Ch 9: Dawn of a New Age
Since Nathaniel's final night, one hundred and seventy years have passed since. Vampires have good memories, and I remembered every detail of my lifetime as if it all happened yesterday. Still, I do not remembered who I was in my previous life. But I no longer cared, I ruled proudly by Kain from now to eternity. I have no need to know who and what I was.
Lately however, I have been experiencing some odd pain spreading on my back, as if something were to emerge from my skin. I wasn't sure what it was, and I highly doubted that it was another stage of evolution. Kain had gone through all previous changes before the rest of us, and he hasn't lay dormant yet. Aside from this, all my previous changes weren't forewarned by relentless pain.
When I can no longer endure the ache on my back, I decided to climb into my casket, and lie dormant.
Alone, Kain stood inside the Oracle Cave. He raised his arms around him and wisped himself through the other side of the wall. The gift of teleportation was granted to him long ago, just before Raziel confronted Nathaniel. Ever since Moebius last walked these hallow halls, no one knows these secrets except for Kain. He walked slowly down the corridor, into the deep caverns at the base of Babel's Peak. This hallway will lead into the giant structure of the Chronoplast. He walked down the passage, spiraling downwards, and stopped in front of a few portals. He approached one of them and saw a blue demon, sinister looking, decayed, and vengeful. Cowl on his face was a worn cloth bearing Raziel's clan symbol. Winded around his right arm, was a band of blue light, the spectral version of the Soul Reaver.
'Is this what will become of my son?' He asked himself as he raised his right claws and swirled a magical circle. At this command, the portal changed its vision.
This time, the portal showed an image of a huge monster, its skin colored bright red, and its bat like wings spread wide to block out the moon. A serpentine tail emerged from his bottom, ending in a series of spikes. It roared as fire came out from its nostrils. With one mighty stroke of its wings, the monster took flight and devastated the last forests of Nosgoth, setting it ablaze.
'Neither choice looked appealing.' He approached another portal, it showed distant futures of each individual lieutenants. Melchiah decayed into a horrid lumbering beast, which covered himself with the skins of his dead fledglings and human slaves. Zephon emerged from a cocoon, encased in his exoskeleton, and fused to the wall of his throne room. Rahab have succeeded in his vulnerability over water, but he can no longer walk on land. He degenerated into a giant mackerel. Dumah have increased in size after several centuries. His strength has manifested himself into a giant. But at last, his pride became his weakness, and has succumbed to torpor after an ambush by tiny humans. Finally the portal showed the visage of Turel, his second and most dutiful son. Turel has developed elephantine ears and his legs have grown backwards like those of a demon's. Kain could not watch this anymore. It seemed at last fate have caught up with him, after so long, he finally conquered all of Nosgoth, just to have it turned into a wasteland, overrun by monsters of his own making. Annoyed, he turned away from the portal and proceeds down to the Chronoplast chamber. Inside, he looked up at the structure on the ceiling. A strange looking claw surrounded by three spheres. He jumped onto the top tier and observed the portal he found. This one didn't show him any images.
'Fate is what we choose when we are given choices, and destiny is the result of the choice we make.' Raziel's answer echoed in his head. 'But what of my choices, Raziel?' he questioned the thin air. 'When my choices reflects the destiny of us all?' Troubled by what he saw, Kain exited the Oracle Cave, and teleported towards the west.
"Steady now." Ezra told herself as one of Zephon's vampires carried a vase in his hands and walked gingerly on a tight line drawn on the ground. Ezra have mastered her skills to control humans with mind control centuries ago, but vampires are more powerful creatures, thus, she wanted to advance her skills onto these creatures as well. Just in case one day these vampires decided to turn on her.
Suddenly, Kain materialized behind the vampire. The priestess lost concentration and the vase smashed on the ground.
"Lord Kain!" The priestess bowed to him, as did the vampire. "I was not expecting you."
"I want to speak to you privately." Swiftly, the vampire and her apprentices left the room.
"Is something bothering you, my lord?"
"Ezra, how long have you been serving me now?"
"Nearly a millennium, my lord."
"And have your loyalty ever shifted in all these years?"
"Never, my lord. Ever since I was young, you took me from the Seer's hands and raised me as if I was your fledgling. My gratitude has never changed."
"Tell me, long ago you predicted my future. Has that vision changed?"
Ezra thought for a long time. Searching for an appropriate answer.
"Be honest with me."
"Ever since the first vision, I took the liberty to see glimpses of it every fifty years. And every time I see it, it was just as real." She kneeled before him. "Please forgive me for not asking for your consent, my lord!"
"Get up, child." Kain tucked a hand underneath her shoulder and help her stand up. "Tell me more of your visions."
"Within the next several centuries, Nosgoth will be a ruined wasteland. As Nosgoth decayed, so will each of your vampire sons."
"They were to become hideous monsters?" Kain asked her, knowing the answer already.
"Yes my lord. It is true. My apologies."
"That will be all, Ezra. I have much to consider." Kain disappeared into thin air, as silently as he came.
