Journey of Siegfried
Chapter one, return to reality.
The lights where low on the cold mountainside, ice like wind swept all around as the void's black clouds continued their mindless march in the darkened sky. A black helmet lay on a stalagmite, waiting for its owner to take up its bat like self and place it over his face. Siegfried lay upon a flattened stone sleeping a restless sleep. He tossed and turned as the dark blade, Soul Edge, corrupted him from its resting place not five feet from him. Soul Edge's one eye remained closed as it tried to realign itself with its once powerful host, as it had been doing for the past few years. Only a single misinformed raven took notice as Siegfried woke with a scream.
Siegfried's breathing was short as he let the sweat drip down his brow, his eyes wide and awake. He was afraid to look up, to see what ghostly face he would encounter this time, to see witch of the slain was paying him a visit. Ever Xianghua had caused the Evil Seed, and he had been forced into the void, visions of the ones he had killed had begun to haunt his every waking moment. He forced himself to look up, right into the face of his long dead father.
"...F...Father...?" The only words he could say before the ghost vanished, head shaking in disappointment.
Soul Edge's eye opened as the night lifted himself from his resting- place and walked over to a polished rock he had been using as a mirror. The reflection was not the one of Siegfried Schtauffen, but one of the infamous Nightmare, a night nothing more then the embodiment of the dark blade.
"Why do you torment me? I have done nothing but gather souls for you to feast upon, at the cost of people dear to me. Why do you persist in toying with my mind!?" Yelled Siegfried into the reflection.
Nightmare raised one eyebrow, "Torment? I have not caused the ghosts to come, why blame it on me? It was your own will that they appear here."
"My own will? No, I would never wish them here, I'd wish them gone, gone, GONE!" he slammed his mutated fist into the wall beside him, a crack formed.
"But you do want them here, it is a way of punishing yourself."
"If that is true, it is punishment for all the wrongs I did in your name." He ran his normal hand through his hair, brushing out some of the dirt and sand. "You turned me into this...this..." He looked down at his misshapen arm, "Thing."
"Power does have some draw backs you know."
"A changed body, and a broken promise, draw backs I love to have in my life as a warrior."
"Sarcasm will get you nowhere boy."
"Boy? I am no common child."
"In my eye you are still a boy, I had lived for years before your birth."
A black raven flew into the cave and perched on top of a zweihander blade resting next to Siegfried's armor. It made a loud cawing sound and dropped a small metal fragment in front of the requiem. Siegfried looked at the shard then ventured toward it, a feeling of duty starting to creep over him. As he reached out for the evil scrap, the bird called once then flew off.
"It seems the time has come for us to return to the real world, a rip in this dismal void has opened, and I do so wish to be whole once again." Came Soul Edge in Siegfried's mind. "Come, rest, once you have regained your strength, we will venture to your home world."
Siegfried looked at the demonic blade, its words actually held caring, compassion, things he had only heard the blade say when he had first taken up its hilt. He ventured over to the slab of a bed and laid down his head. Sleep came quickly to the once great warrior, came as quickly as Soul Edge worked to turn him back into Nightmare once and for all...
When he awoke, Nightmare's eyes had turned red again, and he felt his strength returning to him. He lifted his armor from its resting-place, a small mouse that had taken refuge in its metal interior ran off into the darkness of the void. Nightmare reattached the plating to his body and reached for his helmet, pausing when he caught site of the requiem. It was the sword he had used for the last couple of months, the only other blade he had held in his hands sense the Faust.
Soul Edge's voice rang in Nightmare's head, "Take it with you, it could come in handy later on."
"Yes master," replied Nightmare, "If you think it bast."
Nightmare garbed his helmet and put it on, its weight once again resting on his brow. On his back he slinged the requiem and then with his changed arm, garbed Soul Edge. He was ready to go, but he took one last look at the home he had been in for the last few months, barren, hollow, dark, all of witch he felt inside of him. This cave was now a reflection of what he was feeling, what he had become.
The black raven came swooping down and dropped another shard of Soul Edge in Nightmare's hand, he lifted it to the sky and let the power flow through him before returning it to the evil blade. It felt cold, the flames of the evil feel on his skin like new snow, but the power was there, burning his core. Old thoughts both filed and left his head, the blade's eye opened at the power it had regained, the time had come to leave. The raven jumped off its perch and flew towards the void's opening, Nightmare followed close behind.
The fresh air was a change of pace for the dark night, he took a second to take a good breath of it before setting out to his old strong hold. To his good fortune, the tare in the void was only ten miles north of his old fortress. Now the only problem was to try and get to it unnoticed, he had come back to a world enjoying midday. During his time as Nightmare, Siegfried had gained a reputation as a living horror, thus people would not be too happy to see him. He had no cloak to hid under, and no horse to ride, people were sure to see him if he took normal roads, it was then he remembered an old passage he and his band of brigands, the Schwarzwind, had created as a means to go undercover when traveling.
He turned, the forest where the secret passage was not but two hundred yards in front of him. With any luck he could get there without any problems, but he still needed to keep his wits about him.
