The Altar of the World
So beautiful, perfect each and everyone of them...
It was almost a shame to tear each and everyone asunder, the noble creatures with their fair looks- striding to combat their better...
Kain had been right to sentence Raziel to eternal suffering in the abyss, his evolution was fairy and quaint...
Turel's own ascension he thought, could be likened to his Master's own divine nature...
He had the strength, his telekinetic prowess, his features so akin to his masters. And yet... He always felt, he would become something more one day-t
He had started down a dark path, many vampires had been treading- many died doing so.
fratricide, it was frowned upon for vampires to take hostile action against each other- Much more so for those who were close kindred.
Often it meant you were hunted to death in the days before- but now Vampires were changing. Turels beastly visage, was beyond gnarled, grained like wood and tough like chitin. His body had become a horrendous amalgamation of humanoid and monstrously feral to look at- his posture hardly regular anymore, hunched- but tense with powerful muscle waiting to be put to use- And he did, vigorously- every one of Raziel's brood slowly, but surely came to meet a fate worse than death- As Turel took great pleasure in bisecting his vampyric next of kin- Drinking from their veins, he could feel how he leeched their power and made it his own-
Though everytime he did, his hunger grew- The spawn of his oldest brother... Their blood had a unique quality to it, he yearned to have his thirst quenched- the more he slaughtered, the more beastly he became... And when the slaughter came to an end- Turel claimed the domain of his long since dead brother, hibernating safely away from the vampire hunters of the realm, as well as any of his jealous siblings who might wish to steal his newfound might.
Nosgoth was eroded by time, hundreds upon hundreds of years the brothers slept in, unaware that Nosgoth was no longer so forgiving, as to let them pause their endeavors at their leisure. Humans were becoming craftier, working devices that could prove deadly to even vampires, wielding magic none had ever encountered before, they were not the only ones subject to evolution- And even if they had been, it was never the true goal to evolve and change from what had been, into something new and spectacular, to gain more power- These things were trivial.
Kain found no impediment in Nosgoth, even when his brood had become twisted deranged monsters- he walked unhindered in the land- and no area was beyond his reach. He could only sneer in disgust, at fledglings huddled in the shadows- cowering like scared dogs in his presence- he felt their hunger as keenly as his own, but it was tainted by their fear of him. They could no longer be considered sentient, the corruption Kain shouldered was seeping into his spawn, and the more diluted his blood became- the worse the consequences. Often times and individual would not retain their sanity- Vampirism was once more becoming a plague... And those who spawned the clans, could do nothing but watch over their domains till Nosgoth's end.
Kain had arrived at Raziel's domain- he dreaded to set foot in the place...
The day he sentenced his most gifted prodigy, was the day he might truly have relearned the feeling of pity...
He felt remorse at the possibility that his son's brood may have become just as wild and unhinged as all the others- feral monsters with insatiable hunger and deformities... The farther he entered the domain, the more apparent it became how it had changed- far beyond anything he could've imagined. The skeletons of winged figures strewn about the corridor- and in the great hall where his son should've sat like a king- had destiny allowed for such- Lay an almost draconic monster- slumbering- it's breath brought with it an unthinkable stench...
Kain didn't like what he saw one bit, much less what he smelled- steeling himself, he pressed onwards more in annoyance, than intrigue.
"What is the meaning of this?" he announced himself abruptly- his tone sharp enough to cut through Turel's dormant state
The beastly vampire's eyes shot open, and his enormous frame rose so quickly from the hall- erecting himself to full height- he crashed his scalp against the ceiling- so debris tumbled down from above. He quickly lowered himself, inclining his head steeply towards Kain
His voice was a somber hiss "Ssire, my apologies..."
Kain don'd an expression of disgust "Do I know you monster?"
Turel raised his head, towering over Kain- they had a similar exterior- But Turel's physique was... Inhuman. He still looked to his master with Pride.
"I cleaned the vermin from Nosgoth, and now I have transcended my old self... You see our similarities- surely" He masked a laugh through a hiss- his facial structured was nothing like Kain's. It parted like dead petals to crush the faces and limbs of Turel's enemies- his appearance was nothing but Vulgar to Kain.
"Turel... So this is where you have been hiding away... I suspect you thought you would impress me, by disposing of the rest of Raziel's clan?"
Kain gazed around at the empty grounds that had once belonged to his favored son.
"Sire... All I did- was to match you- to replace Raziel, to command at your side. My powers may even be greater than his- perhaps as great as yours!"
He insisted, though his demeanor was wreathed with insecurity- something about Kain's presence never failed to inspire dread- even more so if you were making a fool of yourself.
Kain laughed mockingly at Turel, and turned his nose up at his naive brat-
"You think yourself, my equal?"
They stared tensely at each other for a moment, before Kain began again- he never was afraid to be interrupted
"Fool, you have become so far removed from everything that we are supposed to be... You and your brothers..."
He turned his back to Turel, and began down the stairs away from his damned son.
It was then- a telekinetic bolt of immense force- shattered the tiled steps Kain had been standing on- the projector- Turel.
Enraged by his Father's words of truth- blinded as much by his fury, as he had been by his lust for power.
He hadn't realized before it was too later, that he had missed his mark entirely- because Kain had evaporated into a thin mist- before the projectile ever reached it's destination. Turel felt the sharp tip of the legendary blade, Soul Reaver- plunged into his sternum, it had slotted between the bone and cartilage with such ease- he needed only take one step forward to impale himself- he felt all his strength leeched from his body. The wound refused to close- even as shallow as it was- it bled and robbed Turel of his strength. His hulking figure slumped to the floor even as Kain removed the blade- taking a few backwards paces to regard Turel Solemnly...
"Perhaps at one point you even dreamt... That you could have been my successor... I see it vividly, you have my craving for power... But you have lost yourself to it-. Anyone can play at being superior- But you could never shoulder my burden..." He slung the Reaver over his shoulder once more and fastened it, before brushing the crimson banner back over his shoulder. "I won't take your life Turel... As furious as you have made me, your actions have still proven trivial... This age has outlasted it's usefulness... But you still have some part to play. I'll let you live, but I ask that you leave this age... I do not care how..." Those were the last words Turel heard from Kain, before the wound inflicted by the Reaver drained his strength to the point of him feinting...
"No! I must have blood - Bring me blood, or feel the wrath of your god..."
...
"Great Hash'ak'gik, we hear you!"