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Realms Converge	By : Candice Category: +G through L > Legacy of Kain Views: 3562 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Legacy of Kain, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.Don't get to Nosgoth itself til chap 5

Chapter List
- 22
- 23
- 24
Edits as of 05/2016.

Next up!

This one switched from first person POV to third person POV with Eldar Kain and Raziel for the first part. I know most of this has been first person but these two held me at Reaver point in order to have a chance at the spotlight. You do NOT argue when you have two versions of the soul reaver blade at your neck... -Cries-

Chapter Twenty-Three: Rescue Mission

Eldar Kain and Raziel had not been idle in the time that had followed their visit to a fledgling Katrina.

The parasite that had dubbed itself the 'God of the Wheel' had taken Kain's threatening words that it had best 'burrow deep' to heart. The eldritch creature had seemingly disappeared from their sight once more and could not easily be found. They had thus used the time available to them to traverse much of Nosgoth itself in search of further Ancient and Hylden artifacts that might aid them in their fight against the parasitical monster.

To that end, Eldar Kain had them searching for the Seer. While Kain's younger self believed the Witch dead, Eldar Kain had the foresight that was gifted to him by the Chronoplast itself and, after a brief perusal of said device, knew just where and when to seek her out at the particular junction of time they were in; a small hut just inside the wild edges of the former Dark Eden.

The lands of Dark Eden had recovered after Kain had defeated the corrupted Pillar guardians; DeJoule, Bane, and Anarcrothe. The land was no longer being affected by the twisted magics that the guardians of Nature, States and Energy had wrought upon it in their madness. As such, very few of the monstrosities that Kain been forced to fight in his youth still existed to roam the wild terrain. Even now the landscape was considered unholy by humans and to them the lands were to be avoided at all costs despite the potential bounty of the land. The vampiric duo did not hesitate to enter the wild forest.

"If this witch, this Seer, is indeed a Hylden as you believe... why are we going to her for aid?" Raziel growled out.

His annoyance was plain as they landed at the edge of the forest and Eldar Kain reverted from bat form to his normal state of being. They started past the twisted boughs that hid a long overgrown path.

"There is much that we still do not know about the Hylden beyond the biased writings that were left behind by the Ancients. Do recall that history is written by the victors Raziel. This limits our knowledge regarding the entire Hylden species," Eldar Kain said as he glanced over his shoulder at his Childe. The Eldar turned his head back around and continued deeper into the forest. "We know that the Parasite tricked the Ancient vampires into starting a holy war and yet... the Hylden did not fight in such a way that would feed the bloated beast by slaying their enemies. No, they instead cursed the Ancients with immortality and denied the Parasite his intended meal. So, too, was he denied a feast of Hylden souls with their subsequent banishment to the Demon Realm. A strange thing when one thinks upon it long, yes?"

Raziel came to a abrupt yet brief halt. He shook his head and then quickened his pace in order to catch up with his Eldar whom had not slowed his pace one bit as Raziel processed what had been said.

"You make it sound as if someone knew the truth of the Elder Go-" Raziel started as he caught up to Eldar Kain's side.

Eldar Kain's talons flicked out suddenly and cut over Raziel's left ear in a reprimanding gesture that had not been used on the dark haired vampire since his early fledgling days. He snarled at the gesture and slashed his own taloned hand down in a cutting motion as he backed a step away from the taller vampire lord lest he be caught but another unexpected action.

"I am no fledge for you to curb!" he bit out with a growl. To be treated like a fledge at all was wrath inducing for him.

"No, you are not," Eldar Kain responded with a sneering smirk as he looked Raziel over. "And yet even a fledge Katrina had sense enough to correct you when you called the creature such. Do not call that parasite a 'God' again Raziel, you will not like it if I must correct you a second time."

Raziel stiffened at the implied threat in the Eldar's darkened tone and then, some tense moments later, he bowed his head with the slightest baring of his throat in acknowledgement of his Sire's, his Lord's, words. They continued on from there in silence until they reached a small path that wad marked only by a handful of bird skulls mounted upon a small branch. Eldar Kain turned to follow the path and Raziel followed silently.

"As to what you were saying," Eldar Kain said as he pushed aside a thick branch. "Who else but one who lived in that time might know the 'why' of the situation at hand? Perhaps someone of a clearer mindset saw the threat of the Parasite and moved to act as they could to stop it."

"And why not warn the others of the truth then?" Raziel queried.

"Have you ever tried to change a fanatic's mind, my Raziel?" Eldar Kain asked in a dry tone as he looked backwards and raised a brow at the younger vampire/reaver.

Had Raziel still been human, he might well have blushed under the gaze that his Sire sent his way. He knew that there were many times, even in the recent past, that his own rage had blinded him to the truth that Kain had been trying to guide him toward. He'd been led about, pulled between Kain and the Elder Parasite, both of them vying for his loyalty even as they fed him their own versions of the truth. Yet one thing could be said in Kain's favor; after Kain had damaged his wings and thrown him into the Abyss, he had not demanded Raziel's continued loyalty and obedience the way the Parasite had. Kain had only wanted him to find and then see the truth for himself and decide his course of action from there.

