FicWad

Warnings: Pretty much the same as the first chapters, though the 'incest' category doesn't mean too much. While Sachiel and Ramiel are sister and brother in name and familial status, they're not truly related. It's only there for those anal enough to argue with me.

Notes: I know I didn't get into much explanation in the first chapter, but it does start to get more complicated in the coming chapters. These two chapters were uploaded close together because they weren't very long, but the coming chapters will be longer and more detailed, so please try to keep up. XD

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“Wake up, my child. You must grace the world with your lovely visage...”

The darkness mattered not to the vampire Kain. He casually sidestepped the miscellaneous debris on the floor surrounding the granite stab, carefully running his calloused but gentle hands over the prone form atop the stone. Naked, the body sat up, stretching slightly as if from a long sleep.

“Have you anything to say, young one?” He asked lovingly.

The female gave a look as if she were thinking very hard, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Pale yellow eyes roamed the area around the pair until they settled on Kain's grizzled face, a smile curling on the creature's lips, revealing a very new, very sharp set of canine teeth.

“I can scent him.”

“Who?” The elder vampire asked, amusing the newly born fledgling.

“Another like us, but one of my age.”

How pleasing! No more than a few minutes into her consciousness, and already the great Lord's newest brood member could detect her own kind.

“He is in the next room, Sachiel.”

Puzzled by the name, the female looked to her creator for confirmation, shifting off of the slab to stand on shaky but well built legs.
“Sachiel is my name?” She asked curiously, while the elder man simply nodded. “And his?”

Kain smirked, having chosen a water angel's name for the girl and a thunder angel for his newly born son.

“Ramiel, your brother.”

“Ramiel.” She spoke aloud, testing the name for balance. “My younger brother.”

It could only be assumed that due to their mental link, Sachiel could tell that her brother had not yet awakened. His mind was a muddy gray to her, instead of the brilliant hues her father possessed. As she passed him on the way to the closed door, Kain draped a thick cloak over her shoulders, watching with obvious calm as she tugged it around herself and tied the sash. Displaying such conscious actions made the elder man happy, as it showed that his experiment had worked after so many years of inactivity.

Kain knew that the boy's temperament would be less than his counterpart's, but as long as he had two offspring, he could train one in a certain skill and the other in the complete opposite. That way, he could have one whole unit of success, including himself as the axis on which the unit balanced.

Walking to the door, the white haired vampire listened as Sachiel woke her brother, immediately sensing the blue shades of his consciousness and smugly moving to stand at the door to the male's room. Inside, Sachiel sat on the edge of the stone slab Ramiel had been created upon, leaning over the taller but much slimmer form of her beloved sibling. The way the male lifted his hands and cupped the girl's face bothered the elder creature, but Kain ignored the sudden surge of anger he felt, choosing to remain in the doorway and watch instead.

Why should he be jealous of his own kin? Sure, they had been lovers in their past lives, but he had made sure to erase all memory of what they had been. Perhaps it was remnants of a memory that caused Ramiel to caress her so lovingly, or maybe it was simple love for his newly introduced sister?

“Father?” Sachiel queried softly.

The aged vampire stepped inside and let Ramiel sit up, his nude form hidden behind the girl's, his arms draped over her shoulders familiarly. Kain found that he enjoyed the appellation of 'Father', despite his distaste for the term in the past. With his first brood, the vampiric brothers who had once been Sarafan priests, he denied them the pleasure of companionship with him and the loving notion of being sons to his bastardized version of a father.

“Yes, Sachiel, what do you need?”

“A chance to feed. Ramiel and I are hungry.”

They're like twins, thought Kain. They share a mental bond, as well as a physical one, due to being gifted with life from my own cells, though their physical differences are startlingly obvious. How odd that Sachiel, being female, took the lead already. She may be the firstborn, but the fact still remains that she is female. By all accounts, Ramiel should be taking the initiative and should speak for the both of them.

The fact that the woman had shown the first step of authority intrigued Kain and he decided to humour her until it became a boring task, or until his son took the steps to become more authoritative.

The great Lord picked up the robe left for Ramiel and handed it to Sachiel before leaving the room, giving them the privacy they seemed to need but certainly catching sight of the girl dressing her brother, tying the sash around his waist and giving his chin a little nuzzle, as cats might do to greet each other. If nothing else, Kain had noticed at an early age himself, that vampires, though bat-like and wolf-like by nature, seemed to attribute a lot of their senses and actions to the feline species, particularly the fledglings.