Chapter one, return to reality.
The lights where low on the cold mountainside, ice like wind swept all around as the void's black clouds continued their mindless march in the darkened sky. A black helmet lay on a stalagmite, waiting for its owner to take up its bat like self and place it over his face. Siegfried lay upon a flattened stone sleeping a restless sleep. He tossed and turned as the dark blade, Soul Edge, corrupted him from its resting place not five feet from him. Soul Edge's one eye remained closed as it tried to realign itself with its once powerful host, as it had been doing for the past few years. Only a single misinformed raven took notice as Siegfried woke with a scream.
Siegfried's breathing was short as he let the sweat drip down his brow, his eyes wide and awake. He was afraid to look up, to see what ghostly face he would encounter this time, to see witch of the slain was paying him a visit. Ever Xianghua had caused the Evil Seed, and he had been forced into the void, visions of the ones he had killed had begun to haunt his every waking moment. He forced himself to look up, right into the face of his long dead father.
"...F...Father...?" The only words he could say before the ghost vanished, head shaking in disappointment.
Soul Edge's eye opened as the night lifted himself from his resting- place and walked over to a polished rock he had been using as a mirror. The reflection was not the one of Siegfried Schtauffen, but one of the infamous Nightmare, a night nothing more then the embodiment of the dark blade.
"Why do you torment me? I have done nothing but gather souls for you to feast upon, at the cost of people dear to me. Why do you persist in toying with my mind!?" Yelled Siegfried into the reflection.
Nightmare raised one eyebrow, "Torment? I have not caused the ghosts to come, why blame it on me? It was your own will that they appear here."
"My own will? No, I would never wish them here, I'd wish them gone, gone, GONE!" he slammed his mutated fist into the wall beside him, a crack formed.
"But you do want them here, it is a way of punishing yourself."
"If that is true, it is punishment for all the wrongs I did in your name." He ran his normal hand through his hair, brushing out some of the dirt and sand. "You turned me into this...this..." He looked down at his misshapen arm, "Thing."
"Power does have some draw backs you know."
"A changed body, and a broken promise, draw backs I love to have in my life as a warrior."
"Sarcasm will get you nowhere boy."
"Boy? I am no common child."
"In my eye you are still a boy, I had lived for years before your birth."
A black raven flew into the cave and perched on top of a zweihander blade resting next to Siegfried's armor. It made a loud cawing sound and dropped a small metal fragment in front of the requiem. Siegfried looked at the shard then ventured toward it, a feeling of duty starting to creep over him. As he reached out for the evil scrap, the bird called once then flew off.
"It seems the time has come for us to return to the real world, a rip in this dismal void has opened, and I do so wish to be whole once again." Came Soul Edge in Siegfried's mind. "Come, rest, once you have regained your strength, we will venture to your home world."
Siegfried looked at the demonic blade, its words actually held caring, compassion, things he had only heard the blade say when he had first taken up its hilt. He ventured over to the slab of a bed and laid down his head. Sleep came quickly to the once great warrior, came as quickly as Soul Edge worked to turn him back into Nightmare once and for all...
When he awoke, Nightmare's eyes had turned red again, and he felt his strength returning to him. He lifted his armor from its resting-place, a small mouse that had taken refuge in its metal interior ran off into the darkness of the void. Nightmare reattached the plating to his body and reached for his helmet, pausing when he caught site of the requiem. It was the sword he had used for the last couple of months, the only other blade he had held in his hands sense the Faust.
Soul Edge's voice rang in Nightmare's head, "Take it with you, it could come in handy later on."
"Yes master," replied Nightmare, "If you think it bast."
Nightmare garbed his helmet and put it on, its weight once again resting on his brow. On his back he slinged the requiem and then with his changed arm, garbed Soul Edge. He was ready to go, but he took one last look at the home he had been in for the last few months, barren, hollow, dark, all of witch he felt inside of him. This cave was now a reflection of what he was feeling, what he had become.
The black raven came swooping down and dropped another shard of Soul Edge in Nightmare's hand, he lifted it to the sky and let the power flow through him before returning it to the evil blade. It felt cold, the flames of the evil feel on his skin like new snow, but the power was there, burning his core. Old thoughts both filed and left his head, the blade's eye opened at the power it had regained, the time had come to leave. The raven jumped off its perch and flew towards the void's opening, Nightmare followed close behind.
The fresh air was a change of pace for the dark night, he took a second to take a good breath of it before setting out to his old strong hold. To his good fortune, the tare in the void was only ten miles north of his old fortress. Now the only problem was to try and get to it unnoticed, he had come back to a world enjoying midday. During his time as Nightmare, Siegfried had gained a reputation as a living horror, thus people would not be too happy to see him. He had no cloak to hid under, and no horse to ride, people were sure to see him if he took normal roads, it was then he remembered an old passage he and his band of brigands, the Schwarzwind, had created as a means to go undercover when traveling.
He turned, the forest where the secret passage was not but two hundred yards in front of him. With any luck he could get there without any problems, but he still needed to keep his wits about him.