Castlevania Nocturne: A Sneak Peak

Sneak Peak: The Malbeast

Even as we hurried through the Machecoul streets the church bells clamored in alarm, and its denizens hurried inside locking their doors. The only people remaining outside were the knights, fully armed and armored. Peter too. I was surprised he wasn't at the Abbey, praying with half the townspeople and the Abbot.

"You should go inside." I warned him. "If the monster is indeed heading this way you'll be easy pickings."

The old priest was unafraid. " I have faith God will protect me, and if it certainly is my time, He may take me." He coughed raggedly. "I've not the strength to return to the Abbey even if I wished."

"Then shelter with us." I glanced at our daughter who nodded. Peter was the only member of the church she trusted, and given this point in time, with the Abbot being so reclusive, so did I.

It took us longer to get home with Peter in tow, luckily he moved fast enough we wouldn't be caught as a late night snack to the Malbeast and seldom coughed. (Perhaps my Boss was indeed looking after us. He was still our Boss after all, even if we walked among humans in their flesh.) After we returned back and made him feel at home, I sent Emma to fetch Tera and her family.

Tera greeted Peter warmly, they had been good friends for many years. Peter was the first in Machecoul to welcome her with open arms, and helped her settle in after fleeing the horrors from the east. It was him who introduced her to the young Abbot Emmanuel. The Abbot grew very fond of Tera and they became very close, close enough that........well....let's say Juste Belmont wasn't the only secret I kept.

"What's he doing here?" Maria whispered to me, glaring at the priest settling by the fire under a blanket I provided.

"Sheltering in the safety of my home and protection like we are." I answered kindly.

"He's a member of the church Amalie." Maria warned.

"When it comes to monsters on the prowl, there is no side. No us or them. We're all humans and we stick together despite our differences."

Well....Mostly human. Emma's voice chuckled telepathically.

You get the idea, Bee.

Of course I do Mom. Emma winked at me from across the room.

"Peter is a friend, Maria." Tera said warmly. "And Amalie is right, it doesn't matter now, we must stay together and protect one another against a common enemy."

"I don't understand why we're cowering here." Richter crossed his arms leaning against the wall. "We're strong enough together, we've taken down vampires. We should be out hunting this thing instead of letting the knights get slaughtered by it."

"Vampires are not primordial monsters. None of you are experienced in handling such beings." I disagreed, looking over my family as they gazed at me. Peter's quiet snores gave me freedom to elaborate.

"We're living in an easier time. Sure we've got a violent revolution and vampires, but that's it. These days vampires are the only supernatural being you need to worry about. A long time ago, they were the least of it. There were monsters; creatures from another realm trapped in ours, demons summoned by dark magic, and night creatures. Night creatures were the worst, damned souls harvested from Hell into decaying bodies and turned into beasts. Yes. I remember a time where all three plagued this world. A time before even you were born, Emma." I glanced at my daughter, who nodded without need of explanation.

"But thanks to the efforts of the immortals, my people, and the heroics of the Belmont Clan, night creatures are no more, and there's hardly any occultists strong enough to summon demons these days."

"What about the monsters from other realms trapped in ours?" Emma asked inquisitively.

I made sure Peter was still napping, silently casting a spell so he wouldn't overhear should he wake. "What I'm about to tell you stays within these walls. Swear it."

"I swear, Mother." Emma promised.

"I swear too." Tera followed along with her children. "Though I know what you're about to speak. The Doorway isn't it?"

"Yes." I nodded.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Richter perked up nearly falling asleep.

"The Doorway to other worlds." Emma answered.

"Excuse me ?" Richter blinked. "Other worlds? Have you all gone mad?"

"Nice to know you've paid attention to our history lessons, Belmont." Emma shrugged. "Tell them Mom, the secret knowledge of our people."

I took my staff from its resting place on the wall. " The world we live in is one of many. There are innumerable other universes each separated from our own, but each one is connected by a Doorway, a road, a pathway between worlds."

My glyphs prickled from the memory regained. "The Infinite Corridor. Few mortals know of its existence, but only my people can travel and access it without effort. These Doorways, for lack of a better term, flicker in and out of existence all the time, but there are some cases where one stays open long enough for something to stumble its way through. Many creatures from old lore hail from other realms after straying into our own. The Tarasque, The Wivre, the Loch Ness Monster to name a few, ( Is Nessie even known to you folk, I forget...).

"So you believe this monster, whatever it may be, traveled through a Doorway from the Infinite Corridor?" Richter stated.

"I don't believe it, I know it." I looked him straight in the eye. "Two and a half weeks ago I got this sudden headache I haven't felt in years. I knew a Door opened somewhere in the area and when news started spreading of a monster slaughtering man and beast alike, cleansing itself in the rivers of its kills, I realized something had to have come through to this world from another."

Maria gripped the arm of her chair tight enough the veins bulged from her knuckles.

"I felt that same headache too." Emma admitted. "So did Tera. If that's what happened, it's very rare, normally Doors don't open long enough for something to travel through."

"Or somebody opens them." I added. "But I doubt it. The only people who can open a Door to the Infinite Corridor without an immense magical aptitude or mass sacrifice are all in this room."

Maria restrained herself from bolting from her seat, shifting uncomfortably. She was uncharacteristically quiet,

"Well you can count me out of your list of suspects." Richter leaned back. "Because it definitely wasn't me."

"It doesn't matter how the creature came to be in this realm." Emma stated firmly. "What matters is stopping it before it causes more damage. I hate to have this thing rampaging through France when there's already a full scale revolt."

"Maybe we can capture it and set it on the Aristocracy." Richter laughed at nobody's humor. "Good little attack dog to have against the oppressors, eh Maria?"

Maria sprung up and ran outside, slamming the door behind her.

Tera cried her daughter's name and I followed.

"Hey! I was only joking!"

"You really gotta learn to read the room, Belmont." Emma growled.