"Given the choice, to either remain in a fading Universe, or to challenge the fates for another throw, a better roll of the dice against one's own fate... What was a king to do?"
"Universe 1. My realm, my home. 2500 years ago a 'Gamemaster' came to Nosgoth. He heard of my mission my, fate. He tried to stop me. He did so, for a small time. But once he moved on, I did what I needed to do. I broke my world, destroyed it's balance. I expected him to return so I could show him my success."
"He never did."
"I ruled it all. I forced humanity to bow to me, a vampire, and to all of my kind. They were herded up like cattle. We blotted out their sun with smoke and fire. We crushed nearly all but the most hardened resistance. Yet as the years past, I became less satisfied."
"I had lieutenants, I had clans, I had an empire. But the world was dying away. I knew our time was slipping. I looked to a place on my world known as the Oracle cave, to the time streaming device known as the Chronoplast."
"I saw the visions of the future of my world. One of my lieutenants , Raziel, would be changed into a wraith, to serve a greater being then myself. He would kill me, and eventually would be consumed by a blade that I carry...the Soul Reaver. Our world would forever rot, and eventually, nothing will remain."
"I refused to let that happen. I wanted to restore Nosgoth, back to the rule of vampires, of a living world instead of a dead one. The Chronoplast allowed one to travel through time as well as see visions. An opportunity to make things right, to save Raziel from his fate as well as my own."
"But to do that, you needed a paradox. You need the timeline to change. To do so at the wrong moment would ruin any chance you have...I had to play my part. I threw Raziel into a place known as the abyss. I cast him and waited a thousand years."
"He came back. Vengeance was his goal. To kill me for what I had done to him. A perfect excuse for him to follow me. And he did so. Chasing me across the wasteland of Nosgoth. To the time streamer. I had set it for us to go back in time, and once I was sure he would follow once more, I entered the portal..."
"I should've known then, others were watching, defenders of time itself. I felt a presence when I reached the time I desired, that allowed Raziel and I to change history. Once I met Raziel again, at the heart of my world, the Pillars, I made sure to try and explain my real purpose now, my goal. To derail the timeline of Nosgoth."
"Soon we met again at the place known as the Sarafan Stronghold. I stood where I was meant to die, and soon Raziel realized this too. As he held the Soul Reaver, it suddenly pointed to me, it wanted me dead, as time demanded. Around us the place seem to shift, to distort, a feeling of something looming...I knew what it was. The edge of the coin. The path to a new timeline fast approaching."
"I faced my old ally, and I told him 'This does not have to be an ending'. 'It can become a prelude.'"
"How little I truly knew of what that would entail."
He was on the marble flooring, his hand raised in self defence as he waited for the fatal blow. Behind him was the stone casket of a young man known as William the Just, a once wielder of the weapon known as Soul Reaver. In front of him, was a creature whose skin was a light blue, his muscles and bones exposed, with his jaw completely gone leaving only his upper fangs which he hid away with his clans banner as a cloak and mask of sorts. His eyes lacked pupils leaving only a white glow and his hands were completely lacking skin leaving only bones to use like claws. His wings that had shown his moment of evolution that made all this happen to him were now only flaps of skin, a shadow of what they had once been.
And between them, with the blue creature holding it, was the Soul Reaver. Twisted in purple sparking energy, it's tip pointed at the being on the ground.
The one on the verge of death's doorstep, was Kain. An ancient vampire with dull golden hardened scaled skin, white hair tied into a ponytail near the bottom, claws instead of hands, with golden eyes and wearing studded black leather trousers, studded black metal gauntlets with short sleeves, a shoulder-harness that held a red tabard emblazoned with his clan symbol.
The other, his perhaps soon to be assassin, was Raziel.
He was trying to pull away the sword, as it seemed to have a mind of its own at this moment. This was due to a paradox-rift, or as Kain called it, a 'Reaver Convergence'. Where they reached a crucial moment in the timeline of the past, yet are able to resist what should happen. Raziel should kill this Kain. His body must be here. Yet now Raziel is resisting, refusing to do so as he was in two minds. He had been chasing Kain to get vengeance on what has happened to him, to what led to him being in this undead state, from human to vampire to wraith.
