A/N: This chapter involves me trying out my fight-scene writing skills. You have been warned.
It had been a while since Kain had found the bracelet, and Kain's long search for Raziel had led him to a decrepit old hut that had once belonged to a family of humans. Raziel's scent led away from the home but Kain decided to investigate the dwelling, just in case. Inside, he found the humans whom once lived there dead, their bodies hastily hidden away, but not so hidden Kain didn't notice them. He could tell that a vampire had been in there, but it wasn't Raziel... It was some Razielhim. On one of the beds, however, Kain noticed something was hidden underneath the blankets. He would have thought it was another deceased human, but as he peeled away the covers, he found instead a Razielhim that was curled up on the bed.
Irritated, he tried nudging her awake, but it didn't get any response. He tried hitting her, but nothing seemed to wake her. She wasn't dead, from what Kain could tell. Or at least, no more so than what she was before. Eventually Kain gave up and headed back outside to go back to finding Raziel. He would deal with lesser vampires later. He went back outside to resume his search for his first born, when he spotted a vampire walking along the field that the hut sat in, sticking to a line of trees. The vampire spotted Kain and then headed towards him. It was a Melchiahim, judging by the grey skin and symbol on his back.
"Lord Kain." The Melchiahim bowed hastily.
"Yes, and what brings you here, Melchiahim"
"I've come to bring word from Lord Melchiah that Turel has arrived back in your empire sir"
"Ah." Kain smiled. "Some good news for once. Did he bring Raziel back with him"
"No sir"
"Great. Well at least Turel is back. Go back and tell him to stay and guard his territory"
"Sir, there is something else as well"
"Yes? And that is?" Kain crossed his arms impatiently.
"Melchiah has been claiming that something strange has been going on with Turel since he had come back. Both him and Lord Zephon." The Melchiahim went on.
"Zephon?" Kain's brow furrowed in confusion. What would Zephon have to do with anything?
"That is what he says. Something about Lord Turel and Lord Zephon also going out of their minds"
"What the"
"It is what I have been told to tell you sir." The melchiahim added.
Kain raised a brow in thought. He still had to look for Raziel, but if his other lieutenants were going to also act up along with him... And more of a concern, what had caused this?
"Did he tell you anything further?" Kain asked the Melchiahim.
"No sir, but he advised that perhaps you should return"
Kain felt slightly torn. Something was nagging him to go and continue his search for Raziel still, but he put that down to concern. However, Kain was starting to get fed up with the Sarafan that Raziel now was and was just about ready to give up on the man. Let him run off and get himself killed if he wanted to. Kain had his other sons and an empire to run after all. Why should he run after Raziel, and give him the satisfaction of letting his empire collapse because of him? Kain was hesitant, but eventually gave a growl. "Very well then." Kain began the long trek back.
Turel's territory was typically more industrialized than the other territories. A giant smokestack stood at the center while smaller ones stood to the larger one's right and left, making a line tracing a nearby mountain range. The territory laid down nestled in its valley; the larger stack loomed up much closer than the mountains giving it an ominous feel. But with the amount of much-required smoke pouring out of it, blocking out the sun, the stack wasn't ominous to vampires; it was a haven for fledglings. Here was the busiest part of Kain's empire, with both Turelhim and human servants jostling as Kain observed a stack sending out smaller wisps of smoke as he stood in a position high up enough to give him a good view of the clan territory.
Kain had arrived from the North west from his search, and though the sun had been mostly blotted out of the sky so that vampires no longer needed to fear sunlight, it was custom still for vampires to sleep during the day thus making the place quieter as Kain arrived.
He did not to walk the easy yet slower path down but instead opted to jump down, landing on the ground without injury, then walking through the buildings at the edge of the area, and making straight for Turel's personal residence to see what was wrong with him. He really didn't expect much to happen along the way, but was somewhat a bit of good fortune that he did arrive during the day, as there was enough light despite the smoke to see a silhouette of a familiar figure among some buildings. At first Kain was too surprised to believe it, but when he checked again, and caught better sight of the figure before it noticed it had been seen and ran away, he was certain that what he had seen was real.
