The Vampire Edward
Chapter I
An Unquenchable Thirst
My name is Edward. I was born in, grew up in, and amused myself in the last great human city in Nosgoth on the edge of Kain's accursed empire. My life had few moments of peace, but a great deal of discovery, education, and on occasion, fun. My mother was a kind gentle woman, but just being around her betrayed the fire in her soul and the courage she had in her powerful heart. She helped me with everything from my school studies, to building, and to fighting. She had explained that my great, great, great, great, great grandfather (I heard it so many times that I finally memorized all the greats), was a Sarafan, a holy warrior against the vampire scourge, a source of light in the darkness of ages past, and it filled my mother with pride and I admit, it even made me feel very special. My mother was very skilled with a sword, staff, crossbow, and most other weapons necessary to destroy a vampire and send its soul back to its eternal damnation in the pits of Hell. In fact, she was so skilled that most other people in the city encouraged and even tried to demand, and on occasion threaten, her to become one of the hunters. God bless her, she always said no to every word and every threat, saying that before she secured everyone else's, she was going to secure MY safety, and it was never a mystery to me as to why I felt so safe in those flimsy stone walls, even thought a vampire could cross over it as easily as you or I could open a door. She always spent so much time with me that I soon forgot about the overwhelming evil and its power just outside our city, it just didn't seem that real. Then I reached my eighteenth year of life. I was a man at last. I was skilled, had a good home, a mother who loved me, and I had come to be acquainted with a girl named Gladys. She was a goddess, and on this God- forsaken world where nothing grew, she smelled of fresh spring roses. She was divine, she was seductive, and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. She was my sun, and I loved her more than anything else in this world, like a flower loves the sun. We were wed a year after our meeting, and she never denied me anything. If I was hungry, she was my own personal chef. If I was tired, she became a maid, doing anything and everything to ensure that I was comfortable. If I wanted to improve my chances of having a child, she exceeded in that area in particular. And so it was for two years. Two years of heaven. Two years of beautiful love and beautiful life. Two years of being her husband. Then she died. For it seems she had been gossiping with the local women and had learned of a secret glade where wild flowers grew, defying Kain's vanquish of the sun's energetic rays. It seems she snuck out of the city one day, avoiding detection by the guards and me. It seems she never made it to the glade. It seems she encountered one of the beasts from Kain's legions. It seems she died. Loneliness would not even begin to describe it. It was as though the smoke of Kain's despicable empire finally quenched the last rays of sunlight, both of the suns of my life. She was gone and I couldn't bring her back. She had died and I wanted to join her. She was in heaven, gone from me until death, and I felt so alone. It was unquenchable pain, unquenchable sadness, and unquenchable hatred. Especially hatred. Every fabric of my being was exploding with righteous hatred and sadness, a deep thirst that was unquenchable, but I knew where the fountain was to at least partly dampen it. I had a sword, and I had a fire of hatred, and those were the only things I needed. So I decided to go and drink deeply. I left my home, my home of twenty years and for the first time, I understood exactly why my mom taught me to fight, exactly why my mother told me the stories of the Sarafan's righteous wars, and exactly why my mother taught me to fight: she was preparing me. She knew the world well enough to know that I would have to face who the true rulers of this world were, the true rulers of our lives: the vampires. She understood that if I had the skills, I would one day have the purpose to fight. So she prepared me, up till she died, the year after I was wedded to my beloved sun, and I said a prayer to whatever god was left to humans, to thank my mother for me, and tell her I'd probably be with her soon. This did not however dishearten me, I was too thirsty of hatred, and I was going to the fountain of vengeance. So I continued for many days to my destination, to the Pillars of Nosgoth, to the central base of Kain's Empire, to Kain himself, and I was going to destroy him. This was the only thought I had; all other thoughts were nothing but occasional collapses into a certain two years. Two years of heaven. Two years of beautiful love and beautiful life. Two years of being her husband. But those were few and far between, and it only made my thirst even deeper to dwell on them. My mother had explained that Kain had become more monster than human in his millennium long rule, taking