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      Behind Kain’s eyes, I could see new memories blooming and dying as history labored to reshuffle itself around this monumental obstruction…
And I could see by the dawning horror on his face that perhaps we have strained history too far this time…that by trying to alter my fate, he may have introduced a fatal paradox.
      “My God,” Kain weakly uttered, “The Hylden…we walked right into their trap…”
      With great urgency Kain clutched me and cried, “Raziel! Janos must stay dead!”
      But Kain’s warning was lost as I slipped into the spirit realm, too weak to maintain my physical form…
And there, waiting for me as always, was the Reaver—the wraith blade…my own soul, twined and bound eternally to me. And I realized that I could never escape my terrible destiny…
I had merely postponed it.

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      I looked to my feet and took note of the corpse of my son’s initial incarnation. In time I was to disturb the resting place and breath life into those dusty bones. My ears pricked as I heard the Time Streamer’s cackling behind me. I turned to find the frail serpent, Moebius gloating in sadistic glee. My face twitched as I beheld the wretched creature. The sorcerer finally spoke thus, “As I told you once before, ‘If you try to force the Stream of Fate into another course, you will drown.’”
      “You already see how Nosgoth will be destroyed, and you engage in celebration?”
      “However, it was not by my hand the cards flew all over the table. So do not cry over receiving a terrible hand.”
      “I grow tired of your games, old snake.”
      “Run through the maze I built all you like, little mouse, I can wait patiently to devour you.”
      Thus he spoke and vanished into the air. My fists trembled as I struggled to prevent venting my rage on the corpse of Raziel’s former self. A door opened as Raziel finally reentered the room which will one day be the memorial of the slain Sarafan. The white, restless torches, which once burned in his sockets, faded to mere candles flickering in the despairing wind. Raziel then looked into mine and pleaded, “What now?”
      “I truly do not know.”
      “So we have nothing?”
      “I’m returning to the wasteland of Nosgoth.”
      “What lies there?”
      “You recall in the altered history that there were two creatures roaming about that were not native to our world?”
      Raziel’s eyes regained a bit of their glow, and he then stated, “I may even know more of it than you, Kain.”

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      Lamica was still turning in her mind the strange encounter she had in the human stronghold several nights ago. She had awakened from a restless sleep, and so left her room to walk off the immanent sense of dread that plagued her. While doing so, she passed by a pair of guards who stationed themselves at a balcony. One guard called to Lamica, “It’s ain’t right for a lovely lass to be alone at this time of night, this is an hour for loving. So why don’t we make good use of the time.”
      The other guard hung his head and shook it out of embarrassment of the vulgar and poorly executed insinuation. Lamica turned away from the lecher in disdain. The louse missed the hint and approached. He then placed his hand on her. She sneered and twisted his arm until it almost popped out of its socket. The pervert then noted the faintly protruding fangs and fell into a fit.
      “Aw shite! She’s a bloody vampire!”
      “I’m not jumpin’ in this one, you pissed ‘er off.”
      Lamica struck the lecher and found the grunt he released when he hit the ground very pleasing. The other guard spotted something, then dropped his weapon and cried, “Good Sir, you’re help would be greatly appreciated.”
      Lamica turned to the rocky mountain, and took note of two glowing lights scaling down the face of the mountain. It gradually became clearer in the moonlight, and she was in morbid fascination of this shell of a man. The creature’s flesh was a sickly blue, with talons like a defiled hawk. It coiled and shot onto the balcony and approached the three of them. A cowl was wrapped around the maw of the creature, while the two flares shown brightly as it scanned the scene. Lamica took a defensive stance, anticipating an attack from the beast. It simply cocked its head to the side and observed her. She loosened herself and asked, “Who or what are you, creature?”
      “Raziel is my name,” was what the creature spoke. Strangely, the cowl seemed to not move as it gave its name.
      “Are you another of the beasts that call themselves vampires?”
      “No, I’m a creature of a different nature.”
      She slowly approached the creature and took note of every detail as she circled the creature called “Raziel”. Some time passed before Raziel finally inquired, “You’re not human, are you?”
      “No, I am a dunpeal.”
      “You’re ‘done pealing’?”
      Lamica could not help from laughing, “It’s a stupid name, I know. I am the result of the union between a vampire and a human.”
      The creature gawked at her, clearly shaken by this intelligence. “I never thought such a thing possible. Tell me, if I do not intrude too far, what vampire was your parent?”
      “The vampire, Count Magnus Lee.”
      “What?” Raziel was confused even further. It turned, and upon reaching the edge of the balcony, it looked over its shoulder and stated, “I will look into this matter further, as well as take my revenge on Kain.”
      Raziel then hopped onto the rail and leaped over the precipice. While it descended, it grasped the ends of the remains of two wings. Lamica then noticed that the guards were accompanied by a large number of reinforcements, who charged towards her in a bloodthirsty rage. She leaped over the heads of her attackers.  Then, upon touching ground, dashed and shouted with all her might, “D, a servant of my father once said, ‘Wisdom is knowing when to walk away, and knowing when to run.’ This is the time to run!”
      Lamica asked D about the matter after they made their escape. He was equally puzzled by the creature, Raziel, though he did inform Lamica that the vampires in this land we wandered into are the product of necromancy, so it was possible other creatures were produced by the same means. D also told her that Kain was the vampire who dominated all of Nosgoth, and Raziel was the name of Kain’s firstborn lieutenant who was executed for treason. She was not certain what this meant, but the tangible sense of dread still overwhelmed her.

