More of the Edge of the Coin, comin' at yas! Thought long and hard about this chapter, should be interesting to see what I come up with. Oh yes, and no, you haven't missed anything, this is just where it starts off.

The Edge of the Coin: The Return of the Darkness

By Ryoken

"Raziel..." The voice was soothing to his hearing. Raziel opened his eyes to see a white light shining around someone who had the outline of Seacia. "Raziel...Come to me," she said softly. She held out a glowing hand and he took it. He started kissing her, softly at first, then more passionately, until-

"Raziel, wake up!!!!!" Dumah yelled in his ear. His two brothers and father were standing over him, looking a tad worried.

"Are you alright, Raziel? We were worried that when you collapsed, we wouldn't be able to get you back! What happened??" Turel asked.

"I'm...I'm fine, I... I don't know what happened," he answered. Kain had his back turned to them as he looked out over the ridge at the large town below.

"I'm glad you decided to wake up, Raziel," Kain teased, though being very serious. Raziel and his two brothers came up behind Kain and they too, looked over the town. "She's in there, somewhere. I can sense her enormous power hiding in there. We have to-Raziel, come back here!!!!" Kain shouted as Raziel jumped off the ledge and into the air, flying low towards the town. "We have to get to him, come on!!!!!" Kain said as they briskly ran down the hill, following Raziel as best they could. When he landed and he hid behind a building and looked for something, it was Kain's chance to grip Raziel's cloak from behind, turn him around, and slap him. Raziel blinked for a few moments and put his hand to his forehead.

"I'm...I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," he apologized.

"It's all right, just do your best to keep in control," the vampire lord said. He looked out into the people-filled street. "We'll split up. One of you go with Raziel, however, I don't want him going off on his own and finding Seacia. The dark gods only know what would happen then. Should any of you spot her, report to me at once," they all nodded in agreement.

"I'll go with him," Turel volunteered.

"It's settled then. Now spread out." Kain pulled the hood of his cloak over his head and disappeared into the crowd. The three lieutenants followed and went in opposite directions.

Turel and Raziel searched the western part of the town, looking in every nook and cranny, Raziel even dared so much as to even ask a few humans. There was no sign of her until one man answered them.

"Yeah, I saw her! I saw her go inta that alley over thar'. She looked awful. I tried to help her, but she merely ignored me and pushed me aside. Nearly made me fall on my ass, too. She sure was a strong, hey, where you going?!"

"To find her!! Uh, thanks!!" Turel yelled back as the two ran towards the designated alley.

That's when it hit him again. His body heat rising rapidly and the pain in his temples and head. He began to stumble about as he ran.

"Raziel, are you ok?! Don't tell me it's happening again, not now!!! We're so close, brother!!" Turel said as Raziel tried to support himself on the wall, almost blacking out. "Damn it, Raziel, what a time for-ugh!" That was all he could say before he went unconscious.

"Raziel..." came a gruff voice. Although the alley was dark in its shadows, two black eyes with white irises looked down upon the now-sitting vampire, slowly nodding his head as he drifted between consciousness and unconsciousness and they both disappeared.

It was bright, but not blinding. He sat up and looked around. There was nothing but the soft glow of the light. Then a figure approached him, Seacia. She looked just as she had on that rock on the cliff which seemed so long ago. She placed a hand on his cheek. It was warm, as it always was.

"Raziel, I have something terribly important to tell you," she said, taking her hand away.

"What is it?"

"In order to get rid of Hash'ak'gik, you must-"she tried to say, but a strange blackness surrounded her and then devoured all of the light in that place. Then, where Seacia had once stood, Hash'ak'gik rose up, towering over the vampire lieutenant, and laughing manically.

"Do you think that you'll find the answer like this?? By trying to speak to her in a dream?! HA!! Don't make me laugh. It will not be as easy as you think, boy!!!! I can assure you of that!!!!"

"Let her go!!!!" Raziel screamed, flying up to his face.

"FOOL!!!!! Incompetent vampire scourge!!!!!!" Hash said as he swatted him away, making him crash to the floor. He opened his eyes to find himself chained to a wall in a jail cell. He tried to break free, but he was still too weakened. Just then, Seacia appeared around the cornered, dressed in white garments. They hardly covered her body.

"Raziel, are you all right?" She said. She looked completely normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

"I don't know...I'm seeing you in what looks like draped cloth and I'm chained up, so I must be dreaming or going crazy," he answered.

" No dream. I'm getting you out of here. The guards won't be out for long," she said as she broke the door.

"What do you mean, guards? Am I still in that town?"

"Yes, I'll explain it later," Seacia said as broke the chains and helped him out of cell and into the next room. It was totally different than the jail. It was what seemed to be a romantic balcony, dressed with white silk curtains that were blowing in a slight breeze and white furniture. With Seacia's clothing, it made the place seem heavenly. She led him to a sofa and had him sit down. He could only stare at her. "What is it? You look at me like I'm some sort of crazy stranger," she laughed.

"In a sense, you are. I've never," he breathed slightly faster," ever, seen you wear something like this."

"Well, there's a first time for everything."

Trying to snap out of his gaze, he asked another question. "What was it you were trying to tell me earlier?"

"It was...nothing important, Raziel," Seacia said, moving closer to him.

"Nothing important?! You were about to tell me how to get rid of Hash'ak'gik!!"

"Who's that?" Seacia asked very innocently, resting her head on his chest.

