Author's Notes: Okay.... as far as Kain will react to pop culture references... And I am NOT sure he is surprised by much in his own world... I'm not sure how exactly he should react to these things but in a way that might make sense. In fact, this'll probably be really, really hard. Don't hurt me much.

Pinkyfuzzyone: I'm well aware that Amanda will just be inconsolable when she finds out what happened to little old Razzy! I feel bad and I am loathe to write it, but that's what makes it so fun. I'm eager to get to it... and don't worry about Kain being all evil and egomaniac or anything. In my universe, I'm making him a little kinder and a little more patient than he has been of late.

Solain Rhyo: Thank you for your gracious and kind words! You've given me more motivation!!! Thank you very much and expect more chapters yet!!

--Kain--

Once I oriented myself, I was quite at peace going through the portal. My sole concern was whether or not I would be able to return. I would only know once I arrived. Besides, I was eager to think about something else for awhile. Perhaps I would discover another key to the survival of Nosgoth along the journey.

I stepped beyond when the last of vertigo released me. I immediately drew the Reaver again, scenting vampires almost within my immediate presence. There was a dark blotch on the floor nearby, old blood, and symbols across the portal that I could read clearly.

When I percieved that the room was actually empty, I turned to examine them more closely.

"In the name of our One Father, Caine--" he murmured, pausing at the name. "--do we raise this Door to Heaven."

I wrinkled my nose. Perhaps they were mistaken, these so-called 'sons' of mine, but Nosgoth had ceased to be anything resembling heaven several centuries ago - unless I had stepped into the past once more. How they could have raised a portal was beyond me, and my name was not known to the early winged Vampires of my time. It wasn't even spelled correctly. Perhaps my meddling had reached farther back into history than I could ever imagined. Still, it was worth a look to see what Raziel had to show me when he'd forced me into this "Door to Heaven".

I surmised that I had been wrong once I looked up and saw that there was light, not from fire, or from the cold fires of my race that lasted for years, but from the most alien rectangular panels - for I could only describe them as such. I stared at them until my eyes ached, my pupils shrinking to their smallest. I blinked, and examined the walls. They 'appeared' old. But the ceiling was gleaming like polished steel - and those infernal panels!

The vampires' scent was fresher. I wrinkled my nose and kept the Reaver at hand, creeping forward on silent clawed feet. The door before me was of the same metal, but no handle or switch presented itself to me as a solution to opening it.

I must have examined the room from top to bottom, and even poked the Reaver at one of the glowing panels experimentally to no avail. I turned to the portal again, and cursed to find it had closed on me.

"Great trickery, Hylden filth," I growled to the walls, frustration welling up in me. "To have trapped me in this insane little room with no way out. How brave of you, fools. You cannot kill your sworn enemy, so you lock him in a cage and throw away the key!"

Woe to me. The walls did not answer. And while I paced the room in agitation, feeling all the time the burning hunger beginning to worm its way into my veins, I noticed the walls. They were soft, like rocks close to water in Nosgoth. I raked my claw against one near the unmoving door and found my claws leave a satisfying gash in its grain.

Not only that, there was a grate above that I hadn't noticed before. There were no lights, and in being blinded by them I failed to see it. But it was there, and close enough to the wall for me to make an effort to jump to it. So, dusting off my claws, I then sank them into the wall and began to climb.

The tunnel was narrow and barely large enough for my tall form to squirm through. It was infuriatingly difficult to keep quiet, but I would realize soon that after crossing some sorcery, it would have been useless to bother. A dozen solid green lines crossed my path several paces before, and after the experiment of passing my claw quickly before one that they would not harm me, I moved on. This careless action alone alerted the vampire fledgeling guards to my presence.

I reached another grate in the floor. I sank my claws into it and pulled hard. It gave without making a complaint, fortunately, for I knew that the vampires that I sensed were in this room. Too bad for them, for I was stronger, faster, smarter - and I was famished.

I saw them turn in my direction. I made no sound on the brown and red marble floor and leapt - only to find a dozen stings explode all over my skin. I roared, swinging the Reaver with a terrible vengeance. It did not occur to me who these vampires were, or who had Sired them - I only knew my Thirst, over which my role as Scion of Balance apparently had no effect.

They're weapons puzzled me, but I didn't linger. I slid into their midst and slashed at the main center of them. I severed one of them in half, and the others, well, they were gouting blood for their pains. The remaining stragglers had no time to attack, or maybe their strange little objects they felt were weapons had failed them. In either case, I moved among the survivors and drained them with a sharp sense of disappointment. I had hoped for better sport in such a well-maintained enviroment.

Sated from the feast, I examined my wounds seconds before they closed. Then I turned and saw nearly three times more of these strange kindred than I had seen before. I was hopelessly out-numbered. I would have suffered greatly if my wits had completely left me, but I was running through the nearest door I saw before I had a chance to see their faces clearly.

The corridor was painfully bright and apparently new. More of the blinding lit panels above illuminated my path. Everything seemed so immaculate and clean, and the smell of some chemical burned my nose. Later I would realize it was poison gas as an attempt to slow me down. I reached a final door, and threw it open with one solid blow. It gave with a brief metal cry before I emerged into an unfamiliar, terrifying darkness.

It was a city more vast than any I'd seen before - greater even than Meridian. It encroached even on the shores of an unknown sea, which reflected the crisp new moon. But there were still lights, and all of them captured my attention. It was like gazing into a city of starlight, blazing and magnificent, stretching on and making the sky itself glow. I stood gasping for breath although I didn't need it at all.

"Where in Hell have you taken me, Raziel?" I breathed, overcoming my initial shock Something about this city was exhilirating, frightening - and new. It instilled within me a tormenting desire to explore more, every nook and cranny--

There was a scream from the shadows. It was a very plaintive, distinct "No!" which was wrangled from a choking throat, unmistakably feminine. I followed it on a whim. I was lost; what else could I do? Or perhaps Raziel was speaking to me from the grave - pardon, the sword - bading me to follow the voice from the darkness.

The noisy pair led me on a merry chase, and although I was close to them the vampire was apparently too occupied with trying to keep his human slave silent. She was crying hysterically, and each sharp crack broke the silence of the night louder than her crying did. She was silent after awhile and while I followed, I began to feel a distinct loathing for her tormentor. Whatever she had done hardly deserved the torment she was being given, and even a smart fool wouldn't openly abuse her even in full darkness.

I fell away and followed at a more leisurely pace. My eyes were drawn to the perfect spans of glass that filled the long windows of shops and stores. I had seen a hundred houses already and there were millions more for miles around. I reminded myself coldly to pay attention, so I would not get lost.

In the end, I did become disoriented and more than a little confused. The streets sloped and rose like an eddying ocean of hardened black tar. One shadow looked almost exactly the same as the next. I cursed my poor fortune and began backtracking. I would follow this foolhardy idiot into oblivion, for I followed the comforting whisper of Raziel from the sword, encouraging me. He knew where he was going, perhaps better than I did. He had a way of knowing things that I did not.

--Author's Notes--

Author's Notes: I'm sure I'm not the only human who finds those 'panels' really, really annoying. They're the main reason I get headaches in school is those goddamn lights. If they'd just turn them OFF sometimes, that would be great!

Some explanations are in order!!! Those "green light things" laser-sensitive lights triggered an alarm... that was why Kain was fighting off a million more vampires than I had originally planned. This explains the reasons why the portal was 'hot' and why there were absolutely no vampires to be found when Amanda came to the chamber - they were all chasing after Kain. I hope this has helped you understand my reasoning.