A/N First of all, I don't own the rights to Eidos Interactive, Crystal Dynamics, or the Legacy of Kain series or its characters. This story as of right now deals with Raziel's life as a mortal. The amount of time between chapters will vary anywhere from a few hours to a few hundred years(later on). Contains light to moderate fluff but will get darker in later chapters. Please read and review. Thanks a bunch to my friend and beta reader Sagan Fox for helping me with ideas and such. This is my first fiction so be gentle.

Raziel smiled at his companions' jokes, but it was obvious he wasn't really paying attention. Oddly, he seemed completely oblivious to the men around him, uncharacteristically inattentive.

"Are you feeling well, Raziel?" asked Turel, Glancing at him in concern.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine," he responded, turning his attention back to his fellows. "What were you saying Dumah?"

Again it was Turel who spoke, addressing Raziel with some alarm. "Raziel, Dumah wasn't speaking. He hasn't said anything for nearly twenty minutes. Are you sure you're not ill?"

Before Raziel had a chance to say anything, Zephon interjected. "His mind was elsewhere, say, perhaps, across the room."

The others allowed themselves a surreptitious glance across the massive hall. A handful of the order's sorceresses was relaxing in front of a blazing hearth.

Turel narrowed his eyes and gave Raziel a sly and knowing look. "A warm bed is nice in the winter. After all, it does get cold… and lonely," he commented, laughing at Raziel and inciting the others to do the same.

Rahab was the next to speak, adding quickly to what Turel had said. "You just have to ignore the fact that the whole lot is balder than Lord Moebius." At this, the others roared with laughter and made several jokes about Raziel's taste in women and his own friendship with Moebius.

"Enough!" Raziel stated firmly, exasperated by his companions' lewdness. "This hall echoes, you know. You're all making fools of yourselves." Without another word, he strode out of the hall, glancing apologetically at the sorceresses.

He made his way to the balcony overlooking the waterfalls and the lake. The scenery was breathtaking and the vampiric corpses impaled on the far shore did not diminish the beauty. He sighed; winter was coming, and the lake would freeze soon. The waterfalls had already frozen, and a thin layer of ice was growing over the lake surface.

"Isn't it a little too cold to be out here?" inquired a voice behind him.

"Not anymore," he replied, turning toward the voice. "Ah, Melina," he said, a grin breaking his somber demeanor as he beckoned to her. "Come here."

She approached languidly, giving Raziel ample time to admire her lithe, supple body. She smiled mischievously as she came nearer, eluding his touch for a moment longer. She was unnaturally pale, with hair as raven-black as Raziel's and the most beautifully exotic eyes that he had ever seen. They were a sparkling yellow-green and had enchanted him since he'd met her. Melina was one of the sorceresses and the only one who hadn't shaved off her hair.

"Mmm," she observed as Raziel tugged her close, "the sunset is absolutely beautiful." She wrapped her arms around Raziel's neck as he gently kissed her cheek.

"Not as beautiful as you," Raziel insisted, kissing her throat. "But I prefer sunrise myself."

Melina smiled. "Of course you do, but the light is so much better at dusk, with the stars coming out."

Raziel shook his head but didn't argue, directing Melina's attention to the vista around them. He was slightly annoyed as she wrinkled her nose and scoffed.

"It would be better if it wasn't littered with corpses."

"But they're vampires," he retorted, his fanaticism and self-righteous zeal provoked. "They're parasites, leeching the soul and health of Nosgoth, and must be destroyed."

"Oh, I'm sick of hearing that, Raziel. If we can deny their right to exist as living beings, how can we justify our own? They have emotions as well. I've seen it. How can you just murder them so indiscriminately?"He was shocked by her argument and the intense, searching look on her face.

"How can you defend those creatures or condemn me? You're a member of this order just as I am. You know what those things are capable of doing."

"And what about what you're capable of doing?" she interrupted. "You enjoy killing them." Melina stopped abruptly, shocked by her own argument. How could she have let herself become so adamant, she wondered, especially with Raziel?

Melina bit her lower lip, and placed her hand on Raziel's cheek. "Raziel, please, let's not argue over this anymore. It's not worth fighting." She smiled sweetly at him.

Raziel agreed with her, gently kissing her lips before replying. "All right, I know how much you hate to fight. But why, pray tell, did you become a Sarafan?"

