Chapter Thirty-Six
With final resolution, the priestess threw her entire strength into the blade, and in one swift thrust the weapon was imbedded through the heart of Kain's being.
At the opposite end of the mansion, at the far end of the east wing, Vorador was conducting a meeting at that exact moment. The future version of Kain had decided to attend the gathering of elite, intent on being informed of at least one plan to stop the Hylden. The dozen or so gathered vampires informed their master of their current progress infiltrating the Sarafan force. Most of it was nothing more than mere drivel to the future emperor, as not much in the terms of plan processing was taking place.
Kain chose to sit in a darkened corner of the room, half listening to a vampire babble about 'the Sarafan forcing peasants to erect strange devices throughout the city.' Though Vorador paid close attention to his men (or at least seemed to), Kain's thoughts wandered elsewhere. He was still rather irritated over the fact that Raziel and Jenise refused to tell him their plan.
It was at that moment that Kain noticed a strange sensation emanating in the center of his chest. He noticed this strange fluttering feeling deep within his body. It almost felt like he could hardly breathe, as if his lungs where closing up, heavy with congestion. But there was no reason for such a thing to occur. Vampires could not be touched by the infectious grasp of sickness.
Kain unconsciously brought a hand to his chest as he took deeper breaths. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He glanced down to his troubling chest with paranoia. It was then that he noticed something peculiar. There was something different with the appearance of his flesh. His withdrew his hand from his chest for a better inspection. As he gazed downward, the sudden preoccupation allowed his breathing to slow.
The master vampire stared at the age-old scar left in the middle of his body. The scar was a reminder of the last wound he would endure as a mortal. The last wound, which stole his humanity.
But it was not this blemish that puzzled Kain. It was the sudden appearance of a second, much fainter scar that bewildered him. The enhanced healing of vampirism caused this scar to be so miniscule that one had to stare at the area with intense scrutiny to notice it. Anyone, that is, except the scar's bearer. To Kain, this new scar stood out like fresh blood to a starved vampire.
As Kain gazed at this scar, he struggled to remember how he had attained the injury. It was strange, that although moments ago, he did not recall ever having the mark, but now it seemed it had been with him for as long as he could remember.
"Is something the matter, comrade?" Vorador's voice interrupted Kain's thoughts. The vampire of the future glanced upward to notice that all the room's occupants had their eyes rested upon him. "Does something plague you? You do not seem well."
Kain rose to his feet, feeling unease at the silently prodding eyes. "I'm fine. No need to concern yourselves with," he stammered. "It's been a while since I last fed. I believe I shall step out before the sun rises."
"Very well," Vorador replied, excusing the shaken vampire.
As cold steel sliced through cold flesh, a sickening sound of tearing tissue filled the air. With the deathblow, the fledgling Kain momentarily opened his eyes in silent agony, his hand reflexively clutching open space, before he fell silent. Jenise solemnly stepped back from the scene. The vampire's vital fluid dripped from the sides of the bed, collecting in a cold, ruby colored puddle around the bed.
"How long do we wait?" Jenise inquired of her companion, now at her side. Her gaze never left the lifeless form under the sheets.
Despite the scene in front of him, something else held Raziel's attention. Unseen to anyone else, flares of souls sprang out from Kain's corpse. Jenise, could not see this, but Raziel, being the reaver of souls, had a front row seat to the spectacle. For all his un-life, he wished that the warrior at his side was able to witness the marvel he was seeing.
One by one, souls filled with energy erupted from the wound created by Jenise's sword. The souls each gave off their own glow, illuminating the room before they bolted through the ceiling and walls, headed towards their destinies. It was when Raziel counted the ninth and final soul when he gave Jenise the order.
"Now! Pull the sword from his body!"
Jenise snapped out of her daze and rushed to Kain's side. Grasping the hilt, she tore it from its confines within the vampire's chest. She stepped back, allowing Raziel to proceed with his portion of the plan. Raziel snapped open the box in his hands and carefully withdrew its contents. The vampire wraith stared at the still heart within his talons as he set the box on a nearby table.
