Chapter 1

Epilogue of Vampirism

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(Please note that this is a fanfic where I take it upon myself to change one solitary plot element in the Legacy of Kain series – that is, when Kain's heart of Darkness is ripped out, he finds himself slowly losing his vampiric unlife and hence, his powers. This is my rendition of how the LOK story would have continued past Defiance had such a development occurred. Note here that this is not a tale of Kain prior to his turning at the hands of Mortanius. This is a post-defiance fanfic. To truly understand the story, this fanfic will begin at the critical moment: When Kain awakens in the demon dimension following his vampiric decomposure. This point in the story, concluding at the Elder God's small but significant defeat at the Spirit Forge Inner Chamber, is referred to as Chapter 1. All chapters that follow are post-defiance.)

Kain (VO): "A ball of light. Flickering, dimly, amidst the dark abyss of emptiness. Though the light shined brightly outwards, no surrounding object was illuminated. No wall, no being, no creature existed in this place. Yet a strong, undeniable will to sustain this light is maintained. Grasping at every ounce of determination I possessed, I willed myself to make it so, to safeguard this place from further darkness.. I knew I had little time, for the bright light shined elegantly only for an instant, before slowly dimming, falling, further and further into darkness.. into death."

(As Kain lays unconscious within the demon dimension, his eyes shoot open with a sharp jolt of pain and urgency.)

Kain (VO): "I awoke to find myself in a shadowy realm. A disquieting stillness lay where my heart had been, the heart that had belonged to Janos Audron all along. How was it possible that I still lived?"

(Kain slowly places a hand on his chest, still reluctant to believe the events that had transpired.)

Kain (VO): "Had my heart truly been stolen?"

(As Kain's hand is placed on his chest, he is shot with a vision that sends a shiver down his spine)

Kain (VO): "A ball of light.."

(Kain perks his head as he hears dreary voices in his surroundings. He knew where he was..)

Hylden Voice: "You are still fair of form, vampire"

Hylden Voice: "That will go first."

Hylden Voice: "This realm will render you hideous. You will go mad, and you will not know it."

Hylden Voice: "Do you not think of this place every day, Vampire? Or are we truly forgotten?"

Hylden Voice: "This is the exile into which we were driven. But soon now, soon we will be free."

Hylden Voice: "We will be free."

(Demons appear before Kain.)

Kain (VO): "I knew not whether these creatures truly were the deformities of the once proud Hylden, or an entirely new existence, a new race that thrived in this uncharted, damned world. It did not matter, however. Whatever they were, I would destroy them, as I destroyed countless demons, sprawled from this very same land, during my youth as a fledgling vampire."

(Kain picks up the Blood Reaver and turns swiftly to face the two demons. He extends his one free arm towards the demon on his right, to telekinetically shackle the monster from any further movement. Kain then makes a leap towards the left-most demon, piercing the blood reaver directly into its core before the demon could make a swing at him. As the reaver begins to drain the blood of its victim, it is stopped prematurely. Kain feels an enormous collision to his right shoulder as he slides across the ridged floor. Peering out to see what had hit him, he sees the demon that, apparently, resisted the telekinetic shackle imposed by Kain earlier.)

Kain (VO): "Strange.. Are my powers nullified in this place?"

(As the two demons slowly begin to make their way towards him, Kain tries to focus his energy, making it flow into his two arms. He then clasps them together as a red ball of energy is created in between.)

Kain: "Immolate!!"

(The ball's energy is transmuted into a fire that now burns beneath the demon's feet. One drops to his knees and perishes. The other is left undamaged. Kain now stands and brandishes the reaver, but is brought back down to one knee in exhaustion.)

Kain (VO): "It appeared that my re-awakening brought with it elements not entirely to my liking. Was I weaker now, with no mechanism to course the blood through my body, or was it simply a matter of time before I regained my full strength?"

