- The Year of our Lord 1073 -

"It's time to go to bed, Simon."

Dressed in her nightgown and wrapped in a handmade quilt, Sypha stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching as her six-year-old son stood on top of a wooden stool in front of the window, his eyes never straying as he searched the darkened streets of the brotherhood stronghold.

"No!" Simon refused. "Not until Father is home!"

Sypha sighed. Her son had to be one of the most stubborn children she had ever met, even more so than her husband had once been. Simon always got this way whenever his father was gone from home for extended periods. Simon had always been close to his father, seeing him as a role model whom he aspired to be like. To a certain extent, she had to admit that it was endearing to see that he loved his father so much, but at the same time, it could also be troublesome.

It was troublesome because Trevor often returned home late at night. No matter what the hour was Simon always insisted on staying up until he returned, even if it meant staying up till four in the morning. She had found her son asleep on the window sill on more than one occasion. Then the boy would be tired and sore the following day.

"I know you miss him, Simon. I miss him too, but is it worth losing sleep over?" She reasoned with him. "I am sure that we will hear him and wake up when he returns."

"But what if we go to sleep and he doesn't return?!" Simon snapped, turning to look at her for the first time that evening.

Sypha's gaze softened as she noticed the fear in her son's brown eyes. Both mother and son knew there was a chance that Trevor might not return. Unlike other missions he had been sent out on, this one could very well result in death. Trevor had been sent to the castle of a powerful vampire. This vampire was known by many names such as the Prince of Darkness and the Lord of Shadow. His most well-known name was Dracula; the Dragon. However, he had one more name which was known to only a few … Gabriel Belmont … This vampire was none other than Trevor's long lost father, and Trevor had been sent to put an end to his tyranny.

She had initially begged him not to go, terrified by the idea of her husband journeying into the Land of the Vampires. Very few survived in that place. However, as she began to think about it, she realized that someone had to go and try to stop him. This man had destroyed countless villages, taking the lives of thousands of innocent people. The Brotherhood Elders claimed that Trevor was the only one who could defeat him. It couldn't be helped.

Reaching out, she pulled her young son into her arms, hugging him tightly as she heard a stray sob escape from his mouth. "Your father is one of the strongest and bravest warriors the world has ever known. If anyone can defeat Dracula, it's him," she soothed. "We must remain positive and believe that he will return to us."

She let Simon cry in her arms for a while, running a hand through his shaggy hair as she listened to his muffled sobs. She hated seeing him so upset.

Eventually, Simon pulled away to wipe his eyes, putting up a brave front. "Alright … I'll go to bed, but only if you promise to wake me as soon as Father returns."

Sypha nodded her head, taking her son by the hand and leading him up the stairs. "I promise."

When Sypha awoke the next morning, she almost rolled over and went back to sleep. The room was still just as dark as it had been when she went to bed the night before. However, she was unable to as a small voice in the back of her head urged her to get up and look out the window.

She tried to ignore it at first, feeling too comfortable to get out of bed yet, but eventually gave in as the small voice refused to leave her alone. With a yawn, she got up, slipping her feet into her slippers before crossing the room and pulling open the curtains. The sight that she was met with made her blood run cold.

The walls of the Brotherhood Stronghold were in flames! People were running about frantically in the streets below, clutching their children and what few belongings they could carry with them. It didn't take her long to realize that dawn had passed, but when she looked up at the sky she found neither sun nor moon. Somehow she knew this was Dracula's doing.

Recalling the instructions Trevor had given her before he left, she rushed to get dressed, slipping into the first dress she found, which just so happened to be the one she had worn the previous day. No sooner was she dressed then she ran out of her and Trevor's shared bedroom, dashing across the hall to her son's room. He was still fast asleep when she threw the door open.

"Simon, wake up and get dressed!" she told him, shaking him to wake up.

Slowly Simon sat up, letting out a large yawn as he stretched his little arms. He was about to greet his mother with a smile when he saw the panic-stricken look on her face.

