Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters created by Namco, nor am I affiliated with them, or trying to profit in any way from this story.
I do, however, own my two character creations and would appreciate no one using them without my prior consent. I'd probably let you, I just want to know first.
Soul Calibur III: Of Souls and Swords
Chapter 1
All Things Begin Anew
It was an unusually cool, crisp morning at Ostrheinsburg on this particular day. The sun was just climbing over the horizon, casting a fresh new day upon the world. In this shattered castle something momentous was taking place; something that no one could have predicted or comprehended. Four beings that fate had chosen to use in its twisted game were all assembled here.
One of these was a mysterious man that no one knew much about. He stood, hidden from sight in a shroud of shadows. This prevented the two other beings there from seeing him. This mysterious man's single working eye was focused on a horrific scene playing out before him. He could feel the hand of fate hanging ominously low upon this most unholy of castles.
The two other figures are currently locked in a fierce battle, one that could very well change the course of history forever. One of these beings was human, a French nobleman who fought with a thin rapier. He was named Raphael Sorel. The shrouded man could sense that this man was fighting for someone he loved, trying to claim the ultimate power to please this person. The other being was the newest vessel of the evil spirit sword called Soul Edge. This evil incarnate was called Nightmare by all, and was anything but human.
The two had been dueling ferociously for the past hour and now it seemed that Nightmare would be victorious. His ability to call upon the souls of those he had murdered to strengthen himself was too much for the exhausted nobleman. With a powerful swipe his enormous sword, Nightmare sent Raphael sprawling across the floor. The new wound that ran the length of his chest was grievously deep and was slightly radiating with the same dark aura as Soul Edge.
Nightmare towered ominously ever his defeated prey. "Wretched human! How weak and fragile your existence is. Now its time to add you to my power!" He shouted in a rough deep voice. But just as he was about to plunge Soul Edge into his opponent, he heard him mumble something.
"Amy… I have failed… forgive me… Amy" Raphael whispered inaudibly. Nightmare suddenly stopped, seemingly frozen by some divine force.
From somewhere in the recesses of his mind something awoke… something familiar. The soul of Seigfried Schtauffen, whose body Soul Edge currently possessed, began to fight against the control of the evil sword.
"Your strikes were weak. Fragile, Pathetic, Just like human souls."
"Silence... I will not obey you anymore. I will atone for what I have done..."
"The depth of human greed astounds me. You still seek forgiveness, after all you have done?"
"No! But one must reflect on one's sins and move onward."
"...Even if the path ahead leads only to darkness? Only death awaits in the end.""
It is because it is infinite that people cling to the joys of life?"
...Can you not hear them--the wails of the souls that were swallowed unto the abyss by your hand?"
I am eternally sorry for what I have done... But listen to me!"
...He sought death. He revered it. Death is beautiful. Your father, too, knew its allure."
"Yes. If I could, I would return to that time--"
"...He must perish. You shall cast his body into the darkness. He shall stagnate and rot, steeped in despair, as you squeeze the final gasp from his lungs!"
"No! That's an illusion! I can see it... I can see the proud way he faces his end!"
The wounded Raphael used this pause to gather the last bit of strength and launch one last, desperate attack against the Evil Sword. Lunging forward he gouged the eye that was the core of Soul Edge. That attack had used up all of Raphael's energy and before hitting the ground, lost all consciousness.
Nightmare dropped Soul Edge and grasped his head, as if a war was happening within it. And actually in his mind, he was, Siegfried fought the essence of Soul Edge, Inferno, for what seemed like an eternity. In reality it was only a few seconds of time, but Seigfried was victorious against it and at last he had control of his own body and mind again. He quickly surveyed the surrounding area for danger but only found the unconscious body of his attacker.
He looked down and realized that he still wore the cursed Azure Armor. He quickly removed the detestable armor and crushed it to pieces under his feet. Once he was done with his little rampage he looked behind him and noticed that a new sword had appeared since his fight with the Inferno. The polar opposite of Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, was stuck in the ground beside Soul Edge.
A wicked smile rose on Siegfried's lips. He walked over and grasped the holy sword with his once again normal right arm. Holding it high above his head, he felt a new power surge through him.
