Hello everyone and welcome readers old and new to the first chapter of B.L.A.S.T.: Shadows of the Past! I'm really excited to be getting a start to this story! I intended to get this out earlier in the month, but I work retail and the holiday season left me drained of much of my energy. But I am happy to be getting this story up in time for Christmas!
A few items of note before we begin. This is a sequel, so if you are a new reader or aren't familiar with the story I would highly suggest going back and reading my story B.L.A.S.T., otherwise much of the characters and past events mentioned throughout this story will not make much sense to you.
Secondly I appreciate all reviews. I'm always happy to hear what you, the reader, think about the job I am doing. And don't be afraid to PM me if you have any questions.
This story is rated T for swearing, violence and mild fanservice (Enjoy!)
Finally, the usual disclaimer, I in no way own the W.I.T.C.H. or any of its characters.
With all that all out of the way let's dive right in! Enjoy!
Chapter 1: Whispers of Things Past
An old saying on Eldrin goes that the older the place is, the darker the secrets it can contain. There were spots all over that could fit this description. Long abandoned towns in far remote locations where the inhabitants had fallen victim to disease, famine, or unchecked banditry. There was Fisherman's Cave, which had once been a hideout for a group of vicious pirates that had harried the coast line only to destroy themselves through infighting that left no survivors. There were many old forts scattered across the continents that had seen bloody battles. These and more were just a few examples of the concept that old saying tried to represent.
But there was one place on all of Eldrin where this saying was never more true, a dense forest that sat in the center of Eldrin's western continent. For roughly a thousand years only the foolhardiest dared enter its boundaries. Animal life was non-existent there, it was as if the creatures of the woods could sense the dark presence that enshrouded the land and caused them to shun it altogether. The trees of this forest soared into the sky, as only natural disaster or age caused them to fall, their thick branches and dense leaves filtering out much of the sun's rays, casting the area below in thick, oppressive shadows. To walk in this place was to feel the dread and fear that filled the air. It was like stepping into another world that only knew pain and suffering. A place that had seen the darkest of ceremonies performed and many a soul sacrificed all in the name of gaining power.
There was but one spot in these woods where the light of day was able to shine. But despite this no warmth could be felt there, only an unnatural icy chill that literally ran up your spine. The area wasn't very big, perhaps only the size of a pair of basketball courts laid out side by side. In the center of this clearing sat an old stump. From a distance it looked no different than any other tree stump you could find anywhere else. But once you got close you could tell that a lot of history was attached to this weathered piece of wood, and none of it good. Exposure to centuries of weathering had faded the runes carved into its base, but not completely erased them. The most prominent features were on the top however. First was the most obvious, a groove carved into the wood, one that was the perfect size to accommodate a human neck. Once you grasped this fact other, even more unsettling details jumped to the forefront. Like the dark brown stains soaked into the surface of the wood, or the numerous knicks all along the edge of the groove which had obviously been made by something sharp and heavy being brought down hard into the stump repeatedly. It was disturbing enough that this old stump turned chopping block had not rotted away over a thousand years. But there was an ominous presence to it as well, a soul crushing dread that radiated off of it. And in the dead silence of the forest, you could swear you could hear the screams and frightened wails of the victims of that stump.
From this horrific landmark a well-worn trail which much like that stump had mysteriously not faded away over the long years, leads back into the woods. Following this path brings you to the entrance of a cave, no bigger than a regular doorway, but none the less forbidding. It's dark opening feeling like a portal to the abyss itself. This is the source of the dread the permeates the entire forest, a place all of Eldrin fears to tread. A place that is said that any who enter never come back out of. This is Kendrif's Graveyard.
A thousand years ago Kendrif was one of the most feared people on Eldrin. A dark wizard who tricked, stole from, threatened, tortured and murdered countless people in his quest for power. His experiments in alchemy and necromancy created horrible monsters he used to further his aims. He would have succeeded in his plans if not for a young girl named Ardella. A simple village girl chosen as the Keeper of the Heart of Eldrin and wielder of Eldengraft, a scared magical spear. This young woman along with her loyal allies fought against the evil sorcerer and his minions, the war culminating in one final epic battle in the clearing of the dark forest. It was here Ardella struck the final blow to Kendrif, ending his reign of terror, his remaining lieutenants either fleeing or falling in battle with him. Ardella would go on to be crowned the first queen of a united Eldrin, her descendants still ruling to this day.
