Humans could be cruel creatures. In a world that suffered under the siege of Dracula's hordes of night creatures, cruelty thrived. In many ways, Audrey could understand why the people of Gresit hated the Speakers, and anything that had to do with magic. Gresit like so many other towns had nearly been devoured by hordes of night creatures over the past year. 

But as the Phoenix, it was her duty to help these people. It was her duty to maintain balance. So Audrey found herself joining the fight alongside Sypha and Trevor. It had been a harsh beginning and people had died as the monsters descended, but with Trevor's knowledge and guidance, the town had managed to hold back the attacking creatures.

Audrey had to admit; as scruffy as the man looked, he really was a true Belmont.

But the moment of peace was temporary. The last night creature was the biggest one. Trapped in Sypha's ice, it spoke.

"There's an army of us! An army from hell!"

With a crack of Trevor's whip and a streak of Audrey's phoenix fire, the creature was dead. It began to bubble up and then erupted into nothingness with a massive explosion that rocked the town square. As the dust cloud faded and Sypha pulled back the defensive ice wall she had built, the ground beneath their feet started to crack and break open.

The town square was falling apart. The ground split open to never ending darkness and just as Audrey lunged for Sypha, it completely fell away. 

She let out a scream as Sypha, Trevor and her went tumbling down. 

Power burned through her body and with a searing pain in her back, Audrey felt her wings emerge. Unfurling them in their full glory, she slowly, carefully, let herself fly down. But not yet used to the power of the Phoenix, her landing on the ground was as messed up as Trevor and Sypha.

The trio rolled down the floor, crashing through wooden planks before landing in an eerie place, which were, of course, the catacombs.

Audrey could feel the hairs on the back of her arm standing up. This place was strange, unnatural and it scared her a little. Who knew about the horrors that lay here?

"The...catacombs again," Sypha stated in shock. "I think we're deeper than before."

"That's true," Audrey nodded. Judging by how this creepy hallway looked, it looked much older than the place she had been turned into a statue in.

Above them, massive gears spun, with a harsh, clunky sound, only adding to the creepiness of the place.

All of a sudden, large rectangular chunks of brick appeared out of nowhere,  slamming into each other. The clash sent dust and small rocks flying.

Sypha's hand closed around Audrey's wrist and they had barely begun to run, when Trevor's hand grabbed Sypha's. The trio were running together, hands holding onto to each other.

Then, the floor gave way and they started falling, again. This time, down a long, sliding passage. They came to a crashing stop in another room filled with gears, but this time there were many more, with looming platforms and ominous looking stairs. Just as Audrey had managed to steady herself, the floor beneath their feet started to crack once again.

I'm going to fucking scream, Audrey yelled mentally.

Following what Sypha and Trevor were doing, she also jumped on a gear. It was just above Sypha's, with Trevor directly across from them. 

But luck didn't really seem to be on their side as the gears started to break and fall apart and the floor beneath gave way. After falling and falling and hanging on to precarious places, the trio finally crashed into a hallway that looked relatively safer and not too scary.

In fact, Audrey would say this might be the least dangerous place out of all the ones they had crashed to. But it could not be denied that there was something about this place that just felt off. She brushed the dust off her cloak as she walked, also pressing a hand into her hair to make sure her ruby tiara was still there and thankfully it was.

Where they had landed this time resembled the inside of a church, with tall, looming walls and lamps powered by a strange light. The floor they walked on was covered in a dark red carpet with the strangest and intricate designs. At the end of the pathway was a raised platform, on top of which lay a coffin, with gilded edges.

Audrey rubbed her arms as an ominous feeling blazed through her. Something was not right with this place and she could not tell exactly what it was. She, Trevor and Sypha continued to walk to the front, towards the coffin. 

All of a sudden, there was a loud clicking noise. Audrey and Sypha simultaneously turned their heads looking at Trevor. 

He removed his foot from the tile, pretending to be nonchalant. "I didn't do that."

There was a hissing noise coming from the coffin as gas poured out from beneath it. The coffin lid fell open on its own. The ominous feeling inside Audrey grew as a man (or was he actually a man?) slowly floated out of it. He had rather long blond hair that almost reached his waist, sharp nails and scars on his bare chest. 

"Why are you here?" He kept his gaze low and his voice was rough, gravelly and low and sounded like he hadn't used it in a while. 

"The story-" Sypha sounded elated. "The Messiah sleeps under Gresit! The man who will save us from Dracula."

"This is the Messiah..." Audrey murmured, curiously taking him in. The feeling that had settled in earlier was almost entirely gone. But somehow, she knew that this was no Messiah. 

"And you?" He tilted his head towards Trevor, his gaze continued to be lowered. "Are you in search of a mythical savior?"

"I fell down a hole," Trevor plainly answered, though there was an edge to his voice. 

"Dracula is abroad in the land," Sypha started to explain. "He has an army of monsters. He's determined to wipe out all human life wherever he finds it." 

"Is that what you believe?" The man interrupted, his tone as cold as the snowfall in Audrey's northern village.

"That Dracula's released his horde in Wallachia?" Trevor snapped. "That's fact. There's no belief involved. But that's not what you're asking."

"No," The blond-haired man simply answered.

"You're asking if I believe," Trevor continued, slowly shifting into a defensive stance. "You're some sleeping messiah who'll save us, and no, I don't."

"Belmont!" Sypha yelled in outrage.

"I know what you are," Trevor spoke with anger.

"And what am I?" The man asked with a vicious grin.

"You're a vampire." Trevor stated.

Audrey only let herself be momentarily shocked. Even though it had been a year since she had become the Phoenix, her knowledge about the supernatural and the magical still was not enough. That was why she hadn't realized that this man was a vampire. But something told her that he was not a normal vampire. 

