The Rondo Of Blood: A Rewrite of Castlevania Nocturne

Apathy and Empathy

In the last day before the party, the group began making preparations for their plan of attack upon the Chateau. Annette and Edouard took charge at the Tower to make the fire bombs and other necessary equipment while Richter and Layla went out on the fields to hone their skills rigorously. Maria would occassionally scurry back and forth, aiding both sides whilst mastering her magical abilities with Richter.

As Edouard observed, the Tower connected to the cottage held a plethora of strange books and scrolls, containing myriad of information regarding the study of night creatures, vampires, general history, and mathematics. Next to these books were jars and flasks filled with odd flowers, rare herbs, small creatures, mysterious gemstones, and severed limbs. Intrigued, he read through a few whilst he observed Annette manufacture a dozen or more silver vials and placing them in a pile next to her desk.

"Fascinating..." Edouard spoke. "Your family seem to have a broad knowledge on the vampires, night creatures, the sorts."

"Indeed they were," Annette replied, her eyes focused uppn her work. "Both my parents gave all their passion, poured all their experiences into these books but my father wrote the ones most focused on the supernatural. He penned down everything he knew of the horrors of the night upon these old pages. While my mother was most interested in the arts of alchemy and spiritual metaphysics."

Edouard listened as he read through a grimoire from the shelves, impressed by the beautiful handwriting the more he turned the pages. Though the details were too complex for him to decipher and understand, Edouard had never felt so enlightened as he treaded through them. "She was your teacher, I take it? A teacher of science."

Annette turned to him, screwing a bolt shut whilst doing so. Edouard could see in her eyes how deeply they longed. "They both were," she replied. "And they were very good at it. Mother taught me everything about alchemy and science while Father taught me the ways of magic. No doubt they left these books for me and Maria as a way to share more of their knowledge to us when they're gone."

Edouard, with a new appreciation for the grimoire, carefully closed it and returned it to its rightful place on the shelf where he took it. He walked over to Annette and pulled a silver vial from the pile, which was small enough for his two fingers. "This... is our trump card against Vaublanc and Sabrina?" He asked in astonishment.

"Do not be deceived by their miniscule stature," Annette told him. "Small as these containers are, they shall cage from within a terrible light that spreads like wild fire. Pass me the black jar over there."

Edouard quickly grabbed a black jar from the top shelf and gave it to Annette. With extreme caution, thick gloves and a pair of tweezers on one hand, she slowly opened it and both were immediately bombarded by a ray of light leaking through the lid. With the tweezers, she plucked what seemed to be a bright sparkling ball of fire and gently placed it within the open vial. As soon as the ball of fire was inside, the vial closed shut by itself before it could escape.

"What are those?" Edouard asked out of curiousity.

"The enchanted flames of an Ukoback," Annette explained as she goes to grab another orb from the jar. "It's a demom from Hell known for being a pyromaniac. Those gremlins leave these orbs of flame wherever they go. Flames that will never extinguish until the afflicted are consumed into ash. But my parents had other uses for them. This is one."

"I can understand why Richter had a great respect for you," Edouard noted. "Your extensive knowledge on this subject is more than valuable to assist him on his battles."

Annette smiled all the way to the corners of her cheeks. "It's been a while since someone else complimented my work. It's always Richter and Maria, though I suppose it's because I never leave the house..."