There is no living soul that wishes not to know its future.

And in its attempts to see it he might stumble across

a way to do so. It is then that the realization is shocking.

For the most terrifying thing of all is to see yourself

staring back at you, and to finally discover that

which you knew all along. Your efforts useless.

Comments on the chronoplast guardianship, the God- Emperor, 1st year 5th Age

He gently touched down on the floor of the dim fire lit room. It was empty. He turned around to inspect his surroundings. Mirror walls each bearing a torch. He gazed upopon his image for the first time. His athletic body, his black wings, his pitch black hair. His blue grey skin reflecting the light ever so slightly.

He turned towards the room's center. The stone sarcophagus lay still in the middle. He approached and gazed at the sculpture on the lid. He read the inscription.

"Vladimir Corrino, Emperor of the Eldar. The name stirs no memory, although I am clearly of the same race. Was he ever my master? Why is there nothing before my awakening in the chamber. Who was I?"

Frustration crept over him. He raised himself and saw the golden weapon on its rack on the opposite wall. He circled the coffin to lift the object to his eyes. As he looked at it the weapon opened up. Sharp pain erupted in his chest. He fell on one knee. The pain throbbed where his hear was now beating so fast it seamed to be bursting from within. His eyes closed.

"Why am I feeling this…..Why is this thing affecting me so much?"

And just as sudden as it came, the pain receded. He gazed at the weapon's twin ghost shimmering blades as he got up. He narrowed his eyes. This weapon reminded him of something. This weapon may have had something to do with his memory loss. But what. He gave it a few swings. A light weapon, the blades carried no weight at all. He bet they would cut through any material. The weapon of the emperor. It would serve him well. He closed it.

"What else could I find of use in this place. And a better question. Where is the noise maker?"

He looked around. The rack behind him was empty. The golden marble table on his right was devoid of anything. Clearly someone else had been here. But where was it now. Then something caught his eye.

On the right corner he glimpsed a tiny reflection. He walked to that wall. As he neared he saw a fine line on the wall. As he followed it, it became clear that the line was the rim of a door. With his left hand he pushed on the wall. The door barely moved. He leaned in on his shoulder and the door slowly opened. What strength was needed to open it!

The room was similar to the one he came from in every aspect. In the middle lay another stone sarcophagus. The torches already burned brightly. On the right was a rack holding garments protected by a shimmering shield. On the wall opposite a gold marble table was holding three gleaming objects. He walked towards the coffin. If the lid on the other one depicted the emperor in his armor, this also depicted a male of the same species dressed in the garments on the rack. The inscription on the side read:

"Here we lay to rest Attila Audron the High Council member to the 21st ,22nd and the 23rd emperor of the Eldar. Our guide in times of darkness and obeyer of the great god Eru, we let you depart to your fate and pray for your resurrection as it is the way. May you see the light and Eru bless your journey to the blessed realm. We, the people, announcer that the line of rulers lies unbroken by your ascension and that the true belief will conquer all lands of the non believers. We lay your body at dusk and await your soul's guidance at dawn"

It must be the traditional way the dead were passed into the next world. He turned and looked at the garments. A sleeveless robe, a pair of pants, armor boots, a sash and a long ribbon with strange inscriptions. He touched the shimmering shield. It rippled but did not allow his fingers to go any further.

"This shield must be protecting them from the decay of time."

He gazed at the base of the rack. A large silver incrusted marble slab. He turned one blade of the weapon on and with a gentle swing he cut the slab, leaving a gashing wound on its side. The blade passed as if the hard marble was butter. No opposition what so ever. He then switched of the meter long ghost blade for the shield was gone. He quickly put on the garments. They fit quite nicely. He moved over to the table which held a ring with an embedded small crystal pyramid, a golden armband with strange markings and a spiraling gold snake. As he placed these objects on, he felt a rush of energy through his body. Invigorating.