It had been a weaving and winding path put before him and Raziel had only come to see the truth of Kain's true destiny as the Scion of Balance recently. As such, he still berated himself on falling so long for the clever manipulations of the very being that desired to consume Nosgoth down to the last soul. Raziel had not realized it, but he had come to a halt as he contemplated the twisted and convoluted path that had led them here. Eldar Kain noticed the pause in his Childe's movements and turned back around in order to walk to Raziel's side. He reached out with a taloned claw and tilted Raziel's head up. The sharp pointed tip dug gently into Raziel's chin and he did not fight against the touch nor pull away as he met his Sire's gaze.

"Enough melancholy thoughts, my Raziel," Eldar Kain purred out in a low tone of voice that made Raziel shiver. "You said it yourself; you are as you were, my right hand."

"As you will," Raziel responded in a careful tone, "my Lord."

Eldar Kain let out a hum of approval as he scratched his talon along Raziel's jawline. The sharp talon tip raised a welt but not blood as it traced that severe jawline. He turned and started back down the overgrown path.

"Now let us continue on," the Eldar said firmly.

They found a small hut tucked neatly against a sharp cliff. The light of a hearth fire lit the windows with a warm, welcoming glow and Eldar Kain moved toward the door without pause. Raziel raised a brow in surprise both when the door opened without Eldar Kain having to knock and at the fact that a distinctly female Hylden let them inside without word nor greeting as if she had been expecting them. The Seer spared Raziel a small smile as he passed her with a wary gait and she shut the door behind them with a gentle click. She moved over to a small cabinet and pulled out two mid-sized vials of what was clearly blood-wine. She handed both of the vials to Eldar Kain.

"The last time I saw you," Eldar Kain said with a smirk as he automatically checked each vial's seal over for tampering, "you were not well pleased with my presence. Yet now you offer me and mine blood-wine. I find myself wondering what has changed."

"You did," she said with a soft laugh as she moved to tend to the pot that simmered over the flames of the hearth. "You were overbearing and annoying in your youth. Demanding to the point of foolishness even as you heeded to your Eldar's wisdom in seeking me out for assistance."

Raziel's wings twitched in surprise at the bluntness of the Hylden woman's tone and he raised a brow at his Sire as he watched for a reaction. Eldar Kain merely laughed as he opened one of the vials in order to catch the scent within. He eyed the vial with a pleased look even as he continued to speak with the Seer.

"So your initial refusal to help me in my youth was merely a test?" Eldar Kain asked with a smirk. He took a small sip of the blood-wine a moment later and let out a pleased thrum of noise.

"One that you both passed and failed at the time," she responded as she set aside the spoon that she had been using to tend to what smelt like rabbit stew. "Now you are older and wiser, less likely to bandy about threats at every turn."

"And yet I could still be of threat to you," Eldar Kain purred out with a low, near sub-harmonic growl that echoed with a testing threat.

"And I would believe those threats as you are now," the Seer said as she took a seat. "So. You would know the truth of the Hylden and the Ancients?"

"Another Oracle to suddenly know what we need," Raziel growled out suddenly with a bitter frown.

The Seer turned to look at him with a saddened expression upon her face.

"I am called a 'Seer' for a reason, my friend," she said softly. "Unlike Moebius who only saw the future paths that he wished to shape and the Parasite that can see just enough of the future and of the past in order to manipulate those who might listen to his siren's call, I myself am cursed with the blessing to see all the possible dimensional timelines tied to the planet called Nosgoth."

"'Dimensional timelines'?" Raziel asked with a raised brow.

"Time and Dimension work hand in hand young Reaver, something that Moebius never truly realized. Be grateful for that, he would have posed a far greater threat had he realized such a thing," she said.

She reached to pick up a ball of yellow yarn. She then cut free two strands of yarn and held them pinned between her fingers as she raised them up for the males to easily see.

"You would see each of these strands as a single timeline yet that is not the case. It is the tiny threads of each string that make up a thousand timelines based upon a thousand different choices. Some choices are large, change and chance made manifest in one burst of action. Some are small, a singular pebble that ripples outward to cause a tsunami of change years, if not centuries, later. You must understand though, that each string is its' own dimension and that each thread fights to remain wrapped around the others. This twining pull maintains the shape of that particular dimension. Sometimes of course, a single timeline can branch off..."

Here she reached out with a claw far more delicate the any vampires and pulled free a single thread of one of the strings and she then began to thread it through the second piece string so that it seemed as if the string originated from that one thread.

"... and a new dimensional timeline can be forged with its' own series of choices and paths, failures and successes," she said as she held up the now connected strings. "This is what many different versions of yourself were able to do, Raziel, when you accepted that final, purifying sacrifice to cleanse Kain's sight. Other versions fought back against their imprisonment to the detriment of their world. Others still were somehow slain in truth. The willing sacrifice that you made was one of many key events that helped to shape the path now before you."

"I believe I understand what you mean, but why do you stress my sacrifice so when it comes to alternate versions of myself?" Raziel asked. "I do understand now that I have indeed had the freewill to chose and help shape our world's future, yet you say one of many key events. Why?"

Eldar Kain remained silent as he leaned back against the wall, open vial in hand. He too was curious as to what the Seer was getting at.

"Because Raziel, sometimes the impossible happens and paths that were never to have been walked are cleared for one to traverse with impunity," she said.

She set aside the two strings she had bound together and picked up the yellow ball of yarn and then a second ball of blue yarn. With a pulse of magic she pulled at the two balls of yarn at separate points and meshed the two strands that were pulled free together to make a single green string of yarn. Eldar Kain's breath hitched almost un-noticeably as he pushed away from the wall.

