Chapter 1 – A Troubled Awakening

First came the hate and rage as he chased his hated adversary through the portal, and then the overwhelming vertigo as he felt himself being hurled between dimensions. As chaotic energies carried him to the other side and sealed the way behind him, he couldn't help but wonder how long this trip was going to take, and where or when he would find himself next.

Having heard of Moebius' Chronoplast chamber ages before, he had always feared the results of tampering with the time stream. A few confusing moments later, his feet hit solid ground once again, and as his eyes adjusted to the intense light, he found himself in a bizarre landscape.

Raziel had heard tales of distant lands where nothing grew except small shrubs, barren places inhabited by poisonous animals and carrion eaters that sustained themselves with the corpses of unwary travelers.

However, no tale could have prepared him for what was before his eyes. The land where he found himself was completely dry, with seemingly endless dunes stretching as far as he could see, under a scorching and unforgiving sun. As he surveyed his surroundings, he could feel the searing heat, despite the radical transformation he had endured. Stunned by this alien sight, more hostile in his eyes than the depths of the Spectral Realm, he checked himself, almost wondering if he was hallucinating. His blue, nearly skeletal body was completely undamaged by his new standards. He couldn't help clenching his cloven fists as he looked at his ruined wings, still hanging from his back as a reminder of everything he had lost. The tattered brown flag with his clan mark slipped slightly from around his neck, exposing his jawless face, the fangs and the eerie hole into which so many souls had already vanished. Still ashamed of his appearance, he quickly put it back in place.

Ordering his thoughts, he was finally able to speak to himself.

"This looks nothing like Nosgoth… Where in blazes am I…?"

His thoughts then focused on the object of his hate. Kain, his former master, the betrayer, the living cancer, who, in his eyes, had not only destroyed him and his clan out of jealousy, but also allowed his brothers to degenerate into foul monstrosities as Nosgoth choked under the corruption he had unleashed upon it. The discovery of his Sarafan heritage had only taken his indignation to new heights, and even though Kain was nowhere in sight, the wraith wasn't about to give up the chase.

"Very well, you treacherous bastard…" he thought out loud, raising his fist "You may have escaped me yet again… but I will find you, and end this once and for all!"

A now familiar blue energy blade manifested itself once again, coiling around his right arm and erupting with a startling shriek. The Soul Reaver was awake once again, and like its wielder, it hungered. Its presence was reassuring in a way, since Raziel knew that its manifestation would sustain his energy, freeing him from the need to consume souls, at least until his next confrontation. With furious resolve, he strode forth, into the unknown, his blank eyes focused on the horizon like those of an angry predator.

Time seemed to drag on in this forsaken place, and the heat was becoming an annoyance. A human would have severe difficulty enduring the wasteland for more than a few minutes, Raziel thought, as he pressed onward, without really knowing where he was heading.

To him, this place seemed utterly devoid of life, a blazing inferno where not even demons would want to tread. There were no traces of shade in this dull landscape that seemed to stretch on forever, and instead of providing a respite from the searing heat, the winds swept the land in blazing bursts, kicking up the sand and making the wraith shield his eyes with his cloven hands. It dawned on him that any vampire caught in this wasteland would be instantly incinerated by the merciless sun, but that gave him little consolation, since he knew that his adversary was notorious for surviving against all odds.

"Typical of that sadistic bastard…" he thought. "I would not be surprised if he had lured me here only to watch me fry under this accursed sun. Well, I will not let this wasteland deter me. You cannot hide, Kain… wherever you are."

Raziel kept going, defying the blazing sun and the infernal air that could have burned a human's lungs. If he was still alive, he knew he would have already passed out from a massive sunstroke. The Reaver's glow intensified, fueled by his rage and aggravation. He felt as if he had been walking for years, and there seemed to be no end to the sandy wastes.

