When Alucard finally arrived near the ruins where Feltan remained trapped, he slowed his pace and carefully climbed onto the crumbling remains of a nearby building. The old stone groaned softly beneath his boots while cold wind slipped between shattered walls and empty windows. From his elevated position, he closed his eye for a moment and stretched his senses outward.
Blood.
It was everywhere.
Countless traces spread through the ruined district like rivers flowing beneath the world itself. He instantly felt the presence of almost every blood beast nearby—small pockets of moving signatures wandering through broken streets, collapsed houses, and alleyways swallowed by darkness. Ten remained close enough to become a problem, and unfortunately, they were not isolated.
Small packs.
Alucard quietly clicked his tongue.
Fighting them now would be pointless.
Not because he couldn't survive it—but because wasting energy before reaching Feltan would be stupid. And despite what everyone constantly accused him of, he wasn't completely stupid.
Carefully, he descended from the rooftop and moved through the ruins like a ghost, weaving between collapsed structures and avoiding open spaces whenever possible. Every movement was deliberate. Every step measured. Several times he froze completely as blood beasts wandered nearby, their distorted forms passing only meters away before disappearing into the shadows again.
His destination never changed.
Feltan.
The closer he got, the heavier the familiar feeling became. Relief. Anticipation. Maybe even excitement.
Eventually, Alucard arrived at the ruined structure where Feltan remained imprisoned beneath layers of ancient rubble and forgotten stone. Quietly, he approached the same broken window he had smashed open during his previous visit. Jagged glass still clung stubbornly to the frame while lingering moonlight poured through the opening.
He slipped inside.
The moment he entered the range where Feltan could properly sense him again, a familiar voice exploded inside his head.
"Well, long time no see, kid. I almost thought you were dead. Unfortunately, you came back just before I could set up the party lights."
Alucard couldn't stop himself from laughing.
Gods... he missed hearing that voice.
Technically, their last conversation had only been two weeks ago, but two weeks barely counted when every interaction ended with trying to run and do something else. They never really had time to simply talk.
"Ah, you old geezer. I knew your lazy ass wouldn't even throw me a party at my own funeral. But fortunately for you, old fossil, not even death can stop me from coming here and annoying you."
Feltan's laughter erupted through his mind so loudly Alucard almost physically felt it.
"Now I'd drink to that—but by some cruel twist of fate, I don't have alcohol around me. Truly, boy, you will never understand the pain a man feels when he doesn't have a good drink for hundreds of thousands of years."
For a brief moment, Alucard's smile weakened.
Hundreds of thousands of years completely alone.
The image left an unpleasant weight in his chest.
"Ah... now I'd drink to that too, old man."
Suddenly, an overwhelming sense of danger gripped his heart.
The fear was internal.
Terrifying.
And strangely shaped like a healer.
Gluttony would have rolled his eyes at the comment.
Unfortunately, he had no eyes.
Feltan nearly choked on his own laughter when he noticed Gluttony's reaction.
"Well, as much as I'd like to believe you're here just to spend quality time with this old sinner, I've lived long enough to know where this is going. So tell me, Al... what do you want?"
Alucard chuckled while leaning against a cracked wall.
"Ah, you know me too well. But I actually will visit more after this. Surprisingly, for a dusty old, half-alive, ancient prehistoric fossilized sinner—you are pretty pleasant to talk to."
Feltan laughed quietly.
"Same here. Even though you're a stupid, idiotic, moronic, dense brat with the self-preservation instincts of a Villithen."
Alucard blinked.
"A what?"
Feltan sounded genuinely confused.
"You don't know what a Villithen is? Have you been living under a rock? Wait... don't tell me they went extinct?"
Alucard scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
How exactly was he supposed to explain that where he came from, whatever a Villithen was had never existed?
Before he could answer, Feltan burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"Oh gods—i wish I could have seen your face. Absolutely priceless. The fact you bought my bullshit only makes it better."
Alucard slowly narrowed his eye.
"You know... I take back my compliment from earlier."
Feltan continued laughing while wiping imaginary tears.
"Calm down, kid. I'm just pulling your leg. Now stop wasting time and get to the point."
Alucard let out an exaggerated sigh so dramatic it deserved applause.
"If you insist. What I want is simple. I want you to teach me that summoning sigil you used to teleport me to the castle."
The laughter disappeared.
Feltan grew quiet.
"That's... difficult."
Alucard frowned.
"Difficult how?"
"Because I can't really help much with it anymore. You don't have my eye now, remember? I can't see what you see anymore..."
Alucard released another long, theatrical sigh.
"So how exactly am I supposed to learn it now?"
Feltan sounded offended.
"Can you let a man finish speaking before interrupting, brat? As I was saying—it'll be harder. Not impossible."
Silence followed.
Alucard could practically hear ancient gears turning inside Feltan's mind.
Then suddenly—
"Got it. Go back to the castle. Redraw the sigil—the one in the center of the castle. Then come back. We'll piece together what's missing and eventually you should learn it."
Alucard stretched his arms above his head while preparing to leave.
Then a thought crossed his mind.
"Wait... why can't you just give me another eye?"
Feltan released the kind of sigh only ancient beings perfected.
"I could. Probably. But if I give you another one now, you'll likely die from having too much of my blood inside you."
A pause.
"If you want to risk it, though..."
Alucard immediately shook his head.
"Thanks, but I'd rather stay alive. Plus, the eyepatch looks cool."
Gluttony whispered toward Feltan.
"It doesn't."
Alucard spun around in outrage.
"I can hear you, idiot!"
Gluttony's voice turned smug.
"I know. That's why I said it."
Feltan and Gluttony immediately burst into laughter.
Alucard stood there in silence while an ancient horror and a 1 year old parasite laughed at his expense.
Again.
Somehow, coming back to life was easier than dealing with these idiots.