Yet Kain's words about how they can alter the future for something better rang in his mind, how Kain explained he had witnessed a paradox-rift before, where he stood before William the Just, and struck him down. He had come from a timeline where William became something known as the Nemesis on this world, yet now changed history so that never happened. History does not simply collapse from a paradox, but rather, as Kain so far knows about it 'it is like a rushing river, when an obstacle tries to block it, it goes around following the least path of resistance while admitting the slightest of alternations.' .
Around them, the chapel they were within was fluctuating, causing a strong sense of displacement, everything felt wrong, like the world could collapse all around them if they make a wrong step.
Kain willingly gave Raziel the Soul Reaver, trusting him to do the right thing at this moment. To hold the blade that is to end his life.
Raziel raised it high up, and Kain looked away, waiting for it all to end.
The Soul Reaver pieced the stone coffin of William, just behind Kain, causing the coffin to break in two with the blade impaled there. Raziel stood over Kain, panting, struggling to realize what choice he just made.
He moved back, letting go of the sword as Kain grabbed the edge of the coffin and pushed himself back up on his feet, relieved, saying in a dry tone "Poor William."
All around them, the place shook, the sounds of creaking metal and wood, as if something was being bent out of shape echoed all around them.
"What is this!?" Raziel looked to the ceiling and walls, seeing them vibrate violently.
"The future is reshuffling itself to accommodate your monumental decision!" Kain was smiling, looking down at the Soul Reaver. "This, is where we restore ourselves Raziel!" He looked to the wraith. "We can reclaim our original intended destinies. It may yet be possible for me to assume my role as the balance guardian of the pillars, and return them to their rightful inheritors!"
Raziel was not as happy with this outcome as his old, once master was. "To the vampires, you mean? THIS is the destiny, the path you urged me to discover from my choice here? ... I don't know what game you or that time travelling human Moebius are playing Kain, but I refuse to be your pawn. Unlike you I still revere whatever shred of humanity I've managed to preserve! You will not use me as your instrument for your messianic delusions." With that, he turned and started to walk away from the chapel.
"...Very well Raziel. I will not ask you to trust me. Your truths are for you to discover on your own."
Raziel stopped for a moment, looking back at the ancient vampire. "Humble words from one who presumes to teach me at every turn." Then continued on as Kain watched him, crossing his arms.
"Then continue your own journey and learn your own lessons Raziel. Remember, Moebius may have led you here to me but you walk away unrestricted. A champion of free will, and conqueror of false histories. There is much more for you to unearth, if you have the heart for the truth, and the will, to see it."
Raziel was soon gone from his sight...but Kain didn't feel alone. Once the effects of the paradox-rift settled, he could sense someone, something, behind him.
It spoke, in a rather calm, calculated demeanor to him, it's voice deep and like an echo. "I can see why the supreme Kai of time despises your world. So many opportunities to alter it's time stream..."
Kain turned around looking past the Soul Reaver and the stone coffin, to stare at something just before the stained glass windows that showed his battle with William years ago.
There was a figure that appeared to be a black shape, struggling to hold it's form, with a humanoid white head. It seemed to have a crack from the top of its head down to its left eye socket, while another crack went from its right eye socket down to its mouth. Its eyes were black with pure white pupils, and its body looked like it was supposed to be humanoid, but it was slightly see through, and appeared like it was melting. It was giving him a smile.
"And, pray tell, what are you suppose to be?" Kain asked.
"I'm a traveler. I've only just managed to arrive here with the technology I have where I am. It's only for a small window of time. An opening only available in the aftershock of a time change. I just merely wanted to test it and see if it were possible."
"To see what, is possible?"
"Projecting oneself to another world. Now I need to test if I can interact and retrieve an object to bring home."
The stranger soon revealed from his black mass two white hands, with holes in the middle, reaching out to the broken lid of the stone coffin, and despite being almost see through, it was clear he managed to grasp the object...
