History and Destiny Collide

Raziel returns to the tomb of King William once again. A bled-out soldier gives him the clue that he is going to meet Kain…

Raziel: Show yourself, Kain.

Kain: Here, Raziel.

Everything is decided here… You cannot comprehend the magnitude - the rapture and the tragedy - of this moment… And yet you must if Nosgoth is to be dragged from the wreckage of its damnation.

Raziel: I understand only this, Kain - that you and Moebius have impelled me to this moment, simply means that I can trust neither of you. I don’t know who’s pulling the strings, but it no longer matters - because I’m cutting them. I set my own course from here.

Kain: If it were only that simple.

Raziel: Your fatalism is tiresome, Kain.

Kain: … and profoundly ingrained, Raziel. You must understand, our presence here doesn’t alter history. You and I meet here because we are compelled to - we have always met here. History is irredeemable.

Drop a stone into a rushing river - the current simple courses around it and flows on as if the obstruction were never there. You and I are pebbles, Raziel, and have even less hope of disrupting the time-stream. The continuum of history is simply too strong, too resilient.

Except… then how do we explain William, here? The beloved boy-king turned tyrant. In my youth, I witnessed William’s rise to power, and his transformation into the ‘Nemesis’ who laid waste to Nosgoth.

Raziel: Keep your distance, Kain.

Kain: Years later, I stumble upon a chance to journey back in history, unaware that the entire affair has been orchestrated by Moebius. In my wisdom, I seize this opportunity to murder the young king before he can ravage Nosgoth… and thereby provide the catalyst Moebius needs to ignite a genocidal war against our race.

Raziel: I warn you - no further!

Kain: This one reckless act unravels the skein of history. The Nemesis never becomes the Nemesis; William dies a martyred saint. I, the vampire assassin, become the author of my own species’ destruction. And Moebius profits from it all. I destroyed a tyrant only to create one far worse.

But how can it be so? How, if history is immutable? The answer is here in this room, Raziel. Moebius propelled William and me together - but ensured first that we were both armed with the Soul Reaver. The Reaver is the key. Two incarnations of the blade meet in time and space… a paradox is created, a temporal distortion powerful enough to derail history.

The spectral Reaver of Raziel is rendered useless by the material Reaver…

Raziel: Is this your sorcery?

Kain: Not mine, Raziel - yours. You have nothing to fear from me, Raziel. You hold all the cards.

Raziel: Then perhaps I should test your sincerity. If what you say is true, you should be terrified. I could kill you here and now.

Kain: And so you do, Raziel.

Suddenly, Raziel feels how he loses control of the Reaver…

Raziel: What’s happening?

Kain: We are hurtling toward our destinies, Raziel. What you feel is the pull of history rushing to meet us. This is where history and destiny collide.

If you truly believe in free will, Raziel, now is the time to prove it. Kill me now, and we both become pawns of history, dragged down the path of an artificial destiny. I was ordained to assume the role of Balance Guardian in Nosgoth, while you were destined to be its savior. But the map of my fate was redrawn by Moebius, and so in turn was yours…

Raziel: This is madness!

Kain: Fight it, Raziel… This moment does not have to be an ending - it can become a prelude.

Raziel: I can’t…

Kain: You can, Raziel - look inside and see that it is so. You have the power to reshape our inevitable futures.

Raziel lifts the Reaver and, striking it down upon the tomb of King William, refuses to kill Kain, changing History…

Kain: … poor William.

Raziel: What is this?

Kain: History abhors a paradox, Raziel. Even now, the time-stream strains to divert itself, finding its old course blocked by your refusal to destroy me. The future is reshuffling itself to accommodate your monumental decision.

This is where we restore ourselves, Raziel, and reclaim our intended destinies. It may yet be possible for me to assume my role as Balance Guardian and return the Pillars to their rightful inheritors.

Raziel: To the vampires. And this is the destiny you urged me to discover? I don’t know what game you and Moebius are playing, Kain - but I refuse to be your pawn. Unlike you, I still revere whatever shred of humanity I’ve managed to preserve. ] You will not use me as the instrument of your messianic delusions.

Kain: Very well, Raziel. I’ll not ask you to trust me - your truths are for you to discover alone.

Raziel: Humble words for one who presumes to teach me a lesson at every turn.

Kain: Then continue your journey and learn your own lessons, Raziel. Remember - Moebius led you here, but you walk away unfettered. A champion of free will, and conqueror of false histories.

There is much more for you to unearth, if you have the heart for the truth and the will to see it…