Melina shrugged weakly in response and shook her head. Raziel sighed, shaking his as well.

"Can you come to my chamber tonight," he whispered in her ear, gently biting her earlobe.

Melina giggled in response. "We'll see," she said, turning to leave.Raziel watched her as she left, wondering how he could let himself fall in love with her. She was certainly attractive, and any of the others would have seized the opportunity to claim her, for reasons far less lasting than his own. They wanted her for her beauty, and to break her stubborn will. Many of them felt threatened by her somewhat rebellious nature, which Raziel found inexplicably alluring.

All of this made Raziel love her more. She was loyal and found every other man there repulsive in some way or other. And while he might gain transitory dominion over her, he couldn't force her to do anything against her will. She was maddeningly alluring and frustrating at the same time. Melina also filled a part of him that had remained void and hollow for several years. She made him feel complete, at peace. Sometimes he wanted nothing more than to live a peaceful, happy life with her. His commitment to the vampire purge, however would not allow that. Not yet.

She confused him to no end. Her mother had been killed by vampires, and yet she seemed sympathetic to them. He sighed, unable to understand her and unwilling to spend too much time trying.

Raziel lingered a moment longer, absently considering the view. After some time, he turned to leave and was startled to find Lord Moebius observing him

.

"Lord Moebius, I didn't realize you were there," he said, bowing his head reverentially. "Is anything wrong?"

"No, not at all," Moebius replied with a smile. " I just wanted to discuss a few issues with you. It's nothing that couldn't wait."

"What issues might those be?" Raziel asked, knowing that he was referring to the Holy War.

"The war against the vampires has lasted many years, but I believe that we can end it all within a year." Moebius smiled at Raziel's astounded expression. "Indeed," he mused, "it's rather amazing, and incredibly simple, actually. All we have to do is kill the vermins' progenitor, that fiend Janos Audron."

Raziel nodded in agreement. "Of course, kill the source, and the rest will perish. How long before we can infiltrate that retreat of his?"

"Patience, Raziel, patience. The time isn't right yet. Your enthusiasm is heartening though."

Both of them laughed at the scarlet flush rising in Raziel's cheeks. "Tell me Raziel, what will you do once all of the vampires are dead?"

Raziel's expression darkened as he considered the question. " I never put much thought into it. I suppose that I would go back to my family's land. I am a lord in my own right with no siblings, no heir . . . "

". . .Yet," Moebius interjected. "That problem is solved easily enough." Moebius turned to go but paused. "Raziel, would you be willing to lead the attack on Janos's retreat, bearing my staff of course?"

"Not willing, honored beyond words."

"Excellent."

Raziel was alone again, and he felt it, a cold emptiness within him. He shivered convulsively and slowly made his way to the massive chapel. Here, he could brood peacefully as he stared absently at the vaulting arches and towering pillars. Thoughts of his father and grandmother, both murdered by vampires when Raziel was a child, occupied his mind until he went to eat.

Theoretically rank and position meant nothing in the eating hall, but the Sarafan had a habit of segregating themselves into separate communities. Functioning units ate together, while their leaders ate elsewhere. Sorceresses rarely joined the men with whom they worked, avoiding the men as best they could. The healers of the order also maintained their own area.

Raziel ate quickly and left quietly, opting not to sit and get drunk with the others. Once in his chamber, he lit a fire in the hearth and relaxed on the bed, drowsing. A gentle rapping on the door made it necessary for him to get up and open the door.

Melina slipped into the room, wrapped in a massive cloak that hid her face. As soon as Raziel bolted the door, she began to remove it. Raziel chuckled softly.

"Cold?" he asked playfully. "I can think of a way to warm you up."

"Honestly, Raziel, I have a reputation to protect"

He drew closer to her, teasing her. "I'll say you do. The others are quite fascinated by my stories about you."

Melina punched him lightly in the stomach and kissed him lovingly. "That's not funny. Keep it up and I'll have to put a spell on you."

"You already have," he said, pulling her toward the bed.

"Oh, I see how you are, my single-minded warrior. It's always about conquest, isn't it?"

Raziel's only response was an uncharacteristically playful grin. Melina smiled impishly in response.

"Well, I hope you have as much zeal and enthusiasm for this as you have for killing."

This finally elicited a verbal response, though it was only brief. "More," he said as he pulled her down onto the bed.