The mansion before me stood strong and whole, but its radiance and sense of ferment had long vanished since my exile centuries before. There was little I could still capture with the same fondness I had so long ago, yet even if the walls had been refurbished or the anterior cleaned to a shine, it would have still lacked the one object that had given it meaning.

To enter what had been my forest retreat, I needed to go through the trap door that would lead me directly to the underground assembly area. No other entrances were visibly available for I had built the area with the intentions of keeping unwelcome guests unwelcome. Located to the far east of the complex itself, the trapdoor was a heavy thing hidden within a cave. Only a creature capable of either considerable telekinesis or considerable strength would have been able to lift the door.

The assembly area, once the grandest of all chambers, was now adorned with debris and broken architecture. Though I understood all too well the susceptibility of things-tangible or otherwise-to the decay of time, I still could not forsaken the sadness that had overwhelmed me then.

"This place has remained rather cheery...No?"

Who else should I find but the ever so diligent Kain? I summoned the wraith blade forward, warning the wretched vampire to keep his distance. He was no welcome fiend in these parts.

Kain gestured to the ground below him as he calmly chided, "Lest you wish to disturb the peace that has long settled in these parts, Raziel, save your wrath for another time and place."

Refusing to dispel the Reaver and my rising anger, I eyed him coldly, "Why are you here?"

"To pay my respects, of course."

"'Kain' and 'respect', used in the same context? I have never known you for having a sense of humor."

He chuckled at my blunt skepticism, crossing his arms about his chest. "You know, he chose this very hall for his final resting place. The young man asked me, of all vampires, to bury him because he could trust no other to complete the task. Funny, isn't it?"

I had no reason not to trust his words. After all, I knew since the day I erected the place that it and its contents could not remain hidden from Kain for very long. The fact my former master had admitted to sullying himself to bury a mortal, however…

My wolfish gaze continued to hound him. "Then you know what became of him."

His pacing came to a sudden halt as he reached the doorway at the far end of the room.

"Why not see what became of your beloved for yourself?"

Thanks for taking the time to read my first FanFic! I hope you enjoyed it. A very small chapter, but it's just to get our feet wet. There will be lots of switching between past and present as the story proceeds, so beware! Lol : ) Again, thanks for reading!