He looked over his shoulder, and noticed that whatever footsteps he might have left had already been wiped by the wind. He was feeling quite annoyed at the way Kain had escaped right from under his blue nose, and his surroundings didn't help. He kept thinking about all the pain he had experienced, since the moment when his wings were torn from the horrible descent into the abyss. Usually, when those thoughts kicked in, he managed to find a few enemies to unleash his rage upon, but in such blasted emptiness, he was completely alone. He clenched his fists and snarled as he continued his stride, imagining himself inflicting countless unspeakable tortures upon his betrayer.

Suddenly, he saw strange shapes on the horizon. Intrigued, he picked up speed and quickly dashed through the sands. For a moment, he forgot all about the searing heat and made his way towards what appeared to be an abandoned battlefield. Large chunks of metallic debris were scattered all over the place, and he also saw some strange structures that appeared to have been torn apart by colossal fangs. He also saw some strange mechanical contraptions half-buried in the sand. Some of them were man-sized, with bulky arms and legs, but many others were much larger.

"What is this place?" he wondered. "And these metallic monstrosities… Either I have ended up in a remote time period, or… this is not Nosgoth at all."

A particular construct caught his eye. It was much larger than all the others, even bigger than the strange buildings, made of the same metal, but with a very different appearance. It had a bulky forward section, shaped like a T, and two large parallel protuberances on its sides. He noticed several very large orifices in its back, big enough for him to climb into. This strange machine had massive holes in its hull, and the forward section seemed to be barely held together by a few metal beams. He noticed that the side was ornamented with a strange symbol, a black eagle above a red triangle, which had an odd circle in its center that seemed to depict an unknown world.

"Strange…" he thought. "I have never seen this kind of metal or architecture… not even in the Cathedral or in the human enclave. And these plated abominations… are they supposed to move?"

He then noticed what appeared to be suits of armor, with a bulky plated frame and black visors on exaggeratedly large helmets. They were scattered all over the place, some of them still gripping strange long weapons, and they seemed to come in two colors, white and red. The paint on them was badly scratched by sand, and their surface had many dents and holes, undoubtedly the result of a vicious battle. As he walked towards the large construct, he saw human bones sticking out of some of them, and a few had their visors completely smashed, revealing weathered skulls.

Even though he was already used to death and destruction, having seen a lot of both as one of Kain's lieutenants, this forgotten battlefield was completely alien to him. As he strode further across the remains, he had a strange feeling, as if he was being watched. Suddenly, a small pack of zerglings burst out from under the sand. Raziel was slightly taken aback by the creatures' bizarre appearance, the size of a large dogs with sharp teeth and clearly reptilian features, but their intentions were clear to him as they rushed in his direction.

"What foul monstrosities are these?" he thought in disgust. "Such abominations are too filthy even by Melchiah's standards."

Drawing upon the power of the Reaver, he made short work of the creatures, their bodies practically exploding into splashes of blood at the blade's searing touch. The carapaces that seemed to cover their skins did not appear to be doing much at all against the blade's power.

"At least, It seems they die like anything else." he noted.

Just as he had finished the last of them off, he heard a sound from above. Startled, he took cover in the shadow of one of the wreckages. As he looked up, he saw three Dominion wraiths, darting through the sky.

"Flying machines?" he thought, raising an eyebrow.

One of the Dominion pilots flying overheard checked his radar display, intrigued by a reading that had lasted only a few seconds.

"Hey guys..." he said to the others through the comlink. "Did you see anything down there?"

"Nope." another replied.

"Weird… must be seeing things."

"Better lay off the hooch before patrol duty, Billy!" a third man chimed in with a thick drawling accent.

As the wraiths continued their course, Raziel, still unsure of what he'd just seen, decided to be a little more discreet. He kept going, taking care to stand out in the open as little as possible, eventually reaching the end of the ruin field, until he saw a wide path in the sand, marked by a series of metal rods along its sides, acting as beacons.

