The Loners Ch. 25

Alan...no, Dracula had brought her back to life. Dracula was holding her...she had been with Dracula the entire time. Now it all made sense. Alan had been the new incarnation of Dracula, who had been in his infancy.

"I'm so sorry Rachel!" Alan exclaimed as he held her tightly.

Rachel wrapped her arms around Alan. It had to be a dream. This couldn't be real. Yet, Dracula felt warm in her arms. Dracula's arms felt warm around her.

The moment was broken when the front doors flew open, and both Lord Constantine and Benjamin emerged through the doors.

All eyes turned to Lord Constantine as he stared at Alan, stunned. He had to be sure. He had to be sure that he wasn't going crazy. But, seeing was believing. And he had to see it to believe it. Now he could. Dracula was right there, holding Rachel in his arms.

Lord Constantine fell to one knee, and lowered his head. Benjamin saw this and did the same.

"I pledge my allegiance to you, Lord Dracula." He announced as the other Lords followed suit.

"Dracula...?" Alan stammered as he watched everyone kneel before him.

Rachel separated herself from Alan to look into his eyes. "Yes." She answered him as Alan turned to her.

"You...you are Dracula. You bringing me back to life proves it. You are the Lord of all vampires...the most powerful vampire of all...Lord Dracula."

One however, had not fallen to one knee. Lord Caleb's eyes flew around the room in disbelief.

"No! What are you all doing!? How can you bow to this...boy!?" He was supposed to become the next Dracula. He had trained and worked for years to become the next Dracula. And now this...newborn was supposed to be the one he bowed to!?

The idea was inconceivable to Caleb, who turned to Alan and Rachel.

"You...you don't deserve it!" Caleb spat. "I will never bow to you!" He shouted as he drew his sword.

"I was the one who killed the previous Dracula, and once I kill you, then all will know that I am the greatest of all! That I am the one that all should bow before!" Caleb shouted as he jumped at Alan and Rachel.

The admission had caused all of the other Lord's eyes to widen. Caleb had been the one who killed the previous Dracula!? That explains why no one had ever found a clear answer as to how Dracula had died.

Alan's reaction was instantaneous. He met Caleb's charge head on, and before Caleb could react, Alan grabbed his face, and slammed Caleb head first into the floor.

Caleb grunted in pain, and he dropped his sword as his hands flew to his head as he growled and shook on the floor.

"You..." Alan began. "You betrayed Rachel's trust. You killed Katie...and nearly took Rachel away from me forever. I...will never forgive you." Alan said darkly as he went to pick up the sword that Caleb dropped.

Caleb opened his eyes as Alan stood above him, his own sword pointed directly at him.

"Die!" Alan shouted, but before he could thrust his sword down on Caleb, Rachel had moved in the way, and spread her arms.

"Stop!" She shouted, as Alan did so.

"Rachel? What are you doing!?"

"Protecting you!"

"But...he-"

"I know what he did! Believe me, I know! But...I can see it. What you are about to do...it isn't for Katie. It isn't for justice, or peace, or even for me! What you are about to do is only to quell your own hate!"

Alan blinked at those words, having heard something similar to that before.

"I'm not saying he should walk free. I want to see him answer for his crimes as much as you. As Dracula, it probably falls to you to carry out his sentence. But, I don't want you to do it like this, full of hate."

The other Lords watched the exchange, not daring to try and intervene, and suffer Dracula's wrath. Whatever Dracula decided was final.

"But..." Alan then remembered where he had heard that line of thought before. It was from one of his favorite series, Full Metal Alchemist. Like himself, a character in the series, Colonel Mustang, had been in pursuit of vengeance for the murder of his best friend, Lt. Colonel Hughes.

Mustang, throughout the series, had attempted to track down the culprit, and finally did so when he caught up to Envy, one of the villains of the series. Mustang had brutally attacked Envy with no mercy, but was stopped from delivering the final blow by the ones closest to him, who didn't want to see him go down a path of vengeance.

