The surface of the mirror was a pool of black ink, a window open directly toward an abyss of eternal darkness.
An icy and unnatural air began to filter from the inside, creeping along the floor and frosting the wood of the nearby furniture. Even the fire in the fireplace seemed to shrink, fearful, before the presence of that door to hell.
The group held their breath, paralyzed by what they had in front of them.
There it was... Finally!
The true lair of Dracula.
The elusive destination for which generations of the Valerious family had bled, fought, and died without success.
"Do we do it...? Do we cross now?"
Anna asked with doubt and instinctively, her hand sought Velkan's and squeezed it tightly.
The flame of vengeance burned her chest, but the grim blackness of that mirror froze her blood.
"No."
A deep and dissonant voice broke the sepulchral silence.
Everyone turned startled and the one who had spoken was Frankenstein's Creature.
Still chained, he struggled to straighten his posture. The metal of his shackles screeched violently, while the sad intelligence of his mismatched eyes scanned each of those present.
"Look at yourselves..." he said with a slow tone, dragging the words with difficulty, but with a brutal clarity, "You are exhausted."
"If you cross that door now, with that fatigue... you won't go to fight. You will only go to die."
His words dissipated the fog of adrenaline that blinded the siblings.
Velkan relaxed his shoulders, and suddenly, the weight of the night fell upon him. He was right... Their bodies were at the limit.
Facing that being in that state was suicide.
Shaking off the astonishment at the success of the spell, Carl nodded.
"He is right. We must heal our wounds, eat, and rest. We need to be in our absolute best state."
He approached the window and drawn back the curtain.
"Besides, look outside."
The golden light of the morning burst into the room, dissolving the shadows in the corners. The sun flooded the devastated streets, bringing a silent calm and a pinch of long-awaited peace.
"It is daytime," he concluded, looking at the mirror again. "For a few hours, time is on our side."
"You have heard the plan. Rest and eat... Tonight we will end this curse once and for all."
Having said this, Van Helsing turned his head toward the immense figure that occupied a large part of the room.
"As for you..." He frowned, "Your mission in this has ended. My orders are to escort you back to Rome so that the Order decides your fate."
"..."
Frankenstein did not protest. He simply kept silent and lowered his head, fixing his gaze on the scars of his own hands.
The little light in his gaze went out.
He knew it better than anyone. He was a mistake... An aberration!
"Hey, buddy, don't be such a party pooper."
Lief's voice cut through the solemnity of the moment.
He was leaning on the doorframe, holding his glass of wine.
"Send him back to Rome now? What a waste." He swirled the crimson liquid in his glass, sketching a smile that didn't quite reach friendly, "Take a good look at him. He is immense and is stronger than any of us. Such a useful meat shield... I mean, such a powerful ally, isn't it a pity to file him away before the final battle?"
Stepping away from the door, he walked up to Frankenstein and sized him up from top to bottom without the slightest trace of fear or disdain.
"Come with us tonight, big guy. An extra pair of hands will come in handy."
He gave the giant's thick arm a resounding slap, and then lowered his voice, "What do you say? Aren't you interested in the opportunity to personally crush the vampire who murdered your father?"
"M-My father?"
A flash of turbulence crossed Frankenstein's eyes.
On his face, a mosaic of skins, a crudely human emotion appeared for the first time: Rage.
He had been created by a man who played at being God... But that man was the only connection he had with life. And he died betrayed and murdered by the monster that lived in that castle.
"Dracula..." The chains binding him clinked violently when his fists clenched.
He raised his head slowly and the resignation had disappeared, replaced by a vengeful fire that burned in his gaze, fixed firmly on the black mirror.
"I want... to avenge my father." He raised his head slowly and a vengeful fire lit up in his gaze, fixed on the mirror, "I want to tear him apart with my own hands!"
That deep hatred and loyalty moved Anna and Velkan, leaving them speechless.
They fought for the honor of a surname and a family debt... But this poor creature, a monster in everyone's eyes, was willing to march into hell solely for the love of the creator who gave him life, even if that creator never truly loved him.
"Very well." Lief nodded, breaking the tension with a snap of his fingers. "Then it is decided. Van Helsing, take those chains off him. If we want him to fight, he can't move dragging fifty kilos of iron. Besides, it looks quite uncomfortable."
"..."
Van Helsing hesitated.
He looked at the iron determination in the creature's eyes and then at Lief's carefree attitude, and sighed.
Without saying a word, he took a key from his belt and unlocked the heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles.
Click Clack
The metal fell to the ground noisily. The giant drew himself up to his full height, stretching his limbs. He moved his stiff neck, causing a crack, and then turned toward Lief, looking at him from his imposing height.
"...Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," replied Lief, downplaying it. "Just make sure to hit hard tonight. Consider this an advance payment."
With the plan established, the group dispersed.
Velkan and Anna went up to the rooms to try to sleep a couple of hours. Carl took refuge in several books, murmuring to himself. Van Helsing retired to the side, meticulously checking his arsenal of weapons.
In the center of the room, next to the fire and the bottle of wine, only Lief and the giant remained.
Lief filled his glass once more, observing the creature who remained standing, uncomfortable with his new freedom.
"What's your name, big guy?" he asked, breaking the silence.
The creature lowered his gaze, ashamed.
"I have no name…"
"That's wrong. Everyone needs something to answer to," said Lief, making a grimace of displeasure.
He thought about it for a second and a mysterious smile curved his lips, "From now on, you will be called Adam."
"...Adam?"
"The first man created by God," explained Lief, raising his glass in a toast. "Didn't your father want to play God with science? Then, as his 'first man,' calling you Adam is fitting."
"..."
Frankenstein, no, Adam, remained silent for a long while and finally nodded.
He didn't fully understand, but he understood the meaning: it was a name.
A man's name, not a monster's.
"Adam..." he murmured, accepting his new identity.
The room plunged into a momentary tranquility, broken only by the crackling of the wood burning in the fireplace.
________
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