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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
- 59
- 60
- 61
FYI, heavy edits have been done to my story 'Mirror, tell me something' if you want to check it out. There are a LARGE number of warnings on that story, hence its' M rating so please be aware of that if you check it out.
Thank you again for all the views/reviews! Love you guys lots!
Chapter Sixty: Breadcrumbs and False Trails.
With a rough plan and back up plans hashed out, I was about to take to the skies several hours later. I winged my way towards the closest Clan territory, that which had been Rahab's domain. I reached the lands swiftly and circled the formerly water-protected, and now water-logged, remains of the city that had been built in the center of Rahab's territory. Briefly I wondered what changes Kain's brood might have gone through had they had the chance to go through their torpor's after being purified. I shook the thoughts off as useless though. There was no point in ruminating so about events that needed to remain in the past. Out of all of Kain's turned Sons, I would only ever know Raziel. Unless Kain chose to Turn others...
Thoughts for later, I reminded myself as I focused once more on my task.
I winged my way downwards towards a safe looking patch of fallen masonry. Movement caught my eye and I had to back-wing furiously to avoid the sudden lunge of a water-bound vampire that hoped to catch me unawares. Flipping backwards mid-air, I lashed out with one booted foot to kick the vampire backwards. The shark-like form struck against a fallen pillar and a burst from my Telekinetic Gift held it pinned in place. The creature, and it was a creature for there was no sign of sentience in those hunter's eyes, hissed and strained against the unseen bindings that held it in place. I allowed the disgust and horror that I felt at such a sight pass over my face in case the Parasite was actively watching me. I spoke as if stunned.
"What the hell are you?" I asked as I landed on top of the pillar that I had the creature pinned against.
The vampire in question did not answer me. As expected. It merely bared its' fangs at me and hissed in my direction. Taloned hands lined with webbed reached out uselessly in my direction, as if it wanted to wrench me close. I allowed myself to flinch back a bit from the grasping talons and purposefully slowed my breathing and heart-beat to a crawl. The creatures hungry thrashing slowed in response and I felt a small flash of hope. It sniffed at the air, confusion marring its' wild features. I tried to reach out to the Wilding with my Aura as I was not quite ready to simply right off those turned by Kain's other Sons as lost just yet. The vampire calmed for all of a second before it renewed its' struggles in earnest. A sense of animalistic thought hit my mind over the Whisper and I winced as I struggled to make sense of the not-words that it was projecting.
From what I could glean of that jumbled mess, Vampire I might be... but I was not a part of its' Clan. As such, I was either food or threat... or both.
In short, the Wildling wanted me dead. Now.
Letting out a disappointed sigh, I dropped the vampire Wildling back into the water and allowed my pensiveness to show on my face as I looked around the area. I could not see any half-shimmers in the area, but that did not mean I was not being watched. I leapt from my impromptu perch and landed on a broken balcony that led deeper into the watery ruins. I glanced backwards when I heard the ringing sound of talons scrambling against marble and then started deeper into the ruins. A half-shimmer caught my eye, close to the ceiling of the long hallway that I was in and I allowed my eyes to pass over it without focusing on the limb.
Knowing that I did have an audience on hand meant that I would have to tread very carefully...
A low rumbling noise filled the air on occasion and I paused each time. Since the ground was not roiling unsteadily under me, I pressed onwards at a slow pace. More than once though, I heard loud thudding in the distance and then found myself coming across a freshly collapsed hallway that fairly rippled with half-seen shimmers. Raziel was right to have warned me before I left. I was being herded...
I was not-so subtly led to a mold-ridden library. Most of the scrolls and tomes within were damaged beyond all repair, save for a handful of books that had once been stored behind a magic barrier... that showed signs of having failed recently. Convenient that... I looked over the tomes carefully, mindful of their fragile condition despite the magical protections that had been on them and frowned. After a few moments reading, I had to contain a disbelieving scoff.
These tomes were clearly human accounts of the 'Demon Kings' rise to power. Likely written by Sarafan followers, warriors or the upper ranked ages ago. The fact that they had not been burnt meant that Kain had likely kept such tomes and scrolls of propaganda on hand to show younger vampires the kind of hatred that vampires had been viewed with over the centuries. The blind hatred some people could hold in their hearts even if the great 'vampire menace' did more to keep the humans in their care safe and healthy. Vampire lords did not need wheat, meat, bread, cheese, etc. Just blood. It was a better exchange when compared to the harsh food tariffs that some Human lords placed upon their people.
