Warning: Slash / Yaoi, Arikado X Soma. Their relationship drives the story, so if you can't accept this pairing, please don't read this.

Disclaimer: Castlevania's characters belong to Konami.

Thanks to some feedback from reviewers, I've reworked/extended chapters 1-6. I am very glad that this story has inspired others to write on Alucard/Soma :)

Chapter 1: Overture of Sorrow

Year: 2037 (Post Dawn of Sorrow)

Sighs rattled in Soma's throat, turning into groans. An unbearable pain tore at his chest, as if something was grabbing his heart, twisting it and crushing it. He looked down and saw, to his horror, that there was a sharp wooden stake pierced through his heart. The pain began to radiate to his entire body as it burst into angry flames, the intense heat vaporizing his tears and searing his skin. As he felt his flesh dissolving, the sound of his own screaming woke him up and he bolted upright on the bed, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.

The bedroom door flung open. Genya Arikado strode in and cast a concerned look at the distraught youth sitting on the bed with his knees drawn to his chest, head buried in his hands, his hair falling over in a silvery-white mess.

"Get away from me!" he yelled, startled by the sudden presence of the man beside him.

Arikado switched on the bedside lamp, and the dim light that flooded the room calmed the youth down a little.

Soma's breath poured out from his lungs in a slow sigh. "I want to go home. I want to live a normal life."

"That is not possible at the moment. You know that." His black-suited guardian towered over him, his face cold and impenetrable.

"Why is this happening again…why me?"

Arikado said nothing at first as he leaned against the wall, pale eyes contemplating his distressed ward. Feeling a twinge of sympathy arise in him, he replied in a gentler tone.

"I understand this is a grueling time for you. You will overcome it, with my help."

Soma, however, was lost in his own thoughts, as the incident three weeks ago resurfaced into his mind.

He was taking a shortcut home from school through the woods. The sun had already set, and twilight hung from the sky like a silken veil, its fingers clasping around him. It was past the curfew imposed on him by a certain agent of the International Preternatural Defense Force, but Soma couldn't care less. Curfews were for kids, and he was already a college student. Just then, a whisper of wind crept in under his white cloak, drawing an involuntary shiver from him.

Something was there, waiting patiently for him to take notice.

Pulling his coat tighter around himself and quickening his pace, he tried to shut out the otherworldly presence; all he wanted was to get home, take a shower and study for his biology test the next day.

~Death would speak with you, Chosen One.~

His breath caught in his throat and he glanced up to see a blue-robed skeleton before him, clutching an enormous scythe between its bony fingers. Soma squinted at the grotesque figure and not-so-distant memories began to creep back into him. Death, that powerful being that had stood in his way twice. His first instinct was to search for a weapon to defend himself, but the skeleton made no move of aggression, instead hovering respectfully in front of him, awaiting his reply.

"I am listening." His own voice came out slightly unsteady.

~Would you be willing to rule the castle as my Lord?~

Those words impressed themselves directly on his mind; it was a level of communication far more direct and unambiguous than common speech.

"Why me? Again?"

~Your destiny as heir to the Dark Throne is inescapable. ~ Its tone was matter-of-fact.

"And if I say I'm not interested in being the boss of a bunch of zombies?"

He stared at the fleshless skull with its empty eye sockets that peered right into his soul, and tried to imagine what its facial expression would be like if it were human.

~Perhaps you do not understand the full extent of the power you will gain; the abilities which you have displayed in the past two years will only be a fraction of it. If you accept my offer, you will become the most formidable incarnation of the Dark Lord of all the centuries. Human technology is useless against this power, and you will be able to effortlessly enslave mankind. Eventually, you will be able to absorb the souls of all living things and use them to conquer the universe.~

"I'm sorry but I'll have to decline," he replied without a pause.

It was unperturbed.

~So be it, then. I will leave you alone from now on, and in time, you will make the right decision.~

Soma narrowed his eyes, suspicious that he had been let off the hook so easily. "I don't want any tricks from you. Don't touch my friends."

~I will not hurt those you care about.~

Before Soma could ascertain if the Grim Reaper was serious about his words, its skeletal frame had thickened into a cloud of smoke that enshrouded it and dispersed, leaving behind no trace of its presence.

Soma was left with a sick, unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach.

Since that encounter, he had been plagued by harrowing nightmares that left him waking up drenched in cold sweat. On some days he felt just like any ordinary college student, but some days were agonizing to get by. The experiences of the past two years had accustomed him to physical battles, but how was he to fend off such intangible, spiritual assaults?

"Let me go, Arikado. Keeping me here isn't the best solution."

"I'm sorry. Our intelligence network has found signs that the castle may be reappearing, and you know what trouble this will spell for all of us. It is critical that we keep you under twenty-four hours' surveillance."

"Where's Mina? Is she alright?"

"She is safe; we will make sure of that. But remember, as you are an inheritor to the Dark Lord's powers, the ones likely to suffer are those closest to you."

"I don't need your help. I can deal with this."

"Deal with what?"

"Th-this…" Soma searched for words to describe the demonic forces raging within him. The castle called to him, with its dangers and excitement; his body tingled to wield the power of Dominance once again.

"You don't even fully understand what is happening to you," the older man said, rather condescendingly.

"What I don't understand is why you're keeping me within these four walls when you know jolly well that I can fend for myself out there!"

"You have disobeyed my instructions a number of times," Arikado replied, completely sidestepping Soma's point. "Until you prove that you can behave in a responsible manner, you will have to stay here for an indefinitely period of time."

"What the hell - you've been following me again?"

"Ever since we left Celia's castle, I could sense your inner turmoil. Our foes have realized that this is something that they can exploit."

At this, the white-haired youth made no reply. The fact that the man could read him like an open book made him feel somewhat violated, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"The hunger for power can never be satiated. Succumb to it, and the fate that awaits you will be tragic."

"You have no right to talk down to me until you have defeated me in a proper battle," Soma challenged, his eyes turning intensely blue.

The dhampir cast a wordless glance at the boy. "Fighting you is the least of my priorities right now," Arikado replied coolly, adding as he walked out of the room, "If you need anything, just let my butler know."

Notes:

-Soma's encounter with Death is based off one of the scenes in the Japanese novel, Akumajou Dracula: Kabuchi no Tsuisoukyoku.

- Soma's eye color varies between games and art but I'll go with blue for this story.