Shrugging, he decided to follow the path, and after a few minutes, he found himself standing in front of a large complex, surrounded by concrete walls and with an average-sized solid steel gate. He could hear voices from the other side, and, sneaking in as quietly as he could, he made his way past the forward bunkers. As he took cover behind a supply depot, he could distinctly make out two male voices nearby.

"I ain't never seen anything like it." one of the voices said with a strange accent the wraith did not recognize. "The Zerg are a bunch of bloodthirsty bastards, but they've never taken it that far around here. They usually spit and claw, and then move on to find something else to kill."

"Just what happened anyway?" the second voice asked. "The bodies were carried in completely covered, and all I know is the nurses almost freaked out when they saw the state they were in."

"Well, you're not gonna believe this, but it looks like all their blood was sucked out somehow." the first man said, noticeably disturbed.

"Get outta here!" the second man said with a scoff. "The Zerg are parasites, but what the hell would they want blood for?"

Those words got Raziel's attention, as he looked around, barely avoiding getting seen by a couple of marines as he ducked behind a pile of large metal crates. Realizing that drawing attention at this point would be an inconvenience and might rob him of the opportunity to gain useful information, he moved to a more secluded spot, behind one of the buildings.

Satisfied that he would not be spotted for a while, the wraith took a moment to digest what he had just overheard. Clearly the people in whatever place he was at the moment had never seen a vampire, or they would have immediately recognized the telltale signs on the corpses. And if there was a vampire around, there could be only one possible explanation. Kain.

"That bastard has always enjoyed making his presence known." he thought. "I guess old habits are not so easily discarded. But where could he be now?"

Even a hardened old vampire like Kain would inevitably have some trouble with the scorching heat, not to mention the searing sunlight. If Raziel, even in his wraith form, was feeling extremely uncomfortable, then he could only wonder how Kain would survive in such a place. However, despite being midly amused by the thought of watching him turn into a pile of ashes, Raziel was determined to end his life himself. It would be a humiliation to let his quest for vengeance end with a little bit of sunlight.

Suddenly, interrupting his thoughts, an alarm siren went off, startling him. As the guards in the compound rushed around with their weapons ready to fire, Raziel thought he might have been discovered. However, he soon realized that no one had noticed him yet, and that the guards were running outside. He could hear some of them, cursing as they went by.

"Son of a bitch!" one of the marines shouted. "Where the hell did he go?!"

"Infested pricks!" another one cursed. "Just how did they get in anyway?"

Somehow, Raziel had a familiar feeling, which took his attention away from the commotion. Sneaking into one of the buildings, he found himself in an ample medical facility, and even though his resurrection had been a disfiguring process that had left him barely recognizable, he could almost feel the stench of death. He sensed that a few souls had recently been torn from their mortal vessels, and that feeling intensified as he reached a small morgue.

Disfigured corpses were lying on a few tables, their red armors blown to bits. The exposed sections of their bodies were full of claw marks, and their exposed necks were clearly punctured. It would appear that this time around, Kain had had some trouble deciding whether to get as much blood as possible, or to simply dispose of the humans in a swift manner.

Looking away from the mangled bodies, Raziel suddenly noticed a small figure in bulky white armor, cowering in a corner. Hesitating for a moment, he stepped forward, making sure she could take a good look at him.

"What happened here, human?" he asked, trying to sound less threatening than usual.

The young woman raised her head, startled, and was then paralyzed by an even greater terror as she looked at his features. She was about to scream, when he swiftly placed one of his large cloven fingers over her lips.

"No screaming, please." he said in an exasperated tone.

After seeing the reactions of many humans to his appearance during his journey, Raziel had grown increasingly baffled and annoyed at them.