on the gifts of the Dark Gods. She said that every so often, he would gain a new gift, changing him, corrupting him little by little, making him more evil and more powerful than before. It was not long before I came to the edge of his empire, the place the vampire scourge of Kain called the Lake of the Dead, Kain's execution ground for traitors and weaklings. It was a collection of waterfalls in the mountains with a large swirling whirlpool in the center. We had built our city on the side opposite of Kain's empire, knowing that even the most innocent and loyal of Kain's empire were terrified by this place and never, EVER ventured near it. My mother had explained this to me as well. It was a corrupted and pitiable wasteland, a harsh testament to the millennium of sunless days. It was horrible, and I felt glad for all of the years of peace I had spent amongst my mother in the city, and I wished for just a brief moment that I were back there. Then I felt my thirst nagging at me again, and pressed on. I felt that I was as a stranger in a strange land, though I had lived beside of this Hell for all of my life, it still carried with it a landscape and impact that was alien to me, and I realized that I had lived a very sheltered life, and I was thankful for it. I was thankful for the calm before the storm, the gigantic cyclone of hate and lightning and rain, and the thought of rain reminded me of my thirst, so I continued on. I soon came across a gigantic structure, which bore the standard of Kain's accursed empire and a flagpole. I had seen it once before on a torn a bloody piece of clothing recovered in a skirmish from a dead vampire. I looked around for an entrance and soon found the main entrance, and not surprisingly, two vampires who had a deep, dark look in their eye guarded it. I didn't hesitate even for a moment; I drew my sword from my sheath and attacked. They were very fast and very skilled and I didn't expect this from them. Mother had told me of their skills, but I had assumed that the training mother had given me would instantaneously give me superiority over them, and then I thought about my sheltered life of twenty years.
One of the vampires lunged at me with such speed and ferocity that I froze for just a moment, but only a moment. I regained my wits and with great speed rivaling the vampires, I ducked under him and shoved my sword upward, aiming for the heart. Mother taught me well. My sword penetrated and the blood from the monster's heart spilled all over me, turning my black over coat a wet red. I didn't have enough time before the other vampire attacked me as well. He slashed at me with his sharp talons and I felt the fire in my nerves as a good deal of flesh and blood was torn from my arm, and I felt the thirst become unbearable. I lurched my sword from the corpse of the first vampire and turned to defend myself from the second's attack. He was every bit as fast as the first, and my years of training caused me to realize that he was a good deal more disciplined in his movements and judgment of attack. I swung my sword at his head but he simply ducked as I passed over him and delivered a painful slash to my back. I cried out in pain and stumbled to the ground. I turned just in time to see the beast slash at me again, tearing more flesh and spilling more blood from my chest. I swung wildly, my mind aflame with fear and hatred. I struck his arm, his leg, and his rib cage but nothing firm, not for a vampire anyway. I did a tumble backwards and hurried to my feet. I took a defense posture and awaited the beast's next move. It didn't take him long, as he immediately lunged at me again, more determined to kill me than ever. I ducked and tried the same tactic as before, but this one avoided it as he flipped in midair and delivered a shower of pain and hurt upon my head. He succeeded in knocking my sword from my grasp and knocked me to the ground. He then proceeded to go for my throat. I was blind with fear and hatred, I didn't want to die, my thirst was getting to me more than ever, choking me right in the throat, along with the vampire's hand. I couldn't die. I wouldn't die. I would survive. I pushed him with all my might, and by some miracle from heaven, his gripped loosened enough that I flipped him over me and he landed on his back, stunned. Even though I couldn't feel it, I saw my surroundings as I retrieved my sword and lunged at him, he was starting to rise. Damn him he was so fast, I swung downward in my flight and felt something warm and wet hit my face as I stared at his face, soaked with the same warm and wet liquid on his face which was now a couple of feet from his body.
I stood up and admired my handiwork. I had killed two of Kain's legions, defeated two members of the vampire scourge, gotten my first real taste of battle, and I felt a tiny drop of the water of vengeance on my tongue quenching some of my thirst, but leaving me gasping for more.
These same thoughts were in my head as I felt something hard and cold strike it, knocking me unconscious.