Before, in a flash of white light, the object vanished. Revealing the skeletal remains of William.
"...What in the hell kind of magic have you done?" Kain stepped back, wondering if he should ready himself to attack this unknown entity or not.
"Strange. It did not appear where I am at this moment...perhaps when another opportunity comes, when you make another paradox, I shall test it again. Farewell Kain."
Slowly, the figure faded away, staring at the vampire as he departed.
Kain wasn't sure what in oblivion just happened. His never met that kind've being before, and nor as anything claimed it was from 'another world' before either. He wanted to grab the Soul Reaver and keep it close should the figure return so he could confront it, but he knew the sword needed to remain here, for now. His past self needed it and distorting the timeline again so soon might be a fatal error.
Until he found a way to prevent its soul draining powers from even existing, it had to stay.
For he knew the truth about the sword he once treasured. What gave its power.
He wanted to save that person from such a fate.
And soon, that chance came.
It took Raziel venturing deeper into the past, to find out his human self was not as benevolent nor righteous as he believed. His human counterpart, along with several elite members of the Serafan had killed and stole the heart of a being known as Janos Audron, a kind and welcoming vampire, and taking with them the Reaver blade.
Raziel hunted them down like animals. Using the Reaver to drain them of their lifeblood.
Kain managed to tail him, to watch the events unfold as Raziel fought his past human self, impaling him with the sword and telling the human. "I, renounce you."
It was what had to come next Kain had been waiting for.
There was a Reaver that Raziel always carried with him, formed of the one Kain had far into the future, renamed by Raziel as the wraith blade, a spiritual weapon that Raziel could form almost at will. What Raziel did not know that Kain did, was that the soul stealing power the Reaver held was not natural...It had come from a wraith.
It had come from Raziel. Raziel was the Soul Reaver.
And now the wraith blade that Raziel carried along with the psychical sword, had combined into one...and turned against him, seeking to become completely whole again. It had stabbed itself into his chest, and despite his attempts to pull it away, it was obviously futile. He is destined to become one with the blade, and then to simply be an instrument to the will of time, until he meets his future self, and replays this all.
Kain knew the time was close at hand. He revealed himself, having been hiding behind a pillar within the circular room that Raziel had killed his human self in. Raziel quickly spotted him, whilst still trying to pull the sword out of his chest. "Y-you!"
Kain quickly moved up to Raziel, watching as the blade's purple twisting energy flowed down the blade whilst a wave of green orbs of light escaped Raziels arm that held the blade, flowing into the sword itself. It was slowly draining him of all life.
"Are you enjoying this Kain?!"
"Don't fight it Raziel. Give into it." Kain calmly said to him.
"Was this, your destiny for me all along!?" Raziel was clearly losing his grip, struggling to fight off the feeling of being pulled in.
"Trust, me." Kain stared, waiting patiently.
Then it came.
The displacement of time, the fluctuation of the room, the feeling of vertigo. A paradox-rift was occurring. Kain was not suppose to be there, there was meant to be no one else, and yet now he was, and as Raziel was clearly on the verge of surrendering entirely and letting his soul become one with the sword...
Kain grabbed the hilt of the blade. As he did he saw in the corner of his eye, close to one of the pillars, was the figure from before.
He pulled the sword away.
Raziel yelled out in pain, as he lurched forward, falling on his arms and knees, realizing he was still outside the blade.
Kain held the Soul Reaver, no longer latched onto Raziel. He had saved the being, tossing the sword aside. "Now you are free to reclaim your true destiny Raziel!" He looked to the black and white figure near the pillar...who still had a smile, as he seemed to be waiting for something.
The vibrations kicked in, the place around them seem to be straining, as the timeline was trying to get around this new and much more dangerous obstruction. As for Kain, he was expecting to see the new history, the new timeline...but nothing came.
To his horror, he knew what this meant. They had truly strained history too far. They had created a fatal paradox. The irritants to a timeline have gone too far, and as far as he knew, it meant they would be expelled from time itself.
