I heard Dracula and Feltan's conversation as they drank.
"So how's your wife? I heard you somehow made her immortal without turning her undead. And how did you manage that?"
Feltan was implying something in his words, like he was secretly asking something I couldn't understand.
"Oh, you know how it works. When you need something, IT always seems to have a solution."
Dracula scowled even mentioning this so-called IT. Whatever it was, it made him angry. What did Dracula do, and what was ITS involvement?
"No… don't tell me you actually bought ITS bullshit."
Feltan grabbed Dracula by the shoulders as Dracula couldn't look his friend in the eyes and had to turn away in shame.
"Yes. It was the only way to save her life. I'm not an idiot — I would've done anything else if I had any other choice."
A deep scowl came over Dracula's face, and an even deeper frown appeared on Feltan's.
"You know it won't turn out well, right? It's a devil pretending to be mortal. You'll always end up getting more than you bargained for," Feltan said, letting go of his friend and sitting down, taking an entire barrel of alcohol in one gulp.
"Yes… but I don't want to lose anything ever again. Especially her. I'm sorry."
Feltan patted Dracula on the back, not knowing how to respond.
"You were always greedy when it came to the ones you loved. You never learned to let go… I understand why you did it, but… it wasn't a good idea. Not even in the slightest."
They both sat down and continued talking about other topics — the economics of their factions, trading routes, new inventions. They didn't mention IT again. I wondered why they were unwilling to say anything about IT, as if sharing too much would cost them dearly.
Finally, one of the blurry figures walked up to Dracula and spoke in a voice I couldn't define — was it young or old? Male or female? I wasn't sure, but I could still understand the words:
"I need more undead. Send them to the Ivory Tower in a few weeks."
Dracula and Feltan scowled, though they tried to hide their irritation. Well… Dracula tried. Feltan just kept scowling.
"You never explained why you need undead. So why should I send them to you?"
"Because it's a direct order from [ ]. You should know what that means, Drac. So how about you stop acting so high and mighty and do what I said?"
Darkness revolved around Dracula, coiling around him in strange shapes — shapes that resembled impossible weapons. Before they could even begin to fight, a single word stopped them in their tracks.
"Stop."
It wasn't commanding, nor did it resemble an order. It was more of a suggestion — a lazy one at that. The voice was vaguely human and strangely familiar. I didn't see who spoke, but I noticed everyone's reaction.
Everyone in the room went silent. Dracula's scowl deepened, but he lowered his darkness.
The strange figure who was about to fight him lowered their head and sighed, letting the conflict fade.
Feltan stood for a moment as if preparing to do something, then sat back down, giving up. Everyone else reacted the same way, and after a few moments, everything returned to normal.
I stayed there for around nine hours. That's how long the gathering lasted. Everyone left at their own time — notably the strange monocle man, who didn't talk to anyone the entire day, left first. Soon after, everyone else followed. Feltan left last, giving Dracula a hug before sprouting twelve wings and flying off faster than my eyes could follow.
I was left alone with Dracula. He sighed, then looked at me.
"So? Aren't you going to introduce yourself, Mr. Ghost?"
I looked around and realized… Dracula was talking to me.
Wait a damn minute. This never happened before. How the hell could he interact with me? This had to be centuries before I was born. I couldn't be here physically. Did I go back in time?
"Hello there, ghost," Dracula said again. "I asked you a question."
"Ah… yes. You can call me Alucard."
Dracula frowned.
"So then, Alucard… how did you manage to come in contact with my wife's necklace and a piece of my soul?
I assume you're from a distant future — so what did you come here for?"
Wait—he knew I was from the future?
I guessed being honest was my best option.
"Well… ugh, you gave me this necklace. As for your soul thing, I'm not exactly following."
"Well, it appears we'll have to figure something out. So if you don't mind, let's walk and talk."
I didn't mind the proposition. I needed to remember that this wasn't the same Dracula I knew, and I had to be prepared for a trap. Still, I walked with him, carefully choosing my words.
"So how did you know I'm from the future?"
Dracula thought for a moment before answering.
"Well, that necklace you're wearing — I made it as a failsafe in case the deal I made today turned out… badly. That's how I knew."
I looked down at my chest. I wasn't wearing any necklace.
"Oh, yes. I made the true necklace invisible to anyone except me. It was a very cautious choice, since IT's always listening."
Again with this IT thing. I should ask him…
"So, ugh—"
He interrupted me.
"Sorry for interrupting, but now it's my turn to ask a question. Why would I give you that necklace?"
I had to think for a long time. What was the answer?
"Um… I don't really know. You just handed it to me."
"What did I do before or after handing it to you? Be specific — I need to know if I said anything."
I searched my memories. Honesty seemed best.
"Well… before that happened, the entire castle was destroyed. And everyone living here died."
Dracula's eyes widened. He bit his lip until it bled. He didn't interrupt, so I continued.
"And then you said your nightmare was over… but mine had just begun."
Dracula grabbed his head, thinking for a long, long time, before finally stopping and sighing.
"All right… well, it's your turn. Ask me a question."
I had thousands of questions. But the main one — the one burning in my mind — was:
"I want to know who this IT is."