whole hand back where it was. All she could put together now is that he has been through something horrific before, and not knowing what it is will drive her more insane then she already is.

"Mother, I have what you asked for." Bela enters the room slowly, she is afraid of disturbing Alcinas train of thought. She didn't get a response, but nonetheless placed the supplies next to her.

"We'll be waiting outside the room, if you need us mother." This time Alcina replies.

"Thank you, my daughter, I'll be with you shortly." Bela bows her head and exits to where her sisters are waiting. All three of them were silently begging for answers as to what made mother change her mind so quickly about the man-thing. Daniela speaks first.

"Do you think it's because she wants him to herself? Personal servant? Maybe she wants to have s-" Cassandra puts a hand to her throat.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Daniela gets the hint and shuts up. Bela defuses the situation before it turns into another free for all.

“We should wait for mother to give an explanation, she’ll come out in a bit with some answers. I hope.” With that, they all find a seat, and patiently wait for her to emerge.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Meanwhile with Alcina, she has taken off Ethans shirt and gets a full view of all the trauma he has received, including the ones she dealt to him. Some of it recent, most of it old, and that is what scared her more.

“Where did you get these? I swear, I’ll kill them myself! Draining the riff raff would be too good for them! I could hang them by their entrails, or tear off their limbs and bathe in their blood, or maybe I could teach them to fly the hard way. Oh the possibilities, if only they were worth my time!” She snaps out of her bloodlust then treats his fresh wounds, scolding herself internally as she did so.

‘Focus on the present, not the past.’

Even when she finished patching him up, he still looked like a corpse. She would have to wash his clothes later so he could have something to wear, and change the sheets of her bed. But you know what? That is fine. A piece of her daughter has come back to her, and she will be damned if she ever lets him go now. She lowers herself next to him then softly speaks.

“You don’t know how special you are to me. I will make things right, I promise not just to you, but also your mother.” She leans in close, and plants a kiss on his forehead.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Ugh, what is taking so long? No man-thing is that important!” Daniela was rapidly tapping her foot, she was getting tired of the anticipation. Her sisters roll their eyes at her childish impatience. Cassandra was particularly annoyed.

“Put a sock in it, Daniela.” 

“I know you’re just as curious as I am!”

“Don’t compare yourself to me, I am perfectly fine waiting here.” Bela sighed deeply. There they go again.

“Can you two be quiet for just this one time? There is a time and a place for petty rivalry, and neither is now!”

“But Cassandra started it!”

“You didn’t have to humor her with an answer. It’s like you want to get in a fight with her.” Daniela turns away grumbling to herself with her arms crossed. Like she always does when she loses an argument.

“Thank you Bela.” Cassandra is smiling at her sister being put in her place.

“You aren’t free of blame either, you are your own brand of annoying.” She looked dumbstruck at her, then mirrors Danielas behavior. Luckily the door opened before they could bicker anymore. All three of them rushed Alcina begging for answers. She puts her hand up to silence them.

“Daughters. Please follow me.” They looked at each other in confusion, but followed her without any further prodding.

“Tell me girls, do you know what a nephew is?” They didn’t answer right away. Bela spoke for them.

“No, we don’t. We're sorry.” She sounded ashamed.

“There is nothing to be sorry for. I just never thought I would ever NEED to tell you.” They were now in the main hall going up the stairs.

“Would you three like to know?”

“Is it important?” Daniela inquired.

“It is now. A very special person has come to the castle, and that is his title to you three.” Alcina walks to a bust and twists the head, causing a panel to lift upward and reveal a door. Her daughters old room. She commissioned to have it covered after a few maids attempted to clean it. It was a bloody endeavor for them. Unlocking the door with a special key, she goes in and takes the photo of her daughter that still rests in the room.

“What makes this man-thing in particular so different from all the others?” Daniela wanted to know so badly what her mother was getting to, and she was going mad with suspense. Alcina growls softly at her.

“Daniela, it would be like if you had a son, that child would be the nephew of Bela, and Cassandra.” Alcina goes back down the stairs with the photo. The pieces were starting to come together in their heads.

“My oldest daughter...your sister Kala.” She held up the photo so they could see. “Had a son, and he has come home to us. He is the nephew…of all three of you.” All of the sudden, it hits them; the sister they never met had a child of her own. They were now back at their mothers bedroom door.

“You girls have been aunties for over thirty years.” She opens the door and allows them to enter after herself. He was still lying on the bed, motionless, and covered in bloody bandages. The only sign that he was still alive was the subtle rise and falling of his lungs. Bela and Cassandra stayed with Alcina who set the photo down on her desk, while Daniela already invaded his personal space.

“Is he okay!? Is it my fault!? Will he never love us because of this!? IS HE GOING TO DIE!?” She was already close to a mental breakdown. Alcina pulls her back in a hug.

“No. He will survive, I will make sure of it.” Bela observes him from afar, the most interesting thing about him to her, was the old scars he had around his body. Especially his left hand, it was literally stitched to his arm. Cassandra comes to the same realization but actually voices her concerns.

“This wasn’t the only time he has been hurt this badly, has he?” Alcina forces herself to look at his wounds, his hand in particular. She just nods her head. "What is his name?" Cassandra was itching to know.

"Ethan. Ethan Winters."

Daniela swarms out of Alcinas grip and rematerializes on the bed next to him, holding him close.

“I’ll make it up to you, I swear!” He was small compared to the rest of them, and as such, they viewed him as something fragile. Something that must be protected, and they certainly will. To the death.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chris observed the wreckage. Another pair of good men are gone. Just like that. No radio, no phone calls for help, just silence. Cruel nothingness. Ethan and Rose were nowhere to be found though, the only evidence of where they could've gone led into the forest, towards the village, just beyond the mountain. This isn’t good, he promised both Mia and Ethan that he would protect them and their child.

“God-FUCKING DAMMIT!” He smashes his fist on the side of the van, denting it a bit. He would need help to find them both, or at the very least, god forbid, their corpses. Without further delay, he contacts the rest of his squad.

“Hound Wolf Squad. I need you to get your asses over here. Ethan and Rose Winters are missing.”

Chapter 13: Man Hunt

Chapter Text

This was supposed to be a straightforward mission. Kill Miranda, secure the Winters family, and get out. But somehow even his simple missions end up getting spun out of control. He is following the nearly covered trail of footsteps that was left in the snow, after making the executive decision to not wait for his team to arrive. The Winters needed him, and he couldn’t afford to wait a moment longer. The constant fear of seeing him and his baby in the process of being buried in the snow grew stronger in each step he took. The crows and blood that was along the trail only made it worse.

“I swear if any of this red is yours Ethan…” The sight was discouraging, if whatever did this is still out there, then he didn’t have high hopes for Ethan making it with a baby in his arms. He finally comes across a cabin, with its door wide open. This gives Chris a small bit of hope, he could be camping out here waiting for help. Weapon raised, he carefully crosses the doorway, whilst remaining vigilant.

“Ethan? It’s Chris, are you here?” No answer. Coming around the corner, he finds the hole in the wall, with more footsteps leading away from the cabin. “Why can’t you learn to wait for help, Ethan?” Pursuing the trail once more, he makes it to the cliff edge overlooking the village, with a castle bigger then it had any right to be. His frustration is building up to its peak now.

‘He could be anywhere in this damn place!’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Pain. That is all he feels, but thankfully has been reduced to a dull throb. Slowly opening his eyes, he sees a bed canopy hanging above him. He stiffly turns his head, taking note of the luxurious room he is in. After another moment, it suddenly hits him, he is still in this godforsaken castle, and not only that. He is in Dimitrescus' bedroom. He rigidly gets up from quite possibly the greatest bed he has ever laid in, and practically drops himself on the floor. Looking down at himself, he sees that his torso was completely exposed, and freshly bandaged.

'Why is she keeping me around? Probably wants to gloat.'

Now on his feet, he searches the room for the rest of his clothing, coming across them on the ladies desk. They had all of his blood completely removed from them, even his button up seemed to be taken care of. There was still the physical damage to them though, but something is better then nothing in this case. While putting on his clothes, he notices a picture frame sitting on the desk. He didn't see the frame the last time he was in this room, so she must have left it here sometime later. Upon closer examination though, he comes to a frightening realization.

‘Is that who I think it is!?’

He couldn’t tell if he was seeing things or not. The person in the frame was a splitting image of his mother when she was younger, but he has never seen this particular photo before. This had to be a hallucination, or at the very least, a coincidence. He suddenly felt homesick. He...he shouldn’t be here, not even talking about the castle, but Europe in general. He should be home, in America, with his wife. But no, she had to keep her career a secret, and not even because it was an embarrassing one. It was literally a secret organization that dragged him in this mess indirectly, and at his core, he knows that she holds a lot of the blame for his now fucked up life. He wanted to keep loving her for the rest of his existence, but...his faith in her has taken a massive blow ever since Dulvey. He glances down at his wedding ring that was still on his finger.

‘Keep it together, she didn’t mean for me to get caught up...it was a freak accident that spiraled out of control. Is she even still alive?

He then realized that he hadn’t even thought of Mia since this incident started. He wondered if she was truly gone this time, that she would be nothing but another statistic, in the long list of bodies that have lost their life in this place.

‘Think positively, she has been through this before. She will be ok. We’ll find each other soon enough.’

Moving on from the desk, he listens for any disturbances in the room, so far all is quiet, thankfully. Quietly shuffling to the door, he carefully places his ear against it. He can hear them talking on the other side, so he is pretty much trapped where he is. He couldn’t make out what they were saying though, the voices were too muffled to make out any concrete words. The talking abruptly stops, the feeling of dread hangs over his head as the silence allows him to listen to his own escalating heartbeat.

“I can hear you.” Someone has already figured out that he was there, this doesn’t bode well for any attempt to sneak out of the castle.

‘Shit, shit, shit, fuck, shit, fuck!’

There was nowhere to go, his only way out being blocked by possibly all the residents of the castle. He pushes himself away from the door, nearly falling back. He searched the room for anything to defend himself with, but alas there was nothing that would be effective against an unreasonably tall vampire and her three bug swarms from hell. In his last ditch attempt to stay hidden, he dives under the bed and waits.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chris has made it to the heart of the village, so far the only thing he has encountered was the corpses of various people and bioweapons. No sign of Ethan or his baby. Chris took this as a possibility that both of them were still out there. There was a struggle though, bullet casings and indents in the snow, along with the mix of red and black all over the white fluff.

‘It could’ve been anyone here, and I’m pretty sure Ethan didn’t have a gun.’

The path leading up to the castle was open with the stone doors swinging in the cold wind. He decided to make sure the entire village was swept first, no stone unturned, no door unbusted. In his mind, Ethan could be inside any one of these houses, any survivors he finds would be evacuated of course, but they are not the priority at the end of the day. Looking along the ground he spotted more boot tracks, and they looked fairly recent, enough to warrant attention. They led him all over the village, changing direction every time there was debris in the way, going by a church, before finally stopping in front of a sizable house. Chris climbs over the metal fence and approaches the doors then twists the knob, only for it to be locked.

‘Somebody must be home.’

He gives the door a firm knock, waiting for an answer. After a few moments, an older looking woman opens the door.

“Who are you?”

“The names Redfield ma’am. I'm here looking for a man and their baby, as well as get any people I find to a safe location.” The woman raises an eyebrow.

“Are you now? How do I know that you aren’t here to slaughter the rest of us if we don’t have what you want?”

“I can’t prove to you that I won’t, but on my honor, I promise to get you and yours to safety. I just need to know if you have seen this man.” Chris pulls out a family photo of Ethan, Mia, and Rose. He shows her the picture, and asks again.

“Please, have you seen this man and child? They are depending on me to get them back home.” Chris didn’t want to come off as desperate, however that is how he really feels. Any moment wasted could mean their lives.

“I did see the man you’re looking for, but he didn’t have a child with him.” Chris’ heart sinks to his stomach at this revelation, this was already turning into a shit show. Not like it wasn’t before.

“Are you absolutely sure that you didn’t see an infant?” Chris wanted so badly to have heard wrong.

“I’m sorry, but this man was also looking for the child too.” So Rose disappeared from the crash. Things just somehow find a way to keep getting worse.

“Do you know where he could’ve gone then?” The woman hesitates to answer, seems she is still not sure of his intentions.

“What do you want with this family?” She lifts her brow again.

“I’m just a close friend that is concerned for their safety.”

“Yet you let them show up here, at a time of blood and death. Wouldn’t you be with them every step of the way if you wanted to ensure their safety? After all, if you want a job done right, you have to do it yourself.” Chris felt a sting in his chest at that. It felt like a direct pointer to his failure to get them away from this place.

“The circumstances of their arrival was a series of unfortunate events that was beyond my control.” ‘Was it really? Or is it a lie that you believe in yourself?’

“If I tell you where he could be. Do I have your assurance that you will get us out of this village? Under complete protection from all the monsters that hunts us here?” Chris thinks it over, it could be a trick, but if he can get any lead whatsoever, it would be worth it.

“Yes. Me and my team will get you all out of here. I just need to know how many you are housing.” The woman mulls over his words, considering the possibility of it being a ruse. In the end she decided that it would be a risk they would have to take, for they are quickly running out of supplies.

“I have eight taking refuge here. All adults, one wounded. Let me bring someone here, they might know a bit more about his whereabouts.” Chris nods. Once she disappears, he gets in contact with his squad.

“Team, what’s your status?”

“We have two helicopters flying just beyond the mountain range from your location.”

“I need one of you to fly above the center of the village. I have eight survivors with one wounded, they need to be evaced from here.”

“Copy Chris.” Once their interaction ends an old man stumbles into view.

“So I heard that you are looking for my friend Ethan.”

“You know his name?” Chris is skeptical, has he already made friends?

“Oh yes, he saved me from certain doom. Why wouldn’t I want to know the name of my savior?”

Yeah that sounds like Ethan. He always felt the need to help those less fortunate then himself.

“I’ve been told that you knew where he could be.”

“I’m only telling you this because I care about him. There are three places I know he could possibly be. The castle, the estate east of here, or the reservoir to the north. If he isn’t at any of those places I mentioned...then I’m sorry.”

“Thank you sir.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan doesn’t know how long he waited under the bed but he is startled out of his idle thoughts when the door suddenly swings open. He holds his hand over his nose and mouth to try and silence the sound of his panicked breathing. He knew this was a stupid place to hide, as it was literally the only place he could be from their perspective, but its the thought that counts. One at a time he sees three people waltz in the room, and all stop around the bed. Wait, three? Where was the fourth one? He suddenly feels a breath hit the back of his neck. His eyes widen to a near comical size. 

“What are we hiding from?” He slowly looks behind him and sees the white of her fangs and eyes. She giggles in his face, then transforms into her many bugs, which pushes him out of his poor hiding spot. Ethan claws at the floor to try and prevent himself from being exposed to the rest of them, but it was for naught. He is flipped over on his back, which gives him a view of them all. They all felt bigger with his downed state. The lady makes the first move. She gets on one knee and offers her hand. He doesn’t move a muscle. This causes her to visibly flinch.

“Please, do not fear us. We are not your enemy anymore.” She sounded desperate to quell his fear of them, yet he couldn’t understand why. At his inaction, she withdraws, then walks over to her desk, and picks up the picture frame.

“Ethan, I want to know something that has been bugging me for quite a bit now. Who is this woman?” She shows him the same photo he saw earlier.

“How do you know my name?” 

“That will come later. Please answer my initial question. Who is this woman?”

“I can't tell you who she is.”

“You misunderstand. I know who this is. I just want to know who she is to you. ” Ethan wanted to call her bluff, but he didn’t know what words to put together to do so. He ended up telling her what he really thought.

“It...it...looks like my mother when she was younger.” He beat himself up internally for giving in so easily. Alcinas entire posture changed. She felt more approachable now, even the daughters looked to have lost all of their tension.

“You know who she is to me?” She walks to him in a more gentle way. The complete opposite of earlier when he was about to be hooked.

“N-no.” He stays in place despite his body sending signals to get the hell out of dodge. She gets on her knees directly in front of him, and hands him the photo.

“This is my daughter, when she was still living with me, before I became what you see now.” Ethans mind was going into overdrive now.

“No. NO. You’re lying!” He drops the picture and finally attempts to run, only to be thwarted when the lady brings him into a firm hug. He tries to wiggle out, but she refuses to let go.

“Please stop fighting me. You have nothing to fear anymore. This castle is your home as much as it is mine.”

“Let me go!” He didn’t want to believe that this cruel woman produced such a loving one.

“No more hiding, I will keep you safe.” Alcina just needed to figure out how to bring his daughter back in one piece before he found it out for himself.

Chapter 14: Seeking Redemption

Chapter Text

Alcina loathed that her own flesh and blood was still trying to get away from her. It was like history making every attempt to repeat itself, and she didn’t want to let it happen ever again. If he was ever going to leave, it would be on her terms.

‘Like mother, like son.’

His struggle began to finally die down, with him weakly trying to throw her arms off of him. Her daughters stand just out of arms reach, uncertain whether or not to interfere. Ethan does eventually go limp, completely out of stamina and nearly hyperventilating. Alcina brushes her hand through his blonde hair, still trying to calm him down to the best of her ability.

“Are you done now?” He doesn’t give a reply, instead opting to catch his breath after failing to break free from her grasp.

“Should I get him something to eat? Maybe something from the maiden quarters?” Daniela suggested.

“Yes, that would help some. Get some water too, he is exhausted.” With that, she swarms away. Alcinas mind wanders a bit more, this time she ends up on the subject of Heisenberg.

‘That annoying little man-thing always has ulterior motives to what he does. He wouldn’t just stop me from making the most colossal mistake in my life without expecting something in return.’