He looked to Raziel, who had barely got himself back on his feet, heavily drained from what had happened earlier.
Kain turned back to the figure...only to find its hands floating towards them.
...Then everything went black.
Kain felt himself being pulled off his feet, wind flowing past him as he was being flung forward through the pitch dark. He wasn't sure if his eyes were closed or not, all he knew was that after some time, he found himself coming to dead stop.
He felt himself laying down. He heard a faint whispers...the figure's voice.
"You coming here has made a powerful change...Not what I expected. But this will do. Come and find me. We can talk. The place, Waterfall..."
Kain opened his eyes slowly, finding them taking time to adjust to the light within wherever he was.
He was able to soon glance around, finding that he was in a massive cavern of somekind and up high above, was a hole in the ceiling, allowing light to come down to this place.
What he also noticed as he sat up, was that he was on a bed of yellow flowers. Close by was the Soul Reaver...well, certainly not called that now, he mused to himself. It remained a blood feeding weapon thanks to the lack of Raziel. Blood Reaver was more of a correct name now.
He forced himself up and grabbed the weapon, placing it on the holding he had on his back, looking around and seeing that there were two stone pillars with a slab of decorated stone being held up by them. An obvious passageway.
What he then also noticed was something trying to hide in the shadows of this cavern.
Once his vampire eyes fully adjusted, he saw what it was, looking quite surprised and terrified of him.
A human child. It appeared to be in it's teen years. Wearing a pink and blue striped shirt, blue pants and brown shoes. With medium length brown hair, short bangs, tanned skin and a brown eyes, holding what appeared to be a stick to defend itself.
Kain thought about just ignoring it, but lately...he hadn't fed. He turned back to the child and raised one of his hands, using his telekinesis abilities to raise the child off the ground.
Soon Kain walked past the pillars, heading towards a more lit-up area of this cavern which he could see in the distance, showing the ground was a strange, purple colour. But before that, he found a small clearing with a green patch of grass.
In the middle of that grass, was a yellow flower like the others, but there was something unique with this one as he quickly noticed.
It had eyes and a mouth, and it was looking rather surprised at seeing Kain. It spoke as he approached. "Well...that was something. Making a flow of blood from a distance to go into your mouth. Never saw THAT before."
Kain wanted to step on it and move on, but chose instead to amuse himself for a moment with it. "I take it you watched then...?"
"Flowey. Flowey the flower. And you?"
The vampire crossed his arms, looking directly down at the flower. "Kain."
"Kain huh? Well, welcome to the underground fella. You look quite tough. How'd you get here?"
"A question I wish to find an answer to in this 'underground'. The one who dragged me here wants me to go to a location named Waterfall. Tell me, flower-"
"Flowey." Flowey tried to correct him.
"-flower. Before I move on, have you seen someone called Raziel?" Kain was wondering if he was the only one who was brought to this place.
"No, no I haven't. But I know where Waterfall is. Maybe we can go there together to meet this person? I'll be your personal guide through the underground! We can be friends!"
Kain looked annoyed. "Don't push your luck flower. I can crush you without a second thought."
"But you'll need someone to show you around, and afterall..." The flower seemed to go from its friendly demeanor to a much-less friendly one, it's face looking more evil. "You're making a new path just by killing Frisk. I want to see where it goes."
"Then do whatever you want, but I will not waste time any further." With that, Kain walked past, but soon came to a halt. He looked over his shoulder back at the flower, who had turned himself around. "...What did you mean by 'a new path'?"
"If you get past Toriel and the other monsters here in the Ruins, we'll talk more. Trust me, you'll want me along by then friend. Ciao!" The flower sunk into the dirt after that, disappearing from view.
Kain stared at the spot for a while, before looking to where he was going after that...to find someone now standing there, looking surprised at him with her paws covering her mouth. "Oh! You're a monster! I'm so sorry!"
