~ Sorry in advance for this very moral debate rant that Maegor has with himself in this chapter. I thought to get it out of the way in the epilogue of the first volume of the fanfiction. I don't want to be justifying his future actions every time he does something morally ambiguous, especially if it's about killing a bunch of people or something else that morally incomprehensible.
Hopefully, if your anything like me, you'll enjoy the moral arguments I've written about and find some sort perspective. Especially with what's going on in the world at this time. We could all use some perspective on humanity as a whole and not judge ourselves on a few maniacs. Even if they control our world and it's future.
Hope you enjoy the story so far. More to come soon.
~ Void Emperor.
~
~ Maegor Stark - POV ~
~ Godswoods, Winterfell ~
Of all the things I expected to see when one of my Shadow Copies returned to me, hair that was alternating between all the colors of the rainbow was not one of them. I knew, of course, that he was using the ability of a Metamorphmagus to do it, but that he chose to have a rainbow on his head just threw me off completely. But I'm guessing that was on purpose, some levity for what was supposed to be an important return.
Not that I'm complaining, the whole thing was really laughably shocking and just what I needed to get me out of the bad mood I was in. So I did the only possible thing I could in a situation like this, I laughed, hard.
For good whole minute I laughed. One of those uncontrollable laughs that would have my ribs hurting and my lungs desperately needing more air if I was remotely human. Luckily for me I was only partially human and a very small part at that.
A laugh that I really needed as well it seems to me. I was wallowing in my pessimistic thoughts about human nature in this world and my last life, the good and bad of humanity. Human nature that I was already aware of and is compounded upon by my inherited memories of Alucards thousands of years among them.
From Adrian "Alucard" Tepes' memories perspective, humanity would never be a simple thing to judge. He was the son of two worlds: the immortal darkness of Dracula and the compassion of a human woman, Lisa Tepes. His entire existence was a contradiction. Because of that, his view of human nature was largely tragic, conflicted, and painfully nuanced rather than outright cynical or idealistic.
Alucard has seen humanity at its absolute worst. Humans burned his mother alive out of fear, ignorance, and religious fanaticism. They murdered a woman whose life was dedicated to healing them. From his perspective, that single event alone proves one horrifying truth about humanity: people are capable of destroying the very things that would save them. Fear twists human beings into monsters long before claws or fangs ever appear.
If he were in my position he would likely say that humans possess an extraordinary talent for cruelty because they are ruled by weakness—fear of death, fear of difference, fear of losing power, fear of the unknown. Unlike vampires, whose evil is often direct and honest, humans justify their darkness. They create moral excuses for atrocities. They call hatred righteousness. They call greed necessity. They call violence justice.
And yet, Alucard could never fully hate humanity the way his father did.
That was the central tragedy of his character.
If he had truly believed humanity was irredeemable, siding with Dracula would have been easy. Instead, he chose to oppose him, even knowing it meant killing the only family he had left. Why? Because Alucard inherited Lisa's belief that humanity is flawed, but still worth protecting.
From a half-human perspective, Alucard would probably see humans as creatures suspended between greatness and monstrosity. Humans can commit horrifying acts of violence, betrayal, and selfishness—but they are also uniquely capable of compassion, sacrifice, love, and change. Their short lives make their choices matter more intensely. A vampire may live centuries unchanged, but a human being can become better—or worse—in a single lifetime.
He would likely argue that evil is not humanity's defining trait. Rather, it is humanity's constant temptation.
That distinction matters.
Alucard would not have romanticized humanity. He has seen too much bloodshed for that. He has seen villages descend into mob violence. He has seen corruption in churches, nobility, and ordinary people alike. He knew that civilization is fragile. Remove law, hope, or stability, and many people quickly become savages.
But he has also seen people resist that darkness.