Raziel paced over to the vampire corpse, walking without notice through the blood on the ground. He lifted the Heart of Darkness over Kain's body and waited. Jenise held her breath in anticipation. This just had to work. Moments passed before Raziel felt it: a minute flicker of a heartbeat within the vital organ. Faster than he could keep up with, the heart's beat pounded harder and faster. As it did so, blood poured from the organ, the vital fluid's origins a mystery.
The revitalizing liquid leaked into the wound in the fledge's chest. Upon contact, it sealed the injury with a burning hiss. As Kain's injury completely healed, the heart's pace slowed, until it was silent once again. Raziel stepped back, watching to ensure the vampire's survival.
"Did...Did it work?" Jenise wondered aloud. "Will he live?"
Raziel did not respond. He silently watched with anticipation.
In the skies of Nosgoth, nine souls recently released from three and a half centuries of imprisonment flew freely in opposite directions towards their next inhabitants. Like the rest of the souls, the last flitted merrily towards its destiny. However, it was suddenly halted in mid-flight, as if intercepted by an unseen force.
The soul seemed to struggle in midair, being pulled in two separate directions. In one direction was its destiny, to move on to its next host. The other direction was its previous fate, trapped within its parasitic confines. The soul was unable to fight off either hold on its being. One each side of the spectrum, a life was hanging in the balance, awaiting the soul for which it belonged.
Whether it was unable to come to a decision, or whether the sheer force of the opposing forces was too great, the soul separated into two halves. Each was equal in power and size, but only half that of the original. A solution to the dilemma seeming to have been found, each soul fragment was drawn towards one of the beckoning entities.
The first half of the soul flew onward towards its destiny. In the city of Coorhagen, nursemaids waited nervously for their mistress's newborn to show signs of life. The soul entered the infant's body and the child wailed as it drew in its first few breaths.
The second half of the soul was pulled back towards its fate. In the slums of Meridian, two warriors overlooked the body of a vampire that should not have survived its wounds. The soul fragment reluctantly reentered the body of its former host.
Dread was beginning to set in Raziel's mind. It looked as though he and Jenise might have made a grave error. He began to wonder if he had just caused his own undoing. With Kain dead, there would be no resurrecting of Sarafan priests. Caught up in this new turmoil, Raziel almost didn't notice the flicker of energy crash down into the vampire's body. A slight twitch of Kain's fingertips confirmed what Raziel saw.
"He's alive. He'll be fine," the former vampire spoke with relief. Jenise let out the breath she had been holding.
"Did it work?" Jenise repeated her first question.
Raziel nodded. "Yes. Nine souls left Kain's body. When he killed the other pillar guardians, he also drank their blood. And in turn, he absorbed their life essence. Their souls had been trapped within him, unable to be reborn into new guardians. That is why the Elder God, the spectre Ariel, and Moebius have all been after me to kill Kain. The souls of the guardians could not be freed until he died."
"But how did you know all that?"
"I...really didn't know until now, to tell the truth. I simply witnessed this as the event unfolded. However, I did know that new guardians would not be born unless Kain was killed."
The future Lord of Nosgoth wandered the empty corridors of the Cabal mansion. With dawn approaching, most vampires had retired for the daylight hours. Kain's thoughts were still on the unexplained appearance of the scar over his heart. As he ventured aimlessly, he found himself outside the west wing. A pungent smell of blood alerted his senses. But it wasn't living blood he smelled. It was dead blood.
Kain hastily ran down the west hall, the stench growing stronger and stronger until he came to an open doorway. He stared at the scene before him. Jenise and Raziel stood overlooking the body of his past self. A large puddle of blood lay drying on the floor. And a bloodied sword rested in Jenise's hands. The master vampire glared angrily at their unsuspecting backs.
Raziel placed the Heart of Darkness back in the safety of its container. "Now that new guardians have been born, we must travel to the future and seek them out."
