Prologue
Burden Upon Thy Shoulders
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"You cannot destroy me Kain, I am the engine of life itself. The Wheel will turn! The plague of your kind will be purged from this world! And on that inevitable day, your retched, stagnant soul will finally be mine!"
"In the mean time, you'd best burrow deep."
Now at last, the masks had fallen away. The strings of the puppets had become visible and the hands of the prime mover exposed. Most ironic of all, was the last gift Raziel had given me. More powerful than the sword that now held his soul, more acute even than the vision his sacrifice had accorded me. The first, bitter taste of that terrible illusion; hope.
Hope...so much like a desert flower; its petals fragile to the touch, to every cut and tear and rendering of its delicate beauty... And yet, to persist in the vociferous heat and chill that consorts the coming and going of the sun over the unyielding sand. This is what makes humanity – however weak and incompetent they may be – a force to be reckoned with. And now it had its hold upon me.
Within this era, my present self, my fledgling self, has only recently turned his back upon the pillars, and their destruction was visible even from this distance. Janos Audron suffers the possession of both body and mind by the Hylden Lord and thus the Hylden's very presence shall reach out to all corners of the world, cursing the land like a disease that spreads through the air itself and poisons all that touch it. Had I known then what I know now, were I not so young as to be clouded by the ignorant assumptions of my own supposed immortality, would I have taken a different action?
Doubtful. Even if I were to engage myself, to warn myself, my actions would, in the end, have no effect. History abhors a paradox, and I have not made an irritant of myself only to inflame the flesh of the time stream enough for drastic action. History will not allow me to meet myself in the same space, the same time. Tempted as I may be to take action, the events proceeding this moment cannot be changed. My younger self shall rise to power and come face-to-face with the Hylden lord, wholly ignorant of the full, terrible truth.
"The Soul Reaver, pure of all corruption, this is what it is for. This is what I am for. 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."
Yet the coin is still turning, and with Raziel at my side, in my very hand, even I now stand with no clear path, no immediate purpose. I cannot plan my next move upon this vexatious chessboard without knowledge of those black and white pieces that scratch their way across one another in constant motion even as I stand here overlooking the destruction wrote by my own hand. The Citadel of the Apostates has given me all it can, and now the power of a different knowledge is needed. There may yet be more players, red pieces at the side of the board wholly unknown to the rest. I must uncover what has been shrouded, but where, and how?
The petals of that desert flower are marred by insects seeking moisture where there is little to none.
-The words of Kain
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The atmosphere was stale, derelict and abandoned as the Citadel was. Dust caked all possible surfaces only to be moved by the open wind and thus clot the air with the reek of decay. Breath came harshly, but Kain's mind was far above such petty discomforts. He stood upon the balcony of the Citadel's Council Chamber, his posture was that of a king surveying his lands, but his mind was a fog of confusion. Whatever way he looked, there was fog obstructing whatever path there might be for him to walk, clouding even the notion that there might even be a path to take. There was nothing but an emptiness of thought that. Try as he might, he could not grasp even so much as a thread in his mind. His eyes roved over the heightened view of Nosgoth this vantage point gave him, a stunning view once the clouds – which formed below – cleared. But even if he were the kind to enjoy natural scenery, the view was tarnished by the sight of Nosgoth's pillars, once whole, white and reaching forever to the sky, not only corrupt and black, but now destroyed.
"What now…?" He murmured, not simply to himself, no, but also to his sword, to Raziel.
Only after the battle with Nosgoth's parasitic 'god', had Kain found himself, not only aware of the presence within the blade, but aware of Raziel himself and slight whispers in his mind's ear. Growing clearer and more easily decipherable from his own thoughts the more he listened to them and focused upon the blade itself. A gentle hum gave off a sense, a feeling. This wordless response to Kain's inquiry, low and unconfident, almost like a shrug, was enough to tell him that his firstborn lieutenant was just as able to answer this question as Kain himself.
The once vampire emperor sighed heavily and took one last look at the gloomy scenery. His gaze strayed across the open cavity before he came to a conclusion to leave his vantage point. Kain wheeled away from the scene and made his way out of the edifice, his mind still enwrapped with the threads of uncertainty.
