Fate To Fake: Loved by the Fallen; Fated to Kill the Divine

"The gate is locked"

Leo murmured quietly as he looked up at the towering gate. Unlike Valra's sleek and modern one, this was an ancient design... weathered and pitted with age.

Deep cracks spidered across the surface, and in the centre hung a monstrous lock, big enough to look like it could guard a vault rather than just a gate.

The figure beside him slowly raised its weapon, the tip catching a faint glint from the moonlight as it aimed directly at the lock, and with a sharp swing, slashed at it.

TANG!!

The impact rang out like metal screaming against metal, and the weapon recoiled violently, forcing the figure a step back.

"Enhanced by magic," the figure muttered, "If I break the lock by force, it'll alert Dracula immediately."

"hmm... What do you want to do then?" the figure asked, turning its hooded face toward Leo.

"hmm?"

"I mean... Are you planning to storm right in and deal with whatever's inside, or sneak in without him ever knowing we came?" The figure gestured towards the massive lock, explaining in words that it was designed to send a mana signal if destroyed.

Leo slowly shook his head. There was no way... where alerting that monster was an option.

That's a dangerous one!

What if he decided to finish Ophis on the spot? Or worse... use him as bait to hurt her more?

No... That possibility alone was enough to make Leo's jaw clench.

His eyes lingered on the lock. There was a hole, big but precise, exactly where a key should fit.

Without a word, his hand slid to his backpack. He crouched low, unzipped it carefully, and pulled out two long, thin metallic strips.

The figure tilted its head. "What are you doing?"

Leo didn't answer. His focus sharpened as he slipped one strip into the lock, testing the tumblers. His movements were steady but deliberate, each shift of his wrist sending a faint metallic click through the air.

Then, to the figure's visible disgust, he lifted the strip to his mouth, licking it before bending it slightly, moisture glinting on its edge.

"If there's a hole..." he said under his breath, slipping the altered strip inside again.

Under the hood, the figure's mouth twisted with visible distaste, but it stayed silent, watching.

Leo's fingers danced with minute precision, every twitch deliberate. Sweat formed along his hairline, running down the side of his face.

Clank!

Creeeaaakkk...

The heavy gates groaned as they shifted, old hinges crying out, restrained for long. Dust and flakes of blackened rust rained down from above, and the stale scent of decay and mould wafted out.

Leo's lips curled into a sly grin. "Then it's my goal~" he said, licking his strip again with almost playful arrogance.

"...That's disgusting," the figure muttered, its voice laced with revulsion.

Leo blinked. "W-What? I just opened the damn gate without triggering the alarm!" His voice cracked with surprise, almost offended.

And honestly... he had done a damn fine job, right?

Picking an enchanted lock this old... even Dracula himself probably never imagined someone would bypass it this way instead of blasting it apart.

Any mage worth their name... or any reckless idiot—would have simply destroyed it, not taken the time to pick it like some seasoned... Thief.

The figure sighed. "You did... but..." It shook its head and exhaled heavily. "Forget it." The way Leo had handled that lock, poking and twisting it, the poor thing... unsettling in its own way.

But our poor Leo didn't really mean that... he had an innocent mind, you know!

All his thoughts were filled with nothing but stealing and poking the unique lock that made it even more thrilling for him.

He shrugged, leaning down to press a quick, almost affectionate kiss to his metal tools before tucking them safely back into his bag. Without another word, he stepped forward to follow her inside.

The moment his boot crossed the line of Dracula's castle, something unseen seemed to reach for him.

The air changed.

It grew colder, unnaturally so, the chill crawling across his skin like thin, icy fingers.

"There's... nobody here?"

Leo's voice was quiet, but it echoed faintly, as though the castle itself answered back in whispers.

Not a single guard. Not a single sound. Outside, the vampire lord had placed monstrous, twisted trees to guard the perimeter—but here, inside, there was nothing?

No lurking danger?

It didn't make sense.

His instincts flared sharp. Every muscle was on edge, ready to spring into motion. Any second, something could drop from above or surge out from the darkness.

The figure, too, scanned the surroundings with a predator's caution, stepping towards the front door.

"What now? We're just walking up to the front door? Do you think he'll throw it open and invite us in?" Leo muttered, brows furrowed. "If we're sneaking in, what's the point of—"

"I don't sense him."

Leo stopped mid-step. "...Pardon?"

"A Stage 3 Mage like Dracula can't hide his presence. His mana constantly distorts the air. Even if he were asleep, you'd still feel it. But here..." It paused, eyes narrowing. "...There's nothing. I haven't felt a single trace since we entered."

A pale unease washed over Leo's face. "So... nobody's here? Then where's Ophis?"

The figure didn't answer right away. A theory had already begun to take shape in its mind, but it glanced at Leo's expression and sighed quietly. "The only way to find out... is to enter."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's enter!" he said, already stepping forward.

