Chapter Forty-Two
Raziel stared at Jenise in absolute horror. The priestess stood paralyzed in her painful condition. The mace in her back, still in the grasp of her attacker, was all that was holding her up. The Sarafan Lord grinned widely at his cruel deed. Using his free hand to brace his victim, he pulled the mace from Jenise's back.
Released from the sharp spikes of the mace, the priestess staggered forward a few steps towards Raziel. Her strength completely drained, she only went a few inches forward. Her eyes lost focus on her ally and they rolled up into the back of her head as she collapsed to the concrete of the pillar base.
Raziel's shock and fear turned into hate and anger. His misty white eyes illuminated with maddening fury. With the Nexus stone destroyed, the wraith blade returned. It flared to life, matching Raziel's rage. Because the vampire wraith was still holding onto the physical blade, the spectral blade coiled around its twin.
"You unbelievable bastard! How could you?"
"How could I not? She was right there, vulnerable and unsuspecting. It was the perfect opportunity!"
Though still completely irate that his plans had been destroyed, the Sarafan Lord could not help but muse about his vile deed. This only proved to further enrage Raziel. The Hylden stepped over Jenise's body, advancing towards Raziel. He spun the mace in his hand, assessing a better grip on the weapon. Raziel could see Jenise's blood glistening on the spikes of the mace.
Raziel charged the Sarafan Lord. The Hylden matched the former vampire's lead. They approached each other swinging weapons. Metal clashed with metal. Weapons locked, the lord shoved Raziel back a step, freeing his mace for another attack. The lord swung his weapon again, but Raziel matched his move. Weapons collided again.
Neither opponent was gaining the upper hand. Both were matching each other's moves par for par. For every nick one opponent suffered, the other soon suffered on of his own. And the wounds delivered were nothing more than just that...nicks. As the battle drew on, both combatants grew fatigued and frustrated.
The Sarafan Lord, having doubts whether or not his stamina would outlast Raziel's, he opted for a different tactic. The lord caught his opponent off guard with a kick to the midsection. Raziel fell back several feet. But this was enough room for the Sarafan Lord. The Hylden's eyes flared neon green as he gathered all his strength. His aura shone, matching the color of his eyes.
Raziel quickly jumped back to his feet. He watched the Sarafan Lord for a moment, curious as to his intentions. Raziel only spared that one second before charged back into battle. As Raziel approached, the Hylden grinned as he hefted his mace skyward, preparing to deliver a blow. Raziel pulled the Soul Reaver back.
The mace came speeding down upon its victim. The sound of metal through flesh told any too squeamish to watch that a fatal blow had been delivered. Blood dripped onto the ground around the combatants' feet.
The Sarafan Lord stared in disbelief. Not only had Raziel's attack been faster than the lord's but he had also managed the impossible. The Soul Reaver, both manifestations of the weapon, had been thrust directly through the Hylden lord's heart. The lord dropped the mace, unable to hold it in his grasp any longer.
The Hylden tried futilely to clutch at the weapon protruding from his chest. In response, Raziel twisted the blade ninety degrees within the beast. The lord gasped in pain. He could feel himself being lost to the twin blades. The physical blade, hungry for blood, and the wraith blade, hungry for souls, simultaneously devoured the life essence of the Sarfan Lord.
The Hylden slumped forward with his death. Raziel shoved the dehydrated beast off his weapon with his cloven foot. The Hylden fell to the ground, never to move again. Raziel took a moment to ensure the monster would not rise from his fate again. After confirming this, his attention went immediately towards Jenise.
Alma had been supporting the priestess's head in her lap, calling her name, trying to get some sign of life. Tears filled the sensitive girl's eyes as she was realizing the truth of the situation. Sophia and Taliba tried to calm Alma, reasoning with her that there was nothing that could be done. Kain silently watched the situation.
The remaining guardians, who had been watching the battle, followed Raziel to the priestess's side. Unable to release the Soul Reaver, Raziel took Jenise's limp form in one hand from Alma's arms. He stared at her pale, cooling body. There was no life within her.