And so he flew from the Citadel, its purpose fulfilled, and his aim unknown even to him. From a distance, he might appear as a cloud of darkness, but too close and it was apparent the darkness consisted of many black, red-eyed bats. He flew aimlessly, but one purpose soon made itself known. The thirst was once again upon him. It was time to hunt, to feed.
Having returned to his vampire shape to better hunt, Kain happened upon an encampment of sorts.
"So where are you off to, traveler?"
After immediately hearing voices, he instinctively hid behind the rocks. The vampire peered out carefully, sighting two men and a hooded comrade by a burning campfire. The two – one strong warrior and the other barely half his friend's size – were swordsmen, their weapons astray behind their backs. Their visitor for the evening sat close to the warmth, his identity concealed and a sack near his feet. Odd were the clothes he wore – a hooded robe patterned with a symbol Kain had never saw before.
The symbol – black as ink – was a vine-covered staff centered as four wings circled around it, their ends pointing presumably to the North, South, East and West.
No matter. Although weak and in need of blood, Kain made a wise choice not to attack when three against one may prove to be difficult in his current state. Thus he turned away and decided to head for the cliffs afar. Perhaps he could look out for prey from there.
"Where is not an easy question to answer, my friends," the traveler spoke in a youthful but prudent voice. "But if you must know, my destination lies in a faraway land, beyond those pillars you see there." He pointed at the Pillars behind the mountains and continued. "I am seeking for a magnificent city...a city that is to be baptized 'Agharta'."
Kain stopped. In all his years, he had heard that word not once, not twice but many times.
Agharta, the ancient metropolis.
When first he'd heard of it from the days of his empire, the natural course of action had been to seek it out with the intention of either making it his greater, more decadent capital or using it to further his conquest. His sons had gone one after the other to search for this city, but always in vain. They returned each time empty handed, no matter how many times they looked. Raziel, he remembered, had searched twice, deemed the entire thing a hoax unworthy of their time and would look no more. One or two of the others had still tried, but, in the end, Raziel was right and it had been nothing more than a legend.
Or so Kain thought.
"Agharta, as in the 'hallowed capital'?" the warrior uttered.
"That's just a rumor!" his ally exclaimed.
"I heard it was to be built within the core of Nosgoth."
"...I think you had enough liquor for one day."
The traveler chuckled. "Nay, my friends. Of course, that is simply ridiculous. The great city of Agharta is to be built in a splendid place, where no monsters you speak of can find or penetrate it. And once it is finished, the gates will open to those who wish to create a foundation fabricated on their knowledge."
"And what knowledge would that be?"
"Anything. Alchemy, sorcery, architecture and so much more. Even all of Nosgoth's history, right down to the end of time itself."
The more Kain listened, the more he was engrossed. An enormous collection of subjects could benefit him, the answers he wished to look for perhaps preserved within the walls of Agharta.
Knowledge is power after all.
"All will be written and kept the largest library in all of Nosgoth, more enormous than even the library of Willendorf itself!"
"And you're heading there because you also have 'knowledge' to give, am I right?"
"Well, I am a scholar and I carry detailed documents about Glyphs Magic and other powers very few know. Like Azoth and-"
"Hold up. Azoth?"
"Ah, it is another form of magic, but in liquid form whereas Glyph Magic is energy-based. However, Azoth is among the strongest form of all magic combined because of its capabilities. It is of course, more frequently used in alchemy than combat."
"Okay, this is a bit off for me."
"Excuse me but when you say baptized earlier, does that mean it hasn't been built yet?"
"Not entirely. It has only begun to be constructed," the traveler answered. "Of course, it would be long before it is complete. However, I wish for an early start and entrust my studies to them. Perchance I may even get a position within Agharta."
The scholar glanced up to the sky, noting the sun was close to setting. He stood up and threw his sack – the documents contained inside – over his back.
"I should part now, for it is a long journey. I thank you for allowing me to stay here to gain my strength."
"It's our pleasure. But you should know not to travel alone in these parts," said one of them. "There have recently been sightings of monsters running amok."