She would have to confront him next time she sees him, but that can wait indefinitely for all she cared. There was also her current stance with Mother Miranda, she was essentially left to deal with him herself despite asking for assistance. Provided it was a blessing in disguise, but that didn’t change the fact that Miranda had abandoned her in a time of need. That snapped her into reality; she would never get the favoritism she oh so desired from Mother Miranda. Lastly, there is what she did to her now established great granddaughter.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Alcina is walking down the path to the broken down church along with the rest of her adopted siblings. They were all called in short notice by Mother Miranda, who only told them that it was ‘a matter of great importance’. Well it better be important if she was forced to be in the same room as Heisenberg. She felt pity for Donna and Moreau though, they were the quiet ones and made every effort to stay hidden from both herself and Heisenberg, especially when another one of their arguments broke out. Once they all enter the church, the sound of a baby crying pierces all their eardrums. Alcinas motherly instincts are triggered full force. She hurriedly makes her way to the child to try and soothe it, only to halt at the sight of it beginning to crystallize.

“I’m glad you all came on such short notice, I am so grateful to have you as my children.”

Both Alcina and Donna don’t react beyond a simple nod. Moreau and Heisenberg on the other hand, are the complete opposite of each other. Where Moreau was extremely enthusiastic at merely being included, evident from his excited mumbling; Heisenberg is totally apathetic about the whole thing, just wanting this meeting to be over so he can go back to his more...important projects.

“You may be wondering why you were all summoned here. Well I have recently discovered what could be our new family member.” By this time, the crystallization process has completed.

“However before I can officially bring them in the family, I must prepare a ceremony for the child. I am entrusting you all to keep watch of the girl until the time has come.”

Using her abilities, Miranda has split the child into four separate pieces. Alcina had to look away with clenched teeth the entire time, as a mother herself, seeing a baby being taken apart like they were disposable was too painful to watch. Miranda placed each part in four jars, topped with an insignia of the lord they will go to.

“Mother Miranda, I must ask, is splitting the child necessary? I could have looked after her myself, surely I am more capable of caring for a child then all three of my…siblings combined.”

“This isn’t a time to play favorites Dimitrescu, you are all my children, and thus, you will all get an equal amount of responsibility to watch over her.” Alcina didn’t like this at all. First off, she should be her favorite, and second, she should be the one handling this special task alone. Mother Miranda knew she already had three daughters she takes care of. What is one more child to add to her household? The rest of her ‘siblings’ don’t have what it takes to care for a living, breathing baby. Hell, they could hardly look after themselves. Miranda hands each of them a single flask, labeled with the childs name and appropriate body part.

‘Rosemary Winters. Head.’ Alcina internally curses herself for letting this happen.

“I want each of you to take your respective flask, and place it somewhere secure in your domains. Once the preparations are done, I will summon you all to the ceremony site. Make sure those flasks stay safe.”

“Yes Mother Miranda.” They collectively said. In hindsight, she probably should have done more then just stand idly by when a child was ripped apart to begin with.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Daniela has already returned with an apple and a glass of water, which in turn encourages Ethan to sit up from his slumped position. After handing them over to him, Daniela watches intently with a deranged grin on her face, which makes Ethan scoot back further into Alcinas arms. He made no further attempts to escape from her hold, allowing her to relax just a little bit.

She didn’t know what her next move in handling Miranda should be, but until she feels like she is in a stable enough position, she will have to play along, at least until she knew that her family wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire. She suddenly felt enraged, her thoughts carried over to the potential damage Miranda could further cause to her kin.

“Mother, are you ok?” Belas voice brings her back to reality, her gaze filled with concern for her.

“I worry for our future. Miranda didn’t expect him to live, and I’m fearful that she will finish him off if she were to find him out there. We can’t let him leave.” In a flash, the man adjusts his position so that his eyes are just able to look into her golden ones.

“The hell you can’t!” He harshly protests. “You were going to kill me simply because I am a human male. You think I would believe that you suddenly have my best interests at heart!? You cut off my fucking hand not too long ago!” The heavy weight that was already in Alcinas chest got worse with each word he said. Cassandra gets in his face and talks down to him.

“We are all sorry for the pain we caused you, but if we let you go now, the lycans can get their grubby mits on you and tear you apart! Worst case scenario, you get caught by Mother Miranda herself!”

“I still have to find my wife and daughter! How do you expect me to stay here with them still in danger!?” He had a point; how can a loving parent standby when their child was at risk. Alcina cuts in before Cassandra can offer a rebuttal.

“I understand how you feel, but going after her yourself will be a futile venture.”

“I’ve been told that same shit before when my wife was in trouble!”

“That was then, this is now. I don’t know what you went through to warrant such reckless behavior, but rest assured, I will not allow you to risk your life to go after them with Miranda and the lycans still on the prowl; they almost killed you the last time.” A single tear goes down her cheek. “I already have enough regrets.” The sisters bring themselves in to comfort her, they have seen how unstable her emotions can really get.

Ethan felt a bit more conflicted now. He was in the grasp of what he thought he knew to be a monster, but now, she is keeping him from stupidly putting himself in danger for the sake of Rose. Is Miranda just as malevolent to them as she was to the villagers? Maybe they are also victims to her selfish desires.

‘It's the puppet master you want. Not their minions.’

“Do I really mean that much to you? I’m still the same person that you almost slaughtered.” Alcina tightens her hold on him, as if he would disappear if she didn’t.

“Decades have gone by since I last saw Kala, and not a day has gone by without me regretting that night. Imagine my feelings when you, a seemingly random man, one who my daughters and I inflicted grave injuries towards, one who was almost killed by my own hand; Is revealed to be Kalas offspring the whole time, and at the worst possible moment!” She made a mental note to strangle Heisenberg the next time she saw him.

“Shhhh, calm yourself mother, everything is fine.” Cassandra soothed. Alcina has loosened her grip enough for Ethan to finally slip out, but instead of breaking for the exit, he simply stands off to the side, and quietly observes. The lady is having a hard time keeping her feelings in check, it's like she is reliving everything that she just told him. Her daughters continue to whisper words of reassurement in her ear.

‘They really are just a loving family to each other. How long were they under Mirandas dark umbrella?’

Ethan glances towards the door, it would be so easy to just...up and leave, although he would probably be stopped not too long after. Even if he did manage to escape, where would he go? He didn’t know where Rose could possibly be in this entire region, and he could always end up heading to certain doom, what with the many lycans that could still be lurking out there.

“Your mothers journal is what revealed your identity to me.” Alcina abruptly mentions.

He flashes her a surprised gaze. Ethan has never read his moms journal, for the sake of her privacy. He only got ahold of it because she left it in her music box when she gifted it to him. He only discovered it months after the fact.

“Where did you find it!? I thought I lost it!”

“Where it came from isn’t important. All that matters now is that I can finally stop wondering if she died in the wilderness. Instead I can take comfort in the fact that she still lived a good life without me being there.” Ethan was now starting to feel bad for the lady, which shouldn’t be possible, considering the injuries they all inflicted upon him. He should be dead three times over.

“Why should I stay here anymore? Especially with the people that caused me great physical trauma.” Dimitrescu rises from her spot. Ethan is still intimidated by her height, shown by him swallowing the lump in his throat. He attempts to move back, but the sisters had already each taken a stance around him to ensure that he stays put where he is.

“You have always been part of this family, we all just didn’t know it.” Alcina closes the distance between them as she talks. “I will do my utmost to protect you from anymore harm, just like the rest of my children, Miranda be damned.” She is now directly in front of him with both her hands on his shoulders getting as close to eye level as possible, making Ethan fidget in place. “All I ask is that you give me and my daughters a second chance. Let us in your heart. I promise you, we are not as malicious as you think we are.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chris is currently sitting idle with the old man in front of the house. It has been a short while since he called for the chopper to evacuate the survivors he encountered, and during that time, he took to basically interrogating the old man, who he later learned was named Gerald. He was the most cooperative of the rag tag group of people, though he made it very clear that it was only for Ethans sake. Fine by him. So far he learned that Miranda operated pretty freely in this village, even has the locals worshipping her, especially since it is pretty much completely disconnected from the rest of the world. She is also not the only bioweapon he will probably have to eliminate. The four lords, as these villagers call them, seem to be under Mirandas thumb, and occasionally do experiments with the mold themselves.

‘Hopefully Ethan hasn’t been taken by one of them. I hate to think what they could do to him.’

His train of thought is derailed when he is disturbed by Gerald.

“Hey, did you hear me?” Chris doesn’t respond right away, instead taking a moment to rub back his hair in frustration.

“No...I didn’t. I’m just thinking of what my next move should be. And how I should do it.”

“I understand. Let me just ask again, how do you actually plan to deal with Miranda?” Chris takes a deep breath. That was the hard part.

“So far, I don’t know. She has yet to reveal any weakness or base of operations to my team, so it may take a bit more time before I could make any concrete move.”

“That's a shame. I hope you succeed in your objective, best of luck to you.” Gerald gets up and walks back inside the house.

It's just Chris and his thoughts now. So far he has yet to see Miranda, or any of her subordinates. Worst yet, no sign of Ethan, not even a body.

‘I’ll get you and yours home Ethan, I swear on my life.’

Chris can see in the far distance one of the helicopters closing in on his position. He decides to get the villagers ready for departure, the sooner they go, the sooner he can continue his search for Ethan.

Chapter 15: Alone

Chapter Text

The factory continued its never ending operation, with the smell of smog and molten metal filling the air and entering his nostrils without mercy. He has long grown used to the smell, having lived inside for years on end, and after so long; he wants to move on. There was nothing left for him in the village, it had been sucked dry of everything it had to offer decades ago, and he seemed to be the only one willing to do something about it. But now, he may or may not be alone in his stance. The journal was his only chance at getting Bloodsucker to open her eyes and see Miranda as the true devil she is. He subtly tried for years to get it all through their heads that kissing the bitches ass around the clock will never get them the respect they wanted. In the end, they were all failed experiments to her, and he went increasingly insane from the frustration of being truly alone in his mission.

He turns his gaze to the flask that was in his hand, Rosemary Winters, Mirandas ‘new family member’ as she liked to call it. He figured out long ago that it was just a front, her true goal being to bring back her long deceased daughter of ten. If this kid is what brings her over the finish line, she would have no further use of the village, and by extension the lords. She could kill without discretion, or anyone to oppose her, except for him. Rather then sit around twiddling his thumbs, he spent all his time building an army to fight her when she was vulnerable enough to push against. Well, now there was a potential deadline to his plan, and he still wasn’t confident enough in his ability to take her down alone, not even with his metal army.

He stands on the factory roof, taking a long drag from his cigarette while his field of view glazes over the horizon. The wooded area with the surrounding mountains, and an ominous misty fog that covered the ground below courtesy of Moreau's reservoir; if it weren’t for the inhabitants, this place might have been a great area for the average person to live.

‘I can even feel the shit-show brewing. Why are they so damn blind to what’s happening in fucking front of them.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He walks through the village unimpeded by the crowd of villagers with a poor crying girl chained behind him, this wasn’t the first time he delivered someone straight to deaths maw, and it probably wouldn’t be his last.

“Don’t know why Miranda forces me to do this shit. Why can't the bitch get her own food?” He gets to the castle gates, and knocks as obnoxiously as he possibly can. It got the result he wanted, with a pissed off tall lady opening the door, then confronting him outside.

“Get in the castle new-blood, the others will instruct you on your duties.” The unnamed girl meekly walks to her tomb, most likely to never be seen alive again.

“I trust you have a reason for almost punching a hole through my door. You must be itching for a fight with that attitude.”

“Yeah, and I have a reason! This is the third girl within three days, and you have plenty of your blood wine already made and packaged! What is with the sudden demand in more maids!? And why can’t you get them yourself!?”

“You seem to have forgotten already that I have more mouths to feed; understandable with your little man-brain.” She completely disregarded his second question.

“Are you sure it's about that? Or are you trying to win over Miranda much harder then before? You’re not going to succeed, Bloodsucker!”

“She knows well and good that I work hard to bring her the finest blood that I can harvest!”

“Let me get this straight, your tallness. You think that if you treat Miranda with the blood you stolen from helpless virgins, you will be able to curry favor from her?” Karl couldn’t believe that for as long as Bloodsucker had lived, she was still naive enough to not realize that they were all being used.

“Whatever wrong is sharing with the woman who breathed new life into my body? I owe her so much more then the blood I collect on a weekly basis. If not for her then I wouldn’t be here, interacting with you, little man-thing.”

“It seems awfully like you’re trying your hardest to become a suck up to her. You are literally bargaining away your ONLY source of sustenance to become her favorite!” There was no going through to her, like talking to a brick wall.

“You are envious that you aren’t as well off as I am. Chin up man-thing, sweat and grime is where you perform best.” Bloodsucker had that shit eating grin she loved to taunt him with whenever she thinks she won an argument, but this ain’t the time for that.

“You are technically her oldest daughter, don’t you think you would have already won this little game by now!? You still live in your massive castle, with only yourself and your daughters mind you , and you still think you have competition that doesn’t fucking exist!? What are you so damn insecure about!?” Thinking for herself didn’t seem to be her strong suit, it was always Miranda this, Miranda that. She put herself under her for no reason other then, ‘She saved my life’.

“Don’t you dare talk to me about insecurities! My pain is for me to know, and for you to never find out!” The lady spoke with a lot more venom then she ever had before. He took this as a sign to end this conversation.

“You know what, fine. Waste your time for something that isn’t for you to begin with. Not like I’ll have to face the consequences when it blows up in your face.” He walks back to his factory, much more heated then he normally was with her.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He walked to Donnas estate hidden within the long passageway of rocks and trees, she was easily the creepiest one of them all, what with her many dolls around her home, not to mention all the broken ones hanging from the woods. It is pure nightmare fuel for the weak hearted. He knocks on the door, waiting for an answer, only for the door to open on its own. Cautiously entering it, he sees dolls all around the living space. On the chairs, the balcony, the steps, you name it, there was a doll on it. Classic Donna, but so far he has yet to see the animated one, creepy little shit.

“What do you want, Heisenberg?” Her whispery voice sounded like it could’ve come from anywhere in the room. In fact, all the dolls turned to face him, yeah not really a comfortable scenario when he just wanted to chat. He calmly goes to the chair that was still empty, then takes a seat.

“Relax Donna, call off the porcelain army will you? I just wanted to have some words.” The dolls turned back to their original position, then the door upstairs creaked open with the sound of soft footsteps making their way to him, along with rapid little taps on the floor.

“Hello Heisenberg! Still scared of my friends? Oh I didn’t mean to make you soooo jumpy, maybe if you treated everyone better, you wouldn’t feel like the world is against you!” And there it was, that goddamn wedding dress nightmare. Whether it was Donna speaking through the little terror or if she actually created life, he didn’t know, but it was easier to just think of them as separate entities.

“Hello Donna...and...Angie.” Nope still felt unnatural. “I just came by looking for a person to chat with and I just so happen-”

“Oh cut the string of lies, we know that you don’t like so much as being in the same room as us, let alone our house. What. Do. You. Want.” Yikes, he probably caught her at a bad time.

“Look I just wanted to check on you, see if Miranda hasn’t tossed you out to the garbage yet.”

“Are you implying something about me belonging to the trash? Cause if you are, I’ll scrap you so fast-”

“Relax! It’s just that I’ve been getting a sneaking suspicion that Mother has been...a little aggressive lately, with all of us.” Come on, they had to have noticed her increasing anger episodes!

“What does that have to do with me, or my friends!?” Feisty today huh? Must’ve gotten out of the wrong side of the bed.

“Well I’ve heard that Miranda wanted you to...grow out of those little friends of yours.”

“This isn’t a funny joke Karl.” Donna said it this time, probably struck a nerve.

“Ok, I’m sorry, but that is what I heard, I thought she would be getting rid of all these with your back turned or something; force you into a new life without your little nightmares.” This was harder then he thought, Donna was supposed to be the easiest one of the three, maybe four if Angie was her own being.

“She would never get rid of me, I’m part of your family...forever.” That doll just doesn’t let up with the creepiness does she?

“Alright, alright. Just making sure you and I were on the same page. I probably should stop assuming the worst case scenario. Sorry to bother you...both.” He left without any more incidents.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Solidified acid was everywhere in the reservoir, how had it not poisoned all the drinking water? That is a mystery for another time, right now he had to notify the fish boy of the latest meeting. Finding him was a different challenge altogether, even more so when he often spent most of his off time under water in his mutated form, and he got the feeling that was the case. After searching everywhere on dry land, he still hasn't been found.

“Come on Mommy Issues, where are you hiding?” Salvatore made it incredibly obvious that he wanted to be loved so desperately by Miranda. He overlooked the constant ridicule and casual humiliation that she would cause him; it's a wonder how he, at the very least, didn’t stop worshipping the ground she walks on. Heisenberg has now reached the edge of the body of water, its murky depths potentially hiding his target. There were makeshift bridges all over the water, some of them intentional, others were random pieces of debris that just so happened to fall in place. Carefully advancing onto the wooden boards, he continues his search with each step being accompanied by a dreadful creak.

“Come out Moreau, I know you can hear me for fucks sake!” He didn’t want to be here any longer then he should’ve, after all; he and water don’t mix well. Soon, bubbles began to surface all over the surface, becoming more and more frequent as the seconds ticked by.

‘Must be making a grand appearance now.’

Sure enough, the mutated form of Moreau burst out the water with great force. If he wasn’t used to Moreaus antics he might have been intimidated by him, alas he has seen all his tricks by now, resulting in Heisenberg not even flinching despite the boards he was standing on being disconnected from the rest. 

“It was a surprise the first time Sal, you gotta come up with something new for me next time.” He smirked at his disappointed groan.

“Why have you come to me? Is it to make fun of my ineptitude to win Mamas heart? Or maybe gloat over how you don’t even have to try in order to have a meaningful conversation with her?” Heisenberg grimaces at his accusations, he is like a child in every sense of the word, it felt like a low blow to hammer in the fact that he is the black sheep of the bunch.

“No, none of that. I’ve just come to inform you of the meeting we were having later; it will be at the old church near supersizes castle. Don’t be late.”

“Wait, is that it? No making fun of me? No taunting at my lack of meaningful specialties?” He is genuinely surprised by this.

“No, it was never my intention to take anything away from you, I don’t even try to win favoritism. If anything I’m trying to lose it.” Truth be told, he wanted to be away from her magnifying glass.

“Then...how come you are all loved so much more then me?” And here was his moment.