"Jenise?" Raziel whispered in disbelief. With no response, he lowered her head back down to the ground. "I...I can't believe she's actually gone..."
"Her loss was not in vain, Raziel," Sophia now had to try and comfort the reaver of souls. "Without her, the Hylden would have surely overrun Nosgoth."
"And if not for her, none of us would have been born as guardians," Galen pointed out.
"She shall be honored for her sacrifice for years to come," added Nobu.
"I don't want her to be honored for her sacrifice!" Raziel exploded in anger, rising to his feet. "Of all the people I've known during my entire existence, she's the only one who never used or manipulated me for any reason or in anyway! She's the only person I can say I could trust! I couldn't even trust my own sire!" Raziel commented, glancing at Kain.
"That's not true," Alma whispered, defiant of Raziel's words. She spoke a little louder when attention was drawn to her. "I've never used you. And neither have any of the other guardians. You should be able to trust us!"
"Alright, fine. I'll trust you," Raziel replied sardonically as he turned to face Drogo. "I TRUST you can bring her back!"
Drogo sighed, shaking his head. "I cannot."
"Yes you can! I've seen you do it before!"
"I cannot bring Jenise back. The purpose of my abilities is to bring back those who died wrongfully."
"She was murdered! Wrongfully, I might add! Why can you not bring her back?"
"She had also died once already. And she already had been restored to life. A being can be restored back to life only once," Drogo explained.
"You are so full of horse manure!" Raziel refused to accept his reasoning. "You could try anyway!"
"It would be futile," interrupted Roshan. "Her spirit has already passed on..."
"No," Raziel responded, staring at the priestess's form. During his battle, he hadn't even noticed her soul leave her body. "Damn it!"
"Calm down, Raziel," Galen spoke softly, using his power to ease Raziel out of his fury. "She will live on...in our memories."
Raziel turned away from the group and began walking towards the pillar gates.
"Where are you going, Raziel?" inquired Kain, stopping his first-born.
"If none of you will help be bring her back, then I'll go do it myself. Excuse me," he pushed passed his sire.
Rauha spoke up. "If you go back and change her fate, you may change the outcome of tonight's events. You may end up dooming Nosgoth once again!"
Raziel stopped again at her words. He seemed to silently contemplate how he could possibly change history for the worst by going back in time to save Jenise's life.
"Wait, Raziel! It's not over yet!" Taliba called out, gaining everyone's attention. She clutched at her head, the pain from her visions still pounding her skull. Cosmo supported her weight as she slowly approached the reaver of souls.
"What do you mean?"
"In my vision...I saw... History will repeat itself, Raziel. Unless you stop him..."
"Stop who?"
"A beast... A demon... Not like any I've ever seen before... Far into the distant future, far to the north in Dark Eden... He's found the long forgotten portal of the Sarafan Lord... He knows not the dangers of his actions... But he opens the portal anyway..."
Raziel thought about Taliba's cryptic foresight. He pieced together the bits of information. "Dark Eden...in the future... That could mean only one thing!"
"What is it?" Cosmo encouraged Raziel to share his epiphany.
"Turel..." Raziel softly replied absentmindedly. His thoughts were now more on getting back to the era of Kain's fallen empire. "Taliba, do you think you could show me exactly when this is to happen?"
"I can do better than that," the time guardian replied, her strength returning. "Nobu, can you come here, please?"
The guardian of dimension complied. "Yes?"
"I wish to open a gateway directly to the era in my vision. I need you to make a dimensional portal."
"Consider it done."
Nobu concentrated his power, focusing it directly before him. The air in front of him seemed to contort. Looking through the warping space, object seen on the other side seemed to ripple as if extreme heat was rising off their surfaces. The portal opened, revealing a swirl of lights and fog.
Once the portal was stable, Taliba focused her energy into the portal, directing the opposite end to that of her desire. The fog and lights within the portal twisted and turned to reveal a location at the opposite end.
Task complete, Taliba instructed, "The portal is stable. When you walk through, you shall arrive before he opens the Hylden gateway. You have not much time."