"Katrina," he said.

"Yes," she smiled at them. "Unnoticed, unaware, her mere presence in this dimensional timeline has changed so much just with her arrival. Yet, I cannot even See her unless she is with another Key Player such as yourselves. The Time Line does not register her like it would you or myself because she is not from here. And yet she can affect so much without realizing it. This, I believe, is part of the reason you were drawn to her so swiftly Kain. Not merely due to your vampiric instincts, but also those instincts driven by your being both the Balance Guardian and the Scion of Balance. By knowing in your very soul that she is a queen piece from a third chess set that should never have been put into play. I say one thing more; I know for certain that her presence has allowed for something that should never have happened in this particular dimensional timeline."

"And what is that?" Raziel asked with a sudden, knowing sense of dread in the pit of his stomach.

"Hmm, it seems that you can answer that yourself, can you not young Reaver?" the Seer said as she turned to look at him.

He swallowed harshly even as he met the Hylden woman's gaze. Not out of fear of the woman, but of the cold knowledge that became crystal clear in his mind. Fear of a path that he had somehow avoided, yet accepted, when he had willingly submitted to the Reaver. Fear of something that was near enough to non-existence, something that was terrifying to contemplate for one who had seen countless centuries. It had taken more courage to face that choice with eyes wide open than it might have had he been blind to the knowledge of what awaited him...

"I was never supposed to be anything but the sword, the Soul Reaver, after my sacrifice," he said in a pained voice. "Forever trapped. Bound by sensory deprivation so complete that I would have eventually gone mad within the blade."

"Exactly," she answered in a soft and gentle tone that somehow did not grate on the prideful males nerves. "Her vitae mixed with Kain's, feeding him the energy of both a human and a vampire not of Nosgoth. That combined essence from her world passed from Kain to you, both when he raised you and from the blood he has shared with you over the centuries, gave you what energy, what other-worldliness you needed to shape yourself anew after that willing sacrifice. It was not a blind leap of faith that you took, but it was still a leap of faith and her essence allowed for, if you will, a cosmic reward for your knowing sacrifice."

Raziel held out his hand in a silent request for the unopened vial of blood-wine. Eldar Kain passed it over and his Sire's expression seemed somewhat pained at the thought of having potentially lost Raziel forever to the Reaver blade. Raziel knew that Eldar Kain had done his best to save Nosgoth and spare Raziel his fate in his efforts to find his 'coin's edge'. He knew as well that Eldar Kain had thought Raziel lost for good. Raziel shook his head to clear away his dark thoughts and opened the vial of blood-wine. He swiftly put the rim of the bottle to his lips and tilted his head back.

Though the vintage of the blood-wine was most likely both potent and exquisite, Raziel barely noticed the taste as he downed the entire vial in a few harsh gulps. What he did notice was that the blood-wine was potent enough that it managed to burn his throat, the pleasing burn of a powerful alcohol. He moved to one of the few chairs in the small hut and sat down roughly. He rubbed at his face with the heel of one hand and let out a soft grumble.

"It seems I owe her more then I had thought possible," he muttered a few moments later as he leaned back in the chair.

"Indeed," Eldar Kain said as he took a longer pull from his own vial of blood-wine. "Yet we need information other then the certainty that Katrina's presence has changed things from whatever course they may have followed otherwise. Tell me; what is the true history regarding the Hylden and the Ancients and the war between them?"

"It is a sad history. Both of our species believed in the sanctity of The Wheel," she started to explain as she stood and set aside the balls of yarn. Once her hands were free they fairly danced in the air and she spoke with a wistful expression upon her face. "Of life and death and eventual rebirth. Of finding ones dearest allies and loved ones in the next life. Of taking the path not followed the first time 'round and seeing what might be found. Perhaps one might be human one life, Hylden the next, Ancient after that or even return as the wolf or the raven. We knew that the soul was not destroyed upon death. We had ways, both magical and technological, to track and follow souls as they chose new forms. There was no doubt that there was a Wheel of Life, Death and Rebirth. The Hylden were more prone to follow technological advancements in their pursuit of that shared belief whilst the Ancients focused on the magical aspects of the world. In the beginning, our societies were able to mesh in many ways. There were those amongst each of our species that were more gifted with either magic or technology respectively and those prone to a particular skill set were welcome amongst their like minded brethren despite their natural forms. We did not hate each other then. Oh, we had our outliers, our monsters, our thieves and murderers amongst each species, but there was no pain of outright war. The young Human species had even started to show signs of potential brilliance. It was our Enlightened Age."

The Seer's hands fell to her side and her expression turned sorrowful. The two males shared a glance and Eldar Kain grimaced as he thought of his own Empire's decline as the evolutions of his Childeren became more and more horrifying each time they awoke from their Torpor. Madness had taken root so thoroughly through the ranks of the vampires and only Kain himself had seemed immune toward the end. The Eldar shook his head and looked back at the Seer.

"Did you not realize that the Parasite was a threat beneath the land? With all that magic and technology available to you were not aware of it?" Eldar Kain asked.

"No, we did not know of it, not at first," she answered with a shake of her head. "We also never really figured out where the Parasite came from. By the time we began to realize that the Oracle of the Ancients was in truth the very Parasite that was eating away at the life-stream of Nosgoth, it was far, far too late. Most of the Ancients were already under its' thrall without even realizing it. Only a handful of us on either side realized that the call to war was a trap set by the Parasite so it could feast upon our souls and pervert the very Wheel that each side sought to protect."