But there was no time to enjoy these new gifts. A loud noise of tumbling stone echoed from a few stories above.

He broke into a run, rushed up through the hole in the ceiling of the Emperor's tomb. His wings gave him lift and the ran became a flight through the upper corridors. He clutched the golden weapon tight in his fist. Soon he came to another gaping hole recreantly made in a outside wall. In the distance he could see mountain tops and forests beginning where this large lake ended. And almost at the horizon line a black speck rushing northward. As he looked more attentively he could distinguish that it had wings by the specific movement it had. But it was no bird. It was something like him. There lay his answers.

He dived of the wall and began to flap his wings. He felt the cold air rushing past him. He caught the currents easily. Flying was like second nature to him. The more he flapped the more speed he got. The terrain beneath him became a blur. He squinted his eyes which now hurt from the cold wind, but he was determined not to loose sight of his prey.

Soon enough the one he was following disappeared in the distant mountains. He pressed on.

He landed on an outcropping which gave into a cave, after doing a few circles above it to determine where his prey had disappeared. He raised the twin blade at elbow level prepared to fend off any aggressor. He started walking in the dark cave. It was cold and dark. He activated on blade. Its ghostly shimmer cast a white light around. In the far end lay a tunnel. He heard mechanical noises. He broke into a run. His prey was unaware of his tailing. Therefore he was temporarily safe from any traps. A loud boom echoed through the tunnels as he came to face two large closed doors bearing the symbol of infinity. He flung his right foot into one of them. It flew open.

Light hit his eyes. He entered switching off the weapon. The room was large and circular, with a strange machinery hanging from the ceiling that mimicked a starry sky . The room itself was structured on terraces with control panels on each level. Opposite him at the same top level was a gateway of some sort which just switched off. The room was empty. His prey had eluded him.

A strange sense of recognition swept over him. This room was the Chronoplast Chamber. How he knew this was a mystery, but he was sure this was its name. Its purpose, time travel. But what he didn't remember was how to work it. The machinery on the ceiling was still. He decided to give it a try.

He flew towards one of the control panels to his right. He moved the heavy leaver to one side. The machinery began to spin as a glyph on the panel lit up.

He frowned. It might just work. He flew to the opposite wall on the lower level and repeated the process. Lighting began to encircle the machinery. He flew up and to the left on another level to turn one last leaver. A bolt of lighting struck the top of the gateway. It was activated. Success.

Now for the plunge. With a great flap of his large wings he was near it. He hesitated just for a moment.

"It's all up to chance now. My mind is in fragments. But this will give me the answers I seek, one way or another!"

He stepped through. Darkness. He felt like plunging into a bottomless pit. He felt light and very dizzy. Light flashes flared around him. There was no bearing. He felt sick. And then it stopped. He felt the hard ground beneath his feet, but still he felt the vertigo.

"Move and I will chop that head of your shoulders as you blink!" a harsh voice full of anger reached his ears. He froze.

A large battle axe was held at his neck. It was held by a man, clad in armor, a half cloche covering his right body side. His long straight blond hair framed a white face that held a poisonous look towards him. The mans left hand held a similar battle axe over his head ready to carry out the dead he promised. To his surprise this man had the most peculiar thing on his back. Large leathery wings.

Kain walked quickly down the path he knew so well. The Soul Reaver securely strapped to his back. Although it was pitch black he saw perfectly. He still had some of his vampiric heightened senses. The tunnel he was in lead deeper into the mountain, deep towards the Chronoplast Chamber.

He would find passage there for the time he needed to see. That was the sole thing on his mind when he decided to leave the Citadel. He was so eager that he used the Reaver to blow a hole in a side wall. Instant exit. It took him a while to get adjusted to flying using wings. His bat swarm ability was gone. He had to rely on his wings. A tricky affair since he had never used a pair in his long life. But in the end he got the sense of it.

Now he rushed towards the chamber. Anything else was pointless. This age held no more useful information for him. It was time to depart.