First, a lone vampire hunter had tried to kill him near Melchiah's territory. Then, as he ventured around and into Zephon's lair, a few of them had started bowing at his passage. He'd found it quite bizarre, of course, since the usual reaction of most people would have been completely different. Then, later on, he'd found a human citadel. For some reason, the people there had started bowing before him as well, kneeling as if he was some sort of divine emissary. He had wondered if the people there were insane, but since they posed no threat to him, he'd left them alone. However, he was still quite put off by human hysteria, especially considering all the whimpering and screaming the mere sight of a vampire would cause in Nosgoth.

The woman shivered under the armor, and Raziel took a step back.

"I will ask again…" he insisted. "What happened here?"

The woman gulped, staring at him with fear in her eyes, but she managed to get a few words out.

"The… the bodies… I was examining them… and next thing I know, the doctors in the next room started screaming… blood all over the place… and that laugh… that horrible laugh…"

Raziel sighed, recognizing Kain's bloodthirsty debauchery. When it came to slaughter, Kain could even more addicted than a drunkard to cheap ale. Still, something felt off.

"Did you see anything else?"

The woman hesitated for a moment before replying.

"A… green-skinned freak… with a sword… He did it, I saw him… He noticed me… and after killing them, he just looked at me and laughed."

Then the woman stiffened, and Raziel recognized some telltale signs of mental tampering.

"And he said…" she continued in an almost droning tone. "'I don't know what this place is, but at least I can keep myself occupied until that blue fool shows up. If he is anywhere near here, he'll be bound to notice the commotion. As for you… shoo. I've had my fill for now.'"

Raziel raised an eyebrow, realizing that Kain was taunting him, using a human to leave him notes.

"All this slaughter just to bait me?" he thought in disgust.

A moment later, the woman seemed to snap out of her altered mental state, though she was still visibly unnerved.

"Just… what are you anyway?" she asked. "A Protoss? And who was that freak?"

"A what?" he asked, looking at her and blinking. "I had never heard that particular name."

He paused for a moment, then let out a hiss of annoyance.

"Well… if he insisted on leaving you here to goad me into following him, I assume he cannot be too far… I will deal with him. But where exactly am I?"

The woman was even more puzzled. She had never expected to see such an odd creature, and the knowledge that he was lost and disoriented brought her little comfort. Looking at him made her feel almost as uneasy as the carnage she had witnessed. A leftover from the UED, she had somehow survived the massive attack by Kerrigan's broods, the Protoss and the Dominion, who were bent on expelling the Directorate from Korhal. After that, she had been lucky to survive, and when she heard of the catastrophe at the Omega platform, where the UED fleet had been annihilated, she simply tried to blend in with the Dominion troops. The officer she had spoken with didn't care where she'd come from, as long as she could do her job and keep the men alive. Ordering her thoughts, she finally answered Raziel's question.

"This is one of the Dominion's forward bases on the Talkar region. We're on Korhal IV, the throne world."

Those names meant nothing to him, and she could see his confusion.

"I guess I will have to find that bastard before I can even find a way out of here..." he said. "I will be on my way now."

As he left the same way he'd entered, the woman blinked in surprise.

"This just isn't my day…" she thought with a sigh as her shaking legs carried her to a nearby chair.

Raziel dashed outside. At this point, he didn't care if he was spotted or not. All he wanted was to find Kain. In his mind, it was also his fault if the Chronoplasm chamber had left him stranded in such a wasteland, and that was merely another insult he intended to avenge.

The siren had been turned off, and he was thankful to be rid of the annoying sound, but he was no closer to his goal. Just as he thought that things had calmed down, however, he heard a strange metallic sound, and followed it to the back of a nearby machine shop. Just as he arrived there, he saw another human, wearing a different kind of armor, slimmer than the ones he'd seen on the guards and in the ruin field. It appeared to be made of different materials and was painted with some sort of desert camouflage pattern.

Moving quietly, the human sat on an old wooden chair as if waiting for someone. A metallic door opened, and another armored figure walked in, wearing one of the bulky red suits that seemed to be the standard for the troops in the area.