"And thus the Vampiric Curse was created and the Hylden banished to the Demon Realm," Raziel said with no small amount of awe in his tone. "Kain was right in his supposition; at least some of you figured out what was wrong and tried to deny the Parasite its' intended feast."

"We did," the Seer said with a nod of her head and a wave of her hand. "In truth, even the Hylden are affected by the Curse, yet it affects us far differently then it did the Ancients. Two... strains of the Curse if you will. In Vampires the Curse created the Blood-lust, which was a necessary design flaw, and gave them the ability to change humans into creatures such as yourself. This was a design meant to eventually deny him even the Human's souls."

Her expression twisted into a look of dark and vindictive satisfaction as she finished that that sentence. She shook her head a moment later and looked at the two males.

"You are a different breed of vampire compared to the Ancients," she continued. "Hardy, strong and an even greater ability to heal. And that is not even taking into account the fact that Mortanius' actions altered that original, magical strain of the Curse to create Kain. An alteration that caused the Vampiric Curse within him to take on some of the Hylden strains traits. For you see, in the Hylden it eventually twists us and causes a devolution very similar to what happened to your own Childeren, Kain. The Curse twists our natures in a way that allows both longevity and the ability to survive the harsh environment of the Demon Realm both within the shelter of the Gates used to protect the haven city we created within said Realm or even those times when we needed to traverse the areas outside of the city. The Curse also did not hinder our ability to procreate completely within our own ranks, but it did limit the birth rates due to that Gifted longevity. The Demon Realm can only support so many. Eventually, unless things are changed and the Curse purified, stabilized, it will cause my arms to fuse with my wings and I will begin to slow until I am naught but a talking statue that passes on words of wisdom and warnings of the future."

"But... you're supposed to be older then Vorador," Raziel said in a confused tone as he and Eldar Kain shared a look. He looked back at the Seer. "Should you not already be as such then?"

The Seer laughed into her hand for a moment and then sat down as she could no longer stand on her feet due to her amusement. It took several moments for her to stop laughing and only Eldar Kain's hand on Raziel's shoulder stopped him from snapping at the woman.

"Ah... ah, but I needed that, thank you," she said with another laugh. Again, somehow her tone did not incite further upset in the Vampire Reaver. "You two are still operating under the belief that Moebius built the Chronoplast. He did not."

Her smile turned dark as she spoke, "That is my life's work you use to traverse the Time Stream. I am, in truth, barely three centuries old. I use it to travel where I am needed in the Time Line, as either the Seer or the Witch."

Raziel's wings twitched with his agitation.

"And you could do nothing to stop all this from happening?" he asked in an accusing tone.

"I did what I could," she snapped out as she pinned Raziel with a glare. "I built the Chronoplast so that our Scion could have the tools that he needed to restore our world and kill the Parasite. Another forged the Curse to prevent Ancient and Hylden alike from becoming food for that same Parasite. Yet a Third put steps into play to build the Pillars as directed yet place the needed modifications and a Fourth worked the banishment spell designed to affect almost all Hylden as the Pillars were forged into being. Each of us could only do so much without destroying the very fabric of reality itself in order to forge a path meant to destroy the Parasite and yet leave our world whole enough to recover from the damaged it has caused! You cannot traverse back in time with the Chronoplast to a point where the device does not exist. It is not possible and singular devices can only be used to traverse back up to fifty years at the most, no more. By even that point in time, the seeds of war had already been sown and the Parasite's hold upon the Ancients complete. We could not undo what had already been done and could only work to change the future!"

"And the Hylden Lord's attack in my youth?" Eldar Kain asked after several moments of subdued silence.

"Not all accepted that the banishment was necessary," the Seer said with a shrug as she stood back up. "Indeed, not all chose to remain within the safety of the City and the worst of our criminals were banished by the Consulate to be consumed by the Demons of the land."

Eldar Kain was about to question her further upon that particular subject when a burst of almost static like noise flared painfully in his mind. He reached up and rubbed at his temple as a sudden sense of growing unease filled him. His head jerked up when the 'static' cleared abruptly. A desperate and panicked voice rang through his mind like a clarion call.

~KAIN!~

"I beg pardon, but we are needed elsewhere," Eldar Kain growled out with a sudden flash of realization.

His taloned hand clamped firmly onto Raziel's arm and he tugged the younger vampire to his feet. Raziel did not fight him but did shoot him a confused look. At this distance, the only one Katrina could have reached over the Whisper was himself, thus Raziel had not heard the panicked cry. Even then her call was a targeted and focused Whisper meant for Kain alone. Younger and Eldar had both heard her at the same time and had gotten the briefest sense of just where she was located. His Younger self had already started for the Keep even as he called upon the others via Whisper.

The Seer bowed her head to Eldar Kain and her eyes flashed golden for a brief moment just as a vampire's eyes would flash white. He paused at the sight and raised a brow at her.

"Go to her," she said softly. "I know not the extent of what has happened, I cannot See that, but she will be near to broken when next she is at your side, Eldar Kain."

Eldar Kain let out an enraged sub-harmonic growl at her words and twisted his Gift of teleportation around both himself and Raziel. He landed the both of them upon the roof of the Sarafan Keep despite the Gated barrier that surrounded it and had to close his eyes briefly against the pain that flared in his skull. He opened his eyes and looked at Raziel with a frown.