In front of the pillar, Kain materialized.
'Again, my choice at the pillars causes yet another ripple in Nosgoth's destiny.' For the first time in his un-life, Kain thought of his choices, and realized that not even a single one of these choices was in his favor.
The blue demon haunted my dreams. Ever since my battle with Nathaniel that fateful night at the Lake of Lost Souls, he haunted me. This demon, with his gleaming white eyes, his blue skin, and his dreadful shrouded face chases me in my undead sleep. This demon cowls his face with one of my own banner, turned upside-down, a mockery to my own clan. I demanded answers from it, but it doesn't reply, I attacked it, but my weapons were useless. But when it strike me back, the pain was every bit a reality. And every time he emerged from the darkness in my slumber, he impaled me with Kain's Soul Reaver. That sickening feeling as the curve blade cuts into my chest; broke my ribs and penetrated my heart. A pain so great it was as if the blade has eaten into my very soul, and this pain was very real. Does this all have a meaning?
Disturbed, I awoke. From my casket I climbed out and put my hoofed feet on the cold floor. It was daytime. I looked out my window and saw the courtyard of my clan. Nicholas was training our latest vampire fledglings. I turned and slowly approached the mirror. I was surprised to see what I saw.
From my back, I saw two protrusions rising high above my shoulders. As I shift my waist uneasily, they unfold themselves into bat like wings. When I manipulated my waist muscles again, the wings fold themselves once more.
"They are quite beautiful!" A voice said to me from above. When I looked up, I saw Zephon. Hanging from the ceiling without any sorts of contraptions, just by his hands and feet.
"Zephon! What has happened to you?"
"Me? What has happened to you?" He smiled at tauntingly. "The new era has begun, Raziel."
"What are you talking about?"
"The new era, when we have surpassed our own master in our ascend to godhood." Swiftly, he crawled from the ceiling towards the wall, and finally down to the floor.
"How long has it been since I last slept?" I demanded from him.
"Just a short five months." He walked slowly around me. "These are beautiful, Raziel. It's a shame Kain hasn't developed a pair of his own."
"That cannot be!"
"You and I both have developed an additional gift, fortunately, my ability is hidden."
"Kain hasn't evolved at all?"
"No, and I am sure he will be very glad to see you surpassed him." He laughed loudly as he pulled at my wing.
"Be gone!" I pushed him towards the window, where he lost balance and fell out. Moments later he stuck his head back in, smiled at me again, and then disappeared.
Overlooking the abyss, I stood from the entrance of my clan territory. The mesmerizing swirling of the abyss, like an entrance to another world. I thought of countless vampires and humans we have cast into this vortex, how many lives has it been? I pondered in deep thoughts, drown in my own misery. After nearly three months of not attending the counsel meetings, Kain have demanded my presence personally by whispering to me. A hand lightly landed on my shoulder, startled me from my own thoughts.
"Lord Kain wished to see you, sire." Nicholas came up beside me. Nicholas now has evolved a bit himself, cold white skin, sharp pointed ears, his hands and feet cloven.
"I am aware of that."
"You know it is not wise to keep our lord waiting."
"I am agonized by my own appearance." I looked down into the abyss some more.
"Sire, you are his first son, and his most trusted lieutenant. No matter how early you have evolved before him, I'm sure he would look past it and see the faithful son you are."
I thought of what he said for a moment, and was persuaded by his comfort.
"Thank you, I appreciate that." I smiled. "I shall see him at once. Watch our clan in my absence, Nicholas. Make good judgments when necessary."
"As I have always for the last six centuries of my life, sire." He bowed slightly and head back towards the clan territory.
I kicked off the edge of the cliff and caught the air current above the abyss. I shifted my wings and soared even higher into the sky. Vampires of all clans looked at me with utter admiration. The wind blowing through my hair, cleansed my face of sorrow, and for once, I felt free. Looking down onto the numerous clansmen, I felt like a god. This is what Kain must've felt when he descended from the Sanctuary walls the night we fought off the Blood Hunters. Except, I can soar higher than him.
Slowly, I adjusted my wings and catch the down drift of air that would carry me back onto the ground. The vampires made a clearing for me and watched me wide eyed as I fold my wing and entered the pillars sanctuary.
As soon as I enter the structure, I felt a sense of foreboding, as if a burden has been placed onto my shoulders. As if the burden of all of Nosgoth itself has been compiled into one mass and fasten onto me, like a yoke on an ox's neck. The sensation of freedom was long gone.
'Perhaps this was just my imagination.' I thought to myself as I walked through the hall leading towards the pillars. 'What Nicholas said was true, Kain is my master, and no matter what, I will be his first and most faithful son.'
Young fledglings didn't know about Kain more than him being the living god, but I know him to be a lot more.
As the doors to the pillars open, I can see Kain seated at the throne with the Soul Reaver, and my other five brethren stood silently before him. Beholding this image, I have but two sentences that could describe our master:
"Kain is deified, the clans tell tales of him. Few know the truth…"