'Phoenix, come on!' She told herself with gritted teeth. 'Help me understand what is he.'

The man slowly looked up, revealing gorgeous golden eyes and razor-sharp fangs in his mouth. Sypha gasped in shock, Trevor looked wary and Audrey curious about the type of vampire was this floating man.

"So, I have to ask myself," Trevor carried on speaking. "Have we down here to wake up the man who'll kill Dracula or did we come here to wake Dracula?" 

"You call me Dracula," The blond hair man floated down towards them. Audrey narrowed her eyes, letting them blaze scarlet as she tried to glean this man-this vampire's strength. 

"I'll call you anything you like if you're gonna show me your teeth."

"She called you Belmont. House of Belmont?"

"Trevor Belmont. Last son of the house of Belmont."

"The Belmonts fought creatures of the night, did they not? For generations?"

"Say what you mean," Trevor stormed towards the vampire, anger in his voice and on his face. 

"The Belmont killed vampires," The vampire stated, with a slight hint of surprise. 

"Until the good people decided they didn't want us around." Trevor stated. 

(Just like how the people of Audrey's village kicked her out over accusations of being a witch.)

"And now Dracula is carrying out an execution order on the human race," The Vampire said. "Do you care, Belmont?"

"Honestly," Trevor looked down. "I didn't. No. But now...yes, it's time to stop it." 

"Do you think you can?" The Vampire asked. Audrey thought it odd, his questioning. It felt like he was trying to glean some kind of information. 

"What I think is that I'm going to have to kill you," Trevor answered.

"Belmont, no!" Sypha cried out. "He's the one we've been waiting for."

"No he's not," Trevor immediately disagreed. "And he's not been waiting her for hundreds of years, have you?"

"I don't like your tone, Belmont," The vampire sounded angry as well. 

"This place is old, but it's not been abandoned," Trevor glanced around before glaring right at the floating vampire. "It's alive and working. So, go on, vampire, tell her exactly how long you've been waiting down here."

"What is the year of your Lord?" The vampire asked.

"1476," Audrey answered, looking at the vampire with scarlet gazed eyes. His gaze lingered on her for just a moment, before he moved on. 

"Perhaps a year then," The vampire said. 

"There," Trevor pointed out. "And on top of that, what kind of messiah creates mechanical death traps to buy himself an uninterrupted nap in a stone coffin?"

Audrey took a step back. There was going to be a fight now. All her senses told herself that. The Phoenix told her that. She fisted her hands at her sides, quietly summoning fire that would remain hidden behind her hands. 

Moments later, her hunch came true as the vampire summoned a sword which was so incredibly long that it was a sight to behold. Besides her, Sypha let out an anguished cry, yelling at Belmont to stop the fight. Smart Sypha. The fight carried on between them, the vampire striking with his sword, Trevor with his whip. The speed of the fight was so great that she had to really on the Phoenix's eyes to even keep up with it. 

Finally, just as the vampire had Trevor pinned, both Sypha and Audrey stepped into the fight. 

"I will incinerate you before your fangs touch that man's throat," Sypha spoke with determined fury, an orb of flame floating between her index and her smallest finger. 

"Oh she will," Audrey added, just as determined as her friend. "And I am sure you would not like a taste of what it is like to be burned by Phoenix fire."

"You're a Speaker-Magician," The vampire said, looking at Sypha. Turning towards Audrey, he added, "You have-no, you are the Phoenix."

"Yes, that's right," Audrey answered, head held high. 

"Yes, and his goal is ours. To stand up for the people," Sypha said.

"Good," The vampire suddenly said. "Very good. A vampire hunter, a magician and one of the powerful magical creatures." He slowly moved away from Trevor and the metallic weapon stuck in his stomach made the oddest noise. "You'll do."

"I'm Adrian Tepes," He stood up, finally introducing himself. As Trevor shifted away from him, he continued. "Known to the Wallachians as Alucard, son of Vlad Dracula Tepes. I've been asleep her in my private keep under Gresit for a year, to heal the wounds dealt by my father when I attempted to stop him from unleashing his demon armies."

"You are the sleeping soldier," Sypha sounded just a little surprised. 

"I'm aware of the stories," Alucard the vampire answered. "I'm also aware that the Speakers consider the story to be information from the future. Do you know the whole story?"

"Yes," Sypha's face turned red as she answered. Of course she knew the story. Even Audrey did. Though Speakers were a secretive bunch, she was privy to some of the secrets, including this.

"The sleeping soldier will be met by a hunter," Alucard said. "A scholar and a creature of balance."

"No one told me that," Trevor looked a little frustrated. 

"Why do you think my grandfather tried everything to make you stay?" Sypha asked him, sounding very annoyed.

"I hate Speakers," Trevor mumbled under his breath as he stood up. At the same, Alucard had walked back to his coffin and pulled out a long, black coat with yellowish-gold lining, quickly putting it on.

"So what happens now?" Audrey asked as she exchanged a look of slight worry with Sypha. 

"I need a hunter, a scholar and a creature of balance," Alucard stated as he summoned his sword, which floated by itself as it took its place in the sheath. "I need help to save Wallachia, perhaps the world and defeat my father."

"Why?" Trevor asked.

Alucard's answer was something Audrey never would have expected, but somehow it felt like the best reason of them all. 

"Because it is what my mother would have wanted. And we are all in the end, slaves to our families' wishes."

"You'll help us kill Dracula and save Wallachia?" Trevor asked as he folded up his whip. The four were standing together this time.

"My father has to die," Alucard said. "We four...we can destroy him."

And the chaotic quartet is finally here! I'm already loving writing their interactions and I can promise there's going to be some fun ones in the future. Plus I am also really excited to start sharing some of Alucard and Audrey's reaction...these two are going to be amazing together, not just as partners but also as something more hehe.

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