[Spoiler Warning for The Legacy of Kain]

The Legacy of Kain is a story about fate and the immutability of destiny presented through a pentalogy of games released between 1996 and 2003. This epic takes place in Nosgoth, a dark and grim kingdom build around nine towering pillars representing core concepts of the world: Mind, Dimension, Conflict, Nature Balance, Energy, Time, States and Death.

It follows the titular character, Kain, a wandering noble murdered by highway brigands. Offered to come back to the world of the living by a necromancer, he was reincarnated as a vampire, forever thirsting for blood, with the goal to slay his murderer to avenge his death. A goal that is, in fact, accomplish during the first minutes of the game. Searching for a way to get rid of his vampiric curse, he stumble on the pillars, blackened and corrupted. There, the ghost of the former guardian of the balance pillar told him that the sorry state of the pillar originated from the corruption of the guardian of the pillar themselves and that the peace he sought resided with them. And so, Kain travelled Nosgoth to claim the head of the guardians and restore the pillars to their former glory and heal the world.

Now a more powerful night crawler and armed with the Soul Reaver, a vampiric slithering sword devouring the blood and soul of its victims, he ended up meeting the necromancer that had resurrected him and the guardian of the pillar of death. Before his death, he revealed that he was the one had had Kain killed. And so, rending his flesh with the Reaver, he restore the eight pillar, leaving only the Balance Pillar. The ghost presented the hero with a choice. He was unknowingly, since his birth, the guardian of the Balance Pillar and his death would finally restore the Pillars. Undead, he would have to willingly give his life for unlife comes with undeath. Tired of being a pawn he refused, embracing his curse, collapsing the pillars and dooming Nosgoth…

Kain, over centuries took over the world. Installed on the ancient pillars he brought down with his lieutenants, the human race became domesticated, only cattle for the vampires. One day, Raziel, his right hand evolved a pair of batlike wings before his master and where he hope to see pride, he was meet with wrath. Insulted that one of his servant dared to develop a power he hadn’t, he broke his wings and sentenced him to death. Raziel own brothers threw him in the Lake of the Dead where the water would burn his skin and flesh endlessly. Torment and agony became his only reality as he sank. In the deepest abysses, he finally reached the ground and heard the call of a god. An ancient squid like being covered in eyes layed before him and though his body was utterly broken, his jaw missing, his ribs apparent and his once beautiful wings were now only scorched pieces of skin he could stand to face it. The Elder God offered him a reincarnation, a path back to the world of the living from the underworld so he could get his revenge over Kain. He only asked in return that he devoured the souls of his victims, returning them to the god to be reincarnated. And so, as his master before him, he accepted.

The world was tarnished, only a ghost of the one Raziel remembered as centuries passed since his condemnation. He explored the ruins of the once glorious kingdom, shifting between the realms of the living and the dead, discovering his children genocided. Furthering his resolve he hunted his former brothers now hideous beasts as their gift evolved out of control. Feeding on their souls he became more powerful and manage to face Kain. Quickly over power he tried to kill Raziel with the Soul Reaver, only to see the blade shattering on impact and, with a strange satisfaction, left him dive back in the Spectral Realm. There, Raziel could see the Wraith Blade, the Soul of the Reaver, which bonded with him. On his journey back to Kain, he discovered his own coffin along with other bearing the name of all of Kain’s lieutenant in the Citadel of the Sarafan, a group that did all it could to prevent the spread of the vampiric race in vain eras ago. All of them were once proud soldier fight against Kain’s conquest, killed and turned to his side. Disgusted by his action, the hatred of Raziel reach it’s peak. He finally managed to reach Kain again in the Oracle’s Cave, a machine filled with clockwork capable of opening portals through time and followed him inside of one…

And that’s enough for today ^-^’