Kain returned, two slaves in tow. He remembered a time long ago when slaves cowered at his feet begging for their lives. He remembered his days as a fledgling, hunting down prey. These two were sad replacements for that. They were so brainwashed it was like leading sheep to the slaughter. Vorador was happy to see him thought. He latched on to one of the slaves and drained him. Kain attached as the slave’s eyes dulled, his life slipping away and died. It was pathetic really./ Had they become so complacent that they kept poor sport for food?

Vorador looked at the second slave, then to Kain. “No. It is yours. I fed earlier.” Vorador nodded, and before he could take the second one, Kain spoke up, “Are you going to be all right for a while?”

Vorador looked back over at him. “For a time, why?”

“I will send Turel to clean this up later. I am going to go and speak with one of my sons. Hopefully he will have some answers I seek.”

Vorador tilted his head curiously. Kain had, unfortunately, long ago abandoned his sons. It wasn’t that he had disowned them or they had done him a great wrong. Kain had made that sacrifice in order to survive himself. It was an understandable, albeit painful, decision every vampire lord must face at least a couple times in their unlife. Their relationship’s balance was different then. Vorador had been the strong one for Kain’s sake. He had been there for him while his some of his sons were tortured. He recalled how he had to calm Kain down, forcibly, when Rahab had died and was entrapped in his own library. How angry Kain was when he had seen Turel after his torture. How much like a puppet Turel had become after words. Zephon as well. Whatever Janos did to him drove him completely mad and thus locked him away. It had seemed his last time travel had erased large areas of Kain’s memory. If he knew he wouldn’t be missed, he would have asked Kain to take him with him on his next journey and prey it paid him the same kindness.
Instead of really pressing it, Vorador simply nodded to him, and went back to the slave, draining this one slowly, enjoying the act. Kain watched for a second before he left. As he walked the halls, he opened his mind to his connection with his sons. He felt each of their presences in turn, Rahab’s and Raziel’s being the weakest. He searched the Sanctuary, looking for Melchiah. Once he found him, it took him a couple of minutes to recall how to get there. It seemed that Melchiah had taken refuge in the lowest areas of the Sanctuary.

The path down to where Melchiah found refuge he had traveled very seldomly, only on those occasions when there was a problem in those areas did he ever venture to the lower levels. For a while he thought himself lost until he had finally found Melchiah. His poor youngest son reminded him so very much of a homeless, starved human. He was curled about a nest of found rags, Sheltered by yet more rags and various discarded chunks of metal piping and wood, a refuge made by his own hands. He slipped into this refuge silently, and bent over his youngest son and looked him over, closer than he had before.

Some of those rags he thought him wearing before was really old skins, dried and hanging about him like sheaded snake skins. The ragged, worn leftover of his pants, the torn shirt over ragged dead skin. He looked around Melchiah’s small home and seen a worn cloak, a couple old books, and the ends of a few candles. What set everything off was a rich, although tarnished, silver box. Kain reached out for it, and ever so carefully opened it. Inside amazed him. There was some small renderings of himself, and his other brothers and Kain himself. He wondered who had drawn these for they were quite good. There were some other trinkets in there as well, a couple pieces of precious stones, a small pocket knife, and some bits of jewelry.

He set the box back as he had found it, then turned to the books. Near the books he found some sticks of charcoal. Inside those books, he found the source of the art he’d seen just before. These books were full of small sketches, and small finished pieces of his family, different areas of nosgoth long ago and random humans carrying about their daily lives. These books were indeed old, one newer one with still just as beautiful pictures, most likely from distant memories.

He set them back carefully and looked over at his gentle son, smiling softly at him. His brothers had always underestimated their youngest brother. He may have been weak and sickly, but he knew and appreciated beauty like none of them did. They all had their own definition of it, but Melchiah could see it on different level and although he would never be able to attain it, he at least had developed skills to make up for it it seemed. He wondered why he hadn’t noticed such great talent in Melchiah before. It was most likely because of his elder brothers coming for his attention most of the time that made him overlook so much.

Kain reached over and gently stroked Melchiah’s thin shoulder, trying to wake him. After a minute or so, he succeeded. Melchiah stirred, blinking his sunken eyes, and looked blearily up at the one who had disturbed him. Kain thought the young vampire would have smiled, seeing his creator, but he did not. Kain gave him a closer look. In those pale yellow, the normally dark pupils were not a pale white. Somehow, the young vampries had gone blind recently.

