And time passed.
Trevor eventually found his own rhythm within the training routine, his regular classes staying the same while his teachers even thought he was very intelligent since he always managed to understand the material quickly — though in one or two subjects he still had some difficulty, but nothing serious — and for Trevor, that wasn't really an achievement because, after all, he had already studied all of that in his previous life, like riding a bicycle: once you learn, you never forget.
Besides that, he was also doing well in Mr. Hans's classes, and the old man was a true taskmaster whose methods Trevor might disagree with, but whose results he couldn't deny, because the diet and training had improved his body considerably, making him stronger, faster, and increasingly better at MMA and jiu-jitsu — at least, that was what Mr. Hans said, since Trevor personally couldn't remember winning a single fight against him.
His relationship with his grandfather had also improved a lot, with Lucius constantly teaching him about supernatural creatures until Trevor had already learned almost everything about werewolves and vampires: their characteristics, their powers, their weaknesses, and according to Lucius, he would soon start learning about less common creatures — succubi, skeletons, ghosts, Medusa Heads, mermen, harpies — so there definitely wouldn't be a shortage of subjects to study. Besides the monster lessons, Lucius had also begun teaching Trevor how to use a whip, and at that moment, Trevor's inner child was extremely happy because he had imagined many times what it would be like to fight with a whip, but reality was even better, and on that first day of training, he swore he spent the entire time with a goofy smile on his face.
The months passed quickly until finally September 7th arrived — Trevor's birthday — and Lucius organized a huge party, inviting all the mansion's staff and even some hunter friends, where Trevor received a brand-new video game and had a genuinely fun time, though he also witnessed something he never thought he would see: his grandfather drunk. And when Lucius drank, he became very sentimental, much more than usual, at one point hugging Trevor tightly and beginning to cry. "Ahh, Trevor… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry," he sobbed, and Trevor was surprised, gently patting his grandfather's back while saying, "Easy, Grandpa. You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." But Lucius continued through his sobs, "Hic… I'm sorry… I miss her so much… I should have been there for her…" Trevor kept patting his back and reassured him, "It's okay, Grandpa. Everything's fine," yet Lucius persisted, saying, "No… I thought that if I stayed with the Vampire Killer… hic… if I carried the burden of our family…" He took a deep breath and finished, "I thought your mother would be safe…" At that moment one of the maids approached, took the drink out of Lucius's hand, and helped him upstairs to his room, but even so, overall, it had been a great twelfth birthday, and though Lucius was extremely embarrassed about what had happened afterward, Trevor didn't mind because his grandfather needed to let those feelings out — Maria's death had affected him far more than he let people see.
After turning twelve, the routine continued almost the same: regular classes, training with Mr. Hans, and studying with his grandfather, until one day Lucius decided to show him something special, taking Trevor to the mansion's basement one afternoon as they walked down the stairs slowly to where a large rug lay in the center of the floor. Lucius walked to one end of the rug and pulled it aside, revealing a large metal plate covered in symbols Trevor didn't recognize, the Belmont family crest at its center, and Lucius motioned for Trevor to come closer before announcing, "Now we're going to enter the family archives." Trevor's eyes widened as Lucius continued, "Down here there are centuries of accumulated knowledge and artifacts," placing his hand on the metal plate. "It's a family tradition to pass down the secret of how to enter this place from generation to generation." Lucius looked at Trevor and said, "Normally, I would only show this to you when you were older," then smiled slightly before adding, "But I trust you," and Trevor was surprised — and at the same time extremely proud — because his grandfather trusted him, and with his heart full of pride he replied, "Don't worry, Grandpa. You can trust me."
Lucius smiled when he saw his grandson's reaction and said, "Alright. Now repeat after me," before beginning to speak: "Invocatio Mahorela Sor Gru Odo Teloch." As soon as he began pronouncing the words, a blue light appeared on the metal plate and the symbols began to glow one by one, and when Lucius finished the phrase, the light shone even brighter as several feathers made of light began to appear in the air, followed by a pair of blue wings made of energy that appeared above the plate, flapped once, and made the metal plate simply disappear, revealing a staircase that seemed to have no end.
Trevor was completely amazed and asked, "What language is that?" pointing to the opening, "And what was that light? It looked like magic." Lucius answered calmly, "It's Enochian, a nearly extinct language," then added, "And it looked like magic because… it is magic." Trevor's eyes widened as Lucius continued, "Our ancestors placed an enchantment on this door. It prevents anyone who doesn't know the password from entering." He tapped lightly on the metal and added, "And it also makes the door much more resistant," before grabbing two lanterns from a nearby shelf, lighting both, and handing one to Trevor as they began descending the staircase.
While they walked, Trevor asked, "And magic? When will I learn it?" and Lucius sighed before answering, "Unfortunately… there are no recent records of Belmonts inheriting the magical gene." Trevor frowned and asked, "What do you mean?" pointing upward, "You just used magic." Lucius laughed and said, "I wish," then explained, "This door works like a vault with a password. You simply say the password and the enchantment reacts."
Trevor thought for a moment and asked, "When was the last time a Belmont used real magic?" and Lucius replied, "In the nineteenth century — our ancestor Richter Belmont." Trevor's eyes widened and he said, "Wasn't he one of the portraits upstairs?" Lucius smiled and said, "Well look at that… you really did pay attention to the portraits of our ancestors," before pointing downward and adding, "And don't worry — there are many more down here. But yes… Richter was probably the greatest Belmont," pausing briefly, "at least in my opinion."
Trevor grew curious and asked, "If he was so powerful… why wasn't that magic passed down?" Lucius sighed and began, "After he defeated Dracula with the help of his wife and companions… a sorcerer placed a curse on him and his mind was controlled." Trevor stayed silent as Lucius continued, gripping the lantern tightly, "When Dracula's castle returned a few years later… Richter was used to help Dracula," and he sighed deeply before adding, "I don't even need to say how deeply that shamed him. And because of that — and because of the distrust from the other hunter families — he and his wife decided to leave for the Americas." Lucius concluded, "They helped with the slave revolutions that were happening at the time."
Finally, after descending for several minutes, they reached the bottom of the staircase, and before them stood a massive underground archive where Lucius walked to a wall and pulled a lever, making an old generator start running as several lamps lit up, illuminating the enormous secret archive of the Belmont family.