Jenise nodded in agreement and glanced up at Raziel. She saw him frozen in his tracks, staring at the doorway. The priestess spun on her heels towards the portal. Her eyes widened with fear at the site of a very angry vampire lord.
"Kain. I thought you were attending Vorador's meeting..." Raziel greeted his sire with contempt for his intrusion.
"I was attending the conference, until I began experiencing a peculiar sensation...in my heart..." the master vampire growled, heavily emphasizing the last three words. "So was this your plan the entire time? To betray me by killing my past self? Were you so willing to sacrifice your very existence Raziel?"
Jenise jumped between Kain and Raziel before the latter could utter a rebuttal. "Don't be so naive! Raziel would not sacrifice himself to see you erased from the world! You should be thanking us for being gracious enough to let you live!"
Kain's anger grew tenfold at the priestess's bold words. Faster than one could blink, the back of his hand whipped across Jenise's right cheek. The force sent her flying across the room where she landed in a disorientated heap. She slowly sat upright, clutching her face. She bit back the stinging tears of pain that threatened to reveal her weakness.
"Insolent wench! Do not dare tell me that my life rests in the hands of a Sarafan!"
The priestess responded with a silent, but hate-filled glare. She remained on the ground, too shocked by the vampire's strength. She had been overpowered in the past, but never before had she felt so weak. Raziel stepped in on behalf of his fallen ally.
"If you ever lay harm to her again, I shall see to it that I complete the task with which the Elder God assigned me," the reaver threatened.
Kain glared at his creation, judging Raziel's sincerity. The wraith blade tingled with hunger at the prospect of devouring such a powerful soul. Jenise had finally overcome her shock, and joined Raziel's threatening pose with one of her own. She lifted her bloody sword enough for Kain to acknowledge the fact that it was his own blood on the blade. Though the thought of a challenging battle thrilled him, Kain conceded.
"I shall let her live...for now. But only because I know she has further purpose. After she proves her usefulness, I can't make any promises," the vampire lord warned.
Jenise's glare did not falter during Kain's taunt, though inwardly she felt unease at his words. She tried her best to act as if his threat meant nothing to her.
"Let's go, Raziel. I'd rather not waste anymore of my time here. We have much more important tasks to accomplish," the priestess suggested as she sheathed her weapon, intentionally leaving the vital fluid on the blade.
As the duo left the room, Jenise brushed by Kain as a final demonstration of her defiance. Kain bared his teeth in response. As the allied warriors exited the room, Kain turned towards them and halted their departure with a query.
"Tell me, Raziel, when you travel to the future, how do you intend on finding the new pillar guardians?"
Raziel stopped in his tracks, realizing that he and Jenise had not accounted for that part of their scheme. Kain continued.
"Unfortunately for you, you'll require my assistance. Being a pillar guardian myself, I am more attuned to their energies than both of you combined."
"We need no help from you, Kain," sneered the former vampire. "We can manage on our own."
"But will you be able to locate all the pillar guardians before it is too late?"
Raziel was again found without answers. His silence to Kain's inquiry was worrisome to the priestess.
"Raziel, don't tell me you're considering accepting his help."
"Who says I was offering my help?"
Raziel glared over his shoulder at his sire momentarily, before turning towards his ally.
"Kain has a valid point. We'll need his help if we are to find the guardians within a reasonable amount of time."
"Then it is settled," Kain replied with a victorious tone to his voice. "With the setting of the sun tonight, we shall depart for the future."
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Review Response:
Concept of a Demon: Did this chapter help clear things up a bit? As for altering history and requiring a paradox...well, who's to say this couldn't be the result of the paradox at the end of SR2? The events of BO2 are the result of said paradox, and as you can see, much of my story revolves around the BO2 timeline.
Lilith: Muahahahahahahaha! Yes! I am truly, truly evil! I've had this planned out for weeks! As for your threat...you can plainly see it was effective, though I believe it was your turn to update next. But seeing as how you posted four chapters consecutively, I'll let you off the hook. I bet you didn't think you'd see me update so soon, huh? Anyway...was your suspicion right?
