18 A Chant In Union

It is with a great fumble of the tongue that I try to repeat the words that Alatar says to absolute perfection. Yet, I can not pronounce a single syllable of the language that he speaks. I do have the great urge to ask him what it is, but I know should I break his concentration, he will have my head once we have won this battle.

So with great difficulty, I continue, yet he sees my frustration, so with each sentence that he chants in what he says is Hebrew, he repeats it for me in English.

With a confident voice that rises above the crashing of the rain, it is once, "Leave him demon, be gone."

Then a breath to catch myself again, "Take your leave; you are defeated."

With a glance at Roberto, who has not moved but a single inch, our voices echo through the cemetery, "You shall cease to exist."

But still, not a single word has left him, so we push on further, "You will release yourself."

There is a rumble that now comes from Roberto; the pure sound of horror shakes every bone in my body.

Alatar only shows for me to continue, "I command you."

Roberto starts to move around in circles as he keeps Anastasia at his feet; the terror grabs my heart at the thought of what he might do to her, yet, I push the fear to the back of my mind and continue as instructed. Trying to find that confidence, I speak, "This spell diminishes you."

But there is only a great cackle that comes from deep in Roberto's chest. He is finding our poor attempt to expel him rather amusing, but I am not yet finished, "As I speak, so it must be."

And for a brief moment, we stand in silence and watch him. That evil that consumes him can be felt to every brink of this godforsaken place. The last time I was here, I had to defeat the undead, and now I am stand to protect my wife from an age-old evil that has taken control of my brother.

So, starting to feel somewhat of despair, I look at Alatar while he looks over to Lilith that is still making good progress in killing off the Vampires that seem to keep on coming. Yet, we all start to firmly believe only one thing.

But before even one of us attempt to make a move, Connor screams over the sounds of the Vampires hissing as they snap their teeth.

"AGAIN."

"Leave him, demon."

"Be gone."

"Take your leave."

"You are defeated."

"You shall cease to exist."

"You will release yourself."

"I command you."

"This spell diminishes you."

"As I speak, so it must be."

Then complete silence as we wait to hear if the same sound of horror comes from Roberto and even more horrifying if it has possessed one of us. Yet, the words that Alatar chants in between when we speak, it is said that it should bind The Darkness and send it back from where it came. Well, it shall leave with Lilith, hopefully. If only…

"AGAIN."

Frustration sets in as Connor yells at the brink of his voice. How much longer must we chant these words? Why does it not work on the first shot? Well, I cannot answer that for myself, for I have never had to face such a thing. Do I wish now that I did not start my hunting days again?

Yes.

And I am sure where my beloved is lying at Roberto's feet, she must be thinking the same thing. It is with my piercing eyes that I can see her clenching her hands into fists. It breaks my heart, for I know that she does that when she fears something. Even though her heart does not feel what I feel, the reminder of how it feels to be terrified is still imprinted in her mind. She is still but a youngling; she has not mastered to control what she thinks.

So to say that I wish to break away from here and save her would be just a slight understatement. I wish to, with every being in me, be there right with her at his feet.

And it is with this horror that I look at Alatar that only shakes his head at me, "Don't do it, Sebastian."

"I can simply not stand here on the side and chant something that is clearly not working!"

With that, I break away from the circle, and I move towards Roberto. At first, there is shock in his eyes, which soon turns to amusement. "Look whom we have here, the great Sebastian Belmont." The sounds that roll from his lips, tears at the seams of my skin, I have never heard one single sound so terrifying. Then as he speaks, he takes one step closer to me, "Have you come to save your brother?"

I only but snap at him, "I want my wife back."

There is a burst of laughter that rumbles from his feet and spill like water from his mouth, "Your wife? Since when does a Vampire wed?"

"That, my dear friend, that is not your concern. Now take your Demon ass out of my brother and go back with the Bride of Hell."

He snaps his neck into the direction that I am looking, and there for the first time, is a tremble in his voice as he fumbles to find her name, "Lilith? Is she here?"

"Oh, don't tell me that there is something that you are afraid of?"

With that, I hand drop a piece of crumpled paper in front of Anastasia, and with only a nod, she smiles back at me. Yet, I keep my focus straight onto The Darkness, this thing that has come to upset the balance of things. And as I smirk at him, I only but laugh, "I think I must call our dear Lilith here. I am sure she will like to see you again."

And much to his horror, I whistle. It only takes Lilith but a few seconds, and she spins her head around at me. It does not need to take a word, but only a thought, and she knows exactly what I need her to do. And while she tries to battle with her own answer, Anastasia rises from her feet.

"Leave him, demon."

The first word that she speaks gives Connor and the rest to raise their voices again. So yet more, once more while we are waiting for the Bride of Hell to come to clean up her mess, we chant…

"Be gone."

"Take your leave."

"You are defeated."

"You shall cease to exist."

"You will release yourself."

"I command you."

"This spell diminishes you."

"As I speak, so it must be."

As the final syllable leaves in union from the lips of our misfits, there is a slight tremble, a jerk in the movements that Roberto is making. He starts to fumble, and when he speaks, for a brief moment, it is the voice of Roberto that comes rising past The Darkness. And with this hope in sight, Connor hollers.

"AGAIN."

Then as we are just about halfway, I see Lilith come walking through the trees; she seems rather defeated as she has come to the realization that she has to clean up her own mess.

And trust me, that if she were not more powerful than me, I would have stepped forward and killed her. In not even in a complete chant of a sentence, The Darkness expels itself from Roberto, and into complete nothing, it disappears into thin air.

In an instant, Roberto's body drops to the floor, and next to him is a terrified Anastasia that only but leaps into my arms, "Sebastian, is it over?"

With only but a frown and some hesitating hands do I reach out to Roberto, that is now rumbling, "Roberto, is that you?"