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Smoke: Actually, you're on the right track on how the story's going, but I'm not going to spoil it. (Not sure if you'd want to.) Thanks for your continued reviews!

phoenix: I'm planning to go into the time of the Defiance period right before the damning of the Pillars while Raziel and Kain are in SR2. Marina will meet up with them eventually. The romance factor is definitely not finished. ;)

Varyssa: New reviewer! I hope you liked the story…all 34 chapters of it!

DuoPhreaks: The story will continue, although I'm not sure how many chapters it'll be. And you added me to your favorites? Thanks! :)

The day was surprisingly mild, with the sky a sea of gray clouds swollen with rain. The air tingled with—expectation. Electric shocks were racing through the atmosphere, promising that nothing would be the same again. But I couldn't I have cared. I've known this for a long time.

Back at Sanctuary, I had stared at Kain questioningly, wondering whether or not to say goodbye. For good. Still, I had left, as was my habit to explore the territories. I wanted to do what I normally did in the hopes that nothing out of the ordinary would happen. Not that there was much left to explore after a millennia of living here. Would we see each other again? Would one of us be killed before the week was out? I knew not. No one could know.

For whatever reason, I had chosen to revisit the City of the Razielim. It seemed appropriate after all, due to my dreams. To conjure up all memory only to dispose of it later. Yet, something seemed wrong. In fact, something was profoundly disturbing.

I approached the main gates of the city that were kept closed perpetually with a Dumahim guard flanked on either side. The sentries would usually let me in. If they felt like it that is. However, this day, the gates were flung wide. I was instantly puzzled. Had the Dumahim finally developed some manners and had decided to be welcoming for a change?

No, I later decided. No way in hell. Not considering whom their sire was. The Dumahim clung to their holdings and possessions like misers. No one could even touch the heavy gate of the city they usurped without their permission. I sensed something was wrong. Very wrong. A chill went through me. I hadn't felt this way in years. I had only experienced this forbidding chill once. Right before Raziel's execution; around nine hundred years ago. Oh, he had been here…

All the Dumahim were dead, their bodies impaled with spears. Some were burned; blacked by the torches affixed around me. Some stubs of wood scattered about provided evidence of this. It had evidently been a massacre. None were spared. Just like the Razielim. We had not spared them from their acid fate. The father was taking vengeance for her children; the gates of his city crashed open as testament to his claim.

I gasped and leaned on the stone wall for balance. My head down, I breathed deeply, trying not to faint. I fainted before when he had shown me his wings. Wings I knew he would come to possess and then be cruelly taken away by the burning waters below. Did he still have them now? A buzzing had begun in my ears, my head spinning. What should I do? What could I do?

Melchiah's territory lay beyond. And it appeared as if Melchiah would get his wish. He would be the first to be released. Perhaps he would feel joy at this deliverance. I thought about warning him, but that would be impossible. My life was in danger too. I couldn't warn every brother. You can't save everyone, Kain's words reverberated in my brain.

No. I couldn't. But I could save one. Ignoring the tense fear that threatened to drag me down, I ran out of the walled courtyard and into the mainland again. As I sped onward, I felt my body taking shape in my animal form. Like a comet, I rushed on Sanctuary, thoughts blurring my mind. Was his trail still fresh? How could I have not seen him while walking towards the city? It was almost as if I had moved right past him, yet we hadn't met each other. Ws he on another plane of existence? A ghost? Stop thinking! I ordered myself. I would only bring about my own downfall if my mind were elsewhere. I tore across the earth and right inside the entrance of the Sanctuary of the Clans. Once on the familiar marble floors, I let my wolf form ease into my vampiric, womanly state. I near skidded across the corridor in my haste.

Even as I darted through the curving, branching hallways, I had the acute foresight I would not be in them ever again. Despair wanted to crush my heart once more, but I slapped it away. No matter what it took, I would survive and so would he.

I found the doors leading to the throne room standing open. The sight terrified me more than anything in my life. Was he in there right now, preparing to plunge a sword into his father?

Strangely, when I crossed the threshold in a rather sedate manner, steeling myself for what was to come, there was no one there. No one. Empty. Curiously, I marched to the center of the chamber and heard something crunch under my boots. I looked down and gasped aloud. The Soul Reaver was shattered in pieces. A piece of the blade here, a piece of metal over there. A shard to my left, a fragment to my right. I hadn't thought it possible, but it seemed as if the sacred sword had recently exploded with ferocious force.