"He's the demon who...who took po..." he started to say, but then he remembered. "You're not Seacia."

"What are you talking about, of course it's me," she said, looking up at him, smiling. He seemed to panic as his memory returned to him and he slashed Seacia across her cheek, falling to the ground as he scrambled to get away from her. Her blood ran down her surprised face as she stood up and touched the streaming liquid, backing away from Raziel. Then her expression turned to anger as her eyes turned black and her skin heavily darkened. The heavenly balcony changed and twisted into an old abandoned building with the sound of busying humans in the background. "I tried to make it easier on you, poor Raziel," came Hash'ak'gik's voice. "I tried to make this more pleasurable for you, but I suppose that you won't be taking me up on my offer," he said.

"What offer?" He asked warily.

"Do anything that I say, and Seacia could have been yours once more. You could have lived together, get married for all I care, so long as you obeyed me when I saw fit!!!! But no...I suppose I'll just have to kill you instead," and with that, he lunged at Raziel, who promptly dodged the attack.

"You never said anything about a deal!!!"

"Yes, but had you listened to her then, she-I, would have. But you decided to try and rip her face off!!! I doubt that she'll ever be able to even look at you again!! How insensitive," he said.

"What...No, she'd understand why, she isn't like that!" He argued.

"My poor poor fool... She can still speak to me, Raziel, and she tells me everything she thinks. And she hates you. She despises you for that, doing it for no good reason. Quite a shame actually. You never had the chance to..."

"SHUT UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!!" Raziel yelled at the top of his lungs, racing towards Hash'ak'gik, even though he knew no way of getting rid of him, trying and wanting to destroy him so badly he would have given up his life for it. Hash merely laughed as he easily dodged his unfocused acts.

"Ahh, they lady of the house speaks to me once more," Raziel looked at him angrily, but he didn't move. When Hash spoke again, it was in Seacia's voice.

"Raziel, why are you doing this?! I've done nothing to you, I've tried to love you, and this is what I get in return?? Hate!? Harm?! Fine then! I've HAD it with you!!!" Raziel realized what she was doing.

"No wait, Seacia, I-,"

"Shut up!!! I am not about to forgive you as you beg me to come back to you, Raziel! And I won't listen to you, either."

"Seacia, please-"

"You heard her, Raziel. She won't speak to you anymore," Hash'ak'gik said in his own voice, with a vengeful grin.

"You little..." Raziel said as he started to make his way to Hash'ak'gik who stood triumphantly.

"Do you want to make it even worse, Raziel?" He said, raising a hand at the wall nearest him. It exploded and made a hole in the wall, as well as in the crowd just outside. He stepped out through the hole as the people just outside whispered in their neighbor's ear and gasped. "Now it looks as though your love will never bring her back." He shrugged. "Oh well," Hash said casually and he strode off into the crowd. As Raziel stepped out of the hole, there was a thump and an "Uff!" as a cloud of dust arose from the spot where Seacia was last seen. When the dust settled and the crowd parted, Dumah stood above her, wiping his hand of invisible dust and looking down at Seacia, who moaned in Hash's voice. He picked her up by her neck and looked back at Raziel.

"I think you lost this, brother," he said, grinning. Raziel did not return the grin. He merely stared at the ground. "Hey, are you feeling alright? You're not about to collapse again, are you?"

"No...no, I'm not."

"Good. Then let's go get Ka-aieeeeete, Katie, let's go get Katie, ok?"

"Yes...fine..."

"Where is Tur-our other brother?"

Raziel looked up quickly. "In an alley, that's right!!! He was knocked unconscious!" Raziel rushed off with Dumah not too far behind and Seacia slung over his shoulder. Fortunately for them, Kain spotted them as they ran and silently followed them. They turned a corner just in time to see Turel get up.

"Ow...what the bloody hell just hit me...? You found her!!" Turel said.

"Yes, we've found her. Now we just need to get back to the abbey," Dumah said. Together, they rushed past the humans, not taking any notice of the things that they said when their hoods fell back. After much running, they arrived back at the abbey. Only two vampires were still there.

"Where has Rahab gone to?" Kain asked immediately as they all came through the door.

"Before I answer, I just want to-" Zephon started to say.

"Where. Is. He."

"He went to the citadel, but he took some of his kin with him. He went to find the other half of the book. I tried to stop him, but he insisted on doing something," he tried to explain.

Kain sighed. "Raziel, I want you to go after him. Besides, the farther away you are from Seacia until we can cure her, the better."

"But Lord Kai-" He took hold of Raziel's shoulders.

"I know you want to look after her, but it's safer if you went. Trust me."

"You didn't speak to her, my lord, and I did!! Please, just let me tell you what Hash'ak'gik said that's-"

"Haven't I told you enough times not to listen to that foul demon?! Wake up, Raziel, or are you still thinking he would so easily give up something important?! He won't give you a sliver of a chance of getting rid of him, not by a long shot. Just do as I say and retrieve your brother. Now, go," Kain said, releasing.

Filled with anger and frustration at his master, Raziel stomped out of the library and slammed the door behind him so hard that it shook the room.

"Poor child." Kain said. He was about to say something else when Seacia took in a gasping breath.

"Raz..." she started to say, but was thrown out of the chair that she had been placed in and thrown halfway across the room. She took in another gasping breath. Then she began quivering terribly and she looked up at the door as she struggled to push herself up. She started to raise up a hand towards the door, but fell to the ground and went back unconscious. "...iel..."