The author of the tome in my hand often waxed poetic about how my presence had 'kept the Demon King in check' for several centuries before my abrupt disappearance and lamented sorrowfully on the Sarafan's many failures in their attempts to 'rescue me' from Kain. The writings spoke of how 'obvious' it was that I was sacrificing myself for 'the greater good of humanity' and that they could do no less in order to 'save' the 'Merciful Mother' from the depths of the prison that I had 'been sealed in'. I scoffed at as I read such useless drabble and set aside that particular tome as useless.
The next couple of tomes were less propaganda pieces and more like a book-keepers, or series of book-keepers, marking down highly exaggerated reports of humans killed, enslaved or Turned by the 'vampire menace'. I allowed my eyes to widen and let out a small noise that could be mistaken for shock. One of the shimmers in the room slid closer to me and I leaned over the tomes as if intent on their contents. The numbers were out and out unreasonable, but I needed to make the Parasite believe that I was concerned by them...
Had the numbers been even remotely close to the realm of accuracy, then the human species would have been wiped out less then a century after my departure. Not all humans were literate on Nosgoth however. Many only knew basic numbers and letters, just enough to get by on a day-by-day basis. The exaggerated numbers would have been used to scare people into fighting... and behaving if they lived in Sarafan ruled territories.
In reality, most vampires were as much creatures of habits as humans were. Leave the majority of us alone and you'd avoid confrontation. There would always be the outliers, but still... we could live and let live where applicable.
I shook my head in unfeigned and open disbelief. I reached for another tome that looked intact and opened it up in a careful, but hurried manner. This one was filled with both more, and somehow less, credible information than the others. The handwriting was the same throughout the rather massive tome and the protective magics that I felt on it held an echo of vampiric energy. This was the journal of one of Vorador's brood who believed that Kain had 'slain the eldest of us', Vorador and Janos, rather than send both males to my realm. By his writings, he well and truly believed that Kain had murdered Vorador, Janos, Alma and Nikolai. He wrote of his fear that even I had 'met with a ghastly fate' at Kain's hands.
The male in question, a youth that I could just barely recall as he had been only turned one month prior to my departure, had rallied some of Vorador's other Children to his side to stand against Kain's 'murderous tyranny' after the other four had left Nosgoth for Gaia. It was due to the actions of this one fool that a lengthy war broke out between those loyal to Kain, including Raziel and his Brother's, and a large number of Vorador's Children who joined the ranks of the Sarafan much as Sebastian, Marcus and Faustus had done centuries ago.
There was a small amount of comfort to read that Vorador's Eldest Bride's remained loyal to Kain throughout that war. True tears of grief and sorrow fell from my eyes when I came across his rather smug report of the successful murders that the whelp carried out. Tara and Victoria... Out of all of Vorador's Brood, I had been closest to Nikolai and Alma, however... Tara and Victoria were Alma's sisters before they'd been Turned, with Alma being the Eldest. One could not be close to Alma without getting somewhat close to the other two. That they had been slain... and so... so gruesomely by what I was reading...
"I..." I bit my bottom lip to force myself to silence.
I pushed away from the tome and started to pace. I came to a halt and pinched the bridge of my nose. Closing my eyes, I fought back the need to cry openly. Now was not the time yet... I reached out for the solid weight of Kain's mind to help steady myself. I knew that there was the possibility that things might have gone south between Kain's Brood and Vorador's at some point but...
~What is wrong my Little One?~ he Whispered to me.
~I... had often wondered what happened, or what would happen, to Vorador's Children,~ I responded in a despondent tone. ~I found a rather... horrid journal in Rahab's territory, written by one of his Children that turned traitor on you...~
~Ah... him. Josiah,~ Kain's voice filled with the edges of remembered rage. ~His actions pit Vorador's kin against themselves. He succeeded in slaying several, nearly slew Turel and Melchiah and was a general nuisance over all. I took great pleasure in being the one to put that worthless mutt in the ground. Permanently.~
~I just read about the attack that claimed Tara's and Victoria's lives,~ I Whispered softly. ~They gave their lives for your Sons...~
~They did,~ Kain responded in a gentle tone. ~The whelp had a particular hatred for those two as, after Alma, they were the Eldest of Vorador's Children. He truly believed that they were traitors for following me so after Janos and Vorador left with Alma and Nikolai in tow, he believed that they had been slain. The things that he did to them were gruesome indeed, yet I was unable to assist them. I will always be grateful for their sacrifice.~
~Though that sacrifice would not have been needed in the first time-line,~ I said with a soft sigh.
