(AN: A few days ago, my brother and I were talking about Soul Calibur V and how we've missed all the characters who were cut out of it. That led to a discussion of where the characters from SCIV might have ended up after Siegfried's victory over Nightmare, which is the basis of this idea. [Don't worry, once The Land is finished, I will get Witch's Soul up as promised. Hopefully that fares better than its predecessor.])

(So here we are, at the last stage of history...)

Ashes of Armageddon

1591

When the smoke cleared, only one was still left standing. The Sword of Heroes was victorious. All others gathered about in a loose circle, looking on from various distances. What many had wished and hoped for was now a reality: the Evil Sword was defeated, the power of Soul Edge was vanquished.

In a certain place along the tortured land, still burning with molten rock, a young man and a young woman looked from afar at what had happened at the foot of the giant Tower. The young man was very annoyed at what he saw, aiming frustrated kicks at the rocks and dust nearby. The woman looked on at sight of Armageddon, then turned back to her companion.

"It's better this way," she said to him.

"How can you say that?" the young man returned. "The Sword's gone. Without it, our people don't stand a chance!"

"Yun-seong, please," the woman replied. "You shouldn't say things like that."

"Why not?" he returned. "Without Soul Edge, what chance do we have against a unified Japanese enemy?" He groaned in frustration, then aimed a kick at a rock lying innocently upon the ground.

The young woman sighed in frustration, burying her face in the palm of her hand. He wasn't there to make a difference, and what had happened in the valley below was hardly what he would have wanted. She, on the other hand, was much more pleased with what had happened.

Just then, she heard footsteps behind her: quiet sandals shuffling against the sand. She spun around, leveling her wol-do at the newcomer. With a smile, she realized that the newcomer was no enemy, but the little girl who had followed her for quite some time.

"Sorry, Talim," she apologized. "I suppose I'm a bit jumpy." The little girl nodded, then looked at Yun-seong, who was still venting his rage by kicking at the rocks.

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

"Soul Edge was destroyed," the older one replied. "It was what he was after."

"Doesn't he know..."

"I tried to tell him," she sighed. "But he wouldn't listen."

"I understand," Talim nodded. "It can be hard for someone to give up their last hope, even if it might be more harmful to pursue it than to let it go."

"Maybe you should talk to him," she nodded towards Yun-seong. "Get him to see reason."

"I will try," Talim agreed, then turned to Yun-seong. "Please, try to understand..."

"Understand what?" he bit back. "It's hopeless! Our only hope was destroyed by that knight! It should have gone to us, to defend my people from..."

"Is it wise to put so much faith," Talim replied. "In something so powerful? Do you have such little trust in the strength of your own people?"

Yun-seong sighed, sitting on the ground and staring off into the east, where the darkness of night was already gathering.

"Future seems pretty bleak," he admitted.

"Only if you let it, Yun-seong," Talim returned. "You must turn away from this power. It would only have destroyed you, just as it would have destroyed the spirits of nature."

Yun-seong sighed, but said nothing. Talim then turned back to the taller, older woman.

"I've done what I can, Seong Mi-na," she said. "The rest is up to him."

In the distance, there was a bright flash and a blue light emanating from the valley below. They covered their faces as they looked out at the strange light, which was gone mere moments after it had appeared.

"What the hell was that?" Seong Mi-na asked.

"The world," Talim said fearfully. "It is tearing apart. I can hear the cry of the wind!" She collapsed to her knees, her hands over her ears.

"Really?" a third voice asked. Yun-seong had seen the flash and now joined them, wondering if he could find out what was going on. "Everything seems okay."

"Talim, are you okay?" Seong Mi-na asked, kneeling at her young friend's side.

"No, it's gone now," Talim breathed a sigh of relief. "It was only for a moment, but what power!"

"Well, what was it?" Yun-seong asked.

"Hopefully the last of the Evil Seed," Talim returned. She stood up, then turned her gaze eastward, eyes closed. "Yes, the wind is changing. It is time to go home."

She set off from the hill where they stood, with Seong Mi-na following on behind and Yun-seong reluctantly taking up the rear. As they were making their way down the hill, a sudden, inhuman screech was heard, followed by hasty shouting and muttering in a language that they did not know.

"Stand your guard," Seong Mi-na said to the others. Yun-seong drew his sword, Talim gripped her bladed tonfas and Seong Mi-na leveled her wol-do towards where the screech came from. A tall figure clad in black was standing there, with eyes that burned like fire.

"Who are you?" she shouted at the spectral image. "What are you?"

The figure paid no attention to the three Korean warriors. It turned its shrouded head this way and that, calling out into the gathering darkness for someone.

"Amy, ma chérie!" the dark figure cried out. "Où es-tu? Reviens!"

"What the...?" Yun-seong exclaimed. He then turned to Seong Mi-na. "Do you know what he's saying?"

Seong Mi-na approached, weapon still in hand, and addressed the dark-clad figure. Being the oldest of their party and having traveled to Europe before, she had picked up a little of the languages of Europe. Maybe, just maybe...

"Hallo?" she began, using German, the language of the Azure Knight. But the figure gave no response. "Uh, hola?"

Fortunately for her, the dark-clad figure had spent his wealthy youth in foreign parts, and he knew Catalan rather well.

"Es parla Català?" he returned.

"Uh, sí," Seong Mi-na replied. "Perdoneu, que li estan demanant?"

"La meva estimada Amy," was his answer. "Que es perd!"

"Uh, what did he say?" Yun-seong interjected.

"En garde!" the dark figure shouted, drawing a sword and turning the point in the young Korean's direction.

"He's looking for someone," Seong Mi-na replied, then turned back to the dark figure. "No podem ajudar a, senyor. Ens disculpem." Without another word, the dark figure swept past them, calling out for "Amy" as he went.

"Must be something important," Yun-seong said.

"There's something dreadfully wrong with him," Talim stated. "The winds about him felt so...tormented. I don't even know if he's human anymore."

"There's only one wind that I care about," Yun-seong haughtily replied. "And that's the one that gets us back home as soon as possible."

(AN: How was that? The name for the chapter came from the penultimate chapter of Siegfried, and it felt appropriate. Like with Siegfried, I'm trying to make this story feel more realistic, and went out of my way with the obvious language barrier between our Asian friends and the French Raphael [because who else would be "Chasing Amy"? lol, don't sue me, Kevin Smith]. My Catalan is atrocious, of course, because I used Google Translate. Should have just stuck with my instincts and used Spanish, but Raphael probably spoke Catalan, learned it from his Spanish dancing/fencing instructors or something.)

(How are the characters so far? In character and everything? Should Talim be talking about the wind more often? [lol])