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      As Kain set the controls for Moebius’ Time Chamber, I watched in a feeble attempt to vicariously learn how to operate the device. The machine came to life with energy emanating from it, as the doorway we had first passed through what seemed to be aeons ago opened. Kain turned to me, trying to hide his grave expression. We dragged ourselves to the doorway and passed through with reluctance. We tumbled in every direction as we were overtaken by the Stream of Time. Eventually, Kain and I were washed ashore in the Nosgoth we left behind. I soon sensed the presence of the dunpeals. Kain noted, “They are near Vorador’s mansion.”
      “Indeed.”
      “Take hold.”
      I brought my hand to grasp Kain, and Kain glowed with magical energy as our surroundings warped and melted until the scenery was replaced with the Termagant Forest. The shapes of the dunpeals also appeared before our sight, riding some sort of metal horse. They stopped shortly, staying in safe distance. The woman said something to the man who was at the reins. The man, donned in black and a cheap hat, then called out, “Raziel, could you tell us of this region and the creature who travels with you?”
      Kain’s face twitched for a moment and then responded, “This is the Termagant forest, and I am Kain.”
      The man then drew a blade as a voice cried, “D, D, don’t fight with him now! We’re lost in the armpit of the world. Run, fool.”
      The man who’s name was apparently D clenched his left hand, and the voice seemed to be muffled. D then said something and the woman dismounted. D charged on his mount, brandishing his blade. Kain shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. Kain then focused and released a telekinetic projectile, and in response D leaped off his horse, successfully evading the attack. As D descended, he swung with great strength. Though Kain blocked the attack with his bare claws, even he was shoved back somewhat by the force of the blow. Kain was fully composed when he asked, “What is your place of origin?”
      While parrying with Kain, D responded, “Earth.”
      Kain did not miss a step as he responded, “In the vicinity of Okayama I assume.”
      D was slightly shaken by this and momentarily paused, “How…?”
      Kain relented his attacks and stated, “Follow me and I shall show you.”
      D turned to the woman and called to her, “Lamica, we are accompanying Kain.”
      The woman approached us at a quick pace, and I noticed a look on Kain’s face which led me to wonder if Kain had seen a ghost. I soon realized the source of Kain’s distress when I managed to hear him faintly whisper, “Umah.”
      Kain soon regained his balance and we walked towards Vorador’s mansion.