“Come, both of you.” He called from the corridor. “I will outfit you and then I will take you hunting.”

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“Remember the first time Father took us hunting, Ramiel?” Sachiel asked as they walked back to their underground home, having reappeared just before they reached the outskirts of the compound.

“I do when I think very hard on it, but I usually get interlaced images of your first kill.”

The shorter vampire stopped dead and stared at her companion, obviously bothered by his mention of the initial hunt.

“My first kill? You mean the bird I killed with my axe?”

The male nodded and kept walking, amused by his sister's mortification over her silliness. “You watched that thing for more than three hours, trying to pick up on its flight pattern and how it moved when it was on the ground. When you threw the axe you were a good enough shot to kill it but didn't you lose your balance and-”

“-fall into the river. Yes, yes.”

“That's how Father found out that you were immune to water. I think he's still angry about it.”

Sachiel caught up to her brother and gave him a look that suggested true hurt, her eyes downcast and her mouth in a thin, tight frown.
“I can't help it, Ramiel. I'd take it back if I could, if only to dispel Father's upset.”

The gateway to the underground complex loomed before them and as the younger creature phased through it and appeared on the other side, Sachiel was hard pressed to get through, using her basic knowledge of the entry spell to unlock the gate and let herself in. Ramiel smirked from the dark corridor and started walking towards their private chambers, teasing the girl with his skills. Like black and white they were physically, but mentally, they remained like a set of twins, continuing to confound their father with their similarities.

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Accustomed to the dark, the fledglings moved to their respective rooms and settled in for the duration of the daytime, knowing that before they rested, their father would come to see them and give them instructions for the evening. Sachiel especially enjoyed the meetings with Kain, more than likely due to her demand for approval and the frequency at which she got it. Becoming a weapons master at such a young vampiric age had pleased the man and she wished to keep it that way.

Inside her quarters, Sachiel undressed, changing into a light tunic and leggings for comfort while sleeping, her armour lovingly wiped clean and hung up to await its use next time, while a small sachel she had carried between the steel and her clothes was left to be picked up again shortly. The spacious area she used as her sitting room also doubled as her recreational space and armoury, shown by the amount of books and weapons lining the shelves and racks along the walls.

A particularly beloved volume she had been reading from since before she could remember, lay on the heavy desk, its pages marked and knicked where she had worn the edges with her constant reading and where she had dogeared the corners for reference. The book had been given to her by Kain during her first training exercise and she didn't know the author of it personally, though his first name, Malek, sounded vaguely familiar, she had no recollection of knowing anyone by that name.

“How are we today, little one?” She asked as she walked to the corner directly across from the desk. “Are you hungry?”

Inside, a surface dwelling snake hissed at her, flicking its forked tongue threateningly. Its beady black eyes were difficult to see in the dim light but Sachiel knew it was watching her, waiting for its meal. The small pack she had left while changing was fetched and she undid the string to delve inside, pulling out a feral rat and dangling it over the cage teasingly. The creature lifted itself up slightly and hissed more loudly, demanding its dinner while she opened the small door to toss it inside. The rat was dead; killed by her own hand as she picked it up, because as she had told Ramiel when she had first brought the snake home, it liked its prey already deceased. It also made for easy transport from the forest to their home.

“He'll be your last until midweek, Lekki.”

“Still keeping that thing around are you, young one?” Came the warm, almost purring voice of the house's master.

Sachiel turned and fell to one knee, casual in her dress but still formal in her greetings. “I am, Father. He keeps me company when Ramiel and yourself are away.”

The elder vampire gestured for her to stand and then took a seat in the plush chair she used when she read, crossing his legs and scratching idly at his knee.

“Tomorrow, I'm traveling to the Dumahim lands to check the furnaces. There's been light seeping through the clouds for weeks now and I must make sure they're working properly. I'm leaving the two of you to watch the compound while I'm away and hopefully, there'll be no problems. Am I correct in assuming as much?”

“Of course, Father!” She chirruped. “Ramiel and I will guard it with our lives! It'll also give me time to work in the new armour he made for me.”

Kain was pleased with her excitement over being left alone with her brother to guard the complex, but deep inside, he was slightly angry with himself for giving them so many opportunities to be alone together. In reality, they seemed to believe that relations between them were taboo because of their familial status, but according to the sluagh Kain had spoken with, and had had killed shortly thereafter, his firstborn was not above bending the rules a little bit.