Hylden.
So swiftly they had broken free. Kain's teeth ground together, remembering the Hylden Lord and his rise to power among the humans as their great Sarafan Lord and leader of the next crusade marched against his kind. Around two hundred years hence, his younger, present, self would challenge the Sarafan Lord and fall to the power of the Nexus Stone. Defeated, but not dead, as this Lord found centuries after, to his cost.
Now, however, only the dregs of that race blight this land as monsters with little thought of their own. The weakest of the Hylden, ironically, were able to exist without the gate the Hyldan Lord would one day build with Janos Audron's own blood. Perhaps whatever of the binding still remained did not see the helots worth its strength. Yet even as little more than animal slaves to their superiors, these Hylden minors still bore hatred of all but their own kind.
"Do not worry. Whatever monsters there are, I will show no fear. It is another kind I am more worried about."
"Another?"
"Oh, it is alright. None of us shall see these beings…yet." His voice then lowered to a murmur, speaking under his breath. However Kain's hearing was impeccable and he did not miss a single word. "It will be centuries before they thrive."
"Hm?"
"It's nothing. Farewell."
"Farewell to you as well. And good luck to your journey."
The scholar departed from the campsite with a smile, gleeful to have had a conversation with the two men.
However, if the traveler was at all aware he was being followed far from the encampment of his two warrior friends, an encampment he should have stayed within the safety of, he showed no sign. Kain let his legs take him far but stealthy. He did not want this man's cries to be heard by the warriors. Kain did not doubt his strength, not in the least, but he was not so foolish to believe he could hold his own with the thirst so powerfully upon him. It took much will not to simply swoop down and drain the lifeblood from this scholar, but if there was one thing he had in abundance, it was will.
His hunger could wait.
When he felt he could trust the noise not to carry, Kain made his appearance. He dropped from the trees before the scholar, gave the pitiful human about two seconds to realize his situation and grabbed the man by the neck of his cloak.
"I trust you'll forgive me this abrupt discourtesy, but over the course of this drama my taste for banter has run sour, so let's skip the social repartee, shall we?" He asked, his voice low and dangerous, yet not so immune to amusement by way of the mortal's fearful stammers.
"Wh-wh-what are you!?" The human gasped.
"Take an educated guess. Give me the answers I seek or I shall begin dilacerating your flesh one inch at a time." Kain said, holding the claws of his other hand to the scholar's face in order to ensure the man knew this was no jest. "You spoke of the fabled Agharta, and claim to know its location. You will tell me where it is, quickly now."
"Y-you," the mortal swallowed hard. Kain frowned, there was more than just fear in those eyes. There was recognition of sorts. Kain's suspicion grew, and his lip curled into a snarl.
"If your face gets any paler, you won't have enough blood for your mind to work. Silence your gutless whimpers and give me answers." Kain commanded silkily.
"The-the building has only just begun, what could you want with it?!" he gasped out.
"You are lucky I am in the mood to be patient or you would be hanging from that tree branch by your own bowls. My reasons are none of your concern and I suggest you find yourself in a more forthcoming mood before what little patience I still have at this moment runs dry." The vampire instructed. "Now, the city, where is it being built? Tell me!" He ordered, slamming the unfortunate scholar against the bark of a tree, his feet dangling uselessly beneath him as his hands grasped Kain's wrist for leverage against the choking constraints of his own tunic's collar.
"I-It...i-it is on the a-axis mundi!" The scholar spluttered out.
"...Axis mundi…'a point of connection between the sky and earth...where the four compass directions meet'..." Kain placed his talon at his chin, speaking to himself. "In order words, Agharta lies far beyond the Human Citadel and Raziel's territory." He lowered the human so the mortal could once again use his own feet but did not release him from his deadly grasp.
"The great vampire lieutenant..." the scholar mumbled softly in awe.
Kain heard him clearly. His suspicions grew deeper as his grip around the human's neck tightened.
"For a wandering traveler, you seem to know so much. Too much..."
"W-what e-ever do you mean?" said the human, pretending to be confused. "I-I am but a humble and fearful w-wanderer."