"Not those Hylden again!" Kain groaned, shaking his head. Somehow the Hylden had escaped the dimension that imprisoned them, although Kain wasn't sure how. He ran over to the place where he last saw the hylden going, but found it long gone. He began searching around the surrounding buildings, and ended up running into Turel.
"Turel?" Kain backed off surprised. He was about to ask what he was doing there but found it a ridiculous question, as it was his territory after all. Then he remembered why he was supposed to be there in the first place. "Good to see you back Turel. Although I would like to know where you have been all this time, and if you had found any sign of Raziel"
Turel didn't answer, and just watched Kain silently. Kain's brows furrowed as Kain noticed this. Usually Turel was the most loyal of his lieutenants, barring Raziel. It wasn't like Turel not to answer to Kain. Then again, the Melchiahim runner had told Kain that Turel had been acting strangely since he had come back.
"Turel?" Kain prodded, eliciting no response. "Why aren't you..." Kain didn't get a chance to finish as he had to duck from the blow the hylden standing behind him attempted on Kain.
"Nice try." Kain spun around, sliding his foot under the hylden tripping it over. He kicked it into a wall, and was about to produce the reaver then hissed when he remembered that it was now gone. The hylden was getting up now, but there was another one running around the corner and Kain wasted no time slashing at repetitively with his claws, but the hylden blocked him, and Kain saw the first hylden, though wounded on it's side, approach Kain.
"TUREL!" Kain snapped, starting to get angered at Turel for simply standing back with arms crossed.
'Oh well, at least he's out of my way.' Kain thought to himself, leaving a pair of gashes along the second hylden's face, getting a blow in, but not without it coming without a cost, as the hylden managed to hit him in the chest. Kain disappeared and reappeared behind the hylden, knocking it away hard and into the first hylden.
As the hylden struggled to get back up again, Kain turned to face them again, but was slammed in the side hard, and pushed against a wall, leaving a deep indent as stone crumbled around Kain.
The uber-vampire turned in time to see it had been Turel who had attacked Kain, just before his head was knocked to the side as Turel pummeled his face again and again. Kain slunk down the wall to avoid the blows then teleported away from the wall he had been cornered against, reappearing behind Turel who spun around looking to see where Kain went. Kain grabbed Turel's fists as he tried to punch him in the chest, and slammed his head into Turel's, knocking Turel against the wall Kain had just been slammed into, a trickle of blood sliding down Turel's forehead as he collapsed down. Before the hylden could get too close to Kain as they tried once again to approach, Kain spin-kicked the closest one to the side and the other one backed off.
Kain looked from the two hylden to Turel who flipped back up, his concussion healing even as Kain watched. He had no idea what was going on other than this having to do something with the hylden, but Kain had no idea what would drive Turel to attack him with them. Nevertheless, Kain was ready to face all three of them, soul reaver or no, and though he knew he could defeat them, he had the problem of keeping his opponents down. Especially Turel. But as he faced the three of them off, Melchiah appeared out of the ground and next to Turel. Not expecting Melchiah to be there, and not able to so much as hear him approaching, Melchiah was able to slash Turel deeply in the ribs. Turel staggered back, holding the gash that was profusely leaking out blood. He looked from Melchiah to Kain and back again, then glanced at the two hylden who were backing away. Something passed between them, then all three turned and ran off behind a building.
"Lord Kain." Melchiah bowed. But Kain started to run off after the hylden.
"Kain!" Melchiah called out in alarm. "Please wait"
"Do you know who they were?" Kain demanded of Melchiah.
"You told us all of something called "the unspoken" before"
Kain stopped looking ready to take off after the hylden. "Turel has been possessed, hasn't he"
"From what I have observed." Melchiah replied dryly.
"And Zephon as well"
"And Rahab, probably Dumah, and half of the Rahabhim, the Dumahim, the Turelhim, The Zephonhim"
"And the Razielhim?" Kain asked, a realization hitting him.