“Leave your brother alone for the night, but be sure to tell him my plans after your rest. I'll come to wake you before I leave.”

The girl nodded and smiled as she lifted her head to look into her father's eyes as the man stood and rested the warm palm of his hand on her head. She nuzzled the slightly scratchy surface of the three-clawed limb.

“Thank you, Father.” She spoke softly, as the elder vampire faded into nothing.

Sachiel was smiling as she climbed into the heavily cushioned bed she so enjoyed during her daytime slumber, the foot of it covered with heavier blankets should she get a chill and the headboard was surrounded by pillows of varying colours, shapes and sizes. Her brother often chided her for being too feminine with her personal belongings but he had his quirks, as did she, and neither of them were above collecting odd things and then arguing about them with each other.

She closed her eyes with a self-satisfied sigh, burrowing into the heavy comforters and rolling onto her left side, cuddling the softest pillow against herself as one would with a loved one. Her voice was quiet as she spoke aloud, softly enough that she wouldn't be heard outside of her chambers.

“It's a two day trek from here to the Dumahim lands, including the time Father travels in his mist form. Giving us a day for sure to check the furnaces, that leaves him two more days of travel time.” She giggled like a little girl when she counted the days, remembering a time when their father had left them by themselves, when they were little more than simple fledglings.

“Five days alone with Ramiel. Five days, five days, five five five...”

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“Can you do it yourself, Ramiel?”

The blond vampire shrugged his sister off and picked the large leather bound book from a shelf in Kain's personal library, blowing the dust from it and cracking the obviously old spine while opening it. He flopped himself down in the heavy wooden chair alongside the faded desk and began to read, haunted by the girl's mere presence and slightly annoyed by her for suggesting that they break into the elder vampire's personal rooms.

“Go away, Sash! I can't concentrate with you hovering over me!”

The cheeky fledgling stuck her tongue out at the nickname and left the library, sneaking into the weapons room off of the main corridor, quietly closing the door behind her and very carefully lighting the brazier in the center of the room. She backed away from the bright fire instinctively and gasped at the sight of the various implements lining the walls and cluttering the floor.

“Let Rami have his magic spells. I've got what I want right here...”

The left hand wall was buried under centuries of rusted and soiled halberds, most of which bore emblems and designs the girl didn't recognize. The pole axes, while dirty, were serviceable. She picked up a thick one near her foot and was surprised by how light it was considering its size. The blade head of it towered over her tall form by at least eighteen inches and by the thickness of the steel, Sachiel thought it weighed close to a hundred pounds.

“Only a giant of a man could've used this!” She stepped clear of the stacks and gave it a swing, barely missing a display rack of deadly looking spears and throw darts. “I like it...”

“As you should, Sachiel.”

The girl whirled around, facing an angry looking lord with the halberd still clutched in her hands.

“Father!”

“Silence.” The white haired creature ordered. “How dare you break into my rooms and touch what does not belong to you.”

Sachiel immediately moved to set the pole arm down against the others and kneel before her lord, when the man struck out with his sword arm, the vicious looking curved blade cutting deeply into the shaft of the antique weapon. Shocked, the girl stared, not backing from her stance and still holding the halberd as if she meant to attack with it.

“If you think you can wield it, prove it. You have no knowledge of attack form or battle-ready stances, but you may try as an ungifted, green amateur.”

The man's words angered the proud woman and she growled as she took a step forward, lifting the head of the great weapon to keep the other at a distance. Kain's sword was known to her, as both a real item and a spectral item, having seen its form disappear to the other side and return unharmed. Ramiel more so than herself, had seen its corporeal form as well, but the vaguest vision of the Reaver held in his hand was enough to frighten the normally stoic, brave firstborn.

“I won't fight you, Father. There is no justice in fighting amongst ourselves. What good would come of fighting amongst the ranks?”

Lunging, Kain led a wicked strike against his beloved daughter, injuring her when the Reaver sliced across the flesh of her upper right bicep. She nearly dropped the halberd but gripped it more tightly despite the blood loss she suffered. The deified creature chuckled out loud and tried again, this time blocked from the strike by the woman's quick reaction and the jolt of steel against steel as the halberd's blade came down upon the outstretched Reaver blade.

“You learn more quickly than your brother does. I'm quite surprised by this.”

It was a jab at the fact that she was a domineering female and Sachiel snarled at her father as she struck out at him for a change, halted by the sight of the man's sword giving off a strange light, almost like a mist that surrounded it.

