Author's Notes: Forgive me if Kain appears a little less enthralled by his surroundings. He's not immune to daylight, which is fully functional as we know so well in the light of day... I have decided for now that he still has SOME of his vampiric weaknesses. It wouldn't do to stick him in the Mediterranean and have him combust in water, now would it?

Furthermore, I think this is my favorite chapter so far. I also happened to fix a ton of issues that Smoke brought up... once more, it's weird statements about building up slowly beginning to build up somewhere, that just makes editing so funny. It's okay to make mistakes! I actually laughed for a few minutes after reading that... I totally, totally fixed it though. It's all better now. Yeah.

--Kain--

It was difficult tracking the path, which inevitably led me to the mansion. It was impressive, and as modern as any building I had seen thus far but it held the same old style charm that I had begun to appreciate about this city. Many of its older structures remained intact for reasons unknown to me. All of them were made of the same stony substance that seemed so abundant.

It was mostly white, blasted by the salty ocean storms that sometimes came roaring from the sea. Luckily it would not rain, for I didn't wish to test my luck as far as water was concerned. The windows were all lit, and daylight was only a few hours away. I knew that it would not truly harm me, but it was as if I was fledgeling again. It wouldn't harm me unless I stayed out till too long.

The moment I had infiltrated a carelessly unguarded terrace by bat-flight, I was struck by the scent of blood that simply filled this room. My thirst was sated, but the scent stirred my hunger a little like the lingering caress of a long-missed lover. The blood-scent had trailed from the middle of an alley and continued boldly to the mansion.

The room was well-made, for its blatant lack of security. I stood in the midst of history, seeing the soft plush pillows and the softly glowing lamps. There were creatures in this world, then, who disliked artificial light as much as I did. I bared my teeth, moving slowly to the door. This place was crawling with my kind, and it was not lost on me that I should take care to avoid notice.

I followed a long corridor, lined with paintings and portraits of the vampires who reigned. I recognized none of them, but all appeared to retain their human appearances. None of them were winged. Some had dark, black wavy hair, or straight and fair-haired with sharp eyes and harsh faces that seemed filled with immortality's curse. The floor was wood, and I had determined that it would creak without careful movements. I crept cautiously, listening and following until I heard voices.

I crept along the wall until I rounded a corner, and before me sprawled another vestige, overlooking a pair of arching stairways that led down into a room purely for the defining nature of comfort. The carpet was wine red, the chairs made of the softest leather and the end-tables made of gleaming mahogany that screamed of near perfection. The lights were also of the softer nature, easier on my eyes.

One vampire was standing, wearing a dark finely tailored leather coat, with straight pale hair and eyes like the depths of a virgin midnight. His voice poured into my ears, reminding me of the distant crash of water on stone, rising and falling as he eloquently raged against the younger vampire seated in the chair directly in front of him.

"You have fallen lower than I could have possibly imagined, Darius!" the standing vampire said. Kain was pleased to see the other shrink into his chair and avoid his gaze. From this vantage point, they couldn't see him if they looked.

"You are relentless, blood-thirsty -- don't mistake me for being without a heart, for I too have suffered from Sethys' death... but can you not move on with your existence! I have heard her scream as the shadow of death falls over her too many times in the night to spend it peacefully! You have tortured her soul for two years, and worse yet you insist on allowing her to live longer than I would ever have!"

Boldness blossomed in the younger vampire's heart. "She is mine; you yourself had given her to me, and told me specifically that I could do so! And now you berate me for doing just as you allowed, as if you had a heart!"

"I have a heart, or something like it - and it tells me that you are no son of mine that favors one slave and subjects her to every agony imaginable and refuses to give her the mercy of death. I cannot take any more of it, especially needless punishment towards the guardian of the portal! If you don't put an end to it, I shall do it for you, or you can take your petty infatuation with her pain with you!"

When the youth did not reply, the elder rounded on him and leaned close, subduing any further words with a choking grip on his throat. "Where is she?" he purred.

"In... the dungeon... up the stairs, the dark door... But...father, you needn't take care of it... I will... when her sentence is finished, I will finish her."

"Swear it, by the damned blood in your veins, swear it!" The elder was losing patience, and it showed when it became more difficult for him to speak.

"I swear on the blood of Caine, I will release her!" he cried, before sagging against the couch.

I couldn't help but show pleasure at this. I rarely allowed myself to become as helpless to my anger as this man. Still, it was alarming to realize that whoever this elder was, he was merciful and not as overrun with undaunted cruelty as his errant child. I slipped away from the stairs. This girl... under the thrall of Darius was the appointed guardian of the portal; there was no doubt it had to be the same portal that had brought me hurtling into this frightful place.

His brother, Sethys, whoever he may have been had already been killed. Something told me I had yet to uncover the entire story, but the first thing I must do is unleash the woman. If she was in thrall, there was no telling how close she was to madness and I hoped that I was not too late.

I found no opposition. I heard more voices talking, laughter that was quite normal, but I wanted this 'dark door' that Darius spoke of. I found it almost instantly, and it was no mystery why it was so named.

It was huge, metal. It would be a chore opening it, but I was not newly fledged. Apparently Darius had no trouble if he frequented this place so often.

I pulled open the door, and grimaced at the horrible groaning sound it made. It closed behind me with a metal clank. I found myself revolted against the stench that seemed to penetrate the very walls. Filth had collected in the corners, and human and vampiric refuse filled every niche that was available.

