FreddySZN

CE 95

Satoru leaned back in his chair, legs crossed, sunglasses hanging half-off his face. The room was quiet except for the faint tick of the clock and the cicadas outside, and it wasn't just the room. It was the entire clan. It was a silence that stretched out and into the very world itself, like it was holding its breath. Somehow, everyone knew and recognized that this was the calm before the storm.

Jiki sat across from him, draped in the same indoor kimono as he was. His shoulders relaxed...

CE 94

“I would’ve preferred we did this the easy way, Itadori Yuji.” Those words were followed by footsteps that echoed in the empty room. Yuji lay tired, his head heavy and drooping. His body hung suspended from chains that bit into his wrists, blood trickling down his arms to stain his torn cloth. But the physical pain was nothing to him. He was resilient enough to shrug it off as the owner of the voice continued to speak.

“Some subconscious part of the maternal instinct Kaori Itado...

Takamura Rides the Mugen Train (Sakamoto Days/ Demon Slayer)

It was a funny thing, knowing Death was so close. It brought the mind to strange places, even in the heat of combat, with life on the line in a desperate gamble for time against a monster that spelled certain death. Rengoku had only a single thing on his mind. A question.

Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.

Who was walking about right now? It was a question laced with confusion as he dodged fists that might as well have been blurs, as he swung furiously, deflecting bone-jarring b...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 24

"Move your frozen arses already, we're almost to the wall!" Tormund yelled out as he slowed down enough to grip one of the men Mance had assigned to him. He held the stumbling and struggling man up, then pushed him ahead as he continued to pelt out insults to keep his men going.

They were heading to a wall. For the first time in free folk history, that sentence was not held with revulsion, with the sake and desire to plunder. No, that sentence held hope. Hope for life, hope that what wa...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 23

Hector was the first one to know about the incoming riders. He sat in his study, a section of the castle granted to him, since his… enlistment would probably be the most accurate description of his service. Dracula had been kind, kind enough to give him what was basically his own wing of the gigantic castle. A subsection hanging off the main castle.

He sat in his chair and stretched out his weary limbs, while a piece of cloth lay over his face, specifically his eyes. His body was wear...

CE 93

The Cursed Wombs: Death Paintings had been… defective. However, that was over a hundred years ago, when Kenjaku had sought to create something unique, something powerful. The first objective had been successful in that regard, for they had been unique. They were not fully curses, neither were they fully human, existing in that liminal space between life and death.

Kenjaku, as Noritoshi Kamo, had used the nameless woman as the perfect test subject, and with her unwilling aid, ...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 22

"This entire ranging was a mistake." Dirk, a scrawny man with beady eyes and a dirty brown mop of hair, muttered to the side. Jon cut him a look that told him to be quiet, which led the man to grumble further. At least it wasn't until the Halfhand himself glanced back with those cold eyes of his that the troublesome ranger quieted down.

The group of nine tried their best at moving like phantoms. They were only alive due to Qhorin Halfhand himself. The legendary ranger had been about to ...

OGNW 4

Kratos was not a man that was often surprised. Few things in the last few centuries could claim to have surprised him. This was one of them.

Grimvolf was dead, or should’ve been. It was a pity his body seemed oblivious to that truth. His decapitated head’s jaw unhinged as he let out a final roar. “For the Hound!” That same war cry. A prayer, a plea, and a call all in one. Unlike the previous times, this time there was an answer.

There were a multitude of things, random coi...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 21

Leaf appeared from behind me, her strange features pale even by what must have been the standards of her kind. The Child of the Forest moved with the careful deliberation of one who had witnessed something that challenged the very foundations of her understanding. Her large, golden eyes remained fixed on the scattered remnants of ice that had once been the Others.

"In all my years," she whispered, her voice carrying the weight of the ages she had lived, "I have never seen their kind des...

CE 92

Yuki Tsukumo was not what he had expected. "Ho, come on. Don't tell me you're a prude." Jiki held back a sigh as the woman saddled up beside

Yuki Tsukumo was not what he had expected.

"Ho, come on. Don't tell me you're a prude."