~True enough,~ he said in a grim tone. ~Until I prevented Raziel from being consumed by the Reaver while we were in William's tomb, that time-line did not exist. Regardless, their sacrifice is still something that I value even with the altered state of reality.~
~I see,~ I let out another sigh. ~Did any of Vorador's brood survive to see the height of your Empire?~
~A few,~ he said in answer. ~Those that lived acted as their Sire had, as my Advisers. For a time at least. Two ended their own lives due to various losses over the long centuries whilst the rest fell prey to... hnn... to the increasingly feral changes that affected my own Brood. An Eldar by the name of Tobias was the only survivor of Vorador's brood by the time Raziel's wings appeared. He had been focusing on studying, and hopefully halting, the negative mutations that began to crop up centuries later. One of the experiments went horribly wrong and he too passed.~
I fell silent as I processed that information. A thought struck me during that silence.
~You and Raziel created the time-line in which the Hylden Lord broke through to this side,~ I started hesitantly. ~Vorador's restoration and... Did... did I even exist in your original time-line?~
~An odd thing to inquire about now mine own,~ Kain responded in a bemused tone. ~In short; no you did not. As I said when Raziel and I rescued you from the Sarafan Brat, you were going through those events for the first time. That does not, however, mean that the memories that I gained at that time meant nothing to me, even with some events being in a flux-state. The changes in the time-line become a part of me mine own, emotions and all.~
~I see,~ I shook my head, hoping that it would merely look like I was lost in thought. ~Such a strange thing...~
~It can be,~ he responded bemusedly. ~You should return your focus to the book and then the others, if there are any further to find. The boy painted a rather... 'flattering' painting of my nature in his written tirade. That you are 'seeking' such information openly will help continue our ruse. You are still being watched after all.~
~Of course,~ I said as I turned back to the book with a frown.
Kain's bat yet remained a still and silent decoration on my bracer, a warning system in case the Parasite decided to simply attack me. I could see from the corner of my eye that the shimmer had moved closer still to my location, watching my movements carefully. Whilst I could not allow myself to react to that shimmer, I allowed the disgust that I felt to cross my face as I turned to the next page of the book. I finished reading the tomb and closed the cover carefully. I ran a hand over my face.
"Did you truly turn your back on your principles Kain?" I asked softly, as if to myself. "There were lines that even you refused to cross... it is why I hold such respect for you. Did that really change?"
I shook my head a few moments later and began to pace once more as I continued to 'talk to myself'.
"The written words of one man do not mean much," I muttered as I tapped my chin. "Tara and Victoria were both decent sorts and they both knew that Vorador and..."
I broke off with a pained wince as if recalling a particularly harsh memory and shook my head.
"They knew that the others had joined me... hrm..." I let out a sigh.
After reviewing the remaining two tomes that were intact, I put them into my pouch, turned and made my way out of the ruins. The entire building gave a shudder and I stumbled. I swore and darted down the path I had taken. The damned Parasite had cut me off from all other avenues of escape save for the way I'd entered! I reached the broken balcony and leapt into the air with a frantic beat of my wings. I was barely airborne when the building collapsed, seemingly yeilding to time and decay by sinking into the watery depths. I could make out several very large shimmers around the area, dragging the massive structure down into a watery grave that should not have claimed it in full for centuries yet.
I could only hope that the bastard did not try to bring each Clan Ruin down upon my head!
I let out a huff and flew higher still as I sought out a place to land that would be free from observation. I came across another small human settlement and carefully knocked out a strong young male of about eighteen summers to feed from him to alleviate the small pangs of hunger that I felt. He looked healthy enough to survive a small amount of blood-loss. Rather that than take some of their limited amounts of food. It was plain that the harvest this year was proving to be poor indeed by the look of the lot and I did not wish to make their lives worse.
From there, I spent a small amount of time dilly-dallying about as if I might be off examining such texts further. I waited for a period of two days before winging my way to the next Clan Territory. The ruins of Melchiah's domain. The territory was... very much like an exceedingly large graveyard. Filled with what amounted to vampiric-zombies. The decayed forms of the Melchiahim was... saddening. Like the Rahabim that had attacked my before, all of the Melchiahim saw me as 'not Clan' and thus 'Food' to be caught despite the definitive presence of my Aura. The more I interacted with the Wildlings... the more certain Kain's conclusions seemed to be.
It was... a heart-wrenching thing to acknowledge...
From there I paid the briefest possible visit to the Zephonim Clan territory. Even after so long, a full thousand years of life, I still hated spiders with a passion. The fact that the Zephonim now greatly resembled the arachnids meant that I was out of their territory within minutes of raiding their own great libraries. Ick. Next was the Turelim and Dumahim territories. Each time I found myself carefully and subtly herded by those shimmering limbs to where I could find more tomes that 'proved' Kain's 'guilt and madness'. Tome after tome that I knew had been stored away as lessons in propaganda tactic's for the younger generations of Vampires. But if one did not know the truth, it painted a rather damning picture over all.
