The magnificent Toronto Maple Leaf, Mitch Marner, is not having fun. It’s not the gloomy warehouse or the gun toting goons with their hail of bullets that troubles him, not directly. Mitch is annoyed because he could be at home playing the classic video game Castlevania: Symphony of the Night right now, Mitch had only just flipped the castle earlier in the day. All he could think about was the thrilling grind to come, but instead of kicking Dracula’s ass Mitch was stuck fighting a bunch of loser goons who didn’t even have a cool theme or suits or anything.

“This sucks.” Mitch shouts out to the courageous Toronto Maple Leaf, Connor Brown.

“Yeah.” Connor is also not enjoying himself, but his concern is mainly the incoming gunfire. “Wish we could use our powers.”

Connor and Mitch have super powers, as do most of the Leafs, but since they are technically rookies they aren’t allowed to use them. As soon as the puck drops on the new season they will be unleashed, but until then they have to rely on mundane means to overcome their enemies. The summer has been painful, after losing their last game, and with only a few short months left the two young Leafs are both beyond eager to get going.

“Mitch, six!” Connor yells, spotting a villian trying to flank the pair. Mitch flings a shuriken over his shoulder without so much as a glance and bullseyes the criminals gun barrel. The deadly throwing star pierces the bullet being fired and the gun explodes, taking the goons hands off.

“Hey!” Connor shouts. “No powers.”

Mitch just grins in response. He hadn’t broken the rule, his teammate would know this too. Breaking team rules had immediate and spectacular  consequences.

A fresh hail of gunfire rattles against the Leafs cover. Mitch pulls out a smoke grenade and rolls it out into the line of fire. Thick white smoke fills the aisle between the goons and where the Leafs are pinned down.

“Move through the smoke.” A boss goon commands. “They’re trying to escape!”

“All yours.” Mitch says smiling.

Connor gently lobs an incendiary grenade into the smoke and promethean hellfire destroys the whole gang. The smoke and fire dissipate gradually and the Leafs make their way past the smouldering devastation, deeper into the now silent warehouse.

The Leafs pass aisle after aisle of  cargo containers with labels like GARGOYLES, MAGIC AXES, DRAGON SKULLS, CANDLES, POT ROAST, and other seemingly random  items. Something about the labels tickles at Mitch’s attention, a tantalizing knot that he just can’t quit unravel.

There is an enclosure at the center of the warehouse which the Leafs approach cautiously. The circle the squat box of a room finding only a single steel door with an intricately carved ‘deaths head’ handle. Mitch tries the handle and finds it locked. As he pulls his hand away the handles eyes glow a gleaming red.

A low growl fills the warehouse and the steel door is flung open. Inside the enclosure a massive grey hound, as large as an elephant stands snarling at the intruders. Fire burns in its eyes and smoke billows out of its snout.

Mitch and Connor act without thinking in a perfectly coordinated assault. Mitch sprints left, Connor to the right. Simultaneously they Leafs draw their sidearms and fire of three rounds each. Their shots are grouped perfectly on the dread hounds eyes. the creature erupts into flame and burns to dust quickly and silence once again fills the room.

The first thing Mitch notices is that the inside of the room is way bigger than the outside. Nearly a hundred meters behind the ashes of the dog is another ornate steel door. Blue flamed candles line the neatly cut stone walls on either side. The familiarity of this scene is driving Mitch to distraction. The cargo in the warehouse; the burning hound; the blue candles; they were all connected. If only Mitch could remember how.

Frustrated the Leaf punches one of the candles. Connor turns at the noise and both Leafs are disgusted when a human heart oozes out of the wall where the candle was. With a wet thump the heart hits the floor.

“That’s it!” Mitch is excited. He starts shooting at candles with growing enthusiasm. “I can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?” Connor asks.

Mitch is not listening. He shoots the last of the candles off the wall, two more hearts lie oozing on the floor.

“There’s no way.” Mitch is talking to himself. “But what else could it be? I wonder if…Well it would it for sure.”

“Prove what?” Connor asks louder. “What do you think is going on? Fill me in.”

“Shhh” Mitch hisses at Connor then leans his head against the stone wall of the room. Connor just stares as his teammate slowly proceeds along the wall tapping his gun butt against the stone every few feet. Halfway to the further door Mitch stops and punches the stone with his bare hand. Connor winces needlessly as the stone dissolves revealing a beautifully cooked pot-roast. Mitch laughs and tears off a chunk of the meat to eat.

“I can’t believe it.” Mitch laughs. “It’s real, it’s here, I found it!” He grabs another handful of roast and stuffs it into his mouth, laughing all the time sending meat spraying.

Watching, Connor starts to worry about his teammate. He grabs Mitch by the shoulders and stares him straight in the eyes.

“What is going on?” Connor demands. “What did you find? Why is there meat hidden in the wall?”

“Don’t you see?” Mitch asks.”The hearts hidden in the candles, the fresh food in the walls, don’t you see? You know what that massive, but easily slaughtered, hell-hound was trying to protect, just think.”

“You aren’t making any sense.” Connor shakes his head. I’ve never seen anything close to this crazy.”

“Not in real life, no.” Mitch agrees. “But I know you’ve seen it because I’m borrowing your video game right now.”

“What?” Connor says, even as what Mitch is implying dawns on him. “You don’t mean…”

“You’re damn right I do.” Mitch says. “We’re standing in Castlevania! We found Dracula’s mythical home. It only appears every hundred years. It has entrances all over the world though it exists outside it. It is the home of the darkest evil this planet has ever known.”

“Well we gotta go in there.” Connor doesn’t even hesitate to suggest what is almost certainly a suicide mission.

“Hell yes!” Mitch was going with or without Connor.

Suddenly the door in front of them slams open. The Leafs step back and ready their pistols. There is no need. Toronto Maple Leaf Assistant Genera Mark Hunter sprints out of the darkness and throws the door shut behind him. Several muffled impacts thump against the heavy steel in the moments that follow.

Mark leans against the door panting. He is holding a long spear in one hand and a bulging burlap sack dripping blood in the other. His clothes are in tatters revealing dozens of scrapes and bruises.

The Leafs holster their weapons and stand at attention, waiting for Mark to recover. He does so quickly and takes in his surroundings. Wordless, the big man strides over to one of the hearts, now somewhat deflated, still oozing on the floor. Marks picks up the organ and swallows it whole. The effect is immediate, the more grievous of Marks wounds close themselves and his strength is replenished.

Mark turns his cold-eyed stare onto the young Leafs and nods toward the exit once before walking away.

“Wait!” Mitch shouts. “Aren’t we even going to get to see it?”

Mark stops walking.

“Never mind.” Mitch says as he hurries to catch up before Mark has to repeat himself.