With final resolution, the priestess threw her entire strength into the blade, and in one swift thrust the weapon was imbedded through the heart of Kain's being.
At the opposite end of the mansion, at the far end of the east wing, Vorador was conducting a meeting at that exact moment. The future version of Kain had decided to attend the gathering of elite, intent on being informed of at least one plan to stop the Hylden. The dozen or so gathered vampires informed their master of their current progress infiltrating the Sarafan force. Most of it was nothing more than mere drivel to the future emperor, as not much in the terms of plan processing was taking place.
Kain chose to sit in a darkened corner of the room, half listening to a vampire babble about 'the Sarafan forcing peasants to erect strange devices throughout the city.' Though Vorador paid close attention to his men (or at least seemed to), Kain's thoughts wandered elsewhere. He was still rather irritated over the fact that Raziel and Jenise refused to tell him their plan.
It was at that moment that Kain noticed a strange sensation emanating in the center of his chest. He noticed this strange fluttering feeling deep within his body. It almost felt like he could hardly breathe, as if his lungs where closing up, heavy with congestion. But there was no reason for such a thing to occur. Vampires could not be touched by the infectious grasp of sickness.
Kain unconsciously brought a hand to his chest as he took deeper breaths. Beads of sweat formed on his brow. He glanced down to his troubling chest with paranoia. It was then that he noticed something peculiar. There was something different with the appearance of his flesh. His withdrew his hand from his chest for a better inspection. As he gazed downward, the sudden preoccupation allowed his breathing to slow.
The master vampire stared at the age-old scar left in the middle of his body. The scar was a reminder of the last wound he would endure as a mortal. The last wound, which stole his humanity.
But it was not this blemish that puzzled Kain. It was the sudden appearance of a second, much fainter scar that bewildered him. The enhanced healing of vampirism caused this scar to be so miniscule that one had to stare at the area with intense scrutiny to notice it. Anyone, that is, except the scar's bearer. To Kain, this new scar stood out like fresh blood to a starved vampire.
As Kain gazed at this scar, he struggled to remember how he had attained the injury. It was strange, that although moments ago, he did not recall ever having the mark, but now it seemed it had been with him for as long as he could remember.
"Is something the matter, comrade?" Vorador's voice interrupted Kain's thoughts. The vampire of the future glanced upward to notice that all the room's occupants had their eyes rested upon him. "Does something plague you? You do not seem well."
Kain rose to his feet, feeling unease at the silently prodding eyes. "I'm fine. No need to concern yourselves with," he stammered. "It's been a while since I last fed. I believe I shall step out before the sun rises."
"Very well," Vorador replied, excusing the shaken vampire.
As cold steel sliced through cold flesh, a sickening sound of tearing tissue filled the air. With the deathblow, the fledgling Kain momentarily opened his eyes in silent agony, his hand reflexively clutching open space, before he fell silent. Jenise solemnly stepped back from the scene. The vampire's vital fluid dripped from the sides of the bed, collecting in a cold, ruby colored puddle around the bed.
"How long do we wait?" Jenise inquired of her companion, now at her side. Her gaze never left the lifeless form under the sheets.
Despite the scene in front of him, something else held Raziel's attention. Unseen to anyone else, flares of souls sprang out from Kain's corpse. Jenise, could not see this, but Raziel, being the reaver of souls, had a front row seat to the spectacle. For all his un-life, he wished that the warrior at his side was able to witness the marvel he was seeing.
One by one, souls filled with energy erupted from the wound created by Jenise's sword. The souls each gave off their own glow, illuminating the room before they bolted through the ceiling and walls, headed towards their destinies. It was when Raziel counted the ninth and final soul when he gave Jenise the order.
"Now! Pull the sword from his body!"
Jenise snapped out of her daze and rushed to Kain's side. Grasping the hilt, she tore it from its confines within the vampire's chest. She stepped back, allowing Raziel to proceed with his portion of the plan. Raziel snapped open the box in his hands and carefully withdrew its contents. The vampire wraith stared at the still heart within his talons as he set the box on a nearby table.