“I don’t think its us who she treats better, but you who is treated worse.” Moreau shook his massive head in denial.

“No! You’re leading me astray! I’m just not trying hard enough! Maybe if I try to make my own experiments, she would shower me with the affection she withholds from me!” That is hard to listen to, even Bloodsucker didn’t behave this hungrily for her nonexistent love. He turned to walk back the way he came, and almost fell straight in the water. Right, the crudely put together bridge was taken out by the oversized fish.

“Um, sorry for asking, but can you get me back to solid land? You kinda destroyed my only path to shore.”

“Why should I? You are far more capable of doing things yourself!” This shit again.

“Just because I’m your imaginary rival, doesn’t mean I can do everything and anything! Do you see wings on me? Hell no! Unless you want me to tell her why I’m late when the time comes.” That got Moreau to submit.

“Okay fine! Just please don’t tell her that I was being mean to you!” Still a moronic freak, but he is a breath of fresh air compared to the cryptic personalities of the others. He has always been a transparent mutant, even if he didn’t know it.

“Wouldn’t dream of it, now let me on your back.”

 -.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

He stamps out his now expired cigarette. With the moment of truth coming at any day now, he could only hope that the others will wake up from their delusions and join him, or at the very least stay out of the coming fight.

‘Please let this kid be a false alarm. I need more time.’

While contemplating on what his next move should be, he noticed a strange black mass flying in the distance, it was too high and big to be any of the airborne creatures that can be found around here.

“Hello there. Now what do we have here?”

Curiosity peaked, he kept his sight on this mysterious blob. It was getting closer to the main village. This had to do with Ethan Winters. He shows up looking for his kid, and not too long after an unknown object makes an appearance? Definitely not missing this opportunity.

‘Now I have to see this thing up close, maybe it will bring something new to the table.’

With that thought in mind, he prepares to make his way to the village, putting away the flask, and bringing his hammer for the trip.

Chapter 16: Easing In

Chapter Text

There are things Ethan never thought would happen in his life, things that are so far removed from his perception of reality that he would sooner believe that he was going truly insane rather then accept what is in front of him. Dulvey is what broke him from the bonds of his reality; Jack literally being unkillable until the moment, his wife being her own bug infestation, then there are their children. Lucas and Zoe only ever had their pale skin to show that they were too far along with the infection, outside of that they appeared completely normal. Then there is the subject of himself, and his connection with the mold. He has long since established that he is no longer able to consider himself normal, and he had both Eveline and his own wife to blame for it. No matter how much he begged for reprieve from the nightmares of Dulvey, they always seemed to come back to him. Although he would hate to admit it, the silver lining to that whole fiasco is his ability to reattach limbs with nothing but a few chemicals and a herb he could pluck off the ground. Thankfully he never had to use his little talent ever since his first couple of tangos with amputation, until today of course.

This is a case of Ethan being between a rock and a hard place, he is completely ignoring his survival instincts in favor of finding his daughter. His opposition? The residents of the castle who refuse to let him senselessly get himself killed. Oh and they have every advantage over him to make sure they have their way. So, he had no choice but to take the path of least resistance, giving them the benefit of the doubt in order to find a way out later, hopefully soon.

“So what now then?” He is morbidly curious of what they’ll do to him now that he has succumbed to Dimitrescus' will. The lady looked relieved at his agreement to stay, however temporary it may end up being.

“Now? I have to make a quick visit to a greasy brother of mine. Daughters, you are free to do as you please with him, within reason of course. Absolutely no harm is to be done to him.” She glares at Daniela  as she finishes her statement, who shrinks under her abruptly harsh gaze.

“Don’t worry about him mother, I’ll make sure Danny behaves.” Cassandra speaks up with a winning smile, fangs and all. It doesn’t inspire much confidence in Ethan.

‘Is it too late to run now?’

Bela could already see the signs of a future fight, with the red head brandishing her weapon behind Cassandra's back.

“I’m sure my sisters will keep some form of civility while you're gone... right ?” She gives them both a death stare, which prompts them both to quickly stand up straight. Clearing her throat she continues. “But why visit Uncle Trench Coat? You always said he represented everything you hated about men, so why the sudden personal visit? Can’t you just call him?”

“Because he is the reason your nephew stands with us now, and as much I hate to say it; I’m in his debt." Alcinas expression becomes sheepish. "That and...I destroyed the phone again.” Images of a demolished vanity that was thrown across the room briefly flashes through all of their eyes. “I also know he is holding something back from not just me, but the rest of the circle. And I intend to find out what.”

‘So I’m still here because of the same guy that threw me in a gauntlet? Does this world want me dead or not!? Make up your damn mind!’

"If I may ask, can you bring a bit of his blood back? It makes a great substitute for cooking oil." Ethan feels a tingle go down his spine. He is already reconsidering his life choices that led him up to here. Again.

"You guys cook with blood!?" Daniela throws an arm around his shoulder in an attempt to get him to simmer down. It doesn’t work.

“Only with uncles whenever we get our hands on it. Just because blood is our diet doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the food that you humans eat every once in a while.” Dimitrescu interjects before the conversation could continue.

“Now, now daughters. Please be gentle with him, I must be going now, I should be back before the day's end.” The youngest of the bunch quickly swarms, with him taking flight within the mist of bugs. His voice fades as he yells out to the remaining group.

“I RESENT THIS!” Alcina couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. Cassandra bares her teeth at the retreating cloud that is Daniela.

“Make sure she doesn’t go overboard.” 

“Yes mother.” They give chase.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“Hey! Can we talk about this!? I have two semi-functioning legs, if you let me use them I’m sure I would be able to keep up!” Daniela can only find amusement in his begging, silly nephew.

“Don’t try to convince me to let you down. You are already slow as it is, and I’m not just talking about your brain activity.” Her voice surrounded him as she was talking through all of her little insects. He could hardly see with the sheer amount of bugs overrunning his vision, but he can certainly feel that he was moving through the air quite fast.

“I just want you to know that I am against being surrounded by your flock, and that goes for the rest of you!” His instincts scream at him to swat away the flies, but he chooses life and summons all of his willpower to keep his arms from aggressively hurting them.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.” She laughs at his unease.

“I hope that doesn’t imply that you three intend to do this all the time!”

“...Maybe?” He lets out a soft whimper. She immediately sets him down, then rematerializes. Observing his surroundings, he realizes that they were in the main hall.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you upset to such an extent! I was just trying to have fun with you!” He is no longer suspended in the air, and is now back on his wobbly feet. She stands off just an arms length away from him, her saddened gaze piercing his soul and frankly, he feels like he just kicked a puppy. Before he could try and alleviate her negative feelings, the buzzing of the other sisters came within earshot, and it was getting ever closer.

“Who said you could just up and kidnap him from the rest of us!?” Cassandra and Bela solidify with the former having her sickle drawn, ready to go beyond an altercation. The blonde girl snatches the weapon from her, then slips it within her cloak.

“Hey! I was going to use that!”

“I will have none of this, take your fights somewhere else.” Her agitated tone was evident to them both.

“But she just abducted him before mother even dismissed us! Surely that makes at least the tiniest bit upset!” She emphasized with the squeeze of her fingers. Bela could only pinch the bridge of her nose in frustration at both of their antics. Ethan shuffles nervously in the background, this would be as good a time as any to slip away, but with how...temperamental the dueling sisters seem to be, attracting the wrath of either is at the very bottom of his priority list.

“Danny, you can continue your original path with him, don’t worry about Cassandra.”

“Thank you Bela! You’re so good to me.” She swiftly picks up Ethan in a bridal position, with him letting out a startled gasp as he is once again being speedily taken to her original destination.

“Why would you let her have him!?”

"You really need to get a hold of yourself Cassie, not everything Daniela does is meant to antagonize you."

"I know, but-" Bela lifts her hand to stop her from making a subpar argument.

“I don’t want to hear any excuses, just calm down. We both know she likes to interact with new people in...less then savory ways, but this is completely different.”

“I’m well aware of that.” She takes a moment to cool off, taking a deep breath before letting it out. “What I’m trying to say is that I don’t think it's fair that she can just pluck him from our grasp and keep him for herself, we didn’t even have a proper agreement on it.”

“Maybe. But I think we should let her have this. I’ve never seen her so excited for anything or anyone. Don’t you feel the same?” The brunette soaks in what she said, looking back through their lives, she knows that she has a point.

“She better not rub this in my face later, otherwise, I’ll throw her back in the jar.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“This is embarrassing.” Ethan has never wanted to shrivel up and disappear more then he does now, he used to only be able to count on one hand the amount of times hes been manhandled by someone stronger then him. By the way this household seems to behave so far...it might become a regular thing for him, at least until he can walk at a reasonable speed.

“Oh hush you. You’re not going to die with a little affection.” She certainly didn’t mind his position, judging by how big a smile she has.

“I think that depends on what your definition of ‘affection’ is.” She laughs off his cynical response.

“Stop being such a downer, you’ll be fine once you get settled in.” ‘I hope.’

It took no longer then a few minutes, they have arrived to where they originally had their one versus one. The library.

“This is where you might usually find me whenever you’d like. The books that my mother has collected over the course of her long life have filled me with such joy that can’t be replicated in the real world. Especially since...we aren’t able to set foot outside the castle.” The bit at the end is what gets Ethans full attention.

“You mean you were cooped up in this place for your entire lives? How have you not gone ins-” He stopped himself from finishing that question. He figured that question is better left unasked.

“What was that last part?”

“Nothing! I just wondered if you’ve ever seen what it was like outside.”

“No. None of us do, because mother never allowed us to. We can’t stand the cold, as you figured out already, and mother never wanted us to leave anyway. ‘I don’t want to lose another daughter,’ she always said.” Ethan felt increasingly like the bad guy of the situation, if he never had his weapons confiscated, he might have killed off this castle long ago. Best shove that what-if scenario down to the deep parts of his brain, never to be thought of again.

"Are you four really the only residents here? I would think that the rest of the lords would live in this spacious castle.”

“No, no. We used to have dozens of maids here maintaining the castle. Unfortunately Miranda forced mother to either kill them off or let them go. She never said why.” There is a moment of pause between them, with Ethan realizing just how...trapped they were. Mother Miranda really held this village hostage with an iron fist, with no sign of letting go. It is getting more apparent that everyone here is a victim to her, including the lords themselves.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The helicopter that Chris was waiting for has finally arrived in the village and is waiting for its payload. He coaxed the survivors to come out the house and make their way to the flying machine. Some of them are more hesitant then others.

“No way I’m getting anywhere near that fucking thing.” A drunken man slurs out his sentence, with little regard to who has heard him, as most drunks do. Although the remaining people found themselves agreeing with him, they have never seen such a mechanism before.

“Listen people, I know it seems intimidating, however I promise you that it is completely safe to board, just find a seat and my men will make sure you’re secured.” With their only other option being a potentially gruesome death, the choice was easy for most.

One by one each person has been guided into the helicopter, with Chris standing watch, until one person lingers just before the entrance, the old lady.

“Ma’am we need to go now.” She looks towards her home longingly, her eyes misty with the memories she is about to leave behind, probably for good.

“I’m sorry, I know. It’s just...my husband went to look for help. A part of me wants to stay and wait for him to come back, the other says he isn’t.”

“I’m sorry, we will keep an eye out for any other survivors, though I can’t promise we will find him, or anyone else for that matter.”

“It’s the thought that counts for me, you have my thanks.” After a quick bit of mourning she was escorted into the chopper, with the hatch closing behind her.

“Everyone ready for lift off?”

“Affirmative Chris, on your orders.” Before he could give them the go ahead, every piece of metal equipment he has gets sharply yanked off of him, including his weapons.

“Today has been the most interesting I’ve ever had the pleasure of experiencing, and I think I have you to thank for that.” Chris turns to the sound of the voice, then takes in the culprit that seems to be behind his disarmed state.

“You look a bit too confident for a seemingly normal person.” He already put together that he is facing one of the lords, a bioweapon.

“You’re right on the money my friend, though I have to say. It’s really strange that you show up not only with this magnificent piece of machinery, but right after a couple of others have had the misfortune to run into our little space. You wouldn’t happen to know who those people are...do you?”

‘Shit, he must have Ethan or Rose. I’ll have to be careful with what comes out of my mouth.’

“Listen, I don’t want any trouble-”

“Let me stop you right there. First of all, you’re armed to the teeth, the fuck you think it looks like you want to do, and second, I don’t want to fight you, quite the opposite really.”

“The hell do you want from me? I have nothing to offer you!” Before he could get an answer, he heard the crunch of footsteps behind him. The bioweapons face morphs into a vicious snarl.

“Oh fuck. Get out of here lady, this isn’t about you!”

Turning around he gets a glimpse of who he was referring to.

‘Jesus Christ that is a fucking tall lady’

“Well this is quite the development, one man-thing hashing out an agreement to another in order to form some sort of alliance. I would love to hear what this is about you greasy pig.”

“I get the feeling you aren’t going to stay out of my business this time huh?” He growls out.

“After that stunt you pulled at my castle, certainly not.” She spoke in forced politeness.

“Hey I saved your legacy, I think I deserve a bit more respect!”

“That may be so, but you already lost it.” She grins maliciously at him. He groans in irritation, before marching to Chris and getting in his face so only he can hear.

“Forget about her for a second. Here’s the deal, I need you to help me bring down the dictator of this village, do that for me, and I’ll make sure you find who you’re looking for. The only condition is that you need to be alone, too many people will cause her to get suspicious.” Chris is skeptical of his intentions. 

“And just who are you fighting against?”

“Mother Miranda.” Little did he know, the lady has much better hearing then he has ever given her credit for. Lady Dimitrescu is bewildered by this revelation, everything suddenly makes sense now. The speaking out against Miranda. The attempts to put her in a bad light. The constant insults to her biggest supporters, which were herself and Moreau. It was all because he was trying to turn her and the other lords against against their 'savior'.

‘I certainly don’t need Mirandas guidance anymore. I’ll keep this to myself. Dare I say, I want to see how this plays out.’

“Do we have a deal?” He holds out his hand to Chris who is taking in his offer. On one hand, he could achieve all his goals much easier with a partner, but on the other it could be a ploy to get him to let his guard down. After thorough deliberation, he makes his decision. He radios in the pilot.

“You are clear for takeoff, take care.”

“Are you not getting on Chris?” He should’ve expected a bit of resistance from his crew.

“No, I still have unfinished business here, I’ll update you on any developments.”

“Copy Chris, good luck.” The chopper flies off towards the mountains. He turns back to the bioweapon, then shakes his still held out hand.

“Deal.”

Chapter 17: Odd One Out

Chapter Text

Heisenberg finally felt like the little things were going his way for once, after all hes been through it might just pay off. Sure he’ll never be able to return to how things were before his unwilling ‘adoption’, but this could be the time he can finally be free from this village, find a place where it could actually feel like home, and just...sit back. No more having to sleep with one eye open, no more constantly looking over his shoulder to see if he's being watched, no more experimenting with already dead people to build his army, and best of all, no more seething hatred to carry around anymore. When he first turned, he thought he wouldn’t be the only one who would have intense resentment towards Mother Miranda, however, he was . Why the fuck did he seem to be the only one feel the way he does? Not all of them were brainwashed, in fact, none of them were; Moreau being an exception because he literally lost his memories to the cadou, not so much from Miranda conditioning him to like her. The man he made a deal with brings him out of his inner thoughts, with the snapping of his fingers.

“Hey, is anyone home? Don’t zone out on me now dammit.” Heisenberg rapidly blinks out of his daze.

“Sorry about that, I’m just under extreme stress right now.” Looking past the other mans shoulder, he notices Bloodsucker still present, a smirk on her face.

“You’re still here? What do you want? There is nothing left! No girls for you to put in those frilly outfits, or men for you to have a special meal from. And this one is not for you.” She disregards his assumption.

“You already provided what I wanted, so don’t worry your little head about it.”

“I didn’t give you shit! Outside of the book, what do I have that you could possibly want!?” He was fuming, he hated not knowing what others had over him.

“Quite the risk you’re taking, rising up against Miranda, then asking for help from outside sources.” He tightened his grip on his hammer, ready to defend himself if need be. “Don’t even think about it man-thing. I’ve already decided to keep this to myself.” His eyes widened behind his dark glasses. “Don’t get your hopes up though, I certainly don’t plan to go along with you.” She inches closer to him as she monologues. “I have my own family to take care of at my home. Just make sure that you keep your business away from the castle, I have enough responsibilities without Miranda further meddling with my life.” In a feat of impressive agility for someone her size, she quickly closes the remaining distance between them then clutches him by the neck, lifting him to the air glaring daggers into his shaded eyes. The sudden show of physical aggressiveness doesn’t shock him in the slightest, in fact he had the audacity to just grin at the loss of her temper. Chris aims his weapon at her, ready to fire, all that stops him is the subtle hand movement by the man she hoisted up.

“But don’t think for one second that I will forgive you so easily, the nerve you had to take something that isn’t yours, but also try to use against me, frankly I ought to kill you where you stand!” Heisenberg says nothing, still with his smug grin. She considers for a moment whether or not to turn her threat into a promise, with her expressions being stuck between bitterness and sorrow, before finally becoming reluctant acceptance. Ultimately she drops him unceremoniously on the ground, to which he steadily lands on his feet. “But I won’t.”

Chris wisely kept his mouth shut, he had enough on his plate already, and pissing off the lady even further wouldn’t earn him any favors. The tall one briefly moves her golden gaze onto him, with utter contempt still burning within her.

“You best stay close to him, and away from my castle little one. I won’t be so merciful next time.”

With that she departs to her home, content with her short term goal being fulfilled, not even looking back. Chris promptly comes up to the hammer wielding lord, and spins him around to face him.

“What the hell was that all about!” The bioweapon just gives him an empty chuckle. He walks past him while motioning for him to follow. He obliges.

“That was just another confrontation from my so-called sister, and judging by her behavior, my little gamble has paid off in full, I’ll probably treat myself to a drink later.”

“Proud of yourself already? How do you know that she is being straight with you? That exchange didn’t strike me as the friendly style of ‘sibling rivalry’, what if she backstabs you at the last moment?” The metal lord just laughs at the notion.