“Father...?” She asked softly, watching as Kain turned his back and strode out of the fire lit room. “Why do you walk away from me?!”

The library doors opening caused Sachiel to panic and taking up the closest weapons, two swords which still bore deadly blades, she followed him, wary of her brother's safety.

“Ramiel, he's coming!” She bellowed down the corridor.

“Why didn't you tell me, Father?” Came a heated response, though nothing remotely related to the woman's frightened question. “I've been asking you about your spell casting talents for months and you've been hiding all of this from me?”

Kain sneered, slamming a clawed fist down upon the desk at which Ramiel sat, his legs crossed and a rather ancient looking volume open before him. His fingers had paused on a heavily lettered page and while he had learned to read when they were human and didn't know it, and had studied the runes and words in the Cathedral, Sachiel had never learned and was therefore ignorant to what her brother's eyes had skimmed over.

“You dare to talk back to me, fledgling?” The elder man snarled. “If I felt it necessary to deign the skills upon you, I would have. Now both of you have deceived me. What am I to do about it?”

“Nothing, Father.”

The Coorhagen native turned with a glare on his face, staring angrily at the woman who seemed to wish for death.

“Come again, Firstborn?”

“Ramiel and I want to learn these things. He, the magic, and I, the combat weapons. I have no desire to learn magic and he has no desire to learn the sword, so despite the difficulties we may face during our training and how different the skills may be, in the end we will become a complete being when we fight.”

The elder man thought on the girl's words for a long moment, long enough for Sachiel to gift her brother with a faint smile over their father's shoulder. The sword tips were rested against the floor because in truth, they were too heavy for the woman to wield just yet, and somewhat ungainly for a person her size.

“Return the blades to the armoury, Sachiel.” Commanded Kain, as he sat himself down in the chair opposite his literate child. “Then return here and I will make a decision regarding this.”

The girl ran through the hall and locked the doors behind her before her boots signaled her return upon the polished stone. She ducked inside the library and stood behind Ramiel, her hands at her sides and her eyes narrowed at the great vampire lord.

“As I've made you both far too powerful to go against your desires and restrain you, I've decided to give in to your whims, albeit begrudgingly.”

The pair looked at each other with bright smiles and then turned solemn faces upon their father while he continued.

“I will consent to Sachiel's desire to be taught as a fighter, though the circumstances will be strict. I will expect constant reports on how the training has proceeded, as well as daily, or failing that, weekly, sparring matches to prove how true the reports really are.”

“And for you, Ramiel, my obviously brilliant but misguided son, I give you all access to my library and every tome within it. The ones directly behind you on the right hand shelf, are books on metallurgy and blacksmithing. Alongside your magical studies, I want you to become a blacksmith for the clan.”

“Why a blacksmith, Father? Surely there are capable ones in the outlying clans we could call upon-”

“Absolutely not. This is a matter of familial importance, Ramiel.”

The boy became slightly annoyed at the elder man's insistence and sighed out loud, leaning back in his chair. He was not afraid of standing his ground with the aged vampire, nor was he afraid of speaking his mind and mouthing off at the most inopportune moments.

“Explain.”

“You will become your sister's protector-”

“But, Father-” She began.

“-by creating the weapons and armour she requires for her studies and subsequent battles. You will imbue the items with protection geists and you will never allow any harm to come to her while she fights. Is that understood?”

The younger male swallowed audibly and nodded in agreement, turning his head and lifting his gaze to stare into his sister's eyes. He had always felt a profound need to protect her but as a strong woman, as well as a stubborn one, he found it increasingly hard to do.

“I agree, Father. Now, leave me to it. The winter is coming and the seasonal hunting will have to begin soon. I wish to learn enough to create a weapon for Sachiel to use against our enemies in the first attack.”

While Kain was not happy at being shoved out of his own library by a cocky child, he allowed himself to be guided out by the blue haired female. Sachiel smiled warmly and suddenly ran back towards the armoury, returning with a halberd that resembled the first one she had used. It shone more brightly than the others and was less rusted and damaged from sitting near the back under piles of old underclothes worn beneath basic armour. She was unprepared however, for Kain's cryptic, definitely threatening message.

“Go on.” The elder creature said. “Do whatever you like with yourself, but always remember that I am the master of this household. No matter how strong you become or now resilient your weapons and armour become, I will still take it upon myself to kill you if you become to comfortable at the top. Your brother is no exception to this rule, so I suggest you become strong enough to protect each other.”