Night Light

 

Disclaimer: Legacy of Kain belongs to Edios and Crystal Dynamics not me. I am making £0.00 out of this fic, it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Are you amazed by the fact that they are not mine . . . neither am I; I’m just a little disappointed.

 

Rating: PG-13

 

Part: One of God knows how many

 

Set: all over the place ^_^

 

Italics = flashbacks

 

 

* \/ * /\ * \/ * /\ *

 

 

Chapter One: Rejection and Discovery

 

{Twelve years ago}

 

A lion cub wanders alone through the savannah an unusual site in any world as cubs this young never stray from their pride, but there is something even more unusual about this particular lion cub, its fur is a dusty brown, while what’s there of its mane is as black as night and its pupil-less eyes glow a frightening fiery golden.

 

The cub is an exile.

 

 

{Sanctuary of the clans}

 

Present Day

 

“You will feel my wrath!!” an ashen haired vampire shrieks across the Sanctuary 

 

“Not likely” a semi formed blue wraith shrieks back

 

“Die” Kain hollers leaping across the main chamber drawing the reaver,

 

Corporal reaver collides roughly with insubstantial wraith blade sending both combatants reeling, a second passes before they lunge again, wraith is thrown into the mind pillar sending cracks spiralling upwards on the black corrupted marble, vampire is knocked inches from one of the few pools in the sanctuary as the two make their way out of the main chamber and into the bridge room.  

 

“So what’s this one over” a long eared, green skinned vampire asks his sire, a sky blue angelic creature

 

“Raziel stood on the TV remote again” Janos smirks and shakes his head “oh to be young again”

 

Vorador winces as a wraith blade leaves a nasty burn-cut on Kain’s chest before the corporal reaver nearly severs what’s left of Raziel’s right thigh.

 

The scuffle continues for half an hour before both combatants manage to crawl their way back into the main chamber where Kain collapses onto his throne, curling up and resting his head on his arms while Raziel scrambles up onto on of the thrones claws and promptly passes out.

 

“Took longer than usual” Janos mutters before fishing inside on of his hidden pockets where he pulls out a fifty pound note and hands it to his fledgling. Vorador smirks tucking the note into his waistband.

 

A loud knock on the ornate doors of the main chamber cause Raziel to jerk and tumble from his perch landing in his sires lap, causing Kain to jolt awake and blink at his childe who is now sprawled across him before standing up, knocking the blue wraith to the ground.

 

The doors open and a young Turelim enters the chamber bowing lowly before eyeing up Raziel who has now curled around the base of the throne and fallen back into sleep.

 

“My lord” the Turelim eventually manages, Kain just looks at him “we have more reports”

 

“Oh yes” Kain sighs sitting back down, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin in his hand.

 

“My Lord we have lost another three of our clan over the past week, we have heard tell that the melchiahim are suffering loses as well along with the Zephonim. The Dumahim and Rahabim are the only ones that have not suffered” the fledgling bowed before turning to the door and whistling.

 

Two more Turelim entered the chamber dragging a human male between them before hurling him at Kain’s feet.

 

“Please tell me this isn’t the reason” Kain muttered

 

“No sire” the second Turelim answered “he has news also” Kain raised a pale eyebrow in question and looked to the human. The human whimpered and curled in on himself

 

“Speak mortal” Kain snapped,

 

The mortal opened his mouth but no sound came out. He looked around the room and gasped, it appeared the human had believed himself alone with the vampires but now looking around the chamber he caught site of Vorador, Janos and Raziel. This new knowledge seemed to have a very bad effect on the human sending him into a small whimpering fit.

 

Kain turned and looked desperately to Janos who stepped forwards with a sigh.

 

“No harm will come to you child” the sky blue ancient spoke, his aura strangely soft and calm and having the desired effect of calming the human enough so he could speak. 

