Curse of Darkness

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

"I will be fine Mistress, there is nothing to worry about." Isaac replied in a controlled tone. Her show of affection had caught him unaware and new feelings were stirring inside him. As much as he knew such feelings couldn't be allowed, he couldn't help but like them. Sometimes his master would treat him cruelly but she was different. She was unlike her lord, she was always warm and kind to him.
Again Isaac had taken a mental note of how long he had been starring at her and again conjured up an excuse. diverting his eyes quickly he held her hand, again stiffling the new and unfamiliar feelings the touch of her hand provoked.
"We are.." he cleared his throat "I am escorting you to Cordova, we will await Hector there once I have found you a safe place to hide."
He then set off escorting his Mistress to Cordova. He motioned for Abel to scout ahead for any danger and more uneven ground.  

[Draculas-Mistress]

Dreamis smiled softly and nodded. "But if I find a place to get you a cloak, you can't stop me from getting it" Her face turned a little pink when he grabbed her hand. She locked arms with Isaac so she would not be left behind, and to give him a little bit of warmth. She felt a little guilty for what she was feeling when she was with Isaac but right now that didn't matter. She sighed and watched her breath again.

She remembered the first time she really met Isaac. He was a teenager and in the forgery. He had tried to summon a more powerful monster but was not yet ready to. She had heard a noise and ran down to see what it was. She saw a boy with red hair dust himself off. She saw the succubus come down the stairs. She was almost taunting the young one but she couldn't help but laugh when he took a knife to him. When she wouldn't leave him alone she asserted her dominance. "Don't worry about her, she has nothing better to do with her time than wander this castle" she took Isaac to the infirmary and fixed him up.  

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

Again I feel uneasy about how I am so easily drawn to the girl at my side. Isaac pondered while he walked along the winding mountain path that led to Cordova. He kept a firm grip of her hand so he wouldn't risk losing her on the journey there. The only new question that needed answering was where to hide her so that Hector wouldn't find her.
He heard the Mistress's remark about getting him a cloak and smiled with a genuine feeling of amusement. "We'll see Mistress" he replied. It was strange, whenever the Mistress was nearby Isaac felt more in control of his mind. It was as if her presence stifled the demonic influence that would fuel his rage whenever Hector and he met. He had felt it when she had first visited him in the forgery lab when he was an adolescent, her presence had calmed his rage at the succubus and the feeling of being drawn away from himself had left only when she was there. Very strange Isaac thought but I like the feeling of security her presence gives me. He looked at her again quickly while they walked.  

[I0I-Zero-Kiryu-I0I]

Hector ran into the castle in a futile attempt to catch up to Isaac. This proved difficult, when upon setting foot inside there was nothing but dusty empty corridors that appeared to run on indefinitely. Through the endlessly winding corridors, Hector at last came to a strange door, different from the others.

Such power...I can feel it. I wonder what could be contained therein...

Hector took a firm grip of the door's handle and pulled it open. He walked in cautiously, and was instantly drawn to the plinth bearing a tombstone in the middle of the room.
"This unearthly power" Hector pondered aloud, stepping slowly closer to it, unaware that the door had softly shut behind him. "Is it coming from that Tombstone?" Hector stood before the plinth and snorted in contempt at what he found.
"How conscientious of him." He sneered, instantly reminded of Isaac's visage. "He carved the instructions into stone, along with the most difficult visualisation. So..this is how badly he wants me to regain my powers...Very well."
Hector stretched his arms wide and activated magic from the palms of his hands, he began his incantation.
"Heed my words, o great powers of darkness! Release to me one of the tortured souls, let me infuse him with my lifeforce and awaken him to the world of the living!! Immacuate being, appear before me--Now!!"
The magic spiked and arched towards the plinth, shattering the tombstone and revealing a small fairy-type creature inside, who stretched sleepily and then fluttered around Hector, who watched it with stoicism.

Verily, its a step along the path...back to darkness...  

[Draculas-Mistress]

She laughed softly and gave him a smile. There was a long pause then Dreamis asked. "How long do you think it will take Hector to catch up?" she asked. She was worried about Isaac. She knew how competitive they were when they first met. Now she knew all he wanted to do was rip his heart out and feed it to Lord Dracula.

Meanwhile at the Castle. The lesser demons were scurrying about. They felt the presence of someone that used to be there, someone that betrayed the master of the castle.  

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

Isaac snorted contemptuously.
"It will take him a while yet Mistress. I left him a few reminders about summoning devils. No doubt he will find them and gain in power before he finds us. It won't be enough though, he still won't be able to defeat me." Just the mention of Hector and his temper had flared again, he had felt his rage grow almost to the point where he couldn't contain it. Are these my feelings? Isaac thought then felt a stab of panic. Or is it just as that succubus said all those years ago, am I losing myself to the darkness?  