They kept their voices so low, even Raziel had a hard time hearing anything. After a quick exchange, the man on the chair handed the newcomer some sort of small package. The newcomer then turned around, jumped on a vulture bike parked outside and headed out, as swiftly and silently as possible. Raziel watched the strange metallic vehicle, intrigued by its ability to move under its own power, hovering above the ground.

"It does seem that I somehow ended up being flung to some far-off world..." the wraith mused.

But then, all of a sudden, a loud bang was heard, and the vulture stopped on its tracks. The figure on the chair got up in a hurry and darted outside.

"Shit!" the figure on the Vulture cursed. Raziel heard the man's voice and got the feeling there was more going on than what met the eye. His tone was not just that of someone being inconvenienced. Rather, he sounded like he was in a considerable hurry to leave – as if he was not supposed to be there.

"Let me see that." The other man said, opening a panel in the Vulture's rear section. A bit of smoke came out, and the rider got off the bike and examined the exposed parts.

"I think the power regulator just bit the dust." the slim-armored man said, pulling a metallic component out of the compartment and showing it to the rider.

"Great, just great…" the other grumbled. "And right in the middle of the outpost too… I knew I should have checked this thing after that side trip to Braxis…"

"Hold on a second." the slim-armored man said, running back into the machine shop. He came back a few seconds later with a new part, which he fitted into the vulture's innards.

The rider got back on the bike and started the engine. As he heard the reassuring sound of the machine coming back to life, he gave the other man a thumbs-up.

"Thanks man. I'd better get outta here before somebody decides to see what's going on."

The rider managed to leave the compound through a small back door, speeding off into the endless dunes just as a trio of guards arrived at the machine shop.

"What happened? What was that noise?" one of them asked the man that was just standing there.

"Nothin' big…" the man said with a shrug. "The electric panel blew a fuse. All taken care of."

This exchange left Raziel with no doubt that there was more going on than met the eye. As soon as the soldiers left, he suddenly decided to go out the same way he had seem the rider leave. Intrigued and without tangible clues, he felt that it was as good a direction to follow as any.

After an hour that felt like a century under the oppressive heat, Raziel suddenly came across a large rock formation that was in deep contrast with the sand. In its shadow, he suddenly noticed a pair of yellowish eyes, staring at him. Surprised, he ran forward, and before he knew it, he was standing right in front of Kain, who immediately put up his usual smug expression.

"You certainly took your time, Raziel." he said in a rather bored tone, as if the wraith was merely late for a croquet match.

However, Raziel noticed that his face and chest had a few burns, no doubt due to the sun, and wondered how he'd been able to survive such conditions for so long. Granted, Kain was already an ancient vampire with plenty of tricks up his proverbial sleeve, but this time he hadn't been able to emerge completely unharmed.

"Well, if it isn't the degenerate bastard." Raziel hissed, summoning the Reaver. "I believe we have… unfinished business."

The tone in his voice was cold and bitter, and Kain could feel the rage boiling inside his former lieutenant.

"Not this time, Raziel." Kain retorted. "Something is amiss here, as you have probably noticed."

He said those words as if dismissing a stubborn child, knowing too well that it would just make Raziel angrier.

"Do you think you get to dictate when I may or may not trounce you after everything you have put me through?" Raziel growled at him.

The wraith lunged forward, trying to run him through with the Reaver. However, Kain simply tossed him aside with a burst of telekinetic energy.

"Now is not the time, Raziel." the vampire insisted. "I… did not plan for this. Something went wrong."

Raziel was too angry to pay attention. He jumped back to his feet and clawed at Kain's neck, rabidly trying to seize it. Kain sighed and immobilized him with another feat of telekinesis, holding Raziel a few feet off the ground.

He knew better than to try reasoning with him in this state. Even in his days as a vampire, Raziel's temper had been difficult to handle. Still, there was far too much hinging on it for him not to try.

