- Prologue -
From the brink of oblivion I found myself thrust back into this shell of my own twisted mortality. Frail and disoriented, I rose. Painfully unaware of my location, and even more agonizing, unsure of whom I even was. It was then, that he spoke to me.
"Good. My child has awakened. Come you must feed."
I was enveloped in a soft aura of candlelight from which at first, I had shielded my eyes. "Who are you?" I inquired. A sinister cackle became my only reply. I rose from the mattress upon which I lay. Covering my denuded flesh with the tattered bed linens, I struggled to step across the splintered floorboards of my chamber. "Tell me who you are, and what it is you want of me." I demanded. A moment passed before I was blinded by a massive coruscation of green light. When I had regained my vision, a creature that was most vile in appearance, yet all-too familiar in presence, greeted me. "Vorador."
The ancient vampire merely smirked and stepped forth from his shadowed sanctuary in the corner of my chamber. "Yes. Vorador." He replied. "You are wise to watch your tongue from here, my dear." He commented as he placed his ghastly hand upon my cheek. "That is no way to treat your sire."
I refrained from making another cynical remark to him. He was right - this was no way to treat my sire at all. "Forgive me, my Sire." I replied. I lowered my head, my raven tresses falling over my face, hiding my own expression of embarrassment. As I stared at the floor, my sight was blessed with the vision of his crimson robe. Slowly, he brushed my hair from my face, and lifted my chin up with his finger. I could not bring myself to even look upon him.
"You are forgiven, Umah." He whispered. "Your attitude is understandable, my dear. You have been put through a great ordeal. I fault you not."
I took in a deep breath before fixating my eyes upon him. By now I was clenching at the bed linens I wore and struggling to hold back my own tears. "I remember very little of what has transpired." I replied.
Vorador smiled slightly and brought me into his embrace. "We thought we had lost you. It was Morkah who discovered you there on the pier." He explained.
"The Pier." I thought. I closed my eyes and found myself reminiscing about my time at the wharves of Meridian. I envisioned my battles with the Sarafan Knights as I struggled forth towards the gates of the Hylden City. I battled long, and I battled hard, but alas, it was of no use. I had been greatly outnumbered. Yes. It was all coming back to me now.
My body trembled when I envisioned myself being beaten down at the hands of the knights. The pain was intense - I was again teetering on the threshold of defeat. I remember lying there upon the pier. I had managed to take down all but one solitary knight - but the price I had paid was too extreme. My life now hanged in the balance. I remember gazing over the corpses of my enemies before staring into the eyes of the one who would strike me down where I stood. I had closed my eyes and prepared for the inevitable. My fate was postponed when I heard the knight fall to the pier. I had opened my eyes and looked at his bloody corpse piled in a heap before me. My attention turned and fixated on the one responsible for his disposal. It was Kain. I had never been so thrilled to see him until those moments. I could barely bring myself to stand. I remember looking upon him and trying to force a smile to my lips as he approached me.
"We meet again, Umah." He said. His voice was so cold - so empty.
I was breathless - absolutely exhausted from my moments of combat. "Kain."
He smirked. "Yes. Kain." He replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. "I thought you were to bring the Sarafan Lord to his knees." He jabbed.
"I thought." I moaned as I collapsed to the pier.
"I know." Kain remarked as he dropped to one knee beside me.
I lowered my head, devastated by my foolish act of heroics. "It seems.I was wrong." I replied. "I could not carry on this fight.alone."
"You were brave to try."
I raised my head and looked upon him. My flesh was torn to shreds and I was losing consciousness. "Kain. I am dying."
Kain brushed his hand across my cheek. "Yes. You are."
"I need your blood. You can save me." I pleaded. Kain leaned in towards me. I began to find solace in this. I was sure he was going to help me. He plucked the Nexus Stone from my chest, grasping it tightly and putting it back on his own body. I was mortified. What was he doing? His amber orbs shifted from his obvious obsession with the stone and fell unsympathetically upon me. "Tell me, child. Do you see me ruling Nosgoth?" he asked.
My eyes widened. "Yes, yes I see it now." I replied.
"And do you believe that Nosgoth rightly belongs to me?"
By this time I was desperate. I wanted him to see how wrong I was to distrust him - to betray him. Kain had meant so much to me and I lacked the courage to even tell him. He was my mentor - far stronger than my own sire. I could see that now. I learned from my mistake - I swear that I did. "I do - I believe it, Kain. Please!"