Raziel approached the time portal. He gazed inside, assessing it before it was too late to go back. Looking through it, he could see a wall. Upon it, a few weapons were mounted. Above the wall, he could make out half of a symbol. He could tell that it was the insignia of the Dumahim. As Raziel was about to enter the portal, Kain joined his side.
"What do you want?" the former vampire snapped.
"You may need my help."
"I doubt that."
Despite their indifferences, Raziel did not dispute Kain returning to the future with him. The master vampire entered the portal first. Raziel hesitated a moment, looking back at the era he was about to leave behind. His eyes wandered over to Jenise's body.
"Once I've finished with Turel, I'll be returning to change Jenise's fate," Raziel vowed. "For all her efforts, she should at least be able to see the good she's brought into this world."
On that note, Raziel plunged into the time portal. A few moments of weightlessness and disorientation passed before Raziel found himself stepping foot on solid ground once again. He looked around, and found himself at the Sanctuary of the Clans, standing on the very spot where his wings had been torn from his body. The time portal behind him faded.
Raziel looked around, and found himself alone. Kain was nowhere to be found. But the former vampire found his surrounding distracting. The pillars, that had once been destroyed, decayed, and mutilated were now whole, healthy, and rose high into the sky through the opening in the sanctuary roof. Kain had still crafted a throne at the base of the balance pillar, but the pillars were still as healthy as he had just left them only moments ago in Nosgoth's past.
His mind set on the task at hand, Raziel quickly exited the sanctuary. Upon stepping out into the world, he found it much less gloomy than he could recall. The dead world he remembered was now flamboyant of life. Trees, grass, flowers all grew freely where there had once been rock, stone and dirt. Birds chirped as they swooped through the air. A squirrel skittered away into the trees.
The sky was also changed. No longer completely overcast with smoke, the sun was able to peek through the thick atmosphere. Raziel deduced that some of the smokestacks that had been erected to block out the sun were now demolished.
One thing did remain the same, however. The presence of the devolved vampires. Two elite Dumahim leapt out from behind the trees, blocking Raziel from his path. The former vampire quickly disposed of the deformed offspring of his brother with the Soul Reaver. Raziel continued onwards toward the abyss.
The reaver of souls traveled the long snowy roads northward until he reached Dumah's clan lands. At that point, he turned west through a mountain tunnel. At the opposite end of the mountain range Raziel was now traveling through, lay Dark Eden.
Despite the rest of Nosgoth, this barren wasteland remained unchanged despite the alterations made in history. The sky here was darker than any other sky over Nosgoth. The land was dead, devoid of any plant life. Twisted creatures from centuries past still roamed the volcanic desert. These mindless beasts had provided sustenance for Turel's fledges during harsh times.
Hacking his way through a few Turelim, Raziel entered the stronghold of his eldest brother. He navigated his way through the twisting labyrinth of hallways and corridors, slaying any who got in his way. Traveling deep within the stronghold, Raziel came across a newly structured corridor he hadn't recalled ever seeing before.
Raziel decided to investigate this passageway, following it to its end. A set of large double doors blocked his way. Pushing with all his might, Raziel hefted the door open. Beyond the doorway, he found himself outside once again. He had traveled underground beneath Turel's fortress and through the mountains he had carved his stronghold from.
The reaver of souls now found himself in a canyon within the mountains. The sky overhead was dark as night. Only the fiery glow of molten rock in the pits below illuminated the area. The air was hot with the acrid smell of ash.
Before him, dozens of Turelim were slaving away, hauling boulders set upon wooden carts. They dumped their loads into the lava pits before returning for another load. At the far end of the valley, Raziel could see more Turelim clearing rocks and stone from a section of the mountain walls. Beneath the earth, the edges of a dormant gateway revealed itself.
"Raziel! Is that you?" A deep voice disturbed the former vampire from his watchful gaze.
Raziel tried to locate the dreadful voice. "Show yourself!"
"How little you are, Raziel! I am disappointed. I imagined you'd be so much more when the master told me you killed our brothers!"
Raziel turned around, facing the doorway he had just entered through. He looked up into the shadows, spotting a pair of glowing red eyes. "Turel!"
"Yes, Raziel. But unlike our brothers, I shall not be disposed of so easily!"
