Disclaimer – I still don't own any of this lot. But I want Raziel...
Chapter 1: Oxford.
Pain. Kain had not felt this much agony since Raziel had torn his heart out. But as he slowly, oh so slowly, stood up, the pain receded. He raised his hand to push his hair out of his eyes and paused, staring at his hand in wonder. For the first time in centuries, millennia, he had five fingers! 'What the...?' He saw a mirror in the room. Vampires do not have a reflection, but if his hands were human, perhaps... Moving over to the mirror, he gasped. He had a reflection. And it was... handsome. He looked much the same as he had done before he was made a vampire. 'Moebius, did you do this?' Kain pondered, as he explored the room he was in. There were seats around the edges, fat, plush seats covered in cushions. There was a large black box in the corner with a red dot on it. Nervous, Kain gingerly pushed the red dot...
'Teletubbies, teletubbies, say HELLO!!'
'For the love of God...' Kain pushed the button again and the strange noise and bizarre psychedelic pictures vanished. 'What is that thing?' He gave it a wary look before continuing his exploration. More presses of buttons yielded more noise from a silver box in the corner (a hi-fi) and the black box responded to commands from a slim black device with numbers on it.
Having thoroughly explored the lounge, Kain opened the door and went into a room that he recognised as a kitchen, albeit rather different to the ones he was used to. He flicked a few buttons and switches, got bored and went upstairs. On the upstairs landing he found three doors. One of them yielded to his gentle push and led him to a bathroom. Another one revealed a large bedroom with a neatly made bed in it. The final door was a smaller bedroom, also with a neat bed, and on the bed...
'Raziel...' Kain walked softly over to the bed. A young man lay on it, his long black hair fanned out behind him. His electrifyingly blue eyes were wet with tears and he was staring at the ceiling. Beside him, the Reaver lay broken, shattered into pieces, only the handle remaining intact. 'Raziel?' Kain asked again, lightly touching his lieutenant's cheek.
Raziel did not move. He closed his eyes. 'I am human, Kain,' he said, in a weak voice Kain had never heard before. 'I... I never thought I would be human again!' He suddenly smiled and sat up. 'Kain... You are human too!' Raziel looked overjoyed. 'Did Moebius do this?'
'He must have,' Kain said, wryly. He sat down on the bed. 'If you are happy to be human, why do you cry?'
'Tears of joy,' Raziel said, wiping his eyes on the sleeves of his baggy jumper. Clad entirely in black, he looked very fragile and very much like the slender young Sarafan Kain had seen so many centuries ago. 'I felt like I was being tortured, then I awoke and was here... wherever here is.'
Kain walked to the window and opened it, feeling sunlight on his face. He smiled to himself as he looked down on the town of Oxford. 'I guess here is where we call home,' he said. Raziel scooted over to lean out of the window too. 'And somewhere down there lies the book and our ticket out of here.'
'Yes,' Raziel said. He looked thoughtful. 'Kain, when I woke, I went exploring the house. Have you seen the black box downstairs yet?'
'I had a most distressing experience with it,' Kain said, shuddering as he remembered the bright colours and the noise.
Raziel laughed. 'It is rather odd,' he said. 'Anyway, I found these when I was searching.' He held out a book bag and a wallet. 'Look.'
Kain opened the wallet and read the card that was inside. 'Raziel Sarafan. Archaeology department? What the...?'
'It means I am a student here,' Raziel said, smiling. 'That means I have access to almost everywhere.'
'What about me?' Kain asked.
'I can explain...' Moebius materialised. Raziel growled. 'I will not harm you. The two of you must seem like you belong in this world if this quest is to work. Raziel I made a student of the university, simply because his human form is so youthful.' Raziel allowed himself a smug inward smile. 'Kain, you are also allowed to move around the university – you have a research pass to all areas.' He started to fade. 'Happy hunting...'
'For once the old devil actually did something useful,' Raziel mused.
'There is once catch,' Moebius' voice said. 'At sundown, you will return to your old forms again. Raziel, that means you will return to your form as Soul Reaver. But you will no longer be imprisoned in the sword. I figured that two of you against Janos would stand more of a chance than just one.' And with that, Moebius was gone.
'This is a strange predicament,' Kain said, tapping his nails idly against the wall. 'And yet the old man's plan actually seems to make sense.'
'I suppose.' Raziel was looking at the horizon. 'But the sun is going down, Kain. Our mission will start tomorrow...'
NEXT TIME: Raziel experiences the hell of being a student, and meets someone who will change his life.
