Second chapter today
Wandering Seer
Voldo woke up in a bed. He realized his wounds had been taken care of but he sensed no one around. It seemed most of the people fled, leaving him alone in the infirmary. Painfully getting up, he remembered the Broken Demonic sword and wondered where it was. Did someone stole it again? All those people fleeing, one of them could have taken the sword… He still had Soul Edge and this sword to retrieve… Wandering around, he suddenly felt Ludovigo's sword and sighed in relief. He took the sword and decided to go back to the Money Pit to bring back the sword. He was too wounded for Soul Edge and beside he knew the sword would probably still be there next time he comes… Now all he had to do was to avoid anyone to go back safely home… Groaning in pain, he walked out of the infirmary.
September 1593
Not having been able to pay his debt or convince the Ottoman creditor to give him more time, Alexandru was now surrounded by the Ottoman forces who wanted to bring him to the Sultan so that he answered to him. To answer to him meant in the best case, being exiled like the previous duke Stefan Surdul had been or in the worst case… Fearing to be executed, Alexandru had ordered his troops to resist. And now, he was besieged in his castle… His last stand…
Strangled by the Turks… Like the witch told him… This vision he feared so much came haunting him again. He had sent a messenger to the Holy Roman Empire to get some help by promising them to become their vassal but the messenger was intercepted. All was lost… Strangled by the Turks… Still that obsessing fear… Gazing down from the top of the tower at the Ottoman army now invading his castle, the duke thought he would not surrender. He would die fighting… Not stangled like that little wench said… That little wench… He hated her! And her smile as she told him that… Damn her!
Running up the long spiral staircase of the tower where he saw the evil duke and wanting to make a name for himself by slaying him, a young brash Turk soldier suddenly noticed some kind of laboratory from an open door. His eagerness to slay the duke slipped away and was replaced by curiosity when he noticed the strangeness of this place. He went inside and noticed all the strange and horrifying experiments the duke made. Some bright red shard was on some table, some human body parts as well…
Not knowing about Soul Edge and not understanding what these strange experiments may be, the horrified young soldier continued walking through this strange place, looking around in wonder and disgust when he suddenly noticed someone lying down on a table. A young girl… A beautiful young girl with long white hair… He wondered what she was doing there. Beside her some kind of strange orb was glowing faintly… What was that?
The soldier really wondered and continued moving toward the girl. She was scantily dressed and the young man blushed at the sight of her almost naked body but he also noticed the many wounds she seemed to have received… The duke was making experiments on her… Seeing her chest go up and down, he noticed the girl seemed breathing and was still alive… He thought maybe he should free her, he wanted to free her, but something was scaring him. He wondered: Was she human? With her already white hair at her young age, he had the feeling she was some kind of mystical creature, a beautiful mystical creature: a mermaid… a Fay… Something like that… Maybe not a mermaid, she had legs… He blushed once more as he looked at the beautiful and naked legs before he thought: Whatever she was, she was mistreated here and he would save her! She was so beautiful… He noticed she was chained to the table and quickly found the keys not very far to unlock her chains.
Meanwhile, Duke Alexandru who was still at the top of the tower observing the fight, finally decided the fight was lost since too many Ottoman soldiers invaded the place. But first…
As the young Ottoman soldier finally unlocked Amy's chains, the duke came in and before the soldier could even notice him, he thrust his scimitar into the man's back. The young man fell down, dead.
Forgetting his fear of the orb since death would come for him anyway, guided only by hate, the duke then went beside Amy and lifted his scimitar, the images of what she predicted him, his strangulation, invading his mind and infuriating him. He would not let her be saved by the Ottomans! If he had to die, that wench will die first! This malfested monster, the cause of his downfall, will die! She will not enjoy his death!
-You! It's all your fault, you dirty witch!
His blade shined in the air, ready to strike when the orb suddenly glowed brightly blinding the duke for a while. The bright light caught the attention of the Turks who were still searching for him and some soldiers went his way. Just as Alexandru got his sight back, he saw those soldiers coming at him so he forgot his revenge on the young girl for now and went to fight them. In all the commotion nobody thought about the young unconscious girl lying down on the laboratory table anymore. The duke tried to escape the fight and ran out of the laboratory, the soldiers went after him and Amy was still unconscious on the table, the orb's light having faded.