Thankfully, the Parasite did not see fit to drop another building upon my head. It made me believe that he might have only pulled down the building in Rahab's territory simply because I might have been close to books that would have proved the lies he was trying to feed to me. It was not a far-fetched thought either. A Whispered question to Raziel had confirmed that his water-bound Brother had been the book-worm amongst Kain's Sons.
Winging over what had been the Razielim territory was... heart-wrenching in and of itself. Even though the Clans had gone wild, they only ate away at the very fringes of Raziel's lands. Some deep-seated Clan memory kept the lot from delving further into those lands. It would still have proven difficult to traverse those lands on foot though. Many humans had taken refuge amongst the massive ruins. Yet again, only really along the outskirts. Raziel's massive castle, second only to the Sanctuary, remained uninhabited as did the largest neighboring structures nearest the heart of the city-scape that surrounded said castle. I found many a tome in the heart of a large library within the castle, but one in particular was filled with writings from Raziel's own First-born.
The accounting within was tragic. Raziel's First-born, a male by the name of Ambrus, had believed his Lord and Sire to have been blessed by the missing Mother of Mercy, me, by developing a Gift of wings. The words following the loss of his Sire, Raziel being thrown into the Abyss with no warning by the irate Master, Kain, was... poignant. His last words were written in a frantic script.
'The Master is coming, the army of the Clans upon his heels. Why? Why did He turn his back on his Favored Son? Why does he now turn his sight upon us? His Wrath will crash over the gates like an ocean tidal wave within the day and I fear that, like a true tidal wave, none of us will survive.
My Lord... I cannot protect them all from the fate that awaits us. I am not sure if it will do any good for me to send our youngest to the mountains to flee the army. They would be brought low like the wheat of a field once the Eldar's catch up with them...
I do not understand why this has happened! The Mother Blessed you with the skies! Why did the Master react so?
Why?
Why?!
...
It does not matter. We will fight honorably in your name, my Sire, my Master... and we will die.
Mother... have mercy upon our now lost souls. Take us into the sheltering embrace of your wings and forgive us for the sin we are to be slain for. Forgive us for not knowing what crime we have committed to have earned the Father's rage.
Forgive us all Fair Mother...
Please...
...
...
The Master is here...'
I left the building swiftly after reading that, tears in my eyes, and I made my way to the highest spire of Raziel's castle. Half-shimmers followed my movements as I landed and wrapped my wings about myself. Raziel and Kain both felt my distress over our mental connection and through the Marks, but I ignored them. I needed to work through a few things first.
Given what I now knew of the Wildlings and the fact that it was looking certain that they would not be able to be healed and restored to sanity, I knew logically that the slaying of the Razielim could only be looked upon as a mercy killing. They would have devolved just like their brethren Clans and that would have left us with a Clan of Wildlings that owned the skies once they reached a certain age. It did not change the fact that Raziel's Children had been slain not knowing what they would have potentially become, the madness that faced all of the Clan's or the slow decline and decay of the world around them.
Was it truly a mercy for them to have died in ignorance? Would anyone amongst their numbers have been willing to accept that their Master had seen the future, multiple futures even, and had chosen amongst all of those futures which would be the most merciful for the Razielim? Did he see a long, drawn out war as Razielim after Razielim rose up against him out of revenge for their Sire's death and decide that he would grant them the cold mercy of an early grave?
~Kain?~ I Whisper softly to my chosen Emperor, keeping Raziel separate from this particular conversation simply because I needed to hear Kain's explanation. ~Why did you kill off the Razielim the way you did? Every soul trapped within a Wildling is another soul that is safe from the Parasite. Once we defeat him, once the true Wheel is restored, each trapped soul can then be freed to face a new life. Why lose such souls as theirs to the Parasite?~
~Ah... you would ask the hardest question of all after visiting Raziel's Clan territory, wouldn't you mine own?~ Kain responded softly. His mental voice was filled with a clear regret. ~Some things seen in the Chronoplast were unavoidable. I looked at all of the potential paths that I could mine Empress and none of them involved the Razielim surviving to this point in time to be anything but twisted things. Those that could have survived, would have become the most dangerous of all the Wildlings. Enough so that they would have become a drastic threat to the Human species without a Sire to keep the Clan in line.~
~If you let any of them live, then humanity would eventually be threatened with outright extinction,~ I said understandingly. ~So you slew them all at once, when they were still knocked off guard by their Sire's supposed death.~
~Precisely,~ he responded in a grim tone. ~I could not allow that to happen. As it stands, even now humanity lays upon the brink of extinction. Once we defeat the Parasite, their birth rates should have the ability to recover. Indeed, as you said, at that point each Wildling slain will return a soul to the Wheel and allow for greater recovery. The only reason I have allowed the Wildling Clans to continue as they have been instead of culling them has been with that end goal in mind.~
~I... understand,~ I Whispered with a sad sigh. ~It is only... the tomes left intact in the Library here are...~
~I am aware,~ he said in a mournful tone. ~I have read them for myself. I will not shy away from my actions over the centuries, necessary or otherwise. Nor do I take pride in those actions. Being the Balance Guardian of the world does not mean that the choices put before me are easy ones.~
~I understand that,~ I said. I reached out to include Raziel in my next mental Whisper. ~The bloated squid was clever indeed with his 'suggestion'. The journals and histories that I have been led to find paint the story of a King turned mad tyrant quite clearly. But then again, the best lies are oft formed with at least a grain of truth behind them. Even if that truth has been twisted.~
~Very true My Lady,~ Raziel responded knowingly.
