The End is in Sight

Izael stumbled on through the sea of darkness. He hacked left and right, moving forward, hoping to find the Seal somehow. The shadows had inflicted horrible wounds, and every step felt harder to take then the last. 'They are playing with me, wearing me down. They know as well as I do how this will end,' Izael thought. He wouldn't give up... he had to keep on fighting...
His moves became slower and slower. Already the shadows easily dodged all his blows. Suddenly he came upon a huge and ancient structure. He had made it! Izael couldn't believe it...he had survived. Suddenly he sensed something...a change in the darkness. They were coming for him now. They had only let him think he'd made it. Now they would finish the game. "NO!"
Izael fought them with all his might, killing them in droves, but dark claws tore his chest faster he could heal himself. Izael tried to get into the shrine, but the doors were locked. He was backed against a wall. The shadows attacked again, and again, and again.

Izael swung his blade but it was caught, he couldn't move it. He began to scream and panic, then the shadows called out to him. "Izael!" as if it were a final cry.
Izael opened his eyes to see Lent hold his sword. Lent looked at him with the most serious eyes. "Don't let the demons take you," Lent said to him. Izael slowly regained his composure. "The Nerayan are attacking my mind," Izael said, "I thought the sword was meant to protect me." "Only while the barrier is intact. It's failing fast, we must find the temple soon," Gadorian said. "Lent, would you know where it is?" Lent shook his head. "It's right here," Izael said, turning to a solid mass of rock. "I saw it in a vision." The group looked at it, but there were no ancient vampire marks, no worn away designs, or visible doors. Nothing but a solid mass. "I think you're mistaken," Lent said.
Izael was frustrated, he had come so far and time was running out quickly. In an impulse of aggravation, Izael struck the rock with his sword. No sooner did he do that than an opening blew out to the group's right side, revealing a set of stairs that went deep below the land. The group members looked at each other nervously, and then proceeded to descend into the darkness. Izael stepped in first, and a series of ancient torches lit the way before them. Walking on the downward spiral staircase, not a word was spoken. None of them knew what to expect, what to say, how to react. They stopped. The path split off into five separate doorways, each marked individually by a distinct symbol.
"What in the hell?" Lent said as he noted the symbol on the far left. It was the symbol of the Loki. To the right was a symbol of a wraith, in the center Serioli, then the symbol of the vampire protector of the Serioli, and finally that of the ancient.
"This can't be a coincidence," Jessie said. "It's not," Gadorian confirmed. "We're here because we're meant to be here. We follow these paths and inside we face our own demons, our worst fears, and should we prevail, we will meet on the other side." "What will we see?" asked Izael. "It's different for each and every one of us," Gadorian replied. "Then let's stop wasting time," Lent said and entered through his doorway. He promptly disappeared and the door behind him sealed shut.

"This is it, then. The final hour has come. Let's make those demons pay for playing with our minds," Izael said, walking towards the largest doorway in the center.
"Good luck. Remember, whatever you will see, it is only in your head," and with that, Gadorian stepped into the doorway next to Izael's.
Izael stood there for a while, thinking of all that they had been forced to give in order to reach this. When he remembered all the losses, all those who had died for him, Izael swore he would make sure they hadn't died in vain. "Is everything okay?" Jessie asked. Izael nodded and walked to the door in the end of his doorway. He raised the Sword and plugged it into the lock. A strange humming filled the room, then the door became ethereal. Izael stepped inside. Behind him, the doorway collapsed. Inner demons...no, but fears...

Abel felt he had too many fears to name, flight being a big one. Just passing through the door would be a test all of its own. He heard the other doors accept their victims, though Jessie had not yet left his side. Without a word, the vampire turned and embraced her, holding her snuggly, as that left the wraith to pause before returning the gesture. "If you say goodbye, Abel, I'm going to be very angry with you," she warned. Abel smiled, giving her one last squeeze before drawing away, his cloven hands coming to rest on her shoulders. "Only if this was the end, Little One, and I feel that we are far from the end." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss against her forehead. "I wish you luck." Jessie swallowed, watching him turn and move away from her. She felt the urge to follow, yet held herself back. This was something they had to face separately. "I better see you on the other side." "I promise you will, as I had better see you." Abel could feel the warm glow of the symbol on his face and the fading of the barrier that drew him in through the open wall. Still reluctant, he accepted the looming welcome as he stepped through the opening.
In his blindness he could hear numerous, distant voices, though from what direction he could not determine. He aimlessly wandered where he thought was forward as he listened to the mingling voices, sifting through as he tried to filter out anything that sounded even vaguely familiar. As he ventured, the empty blackness he had always known began to fade to deepest grey, to pale grey. It wasn't long before, for the first time in his life, Abel shielded his eyes and squinted against the light.
"Abel..." The vampire looked up, his once absent vision now swimming and distorting what seemed to be a figure before him. Slowly he let his arm rest at his side... "Kain? Is that you?"

