"I can't believe it. I've finally ridded the world of two great evils"

Cassandra had managed to defeat Algol, and destroy Soul Edge, which she had been searching for ever since her sister, Sophitia, had become infected with its evil, and caused her children to become infected as well. Cassandra had sought the Holy Stone to destroy this sword, but soon came to realise that this Holy Stone (which she later discovered to be Soul Calibur) posed just as big a threat to the world as Soul Edge. She still remembers its final words: "You dare to extinguish the light of humanity just to suit yourself?" Though Cassandra knew that such a sword could not exist in this world, these words still caused her some anxiety, though she took care not to show it. Now that her task had been completed, all that Cassandra wanted to do was return home and live a normal life.

Cassandra peered down at her sword and shield, which Rothion had forged for her after the sacred weapons she had previously used were damaged. The shield was cracked slightly, but still stable, and the sword had begun to lose some of its lustre, and was not as sharp. Cassandra sighed lightly.

"I'm tired of fighting", she said to herself. "I'm glad that I don't have to fight anymore"

Cassandra was tempted to cast her weapons aside, to signify her resolve for a peaceful future, but reluctantly kept them on her person, as a means of protection should any more danger come her way.

Cassandra had not seen her sister for many months, and could hardly wait for them to be reunited. When she had returned to Athens from her first journey, Sophitia had already left on another quest to destroy Soul Edge, and she had not been to Athens again since. Regardless, she did not have far left to go – another fifty miles and she would have finished her journey.

Along the way, Cassandra cheered herself up by thinking of Sophitia's children, Pyrrha and Patroklos. She imagined their smiling faces peering up at her, with that sense of excitement and inquisitiveness that all small children possess. She knew that they could now live safely, without fear, and with their mother, and this made her happier.

Cassandra also thought about the family bakery, for which she had previously run errands. Whilst her work was often boring, she always cheered up when the aroma of fresh bread filled the premise, and for many years, before Sophitia had become entangled with Soul Edge, she had been happy with this state of affairs. Suddenly, Cassandra felt a sliver of pain slide through her stomach. She remembered that she had not yet eaten that day, and decided that she should buy some food when she came to the nearest town.

A few hours later, Cassandra also found herself reminiscing about the times where Sophitia had been in danger. Over seven years previously, Sophitia had been wounded by Soul Edge, and Cassandra had waited anxiously for her return. She had been the only person to believe Sophitia's story, and consequently, before Sophitia met Rothion and married, she was the only person that Sophitia felt able to trust. Thus, when Sophitia collapsed upon having a vision of Soul Edge, only Cassandra understood what was happening to her. From that day on, Cassandra felt that the burden of Sophitia's plight should rest on her shoulders instead. Cassandra was imbued with not just maternal instinct, but also an instinct to help everyone who had been betrayed by Soul Edge. But now, Soul Edge could never harm anyone again.

Cassandra looked up towards the sky. "Hephaestus!" she shouted with intense anger. "Look at what I have accomplished! I have destroyed the sword which caused you so much fear – the sword that threatened to humiliate you. Ha! Humiliate – I bet you never cared at all about the harm it could cause other people! All the people that it has massacred and driven insane. No – clearly your reputation as a holy blacksmith is much more important. Well, count yourself lucky! But don't ever call out my sister for your 'holy' pursuits again! She has enough troubles as it is. If you really are a god worthy of the title, acknowledge me!"

She stared up at the night sky; stars were beginning to appear. The air carried a faint chill across the land. Nothing happened as she waited for Hephaestus to answer. "No, I didn't think so…" By this point, Cassandra's legs had begun to ache from the hours of walking she had endured. She decided that she should find some shelter and rest for the night. Eventually, a charitable family in a nearby village agreed to let her into their home for the night, and gave her some bread to eat. Cassandra found herself with an insatiable appetite, and soon there was not even a single crumb of the bread left. Afterwards, Cassandra lay down on the kitchen floor, which was hard and uncomfortable. Still hanging onto her tarnished weapons, Cassandra tried to sleep, but found that it was impossible. She spent most of the night staring at the ceiling – she knew that she could not be happy until she had seen her sister again.

This had been Cassandra's routine for many weeks – as she made the long and dangerous journey back to her homeland, and sought shelter from the bitter cold of winter, her mind was calmed with thoughts of her family, and of the many happy moments Sophitia's children would come to cherish in the future. Without these thoughts, she might have given up long ago. But Cassandra was not a quitter – she had a strong heart, and knew what she wanted. Though she had a jaded opinion of the gods that Sophitia worshipped with such piety, and despite some morally ambiguous decisions (in particular, stealing the sacred weapons which were left upon Hephaestus' shrine), Cassandra's intentions were unquestionably noble, and with this in mind, she did not care at all about the scorn which other residents of Athens might show towards her. She had done what she had intended, and nothing could sway this sense of pride that filled her heart.

Finally, after travelling many hundreds of miles, Cassandra's journey was complete – she had returned to Athens. Cassandra suddenly felt an intense elation that bordered on ecstasy – she had to close her eyes and re-open them to make sure that this was not simply a wonderful dream. She had finally returned home. She felt tears of joy prickling her eyes, and wiped them away with her hand. Immediately, ignoring her fatigue and aching limbs, she ran straight towards Sophitia's house.

By the time she had reached her sister's home, she could scarcely contain herself. She felt that she would burst into flames if she kept her destruction of the swords a secret. It was a huge effort just to keep herself from screaming.

"Sophitia! Sophitia!"

Cassandra saw Sophitia, along with her husband, Rothion, and her son, Patroklos, who were all kneeling in the sitting room.

"Sophitia! I have wonderful news!"

Sophitia looks up mournfully. "Oh. Cassandra. You're safe." As she said this, Sophitia's voice was solemn and despondent, and her eyes were bloodshot. It was clear to Cassandra that something was not right.

"Sophitia? What's wrong?"

"Oh, Cassandra. It's terrible, terrible…"

Cassandra over at Rothion. He was so torn with grief that he was unable to speak, and he kept his head bowed, as though he could not bear the weight of their situation.

"Please", Cassandra said. "Tell me. What has happened?"

Sophitia was unable to answer at first, but eventually she regained her composure, and looked directly at Cassandra. "She had your eyes… your wonderful emerald green eyes." Sophitia hugs Patroklos, who had begun to whimper, and kisses his forehead.

"Cassandra", Sophitia said finally. "Pyrrha is dead."

This revelation would come back to haunt Cassandra for many years to come, but of course she had no way of knowing this. Cassandra found herself overcome with horror and anguish, and she found that she was unable to stop herself crying. Her tears shed like rainfall, and for a long while the four of them were unable to do anything but cry for the fate of poor, gentle Pyrrha.