-When the Turks attacked the city to capture Alexandru Cel Rau who resisted from his castle to not be taken prisoner, they destroyed the city and the castle and took the duke prisonner, leaving anything else there, in ruin… I woke up in those ruins… with that strange orb beside me… The tower I was in had completely crumbled. Probably by some cannons… Yet I survived but I didn't know what happened or even who I was, so hoping to remember soon, I started walking toward the town I was seeing a little farther away with my glowing orb since it followed me and I somehow felt it was part of me. I didn't know it was bad to walk around with this… I was completely lost, I didn't know where I was… I felt completely out of place. Somehow this world seemed so distant… I felt like in a dream. People down in the city were still under the shock of the attack and many didn't even understand why the Ottomans attacked them. When they saw me, they thought I was the reason and they jumped on me to burn me at the stake. At first, I didn't even know if they were real… and that I was part of the story… I stared at them as they kept approaching with their torches, forks and all… But I understood when one of them hit me. I fled and I was able to escape them for some times but they kept pursuing me around the area… After some days, they caught me and brought me to the city to execute me. Even if I was now conscious that I was part of the story, all of this still felt distant for me… I don't know why… Like if I was coming from another world… Like if I didn't belong… Since it had been some days that this attack occurred, there was now a new duke on the Walachian throne. Some of his soldiers who were in the town to help restore it, tried to prevent my execution since it did not have the duke's consent. So they saved me from the mob and brought me to the new duke.
-My lord, we came to tell you about a problem… said the captain of the guards who saved Amy from the stake.
Many peasants had also accompanied the guards to explain their point of view and demand that this witch was burnt to the stake.
The new duke of Walachia, Mihai Viteazul, saw a young girl with long tousled white hair standing before him. She was still wearing her indecent short dress showing much of her body. She seemed lost, her spirit seemed elsewhere… So the duke wondered either she didn't notice she was so scarcely dressed or she didn't care. She was also holding some kind of strange glowing crystal ball.
-Who is that young girl? Asked the duke who was about Raphael's age while gazing at Amy with curiosity and pity.
-A witch the people intended to burn in the town near the ruined castle of Duke Alexandru, my lord. From what I know, I think she is the Vampire's daughter… said the captain of the guards, suddenly getting more attention from the duke.
-The Vampire's daughter?
-Yes. They said she destroyed the city… That she was the cause… I found this on the site of the ruined castle… Duke Alexandru's personal journal. said the captain holding some book that he gave to the duke who opened it and continued speaking while reading some bits of it.
-… What did… Duke Alexandru did to her?
-Well she is not vampire anymore… We checked her teeth and as it is stated in the book, the purification she underwent a year ago is still effective; she is a normal girl… Well… was a normal girl… Before Alexandru Cel Rau made experiments on her… She now would have some future telling powers… with that strange orb… And her mind… doesn't seem quite well…
Duke Mihai was now reading some parts of the book and examining the somehow crazy looking girl and seemed sad.
-Alexandru really was hard on her… She still has such wounds marks… Poor child…
Amy had indeed many whip, burns and other marks on her body. The duke Mihail Viteazul had also been imprisonned by Alexandru some times ago, even condemned to death before he successfully escaped and fled to Transylvania, then Constantinople and allied himself with the Sultan who put him to govern in Alexandru's place, so he did suffer himself from some of the evil's duke mistreatments and somehow sympathized with Amy.
-Take her to the servants to receive some care and give her some bread and a decent dress. Then let her go.
-But… she is the Vampire's daughter! She is a witch! She destroyed the town! Insurged one of the peasants who came with the soldiers but the duke interrupted him.
-You saw her destroy anything? As I know all the destruction came from the battle. This young girl suffered enough. Let her go. I don't feel she is a threat to anyone. She didn't destroy the town, the Turcs' offensive and Alexandru's foolishness did. Not her.
-But she is craz… !