(Kain then spots a spatial distortion out of the corner of his eye. The same he had seen in Avernus Cathedral before he was blasted into it, and, into this place. With the demon approaching him and his strength not entirely adequate to fight through, Kain brings the reaver up above his head. The blade conjures the little blood it devoured from this demon earlier and shoots out a mediocre amount of energy towards it, pushing the demon back just enough for Kain to have enough clearance. He stands and wearily makes his way for the portal. Entering it, he falls through and finds himself back in Avernus Cathedral, now stale and devoid of any warring animation.)

Kain (VO): "Though I was out of the fire, the heat had not entirely dissipated. I knew that I could not linger here, that the spatial distortion was not uniquely designed for my solitary transportation. They would come again, to pursue me. Furthermore, I felt a compelling, irresistible urgency to make my way back to the Vampire Citadel. This induced coercion was twofold in its nature. I felt, that my role as balance guardian compelled me to go there, as if I was summoned by the pillars themselves. But there was a second need for compliance. Raziel. His image burned more brightly in my mind than it ever had. I knew he had something for me, and it sustained my very being. The empty void in my chest let me know of that. But what was it that my body felt was so important?"

(Kain stands straight and lets his body draw new forms. Bats sprawl from his very being and are tossed upon the winds of Nosgoth.)

Kain (VO): "As I made my way across the land which, now, would rot in a decay of decomposure and death due to the pillars' destruction, I wondered whether anything had changed since my fatal decision at the foot of the pillars. From fledgling, till now, as I came full circle, had anything really changed? My train of thought was cut short by a sharp stab of pain and loss. I felt components of my body drift apart, losing face, and ultimately drifting to their doom. This was a new sensation to me, and the bats that remained, now fewer than before, seated me at the base of the Vampire Citadel – not nearly as far as the heart of the place, where I wished to go."

(Kain reforms into his normal structure, but is exhausted and can only prop himself up with his arms, peering down at the floor and coughing up small spits of blood. He notices something as he peers down.)

Kain (VO): "As I lay there, recovering from my exhaustion, something bewildering took my eye. Little gray stands of hair now soiled the earth where I lay. Could it be? Was the demon dimension so hasty in its nature to putrefy my very form so quickly? Or was it that disquieting stillness in my chest – the lack of source which bestowed my divinity unto me? Hearts are meant to keep folk alive.. did Janos Audron's heart serve a different purpose?"

(Kain places a hand on his chest once more. As before, he is treated with a vision. The ball of light is much smaller now, dim in its pale blue luminosity.)

Kain (VO): "This time, the light was not very inviting, and urged me to continue onward, leaving behind my musings for another time. One thing was clear, however. I would decide to conserve my strength from this point forward, as it appeared that using my vampiric gifts rendered me frail and feeble. I would make my way by foot."

(After a time, Kain finally ends his trek at the heart of the citadel. His hair is now sparse, and the features of his face seem to melt into a rancid appearance. His body seems to be decaying, dying. He wearily peers down from the top of the spirit forge, and sees Moebius. Kain tries to scale the wall but is too weak and tumbles downwards, hitting various objects as he makes his way down, though voluntary, yet involuntary in means. Meanwhile Moebius is speaking to what appears to be an oracle, his god.)

Moebius: "The Hylden are merely an inconvenient consequence. They will be dealt with in time. It is a small price to pay for Kain's dea—"

(Moebius suddenly hears the tumbling and turns just to see Kain land crippled in front of him.)

Moebius: "Kain?!"

(Kain grunts under his breath as he slowly comes to his knees, using the reaver to prop himself while he regains his composure. Moebius looks at Kain's hideous face and form, melting into decay.)

Moebius: "You return from the demon dimension changed, as all the others. Unbelievable that the effect seized you so quickly. But how do you still live!

(Kain looks up at Moebius, slowly standing up to his feet in a limping posture.)

Kain: "Is there a crack in your omniscience after all, Moebius.."

(Moebius raises his staff in anger.)

Moebius: "Get back down, vampire!"

(The staff has no effect. Moebius' angry, confident eyes wane.)

Kain: "First your omniscience, and now your powers. You're slipping badly."

Moebius: "This is not possible…"

Kain: "The part of me that staff affected is no longer in its place. But you already knew that, didn't you? I always was considered heartless. And now, Moebius, it is time."

