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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
- 61
- 62
- 63
Thank you to FreshMess and AssassinAngel92 for the Kudos!
I hope you all continue to enjoy!
Chapter Sixty-One: Restitutionem in Terram
We turned to look at where Raziel had pointed and I tilted my head as I looked at the restored Pillars. Unlike those with me, I had never seen them in the height of their glory. I'd only ever known them in their broken and damaged state of being.
"Is something wrong with them?" I asked softly.
"No, but they have... changed somewhat. How strange," Kain rumbled as he too looked over the restored Pillars.
We stepped closer to the Pillars, our movements yet... reverential... subdued. I looked over the changes carefully and let out a hum of breath as I took in the differences that I could see. It took a moment, but I realized that the changes were obvious even to me.
Where before each symbol had been surrounded by a dulled band of color, now each Pillar's symbol was surrounded by a kind of... motif if you will. Death, whilst surrounded by a restored band of blackest night had other, smaller symbols carved into that darkness. Symbols that stood out like small stars. A scythe, a gravestone, ravens, skeletal horses and more symbols that could and had represented death over the centuries. States was surrounded by a band of light gray and had its' own symbols representing the states of matter; solid, liquid, gas, plasma and the many symbols for various things such as iron, copper, water, air and more. Nature, Conflict, Mind, Dimension, Time and Energy were all similarly layered with their own respective bands of color laced with symbols matching that particular concept.
The Balance Pillar itself though was somewhat different from its' brethren. I could recall that its' original base was a light, faded blue. Now... now that base seemed to be made of all of the colors that could be and yet... not. The Symbol of Balance rested upon a band that had an almost pearlescent, opalescent-like shine. It... it changed color almost constantly and equally seemed to suck away all color so that if you looked at it... it was white, then black, then greenish-black, then purple-white and so on and so forth. The different symbols in its' motif were almost imperceptible and as flowing as the colors but if one looked close, one could make out a set of scales here for a moment, then a weave of circles there and even the triquetra that I used for the base of my own Symbol. I watched the flowing symbols in silence for several moments before I realized that many of the Symbols that appeared... could only have been found upon Gaia. I blinked rapidly at the sight, feeling tears prickling at the corner of my eyes.
Kain's hand fell on my shoulder and I started faintly at the touch.
"There are symbols that I do not recognize... are they from Gaia?" he asked softly.
"I.. yes..." I answered in a soft, awed tone. "They are. Do you think that...? Did Nosgoth...? I..."
He let out a low chuckle at my sudden inability to form a coherent sentence and then stepped forward, letting his hand fall away from my shoulder. He laid his partially healed hand upon the Pillar of Balance. The Pillar glowed brightly once more and the dual light reached out to cover Kain's cheek with a... with the air of one placing a fond caress or kiss on someone's cheek. Kain's eyes flew wide and then slowly slid shut. He stepped closer to the Pillar and rested his forehead lightly against the Pillar as that light enveloped him.
"Kain?" the younger Raziel queried warily.
The Eldar Raziel remained silent, though when I looked back at the pair I noticed that there was a small, secret smile on the Eldar's lips. I looked back at Kain when he started to speak.
"Nosgoth is... aware," Kain said softly, a purring and contented hum vibrating through his voice. "It is... a similar sensation to when we traversed the Realms to your Gaia in a way and yet... you spoke of being 'welcomed home' my Katrina?"
"I did," I said softly as I moved to his side. "When I came here, there was a very final sense of 'farewell' from Gaia and an equally strong sense of 'welcome home' from Nosgoth."
"Ah..." Kain let out a low hum of breath. "For the first time... I can hear her, mine own. I can feel and hear Nosgoth in a way that I have never truly experienced before..."
"Will... will she be able to recover on her own?" I asked softly.
"It is... difficult to say mine own," Kain responded a moment later in a voice that was equally soft as he pulled partially away from the Pillar, hand still splayed out over the stone. "Recovering from a grave illness is never a sure thing..."
"I see," I nodded to myself and turned to the younger version of my new Mate. "You need to remember to bring something with you when you awaken. The necklace that I was wearing and a pouch. I placed both in the top dresser drawer in the room that you will be resting in. Bring those with you, understand?"
"I... very... well? I will do as you order, My Lady," the younger version responded with a confused blink.
The Eldar Raziel chuckled then and stepped forward, ignoring the dark look that his younger self shot at him. He detached a small pouch from his belt and handed it to me. He then took out the necklace from a separate, tucked away pouch and handed it to me with a reverential air to his movements. I blinked and then smiled faintly. The memories he had, the events his younger self were about to experience, were likely ones that were now set even though I had not yet acted. Rather, I fully intended to act and that there was nothing that would stop me from doing so now that the Parasite was dead. Kain tilted his head as he watched us, yet remained where he was next to the Pillar.
"As you requested my Lady," Eldar Raziel purred in a soft tone. His younger self's eyes widened with dawning comprehension regarding the potential level of importance of the stone that I had brought with me.