Raziel himself wavered in place for a moment as the disorientation caused by the teleportation through a Gate faded. It felt like he had the beginnings of a migraine and his skin itched mightily from talon-tip to wing-tip. Once he had recovered, Eldar Kain gave him a shove toward the door of the roof.

"Go," he ordered. "You know her scent and the taste of her blood now. Find her and get her to the rooftop swiftly."

"You are not following?" Raziel asked in a flash of momentary confusion.

"I must needs take care of the generator that powers that damned barrier," Eldar Kain growled as he rubbed at his brow. The Eldar was developing his own Gate induced migraine and his temper was not well improved by it. "I recall seeing what I thought to be a demon attacking a portion of the Keep as the barrier fell."

"What you saw was yourself. Of course," Raziel nodded his head in understanding. "I will find my Lady, my Lord."

Raziel turned and darted through the door. He cloaked himself in shadows with his Dark Reaver Invisibility spell and disappeared from sigh. He ran swiftly down the Keep's stairways and worked to catch his Lady Katrina's scent in the air of this snake's den.

-*-*/-**-*-

Back to Katrina and First Person POV folks!

Also...

WARNING SEXUAL ABUSE/RAPE AHEAD. TRIGGER WARNING.

You have been warned!

-*-*/-**-*-

I struggled in earnest to try to get free of the Auron-ridden Lordling even as his fingers hooked painfully within me. Human blunt nails scratched viciously over my inner walls and I struggled against the painful pressure. He leaned down and suddenly bit down hard into my inner thigh just as he sent another burst of electricity to course through me. A pulse that originated at his fingertips. I sank my fangs deep into my lower lip to try to stifle the scream that was forced from my throat even as my body convulsed due to the agony that tore through me. He let go of my thigh and looked up at me with a cruel sneer.

"Such a disobedient pet," he growled in that dual-voice. "I had not had the pleasure of a virginal half-blood amongst my pets for over five-hundred years before I stumbled across you. Ah, my sweet pet. Do you know that even your name means 'pure one'? Only you are not such a sweet and pure thing anymore, now are you? You little slut!"

I yanked harshly against the Hylden-runed shackles and struggled to get free of the bindings that hindered my abilities. I could feel as pain flare at my wrists when the metal began to dig into my flesh and draw blood. The skin of my wrists were torn open from the force of my struggles. The sheets beneath me were already soaked through with the blood from the thigh wound and even more of my blood began to trickle down my arms. I growled in fear-filled rage and strove to pull my body away from his cruel touch. He continued to send increasingly painful bursts of magic directly into the core of my body as his fingers prodded and dug viciously against my inner walls.

"Now though, now you are just a little whore who can't keep her legs shut. You have given away what kept you safe from the worst of my wrath whenever you disobeyed me," he snarled out.

He forced a fourth finger into me and increased the level of electricity that pulsed through me in violent waves yet again. It felt like every nerve ending was on fire and I bucked and writhed. I tried again to pull free as those four fingers wriggled uncomfortably within me in a mockery of foreplay. I tried to stifle my agonized screams but my fangs were torn free from my lower lip and I yowled in torment as the level of magic increased yet again.

"Who marked you, my disobedient pet?" he purred out in a deadly tone. His face twisted a moment later into an enraged expression. "Tell me which of the fools you travel with has taken what is mine!"

"I am... no one's... pet!" I snarled out past the tears and pain. I tried to kick him at him with my free leg and he blocked my weakened blow easily. I let out a rage-filled wail. "I'll fuckin' kill you, you bastard!"

The pain flared as his fingers pushed deeper still and I felt something inside me start to rip from the invasion. I tried to wrench back and he twisted the dagger in my thigh harshly to hold me in place as he continued to shove his fingers deeper still. A moment later I felt his thumb brush against my mound as he tucked it in against the rest of his hand. That offensive sensation of being breached increased. It suddenly felt like he was trying to force his entire hand inside me and I panicked at the thought. I kicked at him with a shriek and ignored the pain in my thigh even as the blade cut a wider gash in my flesh. Pain I could handle but this... this...!

The level of electrical energy that he had been pouring into me suddenly changed in frequency. I let out another, startled shriek of sound. Pleasure started to course through me unexpectedly, impossibly, and my body started to react to the repulsive violation.

"NO!" I yowled out.

I bucked wildly and he pushed me down against the bed with his own body to keep me pinned in place. His fingers wriggled within my core and magic danced over his fingertips as he sought out that sweet spot within me.

"Oh my dear, whorish, pet," he purred in that dual voice as he leaned over me ominous. "You'll cum screaming for anyone these days, wont you?"

"No! No! NO!" I screeched as my body continued to react to that changed and pulsing magic that now coursed through my core. "Damn you!"

"The boy wants me to break your jaw you know, take that pretty little whore's mouth of yours to shut you up," he said. He grabbed my hair at the top of my head and forced my head back to expose my throat. "To make you swallow his seed like the eager little slut that you are."

I tried to turn my head to bite at him when he leaned in to bite at my neck. Pain stopped me and my entire body arched back in agony when I felt his entire hand slide in to my core. That tearing, ripping sensation within me grew stronger even as the magic continued to pulse within me. I let out a scream of pure terror as I felt my body start to tighten around that invading hand, to react to the magic that pulsed through me despite the blinding pain of being rent open so. I had to fight now against my own bodies reaction to his, their, twisted application of magic. My eyes flew wide with panic and I yowled in strained fear as the pleasure somehow started to outweigh the pain of having his entire hand buried within me. It was too much! Too much!

