A Thousand Years

Chapter Six: Empathy

Disclaimer: Sigh.

As I review what I have written thus far in the large leather bound journal in my hands, I realize that I have not put any description into the location my brothers and I stayed in. I deeply apologize. We were very careful to keep our hideout a secret, both in location and in description, for we were vulnerable until we got a better grasp on our strengths and abilities. But because it does not matter now, I will explain.

If you look at a map of Nosgoth, you will see that to the southeast of the Pillars is a lake. To the east of the lake is a large forested area, and further east, a lake that encircles Willendorf city. In that forested area between the two lakes was where Kain and my brethren hid. Kain had worked hard even before our resurrection to secure a place of safety where my brethren and myself could train and grow stronger without much worry.

I earlier described Nosgoth as a wasteland, but that was a different area. A forest cannot be a forest without trees, and there were many. The only difference was that the trees were skeletal, and only few had leaves, clinging desperately to life while everything around them died.

Deep within the forest, Kain set to work building our hideout. The forest was full of cliffs and hills. It was in the side of one of these cliffs that he began to dig. Yes, that's right. Our hideout is almost completely underground. It well suited our needs, for it blocked out the sunlight during the day and protected us from rain and snow. The entrance to the clan was hidden well beneath the massive roots of two ancient trees. The tightly woven appearance of the roots gave the appearance that no one would be able to squeeze through easily. This is where the advantage of vampiric strength came in. All we had to do to enter in was to lift one of the massive roots and duck beneath it to head inside. Kain could brush the roots aside telekinetically with ease, and later, so could we.

Once inside, a large tunnel with a stairway led upwards higher into the cliff. There was a structural advantage here, for if it sloped downwards, rain and the like would be able to flow down and flood the place. Also, if humans tried to invade, we'd have the advantage of being above them. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all dirt and clay, with stone imbedded into the sides to keep them from crumbling or caving in. Sconces lined the walls, giving the tunnel an intimidating feel with the flickering of the candle lights.

At the top of the stairway was a large room that had ten tunnels branching off from it. Seven of them each led to a room, one for Kain and each of my brethren and myself. One of them led upwards by means of a spiraling staircase, leading to the top of the cliff where one could get a perfect view of the land all around. There was no need to fear infiltration from this entrance, for there was simply no way a human could get up the sheer sides of the cliff.

Another tunnel led to the training room, a massive room where Kain had mounted his collection of weapons up on the walls from the warriors he killed. We didn't have to worry about breaking the weapons we practiced with, for Kain always had a large supply in reserve. There were wooden beams that we practiced sword, knife, and axe combinations on, as well as targets for bows and arrows as well as throwing knives. A large cabinet contained medical supplies in case any of us gained severe wounds or happened to maul ourselves badly during practice.

The last tunnel led to a massive room with a large table and seats all around where we would hold meetings and such. Bookcases were imbedded into the walls, and books were stacked within them by the hundreds. Another section of the wall had special square slots for holding scrolls, ink, pens, and the like. We were allowed to decorate our rooms as we chose. Most of the actual furniture we salvaged from the ruins of Vorador's mansion (which, by the way, wasn't fun in the least. The place was crawling with vermin and mold. There wasn't much to salvage).

Kain took what he wanted from the junk, and I was allowed to choose what I wanted next, and so on and so forth down the line. Our rooms didn't consist of much. I had a four-poster bed, with crimson bed sheets and pillowcases along with a black comforter. A black velvet armchair sat in the corner beside a bookcase that I had begun to fill with objects I picked up that I had liked. There was also a dresser that contained my clothes, and in one drawer, my favored weapons. My brothers had much the same sort of thing going on in their rooms, but none of us ever saw Kain's room. We were forbidden from entering it. I believe that concludes the rather lengthy description of our clan area. And now, for your reading pleasure, I shall continue with my story.

Back at the clan, I parted from Kain as he went back to teaching my brothers how to fight while I went up to my room. As I lay in bed, I wondered how exactly Kain had known to come when he did. It was puzzling, to say the least. I heard a gentle knock on my door and Dumah inquired from outside, "Raziel? May I come in?"

"Of course," I replied, sitting up in bed. Dumah entered, shutting the door behind him. I motioned for him to have a seat on the end of the bed and he obliged, sitting down. "Is there something on your mind?"

"As a matter of fact, there is. Did something happen to you in Willendorf?"

I blinked, tilting my head to the side curiously, "Yes, why do you ask?"

Dumah shrugged. "I was nearing the end of my training session and I couldn't help but notice Kain being a bit... distracted, I believe is the right word. He wasn't much concentrating on what I was doing and rather seemed almost in a world of his own. And suddenly, without warning he snapped his head up and disappeared. And now I see you and Kain returning to the clan as if there wasn't a problem in the world."

Frowning thoughtfully, I told my story to Dumah, who seemed quite interested in what I had to say. Of course I left out the part where I fed on Kain - that would be my little secret unless Kain chose to divulge it. With my legs crossed and my hands on my knees, I watched Dumah and asked him what he made of it.

"Judging from what you told me, I can only come to the conclusion that Kain is empathetic to us, his sons. He can most likely feel what we are feeling, whether it be pain, distress, happiness, whatever it may be, so that if something happens to us, he'll know, and be able to protect us while we are still vulnerable. I do not know if it will last after we are able to look after ourselves or not."

I nodded, for what Dumah said made perfect sense. Kain was distracted while teaching Dumah when I was feeling wary and on guard around Miya, and he became alarmed and teleported to Willendorf when he felt me being knocked out, or perhaps it was when I felt fear running into the guard. But that also meant that he probably knew I had an infatuation with him... Oh dear.

Dumah blinked at me. "Why are you blushing?"

"If he truly is empathetic, he's going to know if we have any special feelings towards someone, isn't he?" I asked Dumah, looking up at him.

Dumah gave me an understanding smile and chuckled. "Most likely. Raziel, you're not the only one crushing after Kain." He chuckled again at my startled look. "All of us, maybe save Melchiah, have feelings for Kain in our own special ways."

"Melchiah needs to pry that sword out of his ass, open his eyes, and see that the world doesn't revolve around him," I snorted contemptuously.

Dumah laughed, nodding in complete agreement. "I'd best be getting some nourishment before the sun rises, then. I think I'll stop by one of the smaller villages rather than go to Willendorf. I would not like a repeat situation for what happened to you." Dumah rose up off the bed and headed for the door. "Good night, Raziel."

I nodded. "Good night, Dumah." As soon as he left, I laid back once again on my bed and stared at the flickering candlelight coming from one of the sconces in my room. It was reassuring to know that I was not the only one by far crushing after Kain, but I couldn't help but wonder what he felt about it. And what about Miya? I wondered if I would ever encounter the witch again, and what would happen if I did. With a sigh, I stretched out and closed my eyes, drifting off to sleep.

A/N: Sorry for the rather uneventful filler chapter. I'm running into writer's block and trying to figure out where to go with this. Plus I'm working on two stories besides. Blah. . That's my problem. I get an idea, I start to write on it, then I realize that I have no clue where to go with it. If anyone out there has an idea about what I can do with this, I'd really really appreciate it!

Morbid Knight - Thanks for the advice, I tried breaking down the chapters a bit more. Hope it's easier for you to read. I know what you mean about the FFVII section. Blah! (Shudders)

Emerald Embers - Thanks for the positive feedback, I'll try not to let you down!