"Thank you," I said softly. I looped the pouch back onto my belt and then took the stone from his taloned hands.
I smiled gently at Kain and then turned and moved toward the center of the platform that we stood upon. I carefully freed the smokey quartz and pink tourmaline stone from its' simple, silver festoon. Pocketing the silver necklace, I shifted the stone about in my fingers and smiled faintly in fond remembrance. I might not be able to use the magics that my dear Brother Cu had used, but I could still verbally activate the small, almost unnoticeable runes of power that had been carved into the back of the stone.
"Berkana," I started in a soft voice and the tear-drop shaped stone shivered in my hand. "Gebo. Laguz. Hagalaz. Thurisaz. Eihwaz!"
The words I said were the names of six of the Elder Futhark runes. The same runes that Nosgoth used for their normal, everyday script. To Nosgoth, those words referenced the symbols that spelled out 'bglhthe'. Which in and of itself was gibberish. Which was the point. To Gaia though, those runes and words meant something else. Cu and I had picked out these particular words as the trigger to release the two billion souls that he had called upon to willingly aid Nosgoth in her recovery. Cu had also warned me that the release of such contained energy would manifest itself in a physical manner, but he had been unable to tell what would happen beyond knowing that it would not cause any physical injury.
No one had ever stored so many souls within a single crystal before.
Upon my uttering 'Eihwaz' the crystal shattered into dust. Light sparked through the air, spots of 'soul stuff' filling the air around us visibly. The 'lights' swirled about us like a visible storm, the heart of a spectral tornado spinning wildly enough that there was an actual breeze within the large anti-chamber that mussed our hair. The energy snapped inwards, swirling around us and forcing startled sounds from each of our throats as all of that soul stuff passed through us. I arched, shuddering violently as thousands upon thousands of souls brushed against my own. Raziel, the younger, stumbled to one knee with his wings spread out wide in an effort to catch his balance, his expression dazed. The Eldar remained standing, just barely, and his own wings were fanned out wide. A look of pure awe crossed over his face. A soft cry even escaped the Seer's unconscious form, though she did not stir in full. The energy suddenly snapped outwards in a volatile wave. The Pillars began to glow once more, a blinding light that left my vision filled with spots.
Kain...
Kain roared as the soul light exploded outwards.
It was an exultant, triumphal sound that echoed boomingly in the massive throne room. It was a cry of elation and rapture, of frenzied glee and manic, victorious celebration all in a single burst of explosive sound. It was the pure sound of exuberant life. Vibrant. Energetic. Wild.
When the light finally faded, Eldar Raziel and I were the only ones standing and even then just barely. Kain had collapsed to one knee in front of the Pillar of Balance, his forehead pressed against the marble as if in prayer. I took a wobbly step forward toward him and then stilled myself lest I fall over. He stood slowly. After that flux of power, I could not feel anything but surprise as I watched him. His movements were steady and unwavering, whereas I felt as if the slightest breeze would knock me over. He turned to look at me and my breath froze in my throat. His eyes were glowing power, but the pure white gaze of vampiric Aura was now laced with that same odd dual-glow that yet radiated from the Pillar that he was tied to. He moved toward me slowly, the wild yet confident stride of a hunter that knew it was Alpha of its' Territory. He raised his now fully healed hand and curled one talon lightly under my chin. I blinked at him as he tilted my head up, not fighting him as he made me bare my throat to him. His bent forward and his lips brushed mine.
"What was that mine own?" he said softly, lips teasing over mine as he spoke. "What were those words? That stone? Nosgoth... Nosgoth is elated with what you have done..."
"I... a gift... as I said before," I swallowed roughly and spoke slowly, enunciating my words with care as I found it oddly difficult to speak. "You don't know those words here, but on Gaia each of the different symbols of Elder Futhark, Nosgoth's alphabet, can mean many different things because they are runes, not letters. 'Berkana' can mean 'Earth Mother. "'Gebo', Gift. 'Laguz', Living Renewal or Fertility. 'Hagalaz', Egg of Life. 'Thurisaz', Regeneration. 'Eihwaz', Tree of Life. Cu and I meant for those words to essentially mean 'Earth Mother, take this Gift of Fertility, this Egg of Life, to Regenerate your own Tree of Life'. A Gift of souls to replenish Nosgoth's life-blood and help her recover from the cancer that was tearing through her."
"I see," Kain hummed, voice yet soft. "Only someone from Gaia would have been able to activate the stone."
"I did leave a contingency with Eldar Raziel, just in case something happened to me," I said gently, my voice growing steadier the more I talked. "Yet that was the purpose of such a trigger. I did not want all those souls falling prey to the Parasite."
"Ho-" the younger Raziel had to cough into his hands. I turned to watch him as he slowly stood up, his stance wobbly. "How many souls?"
"Two billion," I said.
"By the Pillars," he breathed, shock writ clear on his face. His Eldar-self let out a hum of noise.
"It was wise of you mine own," Kain rumbled. "To keep such a teasure hidden."