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      It frightened me to what extent Lamica was in the very image of Umah, without the extensive tattoos. I suppose that Umah would not permit me to have any peace even if I were to finally find myself in the grave. In time, we reached Vorador’s mansion, which was rebuilt some decades after the defeat of the Sarafan Lord. This was where Vorador secluded himself during the founding and expansion of my empire. I knocked on the massive door of the mansion, which echoed into the hollow halls of the structure. In a few moments, the door was miraculously opened by a servant of Vorador. The wretch was frail and weak though clearly well kept. Vorador prided himself on having his pets presentable on formal occasions, rare as they were.
      “Your Excellency,” uttered the servant as it bowed, “I shall take you to Master Vorador right away.”
      I entered with the others close by. The servant shut the door and led us to the oldest living vampire known.

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      Lamica could not imagine that the elder vampires of Nosgoth could be so different from the elder vampires of Earth. As the pilgrims entered a vast library, they beheld Vorador, a creature that could only be described as the ghastly hybrid between a man and a bat, though wings were lacking. He was seated at a vast table with a dusty book in one hand, and a chalice that reeked of blood in the other. The frail creature who brought them in introduced the group to Vorador, who did not bother to move his head. Only his ancient eyes examining them gave any indication he even acknowledged their presence. He finally spoke in a voice that resonated with sarcasm, “You bothered to knock, Kain?”
      He sipped from his chalice, set down his book, and resumed speaking as he stood up, “Though this world is beyond redemption, there just may be hope for you.”
      Kain briefly smiled then spoke, “I left two items in your care and I wish to reclaim them.”
      “Of course.” Vorador signaled to his servant, who then dashed off. Vorador inquired with regard to D and Lamica. Lamica was respectful in her responses and even D was polite to their host. Unfortunately, D’s straightforwardness has often been mistaken for rudeness. Keeping Left Hand silent, however, was a chore beyond their grasp.
      The servant returned with a map and an old blade. Kain took the blade and examined it with a clear sense of nostalgia. The map was then laid down. It was an old road map that was printed aeons before the vampires came to master the Earth. The country in the map was a small island off the coast of a continent that was formally called Asia. Kain then pointed to a point on the map that was marked with a pen. He then asked, “Was this about where you left your world and entered ours?”
      Though the island eventually became part of the mainland, it was an accurate estimation of where the two entered the land of Nosgoth. We were then told of Nosgoth’s history, Raziel’s purgatorial cycle, and were given a few details of Kain’s misadventure on Earth. However, it seemed there were some things in that tale which Kain wanted us to be ignorant of, especially with regard to a child named Sasami and a bizarre woman named Washu. Kain then left, with sword in hand. D wished to press Kain for more questions and followed him. Raziel remained sullen and eventually exited the room. Vorador then took up his chalice and spoke thus, “Since you are my sole guest present, I would like you to drink with me. Unfortunately, you are trying to resist the thirst in order to be inconspicuous among the human cattle. However, I have a close substitute.”