Chapter 1: Oxford.
Pain. Kain had not felt this much agony since Raziel had torn his heart out. But as he slowly, oh so slowly, stood up, the pain receded. He raised his hand to push his hair out of his eyes and paused, staring at his hand in wonder. For the first time in centuries, millennia, he had five fingers! 'What the...?' He saw a mirror in the room. Vampires do not have a reflection, but if his hands were human, perhaps... Moving over to the mirror, he gasped. He had a reflection. And it was... handsome. He looked much the same as he had done before he was made a vampire. 'Moebius, did you do this?' Kain pondered, as he explored the room he was in. There were seats around the edges, fat, plush seats covered in cushions. There was a large black box in the corner with a red dot on it. Nervous, Kain gingerly pushed the red dot...
'Teletubbies, teletubbies, say HELLO!!'
'For the love of God...' Kain pushed the button again and the strange noise and bizarre psychedelic pictures vanished. 'What is that thing?' He gave it a wary look before continuing his exploration. More presses of buttons yielded more noise from a silver box in the corner (a hi-fi) and the black box responded to commands from a slim black device with numbers on it.
Having thoroughly explored the lounge, Kain opened the door and went into a room that he recognised as a kitchen, albeit rather different to the ones he was used to. He flicked a few buttons and switches, got bored and went upstairs. On the upstairs landing he found three doors. One of them yielded to his gentle push and led him to a bathroom. Another one revealed a large bedroom with a neatly made bed in it. The final door was a smaller bedroom, also with a neat bed, and on the bed...
'Raziel...' Kain walked softly over to the bed. A young man lay on it, his long black hair fanned out behind him. His electrifyingly blue eyes were wet with tears and he was staring at the ceiling. Beside him, the Reaver lay broken, shattered into pieces, only the handle remaining intact. 'Raziel?' Kain asked again, lightly touching his lieutenant's cheek.
Raziel did not move. He closed his eyes. 'I am human, Kain,' he said, in a weak voice Kain had never heard before. 'I... I never thought I would be human again!' He suddenly smiled and sat up. 'Kain... You are human too!' Raziel looked overjoyed. 'Did Moebius do this?'
'He must have,' Kain said, wryly. He sat down on the bed. 'If you are happy to be human, why do you cry?'
'Tears of joy,' Raziel said, wiping his eyes on the sleeves of his baggy jumper. Clad entirely in black, he looked very fragile and very much like the slender young Sarafan Kain had seen so many centuries ago. 'I felt like I was being tortured, then I awoke and was here... wherever here is.'
Kain walked to the window and opened it, feeling sunlight on his face. He smiled to himself as he looked down on the town of Oxford. 'I guess here is where we call home,' he said. Raziel scooted over to lean out of the window too. 'And somewhere down there lies the book and our ticket out of here.'
'Yes,' Raziel said. He looked thoughtful. 'Kain, when I woke, I went exploring the house. Have you seen the black box downstairs yet?'
'I had a most distressing experience with it,' Kain said, shuddering as he remembered the bright colours and the noise.
Raziel laughed. 'It is rather odd,' he said. 'Anyway, I found these when I was searching.' He held out a book bag and a wallet. 'Look.'
Kain opened the wallet and read the card that was inside. 'Raziel Sarafan. Archaeology department? What the...?'
'It means I am a student here,' Raziel said, smiling. 'That means I have access to almost everywhere.'
'What about me?' Kain asked.
'I can explain...' Moebius materialised. Raziel growled. 'I will not harm you. The two of you must seem like you belong in this world if this quest is to work. Raziel I made a student of the university, simply because his human form is so youthful.' Raziel allowed himself a smug inward smile. 'Kain, you are also allowed to move around the university – you have a research pass to all areas.' He started to fade. 'Happy hunting...'
'For once the old devil actually did something useful,' Raziel mused.
'There is once catch,' Moebius' voice said. 'At sundown, you will return to your old forms again. Raziel, that means you will return to your form as Soul Reaver. But you will no longer be imprisoned in the sword. I figured that two of you against Janos would stand more of a chance than just one.' And with that, Moebius was gone.
'This is a strange predicament,' Kain said, tapping his nails idly against the wall. 'And yet the old man's plan actually seems to make sense.'
'I suppose.' Raziel was looking at the horizon. 'But the sun is going down, Kain. Our mission will start tomorrow...'
NEXT TIME: Raziel experiences the hell of being a student, and meets someone who will change his life.