He walked over to the Evil Sword and for the first time in its long, terror-filled existence, it looked scared of what was going to happen. With one last loathing look, Seigfried plunged Soul Calibur into the core eye of Soul Edge, twisting it around to make sure it was destroyed. Long orange cracks split the evil sword's outer shell, but out of the said cracks spewed long meaty vines that wrapped around Soul Calibur, ensnaring it in an unbreakable embrace. Immediately it seemed as if both swords' respective auras vanished and they just seemed dead, if death were possible for an inanimate object.
Siegfried stood there, looming over his new creation, wondering what to do next. He pondered whether to take it with him, or abandon the whole thing and just try to move on with his shattered life. He knew the right thing to do, he just resented the idea and tried to reason himself out of it, but couldn't.
So, cautiously he took hold of the hilt of what Siegfried dubbed "the Soul Embrace." He prepared himself for more mental bombardment, but none came. The sword was truly powerless, nothing but metal and some rotting flesh. Siegfried sighed, at last allowing himself to fully come to grip with the whole situation.
He was free of Soul Edge, but not from his many sins. So many lives that he'd taken, all sent to the hellish void inside of the cursed sword. So many tormented souls screaming for vengeance. The thought made Seigfried sick in his stomach. He tried to set his thoughts aside, but to no avail.
"So what now… am I to live with this curse forever?" He asked, staring at the dawn sky, as if trying to find the answers in the heavens.
He soon came to a decision; he would find a way to tilt the tide of the Soul Embrace in favor of Soul Calibur in hopes of annihilating Soul Edge forever. So with his mind made up and his sights set forward to the things that begin anew, he left the cursed ground.
When he was finally out of eyeshot of the castle the mysterious figure that had kept himself hidden emerged from the shadows.
"Ah, so the spirit sword alone is not enough. Very well, I shall have to work on the Soul Edge instead. According to my tribe's teachings, the more powerful the Soul Edge becomes, the stronger Soul Calibur becomes. And I shall be there when both their powers peak, finally achieving my final demise." he said aloud.
The man was familiar in many of the ways of magic. One of his specialties was the dark art of necromancy. He had resurrected many a people to serve him in ages past, now he would do so once again.
These special skills may have been doable, but they would tax even the most experienced mage of much energy.
Still, ending this eternal cycle of life may be worth the effort.
He walked over to the smashed azure armor that Nightmare had worn only moments ago. The dark man could sense that the spirit of the Inferno had transferred itself into the armor to keep from being completely annihilated. He also gathered the various shards of the Soul Edge that had been shattered off, and placed them within the breastplate of the armor.
The dark magician closed his eyes and began to chant a solemn incantation over and over. Soon both he and the armor began glowing dark violet. Despite the energy that was rapidly being drained from him, the mage continued to chant. Suddenly his eyes shot open and with one final word, his chant was complete.
He watched as the violet aura began to materialize within the cursed armor. It took on the rough resemblance of a human with a disgustingly grotesque right arm. In fact the arm had a mandible on the shoulder. A single long horn emerged from the forehead of the creature. Its eyes opened and their color was a horrid orange. Something else also began materializing in its left arm. It took the shape that resembled the Soul Edge, except more rounded and instead of red and yellow, the core eye was purple.
As the creature was being formed, the dark mage took his leave, seeping into the shadows of the various pillars. When the new Nightmare's re-birth was complete it looked around the room, puzzled about how he came back to the physical realm.
"I feel so… weak. Soul Edge, is it gone?" It pondered worriedly. He could not feel it's presence anymore, like it felt when it had been sealed in the void a few years back. "No, no, it can't be. I have small pieces of it. With enough souls, I can rebuild it. Then, I vow to you Siegfried, I swear upon the Soul Edge, that I will have my revenge."
So that's it, the first chapter down. Oh, and in case you couldn't tell from all the clues, the "mysterious man" is Zasalamel. In the Tale of Souls never actually reveals his name to any of the characters, I thought I'd be true to it and do the same. So beware of the "mysterious man that lurks in the shadows."
Well, hope you liked it. Please review and let me know if there's anything that you would like to see changed or revised. I greatly appreciate "constructive criticism" but hate flames. I don't mind praise, but prefer to get tips on bettering my writing skills.