He pressed his lips to mine once more in another gentle kiss before he pulled back and bumped his forehead lightly against mine. He wrapped his arms around me and his eyes slowly bled back to the usual blue-gold. Lips trailed over my cheek, along my jaw and then down to press against his Mark where it lay on my throat. A ragged gasp escaped my lips at the touch, a flood of emotion flooding through that connection between us.
A sense of outright hope where there was once uneasy optimism for the future. Cool and forcefully indifferent sense of composure knocked aside for a strong sense of amazement and wonder. Deep-seated pride, respect, trust, fondness and... and...
Adoration...
An unadulterated sense of affection...
...of love...
Another, choked sound escaped me as that last emotion seared through my mind. My breath hitched in my throat as I gasped in another breath, an almost whimper of sound chasing the sudden inhalation. Kain's mouth closed over my own nary a second later and I melted against him with a softer, muffled keen of sound. I had felt the other emotions from him often enough. I'd known that he respected and cared for me. Lover, confidant, companion, ally... I'd been one of the few willing to back down when needed... and, once I'd come into my own, fully willing to get into his face when he was being a stubborn mule of a male when there were better options laying before us. I'd... felt the same for him often enough over the centuries. He'd helped me heal. Helped me become strong. Helped me become the woman I was now regardless of the horrors that I had faced in my youth. Horrors that had nearly destroyed my sense of reality, of honor, of morality, of pride... and of hope for a future that I could call my own...
I could always recall fondly our time together whilst I lived on Gaia and had even, pragmatically, set aside the affection that I had for him to see if I could call my Birth World home or not as I had promised. Indeed, I'd returned, knowing in my head that I could not count upon our relationship being what it had been before I left. But in my heart... there had been a small hope that I had not dared to dwell on too much.
Had it been out of a sense of practicality? Or fear?
But this... this...
All of that was swept aside under the tide of the emotions that he was wordlessly sharing with me.
I responded to that kiss with an equal gentleness. This was no harsh, claiming, biting kiss of two Alpha's both vying for dominance over each other and reveling in each other's Aura's and presence. No... as I sent my own emotions back along that link, I realized that this was the kind of kiss that... that long seperated lovers shared when they found each other again. That deep sense that, regardless of where they had found each other, they had found their home once more. How strange it was then, that the lyrics of an old Gaian song ran through my head.
'I found you a thousand times;
I guess you done the same;
But then we lose each other;
It's like a children's game;
As I find you here again;
A thought runs through my mind;
Our love is like a circle;
Let's go 'round one more time.'
Or perhaps it was not strange at all to have that song come to mind...
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I pulled back slowly, my lips lingering against his for a few seconds more. I reached out and lightly stroked my fingers over Kain's cheek. A fond smile curled my lips upwards.
"Amare..." I whispered softly.
A low, rumbling chuckle escaped him.
"Amare," he said softly in return. He leaned forward to close that distance once more to nip oh so lightly at my bottom lip. He chuckled suddenly, bemusement and a teasing note laced through his tone. "Ah mine Queen, my Empress... so clever to have brought back such a Kingly gift. Dear Katrina. My magnificent, cunning, spirited Katrina. My dear Little One..."
"You are being pretentious. Cu helped as you know," I said softly, feeling a blush spread over my cheeks at the praise.
It had been some time since I had heard such showy, grandiose words and could believe them. Trust that the speaker meant them, even if said speaker's tone was filled with a gentle kind of teasing. He knew well that praise, honest praise, embarrassed me to an extent. But I knew the truth. Whilst he did not oft tease me so, he was not one to sing false praises. No. My King... my Emperor, was the truthful sort when it came to such things. He knew well that the truth could oft cut as sharply as any blade... or be as soft as any lover's caress. I continued to speak, voice yet soft.
"When I told my Brother about Nosgoth, we spent centuries researching your story to think of possible ways to help," I explained. "It was one of the reasons that I'd brought that glow-in-the-dark fluid with me. On the off chance that as the Parasite affected the Physical world, it made him 'real' enough for such fluid to stick. It would be, and proved to be, useful indeed to have a means of tracking his limbs so."
"Very true," Kain hummed softly as his talons stroked higher along my back in slow, petting movements.
"Even with the amount of new souls... are you certain that such barren lands can support life as you hope?" Raziel, the younger, asked in a quiet tone as if hesitant to point out something negative in the face of our victory. Both he and the Eldar remained at a respectful distance from us and I turned enough in Kain's arms to smile at him.
"It would be a difficult thing indeed, were the soil not fertile," I said in a bemused tone.
Kain's breath hitched in his throat. A glance back at him showed that his expression had turned incredulous. Raziel, too, looked to be shocked to silence whilst the Eldar simply looked bemusedly between his younger self and his Sire.
"W-what?" he asked, stunned, his normal eloquence rendered non-existent. "My Lady... are... are you certain of this?"
