Dark Lord and a Doctor (June vs Soma)

"Oh? And you brought a boy with you? Why Doctor, I didn't know you were wanting to learn the ways of the Midara *that* much~"

Soma just..rose an eyebrow at the maid, before she disappeared back through the lab. As Soma was dragged around, he sat down, Airi turning to wink at the boy. "So....I'm..slightly confused."

"Don't worry, cutie. Doc knows what she's doing~"

"Airi, it's not like that! We'll learn about that later. He's the key! Can you feel it? That presence in him? I know you can. The man's the reincarnation of Dracula! His soul is in him, just sleeping there! And we're not going to find a wellspring of magical energy quite like this without skinning a unicorn. But there's no time for that, get the amplifier ready."

She turned back to Soma, who had found a chair. "Don't worry, she's harmless. For the most part."

"Now...I suppose I should actually talk about what this plan actually entails. Now, I need you to stay calm with this one, cause it's gonna sound crazy. I have a lot of these machines here to amplify my own power, and with it, I'm..." she stumbled for a minute, worried about the reaction from it.

"...going to try and commune with the dormant Dracula present within you. I can't just take his power through you, he's too strong for that. I, unfortunately, need his approval. And so I'm going to use all of this to essentially enter your soul and see if I can't bargain with the good count."

"I'm giving you one last chance to back out, because I know that sounded crazy. Trust me, I think it's crazy too. But it's still my best option. The other option is taking his soul and putting it in me, and I think we can both agree that's an even worse idea. So, just one last time, just so we're clear...do you trust me with this?"

"...."

Congratulations, you've made the boy concerned. Might have something to do with the whole 'Lemme talk with Dracula, the being that despises humanity' thing. Just a guess.

"I...God, I can't believe we're gonna do this, but...Fine. I trust you. But if things get bad...."

"I want you to know, that we're not going to make him active. He'll remain dormant, through all of this. Just conscious enough for us to converse. Even at the end, if this doesn't work, he's not going to wake up. I can assure you of that. No matter how this ends up, we're not going to have a repeat of what you've clearly already been through."

"Airi, the machine's ready? Good. Now before we do that..." she said as she pulled Airi into a quick kiss for luck, and a little extra bit of energy. "Okay, hook me up."

The machine was certainly elaborate. Most people wouldn't be able to tell you what it does, but it's purpose was to temporarily increase the flow and propagation of mana to whatever it's hooked up to. What it means is that it's a surge of energy for any magic user, which is what June is hoping for, enough that she can enter the mindscape and communicate with this demon god on a level that makes her not seem like an insignificant gnat in comparison.

She placed a hand onto his chest. "Okay, now Soma, I need you to calm yourself. Relax your mind. What I'm going to do, is transfer my consciousness into your mind, where I'll find him there. And I need you to focus only on what you know of him, so that I can bridge the gap between me and him. Just keep him in your thoughts, even if I'm sure you loathe to do it. Those thoughts will put me right on his track."

"Airi, when things start to glow between both us, hit the machine."

oh god please don't kill us all

Airi eagerly returned the kiss, before getting into position. Soma, on the other hand...He was doing his best to calm down. Letting out a deep breath, he tried to focus on his memories of Dracula. A being that surfaced once every hundred years. Who wishes to purge humanity, but was stopped by a Belmont, or a Morris if a Belmont wasn't around. The source of the Power of Dominance.

He'd help June, if it was the last thing he'd do.

As Soma focused his thoughts on the one man that he didn't wish to remember, June's entire body started to glow and ripple with magical energy. She was putting her all into this, this one, possibly final shot at giving her the closure she wanted. That she needed.

"Airi! Now!"

The machine attached to her flared to life, and June's aura instantly increased tenfold, enough that it covered nearly the entire laboratory. At that instant, June's eyes burst open, the iris' completely golden from raw magical power, and then...

Silence.

Emptyness.

A vast space of nothing.

All except for one giant, grey, glowing orb, at the center.

This, was Soma's mindscape, and that, was Dracula.

"Count Vlad Țepeș of Wallachia, I am honored by your presence. This child of Man humbly asks for your aid in a matter that only you are capable of affecting."

I can't afford to be cocky. I have to try the diplomatic approach first.

A new being had entered his domain. A domain that, albeit empty, was entirely Dracula's to command. Very few souls had bothered to come here, and yet some new person, a mere child, showed up and dared to make a request?

"You have nerve, girl. And yet, a remarkable amount of courage. Speak your request, though the odds of me granting something to a worm like you seems slim to none."

He didn't immediately turn me down. I'm actually sort of impressed we got this far. Show no fear, strike while the iron is hot. This is it.

"I ask two things of you, great count. These two actions are similar, in that they need enough magical energy to break the laws of magic, and bend them to my will. Even with both of ours, I worry it won't be enough, but I must try."

"I have had much taken away from me, and I and my daughter, who was taken from me at a age too young for her to even remember, is all that remains of my family."

"My first, is that I want to know of my daughter. My magic alone cannot locate her, and it has been so for decades. I have nothing to trace her with, nothing I can link to her. I have nothing. And I need your magical energy to find that. If she cannot be located, then all I wish to know is if she is alive and well. That alone, would make me content."

"My second, relates to my late husband. Reviving the dead is a difficult process, as I'm sure you are aware. It cannot be brought back the way it existed. But that is exactly what I wish, if only for a short moment. Just one more time, I'd like to see him...to hold him...to have one last image of him at a happier state. All I ask for, is closure."