He rubbed his youngest son’s shoulder. “I’m sorry...” Pity made him want to turn away, let this poor wretch of a vampire rest and hope his death would come while he rested peacefully here amongst the refuse. Almost. melchiah reached up and put a shaking hand on his arm.

“Kain...?” his voice was a hard whisper, probably soon to go as well.

Kain turned back, looking at Melchiah again, anger welling up in him. How dare Janos be so cruel to one so degraded already. To slowly take away his senses. It would have been a slow painful death for such as Melchiah,with no one to watch him, to help him. He already was severally starved and at least if he left him here he wouldn’t have to suffer for too long. But this wasn’t the case.

Melchiah tried to sit up, but his body was too weak, and thus fell back to the nest of rags. Kain carefully picked up, cradling his thin body and supporting him.

“What happened to you?” Kain asked, his voice gentle and fatherly.

“You don’t remember?” Melchiah asked, closing his eyes. “Janos devastated us all. You were first. He beat you severally, and caste magic to keep you weak and unhealed. You could only watch in rage, from your shackles, as Janos took over, calling us and defeating us one by one. He thought that enough for a lesson but we weren't going to take it. We thought of a way to defeat him and free you. That plan failed. Our clans were destroyed and you had to listen again as he took each one of us down one by one again and punished us. You’ve seen the results by now. During Janos’ rise, Rahab learned too much I guess. We still aren’t sure why Janos did......” his voice softened as he kept speaking, Kain straining to hear, until Melchiah’s voice went completely. A couple attempts later to speak and he gave up, completely mute now.

Melchiah’s slight form started to shake within Kain’s grasp, in silent sobs, bloody tears he really couldn’t afford to loose running down his cheeks. Kain tried to comfort the young one, but nothing he did seemed to help him any. He knew that Melchiah knew what was most likely next to go and after that he was definitely doomed. Vampires were predators and could not afford to loose any of their senses, especially the ones they relied on most to hunt with.

He had ton find a safer place for Melchiah, closer to his chambers. Turel, as brain washed as he was, couldn’t be trusted. His honesty was a little too honest at times and Kain knew the puppet of a sin would right out tell janos anything he wanted to know about what Kain was doing. The only other option was Vorador. He would have chosen one of his other brothers, but then he couldn’t guarantee the young vampire’s safety.

After he found a group of rags that could pass as a sack, he put Melchiah’s things in it, and picked up the too thin vampire. Kain started his way back to the upper levels. he would have teleported, but he didn’t dare to. He didn’t know if Janos had anything set up to detect any magic use in the Sanctuary.

I wasn’t easy either, carrying another being, some belongings and himself to the upper levels silently. At least few traveled the halls and the guards were easy enough to slip past. When he arrived, Vorador gave him a curious look. “Giving refuse to worn fledglings now?” he asked.

“No. This is Melchiah. He won’t have a chance to survive if I didn’t bring him up here. As I said before, I’m changing a few things around here.” Kain set Melchiah down before he called Turel, ordering him to bring a couple slaves and fresh clothing of his request. After words, he picked Melchiah up again and took him to where he could get cleaned up as best he could and helped him with it. When he set Melchiah down again, he put a hand on his shoulder and reassuringly said, “Everything is going to be all right. I’m here now and you’ll be fine.”

Vorador watched silently, choking back his own tears. He found himself wishing his own sire had the same change of heart. He walked over and helped Kain with the young vampire, pulling ragged old skin and worn clothing from his thin body like peeling layers off an onion. With a quiet rapping on the door, Kain handed him back his ragged trousers and answered it. He took the clothes and slaves and told him to wait outside.

Vorador lead Melchiah to the slaves. Melchiah gave a confused look at both the elder vampires, still able to smell fresh food nearby. Kain gently pushed one of the slaves to him. “Go ahead.” Melchiah had the look of a child on it’s birthday as he looked at the two of them then latched on the slave and drained it, then the other. He had been so long without fresh food that he was almost drunk with ecstasy as he fed from them, draining them thoroughly. None of this helped him regain his lost senses, but at least now he looked a bit healthier.