Raziel paced over to the vampire corpse, walking without notice through the blood on the ground. He lifted the Heart of Darkness over Kain's body and waited. Jenise held her breath in anticipation. This just had to work. Moments passed before Raziel felt it: a minute flicker of a heartbeat within the vital organ. Faster than he could keep up with, the heart's beat pounded harder and faster. As it did so, blood poured from the organ, the vital fluid's origins a mystery.
The revitalizing liquid leaked into the wound in the fledge's chest. Upon contact, it sealed the injury with a burning hiss. As Kain's injury completely healed, the heart's pace slowed, until it was silent once again. Raziel stepped back, watching to ensure the vampire's survival.
"Did...Did it work?" Jenise wondered aloud. "Will he live?"
Raziel did not respond. He silently watched with anticipation.
In the skies of Nosgoth, nine souls recently released from three and a half centuries of imprisonment flew freely in opposite directions towards their next inhabitants. Like the rest of the souls, the last flitted merrily towards its destiny. However, it was suddenly halted in mid-flight, as if intercepted by an unseen force.
The soul seemed to struggle in midair, being pulled in two separate directions. In one direction was its destiny, to move on to its next host. The other direction was its previous fate, trapped within its parasitic confines. The soul was unable to fight off either hold on its being. One each side of the spectrum, a life was hanging in the balance, awaiting the soul for which it belonged.
Whether it was unable to come to a decision, or whether the sheer force of the opposing forces was too great, the soul separated into two halves. Each was equal in power and size, but only half that of the original. A solution to the dilemma seeming to have been found, each soul fragment was drawn towards one of the beckoning entities.
The first half of the soul flew onward towards its destiny. In the city of Coorhagen, nursemaids waited nervously for their mistress's newborn to show signs of life. The soul entered the infant's body and the child wailed as it drew in its first few breaths.
The second half of the soul was pulled back towards its fate. In the slums of Meridian, two warriors overlooked the body of a vampire that should not have survived its wounds. The soul fragment reluctantly reentered the body of its former host.
Dread was beginning to set in Raziel's mind. It looked as though he and Jenise might have made a grave error. He began to wonder if he had just caused his own undoing. With Kain dead, there would be no resurrecting of Sarafan priests. Caught up in this new turmoil, Raziel almost didn't notice the flicker of energy crash down into the vampire's body. A slight twitch of Kain's fingertips confirmed what Raziel saw.
"He's alive. He'll be fine," the former vampire spoke with relief. Jenise let out the breath she had been holding.
"Did it work?" Jenise repeated her first question.
Raziel nodded. "Yes. Nine souls left Kain's body. When he killed the other pillar guardians, he also drank their blood. And in turn, he absorbed their life essence. Their souls had been trapped within him, unable to be reborn into new guardians. That is why the Elder God, the spectre Ariel, and Moebius have all been after me to kill Kain. The souls of the guardians could not be freed until he died."
"But how did you know all that?"
"I...really didn't know until now, to tell the truth. I simply witnessed this as the event unfolded. However, I did know that new guardians would not be born unless Kain was killed."
The future Lord of Nosgoth wandered the empty corridors of the Cabal mansion. With dawn approaching, most vampires had retired for the daylight hours. Kain's thoughts were still on the unexplained appearance of the scar over his heart. As he ventured aimlessly, he found himself outside the west wing. A pungent smell of blood alerted his senses. But it wasn't living blood he smelled. It was dead blood.
Kain hastily ran down the west hall, the stench growing stronger and stronger until he came to an open doorway. He stared at the scene before him. Jenise and Raziel stood overlooking the body of his past self. A large puddle of blood lay drying on the floor. And a bloodied sword rested in Jenise's hands. The master vampire glared angrily at their unsuspecting backs.
Raziel placed the Heart of Darkness back in the safety of its container. "Now that new guardians have been born, we must travel to the future and seek them out."
