Castlevania: Disharmony

Jennifer was at the graveyard, tending to a few new grave markings. There were five in total that she was preparing. Jennifer lacked any sort of written marking on them, but she remembered each one and what they stood for.

Two were for Larg and Mary. Although she strongly hated Larg, no one deserved a death like his...And Mary...that was so tragic...

But not any more tragic than the other three grave markers.

Drake was standing at the doorway, giving Jennifer a few moments to herself. Fiona stood at his side. The graveyard was attached to the church and thus also part of holy ground. She could come out here when supervised at least, but as of late the sunlight made her feel ill, but still she craved a few moments in the sun. The pale December sun obstructed by clouds was enough that she could tolerate for a while.

"Who are those graves for big brother? I never saw anyone buried there," said Fiona.

"Sometimes people lose everything, even their bodies, Fiona. For those who have departed this world in such a way, we still erect markers in their memory. For when the soul has left the earth behind, a memory is truly the only thing they have in our world. We should make efforts to preserve that memory, so that others may know who they were. So that they didn't live for nothing at all," Drake answered.

"Vampires turn to dust when they die don't they? Will you remember to put up a maker for me?"

Drake was shocked at Fiona's question. "That's a ridiculous question, because that's not going to happen. You'll have great grandchildren to remember you."

Fiona hugged Drake's side, happy for the reassurance.

They approached Jennifer, but didn't speak. They gave her time to do and say whatever she needed to first.

Jennifer pointed to each marker.

"Larg was a priest....or preacher...I don't know which one exactly...He...He was a horrible man, but...he was still a person who was once born into this world without a sin. He didn't deserve such a death...The other is for Mary and the record keeper's wife. They were both...victims of Larg." Jennifer closed her eyes.

She pointed to the third marker. "There was a necromancer who...who was wronged by Bianca...and he created two imperfect homonculi to use against me; Sora....and Leaf." Jennifer couldn't look at them. "Sora...she looked like a perfect duplicate of you Fiona. Leaf...he looked like Graham...but he had one blue eye and one leafy green eye. Sora...betrayed the necromancer to help us and...she was killed."

Jennifer's voice shook at that point. "Midgar...was the other half of Magrid. He was his heart....his human heart. Midgar loved Bianca and had lived for many....many years thinking he had killed her but it was only by accident. Magrid killed him in front of us. And....and Leaf gave his life giving time for me to escape when Pious was...I had thought he had been killed but he wasn't and I'm thankful for that..."

She shook her head and turned to Drake, unable to say anything else.

So those were the people Jennifer mentioned in her letter. Drake looked down then to Fiona. There was something about her that frightened him more than anything. The fear of failing her again. And to think that Magrid ever had anything like a heart. That explained a few things. Drake had killed many vampires in his day, and in their final moments, many of them showed some manner of regret. But he couldn't imagine any sort of remorse from Magrid. Magrid gave up anything decent and human about himself a long time ago.

"Soon all this madness will be done. No more lives lost, no more suffering of good people at the hands of madmen and monsters."

"Graham...aside from what happened at Wintergreen...a lot of it happened because of my past life as Bianca." Jennifer wanted to hug Drake, but she still felt a little intimidated by Fiona's hold on him. She lowered her gaze to the side.

"I...I just want to know when I'll be free of Bianca's actions...Where I can finally be my own person."

Drake walked up behind Jennifer and put his arms around Jennifer. "You are Jennifer. You are yourself and no one else. Many things come to us, good and ill through no fault of our own, but it is up to us to make our own choices."

He gave her a light kiss on her neck. "You aren't alone in being haunted by another you know. The cursed power of Dracula still hangs over my head, and we two are hardly unique here in that regard. But we have each other at least."

"I could have saved them...I had the power to save them...all of them." Jennifer closed her eyes and she turned to face him. "The homonculi...Midgar...Leaf and Sora...So many died because..." A few tears escaped her and Jennifer was quick to wipe them away.

"You're so lucky Graham. You still have a chance."

Whether it was wrong or not to say it, those words left a bad taste in Jennifer's mouth as soon as they left.

Drake didn't blame her. "Perhaps it was fate that ordained that I have a second chance..." Drake looked back at Fiona. She was a walking reminder of his failure. Of what the old Drake would do for victory.

