Castlevania: A Soul Awakens

Chapter one: Dracula Sleeps

Cover Image: Soma Cruz wearing a confused expression as Yukina Himeragi spies on him.


For almost a millennium, the evil Count Dracula, a being so powerful that he was considered God's polar opposite, terrorized the world and led the forces of Chaos against God and his children. Driven by an eternal grudge, the Prince of Darkness struck down countless innocents with his terrible powers.

But one clan of holy warriors opposed Dracula, the legendary Belmont Clan. Wielding the sacred Vampire Killer Whip, they fought the Immortal Count throughout the centuries, slaying him every time he was resurrected.

One of Dracula's greatest adversaries was none other than his own half-breed son, Alucard, who swore to honour his human mother's final wish and to protect mankind from his father. It was then he founded the Lion King Organization in order to preserve the balance between mankind and the demonic legions.

Many other clans assisted Alucard and the Belmonts. The Morris Clan, who served as the keepers of the Vampire Killer, the Belnades Clan, who used their powerful magic to aid in the struggle, and the Lecarde Clan, who acted as the key to the whip's power.

Finally, at the year 1999 A.D. Dracula met his ultimate demise at the hands of Julius Belmont and Alucard, thus ending the Dark Lord's terrible reign over humanity and his dominion over the demonic forces.

To prevent another war, Alucard and Senra Itogami established Itogami Island, a man-made island off the coast of Japan that was home to both humans and demons, knowing that with Dracula gone, maintaining balance was more important than ever.

However, all was not well, for Dracula's demise caused a power vacuum within the vampire society and many fought for the right to rule in his place. Those who were powerful enough to fight for the dark throne were the Four Progenitors, elder vampires whose influence was second only to the Immortal Count himself.

Years passed and a young man named Soma Cruz tried his hardest to live a normal life, but fate had other plans for him and in the year 2035 when the prophecy of a new Dark Lord arose, and young Soma and his childhood friend, Mina Hakuba found themselves dragged into the Solar Eclipse and Dracula's Castle and when they were attacked by a monster Soma unlocked his dormant Power of Dominance, the ability to rule over the souls of the demons he slays. Genya Arikado, who was in truth, Alucard in disguise, told Soma that in order to escape the castle alive, he had to head to the throne room.

On his way to the throne room, Soma met a missionary named Graham Jones, who claimed to be the reincarnation of Dracula and the castle's true lord after that he met the mysterious J, a man who lost his memories and feared Dracula.

Soma confronted Graham in the throne room, and after a fierce battle, defeated him. But his victory was short lived, for Dracula's Castle had found its lord, and dark power started pouring into Soma. It was then that he finally realized that he was Dracula and not Graham.

It was then that Arikado stepped in and told Soma that the only way he can prevent himself from truly becoming Dracula once more, was to sever the castle from the source of its power, the very origin of evil itself, Chaos.

Soma travelled to the centre of the castle, determined to reach the Chaotic Realm, but standing in his way was J, whose true name was Julius Belmont, the man who defeated Dracula for good. Knowing that Soma was Dracula reborn, Julius was determined to kill him so that the evil count could never resurrect again.

But Julius sensed Soma's spirit and that was enough for him to hold back and avoid killing him. Soma then had Julius make a promise to him, that if he ever became Dracula, he would kill him.

Julius agreed and now, without any reservations, Soma resolved to fight against his own fate and prevent himself from becoming Dracula and with the encouragement of Mina and all his friends, he triumphed over Chaos.


The year was 2035 A.D, a few months since Soma's fate was changed forever and a dark night fell over a burning city and Soma Cruz, a young man with chin-length white hair and grey eyes wearing a blood-stained white coat was cradling a young woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes wearing a red dress, who was impaled by a silver sword.

"Don't be sad, Soma." The young girl wore a sad smile on her face as she reached out and held the white-haired youth's cheek. "It's better this way…"

"Why… why did things end up like this?" Soma shed tears as he cradled the dying girl; his hands trembled as he felt her life fading away before his very eyes.

"What you've given me was far more precious than even my own life… you're a kind person, don't ever change….honour my last request… drink my blood" Avrora gazed lovingly into Soma's eyes as she shed some tears of her own, she tried to kiss him, but she passed away before their lips could meet.

Soma carried the deceased Avrora in his arms and her body started to glow with a blue light and that light coalesced into a glowing sphere that entered the white-haired youth's body and as per her final wish, Soma sunk his fangs into her neck.

It was at that moment, a new power entered Soma Cruz and his human life ended and he was reborn as Avrora's heir, the powerful vampire known as the Fourth Progenitor. Combined with his nature as Dracula's reincarnation, he had the potential to be the most dangerous threat the world has ever faced.


