Fan Fiction

"I suppose, by now, you've thought about my wondrous library and its endless amount of reading material and thought to yourself, 'Just where did this guy come from?' Of course, if I told you, I'd have to impale you. It's just standard procedure, you see. Oh, well--that's the fate of mankind, I guess: No matter what theories you could possibly form about how life came to be, you can never, ever, find an origin. And even if you could one day discover an ultimate truth, you'd find no application for it--you'd still be you, and your existence would not have changed insofar. The point, I'd say, is that the theories are infinitely more interesting than the truth. Ol' Sam puts one to the test on yours truly. That bum."

The Origin of the Master Librarian

By Sam Mills

The Master Librarian of Dracula's castle had many secrets he kept. He knew things about the castle no body knew. There were things he heard that he never spoke about. And there were agenda's he had that he didn't want anyone to know. No one, not even his master, Dracula.

Where did he come from? Why is he there? Was he human or...something else?

The librarian would not spoke to most humans, especially those who defied his master. One time, for the sole purpose of obtaining wealth, he helped a being, half human and half vampire. His aid in this being eventually helped in his masters defeat, and the librarian kept his profile low from that time on. He served evil, not out of desire, but because he was grateful for all that he had.

There are many story's about the origin of this strange and interesting figure. No one may know the true story, but there is a story about him that seems to be true...

Several hundred years before meeting up with Dracula's son, the librarian, who's name is (name omitted) lived in a small Romanian village. His book collection was vast and contained great fictions, knowledge, and ancient wisdom. Being a very gracious and kind man, he would lend out his books to the towns folk. Some books he'd even written himself. For a time, his books were a great contribution to his society, and offended no body.

But then, the librarian began to carry books of controversial content. Books that talked about science, magic, and wizardry, all considered by some to be works of the devil. One day, a rally of the towns folk broke into his shop and grabbed the books, preparing to burn them around a stake...with the librarian tied to it. The grabbed him while sleeping and pulled him out into the frosty night. In the full moon, the old man begged for his life. No one in the crowd was listening, except for one.

They tied the librarian to the stake. However, before flames were set to the books below him, there was one in the crowd, covered completely in a cloak, that began to rise into the air. The crowd was shocked and terrified as this being identified himself. Pulling back his hood, he revealed himself as the Grim Reaper.

"I give this man a choice!" the Reaper said. "Since you were so willing to offer him to me, I shall turn the tables, and let him offer all of you instead! In exchange for this choice, I only ask that he serve my master in his realm of darkness!"

The townspeople were terrified. After all, it was clear the librarian would choose their demise. "What would it do for my soul to serve in such a realm?" the librarian asked.

"Eternal life, free from the flames of hell. You would have all the books in the world at your disposal. Serve my master, and the rewards will be unthinkable!" the Reaper explained.

At that moment, the librarian made his choice. He didn't even need to say it out loud, and the reaper knew. In a horrid act, the crowd was engulfed in flames, and the Grim Reaper snatched the librarian and took him to safety in Dracula's castle.

One of his first tasks was to use his extensive knowledge, and tell Dracula all he knew. He was taken to Dracula's balcony, where he was sat in a chair facing the count in his throne. "You made that choice quite quickly, yet your heart is so pure. Tell me old man, why do you choose this?"

"My contribution, whatever it is, could never be enough to turn the tides in your war with this earth. If you ever succeed in becoming it's ruler, my conscience would still be clear," the librarian said.

Dracula smiled. This was his kind of reasoning. "We are more alike than you think, (name omitted). In fact, you are no longer to go by this name. (name omitted) is a human name, and you are much more than that now. You are simply to be known as the Librarian. Understood?"

For hours, the two talked, and the Librarian told Dracula all that he knew about the parallels between this world and the spirits. While Dracula was a master of power, he did not know how to manipulate that nature of the universe so easily. The librarian offered much in the way of knowledge, such as manipulating laws with spells, loop holes, and astronomical variations. "For example, just because 100 years hasn't past, you can always go off the lunar calendar. That way, you shave off a few years!"

Dracula was skeptical of his new servant's logic, but he had a lot of potential. "I know there are those coming for me now, and if I fail to defeat them, then you will be in charge of exploring the earth for me, and gather information until my next return. Your never dying soul will be my library of knowledge. If I am gone, you must travel this earth, and discover it's secrets."

The Librarian has little love for the count, but he didn't hate his master either. While his motives were evil and wrong, there was something charming, but sad about Dracula. While there was no doubt that he did not agree with the count's agenda, there was little he could do about his masters bloodlust.

Indeed, Dracula was vanquished, leaving the librarian in the ruins of a crumbled castle. For one hundred years, he traveled the world, searching Europe for a time until focusing his efforts on the Asian culture.

Japan was the first stop for the librarian, and the now 150 year old man had learned the trade well of obtaining secret knowledge and wisdom. After searching in the shadows of this country, he found a home deep in the snowy mountains, in a small village. The people were a simple people, but there was a lot of secrets and magic going on in this place. It was a hidden society of wizards, who were trying to perfect the ancient secrets for touching "the other side."

The old man quickly integrated himself with these people, learning the language and their secrets. There was a place in the village knows as the "chi no niwa", the garden of blood. It was this place that roses contained a specially breed poison, that would instantly kill those who dared take deep sniffs of its perfume.

But soon, he was asked to participate in a ceremony, where he could talk to spirits in the afterlife. Sitting in a darkened room filled with many others, the chants soon put the Librarian into a deep state that was close to death.

At first, the Librarian saw only a few scattered souls in a dark field of grass. Adults and children alike played here, and he knew this was a place where rest and joy was all that existed. He wasn't sure he could be seen or not, and he didn't have a body in which to play with. But he watched with glee as these spirits played on.

However, something horrible started to happen. The souls were suddenly struck with horrible pain, falling to the ground, and calling out for help. But there was nothing he was able to do to help then. Then, Dracula showed up in this vision. "My loyal servant! You have done well. In death, I am usually bound to the realms of flames and horror. But here, in the bond of your mind, I can take my pleasures out on these pure, heavenly souls!"

"No, my master. Please, leave them be! I can't stand to see them suffer like this!" he pleaded. But Dracula just laughed. "Please don't do this!"

"Now I see that you truly are a powerful being. I will have great use for you in the future. Your purity will be my gate to this earth, and you will no longer have anywhere else to go but into my flock. Thank you, Librarian. I will be with you again soon..." With that, Dracula left the Librarian. The Librarian came out of his vision, and found himself surrounded by everyone in the room staring at him.

Since he had brought a bad spirit to this place, the villagers banished him. While it was clear his soul was pure, what he carried with him was not. With only a few years until his master's return, he made his way back to Europe.

Soon after, on a cold night, with a bright moon in the sky, the Castlevania grew, and Dracula rose from the grave. Meeting with his master, the Librarian sat to let him know all that he had learned. He shared with Dracula several spells, truths, and rules of science. "But there is one thing I've learned that I want you to know," he said.

"And what is this divine wisdom you wish to share?" Dracula asked.

"It's more of a question, actually. What good is a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul in the process?" the Librarian said.

Dracula's eyes narrowed. He didn't seem pleased by the rhetorical question. "I suppose, my young apprentice, that you still have much to learn from me. The answer to your question is that one who has no soul has no regrets. Add that one to your infinite knowledge, and serve me well!"

The Librarian went to his chambers, and found his knowledge had been transformed into thousands of books, spanning countless shelves. Alone in his dark quiet chambers, he realized his place was here after all. A cold, lonely existence, one that kept his soul conflicted, but revived with the idea that he was indeed free from a far worse fate.

The End