"No!" I howled out.

"That's it, my whorish little pet. Break for me," he hissed into my face. "See what agony you have gained by giving yourself to another. Be a good little slut and cum for your Master."

-*-*/-**-*-

Worst of it is over!

-*-*/-**-*-

I spat in his face and fought against the tide he was forcing me to feel. Tears flooded down my cheeks whilst the pain and pleasure continued to wrack through my body. He raised his free hand to strike me and then had to catch himself against the headboard as an explosion abruptly rocked the entire Keep. The Lordling's eyes flashed back to the normal pale blue for a moment and then the darkness took over once more.

The hand within me was yanked free with a wet sound and I all but fell limp when the invading presence was removed. I let out a choked sound when he raised his blood covered hand to his lips. He licked at the red fluid from my torn and bloodied core. He moved to run bloody fingers down my cheek. I jerked my head away from that touch and I let out a weakened hiss of breath. He let his hand fall to the hilt of the dagger embedded in my thigh and smirked down at me. I shook violently as shock started to assault the edge of my mind.

"It seems that we have unwanted guests," his dual-voice had become mockingly sweet. "You stay here and rest for now my pet. Before I go though..."

He pulled out a second dagger and wrenched my head to the side. He tore into my braid and pulled out the leather spiked strips. Once my hair was loose he grabbed it in his fist and slashed the blade through my hair with violent movement. What remained of my hair fell loose in a rough shoulder length cut and he let the cut strands fall onto the blood-soaked bed. I snarled at him weakly and he laughed as he stood. He glanced down at the blade in my thigh with a smirk before he turned and left the room.

I shuddered, trembled and gasped for breath as I curled as much as I could into a ball while I tried to somehow process what had just happened to me. Sobs tore free from my throat even though I worked to quiet myself. Out, out, out... I needed to get out... needed to escape. I struggled to shift myself so that I had enough room to grab at the hilt of the dagger. I froze with my hands on the hilt as my eyes focused on the runed shackles wrapped around my still bleeding wrists.

If I pulled out the dagger now, I would bleed out within minutes without my vampiric healing factor available to me. I lifted my hands away without pulling the dagger free.

I blinked at my hands as they trembled and shook. I then looked at the decorative ring that the chain was looped through. It had shark-tooth like spikes rimming it. I shifted my weight onto my undamaged left leg and struggled desperately to raise up enough to get one of those spikes stuck in the slight gap of the left shackle where it locked. I tugged and twisted the shackle as I haphazardly tried to force the bindings open. I needed to get out, I needed to get free. A voice sounded from behind me and I jerked with fear. I pulled my wings close in order to cover myself as much as I could, panicked that the Lordling/Auron had returned or that one of his guards had come into the room to 'play'.

"By the Pillars! My Lady!" the voice was filled with shock.

Raziel. I realized dimly that it was Raziel who had found me. I slumped against the headboard in relief and then tucked myself into as much of a ball as I could as shame abruptly tore through me. I felt a taloned hand brush against my shoulder a moment later in a hesitant touch and I couldn't help the soft, trembling keen that escaped me. I was answered with a near-to-comforting growl as he lightly brushed his Aura against my own. He moved to grab the shackles around my wrists and I jerked my head up.

"Hylden runes!" I managed to croak out in a voice dulled by screaming.

"I see them, my Lady," he responded soothingly.

He dug his talons swiftly into the gaps of the shackles and tore them open with a careful flick. His talons showed scorch marks where they had touched the metal even though he had been cautious. He caught me as I fell to the side, suddenly dizzy. The faintest flush of vampiric energy was restored to me now that the shackles had been removed. I let out another keening breath, this time of hunger. The loss of blood had hit me in full now that my vampiric nature was no longer being suppressed by the runes.

"I have you, my Lady. Let us get you fed," he said as he looked at the blade in my thigh with a frown. He shook his head a moment later. "I fear what would happen if I pulled that blade free. Despite Kain's stories, I am not well acquainted with Half-blood weaknesses."

"I'd bleed out... same as a human at this point. Too drained..." I murmured weakly as he picked me up in his arms. I lay my head against his shoulder and fought to keep my eyes open despite my exhaustion.

"Ah," he said simply as his grip tightened. "This will get cold."

I shuddered as a pulse of Gift magic passed over me and I realized that we had faded from sight. I could still see just the faintest outline of my hand when I held it up though. He carried me out of the room swiftly and turned to the right. He was not kidding either, it had gotten very cold, like we had started to move through ice-water. I shivered due to the chill and tucked myself closer to him.

Or at least that's what I told myself...

He came to a halt near a small, shaded alcove and gently tucked me into it before he became fully visible to my sight again. I grabbed at his wrist and opened my mouth to say something but found that I could only choke upon my words. He gave my hand a squeeze and leaned his forehead against mine in a comforting bump before he pulled back.

"I will be but a moment. A lone human is nearby and you need blood," he said.

He let out another soothing growl and I relaxed faintly. I nodded my head rapidly and curled as much was possible into a ball despite my unresponsive right leg.

He moved away and I found that I lost focus on everything around me. I stared at the marble flooring blankly. The thought of what had just happened started to circle round and round in my mind. A moment later all thought was pushed away as the scent of fresh blood hit my nose and I found myself twisting and biting instinctively at the source of that scent.