Duke Mihail's gaze made the peasant shut up. Then the new duke continued speaking.
-But take out her strange orb… Take it to the priest, I feel it is evil… but not the young girl… She is innocent… We must make sense of things…
Amy then let herself be lead peacefully by some soldiers to some room where some old maid took care of her wounds, gave her a simple long dress and took care of her hair. Since they were all tousled and very long, the old lady cut them for simplicity making Amy look more sane and normal. One of the soldiers had taken the orb away and left the castle to take it to the priest as the duke ordered. Amy didn't seem to care and ate the soup and bread she was given without a word. Without even a gaze at the maid who was watching her with curiosity but also with some pity.
-What is your name, young girl? Asked the lady who didn't know Amy was supposed to be the Vampire's daughter.
Amy didn't answer. She was in her own world for now and even if she would have heard the maid, she didn't remember her name.
The maid sometimes asked her some other questions but Amy never answered or muttered some strange cryptic things in a monotone voice scaring the maid who then stopped talking and gazed more worriedly at the strange young girl. She both pitied and feared her. After Amy finished her meal, the maid was more than glad to let go this scary girl and gave her two loaves of bread in a bag. A soldier came to take Amy to the castle's doors and told her to go away. Without a word, Amy started to walk away. But some distance farther, she suddenly lifted her left hand in expectance of something. Her orb then flew back to her and hovered around her before it landed on her left hand and Amy outlined a smile while continuing to walk away. Meanwhile somewhere farther, a Walachian soldier was very surprised at this orb getting out of his horse's saddle bag to fly away…
Viola was sitting beside Zwei on the couch in front of the one Raphael was still on.
-The new duke knew who I was and he had learned about the experiments Alexandru made on me… I think he pitied me and let me go even if I was malfested again and… even if I was crazy. Even if he knew I was the Vampire's daughter, he told his people I represented no danger… and I should be freed. So he freed me… sending me alone again in the world I didn't even remember, where I knew no one… I don't exactly remember everything during that time but I do know I was scarred from those experiments. I had lost memory of who I was and of my old life, of my father… I kept having visions, of what I underwent during my captivity and other strange visions that I could not control or even understand… visions of the future. I didn't understand, those visions came at anytime and it would make me lose my mind. I had difficulties to know if I belonged to the real world or the world in my visions… Everybody fled from me or scorned me, except for some people pitying me and giving me some food before they quickly left me, I was just some mad girl for them… Then after some years, I don't know how much, my sanity came back slowly but not my memory… And I was still alone… Well, most of the time… but I always had my orb… I knew this orb was part of me… It was the only thing I knew… yet it is destroyed now and I regained my memory… I suppose the part of me I was feeling in it was my memory… Maybe it followed me because of that… In truth, this orb was evil… like the duke had thought, like Talim and Kilik told me… I think…
Yet Viola felt strange without that orb that followed her for so long… She somehow missed it. But if it was what it took to have her memory back… So be it.
Viola now remembered how she was considered crazy by the people she encountered: some feared her, some scorned her, some chased her more or less brutally, some men tried to take advantage of her since she was only a crazy but very pretty and lonely woman, an easy prey… During that time, she found out that her long skirt was impeding her movements, giving her a disadvantage over the men trying to attack her. So she cut it. Better that they see more of her than use more of her. Somehow she thought it was better for fighting purposes yet good intentionned people were telling her to dress more or she would get attacked but if she was dressed in longer dresses, she had less freedom of movement and it wasn't stopping men from having bad intentions. She was still a weak and lonely woman for them. If a man was intended on doing something, he would try to do it that she was dressed as a nun or like she was. So she dressed as she prefered. Beside it also attracted clients… For fortune telling, not something else but Viola did use that lure to get some clients anyway…
Her orb was also luring people as much as scaring them since it looked so mysterious and professional. The best reaction Viola had from the people was when they feared her since fear implied some respect. Normal people were scared of her orb, even if she didn't make it fly, her orb was strangely glowing and even the most kind person were uneasy with this. Her cold and distant demeanour she developed once more helped to inspire them fear as well. And almost no one gave her respect without fear. Not many gave her help or compassion. Mostly now with her cold demeanour but it was better to be feared than disrespected since she didn't really count on meeting compassionate people. Yet she did. Sometimes. Some witches like her who helped her, some nuns in some convent, some priests, some gypsies or Roma…
She even stayed for some weeks with a roma caravan and learnt some of their fortune-telling ways as well as some fashion tips. But she left when she realized she prefered living alone. She was not made to be part of a group. Even if the Roma warmly welcomed her among them. She could encounter people but not for too long, then she was feeling uncomfortable. Even with the Schwarzwind after they saved her and Zwei from the stake, she was thinking about leaving soon if Zwei had not insisted for them to stay. They sometimes left to travel or asked mission to go away from the too crowded fortress since Viola didn't like to live with many people. She appreciated the Schwarzwind but she needed solitude.