Moebius: "To kill me? Again? Your only solution, for every problem: Kill—"

Kain: "This is not a debate. You see, this time, you have nothing that I want."

(Kain takes a quick step forward, though weary, and impales Moebius with the Blood Reaver. As the reaver begins to drain him of his life blood, Moebius speaks.)

Moebius: "You think this will matter? I serve One who has power over life and death.."

Kain: "Then go to him."

(Kain pushes Moebius off the blade, and shoves him to the ground. Moebius speaks as he falls into a deathly slumber.)

Moebius: "I am.. his obedient, his devoted servant. Soon.. all pain will fade, and my Master will bring me life once more…"

(He dies.)

Kain (VO): "I was left in this place, alone it seemed, to discover my true ambition. Why was it that I stood here now, devoid of any inclinations, any leads upon which I might act? I knew there was something to be done here. My energy was waning, however, and I knew that I would not have much time left. The heart, it seemed, did in fact insure my survival, and I felt death approaching me quicker than it ever had amidst any battle or fatal moment before this. I hoped that I could still accomplish something before my death."

(Kain falls to his knees in exhaustion. The fast movements of his actions cause portions of his skin to drop from his body, pooling into a gray-like body of mush before evaporating into dust. He grabs his chest one more time before being treated with the same old light, flickering within him with nothing now but the dimmest luminosity. He looks around desperately to find some sort of clue, but everything in his vision is hazy and blurred. His eyes sit upon Moebius' staff as he hears the dead man making noise behind him.)

Kain (VO): "It would appear that Moebius was right, and that his so called 'god' could in fact revive him."

(With the last ounce of energy left in him, Kain is brought to his feet once more, swings around, and impales Moebius again. As Kain's legs falter, he fumbles forward, pushing Moebius to a wall where the reaver is lodged into an earthly rock. They both use it for support.)

Kain: "Do you.. so.. enjoy death?"

Moebius: "—Yesss…"

(Moebius' body begins to shift form as pieces of his decaying skin fall off and reveal Raziel underneath.)

Kain: "Raziel?! No..!"

(Kain struggles to pull the blade free of Raziel, but is too weak to unlodge it from the wall behind him.)

Raziel: "Yes… this is how…"

Kain: "No! Raziel!"

Raziel: "The Soul Reaver, pure of all corruption… this is what it is for. This is what I am for."

(Raziel places his right arm onto Kain's chest. The wraith blade, now endowed and purified with the spirits of the deceased balance guardians, is invoked. It pools into Kain's chest as if a vacuum is sucking the very life of the wraith blade. Kain's eyes open wide as he is revitalized and rejuvenated. He feels a sense of loss being returned, a part of him that he has not felt since the day he breathed life into his six lieutenants. His strength returning, he feels, finally, after these long centuries, whole again.)

Raziel: "The two become one… both Soul Reavers… together… and the Scion of Balance is healed… And I am not your enemy… not your destroyer… I am, as before, your right hand… your sword."

Kain: "No, Raziel… this can't be the way…"

Raziel: "And now you will see the true enemy…"

(Raziel begins to lose consciousness as his very soul is sucked into the blood reaver. In a flash of bright light, the last remaining essence of Raziel is entrapped within the blade, and the sword now shines with an elegant aura as the Soul Reaver, with Raziel nowhere to be seen.)

Kain: "Raziel…"

(Now purified by the Spirit Reaver, Kain turns his head.)

Kain (VO): "And it was then, I saw. A warping sensation of the spatial surroundings revealed the One that Moebius had mentioned earlier. The giant squid-like abomination that had been lurking in the shadows for centuries beyond my reign. The Elder God which all ancients and humans alike seemed to have been manipulated time and time again."

Elder God: "So. I am revealed to you at last."

Kain: "What in hell…"

Elder God: "I am the origin of life, the devourer of death. I am the hub of the Wheel, the purifying cycle to which all souls must be drawn."

Kain (VO): "Had I condemned Raziel to this nightmare when I cast him into the abyss?"