Characters like Trevor Belmont and Sypha Belnades would and had heavily influence his philosophy. Trevor is cynical, bitter, and deeply flawed, yet he still chooses to fight for others despite having every reason not to. Sypha represents curiosity, empathy, and hope even in a brutal world. Through them, Alucard witnessed humanity at its best—not perfection, but perseverance.
That is what would've likely shaped his answer to whether humanity is redeemable: Humanity is redeemable precisely because goodness is difficult for it.
To Alucard, goodness that exists without struggle has less meaning. Humans are violent, selfish, and fearful creatures, but they are not bound to those instincts absolutely. They can choose otherwise. They can love despite hatred. They can protect despite fear. They can sacrifice despite self-interest. Those choices give humanity value.
At the same time, he would've probably reject the idea that humanity's good simply "outweighs" its bad in a measurable sense. The suffering humans inflict is immense. Entire generations can be destroyed by greed, war, fanaticism, or vengeance. One act of cruelty can echo for centuries. Alucard understood this intimately because Dracula's genocide against humanity was itself born from humanity's cruelty toward Lisa.
In other words, evil creates more evil.
But goodness also creates more goodness.
Lisa's kindness shaped Alucard. Alucard's compassion helped save others. Trevor and Sypha's friendship kept him from surrendering completely to despair and isolation. One act of mercy can alter history just as much as one act of hatred.
That duality is likely what Alucard saw as the essence of humanity.
From my inherited memories of him, If he were speaking plainly on the subject, he might say something like: "Humans are neither demons nor saints. They are fragile creatures with the capacity to become either. I have seen them murder the innocent out of fear, and I have seen them stand against impossible darkness for the sake of strangers. Their cruelty is profound—but so is their ability to love. If humanity deserves salvation, it is not because it is pure. It is because, despite everything, some still choose kindness in a world that rewards cruelty."
From his perspective, the question is not whether humanity is inherently good or evil. It is whether humanity continues trying to be better than its worst instincts.
That is why Alucard remained emotionally distant but never fully nihilistic. Deep down, he carried Lisa's faith in humanity even when his experiences constantly tested it. He knew humans would fail repeatedly. He expected it. But he also believed their failures were not the entirety of what they are.
In many ways, Alucard's worldview was built around painful hope.
Not blind hope.
Not optimistic certainty.
Hope despite disappointment.
Hope despite betrayal.
Hope despite grief.
That was what separated him from Dracula. Dracula concluded that humanity's evil invalidated its goodness. Alucard concluded that humanity's goodness remains meaningful precisely because it survives alongside evil.
And because he was half human himself, condemning humanity completely would also mean condemning part of his mother—and part of himself.
As for Amatsu-Mikaboshis' perspective on humanity, the less said the better. Pure unadulterated nihilism.
As I contemplated all that in the minute long laughing session my Shadow Copy just stood there waiting for me to get it out of my system. Because of my natural mental bond with my copies, which is stronger the closer they are to me, he knew exactly what was going on with me and let me sort out my thoughts in silence. Which I appreciated immensely.
Haha. An appreciation for myself, could that be anymore narcissisticaly abstract.
Either way, I stopped laughing and thanked him for his perfectly timed entrance. It was exactly what I needed in the moment.
"Glad to be of help bossman." He replied to my thanks. "Are you ready for my twelve years of memories, and the other stuff I managed to get while I was away. I even have a surprise gift waiting for you after assimilating back together. I think you'll love it."
"Can't wait to find out, you know how much we love surprises." I answered back without the burden of the moral dilemma that was bothering me just moments ago. Was that the power of a good laugh? Maybe. Or maybe I was just wallowing in moral complexities of human nature because I could, being that I was no longer technically part of said species.
As I answered back my copy turned into his astral form after giving me a two-finger salute and assimilated back into me. As he did that I closed my eyes and leaned back on the trunk of the weirwood tree and dove into his memories since he left here more than a decade ago.
"Let's see what you got up to in the wizarding world of Harry Potter, shall we."
~ Volume One Fin.