 

“We have lost . . . fifteen of our tribe over the last six weeks along with . . . an alarming amount of poultry” he managed, a blue cloven claw ran gently over his hair calming him more so, “I . . . I was on watch during the last attack”

 

“So you saw it” Raziel asked, the human closed his eyes tight and nodded not looking at the wraith

 

“Yes . . . but” the human whispered

 

“What is it” Kain snapped

 

“I don’t know” the human curled around himself tighter “it changed, one minuet it was tiny then huge, there were few constant details that remained the same”

 

“Such as” Vorador kneeled next to his sire who was still trying to keep the mortal calm

 

“It was black, all its shapes were similar . . . it was an animal, like wolf . . . we thought it was a vampire in animal form until it started shifting”

 

“A shifter” Janos mused 

 

“Yes” the human nodded “but it didn’t have much variety all its shapes were different forms of the same animal”

 

“Hhhhhmmmm” Janos muttered stepping away from the human

 

“Is that all” Kain asked

 

“Yes Sir” the human bowed so low its head touched the marble  

 

“Very well” Kain nods

 

The human instantly has a wraith blade through his abdomen.

 

 

{The wastelands}

 

Small black paws pad quietly over the dusty dry earth as it exits its temporary lair. The predator is out to hunt.

 

 

{Vorador’s Mansion}

 

“So what do you think it is” Raziel asks leaning over Janos’ shoulder as the ancient vampire tries to read, a black wing ruffles from the disturbance as the ancient answers the wraith

 

“Only three creatures in existence can shift there form” Janos muttered “were-beasts, shape-shifters and” he paused “the occasional author”

 

“Ok so it’s a were-beast of a shifter” Raziel sniggered lightly

 

“that’s what I thought originally” Janos turned to face Raziel “but were-beasts only have one form and shifters have a variety, this creature had neither, it had more than one form but according to the human they were all the same species” 

 

“Ok” Raziel raised a non-existent eyebrow

 

“The only creatures that have ever done anything like that are some authors” Janos pressed

 

The dark wood door opened as Kain and Vorador entered the library

 

“So what is it” Kain mutters leaning over Janos’ other shoulder

 

“I am not sure . . . but I think it’s an author” the blue skinned vampire reply’s

 

Everyone blinks at the ancient before erupting into fits of laughter

 

“Your imprisonment and age have damaged your mind Janos” Kain sniggers

 

“authors are the boggy men to make human children behave under their vampire masters, everyone knows that” Vorador shrugs after calming down a little

 

“Ah yes” Janos nods “but all legend begin in fact, come” he commands standing “I have something to show you”

 

 

{Ancient vampire ruins}

 

The murals were well worn by time and weather but they were still readable. In the first of several images the ancient vampires stood opposite a menagerie of different creatures, like two armies meeting in battle, yet here no weapons were carried.

 

The image showed an individual ancient standing in front of his race while one of the other creatures did the same, they were reaching towards each other.

 

“This is when they first arrived in Nosgoth” Janos smiled fondly at the memory

 

“You’re serious” Raziel asked

 

“Of course, come I’ll show you the history of authors” Janos’ smile widened

 

The next mural showed a huge white energy giving birth to thousands of authors, each one completely different, some completely human in appearance, others were completely animal, others daemon some were crosses between two of the attributes others combined all three.

 

“Authors are not alive in the sense that we or anything else is, they are created from primal energy, they are the embodiment of creation” the ancient explained “they help us balance the primal forces of order and chaos by being created from balanced amounts of the energy, hence why no author is entirely good nor evil”

 

“what’s this part” Raziel asked pointing to a different scene where the authors broke away from each other and scattered themselves into the worlds, the image showed them linking hands with the original inhabitants of each world.