Kain then tossed the two slaves back to Turel to dispose of. Alone with the other two now, he Melchiah into clean clothes, borrowing one of Vorador’s belts to keep his pants from falling. Kain’s clothes hung off of Melchiah, his frame not only lighter in the first place, few beings made clothes for beings as starved as Melchiah. WIth some ingenuity, The two elder vampires re-arranged things some so the study doubled as a sleeping area, having moved the couch in there. Vorador gave him a blanket and closed the door behind him, letting the young vampire rest.

“So what do you plan on doing with him?” Vorador asked.

“I plan on letting him recover some. I hope his voice may return, but I doubt it will.” He drew a deep breath as he sat down, thinking. “I am changing much about myself. Whatever I was before I lost my memory, I am going to end. I am now going back to taking some responsibility for my sons.”

Vorador sat down as well. “As much as this pains me to say so, but please, don’t set yourself up to be hurt again. That’s why you abandoned them in the first place. I know these five-”

“Six.” Kain interrupted. “I have six sons. I know not where the sixth one is right now.”

Vorador again gave him a curiously look. He hadn’t heard Kain mention having six, only five before. He continued, “I know these six are some of your first offspring and those ones hurt the most to loose, but you must accept their loss if nessicary. You can always create more so long as you still stand.”

Kain looked at Vorador, repressing a harsh look. Ah but my friend, you are not the first, nor the last of Janos’ offspring and yet somehow you were the one he apparently cared about the most at one time. He has a funny way of showing it now, Kain thought sardonically. “I know. If anything I have learned over the last couple days it is life is precious, even unlife.”

“Are you going to feel pity for your dinner now? Going to be the first vegetarian vampire?” Vorador asked, half teasing.

“No. These mindless wretches we feed from no longer count. Their lived ended the second they were captured or born,” Kain said disgustedly.

“Those were the days weren't;t they? When we were the masters of out domains. You never knew the days before large numbers of vampire hunters roamed the lang, hunting us down one by one. You knew well enough thought, the hunt, bringing them to cry at your feet for mercy,” Vorador said, some of his old self returning in his voice and manner.
This made Kain smile lightly, seeing his friend gain strength for once with talk of the old days. He always liked to speak about the times long before everything went drastically wrong.

Kain also found himself hoping that Janos wouldn’t call upon either of them. Spare them for one day. More so since Vorador was in a good mood. It looked like bringing Melchiah up here had been a good decision for Vorador now had a younger vampire to watch. Something he hadn’t done in years since his downfall. It was almost as Kain’s thoughts jinxed them when Turel returned again. He got up, anger seething, and answered the door. He was going to tell Turel to go back to Janos and give him a good punch in the nose as a gift.

Instead of calling him or Vorador to his chambers, Turel asked him to go to his own for something he had been working on from that day’s meeting had gone awry. Unfortunately due to his quirky memory, Kain did not remember this trick. Vorador remembered though, his body starting to shake. Kain gave him a pitying look, now remembering some, but knew he was as helpless against Janos as Vorador was. He prayed that Melchiah would be a sound enough sleeper to rest though the screams, or the sense not to interfere. He would have to make it up to both of them later.

“Go,”Vorador said, his voice a painful rasp. “I will manage....somehow.” He closed his eyes, sadly, and forced himself to stop shaking. Kain watched him for a minute before he went. Vorador looked like a man who was on his way to his execution. He knew Janos wouldn’t kill him. It would have been mercy of he would have, but he never would.

Kain swallowed hard, then followed Turel. He had a very bad feeling about Vorador, that he would return soon, or the next day to a shivering mess that he would have to nurse back to a semblance of himself. He tried to force his mind to other things. His small notebook perhaps. He could try and decipher what Zephon has ment earlier. He heard a
distant cry as he continued walking. He closed his eyes and used his memory as he kept walking, wishing he could do something.

Janos appeared in the room soon after Kain left. It was still early enough in the evening, but he decided to come now rather than later. Now was a good time. An excellent time really, Janos grinned feraly at Vorador. The younger vampire looked up at his sire in masked fear. Janos could see clearly the other’s sadness at the mere sight of him. He gripped the other’s chin in his hand. “Why so sad?” he asked with a smile. “I brought a present for you.”

