A/N: I am so sorry I haven't updated in so long. School's just started, and I haven't been feeling well lately. I'll keep the chapters coming, but I'm afraid they won't be as regular as over the summer. Also, I don't really know how Nosgoth vampires are made, so I'm just going to keep it vague.

Chapter XXII

I appeared in Caitlin's driveway. There were few cars there, so I guessed that her parents weren't home. However, I saw shapes behind the blinds over her family room window, so I knew she, at least, was there, possibly with more of our friends. Going up to the door, I actually heard them inside and realized that they were all there: Caitlin, Courtney, Hana, Brad, Nick, Greg, and Joe. All of my friends were gathered together, as though they expected me to come for them. No, that wasn't it. They felt that they needed to be together for some reason none of them could quite figure out. Slowly I raised my hand and knocked on the door. After a moment, Caitlin came and opened it. She stared at me in open-mouthed shock when she saw me standing there placidly.

"Moony!" she gasped. I smiled.

"Hello Cait," I said. "May I come in, please?"

"Hell yeah!" cried Caitlin, opening the door. "What happened? Where have you been? Who took you?" I frowned, confused.

"Cait, I've only been gone for a day," I said.

"A day!" cried Courtney. "Soul, you've been missing for a week!"

"What?" I gasped. "No, no, that can't be right. It's only be about a day, I thought."

"It's been a week," said Brad definitely. "What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"I'll tell you, but you won't believe me," I said heavily.

"We know you wouldn't lie," said Hana reassuringly. "Come on, sit down and tell us everything." So I did. I tried to sum everything up briefly, but with a story like mine it proved nearly impossible. It took a while to explain everything, and when I had I just sat back and waited for their response. No one spoke for too long. I felt very ill at ease.

"There's one more thing," I said hesitantly. "The reason I'm back here is because I need you…to come back with me. I told you how the Pillars need new Guardians – that's you. You are the new Guardians." Again, silence. I sighed and dropped my eyes to the floor.

"Soul…" said Nick tentatively, "are you sure this wasn't just a crazy dream?" Immediately everyone jumped on him for saying such a thing.

"I don't think a crazy dream would cause me to disappear for, apparently, a week," I replied tiredly. "Besides, doesn't it make sense? None of us has ever felt like they belonged here. Don't you see? We don't belong here. We have to go back. I know this is a lot for me to ask of you, but I have to." Everyone just looked at me strangely. "Would it help if I told you you would love it there?" I offered. Mass shaking of heads. "I thought not." I sighed again and sank back into the squishy couch.

"Uh, I don't want to sound narrow-minded or anything," said Joe, "but could you prove it? Prove that you're not…y'know, human, that you really have been to this other world?"

I nodded and rose. "What would you have me do?" I gazed around. No one knew what to say. I felt a strange, but not painful, clenching sensation in my abdomen and my fangs distended. I suddenly realized that I was starting to bloodlust. If I didn't feed, I wouldn't be able to control my hunger and might end up hurting one of my friends. I shifted uncomfortably, running my tongue over my fangs behind my lips. "Brimstone and gall," I cursed under my breath.

"Soul? What's wrong?" asked Joe, coming toward me.

'No, don't, stay back,' I thought, but I couldn't say these things to the boy I might have loved. He came closer, and I could smell the blood pumping in him, see the artery in his neck pulse out invitingly. I groaned, my lips parting slightly. Before I could stop myself, I had grabbed Joe's shoulder, yanked him to me, and sunk my fangs into his neck. I didn't take much, thank the gods; only enough to satisfy my hunger for the moment and to prove my point about everything I had told them. I stumbled back from Joe after I released him, both of us wide-eyed and startled by what I had done. I turned away from them all.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," I said. The hunger in me wanted more, but I had enough to control it. I would not hurt my friends. I couldn't bear to look at them now, though. I was ashamed of what I had done, and afraid that they would be afraid of me. But this was not so. Caitlin came up behind me and hugged me. I turned and looked at her.

