Darkness fills this world.

It is like an immeasurable void, never ending and everlasting. Sometimes, the darkness goes, but in the end, it always returns. It is one of my duties to make sure the return of darkness is delayed and the world is bathed in light for as long as it can be. I hoped to save, but because I couldn't save one, many suffer now. Many will suffer.

The girl who will become me; she's my last hope. My last family.

Stop this darkness. Destroy the monstrous creatures rampaging through the night. For as long as they exist and Dracula wages an unnecessary war, the balance of the world will be disrupted.

We are the Phoenix. We are the Firebird. We are balance.

*
Coughing, Audrey's eyes snapped open. She felt queasy, so utterly queasy but thanks to the Firebird's magic, she didn't vomit. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sypha vomiting and cringed. But then her eyes fell on the figure standing next to her. It belonged to a scruffy looking man, wearing a large coat lined with dull white, almost grey fur.

"Granddaughters then," The man spoke plainly as he walked over to a dead monster. Pulling what looked like a sword out of the monster's eye, he added, "Ah. I wish Speakers wouldn't do that."

"What?" Sypha asked in a daze, just as Audrey stumbled over to her, helping her up.

"Dress the girls like boys," The man answered. "Though one of you doesn't seem to look like a typical Speaker."

Audrey looked down at herself. The only Speaker related item she was wearing was a cloak that was kindly given to her. Everything else was her own, from her short grey dress with pants to the grey headband (which almost looked like a crown) with the red ruby. Besides, Audrey was not a Speaker, so she wasn't going to wear their clothes. She was different. Far different from all of them.

Technically, she wasn't even human at all.

"It's safer when we travel," Sypha answered, still sounding dazed. "What happened?"

"All I remember is pure darkness," Audrey said. "Nothing else."

She pulled her cloak around her, a little bit tighter. Even with this man being their savior, she was not sure if he was someone to be trusted. Not yet at least.

"Both of you walked into a cyclops," The man pointed with his thumb, indicating the massive monster with it's one eye, that now lay dead. The catacombs they were in, lit up by strange lamps, looked terribly damaged, as though there was a fight. Audrey's hunch told her there was.

"Turns you to stone with its eyeball and feeds on your terror while you're trapped in your own body."

"Ew," Audrey felt disgusted, hearing the description. This cyclops sounded like a pretty bad monster. But there were far worse above the surface.

"Did-did you climb on me?!" Sypha suddenly asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Mm, a bit," The man answered.

"That was rude," Sypha crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Excuse me?"

"Who are you, anyway?"

"I met your grandfather. He wouldn't leave the city until he had your bodies" The man explained, though judging by his expression he didn't enjoy that. "I came downtown to recover your remainder so the Speakers would go to safety."

"But the Sleeping Warrior is still down here," Sypha spoke in an agitated tone. Audrey remained silent. Her friend was always better at the talking.

"There is no Sleeping Warrior," The man said, "Just a cyclops waiting for people stupid enough to go looking. It's a trap for gullible Speakers. You're not popular around here."

"The old wisdom says the tomb is guarded," Sypha started to say, but was interrupted by the man who spoke in a very nonchalant tone.

"Yeah, yeah. Come on. Time to go home. Your people think you both are dead. The least you can do is set that old man's mind to rest."

"He thinks we're dead?" Sypha looked at Audrey, who instantly shook her head. She couldn't have her secret be revealed, not to this scruffy man who seemed to have a distinct lack of manners. Sypha's grandfather didn't really need to worry; after all she was a powerful Speaker magician and she had an immortal and very mystical creature on her side. (Though Audrey would like to say, she wasn't too sure about the immortality aspect. Not yet, at least.)

If the man noticed the look between the two, he didn't say anything. "He wasn't much wrong. Killing a cyclops is the only way to restore a victim. Didn't think I'd manage it."

"Who are you?" Sypha finally asked.

"Trevor Belmont," The man answered.

"Of the House Belmont?" Audrey asked in surprise. Of all the people, she had not expected this man to carry the Belmont name. He looked nothing like those fabled warriors who hunted monsters and gathered great knowledge. He was just so...scruffy.

"But the Belmonts fight monsters," Sypha said.

"I'm out of practice," Trevor replied. "Let's show you to your grandfather, and then you can come down here and get killed again. Deal?"

"Very well," Sypha answered. "I'm Sypha Belnades."

"I'm Audrey Evington," Audrey politely introduced herself, as she scanned her eyes across the man, trying to read him with magic.

Well, at least, he was telling the truth about who he was. The Phoenix was a creature that brought balance, and as a result, when Audrey had become it, she had gained an ability to gauge the difference between a liar and someone who spoke the truth. Because that, annoyingly, also affected the balance of things.