Vorador’s expression didn’t change. He just wanted this over with. Get though this night’s mental pain. He never felt it physically really. His mind always shut down and he would be nothing more than a green puppet for Janos. He closed his eyes slowly. “Oh come now, don’t do that dear child.” He lifted Vorador’s chin. “It’s not as pleasurable present as the one I gave Kain for you but you might like it. Come child. Let me bestow it upon you.”

Vorador let himself be led by Janos to the bedroom. the funny thing was, with him, Janos was never overly cruel but in fact very gentle. So very much in contrast to what he did to others. To Kain. Janos let him lie on the bed. He ever so gently stripped him, pulling away carefully Vorador’s clothes, caressing him as he went. Vorador couldn’t help but give a light, whining moan at this. Janos was such an expert that he couldn’t resist even if he wanted to. The tender touches of his hands seemed to melt his fears and at the same time, ignight them to full blaze fear.

Janos repositioned himself over Vorador, his eyes were still lit with madness, but it had a gentle touch to it now. Vorador knew this was a lie, as he watched Janos. His head dipped, his lips meeting the other’s in a soft kiss. So gentle, but so forced. He parted his lips slightly, as he had been lead to do many times over.. Janos pressed the kiss, lighting it afire. he moaned lightly under that kiss, and then Janos moved on. He kissed the tips of Vorador’s ears, the sensitive membranes picking up the sensations and amplifying them.

Vorador loosed a breathy sigh as Janos continued his assault, kissing and licking his way down Vorador’s neck, pausing over the artery there. He continued down, his lips so soft, such a gentle a torture, so very contrasting the monster he had become. His hands were deftly working over him as well, his touch light as the touch of his feathers, then contrasting in gently massaging strokes. His breath caught in his throat, tears threatening to fall. Why must he do this? Be a horrible beast to every living thing in the land and then to him be so much like the sire he knew from long ago. It made his heart ache.

Vorador’s mind blanked out, like it often did. He basically set his body to automatically obey Janos’ desires. His mind went back to distant memories as Janos continued, spending plenty of time licking the younger vampire’s chest before he continued down more. Janos paused, looking up at Vorador, his blank expression. He stopped altogether, and reached up, cupping the side of Vorador’s face in his hand. Janos closed his eyes and shook his head. There was little sport anymore in this one. Just infinite sadness
and depression. “Dear child, you want something I can no longer give to you much less anyone else. My heart truly aches for you,, not quite as much as when it was torn out of my chest, but it aches none the less. This is all I can give. I’m not sure how much longer this will hold out for I feel my corruption is soon going to take even this from you and you will truly have nothing then.” He could barely repress a chuckle at his own words, sane and insane. It would have driven him mad if he hadn’t been already.

Vorador came out of his daze, looking up at Janos. “Janos?” Janos’ voice had turned to sound something like his old self, but he knew it wouldn’t last it hadn't lasted for his chuckle was dark and poisonous. It still gave him a small spark of hope, which he tried to beat down, this was perhaps the kindest, the most sane Janos had been in centuries. Janos stroked the other’s face gently. “My dear, dear Vorador. Let me give you this one gentle act, let me savor your body while your mind still resides within it. Pretend that I am Kain if youmust...though...I do know that sometime you pretend that he is the me of long past,” he said with the characteristic quirky smile he had taken on during his descent into madness.

Vorador blinked his eyes, trying to fight back tears. He grasped Janos, with all the glory of a child father having been lost and finally finding their way back home. His body shook with barely restrained sobs composed of his pain, his suffering, and self hatred. How could one see a slightly less insane sadist to be his father when he used to be so much better? How Far had they fallen? Janos held him to him, trying to comfort him. “I know dear child, I know it would have hurt me if I still cared. Save me...if you can. You and Kain, save this pathetic world. Or try, it will at least provide ample amusement.” He couldn’t help but laugh again. Tilting back and forth on the edge of the Reaver, one second begging for release the next cruelly teasing.

After a few minutes Vorador pulled his resolve back together. He looked up at Janos, pulling free from the other’s arms and wiped away bloody tears. He looked at Janos again, then, shakingly reached forward to Janos and pulled him a little closer to him. His shaking hands gripped Janos’ shoulders, his lips pressed to the other’s in a desperate kiss. He pulled away, “Please...hold on. Kain is trying. Hold on and he will find a way out of this mess,” Vorador said softly.