Jenise nodded in agreement and glanced up at Raziel. She saw him frozen in his tracks, staring at the doorway. The priestess spun on her heels towards the portal. Her eyes widened with fear at the site of a very angry vampire lord.
"Kain. I thought you were attending Vorador's meeting..." Raziel greeted his sire with contempt for his intrusion.
"I was attending the conference, until I began experiencing a peculiar sensation...in my heart..." the master vampire growled, heavily emphasizing the last three words. "So was this your plan the entire time? To betray me by killing my past self? Were you so willing to sacrifice your very existence Raziel?"
Jenise jumped between Kain and Raziel before the latter could utter a rebuttal. "Don't be so naive! Raziel would not sacrifice himself to see you erased from the world! You should be thanking us for being gracious enough to let you live!"
Kain's anger grew tenfold at the priestess's bold words. Faster than one could blink, the back of his hand whipped across Jenise's right cheek. The force sent her flying across the room where she landed in a disorientated heap. She slowly sat upright, clutching her face. She bit back the stinging tears of pain that threatened to reveal her weakness.
"Insolent wench! Do not dare tell me that my life rests in the hands of a Sarafan!"
The priestess responded with a silent, but hate-filled glare. She remained on the ground, too shocked by the vampire's strength. She had been overpowered in the past, but never before had she felt so weak. Raziel stepped in on behalf of his fallen ally.
"If you ever lay harm to her again, I shall see to it that I complete the task with which the Elder God assigned me," the reaver threatened.
Kain glared at his creation, judging Raziel's sincerity. The wraith blade tingled with hunger at the prospect of devouring such a powerful soul. Jenise had finally overcome her shock, and joined Raziel's threatening pose with one of her own. She lifted her bloody sword enough for Kain to acknowledge the fact that it was his own blood on the blade. Though the thought of a challenging battle thrilled him, Kain conceded.
"I shall let her live...for now. But only because I know she has further purpose. After she proves her usefulness, I can't make any promises," the vampire lord warned.
Jenise's glare did not falter during Kain's taunt, though inwardly she felt unease at his words. She tried her best to act as if his threat meant nothing to her.
"Let's go, Raziel. I'd rather not waste anymore of my time here. We have much more important tasks to accomplish," the priestess suggested as she sheathed her weapon, intentionally leaving the vital fluid on the blade.
As the duo left the room, Jenise brushed by Kain as a final demonstration of her defiance. Kain bared his teeth in response. As the allied warriors exited the room, Kain turned towards them and halted their departure with a query.
"Tell me, Raziel, when you travel to the future, how do you intend on finding the new pillar guardians?"
Raziel stopped in his tracks, realizing that he and Jenise had not accounted for that part of their scheme. Kain continued.
"Unfortunately for you, you'll require my assistance. Being a pillar guardian myself, I am more attuned to their energies than both of you combined."
"We need no help from you, Kain," sneered the former vampire. "We can manage on our own."
"But will you be able to locate all the pillar guardians before it is too late?"
Raziel was again found without answers. His silence to Kain's inquiry was worrisome to the priestess.
"Raziel, don't tell me you're considering accepting his help."
"Who says I was offering my help?"
Raziel glared over his shoulder at his sire momentarily, before turning towards his ally.
"Kain has a valid point. We'll need his help if we are to find the guardians within a reasonable amount of time."
"Then it is settled," Kain replied with a victorious tone to his voice. "With the setting of the sun tonight, we shall depart for the future."
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Review Response:
Concept of a Demon: Did this chapter help clear things up a bit? As for altering history and requiring a paradox...well, who's to say this couldn't be the result of the paradox at the end of SR2? The events of BO2 are the result of said paradox, and as you can see, much of my story revolves around the BO2 timeline.
Lilith: Muahahahahahahaha! Yes! I am truly, truly evil! I've had this planned out for weeks! As for your threat...you can plainly see it was effective, though I believe it was your turn to update next. But seeing as how you posted four chapters consecutively, I'll let you off the hook. I bet you didn't think you'd see me update so soon, huh? Anyway...was your suspicion right?