"I believe you," she said simply. "I believe everything you've said. We all do." She shot a look at the others and they nodded quickly. When Caitlin shoots someone a look, they had better nod quickly. I smiled.

"So you guys trust me?" I asked.

"That was never an issue," said Joe, his hand on his neck.

"And it still isn't?" I asked, unable to keep the surprise from my voice. I wouldn't have been surprised if Joe had refused to even look at me after what I had done.

"No, it isn't," he replied. "How do we…get back to this place?" I smiled, relieved.

"There's a portal opened just outside," I said. "You're really coming with me?"

"Well, I figure this is just a crazy dream so there's no harm in seeing what happens next," said Nick, rising with Courtney.

"Trust me, this is no dream," muttered Joe, rubbing his neck and so smearing blood all over it.

"OK, you go get yourself a Band-Aid," I told him, pushing him towards the bathroom. "Everyone else, think hard about this. I doubt we'll be coming back here any time soon. Are you sure you want to come with me?"

"Does the fate of the world depend on us?" asked Caitlin.

"Yes..."

"Are there millions of innocent lives hanging in the balance?"

"Absolutely."

"Will the world be destroyed if we don't come?"

"Most likely."

"Are our families here not really our families?"

"Not at all."

"Do we have real families in the other world?"

"Quite possibly."

"We're going."

I grinned. "Thanks Cait. Anyone else?" Everyone else agreed, including Joe as he came out of the bathroom with two small spot Band-Aids on his neck. I had to laugh. It was like something out of a B-grade vampire flick. When everyone was ready, I led them outside to where the portal was "propped ajar", so to speak.

"Father?" I called. "Father, we're ready. Hurry." The air shimmered and ripped open, revealing the Pillars of Nosgoth. I ushered my friends through quickly and following after them when they were all through. I made all the necessary intros and kissed Raziel quickly. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Joe looking very much hurt, but I pretended not to.

"So these are the Pillars?" asked Caitlin, seeking to break the awkward silence that ensued. I nodded.

"What happened to them?" asked Hana. "Was there a fire or something?" Kain snorted.

"No," I answered. "The Pillars were damned to eternal decay when their Guardians fell to madness and death. Without new Guardians, they will continue to fester forever, as will the land. They need you." I sighed. "There's one other little thing I neglected to mention."

"Which is…?" asked Courtney nervously.

"The Pillars can't be served by human Guardians," I said heavily. "As they were erected by vampires, so they must be served by vampires."

"What!" Courtney shrieked. Damn it, I knew I'd have a problem with her.

"Courtney," I said levelly, and she quieted. I never called her 'Courtney', always a nickname. She knew that this was serious. "It has to be done. Besides, it's not so bad."

"Not…what? Are you crazy?" she demanded.

"No, I'm undead," I said, growing impatient. "Look, never get sick, never grow old, never die, infinite strength, dark magicks, is there a downside that I'm missing here?" Courtney was stunned. I had never spoken to her like that. I sighed and softened my tone: "Court, I'm sorry, but there's no other way."

"Well what about you?" she said. "You're not a full vampire."

"No, and neither am I a Pillar Guardian," I replied. "You're evading the issue. Are you with me, or not?" Courtney looked at me, right into my silvery eyes, and sighed.

"I am," she said. "How does this work?" Grinning in a way one might call 'evil', Kain advanced on her.

"Don't even think it," I warned him. I turned back to Courtney. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that one has to die first, and I can't do it."

"Why not?" asked Caitlin.

"I'm not a full vampire," I said. "Besides, you're my friends. I don't think I could do it anyway." Actually, I was lying about the first part. I just couldn't see myself killing and turning my friends. I really didn't want to. Noticing that all my friends were staring at me, I said, "What, d'you want me to make a game out of it? Like Hide-and-go-Bite or something?" To my surprise, most of the group laughed.