Suddenly, I heard a woman laugh, as though a bit insane. The same harsh cackling I imagined I heard before. My eyes widened as a woman materialized in front of me. The woman was once very beautiful I could see. Half of her face proved that fact. It was lovely, with a blue eye, flawless profile, and luscious pink lips. The other, the monster half, was that of a decaying corpse. Her long, blonde hair was marked with patches of white and appeared as stiff as straw. She wore a ragged black dress that was arranged in various wisps about her, yet the shoulders of the garment were tattered, with bare skin showing under the interlaced straps of fabric. The dress had obviously been worn for a very long time. The style of it was nearly ancient. Then I noticed for the first time that she floated above the ground and radiated an eerie light. A ghost then. A specter. Haunting the Pillars. So, this is what Kain had been glaring at so intensely.

"He is gone, Marina, and will receive what's coming to him," she spoke, a wicked gleam entering her pale blue eye.

"Who are you?" I asked straightening my spine. "How long have you been here, haunting my beloved?"

"Your "beloved" condemned me to this hell for the past two thousand years, but I was bound here longer than that. My name is Ariel, and I was once the Balance Guardian and a great power in a great land."

"Ariel? I read about you. You were the Guardian of Balance before Kain." I was awestruck.

"I am the Balance Guardian, the last one Nosgoth has ever known. Kain is quite incapable of performing his duties." Her voice was very cold.

"You have been haunting him all this time," I murmured.

"Yes, and now the time has come for justice. For both of you."

This spirit certainly wasn't on my side. "Kain. Is he still alive?"

"Unfortunately. He teleported away, right after he smashed the sword on his son's head."

Raziel had been here? "Where did they go?"

"Presumptuous wench. Why should I tell you anything? I know who you are of course. You're Anarcrothe's dirty little secret and the lover of the man who betrayed me, the man who is the embodiment of the corruption of this land. I have watched you two carry on for centuries. Kain doesn't love you nearly enough to take you away with him, does he?"

I ignored her jeers and obvious disdain. "How did Kain wrong you?"

"He didn't tell you? No, of course he wouldn't. Kain had a chance to save this corrupt nation. He slew all the crooked Guardians. Except your father, Marina. I rather forget who killed that one, save that it happened right here at these Pillars. Kain, officially being the last Guardian, had to sacrifice his own life for Nosgoth to be reborn. Yet, he chose to preserve himself and become an emperor of the earth he had damned. Kain is the last surviving Guardian, and if his life were to be taken now…"

"Nothing would happen," I interjected. "I believe what you say, Ariel, I just do not think Kain's death would mean anything. There is something else here. Something far more demonic than any could fathom." I remembered this from my dreams. They had hinted at something far less lethal than the consequences of Kain's "choice."

Ariel scowled, and pure hated gripped around that milky blue eye. "I have tried to tell you the truth. I told Raziel the truth too. He will finish it if you won't." With that, the spirit dissipated into the air.

"Wait!" I cried plaintively, but it was no use. Ariel, stuck between real life and real death, had retreated back to the spectral world.

I gazed around the room around me, and the full brunt of the blow hit me. I was in danger. And so was Kain. But, I wasn't about to be a romantic heroine. Kain would look out for himself, and I would do the same. Should the Fates be good to us, we would meet again on this plane or the next. Or in hell. Wherever the souls of vampires went.

Sighing in defeat, I left the Sanctuary of the Clans, not even bothering to glance back at it. It had served its purpose. It had sheltered me. Left on my own, I had to find my own way and my new destination. I would go to the Time-Streaming Chamber. That was my current goal. Nay, my beacon. Somehow, I would operate the machine and leave. Maybe Kain would be there by some chance. Naturally, this would be much easier if I had gained Kain's ability of teleportation, but there wasn't much I could do about that.

Following the bends of the smooth tunnels of rock, I emerged onto the hanging wooden bridge that was strung over the Abyss. Hardly glancing below, I made my way to the center platform. I was halfway to Dumah's territory. I would just have to risk it. Besides, Dumah himself couldn't do me anymore harm.

"Marina," a memorable and impossibly recognizable voice drawled behind me, "how fitting that we meet again here. Although, the outcome will not be the same as before."

I didn't hear it. If I didn't see him, he didn't exist. Still, to preserve my neck, I had to be ready for him. Bracing myself, I turned to take in Raziel. The first emotion that registered in me was shock, then amazement, and finally pity. Raziel resembled a walking corpse more than anything that was mortal or immortal. His ribcage was showing; his body completely stripped clean of any skin or organs. All that remained was pure muscle that barely hid his bones from sight. He was stained dark blue with glowing colorless eyes set in his cowl-covered head. The cowl was actually his Clan cape, the red dye of it faded into a muddy brown, with the Razielim symbol still starkly embossed across it. This hid the lower half of his face. I didn't dare think on the implications why. Raziel's ebony hair remained however; tangled and massed on his head, no longer sleek and straight in a ponytail. It was so horrible and so sad; I knew not whether to express sympathy or hostility, though the latter might be more appropriate.