However, the figure's hand shot out, gripping Leo's shoulder firmly, halting his movement. The hold was strong enough to keep him rooted,

"I know what you're trying to do. But... we still have a chance to turn back. I'll ask this only once more... Are you truly certain you want to save the girl who nearly harmed you? And are you sure you can face Dracula himself?"

Leo froze, staring at the dark hood that concealed the figure's face. The shadows inside were thick, yet through them, he caught it—a faint golden hue, a sparkle like molten gold glimmering in those hidden eyes.

It was right... They still had a chance to turn back.

But…

"I may be a coward..." His lips curved into a weak smile, but his voice trembled only for a second before he took a deep breath and sharpened his gaze.

"Sure, she and I didn't meet in a way anyone would call good, but... I've grown attached to her. And she's someone who saved me without hesitation..." His fingers clenched unconsciously as the memory struck... Ophis, grabbing his and Valra's hands, pulled them forward so they could escape.

Even as their enemy, she hadn't abandoned them.

His hand tightened into a fist. "Facing death? Haha... the moment I took a life, innocent or not... I understood. I accepted. My death isn't far away."

Then he turned and began walking toward the looming door.

The figure's eyes followed him. He was determined and serious? Sure... but it still noticed the faint tremble in his legs.

He was putting on a front.

Death wasn't something you could just accept.

The fear never leaves... it only hides behind the will to keep moving.

They stopped before the massive door.

"Should I use my talent again?" Leo asked with a sly smirk aimed at the figure.

The figure's lips twitched. "First of all, where did you even learn to pick locks?"

"...Haha... O-Oh my god... good me," he muttered with a pathetic laugh.

Right... This Leo was a goody-goody type... except when it came to women.

Just then—

Thud!

The door began to move on its own, slowly parting with a deep, groaning sound that vibrated through the floor.

Both of them flinched instantly, shifting into guarded stances. Leo clutched his backpack tightly, his shoulders tense. But when the heavy gap widened enough to see through... there was no one standing there.

Leo and the figure exchanged a look and stepped inside.

The faint light from the outside didn't follow them in... instead, the interior seemed to swallow it, smothering it in deeper blackness.

Leo swallowed hard. The sensation was like stepping into the first scene of a horror movie, the part where the characters still think they can win.

THUD!

"Kya—!"

The figure's hand shot up, covering Leo's mouth before the sound fully escaped.

His face flushed red with embarrassment, heat crawling up his neck. He glanced behind them instinctively, only to find the door had sealed shut without a sound—locked in place as if it had never opened at all.

Leo exhaled slowly as the figure released him, and together they began to move further into the castle.

... Neither of them noticed the way a shadow slithered quietly along the walls behind them.

"Where would they be?" Leo whispered, barely moving his lips.

The figure shook its head. "I still don't sense their presence," it said, its grip tightening on its weapon.... its earlier theory was hardening into certainty.

They were late.

"Maybe we should check each room. We might find clues," Leo suggested.

Not wanting to crush his hope, the figure nodded. "However, we search together."

"But that'll take ti—"

"I don't care."

The words were firm, leaving no space for argument. There was no way in hell the figure was letting Leo wander off alone.

Leo sighed and nodded, then immediately they moved across the creaking floor, checking each room one after another. The doors were... strangely, not locked.

That alone made Leo blink in surprise, and the figure seemed to share the same reaction. Yet inside, there was nothing... no furniture, no curtains, not even dust-covered ruins, stone or books.

Just empty walls and silence.

Guess it made sense... no point in locking rooms that had nothing worth guarding.

They kept moving, peering into each one. But no matter how far they went, every single room was just as hollow and lifeless as the last.

"Why the hell did he build so many rooms if no one was going to live in them?" Leo muttered, his voice carrying a mix of irritation and unease.

They finally stepped onto the higher floor.

Just then... movement?

A faint, shifting shadow in the far corner of his vision.

Leo's throat tightened.

Maybe he was overthinking it... But hadn't something like this happened before?

He turned toward the figure and whispered, "Are you sure you didn't sense anything?"

The figure didn't answer right away. A few long seconds passed before it finally shook its head. "No. I didn't sense..."

"Y-You said the same thing to those damn trees!!"

"... Well, I am pretty sure I didn't sense anything," It said with a confident tone, ignoring the valid point.

"I-Is that so?" Leo muttered, his voice wavering slightly. He forced himself to keep his nerves from spilling over completely.

"W-What's your name again?"

The figure blinked, as if only now realising it had never given it. It let out a quiet sigh before answering,

"They call me... E—"

Grrrrlll~

The low, wet, rumbling sound rolled through the hallway.

Both Leo and the... E or whatever Figure froze.

'Damn! Is it's name curse or what?!!' Leo shouted inwardly.