I do not own any part of the Legend of Zelda or Soul series.

Please review. Thank you.


It was that time again. Another year had gone by. Link made his way back to the spot where he first set foot into this world; this terrible world.

Soul Edge's world was not really a bad place, but Link was alone. He did not form any friendships or relationships, mostly because the people alienated him. His pointed ears made the people view him as a freak. They saw it as the mark of a demon, or some sort of monster. He couldn't hide them with his hair; they were too noticeable. So he kept to himself, often under a hooded cloak, trying to accomplish his task.

Link kept thinking, any day now, he'd find a lead. He'd find Soul Edge. He'd find it and destroy it. And when that was all said and done, he would at last be able to go home.

But that day didn't come. For four years, that day didn't come. He had no clues. No one had any idea where this blade could be. Most had never even heard of it.

But he had to keep looking. He couldn't go back until the blade was gone, and Hyrule was safe.

A sound reminiscent of electric sparks caught his attention. A glowing ball of light appeared before him. It grew larger, and opened up. He saw through it. His home; the beautiful land of Hyrule. It was so close, but out of his reach.

"Link!" called a voice through the portal.

Princess Zelda. She has become so much more womanly, so much more beautiful since Link had left.

"Link!" she called again, "Have you found Soul Edge yet?"

"Not yet, Princess!" Link shouted back through the portal, "I'm working on it!"

"Do you have any leads?"

"Not at the moment!"

"I see…"

Zelda sighed and lowered her head. Rauru's voice boomed from behind her, "WE'RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME, LINK. IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH TO TELL US?"

"Let me end this quest! Let this torment cease! Please, by the almighty Goddesses, LET ME COME HOME!"

"No," Link answered, his insides churning.

"ALL RIGHT THEN, LINK," Rauru shouted back, "KEEP TRYING! OUR MAGIC IS DRAINING, WE'LL CLOSE THE PORTAL NOW. GOOD LUCK! WE'LL SEE YOU IN ONE YEAR!"

The portal began to shrink. Within seconds, it had disappeared entirely.

Link stood there, his fists clenched, his teeth gritted. He began to tremble. He turned his gaze towards the heavens and let out a scream. A terrible scream of anger and frustration.

For four years he had been stuck here, with nary an inkling of Soul Edge's whereabouts. For four years, he had to tell them that he was no closer to finding the sword than he was when he had first arrived. Did they think he was just slacking off?

If this kept up, Link would die before he found the sword. Every day, that dream of returning to Hyrule seemed further and further away.

He turned around, and made his way back to the village.


"Damned sword…," he grumbled, lifting the cup to his lips once more. Downing another mouthful of the nihonshu. He had originally only come to the the inns to hear if anybody knew about Soul Edge, but as time went on, he found himself drinking. Soon, he began drinking every single time the opportunity showed itself. It made him feel good; made him forget the pain and the loneliness. Even if only for a while.

He had given up asking around about the sword, as that had been fruitless for the first two years of his search. He listened to what was going on around him, but other than that, just tried to keep to himself.

He took another drink, trying to listen to what was going on around him.

"—took out the entire Cavalry at Nagashino–"

"—begun raiding the Korean coastline–"

"—the old man is gone. The pale child is—"

"—says he's looking for the sword of legend—"

Sword of legend? Link focused on that. He turned his head and listened in on the table behind him.

"Sword of legend?"

"Yes. Soul Edge, I think they call it."

Link's eyes widened. This was his chance. He shut out everything else but that conversation.

"Any idea where he's headed?" asked the man in the kasa.

"None. All I know is he wants the sword," replied the other.

"Any idea who might know?" asked the first.

"I know a man in Chugoku," answered the second, "a weapons collector. His name is Xiuqiang. Kong Xiuqiang. He might know."

"Thank you," said the man in the kasa, as he stood up and laid a bag of coins on the table. He headed for the door, and walked out.

This was it! He was on Soul Edge's trail! Soon he'd finally be rid of the damned thing and be able to return home. With a large grin on his face, he headed back to his room at the inn and collected his belongings. And then, without another word, he split town, making his way to Chugoku.


Five weeks had passed since Link left for Chugoku. At last, he had arrived. It was much busier than the other region. People were hustling and bustling on the street, eager to arrive at their destinations. Much like the crowds at Castle Town.

"Xiuqiang," he said to himself, "A weapons collector named Kong Xiuqiang."

He lowered the hood further over his face, and walked through the streets, searching for a tavern or an inn where he could ask around about this Xiuqiang character.

He searched for hours, even offering a reward for the information, and it finally paid off. He arrived at the specified location: A small shop in an alleyway near the edge of town. He knocked on the door, and entered.

"Kong Xiuqiang?" he called.

No answer came.

"Kong Xiuqiang?"

Again, silence.

"Kong Xiuqiang?" he asked once more, loudly.

"Whoa, whoa, what?" answered a voice, followed by a crash and a thud. "Ow!"