“Then she gets everyone killed, including her precious daughters. The only silver lining to that outcome is me saying ‘I told you so’ in the afterlife for the rest of eternity.” Chris takes an interest in one particular word he has said.

“Daughters?”

“Yes she has children, and no she didn’t carry most of them naturally, in fact it only recently came to light that she had one biological child. And lastly, the three she does have now can’t be reasoned with without Bloodsucker around to blow the whistle, they even share the same diet as her. Best stay clear of the castle all together until the end of time, or when she finds it in her heart to keep you from getting drained of your blood. Not a metaphor, by the way.” As the lord led him to their destination, Chris notices the many humanoid creatures on the rooftops that remain stone still, and the amount of them set him on edge.

“As long as a lord is present, they’ll remain passive. Just don’t take any hostile actions against them, that’ll rile all of them up. You don’t have to worry about them ratting on us though, they’re all as dumb as a bag of rocks.” The lord spoke up, noticing the soldiers rigid movements.

“What, they don’t take orders from you?”

“Not without their masters say so.”

“I’m assuming you mean Miranda.”

“Well now, you do have a brain, and here I am assuming you would just shoot anything that so much as looks at you funny.”

“I wish life were that easy.” They come up to what seems to be a dead end, only for a circular hole to open up revealing a concealed elevator.

“I do too...I do too.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan has been stuck with Daniela for a bit of time now, and he was getting the feeling that this would be a theme for the rest of his stay here. She has seated him in the library on one of the more comfortable chairs, while taking her own place right next to his.

“Where did you come from!? I’ve never thought a new member of the family would ever emerge from what laid beyond the mountain range! You got to have some interesting stories to tell me about your home!” He didn’t know how to break to her that he led a pretty mundane life until a few years ago, and even that was just for one specific night. And today.

“I honestly don’t really have much to say, if I could describe my life...it would be like the villagers here. Just a normal person, working his way through life without anything too big happening beyond a few important family events; it was a...peaceful time. At least until now.” The red head gives him a doubtful glare.

“Ending up here is anything but normal, maybe even downright insane. Sorry that I don’t believe you, but...you simply can’t find this place without Miranda wanting you to.”

‘So my arrival has been possibly planned from the very start? If that is the case, what does she want me for?’

“My arrival here was a complete freak accident, at least it seemed so at the time, but enough about me, I have some questions of my own since coming here. Like how did this village survive here all this time? It doesn’t appear on any map I’ve ever seen over this area.”

“Mother says Miranda doesn’t like outside forces interfering with her business.” He ponders over this little detail, wasn’t he technically an unknown factor to whatever she planned? Just what is her game here?

“What about the villagers? How do they get the tools they need to operate for such a long period of time?”

“Mother and my Uncle Heisenberg take care of that, they don’t seem to like each other, which is saddening because they do so well keeping the village alive despite their hatred.” So even with their intense hostility, both Dimitrescu and Heisenberg still put aside their differences to keep the community going. Something to be said about the little things.

“What exactly do they do to keep the village from going under?” Curiosity has peaked.

“Mother always had a copious amount of money, and her human friendly wine brings in even more when the merchant comes around. Instead of sitting on her wealth, she purchases many different types of seeds and ingredients, along with every piece of scrap metal she can get from him, which finds its way to Heisenberg, who morphs it into various tools that the villagers can use to keep themselves alive.”

“What of the other two? They don’t have a hand in running the village?”

“They keep to themselves. So much so that what they do on a daily basis is a mystery to the rest of us.” Two lords still remain uncharted territory which would be a crapshoot if he ever encountered them one on one. He could get sunshine and rainbows, or a guaranteed trip to the great beyond, and by what he has witnessed so far, he doesn’t have high hopes of them being an overly friendly bunch of mutants.

“What happened to the maids that did work here?”

“They were dismissed by our mother, remember?” Not what he was looking for.

“Okay, what I meant was, what did you guys do to them before that? Did you kill them outright or-” He is cut off when Daniela angrily scoffs at his assumption.

“We couldn't even leave minor injuries, let alone kill them. If we did that to every maid that fell within our grasp, there would be no one left to maintain the castle. Only times we did have permission to execute them, was if they decided to try and assassinate one of us, or another maiden. We even had one who thought she could escape from her fate, of course mother put a stop to that!” Releasing a deep sigh, she lowers her voice to a more mellow tone. “It’s a very delicate balance of keeping up morale, harvesting blood, and making sure they all felt safe within our walls. Missing even one of those three things would make it hard for everyone that lives here.” She had a building fire in her eyes, like she has had this exact exchange many times before.

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound like I accused your family of being absolute killers.” She calms down once again, but not without a forlorn thousand yard stare. “Hey, I’m sorry, you don’t have to dwell on it anymore.” She dismisses his comment.

“Why do you exclude yourself?” He is confused by this sudden turn.

“From what? I didn’t do anything wrong yet, did I?”

“You are a part of this family, but you keep saying ‘your family’, or ‘your mother’. Why?”

Ethan knew exactly why, but he didn’t want to say it. His first encounter with each of them showed them at their most monstrous, and he couldn’t get over being genuinely part of their little circle. He is deeply fearful of them.

'Cause I don't belong here.'

“Just give me some time, I’m sure it’ll come naturally.” He keeps his voice steady, as to not draw attention to how he really feels about them.

“Well don’t take too long, I don’t know when you’ll part ways with us, but I hope it isn’t too soon. You haven’t even gotten to know the rest of my sisters.” Her mood shot back up again. “Now let me get some reading material for us, it’s been a long time since I had a partner who wasn’t our mother!”

‘Yeah...your sisters’.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Alcina took her time going back to the castle, under normal circumstances she wouldn’t spend any longer then she needed to in the village, but with no one here, what is left to hide from? History has repeated itself on this one part, another time the village was in ruins. It only came back from ruin the first time because Miranda wanted it to, however since she leveled it herself this time around, Alcina didn’t have high hopes of it making a miraculous comeback. It may not seem like it to some, but she loved her home.

‘Nothing but blood and death’

Without people in the village, she would eventually be forced to seek a new home after her stockpile of bloodwine ran out, well now that day has come into view within the horizon, and she dreaded every aspect of the time limit. Everything reminded her of that night. The fires, the blood of both humans and livestock, dilapidated buildings, all three surrounded her. It was cruel, and it was all Mirandas doing, even the first time.

‘I lost the person I did it for in the first place that night.’

She couldn’t take the sight anymore, guilt building up despite it happening so long ago. She rapidly approaches the castle doors, deeply inhales, then enters her domain. It was quiet, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, in fact she welcomed it after dealing with Heisenberg. She entered her bedroom which had a bottle of bloodwine waiting for her under the desk. Popping off the cork she proceeds to drink straight from the bottle, and after todays events, she needed to take the edge off.

Chapter 18: Twelve Was All It Took

Notes:

Message to returning readers. The first chapter has been extended. Going back and reading it is not required, but it is there if you want to.

Chapter Text

Deep underground lays a hidden laboratory, belonging to none other then Mother Miranda herself, though she preferred to not having to be called ‘mother’ at all hours of the day. Only one person truly has the privilege of ever calling her by that title, and she was currently among the dead, hopefully not for long.

“Damn that man, I would have got this done sooner if it weren’t for his interference.” Miranda ranted to no one in particular, leaning against the wall with one hand.

She wanted to prepare for the ceremony, but couldn’t even do that because of how weak she felt. The injuries she accumulated from those troublesome soldiers took a much bigger toll then she initially thought, she figured there must have been some type of chemical in those bullets that caused the ill sensations she’s getting now. At the time of destroying her wannabe assassins and taking her vessel, it was only a very faint prickling across her entire body, so it didn’t warrant any real attention, thinking it was just her being exceedingly ecstatic over her thinning patience finally being rewarded after all the failed tests. She proceeded to set up the entire meeting with a relatively eager feeling within her otherwise pessimistic heart. Of course, there was the father of the vessel that she would have to deal with afterwards, but she’ll burn that bridge when she comes to it. The entire little ‘family gathering’ went off without a hitch, the prickling she felt at the time went completely ignored in favor of her silent joy of her returning daughter, with her false children none the wiser.

‘It’ll pass’ were my exact thoughts, how could I have been more wrong?’

When the first meeting concluded, her adrenaline finally started to evaporate from her system, and the prickling feeling returned, this time with a dull throb throughout her being. Now it was a cause for slight concern, but she thought she could handle it since she went through a lot worse before. The second meeting was planned with the man in mind, with a relatively simple goal. Make sure he is ‘introduced’ to his targets. She knew Karl would play his demented game with loner individuals, so she rigged his course to guarantee that the man would survive, and then the rest was cake; just hide his identity from the rest of the lords. If they knew who he was it would bring up questions as to why they were killing off the biological dad of their ‘new family member’ without attempting to include him.

Overall she would love to think that the event went swimmingly, however throughout her attendance of the second meeting, the dull throb she was feeling evolved once again, it became a much sharper pulsating pain that severely affected her judgement. She couldn’t find the strength to keep both Heisenberg and Dimitrescu from physical confrontation, so she put an effort to end the gathering much quicker then usual, by giving the man to the metal lord right away once the subject came up. Of course Dimitrescu had to throw a bit of a fit for not getting her way, although thankfully it wasn’t her way to fight in one of the few dresses she had, so it didn’t escalate past verbal insults. Fortunately for her, Karl had such confidence in his death course that he didn’t even bother to check whether or not he actually turned him into, as he called it, American ground beef, so receiving the call from Dimitrescu not too long ago actually didn’t catch her off guard. Not only was he still alive, but he is also giving hell for Alcina and her little brats as well, maybe he wasn’t so fragile after all.

‘But now it's come to this.’

It became immensely difficult to make sudden moves or perform any of her more strenuous abilities.

“Feeling a bit under the weather, aren’t we?” Of course her hostage was awake to see her in this state, why wouldn’t she? Miranda gazed at the dark cell angrily, she couldn’t actually see its occupant, but she could still sure as hell try to make eye contact.

“I don’t need any lip from you.” If she didn’t have potential as a test subject, she would have killed her off long ago.

“Kinda hard to not say anything after you show up riddled with bullet holes all over your body, including your head. So please bear with me as all that physical trauma comes back to bite you in the ass.” Miranda could feel the smugness on her face despite not seeing it.

“I will encase you in mold again.”

“Oh please, you can’t even walk straight, let alone create a whole cocoon around a grown woman.” Miranda growls mostly at herself, cursing her newfound weakness.

‘Come hell or high water, I will overcome this unforeseen occurrence.

And so begins her work to prepare for the ritual.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sun was barely coming up above the mountains, punching through the mist and bathing the entire area with a soft golden glow, allowing the eyesore of a factory to finally come into view from a much farther distance.

“So who are you exactly?” Chris has never asked for his name, and now is as good a time as any. This moment of peace could be one of the few they get.

“I suppose it is safe to exchange names.” The lord considers whether or not to give his real name to him. “I go by Heisenberg, that’s all you need to know for now.” But ultimately decides to build trust.

“Redfield, can’t say this was the warmest greeting I could’ve gotten from you, but it’ll do for now.” They have passed the doors entering the factory, with a small scale workshop resided, obviously made for smaller tasks. Still, there were bits and pieces of metal strewn about on the floor and other surfaces.

“Please excuse the clutter, I haven’t exactly gotten around to cleaning up the place.” ‘Not that I ever will bother doing so.’

He presses the button for the elevator. Upon its arrival, they are greeted by a massive pile of metal covering most of the large platform.

“You gotta be kidding me! Of all times for him to drop off my junk.” Within minutes, using his metallic telekinesis, he throws every piece of scrap into a nearby chute, where it will be waiting for him later.

“Have you always been able to manipulate metal materials?”

No.” Heisenberg injected as much venom as he possibly could in his one word answer.

Silence reigned between them again, as the elevator took them deeper and deeper into the factory. The sight was unsettling to say the least, with a seemingly endless amount of humanoid robots on multiple production lines with no sign of slowing down. Chris was almost impressed with the operation overall, considering the person who ran it had the looks of someone you would find sleeping in an alley.

‘Much bigger on the inside. What else could be hiding in the depths of this place?’

“How long have you been working on this?” The lord stayed silent for a moment, calculating how much of his life he spent under the oppressive ‘leadership’ of Miranda.

“Hard to say...it all blurs together. Days? Months? Years? Could even be decades. There really isn’t much else to see here, just experimental models that haven’t seen full production yet. Lets just leave it at that.” The elevator reaches its target floor, and opens up its door. A new voice joins the conversation.

“Ah...Lord Heisenberg, it has been quite some time hasn’t it? And you brought a friend! I knew you would break out of your shell at some point!” The Duke, ever so impeccable with his timing, has graced the factory with his random presence, having already set up his booth.

“I should be more surprised, yet I’m not. Can you please refrain from just leaving all the metal on my path again?”

“My apologies, I’ll be more mindful if there is a next time.”

Chris couldn’t help but gawk at the size of this person.

‘How can this man get around here? There is hardly any space in this place for someone of his proportions!’

“I see your companion is beyond words. Well don’t be shy, I’m very approachable” He clears his throat in an exaggerated manner. “They call me ‘The Duke’, and who may you be?”

Chris stayed silent, he just wasn’t ready to divulge any information about himself to this completely new being. The large man was not fazed in the least.

“That's quite alright, I’m not beyond interacting with strangers, that is where my trade resides in the first place. Though you need to lighten up, you’re in good company here.”

“Don’t mind him Duke, he just has a stick up his ass. So what brings you to my humble abode in the first place? There isn’t anyone left to trade with here.” Duke chuckles at his inquiry.

“Why Lady Dimitrescu is still alive, so of course I’ll still keep tabs on this village despite its tragic demise, she has been one of my best patrons for years on end.” Even when talking about an entire community perishing, he still has his signature jovial tone. Chris raises a brow at his nonchalant behavior towards the situation.

“*ahem* Speaking of Bloodsucker, how is her new...guest doing?”

"Last I saw 'em, not so well. But not to fear though, I'm sure Dimitrescu has already treated their wounds, and is giving them a warm welcome now." Redfield doesn’t like the sound of that, if someone is still trapped in this village, he needs to get them out. But there was also the gnawing feeling in the back of his head.

‘Ethan and Rose are still missing somewhere around here, if by even the smallest chance the ‘guest’ is him, then I must figure out a way there.’

How he would get there without being caught by the remaining inhabitants, he doesn’t know. But rest assured, he will cross that bridge once it comes into view.

“Hey Redfield, over here.” Heisenberg calls to him from another room.

“You should go sir, I feel it may be important for your mission.” The large man coaxed him forward. 

‘What does he know?’

Upon entering the next room over, he finds Heisenberg standing a little distance away from a board with a single picture consisting of every lord and Miranda herself, while picking at the blade of a serrated knife. 

“Now I want you to take a good look at each and every person in this photo.” The image in question had Miranda perfectly positioned in the middle of everyone. Lady Dimitrescu still looked as she did earlier, standing on the left most position, while Heisenberg stood completely opposite of her. The lords in between still remained unknown.

“This.” He throws his blade at the head of Miranda perfectly. “Is our target. The one who caused this whole mess of a village, the one who condemned us to indefinite lifespans, the one who robbed me and others of a normal life!” He shakily takes a deep breath before continuing. “The one who did what she did...all because she couldn’t accept the death of a single person.” The blade that was still embedded in the photo slashed Miranda in half before flying back into the lords hand. Chris never thought he would feel sympathetic for a bioweapon, but here he was.

“I can’t say I relate.” He motions to the woman in a dress and veil with a doll, and the hooded hunched figure. “So what is the status of these two?”

“The girl is the wildcard of the situation, but the other is potentially going to be the biggest obstruction.” He plants his knife on the woman. “Donna and Angie, they are completely secluded within the mountains on a comfy little estate just south of here. They mostly keep interactions with the rest of us to a minimum, favoring talking to her dolls rather then another person. And yes, that includes that bitch Miranda. She has no physical abilities, not even a mutated form; I think it's because she divided her cadou among her hundreds of dolls.”

“So if she is weak from direct confrontation, what does she excel at?”

“It's her flowers. The pollen they discharge in the air allows her to play with your egg salad if you inhale so much as a breath of it; see things that were never there, hear things you’ve never heard, she is capable of driving people insane if she wanted to.” Heisenberg gently takes the blade from its position. “She is...a lonely person, even before she was implanted with the cadou. Which would help explain all the dolls.”

His tone completely changed to restrained anger once he got to the hunchback.

“Now this moron is further down the insanity spectrum, Moreau. He is loyal to Miranda, like to the nth degree, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why . She humiliates him every chance she gets, nevermind if it was intentional or not, and for some reason he thinks that he hasn’t earned the love that wasn’t there to begin with!” He facepalms in exhaustion, the mere thought of Moreau gave him a headache. “He will most likely fight to the death in order to defend his ‘mothers’ honor. The fool.”

“But wait, I thought the goal was just to kill Miranda, can’t we just ignore the others until then?”

“A valid question, however the problem with that is the fact that each of us hold...part of a key to free Mirandas hostage.” This changed the playing field a bit, so now each of them had to be dealt with in some manner, and thankfully two of them are already withdrawing their support for her.

“So what do these pieces look like then?” Heisenberg was prepared for this question, and pulled out a glowing yellow flask which had its labels sloppily scraped off.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Ethan has been with Daniela for quite a while now, and his only indicator with the passage of time was the skylight in the middle of the library; it has now become another day, has he really been up the entire night? His fear of the family was still present but suppressed greatly, the red head proved to be quite pleasant to be around provided you looked past what they were. Though the dried blood is a constant reminder of what they must do to survive.

'It's not their fault, they literally can't live without it.'

He couldn’t stop the yawn from escaping his lungs, ‘tired’ isn’t strong enough of a word to describe his state, and the draining soreness that encapsulated his whole body did little to help things. Daniela of course took notice of his fatigue, and decided that now would be her chance to ask the questions that had been gnawing at her mind. She closes her book and uses her flies to float it back to its original spot.

