The resurrection of Janos Audron
This relic had come at so high a cost... My blood offering for the answers I
sought from this enigmatic corpse. It was the price of my freedom, for which
Kain had paid with his life.
Raziel approaches the dais, and thrusts the Heart into Janos' chest.
Had I journeyed so far and forsaken so much, only to have it end like this?
For long seconds, nothing occurs. In frustration, Raziel raises his fist, as if
to strike life back into Janos' barren corpse. Suddenly, a scintillating light
enkindles, and is drawn into Janos. Janos gasps, with an intense breath.
The wound in his chest heals, and Janos sits up, in shock.
I... Remember!
Janos sees Raziel standing before him.
Raziel... the heir of prophecy. You came for the Reaver, just before the Sarafan
found me.
You've been entombed here for five centuries. Your murderers are long dead.
Five hundred years? And Vorador...?
Also dead. Your bloodline is erased. The age of the vampires is coming to an
end.
Then we must waste no time.
Janos steps forward and places his hand upon Raziel's shoulder, who, distrustfully, swats it aside.
I'm not who you think I am, nor is this a benevolent act. I have questions that
apparently you alone can answer.
Raziel, there are forces in this world that will strive to deceive you and
pervert your destiny. But you must believe; your arrival foretells the salvation
of the Vampire race.
Why then would the Vampires devise a weapon to consume and imprison their savior?
No... That cannot be...
While the blade yet exists, I am drawn inexorably toward my doom. It was you who
bound me to this fate. Only you can release me.
Raziel, you have been misled. You are ordained by prophecy to wield the Reaver.
Raziel calls forth the Wraith Blade, holding it before Janos, who recoils in alarm.
And so I do. Though not quite as though you'd envisioned.
Redeemer and Destroyer... is it possible? Did I misread all the signs? It seems
your destiny is more labyrinthian than I had imagined. You must trust me,
Raziel. We may have very little time. I will convey you to the place where your
answers lie.
Janos touches Raziel's shoulders and the two are teleported to the tower of the Vampire Citadel.
Where have you brought me?
We are within the ancient citadel of the Vampire race, long ago defiled and
abandoned. This fortress endured through centuries of war against our great
enemy-
The Hylden.
Yes. From this chamber we witnessed the summoning of the Pillars, and the
banishment of our adversaries from the land.
Janos suddenly spies the Pillars on the horizon, already blackened and corrupted.
This is a dire omen. The binding is in peril- the hour of prophecy is at hand.
It's too late. The Pillars are already damned.
As long as a single one of us stands, there is still hope. The Pillars must not
remain under human guardianship. They are not competent to serve.
Why then did you allow the Pillars to fall into human hands?
Raziel, there is no time-
I want answers. The world can end this instant, for all I care.
Very well. The Hylden cursed us as they fell, afflicting our race with a
predatory blood- thirst. But with this transformation, came our enemies' true
revenge: immortality.
They liberated you from the Wheel of Fate.
They imprisoned our souls in this flesh, expelling us from the purifying cycle
of death and rebirth.
And yet you passed the curse on.
It was a necessary evil. Our immortality banished us from God's grace. He turned
his sight from us and fell silent. Many took their own lives, unable to bear the
separation from our God.
Not you, though.
Curse or blessing, it is the price we pay to keep the Hylden banished from the
land. To sustain the binding, we had to preserve our bloodline. And so we passed
the dark gift to the human successors of our fallen guardians. They rebelled,
inevitably, refusing the curse and seizing the Pillars as their own. And so we
come to our present dilemma. While mankind governs the Pillars, the binding
decays. The Hylden strain against the barriers of their prison, scratching to
gain a foothold back into this world.
And what does all this mean to me?
We stand at the threshold of a new eon, Raziel. And you are the fulcrum upon
which our destiny turns. Beneath this room lies our innermost sanctum. The outer
chamber has been opened. It appears events are already in motion. This token is
the key to the mysteries you seek. I cannot accompany you; you must face this
trial alone. If you prevail, you will have your answers.
Janos removes the golden Ourabouras talisman from around his neck, and gives it to Raziel.
And if I fail the test?