“Hold on to what, dear child? I will not hamper him, I find he efforts quite amusing. If he succeeds then I will most likely have never existed, if he fails then you all suffer for eternity.” Janos stroked the back of Vorador’s head, smiling fondly at him. And perhaps that was the most frightening thing, Janos didn't care either way. What he did care about was that he missed the soft dark hair that had been there at one time, smooth skin being a poor substitute for such a luxury.

“Please try,” Vorador said, nuzzling the other’s neck, kissing there gently. “For everyone’s sake, please.”

“Vorador...don’t beg. It is unbecoming to one such as you.” New tears came and fell as Vorador tried to continue, his control nearly dissolving again. Janos pushed him back to lie on the bed and climbed back over him. “Relax and let me take care of you one last time.” Tears fell freely until he gasped in pleasure as Janos’ gentle lips worked over him. All of him. Janos rained small, soft kissed around the other’s hips. Vorador squirmed, trying to fight his thoughts. All more build up for another break down. For more pain. He knew the pain would soon come, in one form or another, but now, with Janos sweet words despair his underlying nature, his intentions, he gave in. He closed his eyes, knowing nothing could prepare him for any of it.

Janos went back to what he was doing earlier, now renewing his touches, his caress. This time Vorador responded. He couldn’t fight it. He never stood a chance against any of this. He gasped out loudly as Janos went lower, grasping his sack on one hand and gently massaging it. The elder vampire’s came down and met his stiffness, raining yet more gently kisses at first before he took him in his mouth and licked and sucked him. Vorador’s clawed hands flexed into the sheets, his senses being driven wild.

He drew close under Janos’ ministrations and gave a whimper as Janos pulled away, his actions stopping all the sudden. Vorador didn’t hear it when Janos had brought something else with him. Something that helped greatly for what was to happen next. Janos gently storked the other’s thighs, and urged him to open himself to the other. He grasped Vorador’s legs and looped them over his forearms. Well lubercated, Janos respositioned himself and presed his member against the other’s rear opening, gentlly slipping inside.

Vorador gasped as he did so, almost a cry. Janos waited a minute before he started to thrust within the other, slowly, taking long strokes at first. Vorador withered and twitched under him. One shaking hand reached forward and he grabbed himself, carefully sontinued where Janos had left off. He arached his back, thrusting his hips to meet the other’s thrusts, moaning out loud. Janos sped up some now, a rumbling purr coming from deep in his throat.

Janos reached forward, dropping one of Vorador’s legs, but he held it there on his own, and pushed his hand away. He grasped the other a midst another throaty groan and stroked him, focusing on that little area where the head and foreskin met, making Vorador call out louder. Janos sped up his thrusts, meeting the jerky movements of the other’s hips. Driven too fast to the edge, Vorador came, his back arching and giving growling moan as he spilled hismelf over Janos’ hand. Janos thrust one last time, burying himself as deep as he could and came as well, the feeling of clenching muscles too much or him. He let go of Vorador’s legs, and lie forward, not slipping away from the other, panting.

In the study, Melchiah rose from his rest when he heard the final shouts. He weakly stunbled to the door and opened it, leaning havilt agianst it and nearly crashing to the floor as it opened. He looked in the direction of the yelling, and stumbled over, tripping and bunping into furnature.

From the bedroom, Janos heard something in the next room. It wasn’t hard, with his sensative hearing, and more so since the door wasn’t closed. He pulled away from Vorador, ad waled out to see what was going on. To his delight, there was a faltering young vampire. He clsed his eyes and shuddered, feeling the corruption well up within him again. He shuddered, feeling it take over. When he opened his eyes again, more than insanity shown there, more like diabolical insanity. He opened his mouth some, bearing the tips of his fangs, his eyes half lidded, his expression that of a hungary predator. His lips spread in a wide grin as he silently walked closer to the young vampire, the latter still on the floor trying to find something to support his way back up. Janos grasped his shoulder and picked him up harshly, more like picking up a large rag doll as Melchiah hung limply in the elder’s grip.

“What do we have here? A new friend to play with?” He mocked, his voice pitched with madness.

Vorador was alarmed now, he swiftly sat up and scrambeled across the bed. He didn’t get to leave it for Janos raised a hand in his direction. “Please....don’t hurt him.”