"Raziel? Is that you?" I was stalling for time.

"Yes. Behold what you have done to me."

"I had nothing to do with it!"

"No, you never do anything, Marina. Still, you look as beautiful as ever. I have taken Melchiah's soul and I would've taken Kain's if I had been quicker. With this."

I watched in wonder as a sickly evil green sword uncurled from his claw, a blade radiating an inner light of its own. "This is the Soul Reaver released from its corporeal prison," he explained. "It will sustain me now. Also, it has been entrusted to me so that I may vanquish my enemies." He took a threatening step towards me.

I backed away slowly onto where I thought the opposite drawbridge leading to the Dumahim territory should be. I immediately found myself teetering on the edge of the platform. Where was it? I flicked my eyes behind me and swore. The bridge was gone. It had snapped from heavy usage, and there was no way I could make that jump. Raziel was inches away now. Too late. I was going to die. Melchiah had been wrong. He was the first and I would be the second.

Raziel advanced on me. I swore he was smiling behind his cowl. "Any last words, Marina? Anything? Can you think of anything to say with those pretty lips?"

"No." I replied finally. "I knew, Raziel. About everything. I went to a place in the mountains and spied into a portal that showed the future. I saw you evolve. I saw your entire execution, and I didn't tell you. I didn't warn you. I'm sorry. So, now there is nothing more to say. I do deserve this. I know that now."

This was quite different from what Raziel had anticipated. His eyes flared up in confusion and dimmed down again, narrowing accusingly. "You didn't tell me, did you? You kept it to yourself and chose to side with the murderer. You should have thrown him into the Abyss. You and my brothers. I shall take my vengeance, and nothing can change that."

I could've thrown Kain into the Abyss. With one push of telekinetic power while Kain had bent down to inspect the swirling pool, I could've. What a treacherous being was I. My sins had caught up with me.

Raziel readied the spectral blade and instinctively I moved away, consequently losing my balance. I fell away from the platform; the exact place where Raziel had been cast off. I tumbled down into the depths below. There was nothing to break my plummet. Save the water. I hit the bottom somewhere, striking my head off something. Promptly, I blacked out.

"What should we do this one?"

"She's special. Is she on our side?"

"Who cares?"

"No. She belongs with the vampire, but perhaps she can be bent to our designs…"

I gasped and inhaled a jet of fresh air. My eyes sprang open. I lay on my back, cold water flowing rapidly around me. I was lying on hard, ragged stone. Strange. I had thought there had been other beings with me, discussing my destiny. Who were these other beings, the anti-vampires? Who else had learned of their presence?

Groaning, I sat up on the shelf of rock I had landed on. I looked over and saw more levels of rock, finally leading down to the Abyss itself. I had been spared from the vortex. I stared at it; that lime unblinking eye, in all its glory. It was rather striking, despite the fact that it glowed with pure malevolence. The more I stared, the more I felt myself drawn into it. I leaned over slightly, my fingers scraping the edge. No! I snatched my hands away. Whatever allure this whirlpool promised; I would not be a part of it.

Instead, I decided to look up, and became happy at what I saw. The way to the Dumahim lands were in reach. All I had to do was climb up the natural stone formation that served a wall, leading to the sloping path. The lane was accessible while beneath it in the water.

Amazingly, I grinned. I felt joy course through me, similar to the waterfalls around me spilling into each other. The coldness lapping around me didn't feel quite so bitter. Raziel obviously didn't know of my immunity to water. I was saved. Yet, instantaneously, I felt a stab of grief. Zephon. Rahab. It came to me in a flash. They were dead. Suddenly sorrowful, I mourned the loss of Rahab. About Zephon, I couldn't care less. As wrong as it was, I began to enter better spirits knowing that he could never maim again. Meaning I didn't have much time. Dumah was left, and Raziel would find him. Raziel would revive his brother just to kill him, or burn his motionless carcass. Technically, if the numerous stakes were removed, Dumah could become animate. Raziel would never let that matter rest. Then, he would be after…

I sprang up on my feet and began to claw my way up to the mountain trail. After several failed attempts that ended up with me on my back in the shallow pool, precariously close to the lip of the Abyss, I at last hauled myself up. Not sure how I did it, I gazed down at the Abyss once more; the shrill cries of the birds flying above me echoing in my ears. I supposed it had been an act of sheer determination.