One year has passed since that fateful night and after many battles, one against a cult and other potential Dark Lords, Arikado decided to move Soma, his sister Nagisa and his mother Mimori to Itogami Island, where he can be monitored and protected.

Soma was living relatively peacefully on Itogami island with his little sister, Nagisa and he was getting used to life there, he didn't feel out of place since there were demons living among them, but one thing that made him feel uneasy was his nature as Dracula, which he didn't tell Nagisa or anyone for the matter.

Soma worked several part-time jobs since he graduated school and he needed something to keep him occupied, his parents still supported him, but he liked having the extra spending money, since he usually spent it spoiling Nagisa.

Soma never felt lonely, since he made friends on Itogami island, like Natsuki Minamiya, a teacher at Saikai Academy as well as a younger girl, Asagi Aiba, a genius hacker, though he did miss his childhood friend, Mina Hakuba, who still lived on the mainland.

It was past midnight and Soma Cruz, a young man with white hair dressed in a white coat with a blue trim, had just finished his shift at the convenience store, he wasn't sleepy or tired at all at night, which is something he attributed to being a vampire. He made his way to a vending machine to buy coffee, when he got the feeling he was being watched.

Sure enough, a young girl wearing a Saikai Academy middle school uniform, carrying a guitar case hid in an alley, watching Soma from a distance.

Soma continued to walk despite his growing unease, he knew only three groups that consisted of people that would follow him in particular, the remnants of Graham Jones' or Celia Fortner's cults or the Agency that Arikado was a part of. He hoped it was the latter since they wouldn't be after his life, but he was still suspicious.

The mysterious girl kept following him, quickening her pace to match Soma's, the girl was determined not to lose sight of him.

Soma was at a disadvantage, because past midnight there weren't exactly a lot of crowds he could lose himself in to get the mysterious girl off his tracks. Lucky for him, he saw a bar nearby and since he was of age, he was sure he could hide from her there.

"That uniform…" Soma walked into the bar and as he looked out the window to see his presumed stalker, he saw that she wore the same school uniform as Nagisa. "Is she from middle school? Nagisa's friend?" He sighed as he thought of his predicament. "Doesn't look like she's giving up anytime soon." He knew he couldn't stay out too long, or his sister would worry, so he made his way to the other exit of the bar.

But luck wasn't on Soma's side, for as soon as he opened the door, he found himself face to face with the mysterious girl, who was clever enough to wait for him by the other exit.

"Fourth Progenitor!" The mysterious girl stepped back and entered a combative stance, ready for Soma to attack her at a moment's notice. She was aware of his nature, at least half of it.

Soma was shocked that the mysterious girl knew, and he nervously looked around to see if anyone heard her.

Based on Soma's nervous and defensive reaction, the mysterious girl knew she was right, and she glared at him once in response.

"Oh! Mi dispiace! Auguri! Soma tried his hardest at an Italian accent, clearly failing at doing so. "I'm just an Italian passing through." He closed his eyes and smiled, giving the mysterious girl an exaggerated wave. "I don't know much Japanese. Ciao! Arrivederci! Grazie! Grazie!" He tried to pass himself off as a tourist, walking away in a faux jovial attitude.

"Wait a minute, Soma Cruz!" The mysterious girl saw that Soma was walking away, so she called out to him before grabbing his sleeve.

"You have the wrong person…" Soma sighed as he turned to face the mysterious girl, knowing that someone seeking him in particular was always a bad sign.

"Huh?" The mysterious girl was confused because Soma fit the description she was given.

"Try someone else, okay?" Soma gave the mysterious girl a nervous smile as he walked away.

"The wrong person?" The mysterious girl stood in shock, there was no way she was mistaken in her mind "Wh-What?"


Soma kept walking and the mysterious girl kept following, but then she was approached by two older men attempting to hit on her, rather forcefully at that.

"I swear…" Soma sighed as he watched the two men attempt to get the mysterious girl to come with them. "You're too old to be hitting on a middle-schooler…"

Soma walked away, but as the flirting and attempts at coercion became more forceful, he just couldn't leave the situation alone anymore, seeing that the mysterious girl was about Nagisa's age.

"Demon registration bands?" Soma noticed the silver bands around the two hoodlum's wrists, fearing the worst for the mysterious girl's safety.

"Come with us already, you bitch!" The first hoodlum grabbed the mysterious girl's arm, angry at her repeated refusal.

"Bastard…" Soma's eyes glowed red as he rushed at the hoodlum at the speed of sound, leaving blue afterimages behind him as he punched his opponent.