Janos looked back at Vorador, watching him slide off the bed and grab his pants, the grin grew more manical. “Why would I want to do that?” He asked, mocking. The door to teh bedroom slammed shut on Vorador. He slammed his fists into it. Janos ignored him and continued over to Melchiah.

Kain sat, his posture that of a very angry person, looking abotu impatiently. It was true for he caught himself fidgiting angerly. He stood up, flewxing his claws, wanting to grasp somehting, someone, anything and smash it to bits. He paced, looking for something amongst his possesions he would miss the least and would be satisfying to smash.

He wirrled around to look at a chaiir in the corner. He never used it and it was hard anyways. It had come from Zephon’s caverns long before he had taken over the human cathederal. Caverns! Yes! His thoughts quickly ran to meet the new train of thoughts, his angst coiled muscles relaxing as his mind simmered down. He ran into his study and dug out the hidden notebook. He slipped it thought it once, twice several times. He couldn’t find the page which he had written down what Zephon had said. He angerly threw the book, realizing someone must have torn out the page. It was bad enough that he was little better than a slave to a madman, but to have his privact totally taken away in such plush surroundings. The audacity runs deep here, he thought sardonically, I better invest in a shovel before too long.

Kain tried to recall Zephon’s words but he was certain he couldn’t recall half of it properly, which was no help at all. He looked around his chaimbers again. He couldn’t go out the door for a spell blocked him. He couldn’t jump out the windows either for the Abyss was below, his chaimbers stratigically located so he could be trapped like an animal when so desired.

Turel. He could go where he pleased or ordered. Kain walked to the closet of a room that was his second son’s. “Turel.” The young vampire looked up at him, from his blank staring daze, a stupid smile across his face. “Go and speak to your younger brother, Zephon.” He doubted Zephon would tell Turel the same thin he had told him, but he had to try. Turel got up and left quietly, carrying out his orders.

It was an uncomfortable while’s worth of pacing until Turel came back. When he did, he simpley went back to his room and reasumed his blank stare at the stone wall. Kain walked to the doorway and asked him, “What did Zephon say?”

Turel looked up at him again, the stupid smile appearing again and said pleasently, “He told me to go eviscerate myself and to chew on anything that falls out.”

Kain blinked, seriously wondering how Turel could repeat something like that so easily with out offense taken. It was quite beyond him. “Did he say anything else?”

“Something about flying ledges and ghosts in a bottle.”

Kain’s eyes narrowed in concentration. Yet more hints from someone who seemed to be so insane. Perhaps it was all an act really. A very good act on Zephon’s part. If he Zephon had really gone insane, his clever fifth son obviously had several more cards to play and had enough of his mind left to do so and an adgenda of his own, possibly made up shortly before his mind went to ensure he would be able to escape from it in the future.

He patted Turel on the head and said, “Good boy.” Turel’s smile grew a little wider, then he went back to staring at the blank wall. Kain left him to go figure out the message that had been delivered to him. He went into his room, and looked out of one of his wondows at the architecture around him. He looked out all of his windows until he seen what Zephon had spoken of. How clever indeed, Kain thought as he climbed out the window and up to a ledge. A gentle tap on a hard to see switch and it rose for him to get to another ledge. With the use of a number of ledges like that, he was able to get to the roof easily, and he would be able to float to the ground on the other side and re-enter the Sactuary from there.

He did so easily. Once down, the guards on the outside of the Sanctuary were harder to fool than those within. It took him a couple tried before he could slip in undetected. Once inside, he found a dark corner to shade himself while he paused to think. Zephon had said somehting baout a ghost in a bottle. There could only be two posabilaties. Ariel or Rahab. There was always a slight chill about the area while Ariel floated about, seen or unseen, and he didn’t feel that presence there earlier.

He darted out of his shaded spot, and went quickly to the library. He slipped into the room carefully, examining everything closer than he had the first time. Several minutes of trying to not get himself lost while looking about and he finaly noticed one thing. There were worn areas on the floor, something like ones that could have been m ake by a chain over time. As he walked, watching the worn spot’s here and there, he noticed a pattern. Rahab apparently traveled his library a certain way always going up and down the stacks in a certain direcction wearing effectively directions into the floor. Perhaps this was how he stopped getting lost in his library with these subtle guides and walking in patterns.