Alan struggled within himself, and finally, lowered his sword, to Rachel's great relief.

"Thank you." She whispered. At long last, she had reached him. The irony was not lost on her. She originally hoped that Alan would be the one to save her from her hate, but instead, she had saved him. Not only that, but he, Dracula, the most powerful vampire, was the one that she had saved.

Caleb spat at this. "I don't need any help from the likes of you!" He shouted as he tried to rise and attack Rachel while her back was to him.

Alan intercepted him before Caleb could reach Rachel, and kicked Caleb in the chest, causing him to skid across the ground.

"So...what now?" Alan asked.

"Ask the other Lords." Rachel said. "Let them decide what Caleb deserves."

Alan's eyes scanned the room, finding all of the other Lords staring at him. Alan wasn't used to this kind of thing. Being in the center of attention. However, there was important business to take care of.

"Rachel is right." He announced. "You all are still Lords, and that means you have a say in this. What do you think?" Alan asked.

"I have a question before all of that, if you will allow it, Lord Dracula." Lord Constantine asked, awaiting Dracula's response.

Alan nodded, and Lord Constantine spoke.

"Who was the one who betrayed my clan and gave you the information on how to find my island, and that I was harboring Dracula and the ones close to him? I know you didn't come across all of that information by accident." Lord Constantine directed the question at Lord Caleb, who was currently on the ground and moaning in pain.

"I can answer that." Lord Issac spoke. "It was Constantine Steven George."

"George? I know I've heard that name somewhere." Lord Constantine pondered, searching his memory.

"I know him. He's the one who botched the drug transportation in Moscow a few years back. It cost us millions all because he neglected his work to get laid."

"That George!? Now I remember! Oh, if he thought he was fucked before, he's in serious shit now. Assuming, of course, you'll allow us to pursue and punish him, Lord Dracula?" Lord Constantine asked.

Alan nodded. "Handle it however you want to."

Lord Constantine nodded. "Thank you."

"Now, about Lord Caleb, what is your decision?" Alan asked, directing the question at all of the Lords.

"Caleb has just admitted a moment ago that he had committed the greatest betrayal of all, and killed the previous Dracula. To hell with him." Lady Helen replied first, her voice bitter.

"Yes. To attack and kill a Dracula is one of the greatest crimes one can commit. He does not deserve to live." Lord Issac said next.

One by one, the other Lords all agreed, and the verdict was in. Caleb was not to be spared.

Alan nodded. "Very well." He said as he turned to where Caleb was.

Caleb's eyes had widened upon hearing all of the other Lords turn against him, and realized that he stood no chance if he remained here. He closed his eyes and attempted to jump, but he was too slow. Or rather, Dracula was too fast.

In one swift swing, Alan removed Caleb's head, and both the head and body fell to the ground separately.

Alan took a long breath as he stared at the headless corpse. At long last, it was over.

Rachel joined Alan at his side as she stared at the corpse. "So...what now?" Alan asked her.

"You're asking me? You are Dracula, it's your decision." She replied.

"Dracula...not sure I can get used to the name."

"You're going to have to, it is what you are."

"I guess...but, I still don't know what to do next. I mean...what do I do as Dracula?"

Rachel shrugged. "Just about anything you want. You can either take direct control of the entire supernatural community if you want, or, you can leave the current system in place, and allow the Lords to do so for you."

"Honestly, I think I just want to sit back quietly somewhere, and not really do anything. Well...I do want to see if I can bring either Katie, Liz, or my family back. If I brought you back, then maybe I have a chance to bring them back as well."

Rachel wasn't as optimistic about that. True, she didn't know Dracula's limits, but was sure there was a limit to who he could bring back to life. Katie's body was in the explosion at the mansion, so her body was probably in pieces at best, just as Liz's was.

As for his family...they had been dead for quite some time. But, who knows? Maybe there was some hope in there somewhere.