Cassandra looked up at the sky, staring deeply into the stars.
It felt so far away from home as if her home existed in another world, another dimension of time. The sky stretched so long--was her family staring up at the same stars she was?
Her sword fell to her side, tired of fighting. Her shield collapsed underneath the weight of her tears, weary from defending her body and her soul. Everything suddenly felt so heavy and weighted as if they were pressed down by huge boulders.
She felt like Atlas as she carried the sky on her shoulders.
"Sophitia…" Cassandra made out, almost crying out in pain, "Where are you?"
Just as she said the name, Cassandra could've sworn the breath from her body was taken as she fell to the ground. Her face laid against the cold earth, the sadness seeping.
The only memory Cassandra could think of was when she saw her poor sister's eyes as her children touched the evil fragment known as Soul Edge. Hopelessness. Fear. Maybe even desperation.
The quest was never Cassandra's to take, never destined to go forth after the evil sword. They had chosen her compassionate, beautiful sister to destroy when in reality, Sophitia's true skill was to heal, to protect.
Irony then, when Cassandra heard the rumors of Sophitia's devoted loyalty to the sword that ruined her life.
'It's not true.' Her mind numbly said, 'Never Sophie.'
Never Sophitia. Never the sister she had looked up to all her life, never the woman who gave everything in the world to protect the family she loved, the family she reared with the man she loved. Never the girl who never questioned the Gods when she faced certain death. Never the mother who became so desperate to save her children's lives, she gave up her paradise life to embark on the quest she swore to never do again.
Cassandra almost felt her body break into two.
The clouds began to cover the stars. Raindrops began to fall, trickling down like tears from the Heavens.
She pulled her face up to the sky, meeting the rain. They felt so cold, sliding down her weary face.
For a moment, Cassandra felt as if Heaven was crying alongside with her, crying out of frustration and desperation. Crying so hard that the earth would flood.
'Flood the earth, damnit.' Her mind cursed, 'Drown the beasts. Kill the people. Wash away everything evil.'
Unsurprisingly, it did not happen; all it did was create mud underneath her body, sinking her arms. Cassandra pulled her arms out, drenched and soaked.
"Goddamnit, I hate the this place." She muttered, her voice scratchy and weak. Picking up her shield, Cassandra began to walk again.
"If only, Sophitia…if only I could find you…if only you could tell me the story. If only…if only…" She repeated over and over again, her feet stumbling with every word, "If only those wretched gods of Olympus would leave us alone…."
The sword felt heavier when she said that, dropping like a dead weight. She slung it over her shoulder, continuing on with heaved sighs.
Oh, but it was simply asking too much of those damned gods. They could wash away the bad people, send the damn sword plunging into an eternal darkness. They could bend time so the sword could cease to exist. After all, they were the Gods of Olympus. They conquered the Titans and subdued man into a humble servant, awaiting every whim.
Cassandra had pondered the gods for quite some time now. In tales and legends she had heard, in praises her sister sang in the temples, Gods were luxurious beings living on top of Mount Olympus. Zeus was the greatest of all Gods and Lord of the Sky. Thank goodness he had that title attached to his name because his womanizing antics and vengeance would have never been swept under the rug otherwise.
Hera was the Queen of the Gods, god of marriage. Her envious streaks and vengeful wrath were feared among both god and man but nevertheless, women have showered her temple with gifts in hopes of fertility.
Athena was the only goddess Cassandra truly found good. She was wise yet fair, strong and independent. Nobody told her what to do or how to do it. She was the favorite child of Zeus. However, she was apathetic to poor Cassandra and her family as Athena hated women and favored men.
But Hephaestus was the absolute worse. He was a hunchback blacksmith, born of Hera and tossed like garbage. Instead of getting over it, he plotted revenge by constructing a chair that forced Hera to remain sitting until she gave him Aphrodite, the beautiful goddess of love (and of sex, so she was also a whore). Even worse, his chagrined attitude towards others led to the attempted rape of Athena (which was unsuccessful). He was pleased by beautiful women and often sent them to do tasks for his liking.
"May Hephaestus cower if he meets my wrath…" Cassandra whispered, her hands tightening around her weapons.
There was no goddamned need for Sophitia to go destroy Soul Edge. Hephaestus just wanted Sophitia to fight some people so he could watch and get off. Sophitia was a beautiful woman and Hephaestus couldn't handle the fact that she was married and had children. He wanted her for himself so he allowed these terrible things to befall her.
"When I get my hands on him…"
Cassandra could almost feel her arms thrusting the sword into his heart and forcing the blood to flow out. She could almost feel the joy when she beat him down, beat his hunched back like a whip. She could nearly see the gods of Olympus coming at her as she swung her sword in attempt to escape, every one of them fighting against her.
"Sophitia…" Her lips said softly, "Where are you?"
Sophitia would worry no more. Cassandra was here.