I awakened some time later, I couldn't feel my knees or most body, and I didn't even know how I was standing. I felt my wits come back and grew aware of two more vampires holding by the arms, dragging me to god knew where. I didn't recognize where I was and I grew afraid. I felt so cold and so alone. These thoughts didn't last long as I looked up from the ground, to see the Pillars of Nosgoth, and there, in the center of the corrupted and distorted Pillar of Balance, sat the dark and horrid form of Kain. He sat on a dark throne of stone marble and held the much renowned and much feared Soul Reaver, his ancient and trademark blade. It was long and curvy and had a slim hilt with a skull at the top and a round pommel. I had heard stories about Kain and his horrid appearance but had always assumed they were exaggerated, and I once again thought back to my sheltered life of twenty years, and I knew now that they had NOT been exaggerated.
He sneered at me and said to my two escorts, "This then is the pathetic specimen that has vanquished two of my royal guard?" One of the escorts responded, "Yes master. He killed them with his sword, which was recovered and brought to you for examination sire." The guard then walked and handed my sword to Kain. He looked over it and puffed out a sigh of disappointment and lack of appreciation. "Cheap human garbage, not worthy of even the most ignorant of fledglings." He then snapped my blade in half as though it were a twig. I felt my fear deepen at the site of this and thought to myself, "And what is to stop him from doing that to me?" He sneered at me again and said to the guards, "Get him out of my site and then execute him. Do it slowly, make him suffer. We must make an example of this bastard upstart. Insubordination will not be tolerated among any of my legions, especially my royal guard. IS THAT CLEAR?!?!" I felt a shiver of pure cold fear run down my spine, and I think my escort felt it too. They turned to take me out to wherever it was they would kill me. I was so enraged I couldn't stand it; my thirst was such now that I didn't think a waterfall could quench it, but I was helpless to do anything about it. I gave in to despair and knew I could do nothing but prepare myself. I was about to say a prayer to whatever gods were left to the human race when a voice rang out, "WAIT SIRE! STOP A MOMENT!" I used up the last of my strength to turn my head toward the source of the voice, and was caught up in awe by what I saw. There, standing before me, was another vampire, but of appearance that I did not recognize. He was tall and dark and distant, and he very beautiful. He had short black hair flowing down the side of his head and face and his eyes were the dark black and red eyes of a vampire and his lips were covered by black lipstick. I heard him talk and his voice was calm with a cool sex appeal that would entice and seduce both men and women. I heard Kain shift in his chair, sitting straight up so that he could fully admire the beautiful man. I heard his name as Kain greeted him with an admiration that went back many years ago. I heard the name, "Raziel." He sank to a knee in front of Kain, showing his respect and admiration for his master.
This was Raziel, the first of the seven lieutenants of Kain: Kain's own personal masterpieces. Songs and Legends spoke of their loyalty to Kain and the great deeds they had accomplished for him, and none were mentioned so often as Raziel. He was described as a heartless killer who did what he was told and did it well, but yet he retained more independence than any of the other lieutenants. He was the perfect creation of Kain, Kain's perfect warrior, and I could see why. He then spoke to Kain in his calm and seductive voice saying, "Sire, let me take this human instead. Such obvious talent would be wasted on a mere execution, and observing his obvious hatred of us, seeing as how he came and faced us alone, allow me think up a much more suitable fate for him." I shuddered in fear at the thoughts that crept into my mind of what he had in mind for me as Kain responded, "Very well Raziel. You may have him." Raziel lifted from his knee and said, "Thank you sire. I appreciate your kindness and generosity." He then turned and walked over to me. I did not struggle as he leaned my head over to one side, for I did not have the strength or will to resist. I felt him open his mouth and exhale a breath of dead and damned things against my bare flesh, and then he moved closer and bore down hard. A vampire's fangs are very sharp. I didn't even feel them as they entered my throat, but I did feel the fluids begin to leave my body. I grew weaker with each moment, I felt that I could die, and indeed I was sure that that was my fate. He did not stop until I was almost bone dry, and I vaguely remember seeing him slit his wrist with his talon and place it above my open mouth as the two escorts held me steady. I felt his cold wet blood trickle into my mouth and down my throat. Killing as it spread, burning, corrupting, and.. transforming. I fell free of the guards and collapsed upon the floor. I couldn't feel anything except for one thing, a thirst. At first I thought it was the thirst for vengeance I had had since I left my sheltered home of twenty years, but that was not it. For the first time since I left that home, that thirst was not the first thing on my mind. Indeed it was not on my mind at all. It had been replaced by a deeper thirst. A thirst for life. A thirst for death. A thirst for blood.