Jiki held back a sigh as the woman saddled up beside him and began to nudge him with an elbow, a big grin on her face. He turned to Master Tengen, but the immortal sorcerer had their face hidden in a cup of tea, though somehow Jiki was certain the ol...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 20

The lead Other moved with the fluid grace of something that had perfected the art of killing over millennia. His ice-blade carved through th

The lead Other moved with the fluid grace of something that had perfected the art of killing over millennia. His ice-blade carved through the air in a perfect arc, aimed at my throat with surgical precision. Had I still been human, the strike would have decapitated me before I could blink.

Unfortunately for him, I was not human.

I swaye...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 19

Bats were ridiculously underrated, I rapidly came to realize over the past few weeks. In my past life, I had seen them as simple flying rode

Bats were ridiculously underrated, I rapidly came to realize over the past few weeks. In my past life, I had seen them as simple flying rodents and was content to leave it at that. Mere creatures scarcely worthy of notice. Now, after sharing their flesh for weeks, I had come to truly appreciate these remarkable beings.

For one, they had no co...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 18

North of the Wall was a vastly different experience, Marwyn noted for the second time. It was a realization that struck him as harshly as the winter chill that sought to rob him of life, he reasoned as he tugged his thick woolen cloak closer to his body, desperately retaining what little precious heat he could still hold onto in this frozen wasteland.

Marwyn was an explorer by nature and profession. He had journeyed to more distant lands than any other person currently alive in Westeros...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 17

I had been taking things easily over the past few days. However, there was something that kept ringing in my head.

I had magic. The thought was as fascinating as it was intriguing. Perhaps if I were in the body of another, I might have been squealing for joy with a little dance on the side. Instead, I sat in my study, my right hand cupping my jaw and my left outstretched, holding up a little animal.

My red eyes regarded the black bat with profound curiosity. I didn't know where th...

Poll Results

Alright so to my immense surprise, the poll ended in a draw. I didn’t think most people enjoyed OGNW, owing to the heavily reduced likes and interactions. (That’s what I generally use to judge and gauge interest.)

Anyway, I’m going to tip the scales myself. We’re continuing with I, Dracula. Owing to its generally shorter chapters and my attempt at challenging myself, I’m going to make an effort at dropping them twice a week. (One later today and another on Saturday… this is ...

CE 91

Gojo Jiki sat bored in the classroom. An actual classroom where they were being taught Mathematics by Nanami Kento. The mundane normalcy of it all felt strange after everything they'd been through, after the attacks they had weathered days ago.

The blonde-haired, burly man turned at just the right moment and caught Jiki staring at him and despite Jiki's carefully maintained neutral expression, and despite years of training his features into an unreadable mask that would make even...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 16

Qhorin didn't flinch at the command. The man looked up at me without blinking, though I caught the subtle tightening of his jaw, the faint twitch of his sword hand as he caught better sigh of me, my mount and the giant spider Isaac had dragged along, before he forced it still. A ranger trained to handle free folks, now standing in the shadow of multiple things that didn't fit his worldview. His voice, when it came, was rough.

"My name is Qhorin. Qhorin Halfhand, as I'm more commonly kno...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 15

I met Isaac on the halfway stretch to the castle. My mind was filled with thoughts of the Others, of the Old Gods, of Skinchanging. However, it always returned back to the Others. They had such a rich history, filled with struggle and survival. Detailed and well passed down through the oral style by the children of the forest. It was enough to wonder what exactly the producer of Game of Thrones was smoking when he retconned their story to simply: The Others were created using First Men captiv...

CE 90

An interrogation room was not something you regularly saw in a school; however, Tokyo Jujutsu High was the farthest thing from a regular sch

An interrogation room was not something you regularly saw in a school; however, Tokyo Jujutsu High was the farthest thing from a regular school. Satoru and Jiki stepped into the barrier-secured holding chamber deep beneath the school and were greeted by the sight of a single figure.

Uraume sat in silence, legs crossed, body bound by layers of...

Updates and Poll (Please Read)

First off, I want to apologize for the sporadic updates, especially on CE. What started as a simple brain bug for I, Dracula spiraled into a hectic week filled with a hospital visit, interstate travel, and my nephew’s dedication. That’s all in the past now though, so I can promise more consistent updates moving forward, with the next updates dropping in a little over an hour.