"Yes, I am," I said with a small laugh. I looked back to Kain as I explained. "Gaian's have ways, simply tests really, to see if the soil in a particular location is or is not fertile. Almost all of the areas that I checked had fertile soil levels despite the lack of growth in those respective locations. There simply have not been enough souls in existence in the Spectral Realm to allow for anything beyond that of a desert-like ecosystem."
"Then... that means..." Raziel's words drifted off and I could out of the corner of my eye that his eyes flew wide as the implications of my words registered.
"Nosgoth has a better chance to recover now than she did before," I said with another smile. "I wasn't about to come back empty-handed."
"Hn, nor did I expect you to come back ill-prepared. But this?" Kain hummed happily. He glanced over his shoulders at the Pillars, resplendent in their restored state. "Still, we have much to do yet..."
"Not the least of which is ensuring that my younger-self is dropped off in the past in blade form," Eldar Raziel said.
"That eager to be rid of my presence?" the younger snapped in a stiff tone.
The Eldar's eyes narrowed upon the younger's form as Kain and I turned our focus on the pair. So strange to see such a confrontation, but then how would anyone respond to being in the same place and time as their Eldar self...?
"How strange it is..." the Eldar murmured as if in echo of my own thoughts, "to recall my own words harshly spoken yet be the one on the receiving end of said words."
He shook his head as if to clear away said thoughts.
"No matter," he said firmly. "Both of us being here, at the same time, is as dangerous a thing as one of us being in the presence of the Blood Reaver before we submitted to its' pull. Calm yourself and prepare your mind. Be reassured that you will not go mad. Obviously, I am sane."
"Oh?" the younger self grit out between clenched teeth. "Then what was the madness that touched my mind?"
"I do believe that one would call that 'acting'," the Eldar said with a bemused raise of one elegant brow. "An incentive to 'hurry along' if you will. Mind you, the sheer annoyance and frustration that you felt when I was bound to 'your' arm was unfeigned. I already knew at that point the floundering you would do when you were set upon your path..."
"Ah..." the younger Raziel's visage twisted into a grimace at his Eldar-self's words. "I... we... were foolish indeed..."
"Agreed," the Eldar hummed softly.
I shared a bemused look with Kain and had to contain a chuckle at the odd self-commiseration between the Eldar and Younger versions of Raziel. I frowned abruptly. Kain nipped at my ear in response and I twitched away from the nip. As our Marks were yet flung wide open, he could sense my sudden unease. He issued a soothing hum that drew the others attention to us.
"What has you suddenly concerned mine Empress," Kain asked.
"How do we take Raziel back through the Time-stream?" I asked. "Especially without risking Moebius or the Parasite becoming aware of our actions? That we have won? If we can undo their efforts..."
"Then they could yet unravel our own," Kain said with a knowing nod of his head. "I am aware of the conundrum before us. I will not be the one to restore Raziel in Reaver form to his place in the past mine own. You will."
"Pardon?" I asked with a blink.
"You will be the one to return Raziel to the right point in time," Kain repeated with a chuckle. "Moebius will see that which he wishes to see. I and Eldar Raziel will remain here to tend to the Seer in the interim and find if it is possible to wake her from her current state."
"And what is it that Moebius will see?" I asked with a raised brow. "What about my actions will solidify his thoughts that he and his Master have won the day?"
Kain let out an amused huff of breath and stepped out of my arms. The tip of one talon rose to light bop my nose and I blinked at him in surprise. He was being curiously playful all of a sudden...
"Recall that you shouted so convincingly in concern for my well-being when I was pulled under the thrashing waves of the underground lake," he purred softly. "And then, in keeping with the illusion that I was in lethal danger, you fought to seemingly free me from said lethal grasp of the wildly churning depths? Not only that, but that it was yet dark enough that a humans sight would be limited whereas a vampires sight of such depths would be barely hindered? What would Moebius see, I wonder, when looking at such an event?"
"Of course," I breathed, and then let out a bemused huff. "He'll only care to watch that bit of time. In the darkness and the churning water, he would not even see that your form was decidedly unaffected by the water, only that you were dragged into what should amount to a vat of acid! If I show up in a particular point in time alone, Reaver in hand and soaking wet, he will eat up the falsehood eagerly and without question. It would even help if he watches far enough to hear his parasitical Master shouting that he 'knew he would win'. He would likely believe that I was tenacious enough to get away after recovering the Reaver..."
"Or more likely believe that the Parasite had released you to wallow in your apparent loss," Kain finished grimly. A cruel, fanged smile curled his lips upwards. He then turned to kneel next to the Seer to look over her head wound. "Let us finalize our victory over our foes and then see about setting our world to rights. I will direct you via the Whisper on what you will need to do to traverse the Time-line my Little One. Raziel, a hand."
"As you wish, My Lord," the Eldar Raziel said as he started towards Kain's side.
"Got it," I said at almost the same time.