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      This iron sword was my means of exacting vengeance after the foul deed of my murder. However, the blade was initially the possession of my youngest brother, Hennet. It was a gift from the Serioli to my father, who then gave the blade to his favorite son. Some months afterwards, a caravan of gypsies settled nearby and started a carnival. Because of the number of persons who appeared, it was necessary for myself and my brethren to be present. I had noticed Hennet, the youngest of my brothers, gazing at a dancer who moved with grace that was matched only by her beauty. 
Several hours later, after the gypsies left, my brothers and I eventually found Hennet laying in the bushes, naked and bruised. We interrogated our brother to discover that Hennet told the dancer of his affections for her. They then went to hide in the bushes. And while they were finding a suitable rhythm for their passions, the dancer’s husband clubbed Hennet, and the two stripped him down, taking with them the sword. For the disgrace that was to fall upon us for our brother’s foolishness, we beat discipline into him. My brothers’ being more inclined to giving orders than to taking action, marched Hennet home so they may rally troops to smite the gypsies. I, on the other hand, noticed what appeared to be faded tracks from a series of carts on the dirt road and gave chase to the thieves. 
      It was well past sunset when I discovered the encampment of the cutpurses. The sky was lit solely by the stars, though the campfires provided sufficient light to count the number of tents and watchmen. I remained motionless, for how long I know not, observing the sentries’ movements, trying to map in my mind a pattern, as well as discern which tent housed the bandits. A shout came from one tent and out came a man boasting of robbing blind a “foppish nobleboy” to one of the sentries. I then spotted a lone guard nearby, with his blade sheathed. I dashed from my hiding place in the bushes, stole his weapon, and slew him before he could make a sound. I seized a small log from a campfire and tossed it onto a random tent. I then raced between tents to stay out of sight while the guards were distracted with the task of putting out the fire. I barged into the thieves’ tent and slew the pair. I searched frantically for Hennet’s possessions, and I was able to acquire the sword, several pieces of jewelry from the thieves’ bodies, and his clothes. His cloak, however, I left so that it would keep warm the newly orphaned infant. I then crawled out from the back end of the tent, which was adjacent to a cluster of trees. I continued to crawl along the forest floor, then after the screams were no longer audible, I dashed like a crazed animal. 
      After about half of one day’s march, I crossed paths with a detachment of soldiers who were sent to reprimand the gypsies. I informed them that there was no need to pursue the thieves, and so they offered me a horse to ride back home as well as their escort. I consented, and after asking one of the warriors to guide the horse, finally was able to enjoy the luxury of sleep.
      Since it was I that restored the dignity of our family, my father declared before my brothers and several important courtiers that I was to have the iron sword given to him by the Serioli. Later that day, Hennet marched towards me while I was practicing with the blade. In a tantrum he shouted, “While it was good of you to get back most of my things, why didn’t you get back my cloak. For crying out loud, it was my best article.”
      I raised the sword and struck my younger brother with the hilt of the blade, which forced him to the ground. As he spit out a tooth that the impact knocked out, I pointed the blade directly at his head. I then said to him as he locked eyes with me, “Bring shame to our family once more and you shall be equally dead, regardless of what article you are buried in.”
      My sibling understood the command and fled in mortal terror. Though I was not to receive any inheritance, I knew then that I had surpassed my four brothers.
      My dwelling on the past was interrupted when Vorador entered the room D and myself were in and stated, “Kain, D, there is a problem in the library that I am not certain how to diffuse. I have Raziel handling it as we speak.”
      D and I were very alert by this intelligence and D asked, “What sort of problem are we dealing with?”
      The aged vampire simply uttered, “You have to see it for yourself.”

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      Though I was familiar with vampires who were overtaken by their bloodlust, I had never known about managing a creature that was overtaken by wine. Lamica was red across her entire face, swaying in every direction. However, she remained articulate.
      “I’m going to tell you the truth, Messiah. If by some miracle you manage to save the world, you have to know what will happen. Some several millennia after your act of goodness the regulars at Zabar’s will say that you’re the creation of the collective superstitions of monotheistic goat herders. On the day of your birth, shady businessmen will use it to sell cheap junk that no one in their right mind would normally purchase.”
      Vorador, D, and Kain then entered. D was dismayed and Kain gave the appearance that he was suffering from a migraine.
      “Vorador…you…idiot…”
      “I haven’t served wine in ages. She quickly put away each glass without pause, so I thought she was fine.”
      Kain only shook his head. D approached Lamica, pulled open her eyes, and carefully examined her. D’s left hand shouted, “Ah, damn! Pull me away, she smells like John Belushi.”
      “As long as she is not given anymore, she will manage,” were D’s words.
      The mansion echoed with a knock. Several moments passed and Vorador’s servant appeared with an envelope in hand. He thus spoke, “Master Vorador, a strange creature delivered this message for His Excellency.”
      The servant first handed the envelope to Vorador. The elder vampire glanced at the handwriting and trembled with horror, dropping the envelope. Vorador stammered, “What did this creature look like?”
      “If I do recall correctly, it was one of the Hylden.”
      Kain snapped his head to the servant, then with an obvious sense of dread, kneeled and picked up the envelope. He read the writing on the back, then with one swipe of his claw broke the seal of the envelope. Kain produced a letter and unfolded it. Kain then read the letter aloud,

“My Former Friend Kain, 
      I am amused how you persistently try to thwart the destiny of Nosgoth. Your youthful arrogance has never left you, regardless of how often your efforts fail. Go to the Sanctuary of the Clans, where this ‘drama’, as you like to call it, shall unfold completely. Be sure to take Raziel with you, for it is important that he be present for the final act.