I opened every door. Corpses lined the walls. Rat-eaten skeletons were chained against the walls. It reminded me of the plentiful horde I had found in Vorador's mansion in Termagent Forest, but it seemed that these carefully concealed stash had been forgotten, and left to rot.

It was silent, and each room found a similar fate for another corpse. Torch sconces lined the walls, lighting my way. Then, suddenly, I heard a sound somewhere in between a cry and a moan. I pressed close to the last door, the one at the end of this dark and crowded little corridor. I threw it open. The stench of fever and insanity nearly propelled me backwards.

The girl was already in a wretched state. I had no clue how long she had been hanging, but it couldn't have been a day yet. Still...

I approached cautiously. She hardly saw me. My hopes faltered and I considered doing those vampires both a favor and destroying her... No. She had information and power; I needed both badly.

I lifted her face carefully with my claw. She jarred awake and eyed me, turning her face away from me. Slightly wavy locks of brown bronze hair tumbled with the motion and contrasted sharply against her pale white flesh. Her throat bulged underneath a velvet black collar that shielded it from view. Her blood rushed with the sudden quickening of her mortal heart. Her parched lips parted, and I could see fresh slashes of pink on her cheek, scarred over but smelling fresh. Other than her obvious pains, she was strangely beautiful.

"Speak," I commanded. "If you can."

She swallowed again, as if uncertain herself is she understood. Then, with very little else to preoccupy her, she whispered something that highly confused me. "S-Someone... better kill that... goddamn cat..." She fixed her hazel eyes on mine and sucked in her breath. "Kill the cat. Don't eat me."

I laughed. It was a harsh, broken sound that seemed alien to me. "Well...Perhaps I should speak more specifically. Speak 'sense', woman."

She didn't respond easily then. After a few struggling moments she looked me in the eyes and narrowed her own. "Your eyes... vampire?"

"Yes."

"Yellow... like the sun." She strained against the chains and stared at me with wide eyes, invoked with fear. "You letting me down? Did Darius...?" Words failed her. I stepped away, and withdrew the Reaver. It instantly blazed, the against the hilt blazing with the smoking green spilling from the sockets. The human girl gasped and stared at the sword as if it was the source of her salvation. I held the curving blade against her throat.

"Darius will die for his transgression. As for you, I want to hear you ally yourself to me, or breathe your last these few moments." I waited. I would say my heart had skipped a beat, but since I had none it would be a moot point.

She answered willingly enough. "I, Amanda the witch girl, swear my undying loyalty...to.... to..."

"...Kain," I finished quietly. "Say it. Say it!"

"K...Kain!" Her eyes showed a hesitation, an inward thought that was quickly swallowed in the madness that was devouring her. I sheathed the Reaver at last, and reached, lowering the chain. She all but fell with lack of strength. I bent and quickly removed the shackles, before picking her up. She looked as if she were made of broken branches.

Is she bloody malnourished? I hissed as she clung to me. Her shirt looked like the remnants of Raziel's ruined wings. I ridded her of it and quickly doffed my clan cape with the Master's Symbol on it and draped it around her shoulders. It could have wrapped around her slender frame three-fold.

I left the place of death with her. Now that I was familiar with this mansion's hallways, it would be an easy task to get away if I could just avoid attracting unwanted attention. Unfortunately, my luck had ended here. I was met by Darius himself, unarmed but not helpless. Still, if his Sire came to call, I would be in for a greater challenge than I was willing to face at this moment - especially with this girl.

Darius's eyes blazed with the infamous yellow of the vampires of 'my' world. He was undoubtedly angry, but collected. His question was anticipated and I answered heartily, kneeling on the floor and setting her down. I placed myself in his way, reaching to draw the Reaver.

"I'm taking this human off your hands."

Apparently Darius found me as frightening as I had thought myself to appear to those who had not met me. Certainly, I had a gaping hole in my chest where the Heart of Darkness had once been was proof enough that I was beyond his breed of the unnatural.

"She's mine, you monstrous son of a bitch," Darius replied simply. "And I say you can't take her from me."

"The girl has claimed otherwise," I insisted smoothly. "If you would but lend her some sanity and comfort, she'll explain everything. Besides... I need her more than you do. You give her pain without end; I will show her mercy."

Darius hissed, baring his fangs. I only had but a moment, and I had to make it count. I had no time to dance about this fight, and so I flew at him with every ounce of precision in me. Fueled by unbridled bloodlust, I swung the Reaver, bading Raziel's spirit to take his soul quickly. Darius leapt backwards with a startled snarl, but I continued forward, following his path with a well-delivered lunge that saw Darius impaled and gurgling from its end.

"Thank you, old friend," I whispered to Raziel as I drew the foolhardy youngster closer, reaching to pull him by his jacket. I could hear his startled heart pounding unevenly, feel it throb haltingly under my claws as I squeezed my hand around his throat. I pulled the blade free and allowed myself to finally quiet his throbbing jugular. I could have broken this bastard in two.

Vampire blood filled me. I was in a swoon that lasted for moments even as I fled the mansion with the girl. Its taste was unique, and hinted at a slight unpleasant taint that I didn't mind. I drained him, leaving him with enough to suffer with gut-twisting, maddening bloodlust before he might die. And I made sure he would die, for Raziel had already done the trick. He, too, had fed quite well.

--Author's Notes--

Author's Notes: A very long chapter... but I figured if I was going to fit everything in here, I'd have to compensate and make it really long. I don't mind it, only that I tried to make it as sustaining as possible. I hope it didn't die for too many of you toward the middle.