Tales of Valentine Manor: 1. Aiden

I was once a boy in The Valentine Manor. On that one fateful night I heard the cry of one, then the cries of many. Their cries grew louder and louder, a cacophony in my head. 

“Let us go, let us go, let us go!” Was all that they cried. 

I told my father, “How interesting,” he said. 

I told my mother, “I hear them too, isn’t it beautiful,” she cheered. 

I told my brother, Julian, “Don’t bore me with these things, Aiden,” he told me. 

I told my sister, Vera, “Take some deep breaths and turn off your powers for a while,” she told me.

But I couldn’t turn it off. It was constant. A bad dream of cries. I dared not go near him, the baby. The cries were all around him. The cries of the dead. The cries of sorrow and despair. 

“Let us go, let us go, let us go!” They cried night and day. 

I tried to close my ears the best I could, I tried to leave the manor to get respite. Yet I heard the cries in my sleep, in my dreams. I could not rest, My sister kept telling me how I should see it as a gift. But these powers are a curse, not a gift. No one believes me when I say that baby is cursed. Darkness is drawn to him, and bad things will happen. 

I drew a deep breath as I peered into the starless night. The rain muffled every sound as I crept down the halls of Valentine Manor. I kept my eyes firm and steady, there were more spirits in this manor. I did not want my gaze averted by their presence. 

“Young boy, you should not go that way,” I heard one warn me. 

I did not stop, I wanted to put a stop to it; the constant cries of the other spirits. I would only have to endure for a while. To take the baby and leave him somewhere else. Let them deal with the darkness. I couldn’t endure this any longer. The closer I got, the louder they grew. 

“Let us go, let us go, let us go!” I heard their cries so loud as I placed my hand on the doorknob. 

I felt their presence, the darkness called out to me. I closed my eyes as I carefully opened the door, I didn't want to see. Yet I would have to look. I would have to look at all the spirits. My breath became as shallow as my brother, Julian. My heart beat faster and faster as I opened my eyes. I stumbled. My hand held onto the doorknob so very firmly. Why were there so many? The baby slept like babies do. His black hair covered his forehead. I gathered myself and took a step closer. The spirits suddenly seemed to reach out their hands to me. 

“Help us!” They cried. 

There must have been hundreds of them. My heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest. My gaze fell on the baby again, he looked so innocent. I wondered why the spirits clung to him. 

“Let us go, let us go, let us go!” They cried behind him. 

Dark and twisted, desperate eyes; that was all I could see in them. I felt terror run down my spine as I reached my hand down to pick up the baby. 

“What are you doing, Aiden? Can’t you see he is sleeping?” I heard a voice whisper from the darkest corner. “You’re not trying to do anything desperate, are you?” The voice shifted corners as the rain intensified. 

I swallowed hard as I peered into the darkness, it was not a spirit, if it had been I would see it. A face suddenly emerged from the darkness. I fell back, bumping the wall. My heart beat even faster but stilled a little bit as I saw it was only Sensei Jiro. His eyes peered at me, then the baby. 

“They are loud, aren’t they?” He whispered calmly as the rain crashed on the windows. 

“Huh, y-yes,” I muttered. 

The baby stirred, and the spirits cried again. I swallowed hard and folded my hands together. 

“What were you going to do, Aiden? Take him away from here? Isn’t it simpler to harness your powers. He is but a baby,” Jiro remarked with a whisper. 

I gazed up at Sensei Jiro, “I- I can’t. I’ve tried to control my powers, but I just can’t. I’m sorry. I wanted to take him, it’s true. I’m horrible,” I stuttered as tears formed in my eyes. 

He gave me a smile and placed one hand on my shoulder, “Deep breaths, Aiden. The spirits can’t harm you, they are his and his alone. They won’t leave him. Let me tell you a story, you might have heard bits of it before, and you must never retell it. Ok?” Jiro peered down at me. 

I nodded my head, “Alright, tell me the story,” I said, glad for the distraction. 

“Many moons ago there was a young vampire boy, all alone in this world, he could not accept what he was, he could not control his power. You see, he could see someone’s soul and pull it out of their body if he wished. But he would only access the power when in a heightened emotional state, so things only went very badly every time he used his powers. People died. Not because he wanted to. He simply couldn’t help it. It was only when forced to face himself that he gained the control over his powers. I watched him change in that moment. He became who he truly was. He realized who he truly was all along. He had thought he was worthless and small, yet here he was, more powerful than anyone,” Jiro told as he gazed at the baby, “Now, perhaps you are making yourself small, Aiden. You are worth more than you think. You are stronger than you think. Don’t compare yourself to Julian or Vera. They are very different people from you. Aiden, you are sensitive, caring, not like a Valentine at all. Use that as your strength.” He smiled at me. 

I felt it, what he had said. I did see myself smaller than everyone else. In this manor I was, wasn’t I? I had no value. 

“You are right. I am making myself smaller than I should be. But I have no place in this manor. I have no place,” I stuttered with teary eyes. 

Jiro walked over to the baby and ever so gently lifted him up. The baby did not stir nor cry, he simply smiled in his sleep. The spirits on the other hand stirred and grew loud again, reaching out for Jiro. 

“Look at this baby, he could use some help as he grows. I doubt Julian will help him, I doubt Vera will be sensitive to his actual needs. Yet, you, Aiden, you could really help him. These spirits are bound to disturb him at some point. Perhaps that is when you can be a good brother, offer him advice,” Jiro whispered as he turned to me, “You haven’t held him yet, have you? I notice you still call him baby and not his name as well.” Jiro glared at me.

I dug my nails into my skin as the spirits filled my head with their cries. I tried to focus on Jiro, on the baby. I was just a boy myself, yet I understood what he had said. I understood for a moment. 

“I haven’t, I have been too scared of the spirits to even come near him,” I admitted as I swallowed hard. 

Jiro smiled warmly and offered me the baby. I stepped back, terrified as the spirits all had their hands on Jiro as he held the baby. They would touch me too then right? My heart beat faster and faster, like a train going at full speed. The manor seemed to hold on to things, and so did everyone in the manor. I did not want to be the manor. If anything, I wanted to be different from them all. I reached my hands out and accepted the baby. He was tiny, little hands curling around the corners of the tiny blanket that was wrapped around him. For a moment I didn’t hear the cries at all. I was amazed that such a tiny thing could exist. He was my little brother right? That’s what father had said. Even if we did not share a mother and father. 

“See, it’s not so bad once you take the step,” Jiro whispered in my ear. 

I suddenly felt their hands on me, heard their whispers as I held him close. They were desperate, sorrowful, angry. He was not an ordinary person. He was The Necromancer, that’s what they told me. I closed my eyes for a moment. Even if he had been such a person, right now he was not right? 

“Help us!” They whispered.

“Release us, let us go.” They grew louder. 

“He will do the same to you,” one spirit whispered ever so softly.

I took a deep breath and let my eyes shift to the baby. To my little brother. To Crow. I was not going to listen to the spirits. Jiro was right. I am not small. I am now a big brother. That is big. 

From that day on I found my own way to deal with the voices, they were never quiet, but they did not disturb me as much.