"I will say this in a way that your limited intellect will understand, then." Kain said, sounding rather disappointed. "Consider this incident… an interruption, a deviation from the original path. I do not know how we ended up here, but if you truly wish to settle our differences once and for all, you will have to do so back on Nosgoth."

Ignoring Raziel's murderous glare, Kain suddenly disappeared, teleporting without warning. The wraith found himself being unceremoniously dropped to the ground, and as he fell, he was furious enough to tear the rock formation apart with his bare claws. Before he had the chance, however, he heard footsteps in his direction.

Quickly turning around, he saw the same rider he had watched leaving the compound, holding an automatic standard issue gauss rifle, pretty common amongst marines. However, this particular weapon had been heavily modified, featuring a laser sight, an optical scope, a silencer, an extended magazine and a few other devices that would delight most soldiers. Strangely enough, he was simply holding the weapon, and not pointing it at him, which Raziel found odd, considering how bizarre his appearance would seem to most humans. Then, the wraith watched on, as the man opened his visor, revealing a face that would be instantly recognized anywhere in the Koprulu Sector. For the first time since the Omega platform, Jim Raynor was surprised.

"I didn't know there were any Protoss around here." he said, examining Raziel's features. "Or at least you look close enough to one, but there's something different about you. Who are you anyway?"

Raziel took a good look at him, surprised at his casual tone and relaxed posture.

"This is the second time someone mentions those so-called Protoss. I do not think I know what they are, since I am a stranger to these lands."

"Well, do you have a name, stranger?" Raynor asked, intrigued by the almost human voice he was hearing in his mind.

"I am Raziel." the wraith replied after a few moments of silent hesitation.

"Well, Raziel, the name's Jim Raynor. I had the feeling you couldn't be from these parts. What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?"

It was a polite question, and Raziel couldn't find the slightest hint of malice in it. Even though he was beginning to tire of humans and their antics – and had not thought much of them at all in his days as a vampire – exchanging a few simple words wouldn't hurt.

"I am hunting a treacherous, murderous bastard who ruined my life on a whim." Raziel said, clenching his fists. "After a thousand years of pain, I finally returned only to be denied. And now, just as I was about to have my vengeance, he merely pushed me aside and vanished once again."

"Ouch!" Raynor replied. "I can relate, seeing how I've got a bastard emperor and the Queen Bitch of the Universe in my sights."

The man's reaction was unexpected, along with his choice of wording, leaving the wraith staring at him with a blank expression.

"Well, if the guy you're after is gone, then maybe you should consider getting out of here." Raynor pointed out. "You'll probably get lost in the desert on your own, and even if you don't, this is a nasty place to be. The Dominion patrols have been getting pretty damn active lately, and it's just not safe for anyone right now… especially a rebel and an alien."

"I have to admit I am at a loss." Raziel said, putting a hand on the back of his head. "I have no idea where the bastard will appear next, since he can teleport around indefinitely. I suppose I will need to get my bearings before I will be able to track him down."

"Why leave anyway, after going through the trouble of baiting me?" Raziel wondered.

"Well, if you want, you can come with me. We could both use a rest, and this damn heat could knock out an ultralisk in no time. I'll just signal my ship for pickup, so we can get out of this hellhole."

Intrigued, Raziel watched as Raynor activated a portable communicator on his wrist.

"Teal Leader to Mother Hawk, come in Mother Hawk."

Rowena's voice soon came in through the communicator.

"Mother Hawk here, what's your status?"

"The eggs are baked. Let's go get the toast."

"Roger that, Teal Leader. The Big Bird is heading to the nest."

The odd conversation made Raziel blink.

"What was that all about?" the wraith asked.

"Well, we can never be too sure. Our encryption system is pretty good, but you never know who might be listening, especially on covert missions."

"Covert missions?"

"Yeah." Raynor replied, hanging the gun on his shoulder with a strap. "I don't know where you're from, but this lil' corner of the universe is all kinds of messed up. A lot of people are pissed at what's been happening lately, but we need to stir things up a bit more before we can do what needs to be done."

