Disclaimer: Credit goes to Namco for creating the Soul Calibur universe, and all its varied characters.
Credit also goes to The Who for the song, Behind Blue Eyes
The swords clashed together, locking their razored edges against each other as the wielders glared
at each other from six inches of distance. Countess Valentine stared at her opponent, wondering if she
would be forced to kill him. Staring at her, smiling tightly, was the rather handsome countenance of Raphael
Sorel, a Frenchman renowned throughout Europe for his ability to fight with the rapier. Isabella blinked
twice, letting her persona of Ivy take hold.
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
Raphael looked at Countess Valentine, wondering if he could defeat her. However, when she
blinked and her sky-blue eyes glimmered madly, he knew he was in for the fight for his life. The person
known only as Ivy had taken the Countess, making her a bloodthirsty killing machine. Hey eyes had chilled
to an icy glare, then she moved, wrapping her sword around his rapier and pulling.
No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies
Ivy controlled her body, but Isabella had control of the mind. She knew what the survivors of the
bloody rampages called her, what Ivy made her say, and just how horrified the innocents were from the
reign of blood and darkness that followed her. Detached, she watched as the rapier's razor-sharp point
pierced her arm just above the gold-plated steel that guarded her elbow, followed by a bright squirt of
arterial blood. Ivy smiled and slammed the point of her sword home into the heavy buff jacket Raphael
wore, knocking him flat, and cracking the metal plates that saved his life.
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
Raphael picked himself up off of the ground, wincing as a cracked rib made itself felt. The Countess
had shifted stances, wrapping her sword around herself in a defensive posture. As he watched, she seemed
to have an internal conflict, pausing long enough for him to close the distance and tackle her, knocking her
sword away, and flattening her into the ground. Ivy looked up at Raphael, her arms pinned between his
legs, and smiled, seemingly at peace with her current defeat.
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
Isabella felt the weight of Raphael pressing the air out of her lungs, and realized that she was losing
the fight. Ivy herself had already retreated, letting Isabella deal with the humiliation of the defeat. Instead,
she felt something that had last appeared when her mother died. Tears formed and trickled down her
cheeks as she realized the truth of what she had become. She had become a personification of what she
sought to utterly destroy. Her vow to retain her humanity had merged with her vow of vengeance, becoming
something chained inside her as Ivy.
No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you
Raphael looked at the Countess, and suddenly felt a chill as he noticed her eyes. The Countess'
eyes, normally a shade of blue rivalled only by the depths of the English Channel, had changed to a murky
greyish shade, revealing the truth. Despite the stories of her being the deadliest woman in the continent, she
was tortured by her decisions more than some of her victims were. Raphael tried to figure out why as the
Countess seemed to avoid struggling too much, but he failed to figure it out.
No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
Isabella felt a tear trickle form one eye and forcefully closed them, blotting out the sight of her
defeat looming over her. Visions of the Soul Edge continuing its swath of death, destruction, and eventually
the summoning of its demonic manifestation Inferno filled her mind as she felt Raphael's slow breathing
above her. She remembered four years ago at Ostrheinburg, when Inferno was summoned and
subsequently defeated by the Soul Calibur and Kali-Yuga. She remembered her own part in assisting the
summoning of the powerful demon, mainly through the control and murder of hundreds of innocents. Finally,
she remembered what the ninja Taki told her. 'Your father was the original wielder of Soul Edge. His
cursed blood runs in your veins.'
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
Raphael was totally unprepared for the Countess' motion, as she suddenly writhed backwards,
planting her right knee into his crotch with enough force to knock him flat on his back five feet away.
Through eyes half-blinded by tears, he watched as the Countess stood up, extending her hand for her
sword, which leapt to her like a snake falling off of a tree branch. Then before he could stand, she extended
her sword and let the razored tip slam into his right shoulder, pinning him to the marble floor.