As I fed, I could feel my body begin to heal the wounds that had been inflicted on my person. Non-magical as they were in nature, they started to heal swiftly. The blood that I consumed went straight toward healing those wounds. I barely registered that fact that Raziel was saying something to me. Pain suddenly lanced through my leg again. The flesh that had healed around the blade was torn once more as the blade was pulled free.

I lashed out with one hand, claws extended, and Raziel caught my wrist in his taloned hand. I felt my claws dig vicious little grooves into his armored vambrace, heard the screech of claw against metal. His Aura pushed over me in a soothing wave and he let out another near-to-comforting growl. Some sense came back to my mind at that noise and I eased my claws back as I continued to feed. He kept his hand around my wrist in a comforting and steadying grip.

Body drained of all blood, I let it go with a small sound of partially sated hunger Raziel pulled the corpse away from me and tossed it to the side. Taloned hands moved toward my thigh. I let out a soft, panicked hiss and my wings flared in a warning gesture. He let out another low growl and his own wings flared in a sheltering sort of way as he gave my wrist a gentle squeeze.

"I must be sure that the wounds are healing properly, my Lady," Raziel said in a soothing tone. "If I must fetch another meal for you, then I will do so. Let me see."

I turned my head away and I flushed with shame as he examined the wounds that I had been forced to endure. He let out a low, angry sounding hiss before he gave my leg a gentle pat. He then turned to strip the corpse of its' pants.

"You are almost healed," he said simply. "Here, my Lady, put these on."

I struggled into the breeches that he had handed to me even. He turned his head away both to keep watch on the area and allow me a modicum of privacy. I had to tie the belt looped around the breeches into a knot in order to keep them up as they were too big for me. He then had to help me roll the pant legs up when I found that I could not stop the shaking of my hands. I let out a snarl and punched at the wall beside me in helpless rage. He caught my hand in his own before my blow could land.

"Peace, my Lady," he rumbled soothingly. "Let us get you out of here first."

I nodded my head rapidly, beyond ready to be rid of this place, and he helped me to my feet. The coldness of his Gift wrapped back around us and he led me toward the roof at a jog. We reached the open roof top and I glanced around the area. I realized that the sounds of a battle echoed from below us. I pushed the thought of the fighting away and looked up at the sky with a nervous twitch of my wings. I let out a strained sound at what I saw.

"The barrier is still up," I said and my voice broke on the last word.

"Kain is dealing with the generator," Raziel said after a moment. "We need to get airborne. Can you use your own Gift now?"

I nodded quickly and let go of his hand. I found that I did not care that Eldar Kain had shared the knowledge of my Gift with his Childe. I was visible for all of a second before I flickered back out of sight and I leapt into the air. While my energy was strong enough to maintain the lack of sight that my Gift allowed for, I could yet hear the rhythmic beat of my wings as I gained in height.

I heard the sound of a second set of wing beats fill the air as Raziel leapt to follow after me and we winged toward the edge of the barrier. We caught a thermal and road it for a few brief, tense moments of silence before a second massive explosion rocked the Keep. The barrier flickered out of being as the flames rose and consumed part of the Keep. I couldn't help the cry of pure relief that escaped me as I turned and winged away from the city. Raziel followed swiftly on my heels by the sound of his own wing beats.

Bare moments after the barrier had fallen, the sounds of dozens of smaller wing beats filled the air nearby followed by dozens of chirping sounds. A flock of bats circled first around Raziel and then around me. Some of the small forms bumped into me when I wavered in the air and became visible for a brief moment as I felt my hold on my gift slip. The mass then turned toward one of the high cliff walls that were visible from Meridian. Eldar Kain's bat form circled an almost unnoticeable ledge before it turned back around to twine around each of us a second time.

I turned toward the cliff ledge that he had indicated and tried to land, only to trip over my own feet for the first time in a long while since I had started to learn how to fly from Janos. I had to tuck into a roll and I lost focus on my Gift completely in order to keep enough focus to prevent myself from face-planting against the ground. I stayed close to the ground instead of standing and kept my wings held in such a way as to try to conceal myself from sight as much as possible. Raziel and Eldar Kain landed nearby and I furled my wings tighter around myself.

Eldar Kain's Aura pushed out against me in a comforting wave and Raziel's joined it a moment later as they both crouched near me. Despite the comforting presence of their energies, I still found myself pushed against the cliff wall with my wings wrapped around me in a way that kept me mostly hidden from their sight.

Fear and rage, terror and loathing, self-hatred and shame, relief and panic. These emotions and more tore through me. I felt myself tremble with tears and I struggled to keep silent. I felt Eldar Kain's Aura give another small pulse. He was closer now. Barely second after that pulse had passed over me, I felt the backs of his talons brush over the base of my now exposed neck. I jerked under that touch and tried to curl into a tighter ball.

Why would he even want to touch me right now? I thought to myself... only, it wasn't to myself.

"Little One," he said in a soft, near exasperated tone. I suddenly found myself pulled onto his lap and held close. I let out a small meep of noise and trembled in his arms. "One; you are projecting your thoughts again. Two, and listen to me very closely my Little One; what happened is not your fault."

"Couldn't this have been stopped?" Raziel suddenly hissed out in anger. "The state she was in when I found her..."