I walked over to the younger Raziel's side and ran my hand soothingly over his arm. His wings twitched faintly and a longing look passed over his face briefly as he looked over at his Eldar-self and his Sire. I reached up and brushed a loose strand of hair behind his ear. He twitched, almost a flinch, as he turned to meet my gentled gaze. I leaned forward and brushed my lips lightly against his own. I would not offer platitudes, false or otherwise, especially when he could clearly see that he was not as trapped as he had initially thought. But I could offer other things to our brave Knight
"Fly with me a ways?" I asked softly.
"I..." he let out a soft breath. He leaned into my touch and lifted his hand to cover my own, turning the limb enough to kiss my wrist. "I would be honored, My Lady."
I chuckled and leaned forward to lightly nip at his nose. He pulled back with a strained growl and nipped at my chin and I pulled out of reach in turn. He smiled weakly when he realized why I'd been about to issue a playfully punishing bite.
"Katrina," he said, correcting himself.
"That's better," I purred softly. I turned and started for the large double-doors with a small laugh.
We exited the main building of the Sanctuary in somewhat tense silence and then took to the skies as soon as we had a clear route upwards. Rather than fly straight to the Chronoplast, I made sure that we took a... well, one could not quite call it a scenic route given Nosgoth's current dilapidated state. Still, I wanted Raziel to have a pleasant memory to hold onto before he needed to revert to blade form for the expected length of time. When I advised Kain of my plan via the Whisper, I received a silent burst of approval and a sense to tell him when we arrived at our end destination.
That in mind, I dove into a few thick clouds at one point. When he made to follow me through it, I back-winged enough that he ended up ahead of me. His flight pattern faltered briefly and I tapped his leg roughly as I dove past him. A startled sound escaped him and he twisted about, knocked slightly off-course by the light blow. He growled as my laughter filled the air and he dove after me. What followed was a short-seeming hour of playful aerial game of tag that eventually ended when we flew low enough to the ground that I could safely tackle him out of the air and pin him down. I gently pressed my lips to his, a light kiss meant to seduce, but he stiffen beneath my touch and not in a pleasant way. His scent had turned sour with unease. I pulled back from his lips with a small hum and ran my fingers soothingly through his hair.
"What are you thinking of so seriously my sweet Knight?" I asked softly as I kissed his forehead.
"I... I feel as if I am standing upon the edge of a blade," he admitted after a long and heavy silence.
"Mayhaps you do stand upon a blade my sweet Raziel," I responded, keeping my voice gentle and soothing as I kissed his ear. "Yet you know now that you stand upon the flat of it, not the bladed edge."
"A precarious perch regardless," he murmured with a soft scoff that rustled my hair.
"Perhaps," I said as I pulled back enough to trail my fingers over his chest. "But one where you know that you will have hands waiting to catch you if you do fall."
I stood a moment later and then pulled him to his feet. He did not fight me and stood, his stance stiff and uneasy. I wrapped my arms around his waist and my wings around the rest of him as I tucked my head in under his chin. He remained still for only a few more moments before he wrapped his arms around my waist in turn and he nuzzled the crown of my head gently.
"I suppose I do at that..." he said softly. He let out another low sigh that ruffled through my hair. "My Lady..."
I turned my head and nipped at my Mark where it lay on his throat. He shivered and pulled back to glance down at me with a raised brow. I took the opening and flicked his nose, causing him to let out a low huff of amusement.
"I will break you of that habit," I said softly. "During the times that we are alone with each other or Kain, you will learn to call me by my name my sweet Raziel."
"As you wish," he murmured softly and he leaned forward to kiss at my fingertips, a small smile curling his lips upwards. "Katrina. I... I do not know if I can ever repay you for your kindness and tenacity. You are truly the Mother of Mercy that the humans have oft claimed you to be."
"Flatterer," I said and like earlier when Kain had lavished me so with poetically sweet words of praise, I blushed. Even at a thousand, such kind words from those I trusted to speak true still made me feel... flustered.
He chuckled, easily able to tell by my scent that he had left me in such a state. He leaned down and his fangs brushed over my neck near the vein. I hummed softly, waiting until he issued a plaintive keen before finally tilting my head up and allowing him full access. Sharp canines sank into the flesh of my throat over the vein and I let out a low groan as the brief, puncturing pain faded almost immediately into pleasure. A throaty purr escaped my throat and I gently threaded my fingers through his hair as he fed, wrapping my Aura around him at the same time so that he could be fully enveloped in the taste of my blood and the comforting energy of my power.
My fingers slid from his hair to trail over the back of his neck, then to the side where my Mark lay. A throttled, muffled groan escaped him and he shuddered, his arms tightening and pulling me closer. He pulled his fangs free a moment later. I turned to kiss his cheek and he shifted so that his lips met my own instead. The kiss was equally gentle... and desperate. He pulled back, swallowing roughly, and then knelt before me with his head bowed.
"I place myself into your hands My Lady Katrina," he said, tone distinctly formal. I ran the pads of my fingers over his cheek, careful of my sharp claws.
"As I will place my trust in the cutting edge of your blade," I murmured softly in return. His head jerked up and he blinked at me in confusion. I shook my head. "You'll know what I meant by that later, sweet Raziel."