He pushed the heavy metal doors aside and jumped in the center of the Chronoplast. Built by the Eldar themselves and used by the Time guardians.

He used his wings to jump to key control panels. As he turned them on each contributed to the ceiling machinery's activation. Soon the time portal established itself.

Kain remembered the last time he used it. It seamed so long ago since he and Raziel dueled here.

"We each play out the part destiny has written for us." Those were the words he spoke then. Kain sighed.

"Are we heading towards the end of this ordeal, my first born son?" he said as he pulled the Reaver from his back. It gave no answer. He expected none. "Or are we doomed to fail and this is just another step towards that final moment?"

He hoped not. And with careful steps he passed through the portal.

He was familiar with the strange sensation. Soon he felt the floor beneath his feet. He was at the center of the Chronoplast Chamber.

A shadow flew in from the left side. He caught a glimpse with the corner of his eye. He ducked, holding his new wings close to his back.

A cool wind passed above him. A winged being just landed on his right clutching a long saber in each of its three fingered hand. Covered in a light armor the elda took a swing at him as he raised himself. He leaned back barely avoiding the blow. The other sword came into play trying to hit him. Kain parried with the Reaver. The other winged being started a flurry of blows, like a mortal blade dance. Kain used all of his skill just to fend it off. He ducked and passed behind his attacker only to find another elda in a draping scarlet robe. It fired a magical bolt that he was forced to parry using the Reaver, which he quickly moved it on his back defending a sword blow, before he flung himself to the left turning to face his aggressors. Two more winged beings, elda, came flying in towards him from the top levels. Mages, holding some sort of energy bolts in their hands.

Kain felt a sharp blow to his back that knocked him to the ground. From behind another eldar swept in kicking the Reaver out of his hand.

A great weight fell on him, and he knew yet another elda landed on top of him, pinning his body to the ground. He wanted to push himself up on his hands, but before he could act a cold hard metal boot struck his head from the top. Kain cursed trough his clenched teeth as his skull hit the stone floor hard.

"Do not move elda, or we will return your soul to the Wheel!"

The voice came from above, most likely from the one crushing his skull. It was a deep baritone mail voice, calm and full of authority.

As much as his position allowed him, he rolled his eyes and determined that he was surrounded by no more then 8 winged beings. A sword tip was pushed right in front of his nose into the hard stone floor sending sparks in all directions.

He had made the wrong decision in coming here. The time was right, for these were clearly the ancient vampires who raised the pillars, the eldar. But they wanted nothing to do with him. A sudden intruder from an unknown time.

As he had just saw, these were exceptional fighters. Even in his weak state his sword mastery did not diminish one bit. This was most surprising.

He thought what could he do in this situation. But his salvation came in another form. His head was set in such a way that he saw towards the door. With a loud creek they were opened and a blond young female elda came into the chamber. The air of authority and nobility hung around her as she stared angrily at his aggressors. Her steps made her simple white dress move like a stormy ocean.

"What is the meaning of all this noise!" She demanded. Her voice vas powerful and instantly an answer was given.

"He came through time and bears the Reaver blade!" the same baritone voice.

She looked at the blade which lay on the floor a meter from Kain's body.

"And is this blade reason enough to slay an elda?" se attested without raising her eyes from the saber. "I doubt that he will grant us any answers if he is dead." She frowned as she looked closer at the Reaver.

"That is not a real impediment Selene. I have ways of overcoming that little obstacle." As the baritone voice boomed full of pride.

"I'm sure you can Nuruil, I'm sure you can." She said looking at the elda that pressed on his skull. "Now let him go!"

In an instant all took a couple of steps back. Kain propelled himself up on his hands. He stud straight looking at his benefactor:

"I thank you for your assistance…"

"Don't thank me yet. I might still grant your soul passage to the Wheel. Time will tell." The white dressed blond said as she approached him. "I am Selene Audron, the Balance Guardian."