~What have the two of you been up to whilst I have been gone?~ I asked.
~Openly travelling the land myself with the Reaver upon my back,~ Kain responded. ~I have caught brief glimpses of our enemy here and there, but he has been swift to withdraw in attempts to catch me in various traps or has simply left me chasing his shadow, voice raised in mockery as his tendrils slide away into watery homes. Our deception continues.~
~He is afraid and knows that you can harm him,~ I said with a hidden nod from my perch. Wrapped as I was in my own wings, none would be able to see my movements. I scratched at the small bats chin lightly, though it remained silent upon my wrist.
~Indeed,~ came the dry response. ~I trust that you had no problems in your 'hunt'?~
~None at all,~ I responded. ~Though the Zephonim territory did give me pause.~
~Still, mine own?~ Kain asked bemusedly.
~Why would only Zephon's territory bring you pause My Lady?~ Raziel asked a hairs-breath after Kain's question.
~Oh hush you,~ I responded to Kain first. ~And to answer your own question my Knight, I have as much a dislike of spiders as Kain does.~
~Hn, my own dislike is not to the same degree as yours mine own,~ Kain said with a dark laugh. ~I have never screamed 'Kill it! Kill it with all the fires of hell!' when jumped by one of the larger breeds of spider whilst not paying attention to my surroundings, now have I?~
~Dammit Kain!~ I felt myself blush. ~You agreed that we would not speak of that again!~
~You assumed that I agreed to that. I never actually agreed to keep silent,~ he said smugly as Raziel's mental voice buzzed with amusement. Kain's voice turned serious a moment later. ~At any rate, I will be travelling to the ruins of Mortanius' Cathedral shortly and Raziel will be in Reaver form. You might wish to visit our enemy now as I intend to be there for some time examining a few texts.~
~Now is as good a time as any and he may direct me towards you to arrange that expected 'confrontation',~ I said as I stood and spread my wings. I wiped at my eyes as if I had been crying for some time.
~Precisely. Fly safe mine Empress,~ he responded with a purr.
~I will,~ I released that mental connection and took flight.
An hour or so later I landed near the cave that would lead down to that lower chamber below the Sanctuary. It took a bit of time to reach the actual platform, but I kept a pensive seeming expression upon my face during my walk. That proved a wise thing to do as halfway down the tunnel I noticed several half-shimmering tendrils along the walls and ceiling of the wide tunnel. The light ahead was brighter than it had been on my first trip and I raised a brow at the increased activity of the bio-luminescent creatures in the water. The Parasite had to have agitated the algae and creatures in their watery home. I leapt across the distance and onto the platform itself and then walked over to lightly stroke my fingers over the Pillar of Balance. There were several long seconds of silence before the Parasite spoke.
"You've returned I see. My child, my Lady of the Skies," he started silkily and I had to control the urge to roll my eyes as he once more emphasized the title I had been given. "Do you see now? The fallen and decayed state of a once-fair empire? Your adopted home? See you now the madness that claimed your once-noble King?"
"I have seen the ruins and found many a tome that seem to prove you words, 'Voice'," I said in a soft, yet dark tone. "But those tomes do not prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was all Kain's doing. I know well the definition and nature of the words 'Propaganda' and 'Demonetization'. Do you have any further proof, voice who claims to be Nosgoth itself? Or are you just a voice in the dark spouting falsehoods and flattery?"
"Ah, my fair, sky-born child. It is not I whom can prove or disprove the truth of what I have told you. I can tell this much. You need more than the written words of those long dead and I do understand my child, I do," he purred in a voice that made me twitch. I had to avoid flinching when the bastard again stroked a tendril over one of my wings. "Only upon speaking with Kain himself will you believe my words. He alone will be the one to prove that he has gone mad. Tell me, do you know of Mortanius' Cathedral?"