"...as you say," he said, his tone now faintly bemused.
He stood and brushed his lips against mine, tongue flicking out over my lower lip as if desperate for one final taste of me. His form suddenly shifted, wavered as it had when his Eldar self had shifted into blade form for me and suddenly the Soul Reaver was before me. I caught the hilt of the blade in my hand, refusing to let it fall over, and I lifted the blade up to trail my fingertips over the sinuous curves of the blade. I let out a soft sigh and then took flight, holding the blade close. I found a large stream and then submersed myself in the cold water for several long minutes, ensuring that the armor and leather was soaked through and through. It would be uncomfortable, but a necessary step.
No small detail could be overlooked in the coming deception...
I landed outside the path leading into the Chronoplast and made my way inside. I looked over the different dials and levers as if trying to recall certain steps as I reached out to brush my mind against Kain's.
~Kain, I'd arrived at the Chronoplast with Raziel in Soul Reaver form,~ I Whispered.
~Good,~ Kain hummed in response. ~Now then, I want you to find the dial that has the Time Guardian's Symbol upon it. It should be roughly the side of a silver platter. This must be turned just so in order to prime the Chamber.~
Setting the Reaver aside, I carefully looked about and found the dial that he had mentioned. From there I followed his mental directions, but slowly as if I were not receiving immediate instruction. In case Moebius decided to look at this particular point in time, I wanted to ensure that he did not see anything that could be considered out of place. I wiped away some of the water dripping across my face as if clearing away tears as the temporal portal opened and I moved to take the Reaver in hand once more. I eyed the portal, allowing my expression to twist as if seemingly lost and then stepped through. I allowed myself to stumble, the sensation no worse really then being teleported, and then started when a steadying hand landed on my shoulder. I twisted free with a startled snarl of sound and then halted, staring warily at the long-lived human before me. The Time Guardian and the Death Guardian had both been born long before the other Guardian's and Kain had explained to me once long ago that those two had only lived so long because of their respective Pillars.
"Ah, I had wondered who might be using the Chronoplast... if it is not the Mother of Mercy herself," he purred in a voice filled with false reverence. "It is an honor indeed to meet one whom I'd only been able to glimpse at through the Time-stream. Kain's fair and trusted Queen..."
My eyes narrowed distrustingly on the male before me, clad as he was in expensive robes and with his staff in hand. I brushed a few wet strands out of my face and straitened my shoulders, my stance shifted to a regal bearing. A dark flash of cold, victorious satisfaction flickered over his visage at the realization that I was soaked through and through and that I also had the Soul Reaver in hand. His expression swiftly morphed back into one of polite concern and I pretended that I had not seen the dark look that had passed over his face.
"You are... Moebius," I said, not hiding my outright displeasure at seeing him. "Why am I not surprised to find you here to greet me?"
"I see that Kain has told you of me," he flashed a smile at me that was more snarl than anything else. "I do hope then that you will forgive me my bluntness Fair Lady, but the Time-line is absolute. Immutable. It will protect itself and prevent any untoward tampering. For the Greater Good of all of course."
Oh, but there are times that I outright despise that phrase, I thought to myself angrily.
I lunged forward and grabbed him by the the collar of his robes with a snarl of rage. His staff flashed with power, but did not affect me beyond a twitchy kind of pain similar to that of the Hylden barrier gates that I had passed through in my youth. An 'ants-under-the-skin' kind of sensation. A flash of fear crossed his visage, but he maintained a cold composure.
"I know precisely what you are, you little traitor," I snarled into his face, my rage unfeigned. "Just give me the excuse that I need to end you."
"If you know what I am, then you also should know that it is not you whom will deliver upon me a killing blow, Fair Queen," he bit out through gritted teeth. His expression remained firm and resolute but I relished the scent of true fear upon him.
I was a true wild card when it came to the Time-stream after all. Moebius would want me to be ignorant of that fact. Not that I was.
"Who says that I have to kill you to enact my vengeance upon your weathered hide?" I hissed softly and he blanched in a satisfying way.
"Now, now your Majesty," oh, but that tone was beginning to grate upon my nerves. "I understand that you are upset with me. It is a very understandable thing, truly, to be enraged after having witnessed such a tragedy first hand..."
The cold glee in his eyes told me all that I needed to know. He had indeed looked through the Time-Stream and had seen the illusion of Kain's 'death'. Just as we had hoped.
"You understand nothing!" I hissed, allowing a hint of pain and grief to enter my tone. I shoved him back against the wall and then turned to start for the large doors of the Chronoplast.
"For all that we were enemies," Moebius started, a faint wheeze in his breath from having been shoved so. "Kain was a fellow Guardian, Fair Queen. The Balance Guardian and the very heart of the Pillars. Do not think that I do not know his role in Nosgoth's fate."
I spun around with a roaring snarl, hand tight around the Reaver. I lifted the blade as if to lash out at him and he held up a hand in a soothing, entreating gesture as he spoke.