But Trevor Belmont, of the House Belmont...he still had not realized who Audrey was. She thought people of this family were supposed to be smart.

But maybe Trevor Belmont was just a little dumb.

When Trevor pushed open the door to the Speakers' little hut, Audrey felt relief at seeing the community safe. Nobody looked hurt. They looked tired, some afraid, but they were all okay, which was good. As they entered through the door, Sypha rushed up to her grandfather and hugged him tightly. Audrey stood a few feet away, smiling kindly even though she felt a stab of jealousy at the fact that she didn't have a real family to reunite with, like Sypha did.

"I failed to find the Sleeper," Sypha quickly apologised, her voice wavering slightly. "I'm sorry!"

"Oh hush. Hush now, my angel," Her grandfather said, consoling her. He looked towards Audrey, who could only offer an apologetic smile. They had found nothing there, though Audrey had felt a rumbling of power that was almost faded, like something had been there a long time ago.

"I very much doubt there's anyone down there," Trevor plainly said. "It's probably a booby trapped legend. There's someone wriggling with pleasure in his coffin right now thinking of people like your girls walking into the cyclops he left down there."

"Or perhaps there is something down there so important," Sypha looked to be on the verge of fuming. "That it must be guarded by monsters."

"Did the eyes of the Phoenix not see?" The Elder Speaker, Sypha's grandfather, walked up to Audrey, eyes full of question and filled with a little amount of hope.

"No," Audrey apologised, right as Trevor's eyes fell on her. She stared right back, sparks of a fire growing in her eyes. "We turned to stone before I had a chance to use them."

"Your Messiah isn't down there," Trevor spoke. Once again, he glanced at Audrey. The sparks grew stronger, but she controlled it and pushed it down. "Ask her. I did not notice but if she's the Phoenix, she should have been able to find something there."

"My powers don't work like that," Audrey replied coolly, crossing her arms. Trevor was so rude; he was possibly the rudest man she had ever met. "And I only came to know about being the Phoenix a year ago soo...but there is something down there. At least there was. I felt the remnants of an ancient power, a power long faded but still present."

"There's nothing there," Trevor replied even more firmly.

"And what makes you so sure?" Sypha asked.

"You Speakers carry information down through the generations. We Belmonts pass things down as well. Do you two remember what we saw down there? Metal veins pumping hot liquid? Torches that light by themselves that exactly fit descriptions written by great-grandfather." Trevor started walking to-and-fro looking at all the Speakers, but more specifically looking at Audrey and Sypha. "Descriptions of the inside of Dracula's castle."

At the name, the sparks in Audrey's eyes grew brighter, stronger. Dracula; the one who had launched his fearsome night creatures on this world. The one who had disturbed the delicate balance of nature.

"I don't know what's down there," Trevor continued. "But it's not a messiah. I'll leave you all to it."

"No, nonsense," The Elder said, trying to persuade him to stay. "Please, stay with us as long as you like. I cannot begin to repay what I owe you."

Trevor walked towards the door, only turning his head slightly. "You're leaving tonight, remember?"

Leaving? The Speakers are leaving? Audrey thought with surprise. The Speakers were supposed to stay in Gresit, to find this mythical messiah, to help the people of their city. And they were just going to go? That did not sit right with her. It did not seem like the Speakers at all. But she shook her head as Trevor walked out the door.

"I could pee in a bucket and tell him it's beer," Sypha said, rolling her eyes at his attitude.

Audrey walked up to her and nodded. "You should. I'll even give it a beer-like appearance."

"Sypha, Audrey, he saved your life!" The Elder looked mortified at their attitude.

"He's rude," Sypha pointedly said.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Audrey spoke in agreement. "He is quite possibly the rudest man I've met in a long time."

"Right?!" Sypha looked at her and she nodded. "He frustrates me to no end."

The Elder shook his head, almost exasperated. But he slowly walked away, ready to converse with the other speakers. Sypha put her arm through Audrey's and pulled her to the side.

Quietly, she whispered, "You really didn't sense anything?"

"Only that faded ancient power," Audrey whispered back. "That's as far as I was able to see with the eyes right now. The Phoenix only showed me that much, before the cyclops attacked us."

"Uggh," Sypha sighed in frustration. "We're stuck."

"We'll figure it out. Hopefully," Audrey lightly squeezed her arms. "We're going to have to go back, but this time I'll use my full powers. I promise."

Audrey closed her eyes, reaching for the Phoenix. The myth in her soul screeched. And when she opened her eyes, they were a burning scarlet.

So I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It took me almost a month to write this, but once I rewatched season 1, I was so inspired that I finished it in a day. Writing Trevor, Sypha and Audrey together felt so awesome and when Alucard joins them (in the next chapter hehe), it's going to be a lot more fun to write.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!