Author's note: In this story just before Simon gives back his piece of the mirror he looks into it and it shows him what happened to Trevor and Gabriel respectively. It's going to contain some angst, fair warning.

I do not own anything. Konami does.

Simon had lost track of the time he'd spent wondering the mountains. He struggled to even remember how he ended up in the frosty region instead of the meadow he was in just days ago. Ever since he escaped the castle he'd lost nearly all sense of time.

And maybe even his mind.

It was a miracle when he looked into the mirror shard back then he didn't breakdown from the shock and horror. It had taken all his self-control not to in front of the Lost Soul…and his father.

Father…Even now almost two weeks after the dreaded battle Simon still couldn't shake away the horrifying revelation: the mysterious being that aided him throughout the whole ordeal was his father. His long thought-dead father.

Like a battering ram a gust of cold wind slammed into his face bringing him back to the real world. The sun was about to set which would bath the whole area in a layer of darkness once more. Darkness meant all the monsters would come out, those that Simon hadn't killed anyway. He was too far away from the village at the base of the mountain to turn back so he decided to search for a spot to camp out for the night. Maybe a night alone in the wilderness would bring him peace like it used to when he was a child.

Ever since the destruction of Dracula's Castle he'd been traveling as a free-lance monster hunter. The job was good, it allowed to vent all the anger he had and it paid, not always in money but in the form of food, shelter, and other necessities. The village at the base of the mountain had been under constant raid by a horde of monsters when he came across it. Just seeing the damages reminded him of that night his mother was killed.

In return or food, money, and clothing he killed the horde in what many described as a blind fury. He didn't dispute their claims because he knew they were right. All he remembered of the battle was wildly swinging his weapon and crushing bones with his bare hands. After it was all over the anger was replaced by a bitterness he knew no drink or comfort could take away. Only he had the power to do that.

Perhaps the surviving monsters had spread word that the red-headed Belmont was not to be crossed because as Simon found a safe spot and hunted he met no supernatural creature. Hunting went well, there were a few dear in the area along with other small creatures he could take after wrapping them promptly.

It was down by a river stream he saw a lone black wolf walking alone through the trees. Simon and the wolf stated at each other for unknown amount of time. Something passed between him and the beast; they were both alone and tired. Blood dripped from the jaws of the wolf making Simon think it'd either finished a meal or got into a fight with some other animal.

Growing up in the mountains he's learned the sad thing about seeing a lone wolf. It meant it had no pack, no family to return to or aid it. It was all alone in a cruel world. Simon could sympathize with that.

From one of his leather pouches he placed a dead rabbit he'd bagged before the creature, not moving even when it stared at him upon walking within arm's reach. It sniffed him once or twice before picking up the rabbit and going off into the darkness. Before it fully disappeared it stared at Simon one last time, maybe sending a slight thank you or good luck to a fellow loner.

Sitting around the fire he'd made Simon beat into each piece with a saddened expression on his face. The light of the moon broke through the sea of tree branches and was within view if he leaned his head back against the tree he'd taken shelter by. Looking at the moon's pale light he was reminded of the pale skin of another; his father.

If you still walked this earth…why did you stay away? Why did you not return to us? Those thoughts consumed Simon as he ate. Of course he knew the reason why; he saw it in the mirror shard even though it all sped by so fast. It was shame. Killed…by your own father…then turned into a vampire by him.

How could he face his son after all that? If it were Simon he doubted he would have wanted to reveal the truth himself. He couldn't believe how stupid he was for not recognizing his father the moment they met. It was the same green jacket, near same body build, similar hair, and face. When he thought about it all made perfect, terrible sense.

It was kind of funny. Like some higher deity was laughing at it all. Was it God or fate? Did it really matter?

You couldn't bare it? Turned into the very creature you were trying to destroy by your own…by my…

Simon couldn't seem to finish the rest of the thought as he remembered what else the mirror showed him. Gabriel Belmont…Dracula…his grandfather.

All his restraint left him, tears began to gently fall down his face staining the soil. He howled sadly into the night not caring if anyone heard him, all he wanted to do was vent his frustration. In his youth he'd heard of him once or twice, of his unyielding loyalty to God and the Brotherhood of Light. The fragment showed him exactly how he was rewarded. In a way he could understand the anger the great vampire carried against humanity but he still hated him.

"Are either of you awake? Gazing the stars or possibly hunting?" he asked knowing neither could hear him. "Are we cursed by fate do this? In every generation fight as hard as possible only for fate to deliver the fatal blow no enemy can?" In his heart Simon know his grandfather was still alive just as his father had said. He'd heard talk of him going into hiding to regain his strength. Simon simply didn't have the heart to listen to anymore beyond that.

He'd never be able to look at his family the same way ever again after all he'd learned. Still it was quite an interesting story; his grandmother killed by his unknowing grandfather who then becomes a vampire, kills his son and daughter in-law, and turns his slain son into a vampire so he could "live". Oh and tried to do the same to Simon.