Chapter I
An Unquenchable Thirst
My name is Edward. I was born in, grew up in, and amused myself in the last great human city in Nosgoth on the edge of Kain's accursed empire. My life had few moments of peace, but a great deal of discovery, education, and on occasion, fun. My mother was a kind gentle woman, but just being around her betrayed the fire in her soul and the courage she had in her powerful heart. She helped me with everything from my school studies, to building, and to fighting. She had explained that my great, great, great, great, great grandfather (I heard it so many times that I finally memorized all the greats), was a Sarafan, a holy warrior against the vampire scourge, a source of light in the darkness of ages past, and it filled my mother with pride and I admit, it even made me feel very special. My mother was very skilled with a sword, staff, crossbow, and most other weapons necessary to destroy a vampire and send its soul back to its eternal damnation in the pits of Hell. In fact, she was so skilled that most other people in the city encouraged and even tried to demand, and on occasion threaten, her to become one of the hunters. God bless her, she always said no to every word and every threat, saying that before she secured everyone else's, she was going to secure MY safety, and it was never a mystery to me as to why I felt so safe in those flimsy stone walls, even thought a vampire could cross over it as easily as you or I could open a door. She always spent so much time with me that I soon forgot about the overwhelming evil and its power just outside our city, it just didn't seem that real. Then I reached my eighteenth year of life. I was a man at last. I was skilled, had a good home, a mother who loved me, and I had come to be acquainted with a girl named Gladys. She was a goddess, and on this God- forsaken world where nothing grew, she smelled of fresh spring roses. She was divine, she was seductive, and she was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. She was my sun, and I loved her more than anything else in this world, like a flower loves the sun. We were wed a year after our meeting, and she never denied me anything. If I was hungry, she was my own personal chef. If I was tired, she became a maid, doing anything and everything to ensure that I was comfortable. If I wanted to improve my chances of having a child, she exceeded in that area in particular. And so it was for two years. Two years of heaven. Two years of beautiful love and beautiful life. Two years of being her husband. Then she died. For it seems she had been gossiping with the local women and had learned of a secret glade where wild flowers grew, defying Kain's vanquish of the sun's energetic rays. It seems she snuck out of the city one day, avoiding detection by the guards and me. It seems she never made it to the glade. It seems she encountered one of the beasts from Kain's legions. It seems she died. Loneliness would not even begin to describe it. It was as though the smoke of Kain's despicable empire finally quenched the last rays of sunlight, both of the suns of my life. She was gone and I couldn't bring her back. She had died and I wanted to join her. She was in heaven, gone from me until death, and I felt so alone. It was unquenchable pain, unquenchable sadness, and unquenchable hatred. Especially hatred. Every fabric of my being was exploding with righteous hatred and sadness, a deep thirst that was unquenchable, but I knew where the fountain was to at least partly dampen it. I had a sword, and I had a fire of hatred, and those were the only things I needed. So I decided to go and drink deeply. I left my home, my home of twenty years and for the first time, I understood exactly why my mom taught me to fight, exactly why my mother told me the stories of the Sarafan's righteous wars, and exactly why my mother taught me to fight: she was preparing me. She knew the world well enough to know that I would have to face who the true rulers of this world were, the true rulers of our lives: the vampires. She understood that if I had the skills, I would one day have the purpose to fight. So she prepared me, up till she died, the year after I was wedded to my beloved sun, and I said a prayer to whatever god was left to humans, to thank my mother for me, and tell her I'd probably be with her soon. This did not however dishearten me, I was too thirsty of hatred, and I was going to the fountain of vengeance. So I continued for many days to my destination, to the Pillars of Nosgoth, to the central base of Kain's Empire, to Kain himself, and I was going to destroy him. This was the only thought I had; all other thoughts were nothing but occasional collapses into a certain two years. Two years of heaven. Two years of beautiful love and beautiful life. Two years of being her husband. But those were few and far between, and it only made my thirst even deeper to dwell on them. My mother had explained that Kain had become more monster than human in his millennium long rule, taking