Elder God: "You may ponder the futility of your ambitions as you spend a deathless eternity beneath a mountain of rubble. You and your Soul Reaver will go equally mad as the eons pass. The Citadel of the apostates will become your living tomb."

Kain: "Your words are heartening."

(Kain strikes one of the Elder's tendrils with the Soul Reaver, cleaving it apart in a shower of green fluid. The Elder howls in pain, and bars his primary Eyestalk with several more tendrils.)

Kain: "..for you would not fear us, unless we could truly do you harm."

(Kain cuts through the tendrils as he stalks towards the Elder's Eye.)

Elder God: "No! You are nothing!"

Kain: "False God! This is the end- the final turn of your Wheel."

(As Kain makes his way closer and closer to its eye, the Elder God gathers ethereal energy and dispels it in a wave, heading towards Kain. He is hit and falls back, the rupture causing more of his vampiric flesh to be ripped from his body.)

Kain (VO): "I did not know exactly what had transpired during the pivotal moment of Raziel's sacrifice. My vampiric exterior seemed to have gained no relief from Raziel's wraith blade assimilating into my body, and although my core felt restored, the flesh which demonized my form over the centuries as a vampiric consequence was evaporating before my eyes, still. I knew that I had not the power to stop this creature, this god, with the aid of my divine powers. Armed with only the soul reaver as I was, it would have to be the Soul Reaver that committed his undoing. Strange – history seemed to have made it so that I slay this abomination with one and only one weapon. What significance did this portend?"

(A tendril is raised above Kain's head and slams downwards at him. Kain stands firmly and swings the reaver above his head, splitting the creature's arm in two. Kain makes his way back towards the eye, using the Soul Reaver to stop any other tendrils in his way, as they are feeble to the power of the Soul Reaver.)

Kain (VO): "I had neither the time nor the patience to mull over the many implications that all of this signified. I knew only to do one thing, and it would be realized at any cost. This was the moment – the final edge of the coin. The fatalistic instant that my body – no, my very existence, was drawn to. I would be the final undoing of this creature, this parasite that thrived on the destruction of the land and all its inhabitants while shrouding its motive in a veil of righteousness and benevolence."

Kain: "Your time is approaching, creature. You will find no reprieve in my blade!"

(Kain lunges towards the creature's eye once again, this time arming himself with the soul reaver in such that any bolt of energy would be deflected. In doing so, he manages to recoil the blade, and shoot it back forward, straight towards the heart of the creature's optical instrument. As the reaver pierces the center point of the eye, A distinctive mucus, almost ethereal-like in nature, spills forth and comes into contact with Kain's whole right arm, drenching it in an acidic ache of pain. Kain groans. He tries to pull away but does not have the strength. The mucus, as quick as it came, now hardens like a stiff shell. Kain's arm is but a prisoner within, and as such, the blade is left inside the heart of the squid. The soul reaver's soul-sucking entity is invoked.)

Kain (VO): "The reaver seemed to have claimed the beast for its own savage hunger. As the groans of the Elder God filled the room, I could see that the two were now locked in a tug 'o war as the reaver tried to consume it. But could such a proportionately small weapon truly devour a beast such as he? Light began to emanate from the point of contact and I strained my eyes to watch. The searing pain my arm now knew made it all the more difficult, and just before my eyes gave way due to the intensity of the light, I witnessed the Elder's mucus engulfing not only my arm but the reaver as well. Had it failed, I thought, as my vision was replaced with bright flashing lights, following a pain that my now burning arm could never challenge. I felt myself falling to my death, and it was then that I realized.. The Elder God did in fact remake Raziel into the free-willed being which now lay sacrificed within the blade. And in the event that the reaver would consume the Elder's soul, the abominable squid-like creature would not be allowed to exist far in the future, many centuries hence, when Raziel is thrown into the abyss and revived. Thus, the creature was immune to death, and history therefore chose to expel the irritant – me.

(Followed by the bright flash, Kain blacks out and is engulfed in an ethereal cone of darkness..)

Kain (VO): "..or so I had thought…"