"Allow me to ease some of your burden during such a troubled time for you," he offered in a rapid, faux-soothing tone. "I will return the Soul Reaver to where it must needs be; in Avernus Cathedral where it will await a young Kain to find it and use it against King William."
I bared my fangs at the Time Lord in warning but I knew, as Kain did, that this would be indeed a task for Moebius to complete. Not me. A younger Kain would find the blade in the twisted building, held in the arms of a statue of some angelic looking woman. I lowered the blade slowly, idly stroking my fingers over the flat of the blade. Raziel's energy, his soul, reached out faintly to brush at my fingertips. A comforting caress. He knew that I was upset and whilst he could not see the reason for my upset, he knew well that I and Kain both were loathe to leave him in Moebius' grasp even as a seemingly trapped soul. But... to complete this path, this circular route to the future that we had created where we were the victors of this long-standing war, Raziel needed to be handed over to the Time Streamer so that he could be placed in a younger Kain's path.
I clenched my jaw and carefully held out the blade toward the Time Lord... blade first. Moebius' eyes narrowed on me, understanding quite clearly the insult that I was paying him. He gingerly took the heavy blade in his hands and I let go of the hilt. Raziel was yet awake within the Reaver and I knew that he had sensed the exchange and who now held him. The low, hungry, angry whine that was the sign that he was awake filled the air, making his upset with the situation plain. Moebius winced most satisfactorily at the sound before he spoke.
"There will be few indeed who can hold this blade and have it remain... quiescent," he murmured, though his tone was dark with his own sense of satisfaction. "Shall I set the dials for you to take you back to the time with which you came from, Fair Queen?"
"I know what I need to do," I hissed at him. "I do not need your aid 'Time Lord'."
"As you please," he bowed mockingly. "Ah... but I forget myself. The King is dead. Long live the Queen. May you rule fairly and justly for many a long century, Fair Queen. It would be a pity indeed for such a lovely creature as yourself to die of grief."
Did he just...?
He did.
That little shit...! I thought, thoroughly incited by his words.
It gave me the excuse I needed at least...
I let out an enraged roar of unfeigned rage and lunged for his throat. He disappeared in a rapid flash of light, a teleportation spell taking him rapidly to safety, and my claws passed uselessly through empty air. I allowed myself to stumble, as if I hadn't expected him to do such a thing. I straightened and covered my eyes as I let out a strained, grief tinged howl of frustration. Even now I needed to continue with my little act. Kain and I had agreed that even if I was normally unseen by anyone looking through time unless I was with a 'Key Player', that merely being within the Chronoplast might allow someone to monitor me. I let out another sound, similar to a choked sob of breath before I straightened my shoulders and rubbed at my face. I moved about the room, very carefully moving the dials and levers as Kain had instructed me to before I'd left for the Time I was currently in. If everything was aligned properly, then I would appear only a handful of moments after I had left.
Once I had arrived back at the 'present', I stumbled and moved to sit down roughly on the steps that led out of the chamber as if drained of energy and will. I reached out to Kain through the Whisper as I covered my face and drew my wings over my shoulders.
~It is done,~ I Whispered. ~Though I greatly disliked dealing with that blighted bastard and his gloating tone.~
~He does have a way of getting under one's skin,~ Kain acknowledged in a dark tone. ~Whatever did he say to upset you so? He did not know you as he knew me.~
I shared what the Time-streamer had said and Kain growled low in the back of my mind for a moment. He abruptly laughed, a cold bark of sound.
~Well then, the foul traitor blatantly showed that he believes me to be dead now,~ he hummed in a dark and pleased tone.
~Indeed,~ I responded. ~The fool also seemed to believe that I would waste away without you. As if I were a human Marked so. How could he not know how the Marks work though? He was raised knowing about Vampiric customs. He and Mortanius. He has to know that I will not die of loss like some love bird without its' mate.~
~Oh, he is well aware of the nature of Vampire Marks,~ Kain hummed. ~However, with your acting he may believe that your Half-blood nature will leave you as susceptible to such things as a human would be. I, for one, will not be the one to disabuse him of such a notion.~
~Nor will I, fool that he is,~ I growled.
~Indeed. His overconfidence in his abilities was always his greatest weakness,~ Kain growled, a low rumble of noise that tickled along the back of my mind, ~and we also know his end fate. We have won this long war mine own, whilst he lies dead with not even a body to bury.~
~I do hope that he did not give Raziel indigestion,~ I joked in a morbid tone.
~From what I understand, he did not,~ he said with a dark laugh. His tone turned serious. ~I have left the Seer in her home. Return there and tend to her for a time mine own. Raziel and I shall... clean up... the Sanctuary. It is no fit place to live at this point.~
~As you wish,~ I stood slowly. ~Shall I continue acting morose and grief-stricken?~
~For now, yes,~ Kain hummed softly. ~We do not know if he can see you now or if he can track your movements. We do know that he and his bloated Master were aware of the Seer however, so it will be best if you are near her for a time.~
~As you wish,~ I responded and I sent a pulse of affection through the Marks to both Kain and Raziel. Regardless of that sending, my next words were still solely for Kain. ~My Amare.~
~My Dear Katrina,~ he purred back in response.