Gadorian walked through his door to burst into the middle of a grand festival. Banners were strung across all the buildings of this antediluvian metropolis. The sun glinted off the confetti frolicking through the cool air. Gadorian could smell things almost as wonderful as the music which filled his ears, but the street he was on was empty. He started to rush ahead, but stopped for a moment, climbing atop one of the many towers ornately, and cleverly, carved into an angelic figure.
At the top he could see a great deal of the city, throbbing with life and celebration. His view was blocked however by...fog? How could there be such thick fog on a day as bright and sunny as this? He would have to climb still higher, above the fog. Gadorian jumped off of the statue's head onto its long outstretched arm. He began to sprint up the bicep, but nearly fell when he was hit by a gust of wind. Regaining his balance, he stopped for a moment, curiously short of breath after such a brief run, and then precariously stalked towards the palm.
From his new vantage point, he could more accurately survey his surroundings, but the fog still blanketed much of the city. Turning his eyes southward, he found his view again blocked, but this time by something much sturdier than fog. Gadorian nearly fell for a second time from shock, but, regaining his balance, found that his first notion was accurate. He laid down, trying to comprehend his surroundings, and wrapped his arms around the great stone fingers of the statue. He needed to catch his breath.

Jessie hung back for a moment in the junction where all of their paths separated. She wondered what was on the other side of her door. These pathways were created specifically to feed off of the fear of each unique individual, to test each person and get each person to confront a personal nightmare. Jessie was curious what was in store for her. 'I do not succumb to fear, I inspire it in my enemies,' she thought. With that, she walked over to her door, plunged her sword into the keyhole created specifically for it, and entered what was meant to be her own worst nightmare.

As soon as she was inside, the doorway disappeared behind her. The environment was very dim, but there were several vibrant sources of colorful light. Everything was a gentle wash of pastel colors against a black and starry sky. There were several large plants that were fashioned into living spaces. Creatures floated effortlessly above, gliding around and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Jessie looked around and began to laugh. This was no nightmare. This was one of her favorite places to go when she needed to calm down. Why would the pathway be this? Jessie wandered around for a short while, enjoying herself.

Lent paused in the darkness. Even with his vampiric sight, there was nothing to see. Then something came into view, a flicker in the distance. A door of light beckoned him, and grew brighter, illuminating his surroundings. He was surrounded by water, standing on a tiny platform no more than an inch from its surface. The water laid still and calm, mirroring the stalactites. In life he had been fond of swimming and bathing. Water's touch often cooled him when he was hot, and calmed him when he was restless. Now, it was only death.
During his battle with the Shadow Lord, Lent found his dark gift. With enough momentum, he had the ability to float above the land, and while in the air he could even give himself an extra push without touching anything solid. But he had only tried it once, and didn't know how long it would last.
Not thinking about it twice, Lent pushed himself and began to float slowly over the water's surface towards the door of light. Instinctively he looked down to guess how deep it was. "It wouldn't matter," Lent said, "even if it were two feet I'd probably die." It was then he saw her, Lessa, in the pool's reflection as she moved through the cavern following him. He looked around and didn't see her, only in the reflection.
"Come," she said, "Join me," as the water began to ripple. Suddenly a large tentacle emerged from the pool and swatted Lent, knocking him sideways. He could not control his ability anymore, he was going to fall. In an act of desperation he twisted so to fall on his feet, and when his boots touched the water he stood. Lent was amazed that he had not fallen, but was able to walk on the surface of the water itself. "Is this part of my dark gift?" He wondered, but his curiosity would have to wait, for a wave crept up from behind him as another tentacle emerged. Lent took off on a sprint, four steps and then taking off again, skimming the water's surface. He moved as a wake followed him, tentacles shot up all around him knocking the stone spikes down from the ceiling. Water was splashing all around him, and he could feel it burning his face. He shifted left and right, dodging the attacks, and as he went through the door, it was sealed in a mound of debris. He was alone again, in the heart of the temple. "Had the others fallen or just not yet arrived?" Lent wondered this as he sat and meditated to wait for them.

