A/N: Okay, so it's about time I should do another Soul Calibur oneshot as besides my drabbles based story Sealing One's Fate, I haven't done anything new lately more or less. It's like for the past few months or so I've been experiencing slight problems regarding friends and I feel as if some of them is no longer interested in me and for some reason they rather not speak to me. I don't know if they know how I feel about the situation but it just seems they have totally forgotten about me and I get the impression they are disinterested in me – seriously I have no idea what to do...Anyway I decided to write a oneshot based on my feelings of discontentment in a form of a letter to Yun Seong from Talim. Only reason why I chose Talim is because she is one of my favourite characters and plus the fact she has a heart of gold. This oneshot is a little AU and it is set a few months after what transpired in SC4 hence that's why it explains Talim's background and her journey to destroy Soul Edge. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The Soul Calibur characters belong to Namco as I don't own them sadly. The only character I own is Bayani.
Lost and Forgotten
By AngelEyes87
Greetings Yun Seong,
I hope this finds you well, my dear friend. Forgive me for sending you yet another letter as it is not my wish to come across as annoying or even demanding as these qualities are not in my gentle and patient nature. Then again I'm certain that you know this already. It is just that my concerns are growing as each day passes and I end up thinking about you more than I should do really. I cannot help it – I miss you so much. A part of me longs for you to take some time to reply back to me, letting me know that you're doing just fine. However I don't understand why you haven't got in contact considering I have wrote to you on several occasions.
At times I can hardly believe that it has been a few months that we had last seen one another before parting our separate ways. It's been too long, hasn't it? It almost seems like yesterday we were involved in a quest, devoted to destroying Soul Edge on behalf of all things pure and good that resides in mankind. You know well as much as I do that I had a sense of duty to fulfil to my people, my family. Having been deemed as the Last Priestess of the Wind I had a reputation to live up to due to the fact many depended on me. They would often look up to me with sincere reverence in their gaze, their eyes wordlessly telling me they believed I had the strength within to complete the task of putting what was wrong right again. Such a huge responsibility for such a young child the elders of my village would constantly say, trying to warn me of the dangers that might cross my path. From that moment on I knew that I could not look back thus sharpening my resolve.
During my journey it was then did I encounter you. I can remember my first meeting with you very clearly. Straight away you captured my interest from the way your confidence shone through like a bright glaring light piercing through the darkness to the way you proudly wielded your weapon, treating it almost like a treasured item. Deep inside something told me you were one of the many whom sought after Soul Edge and I was proved right. At that moment I realised that it was no mistake that we had met by chance – it was fate that brought us together. I was the chosen one to mend your misguided ways, to put you back on the correct path and giving you the chance to be more righteous and level-headed. Unfortunately my intentions failed to meet my expectations as you presented yourself as nothing more than a challenge, questioning my claims.
It did not take me long to figure out that you and I were different to each other in not only our personalities, but also our reasons for seeking the sword. To say the least we contrasted a lot – you were the sun while I was the moon; you represented Yang and on the other hand I represented Yin. I can recall that with a look of sheer determination, you fiercely proclaimed that Soul Edge was the key to salvation, that you were fully convinced that with the sword's infinite power you was able to save your homeland, your beloved pride and joy as it would seem, from the impending threat of the Japanese. How wrong were you to be mislead by false conceptions...
Surprisingly I couldn't help but admire your strong conviction despite the fact it was for all the wrong reasons. I watched carefully as your face tightened even further when I explained the true evil nature of the sword. You shown no signs whatsoever of backing down – your eyes narrowed and darkened into small smouldering orbs of fire, your nostrils flared in contempt and arrogance, and your mouth was firmly set in an unyielding sneer. You reached your limits when after a while you snapped at me, growling that I should shut up before raising your weapon, silently inviting me to engage you in combat.
Doing battle with you, or anyone else for that matter, was something that went against my pacifist nature. You see, I fight in order to defend myself or to protect others – I never fight to intimidate my opponent or kill them as a last resort. I tried my best to reason with you, however you stubbornly refused to heed my words. Some things are meant to be conveyed in battle, and this was one of them. As we were fighting, putting our skills and techniques to the test, I could easily sense your lively spirit – you were so full of male energy and radiance. There was, however, a certain wind around you. It somewhat reminded me of a cyclone, a force to be reckoned with, but it wasn't destructive at all. There was a rebellious element to it, a wind that refused to be tamed as such as it continued to howl endlessly, mercilessly daring the mountains to submit.