However, despite Kendrif's defeat his evil works remained. Deep within the underground graveyard that bears his name he placed a secret lair that no one knew of, protected by powerful enchantments and concealed behind solid rock, all in order to keep it hidden. Inside he placed his most ambitious experiment, a way to cheat death, a safeguard in case he was thwarted. It was here a new body to replace his old awaited the proper time to awake. Laying inside a stone sarcophagus topped with a glass lid Kendrif's eyes snapped open for the first time in a thousand years.
Moving was hard at first. His joints and muscles felt like they hadn't been used in centuries, which of course they hadn't. The initial difficulty moving and the slight dizziness he was experiencing were things he hadn't counted on, but minor hiccups like that were bound to happen with such complicated and untested spell work. Already these side effects were beginning to fade as it was, so he wasn't concerned. He placed the palms of his hands on the glass lid above him and pushed. With a little minor effort it raised up and slid off the top of stone box he laid in, falling to the side. He reached out with his long spindly arms to grab the sides of the sarcophagus and pulled himself to his feet. He stretched his limbs and twisted his body like he had just awoken from a deep sleep, testing his new body. Once he was satisfied everything was working properly physically, he moved on to other tests. He snapped his fingers and the long dormant torches along the walls flared to life. With a grin he snapped his fingers again and a stone box slid out of the wall with a loud grinding noise. Kendrif reached out with his hand to it and an ornate purple robe trimmed in gold thread floated out of the box and over to him. He stepped out of his resting place as he dressed himself and strode over to a mirror hanging on the rough stone wall. A quick swipe of his hand cleared hundreds of years of accumulated dust from its surface. A wicked smile crossed his face as he stared at his own reflection. He started to chuckle, a small sound that unfolded into a truly malevolent laugh, gloating at his triumph.
"I did it!" He cried out in satisfaction. "It may have taken a thousand years but it worked!" He would have liked to bask in the light and glory of his success longer, but taking the stock of the situation he was awakening to was a higher priority, plenty of time to pat himself on the back later. He first went to check the store of potion and alchemy ingredients he had left in the lab. He was slightly disappointed to find many of them had spoiled, especially some of the rarer components. It wasn't a complete loss, and he had expected this to happen even with stasis spells cast on everything some things were bound to go bad. While it wouldn't be impossible to replace what he had lost, it wouldn't be easy or quick. A concern for down the line. His lab equipment was another story entirely. While covered in a large layer of dust there appeared to be no damage to the delicate glass tubes and piping. A little cleaning and they would work fine.
Satisfied with what he had seen of his stored supplies he moved to the door of his laboratory and touched a panel by the door, activating the hidden mechanism that opened the exit. The torches along the hallway lit as he walked past, but he paid it no mind, something felt wrong in the air. He exited the tunnel and emerged into a gigantic cave. He looked around, trying to figure out what had changed and traveled along a path covered in dead grey dirt, to either side row upon row of rough cared headstones flanked him. When no signs of the spirts that dwelled there appeared he quickened his pace. Coming to the center of area the he hissed in dismay, his suspicions confirmed. Where four pyramids surrounding a central obelisk all made of glowing purple crystal should be standing only dull rubble remained. His soul battery, a device for gathering energy from the souls of the dead, had been destroyed.
"Impossible!" He cried out. He could feel his anger building to the point where he wanted to lash out with necrobolts in order to vent his rage. But what would be the point of that? Instead, he took a couple of deep breaths and allowed himself to regain control and let logic take over. "No, not impossible. Just improbable." He said as a further way to regain his composure. He had thought the defenses he had left in place would be sufficient to protect his most prized possession, but clearly, he had been wrong. A miscalculation on his part. Upon further examination he realized that not all of the debris were from his device. He recognized that several of the piles of black stone as his Krilicks, large insect like stone constructs that had served as both caretakers and guards of the graveyard. Inspecting the remains he founds some had been destroyed by weapon strikes while others he could detect the faint residue of magic. The signature of which was somehow familiar to him, though he could not quite place it. While not an exact science he deduced that whatever had happened had occurred roughly five years ago. The timing was unsettling, have happening so close to the end of his slumber, but was more than likely coincidental. Very few had known about his plan to reawaken from death and none had ever known where he had located the chamber it was to take place at. Thankfully the resurrection process had not been dependent on his soul battery remaining functioning. However, this was a bigger setback then he had anticipated. Creating a soul battery was extremely difficult. The materials were very rare and every bit of it had to be constructed precisely and all the steps preformed at the right order at the right time. One mistake and you would have to start over from scratch. It took tremendous skill and patience, something he possessed in spades he gloated to himself. He shook his head, building a new soul battery was another problem for later. First he had to gather information and begin rebuilding his forces. And thankfully he knew just where to start.
