Part 1 of 7
The bleak lands of Nosgoth were proving quite hostile I found, as I emerged from the spectral realm for the first time since my downfall...
The vampire clans' ancient sanctuary, surrounded the pillars that mankind had once been sworn to protect, long before I and the rest of Kain's brood saw fit to cull the abundance of mortals.
How I loathed what we had allowed the world to become, too inert to sustain itself and too far gone for us to recover even a shred of The Pillars former vigilance.
Now they were as insignificant as the pebbles beneath my feet, and if I ever harbored any doubt that Kain's decision to refuse the sacrifice had severe consequences, I needed only look at the desolate surroundings I found myself within.
Every step felt as though the world would collapse out from under me, and instilled me with a feeling of nausea- my mind overtaken by flashes of the events that had led to my tragic fate at The lake of the dead. I felt sickened, I couldn't ascertain whether this existence was worth pursuing any longer...
Perhaps it would have been best, if I was still plunging forever into the infernal pit of water that should have been my final resting place...
"I know you Raziel, you are worthy..."
Worthy of what?
The suffering, the unyielding torment of having my soul entrapped in this husk of my former self for all eternity?
To wander ceaselessly between the realm of the living, and the realm of the dead?
I found it... Difficult... to stomach the prospect, that my resurrection could hold any deeper meaning, a purpose?
If the sluagh were the underworlds glorified garbage collectors, then what did that make me? Something more?
Or something less...
Every step was a new nightmare, unrelenting pain coursed through out the remains of my body- my every muscle fiber exposed to the elements.
It was anything but a miracle, and I had suspected that perhaps it was the cruel jest of Kain- to subject me to that hell, only to pull me back just as I stood on the precipice of oblivion itself- I had been all too prepared to seize relief from it all when I felt my body stripped bit by bit- Becoming sustenance for the underworld's scavengers was a far less cruel fate than the one I was made to endure now.
Re-entering the physical realm, I had come face to face with the kin of my brother Dumah-
I was hard pressed to believe they were vampires at all, their looks were every bit as wanting as their mercy was lacking.
I was left then to ponder whether this was truly the inevitable outcome of our evolution- Kain had spouted predictions of how far we would come in time, transcending even the godlike powers we possessed then... Was this what I would have become, a slack jawed blood guzzling freak of nature?
Or perhaps it was the corruption of Nosgoth... If it was, I saw fit to end my existence there and then by my own hands...
I had burst my chest cavity, clawing at the moorings of my own soul in search for my heart- shattering ribs frantically and goring what flesh remained- but try as I might I couldn't kill myself... All my ventures back into the spiritual realm, saw my injuries healed or perhaps they'd never occurred to begin with. It was like a neverending nightmare, even at the hands of Dumah's ill spawn I had flung myself at them in hopes their maul like extremities would obliterate my body, that perhaps they held the power to undo me... Alas, it wasn't meant to be...
I felt my ire growing out of control, I had slain the monstrosities in my wrath- They were the apex predators of Nosgoth, and yet I dislocated their extremities with ease, and tore them asunder with strength I never fathomed I possessed... My hunger welled up, overpowering my yearning for death-
To think such brazen, vicious creatures- could make such pathetic howls of pain as their souls were stripped from their bodies, to fuel my desire for vengeance. And for an instant, be it the wrath I obliged, or the dark hunger- I felt some small measure of satisfaction...
It was then, I knew...
That if Kain still lived in this age, I would find him and rend him- I saw myself wrenching the Soul Reaver from his dying grasp, as I plunged it through his black heart- and leeched his last ember of unlife from his very being... Yes, this... This would make it all worth the pursuit...
I recounted my faithful servitude towards our sire, but with none of the reverence I formerly had... How could I have been so foolish.
If only I had been stronger then, I might have been tempted to end him there and then at our unholy gathering on the day of my execution...
His sneering face was imprinted in my thoughts still, my head- what remained of it, was pounding- my limbs aching with a fatigue that would never leave me. My every step through the land, made me feel the world was warping around me- straining to keep me from my goal...
I sought out Melchiah first, meandering my way between the many graves that littered his territory... His spawn were every bit as impure as my infantile brother himself- I neeeded only swipe my hands at them to tear their desecrated corpses apart, bisecting and dismembering each and everyone of them- lit them ablaze with the touch of sunlight, or impaled them when convenience allowed for such... I had become invincible!
But at what cost... Melchiah would not find me such an easy obstacle to overcome, and if vampyrism hadn't aided in evolving away cowardice- I thought it highly likely my dear brother was much more likely to try and evade me...
When we finally had our encounter, I was shocked to see the extent to which he had devolved... I was always aware he wasn't as gifted as the rest of us, he could barely sustain his own unlife... But I hadn't expected... This.
And yet after our grueling battle, I felt a tinge of remorse as he had blithely unveiled his one true desire... Relief from his own existance...
I shared that sentiment, and couldn't help but wish that whatever happened after I consumed his apostate soul- that he had found peace of mind...
Unlike I ever could...
I resumed my journey, but what happened next- I could have never predicted...