Done with waiting about, I stood and left the Chronoplast, letting the doors slam shut behind me. I winged my was swiftly towards the Seer's tucked away home and made my way to her bedside. I looked her over critically and found that either Kain or Raziel had given her a healing potion as her head wound was healed, only a scar left to show where the injury had been. I sat down next to her on the bed and brushed my fingers through her hair. A surprised sound escaped me when she actually stirred at my touch, eyes fluttering.
"Easy now... easy Seer, I am here," I said in a soft, soothing voice as those eyes slowly fluttered open. "Can you hear me? Answer me if you can."
"L... Lady... Ka... Katri...na?" she asked, voice weak and broken sounding.
"Yes Seer, I am here," I responded, keeping my voice soft in case she yet had a headache despite the healing properties of the potions. "Easy now. You took quite the blow to the head... hn.."
I moved my hand in front of her face, noticing that her eyes seemed to be tracking oddly... or rather, not at all. I held up two fingers.
"Can you see how many fingers I am holding up?" I asked.
"I... no..." she answered roughly, there was an odd note in her voice. "I... there... there is no light in the room?"
"Several candles and a single sconce are currently lit," I answered with a frown. "I believe that your injury has rendered you blind."
"I... see..." she let out a weak, choked kind of sound and it took me a moment to realize that she was laughing. "Or rather... I do not see..."
I let out a faint huff of amusement at her words and let my hand fall to rest over her own. She held her hand up over her face and moved it about unseeing. Her expression was oddly... awed of all things.
"You... are alright with being blind?" I asked in surprise.
"I am My Lady," she said in a weak voice. "I... I would be... be rendered blind... in the end if the curse... continues to affect me. Blindness... that is an acceptable price to pay to help..."
I shifted closer to her, letting my forehead lightly press against her lips to silence her. I shifted to then rest my forehead against her own and shifted to lay next to her. Though she could not see and could not Whisper to me, she seemed to immediately sense why I had silenced her and her expression turned grim, worried. I'd let my hair out of its' braid earlier during my flight to her home and I used it now as a curtain to hide our faces. I pressed my cheek to hers, lips brushing against her ear and her own against mine. She spoke softly, so soft that even I could barely hear her.
"I can See why you silenced me," she breathed in that so soft voice. "Moebius is watch you... watching us. The expression of glee on his face is foul indeed... but he cannot hear us like this. Not when we speak so softly..."
"Can you See how long he will watch us?" I breathed into her ear.
"Better, I can reduce the time that he will look in on us," she murmured. "Lay upon me. He is the type of man to find certain activities disgusting rather than pleasurable. He might as well be a eunuch in truth..."
I choked on my breath, forcing myself not to laugh and making it sound as if I had choked back a sob instead. Honestly the thought of Moebius doing anything of such nature was... nauseating, so to hear that he forwent such things? That thought was amusing. Letting my body fall on hers, I tried to give off the sense of someone giving into grief and she wrapped her arms around me and she let out a soothing croon.
Acting a part often required that one feel the emotion that they were trying to project. Thus, I took this chance to focus upon my Siblings and the Clan that I had left behind on Gaia. I did not regret my choice. Being happy and content upon Gaia had proved to be impossible for me, but I would still miss those that I had grown close to. I knew that all intellectually, but had not allowed myself to focus on those emotions. My wings drooped against the bed and I let out a soft, unfeigned keen of loss. Best to use this time to release such pent up emotions and give Moebius his perceived assurance of victory all at once.
Cold logic, really. But needs must...
The Seer let out another soothing croon of sound and pet blindly at my head and shoulders and wings. After I had worked through the worst of it, I reared upwards and drew the Seer into a gentle, but almost desperate kiss as if needing a more intimate kind of comfort. Drawing my wings closely about our forms, I endeavored to conceal what it was that we were not actually doing even as she returned my kiss and wrapped her arms about my waist. A deep, appreciative moan escaped her, muffled as it was by my mouth on hers. After several more moments of that she went still and then pulled away with a soft laugh that turned into a bit of a giggle-fit.
"I take it that he has stopped watching?" I said as I pulled back. I raised a brow at her. "Or should I be offended?"
"No, no offense My Lady," she said as she raised a hand to cover her mouth. "He fled from his chambers like his robes were aflame in order to seek out his Master, all so he can crow about their supposed success. Ah, but sometimes the ability to See can be amusing."
"I'll bet," I said with a snicker as I sat up.
"If you are hungry..." she started.
"Hush woman," I said, my tone firm as I slipped off the bed. "You are injured. Rest for the nonce and later we shall discuss what our steps will be regarding your own people."
"Thank you My Lady," she said, her tone weary.
I slipped out of the room quietly, eager to look over several of the notes I had taken over the past week.
It was time to rebuild...
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