Raziel stared at Jenise in absolute horror. The priestess stood paralyzed in her painful condition. The mace in her back, still in the grasp of her attacker, was all that was holding her up. The Sarafan Lord grinned widely at his cruel deed. Using his free hand to brace his victim, he pulled the mace from Jenise's back.
Released from the sharp spikes of the mace, the priestess staggered forward a few steps towards Raziel. Her strength completely drained, she only went a few inches forward. Her eyes lost focus on her ally and they rolled up into the back of her head as she collapsed to the concrete of the pillar base.
Raziel's shock and fear turned into hate and anger. His misty white eyes illuminated with maddening fury. With the Nexus stone destroyed, the wraith blade returned. It flared to life, matching Raziel's rage. Because the vampire wraith was still holding onto the physical blade, the spectral blade coiled around its twin.
"You unbelievable bastard! How could you?"
"How could I not? She was right there, vulnerable and unsuspecting. It was the perfect opportunity!"
Though still completely irate that his plans had been destroyed, the Sarafan Lord could not help but muse about his vile deed. This only proved to further enrage Raziel. The Hylden stepped over Jenise's body, advancing towards Raziel. He spun the mace in his hand, assessing a better grip on the weapon. Raziel could see Jenise's blood glistening on the spikes of the mace.
Raziel charged the Sarafan Lord. The Hylden matched the former vampire's lead. They approached each other swinging weapons. Metal clashed with metal. Weapons locked, the lord shoved Raziel back a step, freeing his mace for another attack. The lord swung his weapon again, but Raziel matched his move. Weapons collided again.
Neither opponent was gaining the upper hand. Both were matching each other's moves par for par. For every nick one opponent suffered, the other soon suffered on of his own. And the wounds delivered were nothing more than just that...nicks. As the battle drew on, both combatants grew fatigued and frustrated.
The Sarafan Lord, having doubts whether or not his stamina would outlast Raziel's, he opted for a different tactic. The lord caught his opponent off guard with a kick to the midsection. Raziel fell back several feet. But this was enough room for the Sarafan Lord. The Hylden's eyes flared neon green as he gathered all his strength. His aura shone, matching the color of his eyes.
Raziel quickly jumped back to his feet. He watched the Sarafan Lord for a moment, curious as to his intentions. Raziel only spared that one second before charged back into battle. As Raziel approached, the Hylden grinned as he hefted his mace skyward, preparing to deliver a blow. Raziel pulled the Soul Reaver back.
The mace came speeding down upon its victim. The sound of metal through flesh told any too squeamish to watch that a fatal blow had been delivered. Blood dripped onto the ground around the combatants' feet.
The Sarafan Lord stared in disbelief. Not only had Raziel's attack been faster than the lord's but he had also managed the impossible. The Soul Reaver, both manifestations of the weapon, had been thrust directly through the Hylden lord's heart. The lord dropped the mace, unable to hold it in his grasp any longer.
The Hylden tried futilely to clutch at the weapon protruding from his chest. In response, Raziel twisted the blade ninety degrees within the beast. The lord gasped in pain. He could feel himself being lost to the twin blades. The physical blade, hungry for blood, and the wraith blade, hungry for souls, simultaneously devoured the life essence of the Sarfan Lord.
The Hylden slumped forward with his death. Raziel shoved the dehydrated beast off his weapon with his cloven foot. The Hylden fell to the ground, never to move again. Raziel took a moment to ensure the monster would not rise from his fate again. After confirming this, his attention went immediately towards Jenise.
Alma had been supporting the priestess's head in her lap, calling her name, trying to get some sign of life. Tears filled the sensitive girl's eyes as she was realizing the truth of the situation. Sophia and Taliba tried to calm Alma, reasoning with her that there was nothing that could be done. Kain silently watched the situation.
The remaining guardians, who had been watching the battle, followed Raziel to the priestess's side. Unable to release the Soul Reaver, Raziel took Jenise's limp form in one hand from Alma's arms. He stared at her pale, cooling body. There was no life within her.
"Jenise?" Raziel whispered in disbelief. With no response, he lowered her head back down to the ground. "I...I can't believe she's actually gone..."
