"Both halves of you, Alucard," Trevor continued to go on. Skylar watched him in silence.
"I'm listening," Alucard said as Skylar stood near him. Trevor made his way to Alucard and placed his hand on Alucard's shoulder.
"Behold, you sulky half-vampire bastard. I bequeath you the Belmont Hold," Trevor told him. "Make that and the castle your home, not your grave. Be its last defender."
"You're giving me your home?" Alucard asked after a pause of silence between the group.
"It's yours," Trevor said, his arms folded. "My childhood home and your childhood home. Protect it. Make something of it. Something better than a pile of ruins and a symbol of terror."
"..." Skylar stayed near Alucard's side. Alucard just gave a small, solemn nod to Trevor. Sypha walked over to Alucard and placed her hand on his shoulder. Skylar went back to exploring the castle in silence. She wasn't sure what to do or why Alucard had acted so strangely earlier. But she just needed some time to calm down and recover from that kind of shock. Sypha and Trevor head outside for a moment. Alucard turned when he noticed Skylar wasn't beside him.
"Skylar?" Alucard called after her.
"Yes?" Skylar half turned to him on the stairs.
"Where are you going?" He asked, stepping closer to her.
"I'm just exploring the castle," Skylar explained. "If I'm going to be sticking around, then I am going to need to familiarize myself with the castle and the rooms inside."
"You're staying?" Alucard almost smiled, absolute relief in his eyes.
"Yeah," Skylar returned his smile with kind eyes. "Besides, your sister will need help to watch out for you."
"Good!" Alucard practically yelled. Then he schooled his expression and cleared his throat, looking away from Skylar; a slight blush covered his cheeks. "I mean, that is wonderful to hear."
Skylar gave a gentle laugh. She gave him a warm smile before heading back upstairs. Her heart still felt uneasy, but she didn't pay it much mind and headed off. Alucard watched her go. He raised his hand, placing it over his heart, feeling it thump again and again inside his chest. He frowned for just a moment, then grinned to himself.
"This feeling," Alucard said aloud to himself, thinking aloud with no one around. "When was the last time I felt this... this fire inside?"
Alucard looked back the way Skylar went, and wanted to follow her, and see what kind of future lies ahead with the woman who can bend light. Alucard wants to see what kind of future is going to look like with this incredible woman by his side. He wants a future for the first time since his mother's killing. He entered the castle not to find usable items, but to locate an unused room that could temporarily serve as Skylar's room. Skylar went back to looking around and becoming familiar with the depths within the castle walls. Then, someone unsheathed a sword behind her. She stopped in her tracks and lowered her head slightly.
"..." Skylar glanced behind her, her eyes dark, but not with harmful intent. "I have no interest in fighting you, Dracule. Like it or not, we are on the same side."
"Why should I believe that?" Dracule bared her fangs, holding her sword pointed at Skylar's back. Elizabeth is nowhere to be seen. No sign of her hiding nearby. "You are a Maki!"
Skylar sighed, rubbed her forehead, and slowly turned to Dracule. Her expression was dark, darker than it had ever been when she was with Alucard. Dracule's stance tightened, almost as if she was seeing a threat for the first time.
"I am not one of them," Skylar retorted, her body language guarded and stiff. Completely different from how she normally was before.
"Then why do I smell them?" Dracule tried to keep her stance steady, to hide her shaking limbs. "Their blood shed, their power, and the very stench of their power, why do you carry it?!"
"..." Skylar watched Dracule with her dark expression. "Because no one has a choice in who raises us."
"...?!" Dracule froze, her guarded expression cracked, almost completely.
"Know this," Skylar continued. "You will not tell me not to be near Alucard. He is the only reason I haven't bothered destroying this castle with Dracula immediately when I found out about Dracula's plan. And I am never letting harm come to Alucard. Bet your life on it."
"..." Dracule watched Skylar walk away, leaving him speechless. She had never seen anyone make that kind of expression before. Even with the worst people in the world. Dracule felt a cold chill shoot through her body all at once.
"Dracule!" Elizabeth came running from down the hallway. She saw Dracule's hands shaking, holding her sword pointed at the ground. "What's wrong?"
"..." Elizabeth took hold of Dracule's shoulders and stayed close to her. She could feel Dracule stiff and trembling. "I don't know."
"Dracule?" Elizabeth looked between Dracule and the direction Skylar left. She couldn't tell if Dracule had just seen a pure nightmare or if she had just seen a side of someone she didn't know even existed. "Who were you just with?"
"That woman..." Dracule began, her voice shook as she stumbled back, bumping into Elizabeth. "The blonde woman... She's a Maki... She's dangerous..."
"That doesn't make any sense, Dracule," Elizabeth said, holding Dracule on her feet. "Why would a Maki not draw the soul out of Dracula himself? The more powerful the soul, the less they need to recharge and the more power they can draw from nothing."
"That's the problem," Dracule said, watching ahead, her gaze trembling. "She's hunting... I think... she's going after Alucard."