I don't know what possessed me to actually upload something here, but...here it is. The first and only fan-fiction type thingy I've ever written. I would only consider it such because the main character IS the same Alucard from the series.

I had just found four wonderful things at that time; Gameboy Advance emulators, Playstation emulators, Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow, and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. I played these two games every moment I could, beating them not once or twice, but three times. I absolutely adored them, and had conveniently been given a high-school assignment to write a short story right at the same time. It ended up being fourteen pages long. I've recently wanted to revisit it, and...well, this is all I've really done with it so far.

It was the dream again. I do not know how long I've had it for, but it came to me much too often to be dismissed. I was walking down an old stone pathway, half destroyed by moss and the wears of time. Behind me was an old, dark, haunting forest of twisted and mutilated trees, and before my eyes was the vision that has haunted me my entire life: the castle. At first, it is too blurry to describe, so I go closer. Every step echoes behind me, but in front of me, the castle stifles the sound, suffocating its life before it can bounce back. The gates now show themselves in the blood red moonlight, stretching high above any man's height. The stone was so very ancient, yet undisturbed by the trials of time…the gateway itself, however, was not too inviting. Despite the lack of any real gates to keep people out, the bloodied rock and jagged spikes on both the inside and outer edge of the gateway was enough to make any man cringe and turn away. I did not. As I drew closer and looked up, I saw the moon in the sky. It was blood red, matching the crimson light it cast down upon the Earth. A few steps more and I entered the courtyard. Immediately, the pathway changed, and the castle came into clear view; it had been hidden up until now, even though it was only a few minutes' stride away. The stone I walked on now was in perfect condition, though stained with blood in more than a few places. It waved back and forth, but generally led straight forward to the ancient domain of a dead king, fortified in the ancient black stone of old. The castle rose at least a hundred feet into the sky, with several spires stabbing at the stars with twisted spike peaks. I walked even closer, gradually feeling the heat all around me, in the very air, increase. I could hear something…ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump. The steady rhythm of a heartbeat sounded from deep within the blackened halls, echoing out into the courtyard where I stood. I could feel the castle's presence, hear its thoughts…it was alive, and it was calling to me.

"A…lu…card…" Its ghastly voice drifted down to me on the stagnant wind, filling my mind with its horrifying tone. "A…lu…card…" The word sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I could never tell why. It echoed through my head over and over, filling me with both terror and…nostalgia. I had been here before. "Awaken…my son…feed…" The world was already starting to turn red to my eyes as I felt the urge to satisfy…my hunger. "AWAKEN!!" Finally, with a massive roar, the world became blanketed in blinding red light as lightening crackled in the night sky. "AWAKEN!!" Pain seared me from the inside, burning me to the depths of my accursed soul as a final bolt of lightening struck me down. Then the world fell away, fading into darkness…

I awoke in a cold sweat, gasping for breath. I could hear a voice somewhere, off in the corner of my mind, but the world was a bloodied haze, painted over with a stifling red smudge. My ears were ringing, my eyes were burning from the sunlight, and overall, I felt dead.

Slowly, I pulled out of the sleeping world and brought myself to the daylight, clearing my senses of slumber. A voice was calling to me from the door, concerned and frantic. I hate it when people are concerned for me; there's no point in it, no identifiable reason. Yet still, they all want me to be "alright." I could care less about my health, but for their sakes, I try to stay strong. Slowly, surely, I pulled myself out of bed and yawned. The pounding on the door still continued, only now I could start to make out the words.

"Mallic! Mallic, what the bloody hell are you still doing in bed?! Are you alright in there? Mallic!" It was my dear old mother. She cares about me, but has a strange way of showing it. To me, she comes across as a cranky old hag…and while it may be bothersome, it's not enough for me to dislike her. No…I could never dislike her.

"I'm awake, mother! You don't have to pound on my door every time I oversleep some. By the Hells…if I didn't know better, I'd think you weren't expecting me to wake up at all." Irritation is contagious. I got up and stretched, cracking several joints, relieving the stress and pressure of a night's immobility.

"Well, then hurry your arse up! Plenty o' work to do today!"

"Yes, yes, alright, I'm up. Now get ye gone." I sighed as I heard her go back downstairs. Sometimes I wonder why she cares, but I'd rather just let her go on like this without questioning her resolve. I can tell that she wants nothing more than for me to be happy, even if it costs her; it's the least I can do to let her keep her dream.

Speaking of dreams, I was exhausted from that horrid nightmare. I've always been plagued with the same dream, for as far back as I can recall. It has been the only thing consistent in my life, aside from my lack of memory…but never has it been so clear, so vivid, and so immersive. Never. I could smell the faint odour of old death and feel the cool nighttime breeze on my skin. I could even taste the pine in the air. Most importantly, this was the first time it spoke to me. It has given me more than it ever has before…and it frightened me.

I took a few steps along the side of the bed towards the dresser, but collapsed into its feathery embrace once more…