"Her loss was not in vain, Raziel," Sophia now had to try and comfort the reaver of souls. "Without her, the Hylden would have surely overrun Nosgoth."
"And if not for her, none of us would have been born as guardians," Galen pointed out.
"She shall be honored for her sacrifice for years to come," added Nobu.
"I don't want her to be honored for her sacrifice!" Raziel exploded in anger, rising to his feet. "Of all the people I've known during my entire existence, she's the only one who never used or manipulated me for any reason or in anyway! She's the only person I can say I could trust! I couldn't even trust my own sire!" Raziel commented, glancing at Kain.
"That's not true," Alma whispered, defiant of Raziel's words. She spoke a little louder when attention was drawn to her. "I've never used you. And neither have any of the other guardians. You should be able to trust us!"
"Alright, fine. I'll trust you," Raziel replied sardonically as he turned to face Drogo. "I TRUST you can bring her back!"
Drogo sighed, shaking his head. "I cannot."
"Yes you can! I've seen you do it before!"
"I cannot bring Jenise back. The purpose of my abilities is to bring back those who died wrongfully."
"She was murdered! Wrongfully, I might add! Why can you not bring her back?"
"She had also died once already. And she already had been restored to life. A being can be restored back to life only once," Drogo explained.
"You are so full of horse manure!" Raziel refused to accept his reasoning. "You could try anyway!"
"It would be futile," interrupted Roshan. "Her spirit has already passed on..."
"No," Raziel responded, staring at the priestess's form. During his battle, he hadn't even noticed her soul leave her body. "Damn it!"
"Calm down, Raziel," Galen spoke softly, using his power to ease Raziel out of his fury. "She will live on...in our memories."
Raziel turned away from the group and began walking towards the pillar gates.
"Where are you going, Raziel?" inquired Kain, stopping his first-born.
"If none of you will help be bring her back, then I'll go do it myself. Excuse me," he pushed passed his sire.
Rauha spoke up. "If you go back and change her fate, you may change the outcome of tonight's events. You may end up dooming Nosgoth once again!"
Raziel stopped again at her words. He seemed to silently contemplate how he could possibly change history for the worst by going back in time to save Jenise's life.
"Wait, Raziel! It's not over yet!" Taliba called out, gaining everyone's attention. She clutched at her head, the pain from her visions still pounding her skull. Cosmo supported her weight as she slowly approached the reaver of souls.
"What do you mean?"
"In my vision...I saw... History will repeat itself, Raziel. Unless you stop him..."
"Stop who?"
"A beast... A demon... Not like any I've ever seen before... Far into the distant future, far to the north in Dark Eden... He's found the long forgotten portal of the Sarafan Lord... He knows not the dangers of his actions... But he opens the portal anyway..."
Raziel thought about Taliba's cryptic foresight. He pieced together the bits of information. "Dark Eden...in the future... That could mean only one thing!"
"What is it?" Cosmo encouraged Raziel to share his epiphany.
"Turel..." Raziel softly replied absentmindedly. His thoughts were now more on getting back to the era of Kain's fallen empire. "Taliba, do you think you could show me exactly when this is to happen?"
"I can do better than that," the time guardian replied, her strength returning. "Nobu, can you come here, please?"
The guardian of dimension complied. "Yes?"
"I wish to open a gateway directly to the era in my vision. I need you to make a dimensional portal."
"Consider it done."
Nobu concentrated his power, focusing it directly before him. The air in front of him seemed to contort. Looking through the warping space, object seen on the other side seemed to ripple as if extreme heat was rising off their surfaces. The portal opened, revealing a swirl of lights and fog.
Once the portal was stable, Taliba focused her energy into the portal, directing the opposite end to that of her desire. The fog and lights within the portal twisted and turned to reveal a location at the opposite end.
Task complete, Taliba instructed, "The portal is stable. When you walk through, you shall arrive before he opens the Hylden gateway. You have not much time."