The second hoodlum tried to grab the mysterious girl, but using her magic, she hit him straight in the gut with a lightning infused strike, sending him flying.

"A therianthrope…?" Soma noticed the animalistic features on the second hoodlum's face, and he was amazed that such a small girl can strike him down.

"Are you an attack mage?" The second hoodlum glared at the mysterious girl, confused by her strong combat abilities.

It was then that Soma noticed the first hoodlum recovering from his punch and he saw the tell-tale fangs and red eyes of a vampire.

"You punks!" The vampire hoodlum stood and glared, summoning a horse familiar out of purple flames.

"He's using a familiar in a place like this?" The mysterious girl was shocked that the vampire hoodlum would summon a familiar in a public area.

"I'm killing you both, stupid couple!" The vampire hoodlum smirked as his familiar galloped.

"Spare me the bravado…" Soma's eyes glowed red as well as he summoned his "Alastor" soul, calling a large ghostly sword to his side.

"You're the one who's going to die here…" Wearing a determined look on her face, the mysterious girl produced a silver spear from her guitar case. "Sekkarou!" She extended the spear to its full length.

Curious to see what the mysterious girl was going to do, Soma just watched, knowing that if she brought a weapon like that, she knew how to use it.

"What do you expect to do with a puny lance like that?" The vampire hoodlum scoffed, perfectly confident that his familiar would make short work of the mysterious girl, despite her being armed. "Shakutei, get her!" He commanded his familiar to attack her.

With minimal effort, the mysterious girl dispatched Shakutei and returned to her combat stance, determined to finish her fight.

"It can't be…" The vampire hoodlum was shocked at Shakutei's defeat. "She eliminated my familiar so easily…"

The mysterious girl was about to finish off the vampire hoodlum when suddenly, a blue flash made its way between them and sent him flying. That blue flash was Soma, who had just punched out the vampire hoodlum.

"Soma Cruz!" The mysterious girl was shocked that he had interfered with the conclusion of her fight. She glared and jumped up to a nearby van, staring down.

"Take your friend and leave…" Soma rubbed his fist and sighed as he turned to face the vampire hoodlum. "I hope this means you won't hit on middle-schoolers again. Or use familiars in the middle of the city."

"R-Right, sorry. I owe you one." The vampire hoodlum thanked Soma for saving his life before taking his friend and running away.

"And you…" Soma turned his attention to the mysterious girl, somewhat appalled by her attempt at murder. "I get that he had it coming, but that was a bit much."

"Why did you interfere?" The mysterious girl questioned Soma, wondering why he would bother to save the life of a clear aggressor.

"Interfere?" Soma was still appalled by the mysterious girl's behaviour. "I think it's normal to stop a fight when you see one."

"No normal person can move as fast as you can." The mysterious girl held up her spear as she defended her actions. "And he used magic in a public area and even used a are clear violations of the sacred treaty. No one would object if her were killed."

"Still, murder is murder… and you have your whole life ahead of you." Soma's big brother instincts kicked in; he couldn't help but see his sister Nagisa in young girls. "Wasting it in prison is not an option…"

"You're strange…" The mysterious girl retracted her spear and sighed, she never expected the dreaded Fourth Progenitor to be so soft at heart. She blushed though, as her stomach started to rumble.

"Are you hungry?" Soma blinked as he asked, he saw no harm in treating her to a midnight meal since he just got paid for his part-time job and he himself hasn't eaten since lunch.


Soma and the mysterious girl found themselves in a ramen shop across the town, sharing a meal together in awkward silence as their first impression was a strange one for sure.

"I'm gonna cut to the chase… who are you and why were you following me?" Soma was curious as to why the mysterious girl followed him everywhere and just how she knew his name and that he was the Fourth Progenitor.

"My name's Yukina Himeragi of the Lion King Organization." Yukina answered Soma's question frankly and bluntly. "And I was assigned to be your observer."

"Lion King Organization?" Soma had never heard that name before and what was unknown was threatening until further information was given. "And what's this about you observing me?"

"The Lion King Organization is a secret service agency established by the National Public Safety Commision and The Agency to prevent large scale magic disasters and magic terrorism. I'm a Sword Shaman and I was sent here to observe you…"

"Again, why are you observing me?" Soma was fully aware of the Lion King Organization now, but he was still in the dark about why Yukina was observing him.

"Because Progenitors themselves are on equal footing with the nation's military troops." Yukina explained her position and Soma's as well. "Naturally, that includes the Fourth Progenitor. In other words, your existence is treated the same as an act of terror or war."