A fire crackled in the hearth, the light of which cast dancing shadows throughout the chamber. The castle he had come to was ancient, sitting atop a distant mountain that was anything but easy to traverse. The fire suggested the one he sought was there, but where the castles occupant was, he did not know. As Kendrif turned to continue his search the curved black blade of a scythe appeared and pressed against his throat.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" A calm, young sounding voice asked from behind him.
"Oh, come now, is that anyway to treat a guest and old friend? Or don't you recognize me Viviana?" He said with a chuckle. "But then, it has been a thousand years after all." He slowly turned around to face a girl that looked to be no older then thirteen or fourteen. Her skin was very pale, almost white, which was a stark contrast to her raven black hair done up in twin tails that went to the middle of her back. The black dress she wore left her arms bare and went to mid-calf. The only reaction she had to seeing the face of the intruder to her home was a slight widening of her sea green eyes.
"Kendrif…" She said as she slowly lowered her weapon. The pitch of her voice betrayed only the slightest hint of surprise.
"Indeed it is. It is good to see you, Viviana." The girl said nothing in response however. She let go of her scythe which vanished into nothingness as if it were made of nothing more than smoke.
"Come, have a seat by the fire." Viviana said as she walked calmly past Kendrif and sat in a large cushy chair upholstered in worn red velvet. She crossed her legs and once settled gestured towards an empty chair identical to her own with the exception that it was covered in a thin layer of dust and wasn't as worn. Kendrif kept an amused grin on his face as he sat down, as if he was playing some sort of game.
"I must say you seem awfully calm about my sudden reappearance." Viviana gave a small shrug of her shoulders and continued to stare at Kendrif.
"I knew of your experiments Kendrif. I knew you sought a way to cheat death. I also remember my contribution all too well. Obviously you succeeded, though I will admit to believing that you had failed. I did not think it would take so long."
"An unfortunate, but necessary component of the process. In order to make sure my resurrection was complete and I awoke with my powers intact it had to go slowly so the spells and potions could do their job properly. Though it did have the benefit of making sure none of my old enemies were around anymore and no one would be expecting me to return after such a long time, as you just pointed out. I will take whatever advantage I can get after all."
"I see, well whatever the case may be you have returned and I'm sure this is more than just a simple social call."
"Sharp as ever my dear Viviana. But business can wait for the moment. You wouldn't happen to have some refreshments, would you? I haven't eaten in a thousand years after all."
"As you like." Viviana raised her arm and snapped her fingers. A few minutes later a silver tray with bat like wings flew into the room bearing a bottle of wine and a steaming bowl of stew. The tray landed on a small table between the two chairs. Kendrif nodded his head at his host in gratitude and proceeded to eat in silence. Viviana just watched him with her fingers steepled in front of her face.
"My thanks." Kendrif said when he was done, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a cloth napkin.
"The gremlins do good work when you don't task them beyond their abilities. But enough of the pleasantries. What do you want?" Her words were forceful and Viviana stared intently at Kendrif, waiting for a response and obviously eager to get on with things.
"Why, I want what I've always wanted, to make Eldrin mine of course." Kendrif spread his hands as if what he said was the most inconsequential of things.
"Oh, is that all?" Viviana rolled her eyes. "Much has changed in the last thousand years, surely you realize that. Eldrin is not the same world you knew."
"Rest assured, such matters are not lost on me. I knew I would be waking to a world very different from the one I knew. That, in part, is why I am here. I need information both on what happened after my supposed demise and what is going on now."