It was a humanoid animal, looking like it was a goat, with small horns, a long purple dress, droopy ears and small visible fangs in her mouth, with red tinted irises. She stood slightly less in height then Kain. "Though, I never seen your type before...Well, greetings, I am Toriel. Are you from the Ruins friend?"
For Kain this place was just getting stranger. "I am from, someplace else. What are you doing here?"
"I often come this way to see if any human has fallen down here. They climb the mountain for...reasons, and do not know that the hole leads to our home."
"I...see. Well there are no humans there today then. I have...fallen down the hole myself. I came from the area behind me. I would like it if you could show me the way out of the ruins, Toriel." Kain didn't want her knowing there was a child corpse back there. Something told him she might be more useful to him alive, the symbol on her dress looked important.
"Wait. You're a monster from outside? Our kind still exists out there?"
"...Yes. Much like I did not know our kind exist down here." Kain rolled with it.
"Then, then you might be able to figure out how to remove the barrier. Asgore might not need to take any more human souls. Please, come right this way." With that, Toriel led the way, with Kain following her.
The Ruins which she was guiding him through had purple brick walls, varied amounts of red leaves and vines in each corridor and rooms they went through and even a small river. It was clearly habited by other monsters...frog creatures, small annoying flies that the moment Kain looked at them they flew away in fear and slim creatures who just wiggled as Kain and Toriel went by.
As they were going through a particularly long corridor Kain decided to ask "You mentioned human souls and Asgore."
"Asgore is, our king. He wishes to gather enough human souls to try and break the barrier that traps us underground."
"How does he gain the souls? From the humans who fall down to this place?"
Toriel sadly nodded. "Yes."
"You make sure they go to him then?"
"No I...I try to stop them but they always want to leave. They want to go home. But to even try, they need to get past him. They never do."
"I see. How many human souls does he need?"
"One more. With seven human souls it should be enough to grant a monster the power to shatter the barrier entirely. It takes one human soul and one monster soul to pass through it, but several human ones to destroy it."
"But the humans will have to die for the souls to be used."
"...Six of them have been killed, yes."
They had gotten through the corridor. Toriel spoke again as they continued on. "By the way, I noticed you were carrying a weapon. It's design is quite, unwelcoming. Is it to frighten humans?"
"It is the Reaver. It can drain the blood of those impaled on it and feed that blood to me." Kain explained.
"You drink blood?" Toriel appeared quite surprised. "Have the monsters above ground changed in such a way?"
"I must drink blood to keep up my strength. It is the way of the vampire."
"Vam...pire?" Toriel obviously hadn't heard that word before.
"What I am. Creatures that require humans to survive, their blood is quite potent and plentiful."
Toriel didn't speak any further, having gone silent after hearing that, until they reached a place that had several colored switches and signs on the walls telling them what ones to press. She turned to the vampire. "Through here you will find my home, make yourself comfortable there. I just need to go back and grab a few items for myself. Once I return I'll show you the way out."
Kain didn't want to wait, but could also see this as a good chance to try and get his bearings on exactly what world he was on, maybe she had information in her home. "Very well. I shall meet you there."
Toriel went back the way they came, leaving Kain to figure out this small set of so-called puzzles. But he felt it. That human child was not enough. He needed more to be truly satisfied. A child is like a small sampling to him...he noticed a few of those frog like monsters nearby.
Could they have...?
The Reaver was swung, one frog had found itself cut into two, the other found its head decapitated off from its body. Out from their bodies, came pinkish ooze, small doses of fluid floating up in the air before their bodies turned to dust. The pink liquid flew through the air into Kains mouth as he drank it, having used his telekinesis once again.
It was almost like blood, but compared to a humans, it was hardly fulfilling.
He would need a fair few more of these creatures before he felt any contentment. It just so happened though there were plenty more around here for him, watching from the shadows as they just saw those two froggits die.
By the time Kain left the puzzles behind, there was nothing but dust hovering around the place.
Passing a black tree with red leaves surrounding it, he found the home Toriel mentioned. Inside it felt rather cozy. It wasn't like the housing he knew in Nosgoth. Dank, dreary, miserable and cold. He walked into the living room, finding a decent sized chair, along with a small wooden dining table, a few wooden chairs, a fireplace that was lit, and a bookshelf with plenty of books.