"These are my requests of you, Count Dracula. I have come a great deal to get to this point, and I understand that you have no obligation to grant my requests. All I can do is place them on the table, and hope that you will consider them, as someone who understands the pain of losing those you love."

There. Everything's out there. Now we wait. And cross our fingers.

"....."

There was silence. At first, the count had wanted to snap at her. And he had good reason to...But then she reminded him. Reminded him of Lisa, the first human to have earned Dracula's respect, and love. Was it not sorrow at her loss that drove him to do what he had done, to wage war on Humanity?

"....If it were any other. I would tear you to shreds for daring to request my power. And yet...I suppose I can sympathize with your plight. State your name, that I may know the person who wishes for my power."

oh my god

OH MY GOD

"My name is June, great Count. In my profession, I live for the sake of others, helping them recover from their wounds, both spiritual and physical."

"But here I stand before you, asking for a selfish request to satisfy my own desires. Will you grant me this one moment of selfishness? This one moment, to give me the closure I seek?"

No matter what's waiting for me on the other side of this request, this is truly it. This is what I've strived for. No matter if it's happiness or sorrow, I've done everything I could.

Silence. Before a great, booming laughter reverberated through the mindscape. "You amuse me, young June! Unfortunately, I know not if my power can aid you in finding your child. But allowing you to speak to your husband once more? Alas, I wish it were a chance I had with my dear Lisa. So enjoy the chance I would have sacrificed everything for."

With that, a wave of energy seemed to erupt from the soul, aimed straight at June. She wanted to speak to her lover, or at least see him again? That is something he'd give her. Was it out of character? Perhaps. But he cared not for what others thought of him.

Meanwhile, in the real world, a certain wraith was having the time of her life, feasting on the essence off Soma. Any moans Soma let out or muffles of protest were devoured by the hungry and slightly aroused Wraith as she sucked face and ground against his pelvis.

I was ready for that outcome. It's okay. It might sting, but that just means I'm not done, even after this...wait, he said yes?

...HE SAID YES?!?

On the outside, she kept her calm, serious demeanor. But on the inside, she was panicking, part of nervousness, and part of sheer joy. This is it. It's not all of it, but it's the half that she didn't think would ever be possible.

At his last words, the world fell dark. Nothing but empty blackness. Except for one light at the end of it. A bright, warm light, that brought back fond memories before all of this. Before the accident. Before losing their baby girl. Before everything. When it was just her and a family. June...and Mora.

She couldn't stop crying. It just kept coming. As she ran towards him, her form changed. No longer bound by medical equipment, by this form that terrified people, but simply as a normal Doctor, taking care of patients in their quiet little village, day in and day out.

She threw herself into his arms. They embraced, held in his arms one more time. This was all she ever wanted. One last kiss. They spoke of many things. What had happened since he passed. All she had done, just for this moment. And her regret and sorrow about how all of this had started.

"All because I was too stubborn and went on that path anyway. I...killed you, and I never got to tell you...how sorry I was for all of thi-"

He shut her up with a kiss. "I've never cared about any of that. I knew that you never meant any of it. And I would have saved you over, and over again. No matter what happened between us. No matter what would have happened to me."

The tears only intensified. They had one more thing to speak of. Their daughter.

"I'm...I'm not done yet. I won't be satisfied until I find her. I just want to know. I HAVE to."

"She never even got to know us. Do you think she'd want to leave the life she might already have?"

"I don't know. And even if she doesn't, I don't care. I just want to know that, if she's out there, living a life separate from mine, that she's happy. And if not, I'll make her happy. I feel like, it's the one thing I must do."

The world started to rumble. Mora's time was coming to an end, once again.

"I'll always be watching you, no matter what. Don't let whatever happens in the past shackle you. You were always telling me that, weren't you?"

"Yes...I suppose I did. But it seems I'll be shackled for a little while longer. And I'm okay with that. But right now? I feel better than I ever did before."

One last kiss. One last embrace. And the world fell dark.

Vision's blurry.

Starting to come back.

Oh god my head.

Back in the lab, right across from Soma...with Airi, making a feast out of him.

"AIRI I SWEAR TO GOD" she said as she grabbed her from the waist and threw her halfway across the room, knowing she'll be fine from it.

"Soma, are you awake? You alright in there?" She examined the boy with a pocket light in the hopes that Airi hadn't drained him too much.

Ignoring the wraith who was incredibly giddy and quite literally yelling "WHEEEEEE" as she was thrown, Soma looked at the doc, dazed, but ultimately alright. "No thanks, Stewardess, I don't want airplane pretzels."

Groaning, he shook his head, trying not to stare at the light. "Ugh...I think I feel like crap...Are...Are you alright? Are you crying? Did you do it?"

"He actually did it, Soma. He really did. I can't believe it but he did it."

Even now, she couldn't stop crying. She couldn't even remember a time when this wasn't a goal, and now it feels like the struggle is finally over. She hugged the man who had brought this to her.

"Thank you. So much."

Even thought she knew she wasn't done, this felt...liberating. A massive weight off her shoulders. It was as if the world had opened up to her in a bright, new way.

"We'll worry about the second part later, for right now, I think it's time for a celebration. Come on, you two, drinks are on me!"

"And no, that doesn't mean PEOPLE, Airi. I'm going to show you the magic that is Underworld Scotch."

A new lease on life. A burden gone for the first time in over a decade. And a new focus in life. Maybe these will all lead to great things. But for now, the time was pointed to putting the past behind us. And embracing the new day.