"Like Dracula in the Demon Castle War of 1999…" Soma remembered both Arikado and Julius' stories about the fateful war that shook the world almost forty years ago.

"Maybe not that dangerous… Dracula stood above even the Progenitors." Yukina sighed as she remembered all the lessons she was taught about Dracula's terrifying power and influence. "Soma… what do you intend to do here? Isn't there some reason you're concealing your identity and hiding in the Demon District? For example, using Itogami Island as a foothold toward building your own dominion?"

"I don't have those kinds of ambitions…" Soma sighed at Yukina's assumption, finding it too grandiose for the simple life he wanted. "All I want is to continue living the way I was born… as a human…"

"Then why become the Fourth Progenitor in the first place?" Yukina's curiosity was piqued, she did not expect Soma to reveal that he was once human.

"Because it was forced on me a year ago…" Soma recalled his past with his predecessor and how he fulfilled her last wish by taking her place. "By the Fourth Progenitor. The previous Kaleid Blood."

"Why did the Fourth Progenitor choose you as an heir?" Yukina was shocked to hear that Soma wasn't the original Fourth Progenitor. "How did you even meet a Progenitor in the first place?"

"It's a sad memory… so I'm not comfortable sharing it just yet." Painful memories of Avora's final moments and his last promise to her were not memories he wanted to revisit, especially for the sake of telling a stranger. "Just know that I had a promise to keep…"

"I was ordered by the Lion King Organization to eliminate you if you seemed dangerous…" Yukina was honest with Soma since he seemed kind and sincere. "I think I understand why now. You don't realise what you are. You're in a very precarious position."

Soma looked away, because that wasn't the case at all, for he was far more than just a Progenitor, he was Dracula's reincarnation, and he had the potential to renew the Dark Lord's reign if he ever turned, but only a handful of people in The Agency knew that.

"But don't worry." Yukina smiled obliviously at Soma as she stated the facts. "If anything happens, I'll take care of it with Sekkarou."

"You're impossible…" Soma sighed then smiled at Yukina, finding her somewhat innocent lack of tact to be amusing, almost cute.

"What are you doing after this?" Yukina stood as she asked Soma about his current plans.

"I was going to head home… Nagisa's gonna kill me for being late, but I'll just grin and bear it." Soma chuckled nervously, knowing his spoiled little sister always worried about him.

"Home, got it." Yukina nodded as she thought of what to do next.

"Don't tell me you're gonna follow me home, too…" Soma sighed as he looked at Yukina, his concern for her sanity showing.

"Yes, do you not want me to?" Yukina was oblivious to Soma's wish for privacy, or that she was a stranger following him home.

"I'll tell Nagisa we have company…" Soma let out a defeated sigh, knowing that Yukina wouldn't back down once she made a decision. "This is gonna last forever, isn't it?"

"Of course." Yukina gave Soma a cheerful and sincere smile, oblivious to his annoyance. "I'm here to observe you"


After finishing their meal, Soma and Yukina walked back to the apartment complex. He had his reservations about letting what was effectively a court ordered stalker know where he lived, but he knew she'd find out eventually if she didn't already know.

As soon as Soma made opened the door to his apartment, he was met with Nagisa, a young girl with dark brown hair and pink eyes, who gave him an angry gaze, she was an overprotective and somewhat possessive little sister since her brother was her whole world.

"You're late, it's almost two in the morning!" Nagisa glared at Soma approaching him and poking his chest aggressively. "Do you have any idea how worried I was!?"

"I didn't think you'd be awake…" Soma smiled nervously at Nagisa, not really knowing how to answer his worried and angry sister.

"You're out late and you bring home a girl?" Nagisa clenched her fists as her glare intensified, tears welling in her eyes. "What kind of cheater are you!?"

"Hey! Don't give Yukina weird ideas about us." Soma was slightly embarrassed that his Nagisa was choosing the the most suggestive words possible. "You're my baby sister!"

"Yukina?" Nagisa's attention was immediately turned to the her, recognising her from school.

"Hello, Nagisa." Yukina smiled nervously at her, feeling uneasy after seeing the exchange between her and Soma.

"You two know each other?" Soma blinked once; he was thankful that Nagisa's short attention span got him out of her scolding.

"Yeah, we're friends and classmates." Nagisa nodded in reply, standing next to Yukina.

"I should've guessed by her uniform…" Soma smiled and closed his eyes; he was somewhat glad that he wouldn't have to introduce Nagisa to Yukina.