Raziel approached the time portal. He gazed inside, assessing it before it was too late to go back. Looking through it, he could see a wall. Upon it, a few weapons were mounted. Above the wall, he could make out half of a symbol. He could tell that it was the insignia of the Dumahim. As Raziel was about to enter the portal, Kain joined his side.
"What do you want?" the former vampire snapped.
"You may need my help."
"I doubt that."
Despite their indifferences, Raziel did not dispute Kain returning to the future with him. The master vampire entered the portal first. Raziel hesitated a moment, looking back at the era he was about to leave behind. His eyes wandered over to Jenise's body.
"Once I've finished with Turel, I'll be returning to change Jenise's fate," Raziel vowed. "For all her efforts, she should at least be able to see the good she's brought into this world."
On that note, Raziel plunged into the time portal. A few moments of weightlessness and disorientation passed before Raziel found himself stepping foot on solid ground once again. He looked around, and found himself at the Sanctuary of the Clans, standing on the very spot where his wings had been torn from his body. The time portal behind him faded.
Raziel looked around, and found himself alone. Kain was nowhere to be found. But the former vampire found his surrounding distracting. The pillars, that had once been destroyed, decayed, and mutilated were now whole, healthy, and rose high into the sky through the opening in the sanctuary roof. Kain had still crafted a throne at the base of the balance pillar, but the pillars were still as healthy as he had just left them only moments ago in Nosgoth's past.
His mind set on the task at hand, Raziel quickly exited the sanctuary. Upon stepping out into the world, he found it much less gloomy than he could recall. The dead world he remembered was now flamboyant of life. Trees, grass, flowers all grew freely where there had once been rock, stone and dirt. Birds chirped as they swooped through the air. A squirrel skittered away into the trees.
The sky was also changed. No longer completely overcast with smoke, the sun was able to peek through the thick atmosphere. Raziel deduced that some of the smokestacks that had been erected to block out the sun were now demolished.
One thing did remain the same, however. The presence of the devolved vampires. Two elite Dumahim leapt out from behind the trees, blocking Raziel from his path. The former vampire quickly disposed of the deformed offspring of his brother with the Soul Reaver. Raziel continued onwards toward the abyss.
The reaver of souls traveled the long snowy roads northward until he reached Dumah's clan lands. At that point, he turned west through a mountain tunnel. At the opposite end of the mountain range Raziel was now traveling through, lay Dark Eden.
Despite the rest of Nosgoth, this barren wasteland remained unchanged despite the alterations made in history. The sky here was darker than any other sky over Nosgoth. The land was dead, devoid of any plant life. Twisted creatures from centuries past still roamed the volcanic desert. These mindless beasts had provided sustenance for Turel's fledges during harsh times.
Hacking his way through a few Turelim, Raziel entered the stronghold of his eldest brother. He navigated his way through the twisting labyrinth of hallways and corridors, slaying any who got in his way. Traveling deep within the stronghold, Raziel came across a newly structured corridor he hadn't recalled ever seeing before.
Raziel decided to investigate this passageway, following it to its end. A set of large double doors blocked his way. Pushing with all his might, Raziel hefted the door open. Beyond the doorway, he found himself outside once again. He had traveled underground beneath Turel's fortress and through the mountains he had carved his stronghold from.
The reaver of souls now found himself in a canyon within the mountains. The sky overhead was dark as night. Only the fiery glow of molten rock in the pits below illuminated the area. The air was hot with the acrid smell of ash.
Before him, dozens of Turelim were slaving away, hauling boulders set upon wooden carts. They dumped their loads into the lava pits before returning for another load. At the far end of the valley, Raziel could see more Turelim clearing rocks and stone from a section of the mountain walls. Beneath the earth, the edges of a dormant gateway revealed itself.
"Raziel! Is that you?" A deep voice disturbed the former vampire from his watchful gaze.
Raziel tried to locate the dreadful voice. "Show yourself!"
"How little you are, Raziel! I am disappointed. I imagined you'd be so much more when the master told me you killed our brothers!"
Raziel turned around, facing the doorway he had just entered through. He looked up into the shadows, spotting a pair of glowing red eyes. "Turel!"
"Yes, Raziel. But unlike our brothers, I shall not be disposed of so easily!"