on the gifts of the Dark Gods. She said that every so often, he would gain a new gift, changing him, corrupting him little by little, making him more evil and more powerful than before. It was not long before I came to the edge of his empire, the place the vampire scourge of Kain called the Lake of the Dead, Kain's execution ground for traitors and weaklings. It was a collection of waterfalls in the mountains with a large swirling whirlpool in the center. We had built our city on the side opposite of Kain's empire, knowing that even the most innocent and loyal of Kain's empire were terrified by this place and never, EVER ventured near it. My mother had explained this to me as well. It was a corrupted and pitiable wasteland, a harsh testament to the millennium of sunless days. It was horrible, and I felt glad for all of the years of peace I had spent amongst my mother in the city, and I wished for just a brief moment that I were back there. Then I felt my thirst nagging at me again, and pressed on. I felt that I was as a stranger in a strange land, though I had lived beside of this Hell for all of my life, it still carried with it a landscape and impact that was alien to me, and I realized that I had lived a very sheltered life, and I was thankful for it. I was thankful for the calm before the storm, the gigantic cyclone of hate and lightning and rain, and the thought of rain reminded me of my thirst, so I continued on. I soon came across a gigantic structure, which bore the standard of Kain's accursed empire and a flagpole. I had seen it once before on a torn a bloody piece of clothing recovered in a skirmish from a dead vampire. I looked around for an entrance and soon found the main entrance, and not surprisingly, two vampires who had a deep, dark look in their eye guarded it. I didn't hesitate even for a moment; I drew my sword from my sheath and attacked. They were very fast and very skilled and I didn't expect this from them. Mother had told me of their skills, but I had assumed that the training mother had given me would instantaneously give me superiority over them, and then I thought about my sheltered life of twenty years.
One of the vampires lunged at me with such speed and ferocity that I froze for just a moment, but only a moment. I regained my wits and with great speed rivaling the vampires, I ducked under him and shoved my sword upward, aiming for the heart. Mother taught me well. My sword penetrated and the blood from the monster's heart spilled all over me, turning my black over coat a wet red. I didn't have enough time before the other vampire attacked me as well. He slashed at me with his sharp talons and I felt the fire in my nerves as a good deal of flesh and blood was torn from my arm, and I felt the thirst become unbearable. I lurched my sword from the corpse of the first vampire and turned to defend myself from the second's attack. He was every bit as fast as the first, and my years of training caused me to realize that he was a good deal more disciplined in his movements and judgment of attack. I swung my sword at his head but he simply ducked as I passed over him and delivered a painful slash to my back. I cried out in pain and stumbled to the ground. I turned just in time to see the beast slash at me again, tearing more flesh and spilling more blood from my chest. I swung wildly, my mind aflame with fear and hatred. I struck his arm, his leg, and his rib cage but nothing firm, not for a vampire anyway. I did a tumble backwards and hurried to my feet. I took a defense posture and awaited the beast's next move. It didn't take him long, as he immediately lunged at me again, more determined to kill me than ever. I ducked and tried the same tactic as before, but this one avoided it as he flipped in midair and delivered a shower of pain and hurt upon my head. He succeeded in knocking my sword from my grasp and knocked me to the ground. He then proceeded to go for my throat. I was blind with fear and hatred, I didn't want to die, my thirst was getting to me more than ever, choking me right in the throat, along with the vampire's hand. I couldn't die. I wouldn't die. I would survive. I pushed him with all my might, and by some miracle from heaven, his gripped loosened enough that I flipped him over me and he landed on his back, stunned. Even though I couldn't feel it, I saw my surroundings as I retrieved my sword and lunged at him, he was starting to rise. Damn him he was so fast, I swung downward in my flight and felt something warm and wet hit my face as I stared at his face, soaked with the same warm and wet liquid on his face which was now a couple of feet from his body.
I stood up and admired my handiwork. I had killed two of Kain's legions, defeated two members of the vampire scourge, gotten my first real taste of battle, and I felt a tiny drop of the water of vengeance on my tongue quenching some of my thirst, but leaving me gasping for more.
These same thoughts were in my head as I felt something hard and cold strike it, knocking me unconscious.
