-Cypress-
Where would be the best place to start my tale? I believe the best place would be my childhood. I was nomadic, searching from country to country for something I never had. You see, I had been abandoned by my original parents at a very young sensitive age, and not many people wanted to take in a child who had dark flesh and mysterious golden, cat-like eyes. Have no pity on me if that's what your thinking. Nonetheless, By the time of my early adolescence, I had joined a clan of thugs who were known to do many illegal activities. In my eyes, I had found my family. In many other's eyes, I was just a kid getting into trouble because I didn't know any better. Perhaps I didn't. During my time roaming with the clan, I was taught many different weapon disciplines, especially the dagger style, which I favor due to it's convenience in both hiding and it's usage. Because of my unique and remarkable dexterity, I had become the clan's loyal hit man, or hit woman, taking out targets, or as the public calls them "victims", quickly and silently without any emotion behind it. For me, it was just a way to survive.
Anyway, at about the age of seventeen, I would say that my thoughts about the clan began to change. Why, you may ask? Was it a sudden moment of guilty conscience? Was I convinced that I would be punished for the sin of killing many and the only way to redeem myself was to cleanse myself and live a life of purity, ultimately making me leave the clan, completely giving up on slaughtering and stealing forever? If that's what you are suspecting, then you obviously don't know me that well. Honestly, if someone had come to me and told me that I was destined to rot in hell for executing "victims", then I would say that Lucifer better save a place for me, because as long as I am alive and the revenue is convenient, I'm not ceasing any time soon. Usually, my targets are people who don't deserve to live, people who have done things to deserve nothing more than death. They send themselves to the grave, not me. Besides, religion just seems like a form of control to me, a way to brain wash and strike fear to make people adhere to what the church wants, which is money and power, the two things the church say not to fixate on in life (can we say "greed", one of the seven deadly sins?). As far as I am concerned, the church is full of nothing but power-hungry hypocrites. Getting back onto the subject, there is a reason why I did change my views on the clan after a while.
When I was let into the clan, there was a man by the name of William who took me off the streets of London into his dwelling on the Island of Great Britain to take me in as if I were his legitimate daughter. At first I willingly accepted him, running into his arms happily, not worried why a man of his age was willingly taking care of a girl my age. I wish I did worry. The moment the door closed, everything began. The beatings, the violence, the rapes, all of the disgusting, deviant sexual acts I had become exposed to, all of it happened in that house, and NOBODY knew of it. Once again, have no pity for me if that is what you are thinking. In a sick way, it has hardened me. I trust no one and for that I am still alive. Anyway, when I had turned seventeen that fiend had become the new leader of the clan due to the death of the last leader and the ranking in our group (he was second to another man who had "mysteriously disappeared"). As much as I hid it, I despised him to the very pit of my soul. I knew he didn't deserve his role, in fact, due to his tyrannical, insolent, impulsive, dim-witted behavior, he could destroy the clan as we knew it.
Well, one day, the tyrannical part of his behavior began to show. He began speaking of wielding a sword that is said to be the most powerful sword in all of the world. A man said to wield it, would be undefeatable. If he could obtain it, he said he would overthrow the monarchy and take the country himself, making him king. It had to be the most absurd thing I had ever heard from him. That's when an idea popped into my head. If it IS the most powerful sword in all the world, and anyone who has it is undefeatable, then wouldn't it be wise if I use it as an assassination weapon? As I have said, my victims don't have a reason to live any longer, and as far as I was concerned, William had no reason to reign or live, and it was my job to put an end to his leadership. As for the other con artists and crooks in the clan, I began to no longer care for them either. They were all too easily persuaded into ways of thinking, and too insignificant to society, not being able to think or do things for themselves. As far as I was concerned (and still am) they deserved to die just as much as our "beloved leader".
After hearing his plans of obtaining this sword, I agreed to going out to obtain it. At first he laughed, joking about how ridiculous it was to send a woman out on her own to get such a weapon. I gave him a fixed glare upon hearing his comment. Honestly, I could go out and find that sword faster than any of those idiots among me. Finally, he agreed to letting me go out to find it, and so I was on my way, my dark intentions only hidden behind my cat-like eyes.
Two years have passed since I had left Britain. About a good month ago I had recently heard news of a group of men who were wreaking havoc in Asia, exactly where I was. I figured that it was the clan, either searching for me or for the sword. Those insolent fools. They were going to wreak my plans! I had to move quickly to get that sword, so I began interrogating people in the local town the next day about this legendary sword. Some people referred to it as "The Sword of Salvation". Others referred to it as a "Cursed Weapon". In general, people called it "Soul Edge". It didn't matter what it was called. What I needed to know was it's location. I knew it wasn't in Japan, hinting from the clan's failed search, plus what people have told me about an Azure Knight wielding the weapon out in Europe. I decided that it be best that I start the search out west.
It had basically become a race against them.
Tell me if you like!