 

“Ah yes, the muses” Janos answered “when an author is born the muse is created. The muse is like a life partner for the author. It is from the muse that the other finds the will to create, without the muse the author would just wander endlessly looking for him”

 

“What if the two never meet” Vorador asked

 

“Then neither the Author nor the muse will ever be whole, they will be two separate halves, two parts of one entity, eternally seeking each other even if they do not realise”

 

Janos turned and led them onwards to another mural, one showing a battle, many creatures fighting and dying

 

“the great war” Janos explained  “authors gave themselves free rein among the worlds and used vast amounts of power with little thought, causing changes not only in their worlds but each others as well, they tried to set up some rules but it was to late, war was inevitable”

 

The mural showed several of the worlds being destroyed along with authors 

 

“Can you imagine the destruction involved when creatures made from pure primal energy with nearly unlimited power collide” Janos shook his head “they destroyed many worlds and practically wiped themselves out”

 

The final mural showed only a few authors, combining their strength to create another world.

 

“After the Great War the survivors declared that never again would there be a repeat, they created the nexus, a world designed to keep all the other worlds separate, so power will never flow between worlds” Janos explained

 

“It is the world where authors are created and the world where the primal energy is balanced” Janos nodded slightly to the mural “of course now it is very rare for a new author to be created and when they are, they are not taught their power as they used to be, they are sent to random worlds were they are left to evolve on there own, many authors go through there entire lives without realising what they are”

 

“But aren’t authors immortal” Kain asked

 

“yes but only if they realise, it is difficult to explain but an authors power will remain locked until they are aware of it, only then will it become apparent what they are” he paused “it was a safely feature put in after the war”

 

“Nice story” Raziel muttered “but that’s all it is, a story, a legend. Something created so we don’t have to feel so alone in our lives” Janos smiled widely

 

“It is not” he answered “I was there when the first author appeared in Nosgoth”

 

 

{Sunken abbey}

 

Three days later

 

Rahab bows to his father and elder brother before turning to the elder vampires and bowing lowly to them.

 

“It is this way” he turns and quietly leads them through the abbey, no one fails to notice the blood on some of the walls along with deep claw marks across the floor.

 

“We have it trapped inside on of the northern courtyards father” Rahab explains as they near the destination, “I have no doubt that it could escape if it wished but its busy at the moment”

 

“Busy with what” Raziel asks

 

“We fed it” Rahab smirks “most of my slave population is now cowering in the dungeons trying to avoid becoming this things next meal”

 

Kain smirks and shakes his head, Rahab was his smartest child and had ingenious ways of dealing with problems

 

“In here” Rahab opens the gate to the courtyard. The northern courtyards were all perched delicately on the cliff, not a good place to rest if you don’t want vertigo.

 

A body lays broken in the middle of the yard, while a small brown creature contentedly guzzles at its organs.

 

“You’ve got to be joking me” Raziel smirks lifting the lion cub by the scruff of its neck “you’re the little guy causing so much trouble”

 

“I wouldn’t do that” Janos winces

 

“Huh” Raziel turns cub still in hand, “your not frightened of this little guy, he’s so small” a cloven claw rubs delicately behind the cub’s ear, the cub growls lowly, it’s muzzle matted with blood

 

“Put it down Raziel” Janos mutters “it’s not what it seems”

 

Suddenly the small cub Raziel was now affectionately stroking becomes a full grown male lion, fur as brown as chocolate with a mane as black as night and eyes burning gold.

 

“Oh” Raziel mutters before he is kicked hard with clawed back legs, instantly dropping the lion, the feline backs up to the cliff edge roaring loudly. The body in the middle of the courtyard convulsed momentarily as purple lightening shoots from the lion into the corpse. With in moments the corpse is back on its feet.

 

“EW gross” Vorador mutters as the half devoured human lunges at him, a kick later and the corpse is sent over the cliff edge, the lion watches as its meal takes flight. The feline crouches ready to pounce and fails to notice the ground crumbling away beneath its back paws. To late the lion notices and claws madly to escape but fails miserably and falls downwards.

 

“Oh bugger” Janos whispers earning surprised looks from the younger vampires.

 

End of chapter one

 

Authoress note: random I know. But hope you liked it anyway.