"I do, yes," I said in answer as I ignored the increasingly vile touch of that tendril passing 'soothingly' over my wing. "Why do you ask?"
"Kain is currently within the Cathedral and has been for some time," he said in a low tone. "You can easily go there and speak with him. Ask him of Raziel and his brethren. Ask him why he would pit kin against kin in having Raziel and his own Children slain so cruelly. Ask him why he would end all of Vorador's great Brood when only a handful betrayed him. It will be his answers to those questions that will guide you to the truth of him My Child."
I frowned as I looked around the seemingly empty room. I let out a low, annoyed growl of sound.
"I do not trust you voice," I said in a tone that might have been considered wobbly. "You are constantly 'suggesting' that I go here and there rather than answering me directly..."
"Would you truly believe me without seeing the truth for your own eyes My Child?" the Parasite chuckled softly, smugly. "We both know that the answer is 'no'. You do not have to trust me, My Child. Speak with Kain and learn the truth for yourself."
"Believe me," I growled as I turned for the exit. "I mean to."
I left the underground room and swiftly made my way to the surface. I bit back a curse as I reached the tunnel's exit. I had openly landed outside and as a result, there were a handful of Wildling vampires milling about trying to track my scent. They looked more human than the others that I had run into, but they too did not respond to the press of my Aura, my Whispered warnings for them to leave nor my Gift of Aura Shot did anything to pierce that wild, mindless sense of hunger and 'not Clan' that they were projecting. When they attacked me, I fought them off with a bitter heart. Were it not for the damnable Parasite... well, a lot of things would have been different for this world.
I left the Wildlings alive, though rendered unconscious. I refused to slay them and leave their older souls as food for the already bloated Parasite. Threat dealt with, I started for the Cathedral. I brushed my mind against Kain's wordlessly.
~What news do you have mine own?~ Kain asked, his tone the distant one that meant he was focused upon his reading.
~He has directed me your way as we expected,~ I said in answer. ~With a suggestion that I 'ask' you a number of specific questions.~
~Oh?~ his attention focused upon me in full. ~What questions?~
I told him what the over-grown squid had said to me and he let out a low mental growl of annoyance.
~Querulous questions indeed,~ he said. ~Clever beast. Such questions would immediately raise my ire and would be difficult enough to answer at the best of times.~
~And the damned bastard seems to know just enough about me to know that any answer given that amounted to 'it's complicated' would raise my own hackles,~ I responded bemusedly. ~Still, I am uneasy...~
~We have a sound plan my Little One,~ Kain pointed out, though his tone remained fond. ~But tell me what has you uneasy. More than once you have voiced such concerns and those concerns have led us to find dangers we were otherwise unaware of. I recall well the nights of the masquerade.~
~It is merely that I feel this confrontation will be an immediate trap for you,~ I said a few moments later. ~It is possible that the Parasite may use our 'confrontation' as an attempt to do away with you at the Cathedral. It is a large stone structure and could be brought down upon our heads.~
He went silent for several long moments in contemplation. He let out a mental snort a few moments later.
~I see what you mean,~ Kain's amusement with the situation bled through across our Marks clearly. ~We will press on with our plan for the nonce, the foul creature should yet be unaware of our own plans. Be mindful of our surroundings though and be ready to flee in an instant if it proves to be necessary.~
~Have you thought of something?~ I asked.
~We will simply take the chance provided to us with eyes wide open, My Katrina. Be ready for anything,~ he ordered. ~As I said, he may yet be blind to our plans.~
~As you say,~ I responded and I increased my pace through the skies, confused by his amusement.
The Cathedral was not an excessive distance from the Pillars when one could fly faster and longer than the crow flies. I arrived several hours later and circled the large structure openly, as if wary of what lay within. I landed gingerly upon a damaged balcony. It supported my weight with a small creek of noise and my wings twitched with my nerves. I gingerly made my way forward and into the Cathedral proper. Throughout the building I noticed several shimmers that signaled that the Parasite's presence. I sent a Whispered warning Kain's way when it looked like the shimmers were starting to close in behind me. Several wrapped around a pair of support columns as I passed the large stone pillars.
~It is looking more and more likely that the damned thing was going to try to bring the building down on our heads...~ I told him in a dry tone.
~He has a habit of using such tactics,~ Kain responded distractedly.
~Several tendrils are following my progress,~ I said in warning. ~Most of the path that I have taken thus far is filled with the shimmers of his limbs.~
~Hn, I understand,~ he murmured thoughtfully. ~Continue with the plan.~
~As you will,~ I responded in a tense tone.