"Very well. I'll give you the broad strokes, if you need more detail it can wait for another time. After you fell Eldrin came together as a unified world and rallied behind Ardella as their queen. Her descendant's rule to this day." Viviana grinned in satisfaction at the grimace of annoyance on Kendrif's face. The fact that his old adversary had become the ruler of Eldrin instead of him obviously irked him to no end.
"Do you know what happened to my soul battery? I awoke to find it destroyed."
"Oh, that nasty little toy of yours." Viviana gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Well that goes back to an invasion led by an off-world warlord named Logrim about five years ago. Eldrin had been a rather peaceful place up till that point and the army was caught off-guard. The capital and the castle were overrun and the king was killed, though his three children managed to escape the fall of the capital and went on the run. They were nearly captured, but were saved by the timely intervention of the Guardians."
"Guardians!?" Kendrif gripped the armrests of his chair a little tighter at their mention. "So, it seems I will have to face them once again."
"Yes, a new generation of them, and quite talented as well."
"As interesting as this is, what does this have to do with my soul battery?"
"I was getting there. Logrim was searching for something, a world heart from a fallen dimension as it turned out. He went to your graveyard in search of it, following some vague clues given to him by a seer he held captive. The Guardians followed him and a fight ensued. Both groups escaped, but one of the Guardians soon returned with a bald-headed man. He entered the graveyard and dealt with your device.
"The Oracle, no doubt." Kendrif muttered. "What became of this Logrim?"
"He found what he was looking for, deep in a cave in Mount Illgoth of all places, though things didn't go as he planned. His minions were defeated and the mercenaries he had in his employ turned on him. When he tried to claim his prize it was too much power for him to handle and he was vaporized. If it were not for the leader of the Guardians Eldrin would have been destroyed when this world heart exploded."
"My, my. And this all occurred five years ago?"
"Yes, it was actually quite interesting to watch." Viviana held out her hand a small creature flew out of the shadows, a strange looking being that appeared to be an eyeball with batwings and small clawed feet, it's leathery skin a dark shade of purple. It landed on her palm and hopped around a bit.
"Ah, you're using eyeblats."
"They're quite useful and they allow me to keep informed of current events." She dropped her hand and the eyeblat flew off to wherever it had been hiding.
"So, what's the current situation then?"
"Back to normal for the most part. The eldest of the old king's children sits on the throne now and the seer is his queen. For the last few years they've been working to rebuild from the destruction wrought by Logrim. An alliance with a world called Meridian has helped with that. The middle son is married to one of the Guardians and the youngest of the three, the princess, just returned from a journey across the dimensions. Oh, and you should know she wields Eldengraft." Again, Viviana took a moment to gloat at Kendrif's frustration. "That's the basics of the situation anyway."
"That will do for now I suppose. It gives me a place to start at least." Kendrif steepled his fingers and contemplated the implications of what he had learned. There were several wrinkles in his plans already. His soul battery destroyed, one of Ardella's descendants had taken possession of Eldengraft, and Guardians were in play as well. With one of them married to a member of the royal family no less. No, things were not as he had hoped for. He had never even considered any of these possibilities. But he could adapt, would adapt, that was the basic requirement for success after all. He had come for information and had gotten it, albeit a brief summary of things. He would of course need to get a more detailed grasp of the current situation, but that was yet another problem for later, what he had now would have to do for the time being. "What of my things that I left in your care?"
"Oh, your books and such. I had almost forgotten about them. They remained sealed away just as you left them." Viviana got up and walked away, not waiting to see if her guest followed.
"I have to admit I was surprised to find you still here. I was under the impression that you hated this castle." Kendrif said as he kept pace with impression Viviana.
"It's no secret I'm not fond of this place. But where else would I go? Besides, it's remote and no one comes to this mountain. A perfect place for exile."
"Exile? So, you've shut yourself away then have you? You mean to tell me you've hidden yourself away here for a thousand years? How do you feed if you don't venture outside? You're a vampire, you should be out there wreaking havoc and striking fear into the hearts of men. You're a creature of the night Viviana! What happened to the blood-thirsty beast I knew?" Kendrif said in a goading tone as one corner of his mouth curled upwards in a half- smile.