He followed the pattern in the carpeting, catching hints of specteral chains here and there. After walking for several minutes, he found Rahab again, still walking amongst the stacks checking things over. He wondered now if Rahab would still read any of the books kept here like he used to. He looked at his wraith son, feelings of pity returning to him. He shook his head and looked away, considering the chain again. When he tried to speak to Rahab before and almos sucedded, the shock that drove him back to mindlessness came from that chain. Perhaps if he could somehow loosen it or destroy it.

He walked past Rahab, staring to follow the pattern more, hoping that somewhere, perhapse at the other enterance to the library was the whatever that held the chain. At least he thought there was a second enterace. Perhapse there was some centeral place instead, where the chian kept him bound. He really wasn’t sure for he never botered to explore all of Rahab’s library for fear of becoming hopelessly lost in some dark corner and never be heard of again.

He kept walking. He thought it odd when he soon found Rahab following him. Rahab seemed disinterested before, but followed him with the vagure expression of interest. Kain kept watching him over his shoulder unti Rahab passed him, and started off quicker to someplace else in hte library. At the end of one row, Rahab stopped, motioning Kain to follow. Curious, Kain did follow him, though a number of stacks, this time not following the pattern, going straight to some unknown destination.

Several minutes more walking, and Kain seen what Rahab was leading him to. A great specteral stone block was at the end of the chain. He walked over to it, to touch it, wondering if he could in the first place. His hand passed thought it although not easily. It was like puching into thicened mud rather than air. This was good, for it meant he had a chance in grasping it and possibly cutting Rahab free. He grabbed the chain, literally feeling like putty in his hands and tried to pull at it. his hands slipped along its lenth, not gaining enough purchess to really do much damage.

WIth a growel, he attacked the specteral stone, thichened mud like flying like goo only to reassemble itself. This only served to make him angrier. Enraged, he grabbed the chain in a random spot ear the end and pulled it apart, the broken ends dripped like runny swamp mud. He looked at the ends then to Rahab. Rahab smiled, “Thank you father. Listen for I have little time. Raziel holds the key to ending all of this. Zephon knows how to find him and release him. You must hurry before Janos goes trulely mad and destorys us all and himself and all your past efforts willl be for nothing.”

As Rahab finished speaking the two ends grew, linking back to each other. Wen they finished, the zap that he had seen before surged again, him catching the blow this time. It knocked him off of his feet and across the room, landing on the end of a rgeat wooden shelf with a loud thud and slid to the floor, dazed.

He stared up, the world swirrling around him. He suddenly could see everything. All of the damage Janos wrought to the land. How he had willfully destoryed it. It looked familiar to him from another time, but this damage was still caused on purpose. He never destoryed the land like this, it had degraded on it’s own. How cruel a reminder of where he was supposed to be.

Outside, humans and vammpires alive suffering, barely surviving. The land so diseased it barely suported either. Only the Sanctuary lands did anything grow enough to support the humans and in turn, the vampires, all of which hanging on a thread, supported by the pillars in the vicinity. He could sense their growing wrath, anger at the one who had brought it. Human and vamprie alike plotted against Janos. Weak, but their numbers would prove too much for this fortress and it would fall. He sensed the Pillar Guardians, all of which trapped in the Eternal Prision, insane but alive.

His thoughts turned inward, to the Sanctuary itself. He could track every human and vampire in the forrtress. He searched for Vorador, foind him locked inh is bedroom, humiliated and angry. In the next room he seen Janos throw Melchiah across the room, his frail body slamming into a stone wall with a juicy crunch. His rage returned. Kain bared his fangs, shaking his head and sitting up. He looked up at Rahab, whom had gone back to tending his stacks, acting as if nothing had happened. He recalled Rahab’s words and comitted them to memory. He also felt more pity for Rahab. This too must have been part os his sentence, to see everything about the land, every pain, every joy ripped away.

He got up, growling angerly. this time he didn’t care, and he right out teleported to Vorador’s chaimbers. He slammed the door open and stalked into the room. He faced Janos, not careing what horrors the elder vampire could bring him. He clenched his talloned hands, and angerly faced Janos. Janos drew back in mocking embaresment. “Why Kain, you are the clever one still.”