“I can see you’re in need of rest, but before I take you to mother, can you answer a few questions for me?” She is eager for any info of his life before he came to the village.

“I guess I can do that, though I can’t promise that I will answer every one.” 

“I’m more then happy to accept that condition, I only have a couple.”

Turns out that was a lie. He spent another significant amount of time answering her inquiries, though it actually wasn’t that bad. Mostly basic things like what he did before he arrived in the castle, where his current home was, what advancements in technology have occurred. Occasionally there would be a question a bit too complicated for him to answer, but she seemed to mean well, she desired that one day she could see what it was like within cutting edge societies. But then came the one he hoped would be left in the dark for a bit longer.

“Now, I’ve wanted to ask you this since the beginning, but couldn’t find a gentler way to go about it, so I’ll just be blunt. Where were you from?” She wasn’t kidding, that couldn’t be more on the nose if she tried, though it was understandable. He thinks back to his home country, how one night ruined what little innocence he had left, and forced him to abandon not just the homeland, but leave behind his parents. As far as they know, he moved to Europe for a job opportunity, with a bit of resistance from his mother. It all made sense now.

“I was born in U.S.A., which is on the other side of the ocean. I’m...pretty far from home.” He never wanted to leave his country of origin, but Chris insisted that he traveled here for the good of his family. Not the greatest move in hindsight, but it could just be a blessing in disguise for someone here.

“Hey, chin up. This is your home too.” She caresses his cheek with a solid hand.

“Well that's kind of you to say, but the saying goes ‘home is where the heart is’, and that just isn’t here yet. Maybe one day it will. But not today.” She withdraws with a saddened smile on her face.

“You’ll be alright here. Tell me, what was your...what is Kala like?” Ethans mind goes blank at the question before rebooting a second after.

‘My mother. She never told me of her connections to this place. What are the odds of me finding her roots being in this very castle? I’d hate to calculate that in any capacity. Just what happened here that made her run from...Dimitrescu?

“What can I say? She loves her family with every fiber of her being, along with my father. Her backstory was always a mystery to both my dad and myself. ‘One day you’ll find out, but that day isn’t today’, that is what she always said when I asked her about her past. It has only been a little over a week since I last communicated with them, they’re getting on with the years, but still going.” Daniela couldn’t believe what she heard, she was alive and well. But one thing still stood out to her.

“She never told you her maiden name?”

“She went by Kala Winters my entire life, absolutely no hints of Dimitrescu being in her name on any document or bill I’ve ever stumbled across.” Daniela wilted from the lengths her unmet sister went in order to hide from her mother, if only she knew the amount of regret she carries everyday.

“She misses her greatly, you know.” The conversation completely shifts to a melancholy undertone. He says nothing, preferring to stay silent on that point. Satisfied with her answers she decided enough was enough.

“I guess it’s time for you to be brought to our mother.” With no warning he is lifted and put in the fireman's carry.

“Hey, I’m perfectly able to walk on my own! You could’ve just told me to follow you!”

“Don’t pretend that you aren’t about to fall over, I’ve seen you fighting your own body for long enough, so relax. Let me take you to our mother, or would you rather me take you to one of my sisters?” He refrained from answering that question. She is much more gentle then she was before, treating him as if he were fine china. Her soothing did help things a little bit, ultimately he understood from a caretaking standpoint.

‘Sleep my son, I’ll carry you to your room.’ It reminded him of his long distant childhood a bit more then he would have liked.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the matriarchs bedroom, which was a relief for Ethan, it would take a bit of getting used to if he was going to be ferried around like this until he could move normally. Daniela knocks gently onto the door.

“Mother, Ethan is just about ready to drop from weariness, he needs a room to stay in.”

“Please send him in.” Instantly the lady's muffled voice sounded through the door with ease. Daniela decided her job was done.

“I’ll be going now, have a nice rest.” On that final note she swarms away to god knows where. The blond opened the door tentatively, inching his head through the door with heavy apprehension, and sure enough, the giantess was seated in front of her fireplace, with a teacup on hand, waiting for his presence.

“Don’t be shy little one, there is nothing here to be afraid of.” She flashes him a warm smile, omitting her fangs from being visible. He forces the foreboding he feels in the back of his mind as he fully enters the room.

‘Nothing is going to happen, stop freaking out you pansy! You’ve been through a lot worse then this!...You know what, that is a horrible realization.’

“Please sit.” Ethan does as he is asked, while she sips from her cup. “ I would offer you some, but I don’t have the proper ingredients for you at the moment.”

“It’s fine, I don't need anything right now, just a place to sleep.”

“I trust that my daughter didn’t give you a hard time?” He shakes his head, as calm as can be on the outside.

“No, she was alright to be around for the time being. She needs to work on her clinging issues though.” Alcina hums in amusement. That sounded like her alright.

“I’m glad it turned out so well, she tends to go above and beyond when she has found a new favorite person.” She sets her cup down, preparing for a more personal discussion. She holds out her hand to him.

“Ethan, please let me see your left arm.” He is initially confused at her strange request, but then realizes she is most likely the one who mended his wounds, which also meant she has seen every scar he has ever accumulated, which narrowed down to one little detail, his most prominent mutilation. The hideous stitching that still remained on his wrist.

“I-I don’t think that is necessary, I’m feeling just fine all around--well in terms of the current situation, but still I don’t need another once over!” He couldn’t control the anxiety that grew stronger in his voice. She sat up completely straight, unintentionally displaying her intimidating height.

“That is where you are wrong. You have been through much more then just this forsaken place, and it can’t be left in the dark any longer then it should be. I simply refuse to let this go, you are my grandson, and as such it is my responsibility to care for my blood. Please, don’t make this harder then it should be.” The word felt unnatural to hear from her. Grandson .

“Okay...okay. Don’t be too rough, I’ve never had the courage to show anyone, not even myself.” He slowly extended his arm to her whilst looking away. Alcina gradually moves his jacket sleeve up his arm, taking in the wound that revealed itself in the process.

“Now this is where most of my concern lies. Who. Did. This? Please be truthful to me, I promise nothing bad will happen.” She could detect his heart rate spiking.

“Why does it matter now? They aren’t here to make anything worse.” Her golden eyes go full predator.

“Oh, so it’s a them now? Please enlighten me on how many.” Ethan realized his mistake.

“Nononono, it was only one who was pulling the strings, I put a stop to them myself.”

“That may be so, but you had such confidence that there were multiple involved, don’t change the narrative so readily.” 

Please free my family.

“It was a case of mind control alright! An innocent family, one who had no idea what was happening right under their noses, were victims of the same little girl that I encountered! They saved her, and my wife, but how did the little girl repay them!? She enslaved their minds, kidnapped my wife, tortured them, made attempts to groom them; all in the name of having a family of her own!” Alcina opened a can of worms that was bursting at the seams, and she almost wished that she could take back what she said. Almost. But this may be beneficial for him, he seemed to have carried this pain for a long time. Ethans face was turning red as he ranted, with tears flowing down his cheeks. Years of hurt being released at this moment.

“I spent years crying myself to sleep at night because of what happened. No amount of professional help has ever succeeded in getting me to forget! It still haunts me to this day! And you know what makes it worse!? It’s how I found out that the family were once normal people! The father, Jack Baker, was the one who had the opportunity to tell me the truth when I almost died at that place, he came into my mind, begged me to save what little family he had left, and to this day, I still don’t know if the Bakers were released from their personal hell!” He stands up and completely removes his jacket, throwing it onto the ground. His short sleeved white button up is all that separates the rest of his upper body scars from being seen. He gets as close as he can to the listening lady, even when she still has height over him while sitting down.

“All of these.” He raises both of his arms in front of her, showing the old wounds that have not been covered with bandages. “Were from a twelve hour span. That’s it! That is all it took! One bad night is why I’m standing here now!” He lowered his view to the floor, eyes squeezed shut as he tried to regain control of his emotions. The fury in his voice dropped down to deep sorrow. “I shouldn’t be here, I should be at home with my wife and child, ‘but no’ says fate. ‘You haven’t had your complete share of pain yet! Let me just take what little you had left just to fuck with you’!”

His volume is now barely audible to the average person, but Alcina heard just fine. “But at least my presence offered someone closure, even if it was through a rather unorthodox method.” With his rant over, he is reduced to a sniffling mess, constantly failing to stop himself from appearing weak. Alcina herself felt his pain, even if she doesn't exactly know what he did to survive. He makes a slow attempt to leave as she rises from where she sat. “I’m sorry for yelling, I’ll just go.” Only to be stopped when the lady pulls him into a hug. Ethan doesn’t attempt to break from her grip, instead he leans into it, the dam holding back the rest of his tears now completely broken.

“Take all the time you need.”

Chapter 19: Hallucinations

Notes:

This has been posted late at night, and as such hasn't been proofread with a fine tooth comb. Feel free to point out any grammatical errors or inconsistencies.

Chapter Text

Alcina held Ethan in her arms firmly as he let out all his built up heartache, all the pain and misery having finally boiled over. In a strange way, she was enjoying the feeling of being depended on this way, being the shoulder to cry on when her own was in great distress. It brought back to a time where everything made sense, before she became what she was today. But at the same time, it put things into perspective, just how long has she been here without knowing the status of her daughter? How could she have survived the surrounding mountain range without running into the wildlife that often prowled the trails? The realization is startling.

She has stopped counting the amount of years that went by long ago, all that mattered is that another has come and gone, with no thought as to what it actually meant. Then came Ethan, along with the only proof that her daughter still lived to see the world without her, and as a result completely dumped the amount of ages that have actually gone by. It is troubling to acknowledge.

‘Has it really been over half a century since I’ve become what I am now?’

But all of that doesn’t matter in the moment right now, she had a more pressing matter to attend to, and he needed someone who cared for his well being, be it mentally or physically. She is idly brushing her hand through his hair before he is finally able to calm down enough to suffer in silence. Still being aware of his growing weariness, she carried him to her now clean bed despite his rather weak resistance, having decided that she still wasn’t done with him yet. She set him down on the farther left side, he looked comically small compared to the surface of the bed. Lastly she took off her hat and heels then set them down on a rather large end table, before finally taking her place next to him laying on her back with her hands resting on her stomach.

“You don’t have to-” She shushed him before he could protest anymore.

“I insist you be here with me. Just relax for a little bit, calm down and collect your thoughts. It will do you a world of good right now. Nothing is coming to get you here, not without getting through me first.” He doubted her advice, but forced himself to lay still anyway, focusing on the hanging canopy surrounding the bed as his breathing became much more controlled, although it is still uneven and shaky with the occasional sniffle. The silence was somehow deafening for Alcina, and it didn’t help that it was being broken every now and again by the sound of misery right next to her. She turned her head to face him, but he didn’t even bother to notice her golden gaze.

“How long has this been festering within you?” Ethan doesn’t show that he heard her, continuing his staring contest with the ceiling, the darkness under his eyes less prominent in the dimming light of the dying fireplace. He deeply sighed, and spoke in a raspy voice.

“Too long. Far too long. I’ve tried though, but it just never went away.” His vocal chords were shredded raw, it hurt to talk.

“How come?” She couldn’t fathom the average person surviving what he did.

“It just never did. I’m not a soldier, just a random civilian that decided to chase after ghosts at the wrong time.” Alcina has put together that it was all by chance that he went through hell.

“What do you mean ‘chase after ghosts’?”

“Just someone who I thought I would never see again.” It was obvious he didn’t want to continue with this topic, but she had one more inquiry that needed to be answered.

“What of your mother? Is she still around? Does she know what happened to her child?” She can only hope that she isn’t worried sick about him. As a mother herself who lost her kid, she knows exactly how it would feel.

“No. She is completely in the dark, and always has been. She is under the pretense that I’ve received a job opportunity overseas, I guess she never thought I would be this close to her childhood home.” He blanks out for a moment, looking back on his life before Mia disappeared. “I wish I could just...go back. Pay her a visit, however brief it would be, but I’m afraid of her seeing my scars. I don’t want her to freak out over my injuries.” Alcina has completely turned the rest of her body to face him, this time he did notice her getting closer to him with a passing glance. He couldn’t bring himself to care though, all he knew right now was how drained he felt in every sense of the word.

“She is still alive?” The relief she felt was otherworldly, one she never experienced before. Ethan was losing himself to drowsiness, but forced himself to stay conscious. He turned his head slightly to look her in the eye.

“Yes she is. Though she never mentioned you to me. I hope that doesn’t put a damper on your mood.” Alcina didn’t care about that, she was just happy to know that she still had her biological daughter out there somewhere despite the unlikelihood of ever encountering her again.

By now the fireplace is almost burnt out, casting the room in a heavy blanket of darkness, which only made things harder for him to stay awake, and that just won’t do for her.

“You pushed yourself far too hard little one, you need to let yourself recuperate, fighting it will not help you in the long term.” She gently pulled him into her embrace.

“Yeah...I know.” This is a battle he is guaranteed to lose, this is the second time he went through unrestricted brutality. And the pain that came along with it has become a periodic sharp stab, adding to the difficulty of letting himself go. Nothing he hasn’t experienced before, unfortunately. “I want to let go of all my troubles, for good. But that will never happen, I know too much about ‘The Baker Incident’, in fact I became one of them long ago.” He weakly lifted his hand up to his face to view his stitched scar. “Only difference is that my mutation has helped me survive the worst Eveline had thrown at me.” He dropped his hand in disgust.

“Eveline?”

“That is the girls name, the catalyst for how my life goes from now on.”

It’s all your fault

“She is to blame for everything. But for some reason, I still feel bad for her.”

“Even after everything she put you up against?”

“I’m not trying to excuse what she did, but I can’t imagine the environment she was forced to toil in. Cold and sterile, devoid of any compassion or empathy. Just a laboratory, with nothing to value other then what you're told to value. And for her, she craved a family, but went about it the worst possible way.” He has a brief flashback from when he injected the serum that ultimately resulted in her death.

Why does everyone hate me?

He is on the verge of finally succumbing to the slumber that called for him, his voice becoming a whisper in the wind.

“She was never properly told right from wrong. So naturally, nothing she did was perceived as something morally corrupt.” He had a few more tears to give, letting them slide down his cheek.

“You don’t need to tell me anymore, I’ve heard more then enough.” She slightly curled herself around him, enveloping him further.

“Why did this have to happen again?” He asked more to himself then to her.

“Shhhhh. Everything will right itself in the end. I promise.” She soothed him until sleep overtook his senses.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The duo were now back at the surface in front of the factory on their way back to the village, after having already discussed what the next moves should be, they settled on going separately to their respective targets. Heisenberg will attempt to turn Donna, while Chris will brute force his way to Moreau, the lords main fear being that if they were seen together, it would cause the others to immediately report to Miranda of his ‘betrayal’. The elevator ride up to the village was tense for them, the stars could align and all will be well, or they could lose the gamble and be left off worse then before. Approaching the entrance to Donnas flower field, they are beaten by the Duke who has already reached their destination again somehow. Heisenberg was used to his disappearing act, Chris on the other hand was questioning the very laws of physics within his mind.

‘No way this man is normal’

“Lord Heisenberg, I trust that you’ll behave rationally before making any irreversible decisions, yes?” Duke had a rare expression of seriousness from his normally easy going attitude.

“I can’t make any promises on that front, but I’ll give it all I got.” He is well aware that Duke is in the same boat as him. “I only have one favor to ask of you Duke.”

“Of course, what do you need?” He is not above helping a friend in need, money be damned.

“I need you to watch over the flask for me please. If anything bad happens, make sure it finds its way to Alcina.” He hands it over to Duke, who inspects it carefully. His look of surprise only lasted less then a second, before turning into grave acceptance. He knew what he was holding.

“You have my word not as a merchant, but a concerned friend. I will make sure she remains in safe hands.” Chris took note on how he referred to the flask.

‘She?’

Before his train of thought could continue down that track, he is derailed when the lord forced his attention on him.

“Remember Redfield, those flasks are invaluable to the cause, you can’t let anything happen to them, if they get destroyed, her hostage will be gone for good.” He nods in acknowledgement.

“Good.” His metal hammer flies out of his hand and destroys the gate blocking his path. “And Redfield, try not to kill Moreau. You can beat him within an inch of his life if you must, but don’t kill him.” The soldier is visibly confused at this ludicrous demand.

“What the hell? Why would you want him to be spared?” He had half a mind to outright deny his request.

“I want to prove a point to him, and it will not be a gentle awakening.” With that he moves past the gate, disappearing within. Chris heads in the opposite direction, going to the reservoir.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

‘Don’t focus on the dolls, pay attention to the trail.’

Heisenberg looked at all the flowers that were now growing onto the path leading to the estate; it's been a while since they have received any form of maintenance which is unusual for Donna, she loved caring for her entire territory, so what changed now?

‘Well...aside from the obvious threat that Queen Bitch posed to them all, but she hasn’t put two and two together yet. I don’t think so at least.’

His slow gait to the outdoor elevator has taken a turn when a thick fog started to roll in spontaneously. His sudden lack of vision will make navigating a bit more of a challenge, but nothing he can’t handle, he has to move around in his dark factory twenty-four seven anyway.

It isn’t until the voices start that he catches on to what is happening.

“How is my boy?” He freezes. It came from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

‘I’m vulnerable to the pollen!?’

“So it comes out that you can manipulate my senses, very cheeky Donna, but your mind games won’t work on me! I’m well aware of what reality is!” His confidence in his mission has taken a big hit; this wasn’t even a possibility he even considered; he thought the cadou would filter out anything she could possibly throw at him.

‘Don’t play along, this isn't real. Nothing that happens from now on is grounded in reality.’

He told himself that repeatedly within his thoughts. His steps have become heavier, it felt like lead weights have suddenly been chained to his ankles, as if to make sure he spends as much time in the field as possible.

“Karl what is wrong? Please talk to me.” This time he clearly hears it behind him. Without bothering to see who it is, he swings his hammer as hard as he could at the direction it came from, only for nothing to be there.

‘He is dead, he isn’t alive, don’t fall for her tricks!’

“Stop with your shenanigans Donna! I didn’t come to hurt you, I just came to you with an opportunity to leave this place for good!”