"And yet you seem to know who I was speaking of. What is more, no one in this century has ever known what 'axis mundi' meant until decades later."
The scholar trembled. The grand vampire lord had seen past him, as if gazing deep into his very core.
"That symbol, it clearly represents 'axis mundi' no doubt," Kain explained, examining the emblem. "The vine as the form of natural object and the staff a product of human manufacture, am I not correct?"
The traveler's eyes widened and his mouth curled. Kain stared. This man's expression was not of fear, but of some unexplainable jubilation that had suddenly overcome him. Just who was this man?
"He was right! He said that you would figure it out-!"
"'He'?"
The scholar fearfully sealed his lips tight. He had spoken too much now and mentally cursed at himself for that.
"Who is this person you speak of?" Kain demanded coldly.
The human remained silent, preventing further exposure. The vampire saw clearly he no longer could squeeze out any more details from his captive.
"No matter. Your use to me seems to have expired as you've apparently deemed it imprudent to provide me with any further information. Thus, I'm afraid you serve no more purposes, except for one." And with that, Kain yanked the human's hood from his head and drove his fangs into the neck.
"N-No!"
The hot red liquid, which flowed freely into his mouth only served to heighten his appetite. One taste of that nectar and he could no longer control the desire for more. He would not be satisfied until no drop of blood still remained in this human's body.
"He said you wouldn't! He said-!"
The scholar couldn't finish his last words for life is in the blood and it is that life from which a vampire feeds and grows in strength. Kain drained the blood, and thus drained all life. The limp corpse dropped to the ground as Kain licked the blood from his lips, his hunger satiated and his strength regained.
"And yet, I have. Whatever information you possessed about me seems to be incomplete or you would have known how foolish such a statement truly is. But, on my own behalf, I'd like to thank you for giving me the location of 'Ahgarta'."
His amber eyes turned from the corpse to the empty sky. The winds were beginning to pick up speed, blowing forth the clouds to the west.
"Agharta...the holy City of Asoare Adevar..."
He smiled.
His new destination awaited him.
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Authoress' notes:
Vickie: Okay, calm down, take a deep breath...(breathes)…I FINALLY POSTED UP MY FIRST LOK FIC! WOO-HOO!! God this took a few months (cuz I lost the first draft) but thanks to Rhea, this prologue is now finished. She helped me a lot in filling some parts and Kain's POV so please give her credit or better yet, go read her LoK fanfic, Blood Singer as it's also a great fic.
I hope this new fanfic will be up to your expectations as this is my first fic so be gentle with it. Now then! Onto the next…chp…rats…gonna be a while before the beginning chps come up. Heh.
Kain: -points the reaver at me- You and that dragon are going to write the chapters or I will slice you to pieces.
...You do know I have powers of an authoress and I can literally send in a dhampir after you.
Kain: Bah! As IF such a creature can harm me, the great vampire king!
...Oh Aliiiix.
Kain: …Oh uh. –sees a white figure launch at him and sharp teeth bite down his throat- ARRRGH!! NOT MY BLOOD! HAVE MERCY!
-the drinking stops, Kain falls and a woman comes forth, wiping vampire blood from her mouth-
So how was it?
Alix: It was well but the aftertaste was a bit weak.
What would you expect? He's trillions years old. At least you didn't drain him completely. –poke him with a stick-
Kain: -twitches in agony-
Oh yeah, this is Alexandrie, my dhampir OC who will be appear in the first chp and be making POVs as well along the story besides Kain. Plus note that you'll be seeing conflict between her and Kain (and another character) throughout the fic and these notes. :D
Alix: Should you not introduce me when I make my appearance in the story?
Yeah, but I can be very impatient.
Alix: -agrees-
Kain: -twitches in agony-
Shouldn't you be getting a Sister (religious woman, like a nun) to give him a blood pack or something?
Alix: No, I presume he'll gain consciousness in a few days.
Cough. Well then, that's the end of this note. I hope you enjoy this prologue and that you'd give me reviews! :D See you readers in the next chp!
Kain: -twitches in agony-
Note: No Kain was harmed in the making of this note…okay, I lied.