“Leave them be you old degenerate!” Kain said, his voice low and dangerous, he pointed a clawed hand at the other.

“I am hurt Kain. I have done nothing,” Janos said, still mocking. His manner went dark, his eyes lighting with insane fire. “Nothing I already haven’t done to any of you.” He raised a hand and Kain flew back, against the stone wall, unable to move or struggle. Janos went into the next room, grabbed Vorador from the floor and tossed him across the room, into a chest of drawers, the wood smashing, sticking into Vorador as it splintered, and got dressed. “You,” He spoke to Vorador, picking him up by the throat, “you will get your gift later, should I come into a generous mood again later.” He dropped him again to nest amongst splintered wood and clothing.

He walked back out, and sealed the door again behind him. He stalked over, his feathers fluffed in rage making himself seem bigger than he really was. His voice seethed with anger and madness, “I’ll let you keep your small taste of victory Kain. You may have escaped your room where I had sent you, but I am not going to let you get away with your disobedieance.”

“Leave him be. You have me, so let him be. Take your abiuse out on me, I can take what you can give,” Kain said, his voice seething with rage.

“And why should I? I already banished him to the lower levels, calling upon him occasionally and giving him a taste of blood. Just enough to survive. By my grace he still lives. By my grace he will die. That decision is not yours to make.”

“Then I ask you to be as graceous as you claim and spare him. Help him if you so choose, but spare him.”

‘It is by my gace that he has come this far. Those tastes I have allotted him were tastes my blood. My blood sustained him, kept him from degenerating this far. It will get worse without it. I guess his hearing will go very soon, and soon after the rest of him will be nothing more than a mere goul, no longer really have the claim to vampire. He would make a poor excuse for and sadly short lived goul.”

“I ask you again. Spare him. At least give back his senses, you don’t have to heal him or restore him. Give him what he needs. Or I will find a way to force you.”

Janos laughed. “Force me? You can’t even move much less are in any position to bargan with me.”

“Then I shall reason with you. I need another servant.”

“You have Turel. The perfect puppet. He was a fun one to break and reprogram. Ones like him always are.”

“I need another. Turel is too mindless for certain things. I need someone who can think for himself, not be a marionette for womever orders him around.”

“And you choose this wretch?” Janos pointed at Melchiah, who was trying to crawl away, hoping to escape any more potential danger.

“I think I have chosen well. He has nothing else to do. I can’t exactily choose another one of my sons now can I?”

Janos laughed again. “No, no you can’t now can you. Fine then. You shall have a new servant, only because it amuses me.”

Janos walked over to Melchiah and picked him up roughly. He pinned him to the wall, Melchiah acting again like a limp rag doll. Janos slit hsi wriist with a claw and pressed the wound to Melchiah’s thin lips. Melchiah recognised this instantly, and carefully drank. The wound healed before he could get too much. He blinked his pale eyes, and gasped, able to see again. Janos let him fall to the floor limply. “Th-thank you...” Melchiah said horsely, his voice a soft rasp.

Janos came back to Kain. “I wil let you keep this voctory as well. Enjoy these small tastes I give you. They will come fewer from now on.” Janos looked at him, and laughed loudly, pitched with insanity. He grabbed Kain by the shoulders, opening his mouth wide and bit into his neck hard, draining Kain of his blood. But not quite all the way. Kain’s greenish skin grew pale with the loss, the fire in his eyes dimmed, drained of strenth. Janos let him fall to the floor in a limp heap. Janos bent down and picked up Kain, forcing him to look at him. “It looks like you need to learn all of your lessons again. I promise you. This time I will not be so kind. You will learn again exactily who rules here.” He dropped Kain again and left him in a heap.

He looked over at Melchiah, who had crawled away to the corner. The young, frail vampire had curled up, his left arm still limp, broken, possibly his shoulder too. Janos gave him a sadistic smile and gave him a swift kick, causeing another juicy snap of bone. It would take him a long time to heal, never having had the healing ability of other vampires due to his weakness. “Little Melchiah,” he said with mocking sweetness. “Be glad that those broken bones are all I gave you. I should have done worse to you for being up here. Fufil your new role well, lest I put you back into your self contained proision again.” He turned and stalked out of the room, leaving them to pick themselves up on their own.

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