“Why would you want to leave your mother Karl” Again with the haunting voice.

“NO! My real mother died a long time ago. No one can ever replace her. You hear me!? NO ONE!” He is losing himself to the illusions. He smacked himself on his head, trying to keep himself from giving in to his artificial insanity.

‘It feels too real, I’ve seen what she does to people, but never experienced it. I understand now.’

“I’m not saying she would ever replace your mother, but maybe if you give her a chance, you would see her as family too.” For the first time since his infection, his vision began to blur with tears

‘She was playing you for a sap! Why didn't you listen to me!?’

He ignored the ache of his feet and bulldozed his way through all the fog to get to the elevator, it was becoming too much to bear.

“I don’t understand why you aren’t fond of her, she has been nothing but nice to us both.”

“It was a FRONT ! Stop lying to yourself!” He covered his mouth, his sudden lack of impulse control could only give her more ammunition to fire at him.

“Why would she lie to us? What does she gain by doing so?” He ripped off his glasses to glare at the nothing that was in front of him with the most intense hatred he has ever felt.

“She just wants to experiment on people for god's sake!” Once again he scolds himself for saying that out loud.

“Isn’t that what most scientists do anyway? What is so wrong with that? She is pushing us towards new technology to better all of mankind.” Karl stopped caring whether or not he was heard by Donna.

“She is turning innocent people into monsters! I’ve seen her notes when she wasn’t around, but you refuse to listen to me! She doesn’t give a damn who she hurts as long as it gets her closer to her goal!” He sees the elevator room within the short distance he can see, and makes a beeline for it.

“What is her goal then? Why go through all this trouble?” He turns to the silhouette that has now shown itself behind him.

“We are nothing but empty husks to be filled to her! She wants to bring her dead daughter back from the grave, and her way of doing that is by transferring her consciousness into an existing body! Effectively erasing the original person!” He finally reaches the elevator and punches the button going up. The hallucinations stopped for the moment, allowing him to recover from his madness. He holds his head in pain, the headache forming being the worst he ever had to experience.

‘You idiot! You knew none of that was really happening, yet you still take the bait! What is wrong with you!?’

The platform comes to a stop as the door opens. The room is barely lit properly with only one lantern working hard to illuminate the damp room it's in. Looking down the hall that leads outside he sees a person, just the basic shape of a man.

“Is what you're saying true?” The voice echoes down the stone hallway as the figure slowly makes his way to him.

"I want nothing more then for it to be an elaborate lie, but it isn't." The figure steps into the light, revealing a middle aged man roughly in his late forties. "I-I tried to save you! Believe me I did! But there was so much chaos and destruction everywhere! Blood and guts from human and animal alike who were ripped apart by the lycans! I was taken by them and-" He stops himself from continuing, remembering that it was all fake. He uses his hand to cover his eyes.

"I'm so sorry...I failed to even find your corpse……..I miss you so much. I tried, please understand that."

The voice that responds isn't the man, but Donna.

"I do now." He unblocks his vision and sees that she has taken the mans place. He grabs her by the throat, intent on snapping it like a twig. She gives no visible reaction, as if she accepted either fate in store for her. His grip shakes with the amount of built up rage he felt from her antics, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to finish the deed. He lets her go.

"Is that why you always hated her since day one?" He only nods solemnly.

"She took absolutely everything from all she crossed paths with! Do you know what my head was full of before she came into the picture!?" Donna holds her breath as she shakes her head.

“Fucking dreams! I had dreams of becoming an inventor, dreams of getting married and buying a house, a dream to raise a couple of kids of my own. And all of that was stolen from me, by that bitch Miranda!” He punched a hole into the rocky wall. He leaned against the wall with his arm cushioning his head.

“Why would you subject me to your psychological torture!?”

“To ensure that you were really who you are, she could be anyone at any time.”

“But how did you know I was coming, or that I was even planning to rebel?” Donna brings out a doll concealed in the corner of the room. She opens the hidden compartment on its hard wooden shell, exposing the small amounts of mold within.

“They are my eyes and ears throughout the village.” That is all Karl needed to hear. He just maniacally chuckles at her, with a grin to match.

“All this time you heard and saw everything that went on in this sorry ass village?” Donna is glad that her face is hidden.

“Not really, I could only occupy one of my dolls at a time. I learned how to do it by accident when trying to animate Angie.” Heisenberg makes every effort to stop himself from throttling Donna out of spite.

‘Don’t give in to your anger, the Duke will look down on you.’

“How could I trust you after having your way with my head?”

“You're still alive, aren’t you? I could've informed Miranda of your treasonous behavior long before this day, years back even. But I never did, I wanted you to succeed, and now that the day of reckoning has come, I no longer have to feign incompetence to stay under Mirandas nose. We either break free or die trying.”

He is stunned by her words, but understands why she kept her loyalties to herself. She is the weakest of them all by a very large margin.

“Don’t mention what you saw me do, or what you heard me say. If so much as a peep comes back to haunt me, I’m cutting off that tongue of yours.”

“A bit barbaric, but I swear to you that my lips are sealed. I’ll be back with the flask.” She walks off to get her piece. He wasn’t entirely satisfied with her promise, however now wasn’t the time to look a gift horse in the mouth.

‘You’re lucky the Duke wants you in one piece.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The three sisters have been eavesdropping on their conversation ever since Ethans wails initially echoed throughout the main hall; all the oil lamps have been shut off to preserve the now limited resources, although they didn’t really need light to begin with. Hearing his story shattered their hearts, he is a man whose misfortune led to even more misfortune. It is now completely silent on the other side, not even the crackling of the fireplace was present anymore, and the lack of light coming from under the door only confirmed their suspicions; he must be sleeping off his wounds. Cassandra had one hand ready to pull the door open, but hesitation prevented her from committing.

“Can we come in without our mother getting upset with us?” She whispered to them. In response, Bela grabbed the other handle then started to pull as slowly as she could. The creaking might as well have been fingers on a chalkboard, the girls could only hope that they wouldn’t mind the intrusion. Instead of the disappointed eyes of their mother, they see that she is asleep right along with him, keeping him close as if he would disappear if she let go. They all quietly close the door.

“We should go, they are both in the land of dreams, it’ll be in our best interests if we leave them be.” Bela swarmed away without waiting for an answer from them. Both remaining sisters looked at each other in contemplation, before deciding to follow Belas' lead.

 

Chapter 20: Abandoned By Those You Trusted

Chapter Text

The sisters gather around near the moderately lit fireplace in the main hall, the air hung heavy over their heads upon the revelation of what he went through to get here. They thought the scars were obtained across the course of his life, not from a single excursion that should have killed him ten times over. In fact, he shouldn’t even be walking with how battered he appeared, and the new lacerations he received from his visit in both the village and castle should have finished him off already. 

“Well at least have an idea of what happened.” Cassandra suddenly growled in a low tone. She is polishing her sickle with intent to make something bleed. "But no real time frame aside from 'some years ago'." Bela firmly lowers the weapon to its wielders side.

“Now, now. There is no need for that, nothing from out there is coming back to finish the job.”

“I hope you’re right. It’s the thought that it could still be lurking out there that puts me on edge."

"If the boogeymen wanted to finish him off they had ample opportunities to do so long before he ever found us."

“I suppose you have a point there.” She begrudgingly agreed. Only now she noticed how unusually quiet Daniela has been, who has been staring blankly at the fireplace the entire time they interacted. The blond one cautiously put a hand on her shoulder gently to get her attention.

“Is something wrong, Danny?” A nod is her answer.

“When I had Ethan with me, I asked him a bunch of questions pertaining to his life before coming here. He described himself as a nobody, just another face in the crowd ready to be forgotten once he passes you by.” Cassandra felt offended that she didn’t share this info earlier.

“And you only mention this to us now!? How little do you think of us!?” Her mouth is covered by an annoyed Bela, who gestures for the redhead to continue.

“He sounded happy when it didn’t involve talking about his place of origin, no hint of malice or sorrow. Someone you could talk to without feeling like you’re overstaying your welcome.” She breathes deeply as she recalls how the tone of their conversation dropped. “It went downhill when I asked him about his birth country.”

“Did he get upset at you?”

“No. He didn’t really have any detectable emotion, just a glazed over look in his eyes.” She peers down to her bloodstained gloves, no doubt some of his has already stained them. “Are we just as bad?”

Both sisters are stunned into silence. They didn’t think how close their own actions could mirror what he already went through. Bela breaks out of her stupor and places both hands on the redheads shoulders, forcing unmitigated eye contact.

“That is a bit of an extreme comparison, don’t you think?” Daniela only glares at her, knowing full well what they all did, including herself. "W-We didn't know who he was. All we put together is that he was an intruder, not only that, but a male . He practically gift wrapped himself for us when he wandered into our home uninvited!" There was nothing to say to that, for it was true. Even without the village being eradicated, any intruders were used as sustenance, intentions be damned.

“I understand that. Doesn’t change what we almost did.” Cassandra butts in, tired of hearing all the negativity. 

“In hindsight it was a grave mistake, let us be grateful that Uncle came to us before it was too late. He could’ve sat back and watched as mother killed off her own descendant without knowing it, but he didn’t . He put aside the personal hatred for that one moment. If anything it shows he actually is capable of giving a damn about what happens to us.” A crazed look grew in Danielas eye.

“Wait, this is all his fault! There is no telling how long he knew before deciding to bring us in the loop of things! If it wasn’t for his obsessive desire to have a leg up over mother, none of this probably would have happened!” A thick dark cloud forms around her hand, dissipating to reveal her sickle being strangled in her grip.

“Overreaction much?” The brunette only found amusement at her infantile tantrum.

“He should’ve left his nose out of our business! No amount of excuses will make it okay to just snoop through our personal property!” She starts to scrape her nails along the blade.

“Hey if you need to let out the rage you’re feeling right now, I’m up for a little duel you know.” Bela internally groans, as her most volatile sister has finally found the perfect excuse to start a fight.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chris looks over the village from on top of the small hill, it is a ghastly sight to behold. There is blood everywhere, but not a single corpse to claim it. Descending from it only put things into worse perspective, the sole bright spots were the few livestock animals that somehow survived the entire initial attack and felt safe to come out of hiding. Chickens, pigs, domestic birds, even a goat or two. They all helped bring life to the otherwise dead village, too bad they were probably going to be torn apart soon enough. Putting aside the false peace, he notices small green growths that got progressively bigger the closer they were to his destination, some of it appeared as hard as a rock, while others looked like it would collapse if you so much as blew on it. Thankfully the important ones were the latter, they were no challenge to burst through with his knife. Overcoming all the obstacles, including an old rusted gate, he reaches what was supposed to be his destination, only for there to be an aging lighthouse that has seen better days, with the surrounding area just as lifeless.

‘There has to be more, otherwise it’s a dead end.’

Making sure he is truly alone, he enters the structure, the smell of rotting wood and borderline poisonous water invades his nostrils, not the greatest scent to be greeted by, but he could confidently say he has smelled much worse before. Nothing remarkable to be seen inside of this building, however he did spot a service elevator that seemed to go down to the bowels of the lighthouse, and with nowhere else to look, he had to take it down to ensure that his search wasn't fruitless. Upon the elevators arrival to the bottom, the dust that remained undisturbed for unknown amounts of time gets kicked upward getting in his eyes and nose, making him cough uncontrollably whilst his vision stung. Getting back his senses he gets a good look around, the dim lighting didn’t allow him to see much of his new surroundings, although what little he saw is more then enough to make an estimate. Underground didn’t fare much better then what was above it, there is an overwhelming amount of garbage and debris hugging the rocky walls of what seems to be a long defunct mining operation.

‘Why is everything out of the way? Is this where the lord lives?’

He steps off the platform to begin his search in this new area, however there are few directions he could go from here, with each of the decrepit hallways having old wood that had somehow remained in their position for however long it has been abandoned. Turning on his flashlight, he is greeted with even more of the green growths, this time more sizable and hardened then its outside counterparts. Thankfully though they weren’t in the way like previously, instead being suspended to the ceiling and walls with no real purpose other then to emit foul odors throughout the enclosed space. Then he hears it, a faint constant static noise that is being carried down from one of the halls, it is almost hypnotizing with no other entities to give him something to focus on. He gets closer, down the appropriate hallway and emerges on the other side, with the source of the sound leading him up some rickety stairs, the static is now at its strongest as he reaches the top and peeks around the corner. What he found is a windowed room, with the source of the static revealed itself to be an idle television set, with its ghostly light bathing the room in a white glow, and then there was the inhabitant.

‘Looks even uglier in person.’ He lowers himself to remain out of sight.

The lord has finally been found, and luckily Chris hasn’t been seen yet. Unfortunately Moreau is holding his primary target within his grasp, mumbling insanely to it as if it could hear him, he couldn’t translate what was being said though.

‘How am I going to get it without risking it being damaged?’

Chris quickly established that he would need to wait for the lord to lose line of sight of the flask on his own volition, for now all he could do was silently wait for the perfect moment to swipe it. He keeps his eye on the hunchback though one of the cracks in the wood, the one sided tension is palpable with the lord continuing to essentially talk into the void.

‘Is he truly insane? Or am I not able to hear who or what he is talking to?’

His opportunity came when Moreau started to convulse and vomit uncontrollably, he quickly set down the flask on the floor so he could waddle out as hastily as possible. After making sure he is truly gone, he vaults through the window to finally steal the flask from its resting place. He heard the lord coming back as he once again hops back through the window. With careful steps he makes his way back to where he came from, with the sounds of Moreau becoming increasingly distressed filling the mines. He catches sight of the elevator waiting for him, its single lightbulb was quite literally his light at the end of the tunnel, but it just wasn’t meant to be, for the green muck had spontaneously grown from nothing and blocked off his only known way out.

‘So he does control these oversized mucus pods. What else does he have up his sleeve?’

With no choice but to take an alternate route, he goes down another hallway that hasn’t been blocked off by the hardened sludge, with this one leading him to the heart of the reservoir.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The walk back from Donna's estate was silent, even with her demonic doll from hell within her grasp. The flask has been safely placed within a pocket inside Heisenberg's trench coat, completely shielded from the elements. The quiet began to suffocate him, so he attempted to get some more info off of her.

“How long has your resentment for her stewed within you?” She completely halted her movements, with the veil still covering her features he couldn’t get a reading on how she was feeling. She resumes to walk forward, her answer finally coming to light a few moments after.

“Ever since someone's corpse showed up at my doorstep without ceremony.” That is all she gave.

‘Must have been a close friend or relative, I can understand though. Regrettably.’

He is content with the answer ultimately, but one more question plagued his mind.

“After you scrambled what little sanity I had left, you mentioned that the reason was to ensure I was really myself. Are you implying what I think you’re implying?”

“If you’re thinking of Miranda being a shapeshifter, then yes. She is clever to keep this particular ability to herself. Had she not, we would be much more careful who we let into our territories. Not that you had to worry about that, you never let anyone in your little man cave.”

“I never thought your dolls would be anything more then something to scare away your enemies.”

“Glad I could surprise you with something positive.”

“I better not find any of your little spies in my factory, otherwise we’ll have a real problem.”

“Would never even dream of it, I would probably kneel over with your horrendous sense of style.”

The rest of the way is spent in silence, neither breaking stride to reach their destination, which is where Chris and Heisenberg split up. Once they arrive, the Duke is still waiting there, ready to greet them with open arms.

“Well, well. You actually returned with Donna, and here I thought you would give in to your more…’destructive’ instincts.”

“Why so little faith in me? That hurts Duke, it really does.” He removes the flask from his coat then presents it to Duke. “All jokes aside, Donna has allowed me to bring back the flask, treat it well.” The Duke proceeds to place the flask inside of his cart, along with the first one.

“You’ve done well to let Donna live Heisenberg, I’m proud of you.”

Just as the lord was about to respond, a loud roar echoed from the reservoirs direction.

“Now is not the time for pleasantries, it seems Moreau is having quite the time with your friends company, you ought to hurry if you wish to have him in one piece.”

“I could take my time getting over there...you know what fuck it.” He sprints to the reservoir, leaving Donna behind with the merchant.

“He is quite the hot head, right Duke?” He chuckles knowingly.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chris was not having a good time right now, granted he had far worse experiences then this, but that didn’t mean it was easy by any means. It was an intense game of cat and mouse when it came to Moreau, his only saving grace being that the lord is restricted to underwater. At least he didn’t lose the flask during the whole ordeal, it has been secured within a small pouch attached to his belt.

‘It will all be worth it once I bring the Winters family to safety.’

With the massive body of water being drained, the way out that Moreau foolishly mentioned should now be unsubmerged in the murky depths, all that remained as an obstacle now was the lord himself. It would be so easy to just kill him, but he had to play along to Heisenbergs request to a T, risking the lives of his friend along with his child simply wouldn’t do at all.

‘I’m almost there Ethan, just hold on for a little longer.’

The ground is extremely mushy to walk on, he could feel his boot partially sinking underneath with every step he took, it made for an unpleasant trek to the exit. The sheer amount of dilapidated buildings being revealed from the drained reservoir paints a grim picture of what went on in this area. Did they flood this place for their own ends? Or did it all just sink one day and they didn’t bother to rebuild? Luckily it wasn’t so bad as to hopelessly cut him off from his escape route, he could see the exit, the only problem was the massive wall of hardened sludge that is commonly found within the territory. Not to mention he would have to commit to trapping himself in the pit it was confined in.

‘I don’t nearly have enough firepower to bust through a barrier like that.’

Suddenly with absolutely no warning, he is grabbed and pulled by an enormous scaly hand. He is held to the face of his assailant, the now mutated lord. The snarl he gutters out sounds like he is choking on his own fluids.

“Where did you take my sister!?” He is thrown at a nearby pile of rotten wood, completely shattering every piece. Without missing a beat Moreau bulldozes his way to him, intent on finishing him off. Chris quickly rolls out of the way of the charging fish monster, whose crash obliterated what was left at the point of impact.

“I won’t let you hurt mamas new child!”

‘He talks like it is alive...is it?’

