A/N: Now one of the interesting aspects of the SC series, even though it is pretty obvious, it's the struggling battle between Siegfried and Nightmare. And like any other Soul Calibur fan I would often imagine the battle between these two awesome warriors at the end of SC3 would be like that. A strange thing happened to me a few nights back as I was browsing through some of my old works and I came across an original poem that I had wrote about two or three years back. As I was reading it reminded me somewhat of the destined battle with Nightmare. Because of this I decided to rewrite the poem from Siegfried's point of view, describing his thoughts and feelings as he encounters Nightmare in the Lost Cathedral. I hope you enjoy this :)
Darkness Within
By AngelEyes87
Hurdling down a path of chaos, I found myself
Trapped in a violent cyclone of a twirling vortex
Looking from left to right and all around me
I see nothing but an unwelcoming darkness
Clumsily I stumbled onwards, staggering as
I almost lost my footing a few times while
Trying to seek a way out, dragging my
Giant blade behind me on the floor
Without warning a bright ray of light shone
Piercing through my surroundings, blinding me
I halted, raising my hand to shield my eyes
Is this an oracle from the heavens above?
The light vanished as quickly as it came
Curiously, carefully I lowered my hand
Anticipation filled my senses, waiting
For an enemy's surprise ambush
Surprisingly nothing happened at all
Instead I was standing in a deserted cathedral
A light breeze infiltrated the area
Everything seemed all serene and peaceful
The sound of flowing water gently was heard
Magnificent statues watched me from afar
Such a holy place of tranquillity, so pure
Untainted by corruption of all mankind
Why, just why was I summoned here?
Had I ceased to exist in the physical world
That I had died and somehow slipped
Into the next world where my soul now resides?
Checking my pulse I released a deep sigh
It appears that I am still alive and well
Maybe this is an illusion of the mind
A mere trick spawned from my imagination
Just then I felt that I wasn't alone anymore
A strong eerie presence entered from behind
Invading my personal space, my peace of mind
Instantly putting me on edge as it crept close
How is this even possible I silently asked?
I thought demons and evil spirits cannot
Set foot on consecrated grounds such as
This ethereal, hallowed shrine
Resistance was futile, I realised, as I
Slowly turned around, not believing my eyes
How can he still be roaming this world
When he was my alter ego seven years ago?
Nightmare, the accursed Azure Knight
Wielder of the horrifying sword Soul Edge
It was a weapon that consumed human souls
To feed its insatiable appetite
A dull throb took hold of my right hand
Serving as a cruel reminder of my unforgivable past
The Holy Sword resonated in reaction to
Its sinister counterpart, glowing faintly
"Wretched soul, you can never escape!"
The monster roared in its inhuman voice
"You shall never break free of your sins
So give into the darkness and offer your soul!"
No, I cannot turn back – not right now
My spirit cries out for redemption
It is my mission, my only responsibility
To rid the evil that was born from me
With my conviction renewed I spoke out loud
"I knew you were following me, phantom!
Let's settle this once and for all.
I will not surrender to the likes of you!"
A loud war cry tore from my throat
Sword drawn, I charged towards my opponent
Determined to strike him down dead
So that I can finally fulfil my epic quest
Seconds agonisingly dragged into minutes
As we was engaged in such fierce combat
Our swords clash against each other
Both of us aiming for that one fatal blow
Not even half an hour had passed
And I was starting to fatigue
But still I continued to fight
One step at a time
But the hands of fate worked against me
My dreams and hopes were falling apart
Pain surged throughout when his sword
Drove into my back and I fell forward
His mutated claw enclosed my throat
Tightly squeezing and choking the life from me
As I was hoisted high in the air above him
While a part of my soul was fed to the blade
The beast's crimson eyes glistened with pleasure
Before he chucked me to the far side of the room
I hit the cold ground with full force, groaning
My will, body and mind shattering into pieces
Struggling, I tried valiantly to raise myself onto my knees
Helplessly watching as Nightmare marched over
Stalking me as if I was his prey and if he was the predator
Wanting nothing more than to grant me my demise
Soul Calibur dropped from my grasp with a loud thud
I knew my time had come, that I had failed my father
Whispering a heartfelt apology from within, my head
Bowed down in shame as I awaited death's embrace
Suddenly with a loud gasp, my eyes snapped open
My chest heaving as I realised it was but a mere dream
Unfortunately I can hear his taunts ringing in my ears,
"Try if you must, but the nightmare will never end!"
A/N: Personally I think that Siegfried would suffer from nightmarish dreams in SC3 and 4 when he is on the quest to seek redemption and this is what makes him so determined in defeating Nightmare. By the way I felt sorry for Siegfried when he crystallised in a few SC4 endings, especially his own ending :( And yes, this is the first ever poem I've ever wrote for Soul Calibur.