Somewhere some higher being was laughing, Simon could hear it in his ears.

THUNK!

His whip left a good sized impact on the tree but it did little to relive his anger. It was like some kind of ancient tragedy, only none of the characters know it until the very end. Looking at the whip he was reminded how similar he was to his forefathers; they all used whips, they all fought the creatures of the night, and they all did so with a resolve few men could counter.

So where do we all separate? Where does fate decide alternate our paths? He had come to hate the thing called "fate" with a passion more so than any other thing in this world. Tightening his grip he asked, "Grandfather, you fought it all and in the end…father, you fought it and realized how futile it was, so where do I fit in? What does "fate" plan for me?" Rarely had Simon ever given much thought to his future however now he wondered how his story would end? Would he suffer enough tragedies to take the same road his grandfather did or would he be cursed like his father was?

In the castle his father had said as long as he held the mirror fragment he would never be free. Knowing what he did though made his even more of a slave.

"I've fought beasts of every shape and size and survived many trials yet why is it this paralyses me more than anything else? Fear of the unknown, now I think I understand it." Normally he wasn't one for fear but things had changed greatly. "Is this what you plan for me God? Did you have it all planned from the beginning? Or was it you Satan?"

…

"Are we all just playthings for your amusement?" Between his feet a bug scrambled across the ground desperate to reach the bushes just a little further away. Again Simon found himself sympathizing with the small creature. In the eyes of fate this is all we are, insects.

Could things have been different? What if his grandfather never went on that quest? Never fell to darkness? An image began to take shape in Simon's head while he stared at the searing flames. Life would have been better for everyone arguably. He still would have become a warrior but he could have done so with his father and grandfather proudly watching. For a fact though, he wouldn't have become the gentleman his mother and grandmother had probably wanted. This was enough to at least get a weak chuckle from his lips.

'That's all any of us can do now. Laugh and dream at what could have been rather than what is." Scooping up the insect in his hands he watched it crawl around then released it to let it continue on its path. It never wavered once in it's path even with Simon's eyes following its every step. His hand tighten once more into a fist. "Then let it be, I'll continue to walk until I see what the final act holds for me." From the night his parents were killed Simon knew his road would be a dark one, he just never realized how dark it would be. Or red.

The rustling of the leaves and breaking of twigs alerted him to an oncoming presence. In a few swift motions he'd kicked out the fire and was ready for combat. As he'd done many times his body tensed, ready to spring forward or back despite his massive size.

"P-Please hold my lord." A tired human voice came through the darkness. "We mean you no harm."

"Show yourselves, now." Simon demanded still ready to attack.

To Simon's surprise it was a human pair holding a few lanterns that emerged from the bushes. The first was a male, dark robe, sword hung to the side, travel back slung over his shoulder and a family crest endowed on shoulder. The other appeared to be female carrying similar begs and still had her hood up.

The man pulled down his hood to reveal a seasoned face, hardened brown eyes, and copper colored hair. Simon knew he was looking at a man who had seen ugly combat as evident by the faint scar he noticed running from the man's right cheek all the way down to his jawline. His eyes next drifted to the crest they carried; a lion's face with the sun in its jaws with a pair of swords crossed through it.

"I know that crest." Simon said lowering his whip. "It is the symbol of the Lyndon family."

"Yes it is." The man spoke up. "My name is-"

"His name is Alwin Lyndon." The family spoke up lowering her hood to reveal an unnaturally beautiful face with dark brown hair and piercing green eyes. "And I am his sister Veronica Lyndon. Are you Simon Belmont?"

Simon was both taken back and impressed by the woman's boldness. "Yes I am. What do I owe the pleasure of having the children of Lord Lyndon track me?"

The man, Alwin did a gesture Simon was not used to receiving from one of noble birth, he bowed low. He beckoned his sister to do the same but she did so only slightly. "Lord Belmont we seek your aid. Our kingdom has been besieged by a legion of monsters led by a vampire."

Simon felt a painful knot form in the pits of his gut. Was it his grandfather? Had he regained his strength so fast and amassed such an army he hadn't noticed. 'If it is you…I won't hesitant.'

"It isn't the Dragon." Veronica spoke up as if reading Simon's mind. "He is simply called Walter, an upstart. They say you're unmatched when it comes to slaying the unholy, is it true?"

'Who on earth is this woman?' Simon thought intrigued as she continued looking her dead in the eye. Now Simon wasn't one to disrespect women, in fact he admired women who were willing to take charge in this day and age. Obviously this woman was one such. "Yes I am. Are you asking me to kill him?"

"To put it bluntly yes we are Lord Belmont." Alwin spoke up. "If you care to, we can discuss this over a fire."

"By all means."

Simon sat and listened to the siblings tell him of how this vampire called Walter had appeared a few months ago trying to take over the Lyndon lands through force. From what Simon had heard the kingdom had a good sized army and a corpse of magicians to aid them in holding off his army. Currently they were at a stand-still.

