A/N: I do not own the rights to the Soul Series or any of its characters. This story is a sequel to my other fanfic, Soul Edge: The Beginning, so be sure to check it out before reading this one! Updates weekly.

No man or woman born, coward or brave, can shun his destiny.
-Homer, The Iliad

Transcending history and the world,
A tale of souls and swords, eternally retold…
-Anonymous

Prologue:

Sorrento, Kingdom of Naples - June, 1558.

"CHRISTINE," shouted Edge Master, "LOOK OUT!"

Christine, who was accompanying a group of civilians out of a burning cathedral, looked up and saw the steeple had broken off and was about to come crashing down on her. Christine yelled at the crowd, forcing them to move quicker as tons of brick and steel struck the ground behind them.

With the crowd safely away from the cathedral, Italian soldiers arrived to escort them further away. Christine, battered and filthy from the ensuing chaos, took a moment to observe her surroundings. The sight of collapsed buildings, dead civilians and the fleet of Ottoman ships in the Marina Grande unloading cannon fire on the helpless city was an overwhelming sight to behold.

"Christine," Edge Master's voice snapped Christine back into reality, "Are you alright?"

"I don't understand," she said, "What do they want here?"

"This city is in Spanish territory," replied Edge Master, "Whom the Ottomans have been at odds with for years. You knew that, Christine."

"But they're killing innocents!" cried Christine.

"I know, but we are not here to argue the morality of this invasion; we have to help as many of the civilians as we can. Escort these people to safety, then rendezvous with me at the top of that hill, understand?"

Edge Master pointed towards the hill he was referring to.

"Alright," said Christine.

Christine and Edge Master split up once again to each rescue more civilians. The constant sound of cannon fire kept Christine on edge; any one of them could have been aimed in her direction. As Christine moved deeper into the city, she found a family hiding in an alley.

"Fretta!" Christine yelled, her Italian far from fluent, "Seguimi! Seguimi!"

Christine continued yelling as she escorted the frightened family out of the alley.

"Quickly," she continued, "We must get…ACK!"

A cannonball had struck a tall building mere blocks from where Christine stood, causing it to collapse. Despite the danger, she persevered, hoping to get the family to safety.

"Oh, Thomas," she whispered, "I would give anything to see you right now. I have never been so overwhelmed in my life…"

She eventually reached a large plaza, where a group of soldiers awaited. They immediately grabbed the family and began escorting them to a safehouse.

"Mia figlia!" screamed the mother, "Per favore, salvate mia figlia!"

"What did she say?" asked Christine.

"Her daughter is missing," said the squad's commander, in broken English, "They must have gotten separated."

"I have to go back," insisted Christine, "I must find her! She must be close to where I found her family."

"No, you will not!" snapped the captain, "This is no place for a woman! You will let us handle it from here!"

Ignoring the commander's demands, Christine turned back and ran down the street to where she originally found the frightened family. She stopped in her tracks upon seeing a little girl at the entrance of an abandoned store. The girl, barely six or seven, had olive skin and dark black hair and wore a plain brown dress, which was torn and filthy from the chaos.

"Your mother is searching for you," said Christine, "You must come with me!"

The girl stared at Christine.

"Tua madre," Christine struggled to find the right words, "Sta Cercando…"

The little girl said nothing. She merely turned around and ran deeper into the store.

"Damnit," Christine muttered.

Just as Christine was about to begin her pursuit, she felt someone grab her shoulder. It was the commander from before.

"You!" he said, "I told you to stay back!"

"I found her," said Christine, "She went in there! Please, let me go after her."

"Absolutely not," said the commander, "My men will go. We need to get you to…"

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud "Boom". A cannonball had struck the building right across from where they were standing, causing most of it to collapse. The falling rubble landed so close to Christine and the soldiers that they were forced to dive out of its way. The shock and trauma caused Christine to momentarily pass out.

Christine awoke minutes later, covered in dust and debris. Her head was pounding and all she could hear was a loud, incessant ringing noise. Christine slowly placed a hand over her right ear and felt blood. As her vision slowly returned, she saw that each of the Italian soldiers accompanying her were laying injured on the ground as well, some barely alive. Just then, several figures appeared on the scene.

"Non..." she whispered.

The Ottoman soldiers were beginning to disembark their ships and patrol the city in search of prisoners. Christine watched in horror as the Ottomans approached each of the fallen Italian soldiers and executed them with pistols. Just as they were about to reach Christine, their attention was momentarily diverted.

"Please," begged a voice, "Don't do this!"

It was the Italian commander who had tried to stop Christine. His leg had been crushed by a large stone block, rendering him unable to move. All he could do was beg for his life as the Ottomans approached him.

"Please!" he cried, "We have nothing you want! Just leave!"

