Janos stared at the blackened skies whilst I attended to the fireplace within the retreat. It was a grim day for our kind. . . The brides of Vorador were ambushed by the Sarafan during their travel to the South Eastern city of Meridian. It's been said that Vorador's response was filled first with anguish, followed by a rage that struck fear into both vampire and human alike. Lord Janos had said it'd be wise to stay out of his way, even if we wanted to console him. That wasn't the only problem as our blood offerings from our fellow humans in Uschtenheim had begun to decline. Those who had been our friends have long passed or have left due to continued harrassment from the visits of the Sarafan. It pained me that there was nothing I could do to help, but I began to question my purpose in my Lord's life.

"My lord. . ." I speak up as I toss another piece of wood into the fire, "We must do something to help the others, I cannot sit idly by and let these Sarafan bastards hunt us down like dogs."

Janos simply sighed and turned to face me, his eyes losing the glow he once had when we first met. "Kellin. . . We would be no better than them if we sank our fangs into every human we come across who fear us enough as it is. Were you any different when you were human?"

"I wasn't afraid." I answer firmly, "I embraced this gift for my own reason, and that was you Janos Audron." My eyes were locked onto him, desperately holding in the anger that was slowly rising.

The Ancient Vampire gave me a weak smile, "You speak truthfully. And yet. . . We ourselves have distanced from one another. It has been over two centuries since we met, and it is clear that you've begun to question whether it was the right choice."

I couldn't hold it in any longer, I walked towards him with a face of thunder and opened up the bottled anger, "Of course I made the right choice! But you don't understand how it feels to be powerless! You, an ancient vampire who wields the power to help our kin, yet you won't even use it to console and help Vorador. He was YOUR firstborn, and now he has nobody to turn to. All because you won't even take that risk."

I felt tears in my eyes as I kept looking at Janos, his face near expressionless. "Please Janos. . . We have to do something. . ." I pleaded, my knees collapsing into the ground. It was overwhelming, and to think I held it in for so long too. My lord placed his hand on me, and I embraced him as my cries echoed in the place we now called home.

He gently rubs my back to comfort me, and whispered, "We already have my dearest Kellin. I understand your anger, your desire to help those in need. It is a noble quality I assure you. You have been there for me as the Sarafan curse my name with malice, as our fellow vampires have either chosen to fight or hide. I will tell you this secret. . . When the prophesized one arrives, he will use the reaver to bring back balance to Nosgoth and will pave the way for our kind to thrive once more."

"Does he have a name?" I ask. He lets go of me so I can look at him. Judging by his body language and facial expression, he knew the name.

"Raziel." Janos says the name, almost pridefully. "I assure you, that he is the key to bringing Nosgoth into a better position than it is now. There will be catastrophies, the pillars may one day collapse, but Raziel will stop it. I have faith that he will."

"Do you believe that the wheel of fate you spoke of will bring this Raziel to come and claim the Soul Reaver? I may have doubts about the wheel, but I will trust your judgement." I take hold of my lord's hand, he gentley squeezes, smiling back. It was this moment that made us re-connect, and whilst it's inveitable that we may be next on the Sarafan's list, I will do whatever it takes to protect my lord, no matter the outcome.

The flow of time felt like a river, breaking into seperate streams but crossing paths and forever bound to one another. I no longer paid attention to the days that passed, because every moment I chose to spend it with Janos. Was it ten years? A hundred? Or a thousand? It no longer mattered. But. . . For this next moment. . . I've chosen to work on one final piece of art, and then I will leave it behind.

As I look up to his retreat, I smile before turning away. I've chosen to wait in Uschtenheim for the Sarafan to arrive. The piercing winds and endless snowfall did little to cover the poor vampires who were hunted down and slain, I looked to them with a sorrowful expression, hoping their deaths were swift and painless. My eyes noticed a lone Sarafan knight around the church, an easy picking if I move fast. The poor knight's vision would be useless against this blizzard, but not mine. The howling winds covered the sound of my approach, the scent of his blood compelling me to rip his throat out. . . Without hesitation, I lunged towards him and wrapped my arm around his neck, choking him. I grabbed his head with my other hand before proceeding to snap him like a defenseless piece of poultry, the sickening sound of bones breaking made me flinch, but I wasted no time in sinking my fangs into the exposed neck, taking in the cold red liquid like I've never drank before.