"Why did you seek out me? If your story is true than you would have been better off requesting aid from the Brotherhood of Light." He didn't mean for it but Simon could hear the bitterness in his own voice at the mention of the Brotherhood.

"Well Lord Belmont..." Alwin looked like he wasn't sure how to phrase what he was about to say next.

Once again his sister decided to say whatever it was for him. "The Brotherhood's gone dark for the last few weeks. No one, not even a majority of the kings of the land can get an audience with them. Besides," her green eyes locked with Simon's making him straight up. "Word has been going around of your lineage, the Belmonts, vampire killers, monster hunters. In light of this we realized you were the better choice."

Conflicting emotions welled inside of Simon. One of them was shock and the other was anger. The shock came when he learned the Brotherhood had gone into hiding and the anger followed shortly after that. 'They knew this whole time. They knew what would befall our family and they didn't do a damn thing to stop it.' Growing up Simon had always been weary of the Brotherhood, he was never sure quite why until the mirror shard revealed the truth. 'Damn cowards. Is that why they waited to tell you father? Is that the curse you spoke of grandfather? Blood killing blood until the end of time, quite the cycle.'

The 36 year old was so engrossed in his own thoughts he didn't realize Arthur had been talking until he mentioned the reward. "My father is prepared to pay you whatever you want. Gold, power land, simply name it, and it will be your reward."

Gold and land didn't interest Simon in the least bit. Just the description of the job alone was enough to get him to agree. A slight glimmer caught his blue eyes turning them to the orange crystal pendent Veronica had around her neck. Leaning in closer Simon realized the crystal design was shaped almost like a bird flapping its wings.

"Why do you wear that symbol?" Simon asked ignoring Alwin. "It is strange for a woman of your stature to wear that instead of the cross."

"I wear it because it stands for what I value most in this world; freedom." She answered holding up the necklace so Simon could see. "Tell me Simon Belmont from the stories we have heard you always seem to be in a depression, why?"

Taken back Simon stared at the fire crackling between him and the Lyndon siblings. He wasn't going to explain what he'd been thinking with a pair of total strangers yet something in the woman's eyes compelled him to at least speak up. "As of late I have felt…trapped. Enslaved even."

"By what? Fate?" Veronica asked cocking her head to the side. Her brother tried to shush her but the green-eyed woman continued pressing the topic. "I've never known a person like you to believe in such a foolish notion as fate."

"And what would you know of me?" Simon snarled getting angry.

"I can see pain in your eyes. Doubt. The way your fists tremble with both anger and uncertainty." Pointing to his hands her eyes softened the tightest of a fraction. "You seem to me to be kind of man who wouldn't let such a silly thing like destiny hold you done like a frightened child. You seem more like the kind who would make their own using those bear claws you call hands."

Simon let out a low chuckle that earned a small smile on her lips. He was starting to like this woman. "And do you believe in fate Lady Veronica?"

"I believe we all have a 'fate' but no one call tell us that, all we can do is continue moving forward. I believe we make our 'fate' with our own hands." Veronica tightly grasped her pendent as she asked her next question. "Will you help us Lord Belmont?"

With just those words Simon felt all the inner turmoil inside him suddenly quiet down. He couldn't see much past Veronica's hardened eyes but he could tell she too had once been at a cross roads concerning the notion of fate. 'Here I am getting a lecture from a strange noble-birth woman I'd just met. Mother, father what would you think of me?' "Yes I will."

"Thank my lord." Alwin said bowing his head low.

"You don't need to keep calling me that. Just call me Simon. We can leave tomorrow morning. You have horses yes?"

"We do. They're back in the village waiting for us to return." Veronica said taking a bit out of a loaf of bread she brought then offering it to Simon who took it.

'Veronica Lyndon…in just a few words you were able to set so many things right inside of me in such little time.' Out of the corner of his eyes he noticed just how eye-catching the woman was, she was sight in both body and spirit. Simon admired that. That is what he would become.

Dawn broke over the forest awakening all three adults. Naturally Simon was up first gazing at the rising sun while the Lyndons stood calmly behind him. They could tell something was different in the mountain-raised warrior, he seemed almost… relieved like a great burden had been lifted off his shoulders.

"Simon…are you ready?" Veronica called out.

Watching the sunrise Simon couldn't help but realize how red it looked. Red like blood, red like fire. 'Father…mother…grandparents…I don't know how my story will end but I do know one thing; I will be the one who decides how it ends. I won't fight my fate or cower in fear of it. I will forge my own path down this red road that has been set before me.' A fiery determination formed in his blue eyes as he turned to face his new companions. "Yes, let's go."

The road he walked would be one paved with blood and pain but that was how it was to be. Fate may have set him on this path but it would be his actions that would determine where his road ended.

Hopeful it was a little up lifting towards the end. Please Rate and Review.