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
Isabella watched from a distance again as Ivy worked her magic over Raphael's now-forcibly
prone body, lashing his chest and sides with the edges of her blade, opening bloody welts as quickly as a
school of piranha could. She noticed with detached interest as the edge of one of the sword's segments laid
open the right side of Raphael's chest down to the bone, exposing the neat rows of yellowish ribs and
severed veins, blood quickly soaking through his jacket, and spreading into a puddle underneath him as he
twitched and jumped under each impact.
When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
Raphael reached over to the piece of sword embedded in his shoulder, and ignoring the fact that
his life was dripping away in ever-increasing amounts, yanked the blade out of his arm, allowing him to
stand up. He rolled to the side to avoid a particularly vicious slash from the Countess' snake sword,
retrieving his blood-covered rapier from where it lay nearby. Viciously, he brought the weapon into play,
knocking the dangerous tip of the snake sword away from him as he charged his opponent, ready to kill
her outright.
If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat
Isabella noticed the mad fervor in Raphael's eyes, and tried to move, but Ivy was still gleefully
slicing away at him until he was too close for her to bring the sword's whip-like attributes into play. Instead
of playing around, Ivy simply brought the sword around, letting the segments close up into a cohesive edge,
then thrust forwards, catching Raphael at the point of his breastbone just as he thrust with his own sword,
hitting just to the left of Isabella's own breastbone. Both swords sunk in to the hilts, coating themselves in
blood
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
Looking at each other, the light dimming from their eyes, Isabella Valentine and Raphael Sorel tried
to say something, but their breaths had left them too long ago. Their eyes locked, Ocean Blue meeting Sky
Blue. Meeting and being cancelled out. Raphael collapsed facedown, his hand dropping from his rapier as
his weight pulled Isabella's sword from her hand. Wavering, Isabella looked up at the windows high
overhead, and, sighing, fell backwards as her life flooded through her lungs and ended her torment.
Credit also goes to The Who for the song, Behind Blue Eyes
The swords clashed together, locking their razored edges against each other as the wielders glared
at each other from six inches of distance. Countess Valentine stared at her opponent, wondering if she
would be forced to kill him. Staring at her, smiling tightly, was the rather handsome countenance of Raphael
Sorel, a Frenchman renowned throughout Europe for his ability to fight with the rapier. Isabella blinked
twice, letting her persona of Ivy take hold.
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
Raphael looked at Countess Valentine, wondering if he could defeat her. However, when she
blinked and her sky-blue eyes glimmered madly, he knew he was in for the fight for his life. The person
known only as Ivy had taken the Countess, making her a bloodthirsty killing machine. Hey eyes had chilled
to an icy glare, then she moved, wrapping her sword around his rapier and pulling.
No one knows what it's like
To be hated
To be fated
To telling only lies
Ivy controlled her body, but Isabella had control of the mind. She knew what the survivors of the
bloody rampages called her, what Ivy made her say, and just how horrified the innocents were from the
reign of blood and darkness that followed her. Detached, she watched as the rapier's razor-sharp point
pierced her arm just above the gold-plated steel that guarded her elbow, followed by a bright squirt of
arterial blood. Ivy smiled and slammed the point of her sword home into the heavy buff jacket Raphael
wore, knocking him flat, and cracking the metal plates that saved his life.
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
Raphael picked himself up off of the ground, wincing as a cracked rib made itself felt. The Countess
had shifted stances, wrapping her sword around herself in a defensive posture. As he watched, she seemed
to have an internal conflict, pausing long enough for him to close the distance and tackle her, knocking her
sword away, and flattening her into the ground. Ivy looked up at Raphael, her arms pinned between his
legs, and smiled, seemingly at peace with her current defeat.
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
Isabella felt the weight of Raphael pressing the air out of her lungs, and realized that she was losing
the fight. Ivy herself had already retreated, letting Isabella deal with the humiliation of the defeat. Instead,
she felt something that had last appeared when her mother died. Tears formed and trickled down her
cheeks as she realized the truth of what she had become. She had become a personification of what she
sought to utterly destroy. Her vow to retain her humanity had merged with her vow of vengeance, becoming
something chained inside her as Ivy.