With the corpse no longer required, I simply dropped it into the snow, the speckles of blood vanishing as more snow covered the body. There would be others lost in this blizzard, but I had the advantage in knowing the hamlet's layout. It was ideal to take the Sarafan's sword and use it myself. With my heightened senses, I could sense two other soldiers sticking together, and so I began to eavesdrop on them.

"This blizzard's not helping one bit! Why did they get insist on us going out and not them!?" One guard complained to his taller, more slimmer companion as they trudged through the deep snow.

The tall one grunted back, "Because you opened your damned mouth about the cold inside the bloody church! We could've been there getting rid of those murals, but no, you decided to complain."

"Don't get all high and mighty because you outrank me!'' The small one shouted back.

Their insults provided me with insight on what was happening. Those bastards have been defacing the murals regarding the past, but why? Did they fear that the knowledge of the ancient vampires and the hylden would convince their fellow humans to question the order?

These two would most likely stay close, so attacking them is too great a risk. With my ability to move swiftly pass the snow, and the hood I donned doing just enough to shield me, I leapt to the church roof and entered through the bell's chamber. Upon landing on the wooden beam inside, I could see several Sarafan defacing and destroying the murals. The benches were thrown about, the basin pushed over and damaged.

Rage. . . To see these pieces of history and art destroyed by these pathetic humans had only me think that Vorador had every right to hate them. With the sword in my hand, I let myself float down to the one guard who turned his back, his fellow companions too focused on their act of vandalism. Without a flicker of hesitation, I plunged the sword through his chest, his cry of anguish echoing and bringing the attention to me. The guards stopped and grabbed their weapons.

"Vampire!"

"Surround this unholy vermin!"

Five Sarafan guards, against one enraged vampire? I liked these odds, and all the more reason to let my anger take hold. If Janos had taught me one thing about combat, is that we use our speed and strength, but he didn't teach me to control my temper. They circled around me, clearly unsure how to deal with me.

The other two guards from outside had entered, both running to join their fellow comrades. "There's no escape creature!" The big one stated, "You can die quickly, or you can suffer!" This threat stirred the darker side of me, I looked at him with a smirk and raised my blade.

. . . What have I done? I can feel the wounds close as I looked at the bodies of the fallen soldiers I had killed. One had his head split in two, one had been stabbed with his own spear, the other few had been mutilated heavily. Was this remorse I felt as I stared at their corpses, not caring for the fact that more Sarafan surrounded me. I had let myself be consumed by anger, all because they threatened my lord and had made us go into hiding. I broke out of my trance and turned to face them, there were far too many for me to fight. . .

"It's over monster." One Sarafan stated as a matter of fact. "Just accept your fate." If this was to be my last stand, if this is the only way I can buy Janos the time he needs for the prophisized one to arrive. Then so be it.

I closed my eyes and began to use the whisper to speak to Janos. "My Lord. . . Please remember me for who I was, for what you meant to me. Forgive me for my selfish action, but know that I do this because of my devotion to you. I know one day our souls will meet again, but until then my Janos Audron. . . Let my masterpiece remind you of all of the beautiful times we had."

I knew he would listen but not say a word. But that was alright. . . He didn't need to. With the Sarafan guards closing in, I looked at them and smiled.

"I'll accept my fate. But I'm not going without RIPPING YOUR HEARTS OUT!!" I charged towards these warriors, and fought with everything I had, for this piece of art, would be my last. . .

Janos Audron stood and looked towards the skies in silence. The Ancient Vampire turned to walk to the fireplace, staring into the flames as memories began to surface in his mind. His first meeting with Kellin, their shared stories of growing up on different sides of life, the times where Janos would keep them warm in the winter with his wings. . . A tear fell as he remembered the night they spent together, the day Kellin accepted the dark gift and had lived with him for centuries. All that was left of his devoted one was the painting of the pristine pillars of Nosgoth, the very same one that Vorador had his crows steal.

Janos let himself fall to his knees as he wept quietly, mourning the artist who had entered his heart with such devotion and affection, that it only cemented the resolve within him. The Ancient composed himself and stood up, looking at the painting with a hopeful smile.

"Kellin. . . May we meet in our next journey, whenever that may be."

The End