He cut his own words off with a snarling growl. I felt Eldar Kain's chest rumble beneath me as he too growled low in a rumble of sound that was both soothing and annoyed.

"As the Seer said, time flows strangely around her," Eldar Kain said softly. "When she is by herself it is all but impossible to see exactly what can happen to her using the Chronoplast until the event is already said and done with. The Sarafan Lordling himself is so minor a character that a ghost of him barely registers to the Chronoplast. As Auron exists on another dimensional world, one cannot even begin to see what trouble he has caused through the Lordling until it, too, has already happened. As far as my younger self is concerned, Katrina has been missing for two days, bound this entire time by Hylden artifacts and untraceable. This entire event could have happened a month ago or perhaps even a month from now, as it was orchestrated by Auron who is outside of time as far as we are concerned. I could not be certain when or if she needed aid until she called for me through the Whisper."

"And you did not think to warn her when you spoke to her at the Pillars!?" Raziel snarled.

Eldar Kain shifted abruptly and I heard Raziel let out sudden a squawk of pain. I peaked out from under my wings to see the winged vampire held in a tight grip by the back of his neck. He struggled for a brief moment before he fell limp and bared his throat in submission. Even as he submitted, he let out an angry sounding growl. Eldar Kain shook him roughly at the growl and contained rage filled his tone as he spoke.

"Do you think that I had not thought to do so? Did you think that I did not try to check innumerable times to see what would happen if I had blatantly warned her of what might happen to her? Sometimes it led to my finding her corpse, sometimes it led to a longer duration of imprisonment, sometimes a shorter time frame but with far greater consequences! Explicit foreknowledge of what could happen proved again and again to be detrimental when I examined the Time Stream! As I said before, Auron is outside of time and at this point I know of many things that may have happened to her but until she tells my younger self exactly what occurred I do not and will not know the extent of what has happened! Time is still being shaped even now!"

He shoved Raziel away roughly and then turned to me with a serious expression on his face. He reached to run a talon lightly across my cheek. I shuddered even and tried to tuck myself against him. He flared his Aura in a soft and comforting pulse of power.

"If I could have saved you from this, believe me, I would have my Little One," his eyes flashed solid white for a brief moment.

He leaned down and lightly nuzzled his nose along the right side my neck just below his Mark. I found myself briefly grateful that he didn't actually touch the Mark as I did not wish to feel any kind of forced pleasure. Not even from Kain.

"D6 to D20 to D4..." I muttered blankly as I tried to process what I had heard.

"The hell...?" I heard Raziel mutter as he righted himself.

"Di...different kinds of gaming dice," I muttered softly. "The way E-eldar Kain makes it sound, it's as if he throws a six-sided die, a D6, and then somehow I turn it into a D20. Then Auron turns it into a D4... can't tell what it will land on 'cause..." my breath hitched with sudden realization. "Everything is still being shaped as you said because I am still going through it all for the first time."

I looked up at Eldar Kain with a frown as I pulled my head back.

"If I... had you block all of this...?" I started hesitantly.

"Then I will never know what has happened unless you ask me to remove the mental block," he responded with a small frown. "Do you want to forget the whole of it?"

I tucked myself back against him and remained silent for several long minutes as I thought about it. I honestly wasn't entirely sure... I was just so damned tired and... soul-sick in a sense I suppose. I almost wanted to just sleep for a few centuries...

A sudden chirp sounded loudly right next to my ear and I jerked away from Eldar Kain's chest because of the noise as my train of thought was thoroughly broken. Eldar Kain and Raziel both let out soft snorts of surprise when I pulled a small bat free from where it had hidden itself behind my left ear. I stared at it blankly for a long moment as it moved to hang from the fingers of my hand. I noted with a building sense of amusement that it looked a lot like one of the silver-haired bats from Gaia, complete with silvery fur woven amongst all the black on its' back. I suddenly found myself convulsing with silent laughter as it moved to nibble at my withdrawn thumb-claw. I moved my thumb out of its' reach and let the side of my head fall back against Eldar Kain's chest.

"The bats are cute," I murmured once I had the strange fit of laughter under control.

Eldar Kain let out a huff of breath at my words, but I could feel his amusement in his Aura.

"I have never once heard any part of Kain referred to as 'cute', let alone his bat form," Raziel said in a dry tone of voice. "Are you quite certain your mind is yet intact my Lady?"

I let out a faint sound of disappointment when Eldar Kain reached out to touch the bat. It shimmered into a shadowy shape before said shadow melted back into his body. I turned my head to look at Raziel.

"Bats. Are. Cute," I said firmly, though my voice still wasn't much above that of a whisper. "They're like... little fluff-balls with wings. Sometimes near literally. Gaia has over a thousand different breeds of bats from bigger fox-faced fruit bats to these itty-bitty white puffballs with wings."

"I swear... next you are going to call wolves 'cuddly'," Raziel said with a shake of his head as he sat down on a largish stone.

"Were-wolves, no," I said softly with a sigh as I nuzzled against Eldar Kain's chest. "Regular wolves, yes."

I heard the impact clearly as Raziel face-palmed and Eldar Kain burst into outright laughter. I smiled faintly against his chest and curled up close to him as I closed my eyes. I liked it when he laughed, that deep thrum of noise. I let out a soft sigh.

"May I just rest for a while?" I murmured faintly.

"Yes, sleep dear Katrina," Eldar Kain said softly into my hair. "We will be right here."

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