The aura that you possessed was mixed with uncertainty no matter how hard you tried to mask your rational fears. Your eyes longed to tell someone of your self inflicted concerns and worries – it didn't matter who you told, but a chance to confide in a person would put your mind at ease. The shadow of the small boy within you desperately wanted to break free and run amok and upon knowing this, you still held back, wanting to be the brave warrior that you forced yourself to be. Like I, you had youth on your side, yet you feared the unknown. If your motherland were to fall under an enemy country's occupation you would have lost your purpose, turning into another lost soul.
Now, I know that you will deny what I am saying without a doubt as many times you claimed to be unstoppable and that you're the greatest swordsman in the world, but there are moments when I suspect that you had some sort of doubts of failing to protect your country. Your intentions were honourable right from the start – that I do admit without any hesitation. Unfortunately you were going about it the wrong way. That was why I suggested that we should be travelling companions so that we can acquire more information about the sword. And if we were lucky enough to find it then we were to get rid of Soul Edge completely.
While we were working together our journey took us across various foreign lands, running into all sorts of different adventures. My ability to navigate according to the wind proved such an advantage to me...well, to us precisely. It enabled me to read the winds, to pick up any subtle changes in the atmosphere as well as pinpoint the exact location of the source, and whether it was of a good or evil descent. I have to say I was a little surprised that you did not question my gift or even belittle me, thinking I was crazy or something. You actually respected my divine talent, which made me feel happy inside.
Granted, occasionally you would complain whether or not the wind was leading us in the wrong direction, but that was just it. There hadn't been a time when you seriously doubted me so I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It wasn't before long that I grew to enjoy your company due to the fact you entertained me with stories from your childhood, the way that I can rely on you to assist me in gathering information and your being so protective of me when we fought against other fighters who sought the sword.
Only times we didn't see eye to eye was when we were involved in a discussion about Soul Edge – it saddened me that you were persistent in your opinion that this legendary weapon would benefit you in your goal. It was your defiance that made you oblivious to the signs that screamed out danger. Even the destruction of the temple we saw in Egypt did not faze you even though you witnessed the strange sword markings there. Or the time when that mysterious dark skinned sorcerer laid a trap for us in the clock tower and we had no choice but to fight him – we were lucky enough to defeat him. There was something sinister about him that I did not like, even more so when he recited a disturbing riddle foretelling that Nightmare, the host of the sword, was heading east to harvest more ripe souls to sustain its energy. Much to my dismay you laughed joyfully when he vanished into thin air, shrugging your shoulders as if to say you did not believe his words. Why, just why were you ignorant of the truth? Many times I caught myself pondering over this question...
Yun Seong, you really don't have the faintest idea of how many times you have tried my patience in regards to the horrifying nature of the accursed sword. Most nights I would often pray for a miracle to happen in the hopes that you would open your eyes and realise how dire the situation was. If it weren't for that incident with the sick young boy at the water mill valley on top of that mountain range then you wouldn't have open your eyes. I admired you for all the help that you gave me during the time when I had the challenge of trying to purify the boy. If it weren't for you coaxing him with comforting words into the idea of releasing all the evil energy from his body into the wind at once then I doubt he would be alive today.
I thought your attitude changed, yet once when we arrived in Istanbul you somehow slipped into your old ways – that was the day that Mina turned up and announced she was taking you back to Korea with her. I still find it hard to comprehend why you left in the middle of the night when we were asleep. Did you run off because you refused to pay attention to Mina's warnings regarding Soul Edge? After all Mina said the exact same things as I did.
Now, I think I owe you an explanation as to why I shown mercy to Algol immediately after the three of us had fought him. At the time I could tell that both of you were bewildered and confused. You see, when we finally caught up with you at the Tower of Remembrance then Algol shown up armed with Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, the natural surrounding became restless and I could hear the helpless cries of the stars and the wind echoing in my ears. It was at that moment I knew that I had to do something. Plus, when we battled him I sensed an air of regret to him as though he had lost someone very close to him in the past. A spirit in the shape of a human kept on whispering in my ear – strange, I know, but its presence remained with me the whole time. It turned out the spirit was Arcturus, Algol's son. After our victory when I performed a cleansing ritual to return everything including Algol to their true form, the wind lend me its power to bring back Arcturus from the dead into the land of living once again. The rumours surrounding the Hero King weren't false at all – Algol had finally found inner peace when he was reunited with his beloved son.
I do hope you understand why I decided to eliminate both swords, for they threatened the fabric of nature. When I was travelling with Mina I experienced visions of a blue holy sword covered in crystals. In hindsight I had no knowledge of the sword at that specific moment in time. So, in the end I told Mina about it, and she had explained the sword was in fact Soul Calibur, a spirit sword that was created to oppose Soul Edge. Instantly I came to the conclusion that Soul Calibur was no different from its counterpart due to the fact both swords relied on such power, meaning it can only give rise to a new breed of evil. That is something I would not allow to happen and you know this for a fact.