      Vorador cringed in despair of what his maker had become. In an indignant rage, Kain ripped the letter in half.
      “Very well then, if he refuses to stay dead I shall put him in the grave myself.”
      Vorador came out of his mourning to cry out, “Certainly this cannot be Janos, for he was hurled into that accursed gate by the Sarafan Lord.”
      However, I pointed out, “But the messenger was one of the Hylden.”
      “Regardless, I am going there. If any of you are accompanying me say so now.”
      I volunteered for this, for I had to see for myself if Janos truly lived. It was my former self who had taken the life of Janos and so I was under that obligation. Out of a great longing Vorador shrugged off his sorrow to travel with us. D and Lamica also decided to journey with us. D’s reason was simply to see one of Nosgoth’s original vampires, while Lamica deduced, “If the world is coming to an end, I may as well see it happen at the source.”
      We employed the teleportation technique of Kain and Vorador to close the distance between Vorador’s mansion and the Sanctuary, the seat of Kain’s empire, built atop the ruins of the Pillars. We stood before the very Pillar that Kain destroyed when we suddenly saw the silhouette perched on the Pillar of Balance and heard that wretched laughter which pierced my very soul.

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      Many years ago, Lamica’s father turned a small baby into a vampire to keep away his eternal boredom. During the wretch’s brief existence, it often released the most disturbing laughter. She could only describe it as innocence tainted by pure evil. Once again she heard that monstrosity echo from the dark figure known as Janos Audron. The creature’s skin was a shade of blue that was similar to that of a nerve gas victim. The once angelic wings were warped into something truly unholy. The abomination’s eyes glowed with menace as it scanned the lot of them. From the fiend’s lips came, “So there are more witnesses to this grand event.” He then raised a twisted blade and embraced it. Kain and Raziel were taken aback. Raziel finally uttered, “The Soul Reaver.”
      “No, this is the original Reaver. It is not the Soul Reaver just yet,” declared Janos, eyeing D, Vorador, and I, “However, these three would try to prevent that. In that case…”
      Janos glowed with magical energy, and from his body blasted a sphere of light. They braced ourselves for the blow, and save for Kain and Raziel, were pushed back by the sphere. Janos gloated, “This barrier will keep those children out of our game.”
      Kain inquired, “How did you get here, Janos?”
      Janos stretched out his wings in joy, “While I was banished to the Hylden dimension, I came to power over the Hylden. With a bit of help from Azimuth and Moebius, I was able to return to the era in which I had died. I took the Reaver and went to the Pillars of Nosgoth while they remained pristine. I then performed the task which Raziel was intended to do that would have purified Nosgoth. Of course, because I was swayed to evil from the overwhelming wickedness of the Hylden dimension…”Janos’ voice and posture altered, “…the results were very dark.”
      Raziel’s eyes widened, “The Elder…”
      “Now I am able to obliterate both thorns in my side. You cannot prevail, for I hold all the cards.”
      Kain charged and bellowed, “Call!”
      Kain slashed with his blade and Janos leaped into the air. Janos hovered for a moment then fell toward Raziel. Raziel conjured the Soul Reaver and tried to fence with Janos. Janos parried each attack, then upon seeing an opening, dealt Raziel a brutal blow. D and Vorador tried vainly to bypass the barrier and the Soul Reaver wrapped itself around Janos’ blade. Janos was clearly delighted, turned towards Kain, and fought with him. Both blades met and pressed against each other. The entity that was dubbed The Elder then leered to Kain and spoke, “You shouldn’t be so worried, Kain. The world will not die; it will simply change. I have played this game many atime in many worlds. I will merely play in another world as this one heals. Perhaps I shall go to Earth next, and visit a certain pair of humans.”
      Kain’s face twisted with an indignant rage. It seemed that The Elder’s words inflamed that part of Kain the architects of our language would call “his humanity”. Kain then growled, “Do you know what irritates me most about whelps who acquire more power than they should? They spend more time inflating their ego with too much talking and never take note of what their opponent is doing.”
      Kain sidestepped and broke from the contest, and Janos tripped from putting so much force into pressing his blade against Kain’s. Kain then seized the opportunity to strike Janos. Janos retaliated with a strike from his claw, wounding Kain’s arm. Though Kain was very skilled in swordplay, the injury prevented him from keeping up with Janos’ attacks. A thought then occurred to Lamica, and pressing against the barrier shouted, “Raziel, two incarnations of the Soul Reaver makes it possible to derail history, and you are the Soul Reaver. Then if you formed a piece of your soul into a sword, wouldn’t that effectively be the same thing?”