"Sorry Soul, it's just that this is a pretty weird situation," said Brad. I rolled my eyes. I felt an alien coldness spreading through me. Suddenly, it didn't matter whether these children were my friends or not. They all had to die, every one of them, so that the rest of the world could live.

"You must die to live forever," I said in a low voice. I turned and walked a few paces away from them.

"Soul?" asked Caitlin, confused and worried. I could hear it in her voice. She was concerned for me. I gazed over my shoulder at her and the others.

"You came with me willingly into this world," I said. "For that, I thank you. But by doing so, you've signed an unbreakable contract that you must abide by." I walked away and leaned against the Pillar of Balance, my arms folded, my head bent down. "As I said, I will not touch you. I cannot. But there are three other powerful and capable vampires here who will do what must be done. Don't worry-" I added, raising my head a little "-it only hurts for an instant. Just ask Joey."

"Soul, what's wrong with you?" demanded Caitlin, just before Raziel, Kain, and my father set upon Brad, Greg, and Nick respectively. My girl friends cried out as they watched their boyfriends die in a way we had only imagined. I stood, detached and stoic, watching the bloody spectacle. I noted with interest that Kain and the others weren't as brutal as they usually were. In fact, they were actually being gentle with my friends. How intriguing. I was shaken out of my thoughts, literally, by Caitlin.

"Soul, what is going on with you?" she pressed. "You just ordered the death of all of us without so much as a hesitation! What's wrong with you? You're not the Soul I remember." I frowned, confused. She was right. I was acting strangely.

"I don't know, Cait," I said helplessly. "I just don't know. I've been acting weird ever since I drank the Elder God's blood and took over for him. I think it's because his residual traits are now in me and trying to take over. I don't want that to happen; I won't let it happen. I'm sorry, really I am, but this has to be done. I wish it hadn't happened this way, but I can't change that now. I only hope that the others will forgive me." Caitlin nodded, understanding. Often had I told her and Courtney about the Legacy of Kain game series, and she knew all about the monstrous Elder.

"I'm sure they will, once they know what happened," she said. I sighed and looked over at the others. They were all dead now, lying on the stone together. Father was just finishing with Courtney, who was still just barely alive. I looked at her with regret in my eyes, and she reached out to me. I reached back, trying to make her see that I didn't want it this way. She seemed to understand, just before her eyes closed. Father laid her on the stone with the others, placing her near Nick. I saw that they were all lying in pairs, save for Brad and Joe. Joe didn't have a girlfriend, since I was in love with Raziel. Brad was waiting for Caitlin. I looked at her.

"You're the last," I told her quietly. "Want I should ask Raziel to-"

"No," she said firmly. "You do it." I stared at her. "I'm serious, Moony. I want you to do it. I saw you lose it with Joe. You're bloodlusting. If you drink from me, you'll be all right. Do it, Soul." I couldn't speak for a moment. Then I nodded.

"If you're sure," I said hesitantly.

"I'm sure," Caitlin replied confidently. She tucked her short hair behind her ears and took off her choker – a hematite cross hanging from a black cord. It was actually Brad's, but he wanted her to wear it. I couldn't help laughing.

"That won't hurt me, Cait," I said.

"I didn't even think of that," Caitlin said with a laugh. "I just didn't want it getting in your way." That was too much for either of us, and we both burst out laughing. When our mirth had subsided, I held Caitlin by the shoulders and buried my fangs in her flesh. She stiffened, as I guessed she would, but it would take a lot more to actually hurt her. Caitlin had a freakishly high tolerance to pain. I drank and drank from her until her heart stopped. Picking her up in my arms, I carried her over to Brad and laid her beside him. I straightened, looked at my father, and nodded. Father went towards my friends as I went to join Raziel on the sidelines. He put his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently. I smiled.

"I think I will be," I said, "after I see them rise again." I didn't want to watch what Father did to them, but it was like watching a car crash – you don't want to see, but you can't look away. There was nothing more that I could but watch, wait…and hope.