Castlevania: Symphony of the Night Chapter 5
By Aujang Abadi
Simon grunted as he fell to his knees, a soft thud echoing in the open marsh. He cursed, violently frustrated at his weakened state.
"This is futile. Absolutely damn futile." Trevor was taken aback. The grinding of Simon's teeth was actually audible; he was clenching his jaw that roughly. "I am never going to regain my strength. God help us all if you actually expect me to be ready for him. I can barely stand on my own!"
A full month had passed since Simon had decided to accept Trevor's offer. He'd spent a few days in seclusion, right after his sudden briefing. After a period of reconciliation, with himself and his ancestors, Simon had re-emerged from the cabin and quietly requested that he be trained in the arts of the Belmont clan.
He'd come to regret that request very, very much.
"Well, Simon, maybe if you listened to Trevor once in a while you'd have mastered this entire sequence of steps. It's not that complicated." Sarah teased, as her hands worked nimbly with a knitting needle. Simon turned his head to her, not amused.
"You're an absolute riot, Sarah. What would we do without you?" He stumbled back to his feet, crying out softly from the sudden shock that ran through his legs. They were yet unaccustomed to standing on their own, especially not so swiftly.
"That's enough, Simon. We're wasting time, and that is a commodity we do not have. Now, again. And this time twist your body when jumping. You keep on jumping into the air before you twist your torso-and when you do the twist, it's too late, so you fall right on your knees. And your speed is off, too... that whip needs to crack!" Trevor folded his transparent arms over his chest, slightly amused by his descendant's progress. He learned quickly and he learned well, but Simon still carried doubts from his desecration. Trevor knew that his heir would have to discard them, one way or another. They were certainly eroding his confidence, in more ways than one.
And then there was the strange emotional situation at hand. If Trevor hadn't been so attuned to their feelings, he probably would not have noticed. Given the extra circumstances, and the stress of training, he probably should not have noticed. Yet, as most peculiar things did, the slight tension in the air piqued Trevor's interest. Simon and Sarah, although they hid it magnificently well, were not getting along.
He did not know why, and he supposed he would not. Looking out over the dead fields of his homeland, he wasn't consumed by much of a desire to find out. What did worry him, though, was that their little feud would somehow prevent Simon from doing what needed to be done. A part of him cried out for his beloved heir, and against the cruel circumstances that placed him in such a difficult situation, but the fact yet remained. Simon needed to fight, and he couldn't afford any distractions from it. And Sarah was becoming just such a distraction. Trevor shook his head to clear his thoughts, and smiled broadly when Simon came to the end of the maneuver, twisting properly and landing on his feet. He crumpled in pain soon afterwards. Trevor couldn't help but laugh.
"Yeah. We're just a barrel of laughs today." Simon scowled, resisting the urge to chuckle at himself.
"Oh, lighten up, Simon. If you can't laugh at yourself, what pleasure can you possibly glean from life?" Sarah piped in. "There's no need to take everything so seriously."
"Oh, my mistake! Here I almost forgot that nothing matters right now! What's a little thing like the fate of the world, when we're dealing with me falling? Ah, yes, I suppose I should be a little more light-hearted about things." Simon growled, rising to his feet. "You're not making this any easier. God knows it's not easy as it is."
"Why do you have to be such an ass, eh?" Sarah yelled, throwing the leather to the ground. "Ever since I saved your carcass you've been nothing short of rude and vindictive! What's wrong with you? Why do you have to be so hurtful?" She glared at him with her large brown eyes, filled with pain and confusion. He turned away, absolutely positive that his cheeks were on fire.
She was so beautiful. He closed his eyes, trying to erase her image. Why did she have this power over him, this way of controlling his emotions and of making him feel so inadequate? And at the same time, she was so very fragile. She'd cried when he'd rejected her. A small part of him gloried in that-in the power he could exercise over her. But most of him cried with her. He hated himself even more, for hurting her... but he had to drive her away. He was tainted now. He would taint her.
Trevor noticed the change in his young apprentice and sighed. He would need a bit of time to gather himself. "Simon, go rest for a little bit. Sarah, if you would be so kind as to prepare lunch, please?" They both nodded silently, and wandered off on their own paths.
Trevor wondered just how long this little facade was going to last.