One of the Ottomans observed the man for a second and smirked before executing him like the others.

"I have to get out of here," Christine whispered.

Christine looked around, desperate for an escape. It was then she spotted the little girl again, in the alley behind the store. Christine quietly stood up and snuck away from the horrible scene.

"Where is she going?" Christine wondered.

Still shaken before, and with a deep pain in her ribs, Christine stumbled through the alleyway in pursuit of the girl. The sounds of Ottoman soldiers pouring into the area behind her prompted her to move faster, despite her injuries. Christine eventually reached a staircase that led to a higher section of the city.

"I have to keep moving," she thought, while mounting the stairs.

At the top, Christine found the little girl again, this time standing in the doorway of a small house, ushering Christine over.

"Is this your home?" asked Christine, entering the house.

The house was small and minimally-decorated. Its interior consisted of a single room that functioned as a kitchen, dining area, and bedroom. The girl led Christine to the back of the room, where a small hatch lay on the floor.

"Parfait," said Christine, "We can hide from the soldiers in there!"

Christine opened the hatch, allowing herself and the girl to descend. The basement was pitch black, forcing Christine to feel her way around. The room felt extremely narrow, with a table on either side of her. Once Christine felt that there were candles on one of the tables, she immediately reached for the tinderbox she kept in her pocket.

"Et, Voila!" she said, upon lighting one of the candles, "Better, n'est-ce pas?"

The girl maintained her silence and began searching the tables for something.

"What are you looking for?" asked Christine.

The girl grabbed a small object and brought it to Christine. It was a necklace adorned with small gems and lined with gold. It bore the shape of two snakes clasping at each other with open mouths.

"What is it?" asked Christine, "Che cos'e?"

"I soldati," said the little girl, "Sono qui per questo!"

"I-I'm sorry, I don't understand…"

"Sono qui per questo," the girl repeated, before handing Christine the object.

Christine examined the necklace. Was the child actually implying that the Ottomans were searching for this object? It seemed unlikely, though Christine was nonetheless compelled to take it.

"I promise I won't let them take it," said Christine, pocketing it.

Christine knelt down and held out her arms. In response, the young girl hugged her. Just then, they heard footsteps above them. Christine instructed the girl to remain quiet, as the sounds of soldiers screaming and metal clashing rang above them.

"I have to help," said Christine, drawing her own rapier, "Rimanga qui…"

The girl nodded as Christine climbed up and opened the hatch. She examined the room and saw two Ottoman soldiers kneeling near the side wall with their rifles pointed outside the window. They each fired shots at the Italian soldiers outside before withdrawing them inside to reload.

"Now's my chance," thought Christine.

Christine carefully snuck up on the two men and cut them down with her sword. Through the window, she could see Italian soldiers clashing with the Ottoman invaders. She decided to step outside and join them.

Upon stepping outside, Christine was immediately jumped by an Ottoman soldier. As he swung his kilij down at her, she deflected it with her rapier and twirled away from him.

"Pis fahişe!" yelled the soldier.

The man prepared to slice Christine, but she deflected his weapon, causing him to strike the side of the house. He kicked Christine away and attempted to slash her again, only this time, Christine ducked to avoid the attack. After blocking the next few attacks, Christine exploited an opening in his defense and impaled him. With her sword deep in his gut, the soldier died quickly.

Christine then aided the Italians in finishing off the remaining Ottomans in the area. Once they were all dead, the Italian soldiers pointed their rifles at Christine, forcing her to drop her rapier.

"Please," she begged, "I'm not the enemy! There's a little girl in that house, under a hatch in the floor! Her family is waiting for her!"

The soldiers stared blankly at Christine.

"Does anyone understand?" she asked.

One soldier uttered something in Italian, prompting the others to run inside the house. Moments later, they emerged holding the girl. Christine breathed a sigh of relief.

"You're going to be okay," she whispered, as she held out her hand.

As the soldier carried the girl away, the girl stretched her arm out as well, and for a brief second, their fingers touched. Christine had saved the girl, but she needed to get out of the city before things got worse.

"Ma'am," said one of the soldiers, "You must come with us. More Janissaries are expected to arrive."

"I can't," said Christine, "I need to meet with someone outside of town. Just keep watch over the child and her family, alright?"

"But miss…" began the soldier.

It was too late. Christine had already begun running away from the scene. She ran straight towards the hills surrounding the town and began to climb. From the hilltop, Christine was able to get a good view of chaos and the thousands of soldiers pouring into the city. Christine scoured the hills for Edge Master, but found no sign of him. She was running out of time and could no longer wait. Left with no choice, Christine began to run as far from the city as she could.

"I need to head east," she thought, "I have to find someone who can help me…And perhaps someone who can explain to me what this necklace is!"

That was the last Christine ever saw of Edge Master, but her journey was far from complete.