"The old me wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice others to kill my enemies. I suppose I've learned my lesson. Just remember what their sacrifices meant. Each one knew what they were risking, and gave everything for you. They believed in you. Sometimes good people must lay down their lives for what is right...and sometimes they must go on living for the same reason."

"If...Fiona had died, this would be about revenge and not redemption or anything of the sort?"

Jennifer stayed there, her arms wrapped around Drake. She asked that question quietly, not wanting Fiona to hear.

Drake looked back at Fiona. She looked up at him and finally spoke up. "Big brother....why do you keep looking at me like you did something wrong?"

Drake didn't have an answer.

"Graham."

Jennifer reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand, turning his gaze to hers. "I would not love a man who would do something out of revenge." She paused for a few seconds before adding again in a whisper. "Maybe...you should explain this to Fiona. She deserves to know Graham."

"Big brother," Fiona says again.

Jennifer can see a small tear forming in Drake's eye before he wipes it away. "Thank you." Drake whispered.

Drake turned to Fiona. "Fiona I'd like to tell you something...and it may be something that will make you angry with me."

"Did...did you do something bad," She asked.

"Sit down Fiona, I have a story for you. A story about when I wasn't such a good person..."

"Let's get some shade for Fiona first..." Jennifer gestured for Drake and Fiona to follow her to stand under a few of the large pine trees just outside of the church. She stood by Drake, laying her hand in his and lacing their fingers together.

Drake sat beside Jennifer, and Fiona sat in front of him, leaning against the tree. "What do you mean big brother? You were always a good person, ever since..."

Drake shook his head. "First of all. You know I'm not your real brother right? I rescued you back in Deborah, but I'm not your brother. Your brother's name is Nicola. I didn't know he was there at the time...and back then I didn't care. Those cultists, worshiping their dark god Ik'Tulthu were my targets. Your rescue...was a side effect. I couldn't leave you there. I may have been a killer, but I still knew leaving a child behind was wrong. You must have confused me with your brother. You were young...confused...and I left you behind at the next stop.

I met your real brother recently. He calls himself Geist now. He was very angry with me, and rightly so. I separated you. I didn't even ask if you had any surviving family. To me...once you were out of there, you were just a liability. I left you behind and thought nothing of it until you tracked me down. You called me your brother, and I barely even remembered you."

Fiona looked tearful already, and this wasn't even the half of it. "I.....I...I knew....but...everyone was gone....I just wanted to pretend..."

Drake patted Fiona's shoulder. "It's alright. You didn't do anything wrong. And I owe you better than you got. Right now your real brother is out there, and I will find him, and bring you together again."

"Now listen. There's more you don't know. That time you were kidnapped. The night you were bitten. Three days the count held you in what was then the ruins of Castle Dracula. You never spoke of what happened to you....I left you for three days. I could have been there in hours."

Fiona closed her eyes and trembled. "I don't want to think about that."

"Listen Fiona, I was a bad person back then. I was someone who used people if it served the purpose of killing my enemies. Magrid...Magrid told me I had three days. During that time I left you in his hands and used the time to prepare my attack. And because I waited...I took advantage of his thinking I'd run to your rescue. And I thought only of a chance to kill another vampire.

Because of that he used your blood and my own to resurrect another of his own clan, and regain his youth. I can't say for sure if my arriving sooner would have changed things. But...what I did was wrong. I did it for selfish reasons. I don't deserve forgiveness. But you know the truth now."

Drake began to get up as Fiona curled into a ball and wept.

"I know it doesn't change things now but...I'm sorry. If I could go back I'd beat the living daylights out of my former self, beat him until he saw right from wrong, and force him to do things differently I would. But the past isn't malleable. You are my last chance Fiona. Whether you forgive me or not, I can't change the past, but I can give you back your future."

Drake walked toward the fence, not even feeling worthy to step back inside the church at this point. "I doubt you want to see me right now. I'll leave you be."

Fiona lunged at Drake and grabbed his sleeve tugging on him, and then wrapping her arms around him tightly. She wasn't hugging him, she was clinging. Holding on for dear life.

"STUPID BROTHER! STUPID STUPID STUPID! Don't go...."

Everything Drake had described that happened was already done before Jennifer had arrived in Veros. She got up, her mind swimming with everything said. She gently took Drake's hand into hers and kissed his lips.

"You've changed though." Was all she said.