"You're not off the hook yet, Soma." Nagisa glared at her brother, her jealousy still present. "You're going to explain everything to me…"

All Soma could do was sigh, he was unaware of Nagisa's intense brother complex and rather possessive crush on him.

Life would never be the same for Soma again, because he was both Dracula and the Fourth Progenitor and on top of all that, the Lion King Organization sent Yukina to observe him, so now his life was far more complicated, but at least he knew one thing, he would never be alone again, for better or for worse.


Around the same time in larger, more luxurious apartment on the other side of the city, Natsuki Minamiya, a deceptively petite and youthful woman with long black hair and blue eyes dressed in a black dress, was talking to Genya Arikado, a mysterious man with black hair, black eyes dressed in a dark suit.

"The Lion King Organization has found Soma… it was only a matter of time." Arikado spoke grimly about Soma's situation. "No doubt they plan on observing or eliminating him."

"Does that bother you?" Natsuki sat across Arikado, curious to see how he would react to the situation.

"I gave Soma my word that he'd live a peaceful life here…" Arikado sighed and sat down, looking at Natsuki. "I fear that my word has been broken."

"At least other than you, I'm the only one on this island that knows he's the reincarnation of Dracula…" Natsuki reassured Arikado that Soma wasn't in any unnecessary danger.

"I have an ill feeling that it may change sooner than we think…" Arikado spoke ominously as he closed his eyes. "After all, some organizations already know he's the Fourth Progenitor…"

"You have my word that I'll protect him…" Natsuki reassured Arikado that no harm would come to Soma, she was usually so cold and composed, but she cared a great deal about the boy to the point where it could be said that she loved him. "Losing him isn't something I can handle…"

"I'm trusting you then…" Arikado nodded, he knew that Natsuki was trustworthy and more importantly that Soma meant the world to her.


After Natsuki and Arikado spoke, two people walked the streets at night, one was a tall man with blond hair clad in armoured robes with a monocle over his eye and the other was a small girl with blue hair and blue eyes, they stood over the battered bodies of the two hoodlums from earlier and walked away from the scene of the crime.


Author's notes: So, the first chapter of my newest Castlevania project is here. A Soul Awakens was originally named Strike the Soul, but it seemed like a derivative title. This story takes place two years after Aria of Sorrow and one year after Dawn of Sorrow. The plot will follow Strike the Blood's but with new villains and different arcs at times. Villains you should expect are Carmilla, Olrox, Galamoth, Bael, Dario Bossi, Sariel, Satan, and Chaos in the future and some Lovecraftian entities like Hastur and Nyarlathotep. At some point it will cross over with the Lords of Shadow universe and the Netflix universe will be referenced. The main pairing will be Soma and Yukina, but there will be other girls who fall for Soma. The girls are largely the same as Kojou Akatsuki's harem, but with the addition of Natsuki and Nagisa.

Soma's dual nature as Dracula and the Fourth Progenitor will come to play and he's possibly the most destructive force in the world, but he's confident that if he ever falls to darkness, Julius Belmont, Alucard and Yoko Belnades would kill him and restore peace. Soma uses Avrora's familiars, but isn't overly dependent on them since he has the souls he dominated in both castles and Dracula's abilities and strong natural magic that was unlocked from his soul when Avrora turned him into a vampire. So, he's more prone to using traditional vampiric abilities like enhanced speed, enhanced strength, teleportation, pyrokinesis, umbrakineses, cryokineses, hemokinesis, claws and transformation. One of Soma's most wacky and out-there familiars will be a living mecha/Gundam made from lost technology which he uses to fight the Nalakuveras.

The relationship between Soma and Yukina will be a little clearer cut and they will fall in love as the series progresses, though Soma has his reservations due to their age gap, much to Yukina's chagrin. Soma is brotherly to the harem and it really angers and upsets them at times since they want to be treated as members of the opposite sex.

Arikado serves as Soma and Nagisa's guardian and he's an old friend of their mother, Mimori. It's a running gag that people think Arikado will marry Mimori. Naturally, Arikado has no interest, but Mimori is open to the idea since she loves him. This is canon counterpart Alucard, so he's completely heterosexual or asexual.

In later arcs we'll be seeing familiar characters like Julius Belmont, Yoko Belnades, Hammer, Curtis Lang and Michelle Danasty and new faces like Dante from Devil May Cry.

And lastly, this story is planned to be as big and ambitious as Rosario of Sorrow, which I consider to be my flagship story at this point. My next story will be Rosario of the Night, which will be a prequel featuring Alucard and Akasha Bloodriver as the main pairing. I think you know what that means for Moka Akashiya's lineage.

Also, anyone reviewing with requests for crossovers will be deleted or blocked.