Raynor then looked at the sky for a few minutes, until he noticed a peculiar distortion in the air. As the distortion moved closer to their position, Raziel noticed it as well, and looked at him quizzically. Raynor just smiled, knowing the wraith was in for a surprise.

Suddenly, a small shuttle appeared before them, quickly deactivating its cloaking mechanism. Its golden frame was clearly of Protoss origin, but it was much smaller than the shuttles they usually deployed.

Raziel was taken aback at first, but Raynor stepped forward, and a door opened on the shuttle's side. He stepped right in, clearly familiar with it, gesturing at Raziel to follow.

The wraith hesitated for a split second, before following him inside. They both sat on a pair of modest-looking metal seats that were secured to the floor. Raynor fastened his seat belt, and Raziel imitated his action once he understood how to work the simple mechanism. Then, the shuttle's door closed, and a few bluish lamps embedded on the walls came to life, revealing the interior.

Glad to be rid of the scorching heat, the two warriors relaxed, and Raziel took the time to look around. The walls were golden as in the outside, but they were slightly padded, likely to protect the passengers from eventual turbulence. A weapon rack was set against the back wall, holding strange weapons he had never seen. Metallic blades, long rifles, smaller versions capable of fitting in one hand and a large portable cannon were neatly aligned, ready for use. While the blades were the most recognizable, the materials and craftsmanship seemed completely different from anything in Nosgoth.

Raziel was slightly startled when the shuttle took off, but he soon got used to it. He couldn't help remembering his torn wings, and felt a pang of grief at the thought of what he had lost a millennium before. After an indeterminate length of time, the shuttle came upon a large object.

The Hyperion awaited in high orbit, hidden behind one of Korhal IV's moons to avoid detection. The shuttle docked in its ample hangar bay, and the odd duo stepped out into the large metallic chamber.

"Raziel, welcome to the Hyperion, the pride and glory of Raynor's Raiders... and my personal flagship."

Raziel looked around, fascinated by the magnitude of the construct.

"I did see a wreckage down there that resembled this type of gigantic machine, but this one far exceeds it in size."

Raynor smiled, seemingly amused at the wraith's surprise.

"Best thing me and the boys nabbed from the bearded bastard when we gave him the finger."

"Bearded bastard?" Raziel echoed.

"Just another delusional dictator." Raynor said, clenching his fists. "We've had way too many around here, but this one… this one is a personal issue."

Some things, the wraith realized, did not appear to be so different, even in his new surroundings.

"Well Raziel, we're on our way to Shakuras to meet some of my Protoss pals. It's gonna be a while before we get there. In the meantime, maybe we should get some rest."

Raziel nodded, still looking around.

"It is good to be rid of that accursed heat, and I have to admit a rest would be welcome at a time like this."

Though he did not need to physically rest, Raziel was glad to simply spend some time away from the scorching heat. Even with his dulled senses after the traumatic rebirth, the trek had been most unpleasant.

Then, through the corner of his eye, he also noticed a view of space, with unfamiliar stars and a nearby asteroid field in view.

"Is that..." he thought, before running over.

In that moment, the reality of his situation sank in. Separated from Nosgoth, cast into an unfamiliar sea of stars, the wraith felt incredibly small and truly adrift.

"I'm thinking about getting a few snacks." Raynor said, derailing his train of thought. "What do they eat where you're from?"

"Well… blood… and souls." Raziel replied, wondering if Raynor would be shocked at the answer. To his surprise, he just laughed a bit, seemingly taking it as a joke.

"And I thought the folks from Shakuras were weird!" he said with a grin. "Well, if you have the time, I think I'd like to hear a bit more of your story."

"Certainly." Raziel said after a moment.

It looked like it was going to be a long trip, and he had nothing better to do. Humoring his host might not be a bad idea.