A brief moment of silence passed. I swear that I saw a slight glimmer of hope in Kain's eyes. I was sadly mistaken. ".Then you may die, knowing the truth." He said as he struck me down mercilessly with his own claws.
"No!" I screamed in agony. The pain; my God, the pain.. I fell to the pier and soon, everything that surrounded me began slipping into an endless void of nothing. Kain rose and turned from my dying corpse.
"You should have never betrayed me." He replied. "You could've been my queen."
My eyes flickered only to catch a glimpse of Kain stepping away from me - leaving me there to suffer. "Kain." I begged. It was of no use. I succumbed to my fate - the fate of eternal blackness; the fate of death itself.
"Now you have left me alone."
"Umah." Vorador said as he gently shook me back to reality. I emerged from my visions and looked upon my sire with tears streaming down my face. He again brought me into his arms and consoled me as I sobbed. "It's all right my child." He whispered as he caressed my back.
"I was dead.." I replied solemnly. I found myself holding onto Vorador tightly. I was scared - fearful for my death. Even worse, I was fearful for my life. I broke away from his embrace. "How is it that I again live?" I inquired.
I tore the bed linens from my body and allowed them to fall to the floor. There I stood, fully exposed and absolutely stunned at what I saw. Upon my chest were the remnants of the scars left by the hands of Kain. I ran my fingers over their entire length - there were a distinct set of five marks beginning at the base of my left shoulder, and making their way over my entire left breast, the bottom of my right breast and around to my right side. My mouth fell open; I was horribly disfigured now, which caused me to sob even more.
Vorador removed a robe from the chair across the room and wrapped me in its satin fabric. "You need to feed my dear. Come, get your mind off of this for now." He comforted as he began leading me from my chamber. I turned my head and looked at him as I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest. "How do I live, Vorador? Tell me how is it I again walk amongst you."
"We do not need to get into that right now either, Umah." He replied. "Come now, let us bring your strength back and then we shall discuss whatever it is you so desire."
I found myself rather perturbed by his avoidance of the subject at hand, but I decided to let it go - for now. I merely sighed out of disappointment and followed him out of my chamber and to the infamous pantry of his mansion.
From the brink of oblivion I found myself thrust back into this shell of my own twisted mortality. Frail and disoriented, I rose. Painfully unaware of my location, and even more agonizing, unsure of whom I even was. It was then, that he spoke to me.
"Good. My child has awakened. Come you must feed."
I was enveloped in a soft aura of candlelight from which at first, I had shielded my eyes. "Who are you?" I inquired. A sinister cackle became my only reply. I rose from the mattress upon which I lay. Covering my denuded flesh with the tattered bed linens, I struggled to step across the splintered floorboards of my chamber. "Tell me who you are, and what it is you want of me." I demanded. A moment passed before I was blinded by a massive coruscation of green light. When I had regained my vision, a creature that was most vile in appearance, yet all-too familiar in presence, greeted me. "Vorador."
The ancient vampire merely smirked and stepped forth from his shadowed sanctuary in the corner of my chamber. "Yes. Vorador." He replied. "You are wise to watch your tongue from here, my dear." He commented as he placed his ghastly hand upon my cheek. "That is no way to treat your sire."
I refrained from making another cynical remark to him. He was right - this was no way to treat my sire at all. "Forgive me, my Sire." I replied. I lowered my head, my raven tresses falling over my face, hiding my own expression of embarrassment. As I stared at the floor, my sight was blessed with the vision of his crimson robe. Slowly, he brushed my hair from my face, and lifted my chin up with his finger. I could not bring myself to even look upon him.
"You are forgiven, Umah." He whispered. "Your attitude is understandable, my dear. You have been put through a great ordeal. I fault you not."
I took in a deep breath before fixating my eyes upon him. By now I was clenching at the bed linens I wore and struggling to hold back my own tears. "I remember very little of what has transpired." I replied.
Vorador smiled slightly and brought me into his embrace. "We thought we had lost you. It was Morkah who discovered you there on the pier." He explained.
"The Pier." I thought. I closed my eyes and found myself reminiscing about my time at the wharves of Meridian. I envisioned my battles with the Sarafan Knights as I struggled forth towards the gates of the Hylden City. I battled long, and I battled hard, but alas, it was of no use. I had been greatly outnumbered. Yes. It was all coming back to me now.