I came to a stop at the doors of the library. Kain's scent was heavy upon the air. My lips twitched and I forced myself not to smile. Instead I hardened my expression in preparation of our little faux-fight and pushed open the doors carefully and looked around the interior of the library. Kain was standing in front of a pedestal and was carefully perusing one of the larger tomes by the sound of a page slowly, carefully, being turned. I leaned against the doorway, wings being drawn in close to my shoulders and I crossed my arms.
Show time...
"You always did love your old tomes," I said in a dry tone of voice edged with seeming anger.
Kain twisted about to look at me with a raised brow. He kept his body tense, as if surprised by my sudden appearance and I had to contain a small smile at the stance he'd taken. Ready to attack or defend in an instant if it proved to be necessary. Not that he would be attacked by me.
"Little One," he said in a soft tone, allowing his fondness for me to ring clear in his voice as if truly surprised. "It is... pleasing to see you again."
"Is it truly?" I shook my head and straightened, moving away from the door frame but not into the library proper. "Kain... what the hell happened here? I left a world that was vibrant and wild. I returned to a world whose lands look barren, to creatures that seem like vampires gone mad, twisted even and written accounts aplenty of Son's, Betrayal and Insanity..."
"Are you accusing me of something mine own?" he asked as his eyes narrowed. His hand clenched about the rim of the pedestal but did not break the stone. "This is not a good time to levee accusations mine own. There are pressing things for me to attend to."
"I am asking you to tell me what happened," I snapped. "Do you truly expect me to believe everything that I read? I am not a fool."
"No, you are not," he said in an agreeing tone, though his stance remained tense. "Again mine own, we can have this discussion later. There is much going on that needs to be tended to."
"Hn," I growled as if displeased by his answer. "Perhaps you might well be willing to answer different question then since you seem to be avoiding my first one; Who is Raziel?"
"Raziel is... my first Childe," he responded as if pained. He frowned and glanced behind me, over my shoulder. His next words sounded distracted. "The first of six..."
"Where is he then?" I asked in a slightly softer tone. "He and the other five?"
Kain let out a heavy sounding sigh, true grief in his tone as he looked back to me, "The others are dead."
"And Raziel?" I asked as if dreading the answer.
"Raziel... understand that Raziel is the Reaver," Kain said in a serious tone. At my 'wide eyed' look he continued. "I'll not keep the truth from you of all people, mine own."
I closed my eyes and rubbed at the bridge of my nose, "I... why would Raziel be the Soul Reaver? Kain.. that does not make sense..."
"Mine own..." a note of warning had entered his tone and I knew it was not because of my words. He started toward me as I tensed and looked back up at him.
"Is it true then? What was written within those tomes?" I snarled through grit teeth. "Did he grow wings? Did you tear them from him?!"
"Tear them...? No! Mine own..." he stopped and let out a sudden vicious snarl of breath. "Katrina, come here to my side. Now!"
~Stay,~ he Whispered, ~but be wary. I do believe that he is attempting to 'prove' me mad.~
I shot a wary glance over my shoulder and then turned to look back at him with a frown. I snarled softly and shifted my stance to a more defensive one. I'd seen no less than a dozen, various sized shimmers though...
"What game are you playing at Kain?" I growled.
"Woman, this is no game!" he snapped back with a growl of his own. "You are in danger! Come here!"
"What danger?!" I yelled in seeming annoyance and anger. "There is nothing there! What could you possibly see that I cannot?!"
I let out an unfeigned yelp of noise when he suddenly grabbed me up with his Telekinetic Gift and yanked me to the side. I hit one of the bookcases and raised a hand above my head to prevent several tomes and scrolls from hitting me. I pushed myself back to my feet swiftly enough and fell into a defensive crouch as I looked around the area. Kain was glaring at a large area of shimmering movement, Reaver in hand. I frowned.
"The hell...?" I straightened up and frowned at Kain. "Have you gone mad? There is nothing there!"
"Woman, now is not the time...!" he snapped verbally even as his mind brushed my own. ~You are well?~
"Now is precisely the time!" I shouted. "Do not avoid my questions by pretending that we are beset by an enemy force!"
~Just my pride is hurt at having been flung about so,~ I responded, my mental tone ringing with the amusement I could not put voice to.
"You know very well that there can be unseen foes woman! Your own Gift attests to that fact!" he snapped back. ~I am glad you are not harmed mine own.~
"Yes, I do know that," I growled. "but my Gift blocks anyone from being able to see me. Are you trying to tell me that there is something here that only you can see?!"
