The last chapter seemed unpopular. 12 hits. Even the previous one got 27. Oh well.

The pillars

Back in his cave, Kain brooded. It irritated him to have to flee, but he could not have stayed in that crevice forever, and he couldn't destroy the creatures with his own abilities. The obvious choice was to play them against each other, but that would be very difficult. The winged creature had kept a careful distance from the submerged one at all times.

But then, why attack? He had no pressing need to go to the Melchahim territories, no pressing need to go anywhere, in fact. Being honest with himself, he had no real plan. He had met the Wheel, but the conversation had neither been conclusive nor enlightening. He could go back to the Abyss and knock the building into rubble, but to what point? The Wheel itself seemed indifferent to that outcome, considering it had destroyed quite a bit of it itself. The only reason he had an urge to go to the Melchahim territory was that he'd been prevented from going there. What sort of way was that for a former ruler to behave?

What he needed was some information, but he had nowhere to go for it. The Dumahim colony knew little about current affairs, concentrating on surviving. Of course, there was one place where he could always find guidance, but the wraith there bore him no small ill-will. The Chronoplast? No, the Wheel would expect that, assuming it wasn't omniscient, in which case any movement at all would be futile and he might as well sit here and brood...

No! That's the Wheel speaking.

Angrily, Kain smashed the nearest stalagmite to shards; thousands of years work undone in an instant.

Thousands of years work...

Wait. He'd just been pupating for over four thousand years. Why hadn't he gained anything? Unless he had, and Kain had been too dimwitted to check. Quickly he ran through his functions, and found an anomaly in his mist form. He pushed it. His right arm misted, and the mist split into three small tentacles, which wound around a stalagmite and snapped it at the base. During which the wraith blade had leapt into existence and impaled the same stalagmite.

The wraith blade...Raziel?

It was most strange. Why hadn't he thought about that when he'd woken up? The last thing Raziel had said was a promise that he would devour Kain's soul during dormancy, but when he'd woken, Kain hadn't as much as thought about it. That did not bode well. Either he was going senile, which was unlikely, he was only 8,000, and while certainly no fledgling, was not too old either. Actually, was he 8,000 or younger still? It had been the same 4,000 years twice, so how did tha- He was rambling. Misting his arm into a mace, he destroyed another couple of stalagmites, feeling a flash of pain as a shard cut into the mace. There had been no distortion since he'd arrived in this era, which meant that he was playing into the hands of the Wheel. The other option was that the Wheel was somehow influencing his thoughts, which was not a pleasant thought at all. Maybe that would change now he could summon the wraith blade by dematerializing. The Free Will would certainly be an asset. Tentatively, he sent his senses into the blade. Yes, there was a presence there, but it was not presently conscious. He prodded it mentally, but nothing he could do could revive it.

Perhaps that is for the best. It would be difficult to act if it was continually trying to absorb me.

Maybe his thinking was just disoriented with disuse. He ran over his options again. Hunt down the Hylden? To what point? If anything, they were his only allies against the Wheel. Well, allies were a generous term, but they did have a mutual enemy.

After careful deliberation, Kain decided his best choice was the Pillars. Ariel might not be accommodating, but he was now her last hope, so she couldn't very well be openly hostile. He teleported back to his position in front of the Sanctuary doors, then headed for the grille to one side. Misting through, he strode past the Dumahim on the bridge and circled to the doors. There was a shield in front of them, but it shattered when he struck it, and he thrust the doors wide.

The room hadn't changed since he'd ruled there, with even the clan symbols remaining intact. The only unusual factor was the human sitting in his chair at the foot of the balance pillar. The doors slammed shut behind him. Five Dumahim stepped out from behind the throne. They advanced. Kain addressed the human.

"Who are you?"

"I am the balance guardian."

Kain looked at himself theatrically. "I do not appear to be dead."

"That could be arranged."

"I have received many threats. Few have come to pass. But even should I decide to expire, you could not become the balance guardian. Someone else would be born"

"I was born the second you departed Nosgoth. Apparently the pillar found your service lacking."

The first Dumahim lunged, and Kain neatly removed its arm. The others backed off hastily.

"You know what happens to vampires who disobey." The human spoke mildly. The vampires were telekinetically torn limb from limb.

"But my soul has not returned to the balance pillar, hence you cannot be born."

"You are partly correct. I was born, but I cannot assume the role until the Primal balance imbued in your soul is restored. It sustains you this instant, for I believe you lost a vital organ while time streaming? But if it is removed, you shall fall, and the pillar can bestow the title to me."

The balance guardian raised a hand, and then let it fall. The Balance pillar began to glow. Kain fell flat as he felt the Primal Balance in his soul draining away. But he did not die, for the Guardian had overlooked one detail. The heart removed was not his only one. When he had awoken first, he had not even felt it beating, but it still sustained him. He got to his feet, slowly. The balance guardian was floating a foot from the ground, a delighted expression on his face as he absorbed Balance. Then he fell, and noticed Kain on his feet.

"No...You cannot still exist! It is impossible!"

"You know much, human, but you are untutored. Do you think Mortanius would be careless, creating his angel of death? Do you believe he would rely on the corrupted pillars?"

Another human materialized beside the pillar of death. "No...Mortanius was skilled, and if he had wanted to live you would not have killed him. I trust I do not have to introduce myself?"

"The Necromancer?"

"Naturally."

Another seven humans teleported into existence beside their pillars. The balance guardian got to his feet, with pure malice on his face.

"Introductions are unnecessary! We must destroy this remnant of the pillars corruption!"

"Why? We have already gained our guardianships. His death is unnecessary."

"He is a vampire! That is enough."

"If we are to believe what we saw in the chronoplast portals, vampires created the pillars, Miathan. He almost freed them from corruption, and could well have if they hadn't interfered."

"You dare!"

The time guardian, who had been the other side of this dialogue, looked amused. "You threaten me? Or perhaps, the pillars threaten me? I can easily corrupt this Circle, and where would they be then? Be mindful of to whom you speak." He vanished.

Kain, tired of standing before them and being ignored like a supplicant, misted into several nets, which bound each guardian. It was most painful, but effective.

" I could easily have each of your throats out by now, but I have not deigned to do so. Yet. All I need is some information, then I will leave. Any objections?"

"We are not particularly up to date. Vampires have long memories. They know of the Sarafan purges. Strange, really, considering their only channel for such information is you. The Hylden are not exactly inclined to be amicable to pillar guardians. The humans don't care for us much either. Oh, you should know, as States Guardian, I can easily reduce you to chunks of net shaped meat, so I'd advise you to let us go." Kain complied, then used telekinesis to snare them instead. His mind was full of his new gift. So he could separate himself entirely from his main body.

Hmm...could I unlock doors with this? Destroy machines from within? Glyph batteries? That machine in the Razelim chieftain chamber, could I sabotage that?

And there and then he had the beginnings of a plan. Instantly, he teleported back to the crevice in that chamber, immediately cursing his petulant instincts. Information was far more important than revenge at the present time.

A ripple of distortion spread across the pillars chamber...

The balance guardian snorted. "Kain flees from us, even in our weakness? A good omen."

"Do not delude yourself. There was no fear in his eyes." This from Mind

"Then we must hunt him down, and instill such fear."

"Why bother? Without Balance protecting him, he is as vulnerable as the next vampire, and the land is very...hostile presently. He most likely will not meet us again."

"And if he does?"

"I'll leave that to you."

That chapter was...abominable, though better than the previous. As plausible as a glass hammer. Still, it paves the way for more interesting things to come.