My body trembled when I envisioned myself being beaten down at the hands of the knights. The pain was intense - I was again teetering on the threshold of defeat. I remember lying there upon the pier. I had managed to take down all but one solitary knight - but the price I had paid was too extreme. My life now hanged in the balance. I remember gazing over the corpses of my enemies before staring into the eyes of the one who would strike me down where I stood. I had closed my eyes and prepared for the inevitable. My fate was postponed when I heard the knight fall to the pier. I had opened my eyes and looked at his bloody corpse piled in a heap before me. My attention turned and fixated on the one responsible for his disposal. It was Kain. I had never been so thrilled to see him until those moments. I could barely bring myself to stand. I remember looking upon him and trying to force a smile to my lips as he approached me.
"We meet again, Umah." He said. His voice was so cold - so empty.
I was breathless - absolutely exhausted from my moments of combat. "Kain."
He smirked. "Yes. Kain." He replied with a slight chuckle in his voice. "I thought you were to bring the Sarafan Lord to his knees." He jabbed.
"I thought." I moaned as I collapsed to the pier.
"I know." Kain remarked as he dropped to one knee beside me.
I lowered my head, devastated by my foolish act of heroics. "It seems.I was wrong." I replied. "I could not carry on this fight.alone."
"You were brave to try."
I raised my head and looked upon him. My flesh was torn to shreds and I was losing consciousness. "Kain. I am dying."
Kain brushed his hand across my cheek. "Yes. You are."
"I need your blood. You can save me." I pleaded. Kain leaned in towards me. I began to find solace in this. I was sure he was going to help me. He plucked the Nexus Stone from my chest, grasping it tightly and putting it back on his own body. I was mortified. What was he doing? His amber orbs shifted from his obvious obsession with the stone and fell unsympathetically upon me. "Tell me, child. Do you see me ruling Nosgoth?" he asked.
My eyes widened. "Yes, yes I see it now." I replied.
"And do you believe that Nosgoth rightly belongs to me?"
By this time I was desperate. I wanted him to see how wrong I was to distrust him - to betray him. Kain had meant so much to me and I lacked the courage to even tell him. He was my mentor - far stronger than my own sire. I could see that now. I learned from my mistake - I swear that I did. "I do - I believe it, Kain. Please!"
A brief moment of silence passed. I swear that I saw a slight glimmer of hope in Kain's eyes. I was sadly mistaken. ".Then you may die, knowing the truth." He said as he struck me down mercilessly with his own claws.
"No!" I screamed in agony. The pain; my God, the pain.. I fell to the pier and soon, everything that surrounded me began slipping into an endless void of nothing. Kain rose and turned from my dying corpse.
"You should have never betrayed me." He replied. "You could've been my queen."
My eyes flickered only to catch a glimpse of Kain stepping away from me - leaving me there to suffer. "Kain." I begged. It was of no use. I succumbed to my fate - the fate of eternal blackness; the fate of death itself.
"Now you have left me alone."
"Umah." Vorador said as he gently shook me back to reality. I emerged from my visions and looked upon my sire with tears streaming down my face. He again brought me into his arms and consoled me as I sobbed. "It's all right my child." He whispered as he caressed my back.
"I was dead.." I replied solemnly. I found myself holding onto Vorador tightly. I was scared - fearful for my death. Even worse, I was fearful for my life. I broke away from his embrace. "How is it that I again live?" I inquired.
I tore the bed linens from my body and allowed them to fall to the floor. There I stood, fully exposed and absolutely stunned at what I saw. Upon my chest were the remnants of the scars left by the hands of Kain. I ran my fingers over their entire length - there were a distinct set of five marks beginning at the base of my left shoulder, and making their way over my entire left breast, the bottom of my right breast and around to my right side. My mouth fell open; I was horribly disfigured now, which caused me to sob even more.
Vorador removed a robe from the chair across the room and wrapped me in its satin fabric. "You need to feed my dear. Come, get your mind off of this for now." He comforted as he began leading me from my chamber. I turned my head and looked at him as I wrapped my arms tightly around my chest. "How do I live, Vorador? Tell me how is it I again walk amongst you."
"We do not need to get into that right now either, Umah." He replied. "Come now, let us bring your strength back and then we shall discuss whatever it is you so desire."
I found myself rather perturbed by his avoidance of the subject at hand, but I decided to let it go - for now. I merely sighed out of disappointment and followed him out of my chamber and to the infamous pantry of his mansion.