"...Raziel could see the beast as well," Kain said slowly as he crouched and readied himself to leap forward in an attack.
"Isn't it a pity then, that he is not here to back up your words," I said in a seemingly bitter tone. "I am done with this. I am leaving to think. Anyone else seeing you act so would think you insane..."
"And you...?" he asked in a soft, though still angry tone as he remained focused on the limbs before him.
"Hn," I let out a non-committal sound and turned to exit the building via the massive windows of the library. He and the Parasite did have the main doorways blocked after all.
I took flight swiftly, ignoring Kain's enraged roar as he started to lash out at the Parasite's limbs. I kept a look of disgusted confusion on my face until I was higher in the air. I wrapped my Gift about myself and circled the building, careful enough to not fly too low as to potentially be sensed by the Parasite. Large shimmers rose up from below and coiled about the Cathedral like a large serpent. I felt a sudden surge of concern.
~If you have not already teleported out then you need to do so soon!~ I Whispered to Kain. ~The entire building is covered in tendrils from what I can tell from the shimmering movements!~
~Ah, thank you for the warning mine Empress,~ he said in a dark tone. ~I am tired of listening to his voice at any rate.~
Mere seconds after he responded to my Whisper, the Cathedral seemingly began to collapse in on itself. An enraged roar filled the air as the ancient building was brought low. I winced at the sight of the buildings fall. It had stood against the test of time for so long, repairs and magic helping the massive structure and the objects within survive to the height of Kain's empire and beyond. To see such destruction was... painful for a book/tome lover like myself. All that knowledge... lost. Hopefully, Kain had spent time removing and protecting tomes of note.
At any rate, the enraged roar of the Parasite meant that Kain had managed to escape from the building before it collapsed.
~Where did you go?~ I Whispered, hoping that he had not gone beyond my rather extended mental range.
~Back to my Retreat to check upon the Eldar Raziel's condition,~ Kain rumbled in my mind. ~I will meet you at the Seer's domicile in a few hours.~
~Very well,~ I responded. ~I will see you soon. Tend to our fair Knight.~
I turned and swiftly winged my way back toward the Seer's hidden home, keeping my Gift active for the entire trip. I did not want the Parasite trying to track my movements at this point. I entered the tucked away entrance to the cavern and dropped my Gift once I was inside. I was surprised to find the Seer sitting down and staring pensively at a drink held loosely in one hand. I felt a small flash of concern and made my way to her side. I let my hand fall to her shoulder and she started horribly. I had to catch her drink to prevent a mess. Handing the goblet back to her with a reassuring smile and she returned my smile with a weaker one.
"Is something wrong Seer?" I asked.
"Thank you, and mayhaps," she said as she looked back at her drink. "The vision remains unchanged..."
"The one where you are injured?" I asked as I sat across from her.
"Yes. If current events would change a path, stop it from happening, then I would cease receiving said vision as it no longer has the ability to come to pass in truth. I admire your efforts to assist me in return for my own assistance in the past, but it seems yet likely that it will happen and..." she raised her glass and took a slow sip. She sighed a moment later. "I fear that it is not merely an injury."
"Death?" I asked in a softer tone.
"No," she responded with a bitter smile. "I do not fear Death, even with the Parasite still a threat to our souls. No, what I fear is an un-waking, eternal slumber..."
"Coma," I said a moment later with a humming noise. "You fear being rendered comatose, trapped within your own body."
"Unable to speak, to see, to feel, to eat... yes, yes I do," she swallowed heavily and then sighed. "If it were a vision of my death then I would no longer have any visions beyond that point, at least with regards to myself. I might yet have a few visions regarding others and their own lives..."
"What exactly happens in the darkness of your vision?" I asked in a soft tone.
"I see naught but darkness, but I can hear the voices of others. The Scions, Raziel's, your own and more besides. Most of the time, I cannot make out what is being said in the visions," she let out another heavy sigh.
"I see..." I blinked and then placed my hand on her own. "As long as you stay true to us, we will do our best to make sure you are not rendered comatose."
"My Lady," she set aside her drink and took my hand up in both of hers. "Please... swear to me that if it seems a permanent coma... swear that you will end it for me. I cannot bare the thought of living in such a state."
"I..." I let out a soft sigh and smiled weakly. "If it comes to pass that you are rendered permanently comatose, I swear that I will end it myself. As long as you remain true."
She swallowed roughly and then nodded her head rapidly. "I have no intentions of betraying any of you willingly or knowingly. I swear it. But I do understand that if I do..."
"That you know precisely what your punishment will be if you turn upon us," Kain's voice filled the air with thundering warning as he entered the room.
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