And time passed.
Trevor eventually found his own rhythm within the training routine.
His regular classes stayed the same. His teachers even thought he was very intelligent, since he always managed to understand the material quickly. In one or two subjects he still had some difficulty, but nothing serious.
For Trevor, though, that wasn't really an achievement.
After all, he had already studied all of that in his previous life.
It was like riding a bicycle.
Once you learn, you never forget.
Besides that, he was also doing well in Mr. Hans's classes.
The old man was a true taskmaster.
Trevor might disagree with his methods… but he couldn't deny the results.
The diet and training had improved his body considerably.
He was becoming stronger, faster, and increasingly better at MMA and jiu-jitsu.
At least, that was what Mr. Hans said.
Because Trevor personally couldn't remember winning a single fight against him.
His relationship with his grandfather had also improved a lot.
Lucius constantly taught him about supernatural creatures.
Trevor had already learned almost everything about werewolves and vampires.
Their characteristics.
Their powers.
Their weaknesses.
According to Lucius, he would soon start learning about less common creatures.
"Succubi."
"Skeletons."
"Ghosts."
"Medusa Heads."
"Mermans."
"Harpies."
There definitely wouldn't be a shortage of subjects to study.
Besides the monster lessons, Lucius had also begun teaching Trevor how to use a whip.
At that moment, Trevor's inner child was extremely happy.
He had imagined many times what it would be like to fight with a whip.
But reality was even better.
On that first day of training, he swore he spent the entire time with a goofy smile on his face.
The months passed quickly.
Until finally September 7th arrived.
Trevor's birthday.
Lucius organized a huge party.
He invited all the mansion's staff and even some hunter friends.
Trevor even received a brand-new video game.
The party was fun.
And Trevor witnessed something he never thought he would see.
His grandfather drunk.
And when Lucius drank…
He became very sentimental.
Much more than usual.
At one point he hugged Trevor tightly.
And began to cry.
"Ahh, Trevor… I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
Trevor was surprised.
"Easy, Grandpa. You don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong."
Lucius sobbed.
"Hic… I'm sorry… I miss her so much… I should have been there for her…"
Trevor gently patted his grandfather's back.
"It's okay, Grandpa. Everything's fine."
But Lucius continued.
"No… I thought that if I stayed with the Vampire Killer… hic… if I carried the burden of our family…"
He took a deep breath.
"I thought your mother would be safe…"
At that moment one of the maids approached.
She took the drink out of Lucius's hand and helped him upstairs to his room.
Even so…
Overall, it had been a great twelfth birthday.
After that day, Lucius was extremely embarrassed about what had happened.
But Trevor didn't mind.
His grandfather needed to let those feelings out.
Maria's death had affected him far more than he let people see.
After turning twelve, the routine continued almost the same.
Regular classes.
Training with Mr. Hans.
And studying with his grandfather.
Until one day Lucius decided to show him something special.
One afternoon he took Trevor to the mansion's basement.
They walked down the stairs slowly.
In the center of the basement there was a large rug on the floor.
Lucius walked to one end of the rug and pulled it aside.
Underneath it was a large metal plate.
It was covered in symbols Trevor didn't recognize.
At the center was the Belmont family crest.
Lucius motioned for Trevor to come closer.
"Now we're going to enter the family archives."
Trevor's eyes widened.
Lucius continued.
"Down here there are centuries of accumulated knowledge and artifacts."
He placed his hand on the metal plate.
"It's a family tradition to pass down the secret of how to enter this place from generation to generation."
Lucius looked at Trevor.
"Normally, I would only show this to you when you were older."
Then he smiled slightly.
"But I trust you."
Trevor was surprised.
And at the same time… extremely proud.
His grandfather trusted him.
With his heart full of pride, he replied:
"Don't worry, Grandpa. You can trust me."
Lucius smiled when he saw his grandson's reaction.
"Alright."
He took a deep breath.
"Now repeat after me."
Lucius began to speak.
"Invocatio Mahorela Sor Gru Odo Teloch."
As soon as he began pronouncing the words…
A blue light appeared on the metal plate.
The symbols began to glow.
One by one.
When Lucius finished the phrase, the light shone even brighter.
Several feathers made of light began to appear in the air.
Then a pair of blue wings made of energy appeared above the plate.
The wings flapped once.
And the metal plate simply disappeared.
Revealing a staircase that seemed to have no end.
Trevor was completely amazed.
"What language is that?"
He pointed to the opening.
"And what was that light? It looked like magic."
Lucius answered calmly.
"It's Enochian."
"A nearly extinct language."
Then he added:
"And it looked like magic because… it is magic."
Trevor's eyes widened.
Lucius continued.
"Our ancestors placed an enchantment on this door."
"It prevents anyone who doesn't know the password from entering."
He tapped lightly on the metal.
"And it also makes the door much more resistant."
Lucius grabbed two lanterns from a nearby shelf.
He lit both of them.
And handed one to Trevor.
Then they began descending the staircase.
While they walked, Trevor asked:
"And magic?"
He looked at his grandfather.
"When will I learn it?"
Lucius sighed.
"Unfortunately… there are no recent records of Belmonts inheriting the magical gene."
Trevor frowned.
"What do you mean?"
He pointed upward.
"You just used magic."
Lucius laughed.
"I wish."
Then he explained:
"This door works like a vault with a password."
"You simply say the password and the enchantment reacts."
Trevor thought for a moment.
"When was the last time a Belmont used real magic?"
Lucius replied:
"In the nineteenth century."
"Our ancestor Richter Belmont."
Trevor's eyes widened.
"Wasn't he one of the portraits upstairs?"
Lucius smiled.
"Well look at that… you really did pay attention to the portraits of our ancestors."
He continued.
"And don't worry."
Lucius pointed downward.
"There are many more down here."
Then he added:
"But yes… Richter was probably the greatest Belmont."
He paused briefly.
"At least in my opinion."
Trevor grew curious.
"If he was so powerful… why wasn't that magic passed down?"
Lucius sighed.
"After he defeated Dracula with the help of his wife and companions…"
He continued.
"A sorcerer placed a curse on him."
"His mind was controlled."
Trevor stayed silent.
Lucius continued.
"When Dracula's castle returned a few years later…"
He gripped the lantern tightly.
"Richter was used to help Dracula."
Lucius sighed deeply.
"I don't even need to say how deeply that shamed him."
He continued.
"And because of that… and because of the distrust from the other hunter families…"
"He and his wife decided to leave for the Americas."
Lucius concluded:
"They helped with the slave revolutions that were happening at the time."
Finally, after descending for several minutes…
They reached the bottom of the staircase.
Before them stood a massive underground archive.
Lucius walked to a wall and pulled a lever.
An old generator started running.
And several lamps lit up.
Illuminating the enormous secret archive of the Belmont family.