Jessie began to be aware of something odd. There were subtle vibrations in the environment that shouldn't be there. At first, she shrugged it off, but it kept nagging at her. There were slight distortions in the air, a gentle rippling of the very fabric of space. A very powerful and well masked force was at work here and Jessie could feel the wake of it as it passed by.
Jessie came to a ledge overlooking a vast flat plain that had a few large mounds scattered across its surface. This looked different. Jessie remembered this place, but was certain this was not how it used to be. From somewhere far off in the distance, Jessie was aware of a faint musical melody. It was a haunting, sad song that started to dredge up emotions of loneliness in Jessie. Jessie lowered herself down onto the plain and walked toward the source of the tune. As she neared one of the mounds, she froze in her tracks. A single syllable escaped her lips, "no." It was carried away by the wind before even Jessie herself was able to hear it.

Izael gasped in horror as the doorway collapsed. He tried desperately to push away the rocks, to dig a way back. "It is of no use, chosen one. You are not meant to go back this way." Izael turned to see an ancient vampire. "Are you the test I am meant to face? I have destroyed creatures far worse than you." The vampire laughed. "No, Izael, your test is not to defeat me. No, the test is that you are willing to push on, go all the way, even after what I've told you." "What can you tell me that is so horrible it would make me stir from the path?" The ancient vampire looked sad. "Your true purpose."

Lent sat contently with his eyes closed. In the distance, faint sounds of dripping water echoed through the chamber. "They should have been back by now," a voice said.
Lent ignored it. "Do you think they fell?" said another. "Maybe they're not as skillful as he?" "What?" Lent said, breaking the silence. He awaited an answer, and heard nothing. Distraught, Lent returned to his meditation. "How long will he wait for them?" the first one said. "As long as it takes," said the other, "He has nowhere else to go." "It's a good thing he's a vampire, he'll be waiting a long time," said the first one. "Vampire...vampire...vampire..." The words drifted to a whisper. "You were never meant to be a vampire." Lent replied, "We all do what we are meant to do."
"You were meant to die. That heart was meant for no one." "The choice," Lent said, "Was not mine." There was silence, and the moments lingered. "Still alone, aren't you, Lent?" "I was until you started talking again," he replied, sounding annoyed that the silence was broken. He opened his eyes to find out that he was in a completely different room. It seemed his trials weren't over yet.

The figure, almost invisible in the blackness of the Deva's cave, paused and sat down for the first time in what seemed a very long time. In the all too familiar pose he'd learned so many years ago, his mind and body rested. He finally felt at peace. Nothing seemed to matter in this meditative state of mind. He let go of all thoughts, letting them pass over as do clouds in the skies. Had he allowed the thoughts of recent events to enter, they would consume him. What he needed now was calmness and clarity. In this state of mind, time froze. He knew not how long he had been sitting and could have stayed there forever. But he was awakened by a sound, muffled by the rock. "Kour… are you there?"

"Come back, Novanus, come back. Know who you are." Novanus was seated with his daughter and his wife enjoying the festivities his tribe was throwing when the voice called to him. A vision called to him. A girl, no, a woman...a vampire. All the time the ancient song that he knew so well persistently played in his head. Kira looked up at her father with a worried expression. "Papa, are you sure you're ok?"

"Novanus," called Lessa, "Remember, the others need you." The voice in his head seemed muffled, as if spoken through a thin wall. He stared at his wife Anya's face. She shouldn't be here. None of this should, he was sure of that. His daughter and wife evoked an image in his head - a grassy hill. Kira looked up at him. "Papa, don't." The vampire's eyes welled up with blood tears. He remembered the hill with the two carved stones that he had made himself. He had sat for two days by them before he had left. Novanus looked down. "I'm sorry, my little angel."
Novanus cried out as his tribe slowly disappeared, conjured back to the mind they had been spawned from. Lastly, his wife and daughter faded away. Novanus looked at his wife. She smiled faintly as her form became indistinct and then faded from sight completely. Novanus fell to the floor in a crumpled heap. He had been forced to let them go again, his own family. 'How dare they?' he thought to himself. 'How dare they bring them back to me only to force me to let them go again?' His memories were his own. 'How dare they keep me from completing my task?' Novanus rose up from the floor. No more would he be held back. The machinations of the Nerayan, playing with his memories, had failed and now he was free to join the others at the source. They would banish the Nerayan once and for all.
Novanus stood up, finally free. His powers, now unfettered for the first time since his battle on the Astral plane, blazed forth. Vegetation was suddenly flattened as a telekinetic bubble burst forth from Novanus' mind. He soared into the air and flew to the Barrier shrine. Clouds sped past him at an exponentially increasing rate and, within moments, he was at his destination. He swooped down through the clouds to the shrine and walked around the solid-looking rock face until he came to a waterfall. He parted the cascading water with a telekinetic plough of sorts and stepped through to his door, the secret door, which would lead him straight to the centre of the shrine.