Link went to the back room to see what had cause the noise. An old, bearded man lay on the ground, surrounded by several bottles of rice wine and a broken pot. By the looks of it, he had been sleeping off his liquor until Link woke him up.

Link crouched to help the old man to his feet.

"What do you want?" asked the old man groggily.

"Are you Kong Xiuqiang?" Link asked.

"Yeah," answered the old man, "What do you want?"

"I understand you might know a thing or two about a weapon called 'Soul Edge?'" Link said.

"Soul Edge?" Xiuqiang repeated, scratching the back of his head, "I might know a thing or two. What do you want with it?"

"That's not important," Link answered.

"Fine,"Xiuqiang spat, "So, tell me. Why should I tell you anything about Soul Edge?"

Link smiled and reached into his bag, and pulled out a pouch. He emptied it onto the table, and out came a handful of rupees of many different colors. He learned quickly that, as a currency, they were useless here. But they resembled fine cut jewels of this world, and the right person would take them all the same as coin.

Xiquiang smiled. He looked up at Link, "What do you want to know?"

"I want to know where it is. Where it might be."

"Ha!" Xiuqiang scoffed, "Where it is? There's a reason it's called 'The Sword of LEGEND.' I don't know where it is. Nobody knows where it is. Most don't even think it's real, or they've never heard of it."

"Do you have any idea?" Link said, growing frustrated.

"Yeah, I do," Xiuqiang stood up and walked into the back room, "Make yourself comfortable, son. I've got quite the tale tell you." He came back with two bottles of rice wine, and tossed one to Link as he sat down. "Drink up."

"Tell me what I want to know," Link said, raising the bottle to his lips, eager to finally end this journey.

"Easy," Xiquiang answered, taking a swig of his own bottle, "There's a thousand tales surrounding Soul Edge. And a thousand places it could be."

"What?" Link asked, exasperatedly, "A THOUSAND? No, that can't be right… That-"

"Calm. Down," Xiuqiang ordered, "Let me tell you. Being the traveling martial artist that I am, I hear stories from all over, many of them dealing with weapons and warriors. Many, many years ago, I heard tale of a man from the west. They called him, 'The Merchant of Death.' One of the richest men in his country… Italy, I think it was. Anyway, this merchant was obsessed with his riches and his collections. He had a collection of armaments and was very eager to find one last addition – a blade of legend. Soul Edge." Xiuqiang took another mouthful of rice wine, and continued his tale, "He hired many explorers, mercenaries, and even pirates to look for it. He even went searching for it himself."

"So, he found it?" Link interrupted.

"According to legend," Xiuqiang continued, "not long after the merchant left on his search for the weapon, war broke out. His manor – his treasures – were looted. He had lost everything that wasn't on his fleet. In anger, he turned his fleet around, and went to a desolate island off the coast of Italy, near a place called Sicily. He had a giant pit dug, and filled with all his remaining treasures and possessions. He built a vault around the pit, and sealed himself inside."

"What?" Link asked, "But-but... What about Soul Edge?"

"That's just it," Xiuqiang said back, "It might be locked in that vault with the merchant."

"MIGHT BE?!" Link asked, shooting up out of his chair, his hood almost coming off. He didn't want to travel all that way for nothing. He just wanted to destroy that sword and go home. He had to.

"It's worth checking out, isn't it?" Xiuqiang downed another mouthful of wine, "And if it isn't, maybe he figured out where it was; left you a map."

"And if he didn't?" Link inquired desperately.

"Then you come on back to me. I'll tell you anything I know about it."

Link gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Beads of sweat began dripping from his brow. He was going to travel to this faraway country all on another man's hunch? He couldn't believe he was going to go through with it. He angrily turned away and headed for the door.

"One more thing," Xiuqiang added. Link turned his head to the old man. "If you find that sword, and find yourself wanting to get rid of it...," Xiuqiang smiled, " I'll pay a handsome price for it."

Link turned back around and walked out the door of the shop. As he exited, he knocked into somebody, and they both fell to the floor.

"Apologies," said the other person.

"No, it's my fault," Link said standing up. He looked at the other figure. It was the man in the kasa.

"…Do I know you from somewhere?" asked the man.

"No…," Link answered, turning away, "You must be mistaken."

Link walked away, leaving the man in the kasa alone. He had to hurry and find the merchant's vault. He had to hurry and end this horrible quest.


AND. I'M. DONE.

HUZZAH!

This one was a toughie to write.

Yes, yes, yes, chapter two has arrived! Please, please, hold your applause.

It's been four years since Link first arrived in Soul Edge's world, and the year is 1584 AD.

Who is the strange man in the kasa? Maybe you'll find out later.

What the hell is a kasa? It's a conical hat.

Is Soul Edge in the merchant's vault? Maybe. Maybe not.

Is that the same Kong Xiuqiang who is Xianghua's father? Yes. At least, I intended it to be. Can't really use a character's canon personality when they don't have enough of a character to develop a personality.

So, tell me. What did you think? Did you like it? Why? Did you hate it? Why? What can I do to make it better?