That's what Kain wanted. He walked over to the bookshelf and begun looking at the titles of the books to see if there was one hinting at history, once he found one called 'The retreat to home' he sat down on the comfy chair and began to read it.
He wanted to anyway, but almost straight away he felt someone was watching him. Looking over the top of the book, he saw Flowey there, near the bookshelf looking at him. "Howdy!"
"..." Kain tried to go back to reading.
"So, I noticed you made quite a mess of things out there. Boy I never saw so many monsters die so fast before, that's gotta be a new record. Just to feed yourself too."
"I am busy."
"Sure you are, but you know, Toriel will be back soon...She saw the human body."
Kain continued to read on, now knowing that a long time in the past, monsters and humans on this world waged a war, and that the monsters were easily defeated, being forced to flee to this place. "I knew her intentions to check once I said about the need to drink blood."
"And when she finds all the monster dust? Do you think she'll let you leave here?"
Kain put the book down at the side of the chair and stood up. "I don't expect she will."
"Well I know where the exit is. You let me follow you friend, and I'll point the way."
"...Fine, flower. Point the way."
"Go back into the front room, down the stairs. Once you get to the end of the long corridor you'll see the door. That'll take you out of here to Snowdin, which is the way to Waterfall. I'll meet you on the other side."
Kain headed back to the front room, and started his way down the stairs into the basement corridor. It was darker down here, more like the places he is used to. Once he was through a majority of the corridor and reached a turning in it, he heard footsteps behind him, and came to a halt.
The footsteps slowed down as they got closer, then stopped, several feet away. The voice was of Toriel. "...You murdered a human child."
"I fed as I needed." Kain responded, slowly turning to face her.
"And the dust? The fallen monsters?" Toriel looked slightly afraid, despite trying to sound angry.
"The child was not enough."
"I see...then what will do beyond this place? Will you feed on other monsters down here? Will you keep killing? What if you find more humans?"
"That would save me the effort in dealing with your kind."
Toriel grimaced. "My kind...I knew you were no monster. You're, something worse. Then, I can't let you leave here. I'm sorry but for the sake of those that live here, I will-"
She didn't see it coming. She wasn't ready for the Reaver to be brought out of its holding and plunged right into her stomach, with Kain towering over her, his eyes staring straight into hers. Before he showed his fangs, and bit hard into her neck.
Dribbles of pink blood stained her neck and dress as Kain fed. She was much more plentiful then the other monsters here. Perhaps she was more powerful? Stronger? It didn't matter, it was more like that of a humans then the rest. She managed to utter out "I...couldn't even..."
Then, in his hands, she turned to dust.
He placed the sword back where it came from, and wiped his mouth. "Well, you certainly will keep me satisfied now. I suppose I will not need to kill so many beyond this place." With that, he walked on. Heading to the doors leading out, he pushed them open, and found a small room between the actual exit and where he stood.
Flowey was there in the middle of the room. "Wow. You didn't even give her a chance to ready herself for that. You just went for it. You're ruthless. I think I can enjoy watching this."
"If you are just going to watch, keep out of my way for the time being." Kain marched past the flower.
"Oh I will be watching Kain, believe me. Heheheheh..." by now Kain had walked through the exit of the ruins, and was gone. "...Boy, this is all different. Wonder where he actually came from-" Flowey had turned back to the way that leads to Toriel's home, and completely stopped talking.
There was a child before him. Wearing a yellow and green striped shirt, brown pants and brown shoes, with brown hair like the first child Kain met, but it's face was pitch black...and it's eyes were glowing blood red.
Flowey quickly went out of sight in the dirt. He knew who this was, and didn't want to get in their way.
The child simply stared ahead, at where Kain had gone to.
All there was coming from this child, was the feeling of utter rage.
1. Kain and Raziel are from the Legacy of Kain series.
2. The world Kain has been thrown to is Undertale.