Secondly, I’ve written myself into a bit of a rut with the Thor SI. I still love the con...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 14

The bond had weakened steadily over the past few minutes, thinning like a fraying thread. Now it trembled in the back of his mind, barely there,a shiver at the edge of thought. But it still existed, which could only mean one thing: his night creature still lived.

Isaac followed it without hesitation, hood drawn low against the biting wind. Snow crunched beneath his Nightmare's hooves, dry and brittle like old bones as the warbeast plodded forward, its body temperature melting snow as it...

CE 89

Jiki stretched on his medical bed before smoothly moving to his feet. He wasn't sure why they had left him in a regular hospital facility instead of taking him to Shoko. Then again, in hindsight, he wasn't injured, at least not enough to require the services of the best healer in the whole country when she could be busy with others. What he had experienced was different.

Cursed energy exhaustion. It was a vastly less lethal version of the chakra exhaustion he was more familiar ...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 13

"Despite the commonly held belief that the few that remember the lore think, the Others are not simple mindless monsters. They're a race in as much as the Children of the Forest are. The very first race to walk upon this world, back when this world was nothing but ice and snow. Before the sun's light kissed the earth and seasons became a thing. All land was winter." Coldhands started. "It was a situation that lasted for millennia, but like all things, change is constant and inviolable."

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 12

I glanced at the mouth of the cave, where the children remained, staring at me with caution-filled eyes. Then I glanced back at the still figure of Coldhands. “I would’ve expected some measure of hospitality given,” I led with a raised brow. I very much doubted our first conversation was to be had under the sky, with snow falling all around us.  

“Guest rights are a human contraption, created to maintain order amongst themselves. It is not an illusion that monsters allow th...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 11

The next arrow was loosened and flew straight for me, and even without Dracula's combat instinct to puppet me, it was not a challenge. The arrow sailed through the sky in slow motion till I tilted my head to the side, and all of a sudden, it felt like time resumed, as the arrow whiffed past me and into the darkness of the cave.

I let out a sigh of exasperation as I saw Coldhands begin to notch another arrow. Before he pulled, I felt obliged to speak once more. "This is your last cha...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 10

One of the major benefits of landing this far north was the lack of direct sunlight. Unfortunately for me, sunlight was one of the few vampire weaknesses all fanfictions got right. The kiss of the sun against unprotected skin was enough to make a vampire combust outright if they suffered the full brunt on their unarmored body.

However, I was Vlad Tepes Dracula, and no sunlight was enough to kill me... At least that's what I hoped. Dracula had few memories of walking under the sun that I...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 9

I slept for over a year. Something about working on minimal rest for over six months, as well as being a starving vampire, seemed to take a lot out of me. I pushed open my coffin and stepped out before stretching my limbs as blood once more flowed into the pale appendages.

The vampires in Castlevania were quite different from most vampires in fiction. For one, they were not undead. At least, I don’t believe we were. Vampires from Castlevania seemed more like a highly evolved strain of...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 8

The cave stank of old earth, wet stone, and rot. A faint trickle echoed somewhere deeper, too far to matter. Roots curled like veins across every rock surface, each of them pulsing with sap the color of blood. Brynden Rivers sat still at the center of it all.

He didn’t blink. He didn’t breathe. He barely remembered how to do either, not that he needed to. The throne of weirwood he sat on had grown around his body a long time ago, serving the tri-function of connecting him to the ges...

CE 88

Principal Gakuganji trudged forward through the wet underbrush, the steady thrum of cicadas in the trees above drowned beneath the dragging scrape of feet against dirt and stone. Slung over one shoulder like a sack of rice was the limp, unconscious body of one Itadori Yuji. The boy was wrapped in thick jujutsu-reinforced rope, sealed tight with suppression talismans that clung to his skin like cursed leeches, pulsing faintly as they worked to neutralize any lingering cursed energy.

The ...

I, Dracula (Castlevania/Multicross) 7

Despite my earlier bravado, my next stop after a brief rest was the Heart of the Castle.  

There were multiple entrances to it, scattered throughout the keep like veins leading to a heart. Secret stairwells, moving corridors, and alcoves that only appeared under moonlight. But Dracula’s preferred method remained the hidden passage in the study, the same one I now took without hesitation, hand grazing the stone wall as it silently peeled open.  

The Heart was ...