I awakened some time later, I couldn't feel my knees or most body, and I didn't even know how I was standing. I felt my wits come back and grew aware of two more vampires holding by the arms, dragging me to god knew where. I didn't recognize where I was and I grew afraid. I felt so cold and so alone. These thoughts didn't last long as I looked up from the ground, to see the Pillars of Nosgoth, and there, in the center of the corrupted and distorted Pillar of Balance, sat the dark and horrid form of Kain. He sat on a dark throne of stone marble and held the much renowned and much feared Soul Reaver, his ancient and trademark blade. It was long and curvy and had a slim hilt with a skull at the top and a round pommel. I had heard stories about Kain and his horrid appearance but had always assumed they were exaggerated, and I once again thought back to my sheltered life of twenty years, and I knew now that they had NOT been exaggerated.
He sneered at me and said to my two escorts, "This then is the pathetic specimen that has vanquished two of my royal guard?" One of the escorts responded, "Yes master. He killed them with his sword, which was recovered and brought to you for examination sire." The guard then walked and handed my sword to Kain. He looked over it and puffed out a sigh of disappointment and lack of appreciation. "Cheap human garbage, not worthy of even the most ignorant of fledglings." He then snapped my blade in half as though it were a twig. I felt my fear deepen at the site of this and thought to myself, "And what is to stop him from doing that to me?" He sneered at me again and said to the guards, "Get him out of my site and then execute him. Do it slowly, make him suffer. We must make an example of this bastard upstart. Insubordination will not be tolerated among any of my legions, especially my royal guard. IS THAT CLEAR?!?!" I felt a shiver of pure cold fear run down my spine, and I think my escort felt it too. They turned to take me out to wherever it was they would kill me. I was so enraged I couldn't stand it; my thirst was such now that I didn't think a waterfall could quench it, but I was helpless to do anything about it. I gave in to despair and knew I could do nothing but prepare myself. I was about to say a prayer to whatever gods were left to the human race when a voice rang out, "WAIT SIRE! STOP A MOMENT!" I used up the last of my strength to turn my head toward the source of the voice, and was caught up in awe by what I saw. There, standing before me, was another vampire, but of appearance that I did not recognize. He was tall and dark and distant, and he very beautiful. He had short black hair flowing down the side of his head and face and his eyes were the dark black and red eyes of a vampire and his lips were covered by black lipstick. I heard him talk and his voice was calm with a cool sex appeal that would entice and seduce both men and women. I heard Kain shift in his chair, sitting straight up so that he could fully admire the beautiful man. I heard his name as Kain greeted him with an admiration that went back many years ago. I heard the name, "Raziel." He sank to a knee in front of Kain, showing his respect and admiration for his master.
This was Raziel, the first of the seven lieutenants of Kain: Kain's own personal masterpieces. Songs and Legends spoke of their loyalty to Kain and the great deeds they had accomplished for him, and none were mentioned so often as Raziel. He was described as a heartless killer who did what he was told and did it well, but yet he retained more independence than any of the other lieutenants. He was the perfect creation of Kain, Kain's perfect warrior, and I could see why. He then spoke to Kain in his calm and seductive voice saying, "Sire, let me take this human instead. Such obvious talent would be wasted on a mere execution, and observing his obvious hatred of us, seeing as how he came and faced us alone, allow me think up a much more suitable fate for him." I shuddered in fear at the thoughts that crept into my mind of what he had in mind for me as Kain responded, "Very well Raziel. You may have him." Raziel lifted from his knee and said, "Thank you sire. I appreciate your kindness and generosity." He then turned and walked over to me. I did not struggle as he leaned my head over to one side, for I did not have the strength or will to resist. I felt him open his mouth and exhale a breath of dead and damned things against my bare flesh, and then he moved closer and bore down hard. A vampire's fangs are very sharp. I didn't even feel them as they entered my throat, but I did feel the fluids begin to leave my body. I grew weaker with each moment, I felt that I could die, and indeed I was sure that that was my fate. He did not stop until I was almost bone dry, and I vaguely remember seeing him slit his wrist with his talon and place it above my open mouth as the two escorts held me steady. I felt his cold wet blood trickle into my mouth and down my throat. Killing as it spread, burning, corrupting, and.. transforming. I fell free of the guards and collapsed upon the floor. I couldn't feel anything except for one thing, a thirst. At first I thought it was the thirst for vengeance I had had since I left my sheltered home of twenty years, but that was not it. For the first time since I left that home, that thirst was not the first thing on my mind. Indeed it was not on my mind at all. It had been replaced by a deeper thirst. A thirst for life. A thirst for death. A thirst for blood.