[Draculas-Mistress]

She knew she said something wrong by the way Isaac's eyes looked. "I know that you can" she whispered. She put her other hand on his. She was thinking of something else to say, something to take Isaac's mind of the events to come. "When do you think it will start snowing?" she asked. She looked up at Isaac and kind of nudged him so get him out of his thoughts. He has so much on his mind right now. she couldn't help but look at him with concerned eyes. I'm worried about you Isaac. She wanted to say those words so bad but couldn't muster up the courage, for fear that she might be feeling something that she shouldn't.  

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

Isaac felt the Mistress soflty nudge him and this dislodged his from his pessimistic brooding.
"Snow? Mistress?"Isaac then looked around and up at the slight tinges of red clouds breaking up the darkening night sky. "Maybe very soon." He pointed with a gloved hand towards the red patches of sky. "See that red sky? that means the weather is turning. Whenever the sky is tinted red it means storms or other severe weather conditions are on the way. Also judging by the current climate being too cold for rain yet too warm for ice, we are at the perfect climate requirements for snow." Isaac then realised he had perhaps rambled on like and insane alchemist. "It should snow quite soon." He summarised quickly so he wouldn't try his Mistress's patience. He let his arm fall back down by his side again and the two continued to walk towards Cordova.  

[Draculas-Mistress]

Dreamis looked to the sky and listen to Isaac explain the way weather worked. "I never knew that" she smiled softly at Isaac. "I remember when you were younger and I saw you outside with your dragon innocent devil. You two were melting the snow. I surprised you by throwing a snowball at you" she laughed softly but now she was rambling. She guess that Isaac didn't want her to hold on to him anymore. She took off her cloak and walked in front of Isaac. She put her cloak around to keep him warmer. "I don't want you freezing" she said softly.  

[I0I-Zero-Kiryu-I0I]

(Soma said that he would play the role of Zead, so may I wait until he returns to post? I think my previous post leads onto where he can introduce himself.)  

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

"I am indebted to your kindness Mistress, but a servant deserves no second thoughts." Isaac tried to stop her from wrapping the cloak around him but she had already done it. He stared vacantly and confused for a while but his plane of sight was trained on the Mistress as she walked ahead.
He quickened his pace to catch up with her again. This time he used some of the excess of the cape to recover her as well.
"I remember that.." Isaac smiled with a genuine warmth responding to the Mistress's question. " I was testing the devil's abilities and you caught me right on the back of the head with that snow ball. The snow ball fight that followed soon after was fun. I'm only glad My Lord hadn't seen me straying from my duties, I would have certainly been punished if he'd known of that." Isaac reflected  

[Draculas-Mistress]

Dreamis shook her head. "I don't think of you as a servant" she said quietly. She blushed when Isaac put some of the cloak around her. She smiled at him. "We should do that again..and I would not have let you get in trouble. I would have said that it was part of your devil's training." she laughed softly. She was hoping that they were getting close. Her feet were starting to hurt and she was growing very tired. "Not to be a bother...but how much longer?" she asked.  

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

"We're not far now." Isaac replied. "See? there's the walls that outline Cordova. Its just down this path and then.." Isaac trailed off sensing a familiar dark power. He smiled cruelly his countenance growing cold like a possession had taken hold. He stepped out from underneath the cape the Mistress was under so he could turn and face back along the path they had tread, facing back towards the castle in the distance. Isaac's previous friendly behavior seemed to have been washed away by this interruption of dark power.
"Hector has found a source of power." Isaac cackled with a dark sense of amusement, "It won't be long now, he'll track me down by following the aura of my cursed devil powers. Everything is going to plan. It's just as that stranger said." Isaac then looked to the Mistress. "Now there's just the matter of making sure you're no in sight when Hector arrives."  

[Draculas-Mistress]

Dreamis nodded. She noticed a change in him. She sighed. She hated it when he got like this. He used to not be like this but over the years he had changed. She swallowed hard. "What are you going to do with me?" she asked. She looked at her hands. She reached out and softly touched Isaac's shoulder. Her hand was so warm compared to his skin. It was weird...he was human so he should be a lot warmer and he was under her cloak. "Isaac..." she whispered softly.  

[IXVC-L-Lawliet-IXVC]

"Simple" Isaac smiled looking her straight in they eyes with an unerring glint of malevolent insanity. "You'll stay where I put you." He grasped her arm and began to lead her along into Cordova's winding streets. "Come along now." he cackled "The fun will start soon. You don't want to miss it...everything must go according to plan so Lord Dracula can be revived."
Come along Hector..Hurry up!! I want to see how much of your powers you've regained after siding with the pathetic humans for so long. Don't keep me waiting.. Isaac brooded while he lead the Mistress to a safe hiding spot.