I think I have done enough rambling to last me a lifetime, so it's best that I should cut to the chase and let you know exactly what has been clouding my mind for the past few days. Before I say anything please do not take it the wrong way or take it to heart as I have the most deepest respect for you and I can assure you that will never change. Please forgive me for saying this, but I get the impression that our friendship has come to a halt for some unknown reason – it has been like this for the past month or so. Please, I want to know why...I deserve to be told the truth after everything we have been through – surely you must understand this. It just seems that ever since we have completed the mission you have treated me differently than to what you did before. Once upon a time we used to talk about anything and everything that we can think of while sharing an enjoyable moment with each other. And now...look at us; we hardly speak at all. You have been acting distant towards me, which is something that I am worried about.
It's like that time when I travelled to Korea to visit you and Mina as your teacher organised that party one month ago. We spent half and hour or something like that catching up with one another before you strolled off without a care in the world, tending to other people. I couldn't help but notice that you would rather spend your time in their company rather than mine, commenting that you missed them – you never once did say that to me nor did you make the effort of acknowledging my presence for the rest of the night. I thought I was your friend, Yun Seong...And what happened to the days in which you would respond so eagerly to my letters? Now you rarely reply to them, choosing to ignore me as it would seem. I know that both of us have been busy during our lives right now, albeit I still manage the time to get in contact with you. A part of me actually thinks that you have grown apart from me, that you have got bored or tired of our so-called close friendship.
Do you remember a few nights after making our way from the tower that we had stopped to make camp by the lake? Well...there is something that I have to admit – hear me out please before you pass any judgement. For a long while, about a couple of weeks prior to our first ever meeting, I developed feelings for you, and as time marched on these feelings grew even more stronger that I couldn't resist them any longer. I...I never would have imagined in my wildest dreams that I could feel such intense love for another person like I did for you. Whenever you smiled at me I felt warm inside, whenever we would talk about what we admired in a potential lover it made me long to be with you even more, and the times when we would disagree about Soul Edge I deeply cared for your well-being. I wanted to build my future with you in it as I genuinely loved you.
There were so many times that I desired more than anything to confess I was in love with you however the importance of our mission lingered over us. When we were camping that night I was determined to tell you how I felt about you, and...let's just say that I overheard you and Mina talking and you remarked that I wasn't your type, going onto say that a female student at your dojang had caught your eye. You have no idea how badly it torn me inside to hear those words coming from your mouth...I felt that as if my confidence had been utterly shattered while my heart was savagely torn out from my chest, watching it fall to the floor before you stomped on it a few times.
Despite that fateful night that happened a long time ago I still feel pangs of sorrow then and again. Perhaps my feelings for you haven't faded over time but at the same time they have considerably lessened to some extent. That's the only logical analogy I can think of...Recently I have had some male attention and yes, it is someone from the same village as I. His name is Bayani and he's three months my senior. He has dreams of becoming a heroic warrior while exploring the world – he is quite talented with the tambo quarterstaff. Although Bayani has a gentle, relaxed and sweet personality at times it is just like staring at a slight version of you. He is brave, strong, a little hard-headed at times just like you...
Occasionally Bayani has made it clear that he wants to develop our liking into something rather different than platonic feelings. I'm flattered that he has taken a shine to me...though why am I a bit afraid? As you said, that to love a person you have to be vulnerable to experience happiness together, yet it is quite the contrary. Sometimes being vulnerable means you are open to others hurting you and taking advantage of your tenderness...And I refuse to let that happen, not after the time I was on the verge to admit my feelings to you when obviously they weren't returned on your end.
Anyway I am drawing this letter to an end – I apologise for going down various tangents and all. Be that as it may this is the last ever thing I will say. It is your decision if you want to continue our friendship. If not, then tell me in advance and put an end to my misery rather than prolonging the unnecessary charade. There is no point in all of this as it appears that I have been forgotten about and that you do not wish for me to exist in your life.
Take care of yourself, Yun Seong.
With love,
Talim
A/N: You know, I am tempted to do a follow-up to this oneshot but it will be Yun Seong's reply back to her letter. And for those who don't know what the meaning of Bayani is in Tagalog, it is 'Hero'. Oh, and in other news I am currently on cloud nine at the moment as my country, England, is going through to the next stage in the World Cup with the USA! Man, I was cheering loudly during the England match, lol :P