No one knows what it's like
To feel these feelings
Like I do
And I blame you
Raphael looked at the Countess, and suddenly felt a chill as he noticed her eyes. The Countess'
eyes, normally a shade of blue rivalled only by the depths of the English Channel, had changed to a murky
greyish shade, revealing the truth. Despite the stories of her being the deadliest woman in the continent, she
was tortured by her decisions more than some of her victims were. Raphael tried to figure out why as the
Countess seemed to avoid struggling too much, but he failed to figure it out.
No one bites back as hard
On their anger
None of my pain and woe
Can show through
Isabella felt a tear trickle form one eye and forcefully closed them, blotting out the sight of her
defeat looming over her. Visions of the Soul Edge continuing its swath of death, destruction, and eventually
the summoning of its demonic manifestation Inferno filled her mind as she felt Raphael's slow breathing
above her. She remembered four years ago at Ostrheinburg, when Inferno was summoned and
subsequently defeated by the Soul Calibur and Kali-Yuga. She remembered her own part in assisting the
summoning of the powerful demon, mainly through the control and murder of hundreds of innocents. Finally,
she remembered what the ninja Taki told her. 'Your father was the original wielder of Soul Edge. His
cursed blood runs in your veins.'
But my dreams
They aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
Raphael was totally unprepared for the Countess' motion, as she suddenly writhed backwards,
planting her right knee into his crotch with enough force to knock him flat on his back five feet away.
Through eyes half-blinded by tears, he watched as the Countess stood up, extending her hand for her
sword, which leapt to her like a snake falling off of a tree branch. Then before he could stand, she extended
her sword and let the razored tip slam into his right shoulder, pinning him to the marble floor.
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free
Isabella watched from a distance again as Ivy worked her magic over Raphael's now-forcibly
prone body, lashing his chest and sides with the edges of her blade, opening bloody welts as quickly as a
school of piranha could. She noticed with detached interest as the edge of one of the sword's segments laid
open the right side of Raphael's chest down to the bone, exposing the neat rows of yellowish ribs and
severed veins, blood quickly soaking through his jacket, and spreading into a puddle underneath him as he
twitched and jumped under each impact.
When my fist clenches, crack it open
Before I use it and lose my cool
When I smile, tell me some bad news
Before I laugh and act like a fool
Raphael reached over to the piece of sword embedded in his shoulder, and ignoring the fact that
his life was dripping away in ever-increasing amounts, yanked the blade out of his arm, allowing him to
stand up. He rolled to the side to avoid a particularly vicious slash from the Countess' snake sword,
retrieving his blood-covered rapier from where it lay nearby. Viciously, he brought the weapon into play,
knocking the dangerous tip of the snake sword away from him as he charged his opponent, ready to kill
her outright.
If I swallow anything evil
Put your finger down my throat
If I shiver, please give me a blanket
Keep me warm, let me wear your coat
Isabella noticed the mad fervor in Raphael's eyes, and tried to move, but Ivy was still gleefully
slicing away at him until he was too close for her to bring the sword's whip-like attributes into play. Instead
of playing around, Ivy simply brought the sword around, letting the segments close up into a cohesive edge,
then thrust forwards, catching Raphael at the point of his breastbone just as he thrust with his own sword,
hitting just to the left of Isabella's own breastbone. Both swords sunk in to the hilts, coating themselves in
blood
No one knows what it's like
To be the bad man
To be the sad man
Behind blue eyes
Looking at each other, the light dimming from their eyes, Isabella Valentine and Raphael Sorel tried
to say something, but their breaths had left them too long ago. Their eyes locked, Ocean Blue meeting Sky
Blue. Meeting and being cancelled out. Raphael collapsed facedown, his hand dropping from his rapier as
his weight pulled Isabella's sword from her hand. Wavering, Isabella looked up at the windows high
overhead, and, sighing, fell backwards as her life flooded through her lungs and ended her torment.
