Most who would even think to enter the mansion of an old vampire will have knocked, rather than just entered. Raziel, however, was no ordinary entity. He knew by the instinct still blessing him with life that no being, more specifically living, dared to reside in this abandoned hell hole. With caution, he crept towards the door, but found it locked. The ghoul cursed under his cold breath, peering skyward. He noticed, in that very miniscule glimpse, that a glamour had been placed upon a high balcony's window. He observed the obscurities and rubble that lay abroad. Somehow, he would find a way.

As the wraith kept his back toward the locked door, something nagged at the back of his mind. It seemed as though a game was set. He was to be a pawn once more. Though, he seemed unafraid at best. The feeling bore no presence of threat, and therefore, gave the creature no reason to worry. Fate would determine his place in this grand scheme of treacherous misfortune.

Surprise glimmered in Raziel's fluorescent orbs, for the locked door behind him was not only unlocked, but wide open as if someone had merely entered before him without so much as notice his presence. He drove on, still hindered by the spirits wailing their tormented troubles onto him, and begging for their eternal rest. Without further hesitation, the wraith sauntered toward the entrance, and peered beyond the door to ensure all was not but a mere ambush. He would, without hesitation or issue, take the raiders and hunters of his late brethren down. In this instant, the thought of maiming seemed closer to a comfort, rather than an unfathomable, yet possible demise from something unknown.

The ghoulish being crept into the ominous mansion, where he was welcomed with nothingness. Such was typical in his position. Raziel felt as though he had stepped through time, to an almost ancient pinnacle of history. The grand staircases wound up amongst many floors and corridors, adorned by crimson rugs occupied by moth balls and rodents. Up a flight, he was met with a chandelier covered with crystals. Their gleams had been all but missing. Age and time had worn them to a dullness that only one such as Raziel could understand. He, too, had been worn by time. Age, however, had been no issue. The wheels of time had no hold on his withered frame, nor did fate as it seemed.

He then sensed a presence. Not male, as he'd of expected, it was female. This female was not of vampiric blood, nor was she of human descent. This creature will have been a nether beast of some sort. Whether hostile or sentient, he would soon figure out. What taste and scent he managed to capture wafted with a strength, both unbridled and unbidden. It seemed to be bovid, with split hooves. Her presence seemed nearer to him than before, yet he pushed on hoping to seek answers.

As he studied the room, Raziel noticed the brown, entwined substance tapered to the corner of the bookshelf. It was connected to the stairwell. The thread was thick, as he came to observe closer. Approximately three to four inches in a tight woven diameter, almost lace like in texture. It appeared as dark and aged as the trees amidst Lord Vorador's wretched swamps, and yet it seemed weightless.

His thoughts soon vanished as he felt a tight snare wrap around his throat. The trap had ensnared the breath from his very lungs, holding tight, and never ceasing. He was then yanked back along the wall, further claiming his intake, and leaving him gasping and quivering for breath. His emaciated frame soon hung limp, and he grew still.

The moments of unconsciousness seemed like hours to the bovine woman. She examined the skeletal creature with caution, scribbling notes in her journal. Her eyes darted frantically so as not to miss if he were to make a stir. If it was man, of course. His pelvic definition seemed that of a male. Somewhat human, it appeared, though he looked like nothing she'd ever laid eyes on. Her sharp stormy orbs traced his emaciated frame with pity. This creature, be it hostile or tame, must have been in pain to have succomed to such a form as this.

The fog lifted from Raziel's vision, as the noose had loosened its grip upon his neck. He then realized he was immobile, and that struggling made the binds ever tighter. He grasped the bind on his neck, then noticed he was no longer strung up. What felt like a noose, had now merely been binding. His feet we're planted, with a firm grip by his toes, upon what appeared to be a stool. This of course, was judged by his subtle and limited sight, which now carried its way up to his captor.

The young woman gasped. The look of surprise now covered her face as the creature's eyes met her own. "I am honest when I say that, I did not cast you into that trap. I merely found you this way, and with my own decision, left you until you woke, for fear of what harm you might bestow upon me."

The wraith rolled his orbs within his closed lids, and looked upon her. Raziel cleared his throat as best he could, and motioned her closer so as to speak with a calm demeanor. The nether beast as she had been, was no dull creature, and knew to flee at any hint of danger. This one may as well have a means of freeing him. "You and I, we may as well be relatives. We are here, lost in this world, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity. If you could free me, I could possibly help you. I know your kind. You we're once human. You seek answers as to why you are this way. Free me, and I may help you discover your reasons for damnation in this scheme of unlife."

The timid woman looked upon him, and noticed that within his consciousness, he conjured a serpentine belt of energy upon his arm. She backed up with caution and pointed to this unfamiliar bolt of energy. "What in the underworld is that?! If you are but wanting release, that is not going to get you there. Put it back where it came from, and I may think to somehow release you!" She stepped back and dropped a small dagger that had once been attached to her person.

Raziel scoffed at the female, and looked deep into her frightened eyes. "I cannot do such a thing. This weapon...we are bound together as one. Look, I can help you find what it is you seek, I just need out. I will mean you no harm if you comply to my will."
With that, the female picked up her knife, which seemed to have had an aura about it. With little effort, she managed to free him. He cared not at the time when or where the blade became enchanted. He merely wished to seek answers.

"Oddette..my name..is Oddette." Raziel looked as if he'd smiled a bit in amusement. With a chuckle, he placed his reavered hand behind him, and the other on her shoulder.

"Raziel. My name is Raziel. I am very thankful that you have chosen to free me, but we must save our gratitudes for another time. I sense that it is no longer safe."
Oddette sniffed the air and nodded with compliance. Though adventure was once her life's choice, survival would be necessary in that moment to both ensure their lives, as well as give them hope for answers.

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First chapterish? Idk plan on adding on. ^=^ Anyway, Raziel's first encounter with Oddette, the Nether Beast.

Nether Beast Concept, Oddette A Soul In Need © ME

Raziel © Suare Enix?