He didn’t have time to dwell on those thoughts, right now he needs to fight back, starting with his rifle. The bullets don’t seem to do too much against the fish monstrosity, at least not directly on the face, they only seem to inconvenience him at worst, he concluded that he would have to find a softer area to hit him. The lord starts to gag, the convulsing reaching its peak just before he spits out concentrated acid at him, to which Chris quickly dives out of the way. He hides behind cover, looking over the arena he was forced into. So far, his best bet to effectively hurt him is the barrels full of gunpowder that were so generously spread throughout the area, with that realization, he put his flimsy plan to action.

“Just hold still! I want her to be proud of me!” Moreau slides with all his might to get to Chris, who is running around corners to get him into the ideal position for a blast to the face.

‘Almost there...come get some you supersized seafood.’

He shoots the barrel as Moreau passes it by, the hail mary of sharp wood pieces bounces off his head harmlessly, but pierces his soft underbelly, Chris himself was also unlucky enough to be impacted by some of the shards as well. The lords screams of pain were not of this world, it is more befitting coming from an eldritch abomination then an oversized fish.

“Mama, help me kill him! Please!”

‘I doubt she is coming for you.’

With a new weakness identified he made sure every one of his bullets hit the soft part of his body, which is paying off immensely.

“He’s hurting me mama! Where are you!?” He is flinging acid everywhere now, including straight up into the air, which is foolish on his part, it only gave Chris clear shots, though he almost got doused a few times, only having a few drops singe his clothing and skin. Moreau is now in an uncontrollable rage, he no longer cares for his own wellbeing and is bursting through any barrier between him and his target. This gave Chris no time to take anymore accurate pot shots at him, so he opted for a different tactic. He pulls out a single grenade from his person, and pulls the pin, with the lord hot on his heels he would need to time it perfectly. He drops it to his feet, then as Moreau slides himself over it, it explodes. He flops onto the floor in pain, holding his mid area in a futile attempt to make the pain stop. Chris aims his gun to finish the job, but the trigger gets jammed, no matter how hard he pressed it refused to budge. He hears wet footsteps in the distance, looking over he catches Heisenberg sauntering to them, like he owned the place. He gestures to Chris to step away from the moaning fish, and he takes his place in front of Moreau, making sure he can be all he sees.

“Well what do we have here?” The moans of pain suddenly stop.

“Has mother sent you to help me?” He couldn't stop himself from laughing heartily. If it wasn’t for him being serious, Heisenberg would have thought it was the greatest joke ever told.

“Of course not, if anything I could finish you off myself.” All of Moreaus beady eyes widened.

“W-Why!? I thought we were family.”

“We technically are, but that doesn’t mean we have to like each other.”

“But we were meant to be there for one another!” Heisenberg pinches his nose in frustration.

“How can that be true when our own ‘mother’ leaves us to die!?”

“You’re wrong! She is just not here yet! At any moment she could show up!” A sinister laugh escapes from Heisenbergs throat. He stands up and lifts his hammer above his head intent to swing it down on Moreaus head.

“W-wait, NO! MOTHER HELP ME!” The hammer strikes the mud in front of his face, the fish now hyperventilating as the fear of death begins to take hold.

“Listen Moreau.” He cups his hand on his ear. “You hear that?” It’s complete silence, not even water could be heard from anywhere.

“I-I don’t hear anything. What are you picking up?” The fear in his guttural voice is at its peak.

“Exactly, nothing.” He crouches down to eye level, a malevolent grin on his face. He whispers to him. “No one...is coming...to save you.” Moreau starts to choke on his own breath, the sobs unable to escape for a moment.

“You have it Redfield?” The soldier nods. “Let us get going then.” His hammer disintegrates the sludge wall blocking the way out.

Heisenberg ensures that Moreau can’t contact Miranda by destroying his phone, leaving the crying lord behind. If this doesn’t change his view on Miranda, then nothing will.

Chapter 21: Devilish Labels

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The ambiance on the way back is vastly different then all the other times Heisenberg has been left to his thoughts, it was more tranquil for once. Once he delivered the flasks all he had left to do was prepare for the worst, as long as Miranda was still around, he would never find peace anywhere on the planet.

“How are we going to get the last one?” Redfield abruptly asked.

Heisenberg thought long and hard about this already, and what he came up with was probably the best for everyone involved.

“We don’t. The lady is already on neutral-ish terms with us, it's just a matter of getting the pieces to the Duke to hold on to.” The soldier is bewildered at this statement.

“Any particular reason why? He doesn’t strike me as the rebellious type, nevermind playing babysitter with a couple of flasks.”

“He has access to the castle, no strings attached. Besides, we can’t do anything anyway with these pieces until they are all together. I want to save my energy for anything other then Bloodsucker, she has a tendency to throw a bitch fit if I so much as open my mouth.” He pinched the bridge of his nose tiredly. “I might have to call in a favor from Duke. He is the only one left alive with unconditional access to the castle, and he may be able to convince her to give him the last part.” ‘He could probably also…’assemble’ the pieces as well.’  

Waiting is far from Redfields list of things to do. When he last took his sweet time, a trio of innocent people got taken by a wannabe witch, thus he made his stance on the matter very clear.

“And then what? We twiddle our thumbs until we get back the finished product? Go on a fruitless search for Mirandas location? Please enlighten me on what the next move should be.”

The lord should have expected this, but for some reason he didn’t. All he knew was what he had planned for himself.

“I don’t know how you want to proceed with this sticky situation we were forced into by a common enemy, but I think that actively hunting her preferred hibernation spot will only tip her off on what I’m up to, especially with you on my heels.” Redfield fights to keep the snarl from forming on his lips.

“You better hope that my people are alright, otherwise it will be your head.”

“Heh. I know for a fact that they are as safe as can be. How do I know? They are part of Mirandas plan, for better or worse. If they were to die, then all is lost for her.” The soldiers grip tightened around his weapon, he already established that they were the target of Miranda, but not the reasons why. His frustration did little to bring him closer to his goal, so he put a lid on it for now.

“Will you go in depth on what she wants then? Or are your lips sealed on that notion too?” He growls out. Heisenberg considers spilling right then and there, but decides against it for now.

“First let us get to Duke, My mind is in the weeds right now.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Donna has never had the chance of interacting with the merchant before this day, preferring to keep to herself in all aspects of her life. The only glimpses she ever got of him were the few times he fell within the view of one of her porcelain dolls sprinkled throughout the village. In short, she doesn’t know where his loyalties lie

“I’ve heard of your transactions with my surrogate sister, though you are not what I expected out of a merchant.” Duke regards her with a warm smile, taking a lengthy drag from his cigar.

“Ha! Glad to have exceeded your expectations and then some.” His behavior was a breath of fresh air for anyone who is unfortunate enough to call this place home, even if it was a bit off putting given the circumstances as of this moment. Regardless of how she felt, Donna still found herself wondering why the man stuck around for so long, especially since the village was killed off by the lycans.

“So how did you get roped into our little schemes within our lovely little pig sty that we have called home?”

“Oh I’ve been visiting this here village long before even the first massacre that happened, Miranda is just a rather nasty storm that has decided to take residence here, and much like a storm she will one day sputter out and die, leaving behind flooded land that will slowly rebuild itself regardless of mankinds interference.” He took a big puff from his cigar, allowing himself to relax and release some of the built up resentment. “And I’m happy to believe that the chickens have finally come home to roost.”

He didn’t falter at all when talking ill of her, in fact there was well hidden contempt within his voice. Someone who was covertly enjoying merely the anticipation of Mirandas final downfall.

“You hate her as well, do you?” Duke scoffs at her obvious statement.

“How could I not? She is the root of all the problems my best patron is burdened with currently, and sadly the damage she has done to you all can not ever be undone.”

Silence reigned between them once more, Donna has gotten the confirmation that Duke is firmly against Miranda, which is all she really wanted. She reaches for the only good thing that has ever come out of this situation for her: Angie.

“You’ve been quiet for a while now. I hope nothing is wrong.” The doll springs to life in an instant.

“Why would anything be wrong!? Nobody liked Miranda anyway! The way I see it we could finally be free from pretending that we worship the ground she walks on! In fact I have a new idea! We should make a wooden life-size doll of her and set it on fire in the middle of the village! That should send a message real quick!” Donna is amused by her mini rant, that could be an event once the witch is out of their lives for good.

“Now isn’t the time or place, but I’ll get on it as soon as it is safe. That is a promise.”

“I can hardly wait! I could already hear the splintering of wood now! Maybe if we’re lucky, we could get the real thing too!” Duke chuckles to himself at the dolls enthusiasm.

“So you are the little Miss Angie I’ve heard so much about. I must say you have quite the dashing personality.”

“Donna! Why didn’t you tell me I had fans!? Such a travesty on your part!” Being ever so sympathetic, Donna ‘comforts’ Angie.

“You survived this long without them, I’m sure you can do so a bit longer.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

‘I simply can’t go on any further today.’ Miranda is still quietly suffering from her already healed wounds that were obtained the previous day, and there didn’t seem to be an end in sight. She tried to ignore the pain by focusing on her work and the reward that would come from it, but that could only be a deterrent for so long before reality comes crashing down on top of her. Not a single spot on her body was without pain and aches.

‘Of all times to get riddled with specialized bullets.’

“It will never go the way you think it will. Just let it go.” Her train of thought is violently derailed by her prisoner, the voice bashing itself within her skull without mercy. She grabs the nearest sharp instrument within her reach: a scalpel, then hurls it to her attacker. She missed her target by a large margin, the instrument flying harmlessly into the cell, but hopefully it would get the message through.

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! JUST LET ME WORK IN PEACE!” You could cut the tension with a knife. Miranda finally decided that she couldn’t take it anymore, she wanted to lash out and destroy everything in her lab so badly.

‘I can’t do this right now. No more, no more.’  

Without grace she sloppily makes for the exit of her lab to the room adjacent to it: her resting chamber.

“Hey get back here! I thought you would keep me company!” There it was again, even worse then before. Miranda didn’t even humor her with a response, only being encouraged to exit the lab to properly rest. She stumbled and tripped the entire way, simply ‘walking’ towards the steel lab door became a full journey in and of itself.

‘When the hell will it end!? It should have been cleared out of my system by now!’

The walls were closing in from all directions, never before had she ever felt so vulnerable to anything and everything. She searched through her mind looking for any solution to the mind numbing torment that she found herself in, yet came up blank every time. She slowly opens the door, the creaking sound it makes is the equivalent to nails on a chalkboard, she may go as far to say it was even worse then that.

She could see the door to her chambers at the other end of the cave-like hall, however the distance seems to keep increasing as she tries to get closer, like it was taunting her. The ground she walks on spins erratically, forcing her to lower herself to the floor in order to preserve what little balance she had left. It is like every sleepless night she ever had came back to haunt her all at once.

‘I’m so close yet it seems so far.’

Eventually she manages to get herself off the ground to continue, although she didn’t fare any better this time. Before long she finally reaches her chambers, wasting no time bursting through the door to immediately flop onto her bed. Her hope was that it would be a better day tomorrow despite all the signs pointing to the opposite result. But one can hope, it was all she had left.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

By the time the two men had almost reached the Duke, both were mentally exhausted for very different reasons. One for the amount of risks he was taking to ensure that Miranda had no allies while he added to his own, and the other for the unknown status of his friend along with an infant. To say the least they were extremely irritable. Redfield in particular was reaching the end of his rope when it came to Heisenberg, he had done so much dirty work with him and he still has nothing to show for it.

‘He better not have been leading me along this whole time.’

They reach the top of the hill interrupting a go-nowhere conversation between Angie and Duke. The doll skittered back to her creator while the Duke greeted them from afar.

“Ah, you both made it back in one piece. Care to rest for a little bit?”

Redfield went to a lone rock to seat himself on so he could brood in silence, while Heisengberg went to inform him of the newly acquired piece.

“The last one is in our hands now.” He hesitates before continuing his string of words. “If you don’t mind...I have a special request for you.” The merchant rubs his chin in careful consideration.

“I don’t know if I can Lord Heisenberg. You have a tendency to have some pretty devilish ideas.”

The lord can understand where he is coming from. He himself isn’t too proud of some of his own ideas in the name of getting back at Miranda. Sturm for instance was one of his worst performing, yet he still continued to try and make it work out.

“It's nothing bad, I just need someone to go in the castle and get Lady Bloodsucker to unite the final piece with the rest. Given her relationship with these flasks, it shouldn’t be too hard at all.” Duke can see where this is going from a mile away. He makes sure that the others won’t be able to pick up on their conversation.

“That is a pretty big ask Karl, I’m not sure if she will let her part go anywhere outside the castle.”

“I’m not asking you to bring them back here.” The realization slowly dawns over the merchant.

“Are you sure about this course of action?”

“No. But this is all I can come up with right now. They are not mine to look after to begin with.”

“Well I’ll do as you asked, but first I want to personally have a few words with your friend. Can you bring him over to me so he and I can speak in private?” The soldier in question was still away on his little rock in silent contempt towards the world.

“Hey soldier boy! Over here.” Heisenberg retreats and joins Donna once Redfield reaches the merchant, who puts out his cigar by flicking it perfectly into an ashtray.

“I don’t believe we have ever been properly introduced to one another sir. My name is Duke.” He held out an arm for the soldier to shake, to which he cautiously accepted. 

“Chris.”

“Charmed to meet you. Now onto business. Do you have the third piece?” The soldier retrieves the flask from the safety of its pouch and hands it to Duke. “Excellent, you’ve both done well in making sure they stay unharmed, but now I must ask you this. Has Heisenberg told you the location of your charges?” He begins to wipe the flask clean of its dirt and grime with a rag.

“No he didn’t. The only hint I got so far was that I wouldn’t like what I heard.” Duke grimaces. 

“I’m afraid you don’t know how right he is.” He passes him back the cleaned flask, with its label facing upwards to Chris, making it impossible to ignore.

His features became completely devoid of emotion, not even a physical reaction, just cold silence. He tries to swallow the lump forming in his throat to no avail, his breathing increases rapidly making him become light headed.

“So...what am I supposed to be looking at here?” Chris is doing his utmost to not do anything rash.

“The handiwork of everyones least favorite mayor. Miranda has split an infant into four separate pieces and stored them in these flasks.” Chris' hands begin to tremble, as a raging fire sparks within his eyes. “It is all her doing, I promise you that. None of the lords had any say in what happened."

“The fact that they let her is enough.” He snarled.

“Do not fret, this can be reversed. All that needs to happen is to unite the flasks, and she will become whole once more. I promise you it will end well.”

“It all comes together now; I would catch someone referring to these flasks as a living being, come to find out that I had only part of who I was looking for the whole fucking time.” His trigger finger itches with great intensity. “How can I trust that you are telling the truth? Reversing this can’t be as easy as you describe it to be.”

“I don’t know what I can say or do to ease your mind. All I can offer you is my honor as a merchant who has the best interests in mind for his patrons.”

“There is something else you are not telling me, and you know who I’m referring to.”

“One thing at a time Chris, go too fast and you may crash and burn.” He scratches his chin while pondering on how to get him to a more stable state of mind, then he gets an idea. He reaches behind him and brings out his golden owl sigil. “Here, take this.” Chris snatches the sigil from his hands, scrutinizing it for any hidden details. He finds none.

“What do you want me to have this for?”

“You will go to the castle with me, this will show that you are my escort.”

“The very same that houses the last...part of Rosemary?” His eyes narrow suspiciously. Duke only nods in confirmation. “You know what? Fine. Just tell me what I need to do.” The merchant gestures to the flask, silently asking for its return. Chris lets his gaze linger on the object taking in the details one last time before it disappears within Dukes cart.

‘I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I will do all I can to see that you are returned home. Along with your father.’ After a bit more hesitation he gives her to Duke.

“Just start heading to the castle whenever you’re ready, I’ll meet you there.” The Duke closes his carriage doors, signaling to everyone that he is unavailable.

Redfield stalks straight to Heisenberg, who was having a quiet conversation with Donna and her little demon. He only had one question burning the whole of his mind.

“What does she want with them?” He asked deceptively calmly. The lord deliberately turns to face him.

“Huh. I’m surprised you didn’t decide to throttle me first.”

“I want nothing more, but where would that leave us?” He snapped back.

“Fair enough. And to answer your question, the short version is that she wants to bring back her own daughter by planting her consciousness within another body. No idea if it is actually possible but pfft here we are.” Saying it was a crazy plan is putting it mildly.

“So this all stems from losing her child?”

“To put it bluntly, yes.”

With the motivation now coming to light, he could move on to focusing on bringing back Rosemary from her shattered state. The mere thought of what happened to her brought his already burning hatred for Miranda to reach new heights that shouldn’t be possible.

“Interesting…” The soldier is about to begin his march to the castle but halts when he notices that all traces of the massive man have disappeared. Not even his equally massive cart remained.

‘What are you?’ He proceeds to the castle, hoping against hope that this will all end soon enough without any more complications.

Notes:

Sorry for the delay. Things have been a little hectic right now. Nothing bad, just a bunch of occurrences that require my attention and then leave me exhausted by the end of it all.

On a different note, I'm well aware that this is FAR from the greatest story ever written, but to those who read it. You have my thanks, and always will with every time you return to it.

Chapter 22: Losing Heat

Notes:

No excuse this time, just sort of burned out from last chapter. Didn't pick up writing again until recently, and I'm terribly sorry for any worries the unannounced hiatus might have brought. Hopefully the quality isn't affected too much.

Chapter Text

In the castle dungeons the sound of metal meeting metal echoes through the dark and damp halls, with two of the Dimitrescu daughters being the sources of such noise. The blond one observes as a bored referee, clearly not caring what they do to each other as none of them would ever inflict permanent harm to one another. No, what she is keeping tabs on was where they took their fight, oftentimes they would begin on one side of the castle and end up at the other with obliviousness rivaling even Moreau.

“Hey! Other way you animals!” Right now she was keeping them in the more unimportant areas of the basements, which was pretty much anywhere that didn’t have any bloodwine, whether or not they were bottled.

‘Wait, what is wrong with me? We can’t afford to waste our energy on violent quarrels or spars!’