The mound rose out of the ground. It was about as tall as Jessie. She stared at it, trying to comprehend what it was doing here. It looked as if it was alive. It was a mass of pinkish-brown flesh that was slightly pulsating. Knobs and growths protruded from it in all directions. Jessie wasn't sure if she had ever seen something like this before, but it awakened some instinct for self-preservation within her that had long been dormant. She knew that this was not a good sign.
In an instant, with a sudden flash of memory, Jessie understood completely. She had seen mounds like these before, a long time ago, and the experience that was tied in with it was so terrible that she had purposely forgotten it. As she came to this realization, a small village shimmered into view, the buildings surrounded by the mounds. As they appeared, the buildings were fully intact and perfect until all of them had been recreated. Then, slowly, the buildings began to age and decay. As this happened, Jessie could hear faint echoes of screams. Her memory concerning this event was all the way recovered by this time and she cringed to think what would happen next. How accurate would this illusion be?
Jessie decided that she had to forge onward, so she began to walk right through the heart of the town. She began to smell smoke with a faint trace of blood in the air. In the real experience, corpses had covered the street, but the street was strangely empty right now. Jessie heard crunching sounds, followed by the sound of several predators tearing flesh from bone. Still, though, she saw nothing out of the ordinary. When she was in the exact center of the village, the images took form.
Blood was everywhere. There were bodies all over the place, horribly mutilated and missing pieces. Several small creatures passed through Jessie's peripheral vision, but none allowed her to get a clear look. She didn't want a clear look, anyway. This was only an illusion. They could not hurt her unless she let them. She had no desire to relive this experience and was intent on leaving.
As she was nearing the end of the town, the creatures decided to mass an assault. They came pouring out of the mounds all around Jessie and surged toward her. In reflex, Jessie jumped up onto the roof of the nearest building. One of the creatures was brave enough to attempt climbing up after her. Jessie picked it up before it realized what she was doing. She decided she wanted a closer look after all. The creature was vaguely reminiscent of a scorpion, but it had two large eyes and a mouth full of very sharp teeth. It also had small hands with claws instead of crab-like pincers. Suddenly it began to writhe in Jessie's grip and it managed to bite her hand. Jessie let out a small exclamation. That hurt. It was painful. This wasn't possible. It was all just an illusion, right?
Jessie threw the creature down to the others and cast a powerful spell around her. Rings of fire radiated outwards from her body, burning all creatures and corpses in their path. She didn't have this spell in the real encounter, it was so long ago, and she wondered if it would work for real. The illusion began to fade and Jessie fell as the building disappeared underneath her. She felt herself floating for longer than would be expected considering the height of the building. Everything dissolved into blackness. Jessie could sense a presence. It was sending her a message—"Well done. Are you ready for the next one?" Jessie wondered what that could mean as a new illusion began to take form around her.

Lessa had not been sure that Novanus would hear her, but she called anyway. She had seen into his mind, seen the memory the Nerayan were making him see - his family. "Come back, Novanus, come back. Know who you are," Lessa whispered to him. He seemed to hear her. She thought of the tune she had sung to him that day in the caves, trying to get him to remember. "Novanus," called Lessa, "Remember, the others need you." This time it seemed that what she had said had made him think. Slowly she saw the hill with the graves and, with a final cry, Novanus fell to the floor truly himself again. She felt his power blast from him and saw him fly to the temple. Lessa followed.
When she arrived, Novanus had walked through the waterfall and was in the center chamber. The chamber was circular and was covered with symbols and murals, and in the floor was a large gilded circle. In the middle was a symbol she had never seen before but it must be that of the Ancients. Lessa walked up to Novanus and with her will made herself visible to him. Lessa smiled. "You had me worried for awhile there. Tell me what you would have me do and if it's within my power I will do it. I think I can pass the barriers to where the others are facing their trials. Would you have me guide them out?"