Then, you will not return.
sought from this enigmatic corpse. It was the price of my freedom, for which
Kain had paid with his life.
Raziel approaches the dais, and thrusts the Heart into Janos' chest.
Had I journeyed so far and forsaken so much, only to have it end like this?
For long seconds, nothing occurs. In frustration, Raziel raises his fist, as if
to strike life back into Janos' barren corpse. Suddenly, a scintillating light
enkindles, and is drawn into Janos. Janos gasps, with an intense breath.
The wound in his chest heals, and Janos sits up, in shock.
I... Remember!
Janos sees Raziel standing before him.
Raziel... the heir of prophecy. You came for the Reaver, just before the Sarafan
found me.
You've been entombed here for five centuries. Your murderers are long dead.
Five hundred years? And Vorador...?
Also dead. Your bloodline is erased. The age of the vampires is coming to an
end.
Then we must waste no time.
Janos steps forward and places his hand upon Raziel's shoulder, who, distrustfully, swats it aside.
I'm not who you think I am, nor is this a benevolent act. I have questions that
apparently you alone can answer.
Raziel, there are forces in this world that will strive to deceive you and
pervert your destiny. But you must believe; your arrival foretells the salvation
of the Vampire race.
Why then would the Vampires devise a weapon to consume and imprison their savior?
No... That cannot be...
While the blade yet exists, I am drawn inexorably toward my doom. It was you who
bound me to this fate. Only you can release me.
Raziel, you have been misled. You are ordained by prophecy to wield the Reaver.
Raziel calls forth the Wraith Blade, holding it before Janos, who recoils in alarm.
And so I do. Though not quite as though you'd envisioned.
Redeemer and Destroyer... is it possible? Did I misread all the signs? It seems
your destiny is more labyrinthian than I had imagined. You must trust me,
Raziel. We may have very little time. I will convey you to the place where your
answers lie.
Janos touches Raziel's shoulders and the two are teleported to the tower of the Vampire Citadel.
Where have you brought me?
We are within the ancient citadel of the Vampire race, long ago defiled and
abandoned. This fortress endured through centuries of war against our great
enemy-
The Hylden.
Yes. From this chamber we witnessed the summoning of the Pillars, and the
banishment of our adversaries from the land.
Janos suddenly spies the Pillars on the horizon, already blackened and corrupted.
This is a dire omen. The binding is in peril- the hour of prophecy is at hand.
It's too late. The Pillars are already damned.
As long as a single one of us stands, there is still hope. The Pillars must not
remain under human guardianship. They are not competent to serve.
Why then did you allow the Pillars to fall into human hands?
Raziel, there is no time-
I want answers. The world can end this instant, for all I care.
Very well. The Hylden cursed us as they fell, afflicting our race with a
predatory blood- thirst. But with this transformation, came our enemies' true
revenge: immortality.
They liberated you from the Wheel of Fate.
They imprisoned our souls in this flesh, expelling us from the purifying cycle
of death and rebirth.
And yet you passed the curse on.
It was a necessary evil. Our immortality banished us from God's grace. He turned
his sight from us and fell silent. Many took their own lives, unable to bear the
separation from our God.
Not you, though.
Curse or blessing, it is the price we pay to keep the Hylden banished from the
land. To sustain the binding, we had to preserve our bloodline. And so we passed
the dark gift to the human successors of our fallen guardians. They rebelled,
inevitably, refusing the curse and seizing the Pillars as their own. And so we
come to our present dilemma. While mankind governs the Pillars, the binding
decays. The Hylden strain against the barriers of their prison, scratching to
gain a foothold back into this world.
And what does all this mean to me?
We stand at the threshold of a new eon, Raziel. And you are the fulcrum upon
which our destiny turns. Beneath this room lies our innermost sanctum. The outer
chamber has been opened. It appears events are already in motion. This token is
the key to the mysteries you seek. I cannot accompany you; you must face this
trial alone. If you prevail, you will have your answers.
Janos removes the golden Ourabouras talisman from around his neck, and gives it to Raziel.
And if I fail the test?
Then, you will not return.
06 apr 2006 - bewerkt op 06 apr 2006
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