"What's the matter, Mother?"

"The stronghold is under attack!" she explained as she began to strip Simon of his nightclothes, dressing him as quickly as she could. "We must get out of here before it is too late!"

She managed to dress him without any fuss on his part, noticing momentarily that he had slept wearing the mirror pendant his father had given him. Simon had recently reached the age where he didn't want help getting dressed anymore, believing himself to be too old for that. As soon as he was dressed, she grabbed him by the hand and hurried down the stairs and out the front door, not even bothering to stop for supplies. They couldn't afford to waste any more time, having wasted more than enough with getting dressed.

"What about Father?" Simon asked. "Where is Father?!"

Sypha honestly didn't know how to tell him. She wanted to find a way to break the news to him gently, but their current situation didn't allow her to do so. "He hasn't returned! Dracula must have killed him and is now taking his anger out on us!"

"No! That can't be true!" Simon screamed, though it was a bit drowned out by all the other screams that filled the air. "He must be out there somewhere, waiting for us to find him!" He pulled on his mother's arm for her to stop, but to no avail. She just kept on running, dragging him along with her.

Sypha didn't want to believe it either, but all the signs pointed to it. Her husband was dead. The boy who had saved her from a couple of bullies … The young man she had fallen in love with … The father of her child … He was dead. Tears threatened to form in her eyes but she blinked them back. She would have time to cry when she and her son were safe and away from the stronghold. For now, she had to focus on following Trevor's final instructions.

"If I have not returned by dawn, take the boy and leave this place far behind. Take to the forest but do not look for me."

As much as she wanted to look for him, she decided that she would honor his wishes and refrain. By looking for him, they would be putting themselves in even more danger.

They had just passed the gate when they heard howling coming from the stronghold, followed by the agonizing screams of what they could only assume to be the victims of the beasts. At that, Simon stopped pulling his mother's arm and started running again of his own will.

The two of them ran as fast as their legs could carry them, keeping their focus on the forest ahead. Unfortunately, Sypha was focusing a bit too much on the forest itself, and not on the obstacles that lay before her feet. She soon collapsed to the ground, losing her grip on Simon's hand as she tripped over a tree root.

"Mother! Are you alright?" Simon exclaimed.

She nodded her head to him, but a sharp pain shot through her foot when she tried to get up. It dawned on her that all hope of survival was now lost for her. She would not be able to run very far or very fast with her foot the way it was, and there was no way for her to find a healer.

Glancing up into the face of her son, she felt a stray tear trickle down her cheek. He was still so young … too young to die … The thought of him dying before her eyes, never having gotten the chance to grow up and experience the pleasures of life made her heart break. It was too tragic. With that in mind, she made a decision. There might not be any hope of survival left for her, but there was still hope for her son.

"Run, Simon!" she ordered him. "Don't stop!"

He shook his head and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as the sound of growling and howling seemed to get closer. Turning to glance behind them, they saw that a pack of Lycans were chasing after them. The Lycans would be upon them soon enough, but they were far enough away yet that Simon still had a chance of getting away. Sypha knew that it was now or never.

"Keep going into the forest!" She pleaded with her son, desperation taking over. "Don't look back! Run!"

A look of stubbornness momentarily washed over Simon's features as he reached out to help his mother to her feet, but he seemed to change his mind as he glanced back at the approaching Lycans. The stubbornness quickly disappeared and gave way to sorrow as he finally turned away and continued running.

Sypha could only lay there, tears streaming down her face as she watched him vanish deep into the forest. She prayed that he would find safety and live on. That was all she wanted. Everything else she had given up on. She didn't even attempt to move, but instead closed her eyes as she awaited the inevitable moment when the Lycans would reach her and rip her body to pieces.

"At least I shall be reunited with you in heaven, my love," she said in a whisper as she felt a set of sharp canines pierce her.

If only she knew of her husband's true fate ...