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      Our surroundings trembled and shook as the Stream of Time sang with a melody we had never heard before during my travels through time. The Elder shuddered as his eyes darted about in every direction and demanded, “What is happening, I control all creatures from this realm.”
      Kain bellowed with laughter and then explained, “Lamica is an outsider…” Kain tapped the barrier, “…so, though you could prevent her from physically intervening, you could not stop her from having a revolutionary idea.”
      The Elder then flew to attack me, but Kain distracted him with a series of thrusts and other attacks. I then seized this chance, recalling the sensation of the Soul Reaver coiled around my soul. I felt the change already occurring as my soul recreated the form. A new Soul Reaver extended itself from my arm, glowing with rage. I lunged to The Elder and thrust hard. The Elder used the side of his Reaver to block the attack. The displacement and vertigo resumed in the struggle between my soul and a degenerated future that Fate promised me. The distortion intensified, and with every ounce of strength in my soul, I thrust harder, and passed through the Soul Reaver blade and pierced Janos and The Elder. The dark duo was pushed back until they collided with the Pillar of Balance. The fiend groaned its last breath and expired. The displacement subsided, and as I devoured the putrid dual soul of Janos and The Elder, the Pillars glowed with a warm light that I never imagined the Pillars ever having. The barrier evaporated and the three spectators approached me, gazing in awe of the glow of the Pillars. Kain still stood at a distance, then with arms crossed across his chest and a cynical smile across his face said, “Free Will won against an arbitrary Destiny after all. Now that the war is won, do you know what you will do now, Raziel?”
      A warm sensation enveloped me as I simply responded, “Yes, yes I do.”
      I reached deep within myself and summoned the strength needed to pay my debt to the martyr Janos.

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      My name is Kain, I was the son of a nobleman, but I was not to inherit anything of value from him. However, I inherited the good fortune of being present at Nosgoth’s liberation from The Elder, the deranged father of the Hylden who devoured worlds with a gluttony rivaling the darkest of fiends. 
Though Raziel reshaped the history of Nosgoth, it seems that certain persons have a clear memory of Nosgoth’s previous history. Moebius has been quite bitter over his demotion from Time Guardian to Janos’ Chief Custodian. Janos often gives thanks to Raziel and I for our efforts. Vorador would also chime in Janos’ praises. I often wonder about my time on Earth, brief as it was. I do recall that Washu flowed with great power, so I wonder if those powers included the foresight to see it advantageous for the dimensional gate which brought me back to Nosgoth to remain open. Be that as it may, I have two special guests to mind.

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      While wandering with D, we found ourselves in another world with a race of creatures that they called vampires, which bore no resemblance to the vampires of our world. Many were winged and with cloven hands, and had no desire or need for blood. We were received by a vampire of yet another variation named Kain. He was very hospitable, though he was very attentive to how much wine I drank, but I suppose he is simply of a paternal nature. Kain also had an adopted son named Raziel, who was also very friendly. For some reason the place seemed familiar and warm, so I accepted Kain’s offer to take residence in this land called Nosgoth. D, however, was firm in his resolve, and after paying his respects, returned to Earth. It is terrible that D must continue to wander without attachment to anything or anyone, but I suppose that is just Fate.