"Abel?...Abel, I brought you dinner..." "Thank you. Did mother give you a hard time about it?" The little black haired boy appeared from smoky surroundings, placing a plate on a makeshift table before a pre-sired Abel, who appeared not long after. "Not really, but father did, he always does." 'What was this?' Abel asked himself as he watched in silence. Was this what he used to look like, that sickly blonde? He had to admit he looked quite putrid, skeletal and gangly, and was glad that he wasn't able to gaze at his reflection then. And Kain...little Kain. Abel stood and approached the scene as it played out, kneeling beside the little boy as he sat down at his brother's feet and ignored the sounds of the children outside of the boarded window.
"Don't you want to go out and play with them, Kain?" he heard himself ask. "No," Kain responded coolly, bringing up his knees and resting his chin upon them, "I'd rather be with you." "But you're always in here with me..." "Someone has to take care of you." Abel's heart sank, and he found himself reaching out absently as the scene faded away into the whiteness. Kain had always made it seem like it was nothing, but Abel knew he felt obligated. Even when...
"Brother! Wait!"—Abel twisted around, hearing his young brother's voice call out again, running back into view only a few feet away, grabbing hold of the white robes his other self now wore as he appeared in time with him. "Don't go, don't let them take you away!" The outskirts of Coorhagen materialized around them as the un-sired Abel knelt and placed his hands upon Kain's small shoulders. "Kain, they won't let me stay. I, like the rest here, are only a burden to this city..." "No you aren't! Not to me!" he cried, sniffing in through his nose to keep it from running. "But the city won't listen to you, they don't..." "They'll listen, I'll make them listen!" Kain interrupted, stamping his foot against the ground. "They'll all listen to me someday, you'll see... I'll get you back."
The sound of beating feathered wings drowned them out, both looking up to the sky as they faded away from sight. "ABEL! NOOO!" was all that echoed from what now had deteriorated back onto the white nothingness, leaving Abel alone once more. Or so he thought.

Novanus was about to answer Lessa when they heard the sound of something crumbling. As they turned to look, one of the murals started to collapse before exploding into a thousand fragments that scattered across the floor. Behind the mural was a human figure. "By the gods," Novanus gasped as Izael came into view. Izael was covered in dust and small cuts, but his face had changed. His eyes, once shining and lively, were now deep in their sockets and had a haunted, far too mature glare for his young face. Somehow, Izael didn't look surprised to see the duo.
"Did you know what was to become my true destiny all along, Novanus? Why didn't you tell me?" Lessa looked puzzled "Your true destiny? To restore the Seal, was it not?" Izael smiled bitterly, "Indeed...but neither of you told me that the Sword, the Bringer of Hope, was forged by both vampires and the Hylden. And that the Seal is not in this dimension. Or was it so that the Hylden tricked you, concealed this knowledge in the vain hope that the Nerayan would destroy you once and for all? And you didn't tell me that I was never meant to repair the Seal, merely to carry the Sword to the Seal. I have seen what is to pass. I finally understand the game your two races play, perhaps better than any of you." Lessa looked shocked "What do you mean? It cannot be!"
"The Sarafan Lord has captured Janos Audron and is using him to power a portal that allows the Hylden to enter this world. Kain will destroy it, eventually, but in doing so he traps Janos Audron in this other dimension. Janos is the one who will repair the Seal, and I must take the Sword to him. This shrine here is not the Seal, but a portal to the Seal. The trials the others are facing will hold them here until I have entered the portal. If I turn back now, they will be trapped here forever. That goes for you too. Can you not see? All this has been foretold eons ago, you are here so that I would tell you the truth. As I meant that the knowledge of the Sword will die with us."
Izael looked sad as he continued. "The others, trapped in the trials, must believe we have perished. They have yet a part to play in this twisted game. I will enter the portal here, and collapse this chamber. You will die, but not forever, for you will be drawn to the Spectral Realm, and will stay there until your knowledge will be of no use." With that, Izael plunged the Sword into the symbol on the floor. A strange humming filled the chamber, and then a sickly green portal came into view. "There is always an option, however. You can always follow me to the End." With that, Izael entered the portal. Immediately the chamber started to shake violently, rocks falling from the ceiling.
Novanus stared at the whirling portal which stood in the center of the room. Izael was right about the seal and the sword. He had always known that but had secretly hoped that there may have been some way to circumvent their predestined path. Looking at Lessa, he smiled. This was the moment he had been waiting for. This was the time and the place. But wait. Izael was not the only one who needed to travel to that time and place. Gadorian was the third person who needed to be there. "I'll be damned if he is to be left here." Novanus turned and located Gadorian with a probing thought. He summoned up all his power and bore a hole straight through the wall of the shrine. This would lead Gadorian straight to them. He sent out the thought to Gadorian. "Take the tunnel. Follow us." With that, he stepped forward. He looked back at the shadowy form of Lessa. "Coming?" Novanus turned to face the portal. "This is for you, Kira," he whispered.