Using my wolf form, I trekked down the road, the temperature turning colder as I did so. I was entering the higher elevations after all. Even as I ran, icy slush began to bunch up under my paws. It wasn't long after until a light snow began to fall. I quickened my pace. Every second counted. I could've been knocked out for hours.

But, it didn't matter how fast I traveled in the end. As the snow grew heavier and the Ash City came into view, rising out of the smoky winter mists, another jab of anguish entered my heart. I whimpered as if I had been shot with an arrow; my animalistic tongue lolling out. Dumah was slain. Just now. Somewhere, Dumah's soul was being released and Raziel was glowing with triumph, his spectral sword of jade light flaring. Four brothers. Gone. Somehow, I was connected to every sibling. I could sense the exact moment their lives were taken. Now, Raziel bore the Soul Reaver in a sense. No longer a physical blade, but a pure laser of energy. Is that what it really did? Steal the souls of others? Maybe all four of them were locked inside with no hope of escape. I did not wish to the fifth.

I bounded into the city, instinct taking me to my destination, but the trip was so arduous. Raziel had been gifted with strange new powers and was three steps ahead of me in most respects. Perhaps he discovered an easier route, but I had to get into the Oracle's Caves the only way I knew how. It barely dawned on me that centuries had passed since I last set foot in the Ash City. I had no time to comment on its expansions or intricate architecture. Simply put, it was built around where I needed to go.

I scarcely took notice of the Dumahim corpses around me, but they were there. Fresh kills either from Raziel's hand or from the motives of the human hunters that camped out here; rejects from the Human Citadel that decided to dedicate their lives to wiping out my race. The mortals never did let up their attacks on the Ash City after they invaded it hundreds of years ago. Some Dumahim, however, were seemingly well and looked after me when I streaked past them. They did not follow or go on the offensive. To them, I was a wolf, nothing more. Not an invader in any case. If they had more intelligence, they would've known the wolf population in Nosgoth had become extinct six centuries past.

I sniffed the air, searching for something. Anything. Some sign that the Time-Streaming Chamber still existed. Another hour ticked past. I was in complete despair. Raziel could've found Kain by now. Maybe he could talk some rationality into his son. I tried to cling to that thought, but it escaped me. A dead man knows no logic. In frustration, I howled at the lightening sky. In that instant of rage, I remembered. It struck me like a ball of fire. Amazing how anger could restore memory.

I found the approximate spot and allowed myself to change back into my natural form. Then, I began to climb until I found the partially hidden hole. Yes. The entire roof had not caved in as of yet. Gratefully, I let myself slide inside, landing hard on my knees. I was unused to climbing such heights. I hadn't a reason to for so long.

Once on my feet, I inspected my situation. Well, it was cold. To illustrate my point, a fresh blast of cold wind struck me from behind. I gasped. Turning around, I was confronted with two heavy metal doors that were partially ajar. The thick coating of ice that had frozen them shut had been cracked. Someone was going my way. How had they got in using an actual door? Evidently, a being more powerful than me.

An unnerving sense of nostalgia crept over me as I traversed these twisting tunnels. They had not changed. What surprised me were Turelim bodies scattered all around. Turelim? Had Turel himself been…transported? However, that didn't concern me. What I needed to pay attention to what exactly had dispatched of them.

All locks were opened. Someone had solved them. I had an intensely bad suspicion about this predicament. What if all was lost? What if it was too late? The more ground I covered, the worse the situation became. It appeared as if every single one of the bolts here had been reset after my second arrival, and now, they had sprung open again. If Raziel was ahead, I had to stop him.

I knew I was close when I encountered the halls of dark and fair colored marble running together; slanting ever downhill to that extraordinary chamber filled with brass machinery. Where was Raziel? Where was anybody? Were they all dead?

"…completely." There. I had caught the tail end of a conversation, and I had heard his voice. Kain was near, and so presumably was Raziel. Right beyond those doors. I ran at them, knocking them open, but I wasn't nearly fast enough. Not for the two mighty beings that is. The Time-Streaming Chamber stood vacant. They had left, but so would I.

I stared up, and saw that the mysterious portal was open again. It was beckoning me to step inside. To come in. Its invitation hung in the empty chamber. Soft luminosity emitted from it. Within, I could chance to find both Kain and Raziel and start a new beginning. My role in this era had passed. It was time for a change. I could investigate the life that had been stolen from me, from us vampires altogether. I dove at the portal and literally jumped inside. There was brightness and a sense of distortion coupled with dizziness like I was being twisted for a brief instance; then all was still as I was dropped onto a floor below. A floor from another age.

TBC