"It's called self-preservation!" Viviana snapped in annoyance looking back over her shoulder. "If I were to go out there and start draining innocent people how long do you think it would be before I had an angry mob beating down my door looking to lop off my head?! I may be immortal Kendrif, but I can still be killed, you know that, and frankly I rather like my head where it is, attached to my neck." She turned back around, irritated by Kendrif's mocking tone. "I have my ways of getting by. There are more than enough animals living in these mountains for me to satisfy my needs. Yes, I hunger for blood, I just don't drink human. It's better for everyone that way."
"My my, a vampire with a conscience. That is indeed rare."
"Spare me Kendrif, I am in no mood for your games."
"Oh, a bit touchy I see." Kendrif grinned at his host. "So are you truly here alone? I did note a lack of servants where there used to be many."
"Old Pevmar may have enjoyed having scantily clad girls with no minds waiting on him hand and foot, but that was his perversion, not mine. What he did to those poor souls was an abomination." The venom in Viviana's voice was palpable.
"Still so bitter towards the one who turned you?"
"What do you think?" She shot back.
"Oh Viviana, I think many things. Half of which I don't believe you want to know."
"On that at least, we agree." Viviana said in a bit of a huff before shooting Kendrif a pointed look. They had traveled far below the castle, the path they followed coming to a sudden dead end. Vivianna went up to the wall and began moving her hands in a series of intricate patterns while muttering some arcane sounding words. The wall before them shimmered and rippled like the surface of a pond someone had dropped a rock in. When it vanished a simple iron banded door was revealed. Without waiting for an invitation Kendrif opened the door and stepped into the room beyond as a faint musty scent wafted onto the air.
"I take it you haven't come down here in some time." Kendrif said as he used his magic to light the torches that were mounted on the walls. "I would have thought natural curiosity or even plain old boredom would have caused you to come and take a look."
"What you do has never interested me." Viviana said as she leaned against the door frame, watching Kendrif closely. "The powers I have already are more then enough to serve my needs." Kendrif just gave a dismissive shrug of the shoulders before going about the task of inspecting one of his largest stores of materials. He prided himself on being a cautious person. He had learned long ago to not keep everything in one place. That way if one of his depositories was found or destroyed he wouldn't lose everything.
Much like his hidden lab in the graveyard a thick layer of dust covered anything. And despite the scent of mold and mildew in the air he was quite pleased. Just from a quick inspection he could already tell that his supplies and books had fared much better here.
"Well, there you are." Vivianna said with a gesture of her hand. "Everything is as you left it. Take your things and go Kendrif."
"Go? Why, whatever do you mean my dear Vivianna?" The mocking tone had returned to Kendrif's voice as he turned to face the vampire girl. "I have no intention of going anywhere. Why, with a few simple modifications, and some necessary cleaning, this room will be more than adequate as my new lab."
"What is this nonsense!?" Viviana hissed as she stood up to her full height. "You said you were here for your things and information!"
"Oh, you assumed that was all I was after, but I never said that outright, now did I?" Kendrif's voice still had the mocking tone to it, but a colder edge had crept in as well, an inflection to his voice that Viviana knew all too well. "I will have everything back that I had at the height of my power. I will once again control a horde of creatures out of your worst nightmares. People will once again tremble in fear at the mere mention of my name. And it all begins with you standing beside me as my most loyal lieutenant."
"I see being dead for a thousand years has taught you nothing." Viviana hissed at Kendrif. "I have no intention of working for you again in any capacity. Besides, of all those who served you in ages past I am the only one who is still alive. Even those who survived the final battle with Ardella passed centuries ago."
"Viviana, have you forgotten? Being dead is far from the end. Especially when the most powerful necromancer ever is involved."
And with that the first chapter comes to a close! I hope you enjoyed getting a look at our new main villain Kendrif and the vampire Viviana!
Fun little fact the first part of this chapter was meant to be just the prolog, ending where Kendrif wakes up, but I decided to combine it with the first chapter to make a more cohesive and longer piece.
Again, please leave a review if you feel like it to let me know how I did! I'm not sure when the next chapter will be coming out as I was unable to create the buffer of chapters I was hoping to have before publishing this story, but keep an eye on my profile page for any relevant updates! I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!
Next Chapter: We catch up with our hero Becky and get a look into her life at collage! Later she has a run in with someone unexpected. Finding this person in turmoil Becky reaches out in kindness, surprising them both.
Till next time, this is Shocklance, signing out.