“Can you please wrap it up soon? I don’t know if you remember, but we don’t exactly have the means of restoring our resources anymore.”

Belas' concern went right over Danielas head, she is too distracted by the fight to pay her any mind, however the effect was instantaneous on Cassandra, who immediately sought to end the little skirmish. In the midst of Danielas swing, she tightly grips her wrist putting it to a dead stop, much to the confusion of the red head. 

“No more, I forfeit.” She simply stated while releasing her grip. Her opponent freezes upon the surrender, it was completely out of nowhere under normal circumstances.

“You aren’t pulling my leg are you?” The red head is still somehow oblivious to the dire situation at hand. The brunette growled as her frustration towards her dim sister built up, rubbing back her hair while Bela intervened before she could punt Daniela.

“We are alone in this castle. No maids. No villagers. If we are to see the next decade we will have to be much more mindful of our actions, otherwise we will eventually starve to death.”

“Well that shouldn’t be too hard, we have plenty to last us at least a good year or two.” The naiveness is painful for the blond to deal with.

“You fail to account for any potential injuries or disasters that might occur within that massive time frame. For all we know the supply could be lost tomorrow in some unfortunate accident.”

“You’re being overdramatic, give it a few months and everything will be back to normal.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

Daniela sputters for a rebuttal, but nothing comes out but incomprehensible sounds.

“N-Now you are just being unfair! We have such a huge window of time for newcomers to work for us!”

“And who is going to lead them here? Us? We can’t go anywhere for most of the year, not to mention our lack of knowing what's outside. Mother? She is in the same boat as us, spending all her time caring for us and generating the village's income. Well?... What is your brilliant suggestion? I'm just dying to hear it for myself.” A sarcastic smile forms, which serves to pour salt on the wound.

Daniela just stared, silently trying to come up with a suitable rebuttal but all she could dig up was a naive hope for normalcy.

“...Can we just pretend everything is alright for a little longer?” All she received was disappointed glares from both her sisters which burned out what little confidence she had left. “Fine, you win.” She solemnly walks away, exiting the maze-like basement without uttering another word to them. A pit forms in Bela's stomach as the red head disappears from sight.

‘It was something she needed to get through her skull, regardless of how demoralizing it could be’

The blonde turns the opposite way to head deeper into the basement, motioning for Cassandra to follow.

“Can you help me count what we have left?” Cassandra looks to where Daniela left, pondering if she should follow her to keep her in check before facing Bela again.

“Sure.” Bela took note of her uneasy tone, reassuring her by placing her hand on her shoulder.

“She’ll be alright, just give her some time to calm down.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The halls are different when no maids are flowing all over the place, even more so when you realize they might never come back. She can see it now, this could become the new normal. What a terrible fate this could lead to if they are not careful, which is made worse once the boredom kicks in from the lack of variety that comes with maids coming and going all over the castle.

‘Will we be forced to leave?’

If the prospect of leaving was under much better circumstances, she would jump up and down thinking of all the unique places that could appear behind the mountains. These thoughts were originally under the security of having a home to come back to if things become too much for her to handle by herself, but now she doesn’t even have that anymore. Everything changed once Ethan arrived, not that she blamed him, it was very clear that he had no control over the situation. She shivers; the temperature within the entire castle has been dropping recently. She eventually found herself standing in front of the fireplace within the main hall, its dying flames signaling that they needed refueling soon.

‘Seriously? Where are the...oh, right. I suppose I should keep the blaze going then.’

Gathering the required material feels foreign, and out of place. She resurrects the flames rather bitterly, she shouldn’t be the one doing this, yet here she is now. 

‘We will have to keep the flames going ourselves if we are to survive in our own home.’

She slumps onto the nearby chair, soaking in as much warmth she possibly can whilst trying to keep her more pessimistic thoughts at bay in the back of her mind.

‘This is temporary. No need to panic or make it seem worse then it could end up being. Just a few years at worst, and it will all be sorted out.’

She leans back into the plush seat to allow herself to destress and blank out, retreating to better times.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Outside, the clouds have started to dissipate and part ways, allowing the sun to seep through the cracks, drenching the area in much needed warmth for the few living beings that remained trapped within the ghost town below. For Chris it is physically rejuvenating to be granted respite from the harsh cold he was subjected to, no matter how short it could be, however that same respite couldn’t save him from his inner turmoil. He adjusts the rifle in his hand, the grip slippery from both melted snow and his own sweat leaking out of his gloves.

“Rose…….this situation is so fucked up.”

The soft crunch of snow along with his thunderous deep breaths is all that fills his ears, no lycans to be seen, or wildlife to be heard. Still his eyes dart everywhere without being given a rest. Only emptiness in every direction, however that doesn’t mean he is going to let his guard down, if anything he is raising it. Everything is a threat now, the empty houses, the outhouses, the open barrels, even the lonely lump in the snow is now a credible risk with such potent silence. He thinks back to the sigil Duke has given him; it is more then likely his only key to secure Rose without further risking the Winters family.

‘Stop being paranoid Chris, you can only fuck up from it.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“This fucking bites.” Cassandra mumbles to herself as she finishes up helping her sister in the storage area.

“I can hear you. Quit the bellyaching and tell how many you counted.” The brunette felt sheepish being heard.

“I don’t know why I agreed to help you, I would have just taken my chances sticking by Daniela if I knew it would be this tedious.”

“Just tell me the damn number.”

“Lost count somewhere in the hundreds.” She said in the most unapologetic tone she could muster up. A crooked smile forms on Belas' features.

“It is still a number to work with.” Her strained tone barely concealed. “Since I don’t want to go through hell counting everything again. I’ll just say we have over three hundred. I think?” She observes the shelves filled with bloodwine. She quickly decided that the count can wait until tomorrow, or even better, never. “How do the maids do this every week without going insane?” Truthfully, she lost count herself.

“Can we get out of here now? The torches are burning out.”

“...You know what? I agree.”

Leaving the cellar is comforting for the simple reason it is much cleaner up top, however it wouldn’t last. Everything is getting colder, and the only salvation to be seen is the inviting glow coming from the main hall, and it delivers tenfold. The effect is instantaneous, the biting cold being dealt with brought great relief despite themselves being restricted to this one room. Both joined Daniela by the fire, who seemed to have calmed down considerably since they last saw her.

“At least we can dust off those old coats we have.” The red head abruptly said to them. Cassandra visibly cringed at that small statement.

“I forgot we had those cumbersome burdens we call coats.” She grumbles to no one in particular. “So heavy and itchy.” Shivers go down her spine at the thought of having to wear one again.

“Well I for one look forward to seeing you suffer because of your clothing; it will be a glorious sight to point and laugh at.” Daniela giggles in anticipation of the near future.

“I won’t give you the pleasure, I’ll stay here for the rest of my life just to spite you.” In a petty act of defiance, she sat down on the floor with both legs and arms crossed. Bela got a kick out of it, chuckling at the childish gimmicks they fell back into.

“You say that now, but once mother comes out you’ll be singing a whole different tune.” The blond points out to her smugly while the unruly girl pouts.

“I hate when you’re right.” The smirk disappeared not long after.

“All jokes aside, we will have to keep up with the temperature until we can replace the bodies we have lost.” Her gaze glows yellow then pierces through Cassandras soul, who was about to protest but quickly backed down. “Starting with wearing our more insulated outfits.”

Cassandra groans in an exaggerated manner as she falls back completely, Daniela just laughs at her misfortune.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Chris’ paranoia didn’t pay off this time, just him and his thoughts for now, and thankfully it wouldn’t last much longer. Just in front of the castle's entrance is where Dukes cart can be seen, and it appears to be completely intact. He almost made the mistake of calling out to him, though his senses quickly stopped him from doing anything stupid. He carefully closes the distance, making sure there was nothing around as he goes to knock on the carriage door. It suddenly opens when his hand is only inches from making contact, forcing him to suddenly jump back, almost falling over.

“You made it in one piece, and without any additional blemishes as well.” Duke excitedly pointed out. “Now I know you want to hurry along with your personal mission, but you must appear as non-threatening as possible, first and foremost, your weaponry.” Chris reacts accordingly.

“Let me stop you there, how do you expect me to go into an unknown situation without any means of defending myself!” Duke is unamused by his protest.

“It comes down to a simple question. Do you want to do this the easy way or the hard way? If your answer is the former, then giving up your weapons will be the fastest way to go about it. Not to mention the potential innocents that could get caught in the crossfire.”

“And you expect me to just do as you say?”

“I don’t, you can ignore everything I tell you if you wanted, however I think you would want the best chance at getting the little one back in a single piece, correct?” Chris grimaces, he knew he was right.

“Anything else you had in mind?” Duke chuckles and reaches behind himself to fetch something within his cart. He pulls out a set of neatly folded clothes, which turned out to be a familiar outfit.

“Wha- how did you get this!?” It was the same set of clothes he wore when he evacuated Ethan and his daughter from their home.

“Now that would be giving away my methods sir Redfield, and I wouldn’t want to make myself predictable now would I?” The soldier growls at his teasing statement, snatching his outfit from the merchants hands. “I will have to ask you to surrender your firearms before going inside the castle, and to also change into a more...casual appearance. Once you do that you will be ready to enter, just make sure that my sigil can be easily visible before you head inside.” He closes his carriage doors.

“You...drive a hard bargain.” He forcibly utters.

‘Swallow your pride, this isn’t the first time you had to dress up pretty.’

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Inside the cart, Duke brings out one of his signature cigars, lighting it with a lit candle. He closes his eyes as he takes a long drag, he can feel himself relaxing as the smoke fills his lungs. He holds it for a second or two before letting it out, the cloud filling his cart then dissipating. Opening his eyes, he found himself in his usual room within the castle, with all his inventory coming along with him. He fishes out a comically small bell from his pocket before ringing it, signaling his arrival for his favorite patron.

Chapter 23: Favorable Merchant

Chapter Text

The little chime of the Dukes bell traveled to the main hall where it promptly died out, just enough for the sisters to pick up. A bit of a surprise considering the circumstances.

“I guess the monsters didn’t get everyone, and lucky for us the fat man was spared.” Bela whispers to herself.

“Anyone want to greet him? Not that I’m offering to, I don’t want to move.” Cassandra lays on the carpeted part on the floor, staring unblinkingly at the ceiling. Daniela shot up from her seat to take on the opportunity.

“I can do it!” She leaves no room for argument, as she hurriedly goes down the hall to where his emporium is usually placed. The sister's gaze remains locked onto the red head until she disappears from view.

“Heh, I knew she would volunteer, so predictable sometimes.” Cassandra chuckles to herself.

“Yes, a lovely turn of events on a small scale.” Bela quips as she stretches out the stiffness of her body. “Of course, we should fetch mother, she would want to know his purpose for being here.”

“By ‘we’ you mean ‘you’. Right?” The brunette asked, finally moving just to steal the seat Daniela left behind. Blondie responded with the most soul piercing glare she could manage, which unsettled her brunette counterpart greatly. “You know what, yes. We should go together.” Bela regains her smile immediately.

“That's what I thought. Though we should warm up a bit more first, maybe until Dani comes back.”

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Duke listens to the footsteps rapidly getting closer to his room, it greatly amuses him that he knew exactly who was about to greet him by the simplest of sounds. The door flies open with his expected guest.

“Why didn’t you inform us that you were stopping by today!?” A ghost of a frown forms on Dukes lips, but quickly reverts back to his trademark grin.

“Now, now, I’m aware that my sudden visit has been rather rude, especially with the mess that has befallen unto your village, but I came on incredibly short notice. I had to see if my patron and her family were okay. Adopted or not.”

“Well… glad to have you back under our roof, even in these strange times we find ourselves in.”

“Hm, likewise Miss Daniela.” The girl visibly relaxed a bit, although she is still very much on edge.

“I’m glad you came; it is a break from the monotonous day to day here. Especially since we lost all of our maids.” Duke raised his brow, concern bubbling to the surface.

“I’m sorry, did you say you have no more maids? Absolutely zero?” His grin disappears, replaced with worry. He thought the castle would be safe from the massacre. Daniela stiffens once again.

“Yes unfortunately. However, we do have a fair supply of food for ourselves.” This was a bandaid on a gaping wound to him.

“Hopefully this gets resolved quickly, I hate to think what could happen to you all under prolonged isolation.” 

“We’ll be fine in the long term! This is just a small bump on the road! Not long from now it will be like nothing ever happened!” The last of her denial bursts out without any resistance, she barely processes that she has shouted at the man. She quickly tries to rectify her mistake. “I’m sorry! It just slipped out! I’m very stressed right now!” It upset Duke to see her break down so quickly with only herself making a cosmically insignificant ‘error’. He quickly reassures her to halt the incoming string of sorrys.

“No need to apologize, I understand that you all have entered stressful times. I wouldn’t know what I would do, if anything shouting would be the minimum I should expect from anyone.” Words could never describe how grateful she is for Dukes patience. Without it, all would have been lost long ago.

“You have always been one of the good ones.” The tenseness of her body melts away. “I suppose you want me to let mother know of your surprise visit.”

“Would you kindly? I need to discuss something with her very soon.” Daniela quickly proceeds to exit the door. “Hold on just a moment.” She freezes on the spot, then turns to face him.

“Please bring this to your ‘guest’. I’m sure he will appreciate it.” In his hands was a strange object, rectangular in shape with small buttons on its sides. So far it looked useless, but what does she know, it could be more then a fancy paperweight. Then it dawns on her.

“You know who he is. Don’t you?”

“I never forget my patrons; I’ve known him all his life.”

“Really now? All his life? As in you knew him from infancy?” Of course he had a hand to play with his arrival.

“Oh yes.” Daniela doesn’t know what to say. Frankly she heard enough for now.

“I-I’ll summon mother and bring this thing to him. Thank you, Duke.” She went out without any further distractions.

The cold made things much harder, though thankfully it hasn’t reached lethal levels as of yet. She takes a quick detour to return to her sisters, who stood up once they noticed her approaching.

“That didn’t take long. I would have assumed you would be yapping his ear off like all the other times.” Cassandra unsurprisingly decides to tease Daniela.

“Hmph, at least he likes me more then you!”

“Don’t see why I should care that he is picking favorites.” Bela gets between them before it could escalate.

“Time and place, and neither is here. Can we get a move on?” Both nodded then followed.

They all huddled together as close as possible without tripping over each others feet, trying their utmost to preserve the little heat they had left. Sadly, it didn’t last too long. Standing in front of the matriarchs door, Daniela volunteers to get Alcinas attention with a quick knock on the door.

“Mother, the Duke is here. And he wants an audience with you. He never mentioned what for, but based on his tone, I think it is of utmost importance that you find out.”

Quiet shuffling can be heard from within, becoming louder as it gets closer. The door opens with an ominous creak. Alcina comes through and stands tall.

“Duke shows up without an advanced notice, and doesn’t give the reason why? How rude.” The red head backpedals her words a bit.

“Well, he also said he was concerned about us since the attack on the village, I guess I didn’t think about any other motives on why he could have come.” She quickly explains.

“Hmph, quite the charmer he is. Alright, I’ll go see what he wants. But first.” She re-enters her room to resurrect the dead fireplace.” I must ensure your wellbeing. Stay inside here, and don’t come out until I’m back.” She gracefully leaves them to their own devices.

“Yes mother.” They all said in unison. Upon slipping in they simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, gathering around the fire like moths to a flame. Soon after Daniela broke away from the group, looking at the lump on the bed. Ethan. She feels her pocket for the weird object that belonged to him, it is still there. She places it on the end table besides the bed, then rejoins her sisters.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The darkened halls signify not just the lack of light, but also the lack of heat that comes with it.

‘How have I allowed myself to be so blinded by her?’

Hindsight has always been the greatest enemy in her life, and now it was only proving to be an even bigger obstacle to her health. Only this time, it isn’t just her who will suffer the consequences of her foolish actions.

‘I should have resisted the order to fire all of my maids.’

But then again, how would she do it? And how would she fend off increased pressure by the woman who had them all in her iron grip? Maybe if she didn’t have anything to lose, she would have behaved differently.

‘I would be an even worse monster then I am now.’

She pushed out those horrible ‘what ifs’ out of her mind. The door to the Dukes room is before her, she found herself hesitating to open it. What he would want is a complete mystery to her, she didn’t have anything important to trade as of yet, and her wine operation has completely ceased now that she didn't have the resources to do it. She mentally prepares herself and walks through the door.

“Ah, if it isn’t Lady Dimitrescu herself. So glad to see you in good health after the horrid events that have happened recently.” She grabs a nearby chair and moves it closer to Duke, taking her seat right after.

“Yes, things have not been going as well as I have hoped. The events of yesterday and today rendered me more then a bit drained. I had hoped it would pass by now, however that wish hasn’t come to fruition.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, however I’m still confident that your situation can change for the better.”

“I fail to see how at this time, but I enjoy your sense of optimism.”

“I’m here to please. Now, on to the primary reason I’ve requested you personally.” He gestures to the medium sized bag laying on the desk in front of him. “Inside that bag is the youngest of the Winters family, at least most of her.” Alcina stiffened, her undivided attention now resting on Duke. “I can reverse this condition, make her whole again. All I need left is the piece entrusted to you, then you will be able to hold her in your arms at last.” She wasn't expecting this to have come out from him.

She carefully leans forward to open the bag, sure enough, all three of the flasks were inside. She can feel a lump forming in her throat.

“How did you get these?”

“It matters not, but know that it was through peaceful means with a few hiccups here and there. Even Heisenberg was the first to agree to hand over his part.” An empty chuckle escaped her lips.

‘Another reason to hate the fool a little less.’

"He still surprises me. For better or worse.” She lifts up one of the flasks, caressing it. “You mentioned bringing her back from this state?”

“Of course, that is ultimately up to you. If you think that now is not the best time, then feel free to delay the procedure, I won’t force your hand.” Alcina gently removes the flasks from the bag, placing them next to one another on the desk. She then stands up and walks towards the door.

“I’ll retrieve my piece for you.” She exits without further elaboration. The Duke smiles as the door closes.

‘I do love family reunions.’