She mostly stayed with witches when she had to sleep at someone's house since they were the most like her even thought some were downright crazy. She remembered one she had resided with for two days since the weather was really bad. It was a very cold winter… The woman was mumbling strange things all along her stay while Viola couldn't understand a word she was saying. She was mumbling anytime, talking to an imaginary child, probably one she once had and who had died… The witch only offered her musrooms and moldy bread, very moldy bread. And slimy water in her dirty glass… Somehow all her food seemed spoiled and the woman didn't seem to notice. There were so many cobwebs in this house that Viola almost wondered if she was in some ghost's house. Nothing seemed to be taken care of… This woman was living in the past and had no future… Viola pitied her; this woman had lived some hardships that turned her like this… Somehow she was crazy like Viola had been in her first months after the experiment and Viola didn't know for how long the woman remained like this. Maybe she still was… Even if she was hungry, Viola didn't take anything; the blue bread was disgusting her, giving her urge to puke and the musrooms were probably poisonous… and if they were not, she never liked to eat musroom. Even as Amy she hated musrooms… So Viola stayed for two nights, hearing the lady talk to her missing child for a good part of the night and after two days, when the weather calmed down, Viola left in the morning. This woman was crazy but at least she wasn't dangerous, except maybe with her spoiled food…
Viola also remembered the time she woke up by some premonitious dream just when she was about to get stabbed, sacrificed to the Devil by another witch. She had quickly reacted and sent her orb on the woman, knocking her out before she got out of the house and ran away. And those witches who wanted her to join in their Sabbat… She may be seen as a witch but she did not serve the Devil and did not want to do all those things they wanted her to do with them. Once more, she had to flee from them… And this other who tried to steal her orb… The other who tried to sell her to slavery, and succeeded… It took all to escape from those slave merchants… At least after she got whipped almost to death for refusing to show herself in display in front of some potential customer, she looked in such a bad state that they loosened their vigilance… But it took all of Viola's will to get up and escape after she beat the slaver guarding her. Luckily she succeeded to find a good hiding place where she fainted for about two days since she was so weak while the slavers were looking for her everywhere in the city and outside. With all those things that happened to her, Viola began to even distrust her 'fellow witches' or anyone and really stayed alone. Meanwhile she had also improved in her fighting skills so she had less troubles than at the beginning. The only one she allied with after those misadventures was Zwei. She felt he was true and kind and he had powers like her, real powers since all the witches she encountered never displayed any special powers or magical abilities…
As he was listening to Viola's story, Zwei seemed very sad and embraced his girlfriend.
-Viola…
Enjoying the embrace, Viola leaned her head on Zwei's chest before she lifted it again and gazed at him with love.
-And one day, you found me, you helped me and you became my friend. I felt good with you. I knew I could trust you. I wasn't scared to sleep near you. I knew you would never hurt me and would always be there for me. When I realized I was forgetting my time with you, I really panicked…
And Viola leaned her head on his chest again. Zwei hugged her even more and lowered his head toward her before he whispered to her:
-Viola… I love you… I love you with all my heart…
Viola lifted her head again and Zwei could see that she was smiling at him with the softest smile he ever seen…
-I love you Zwei… with all my heart too… You know, each time you howled at the moon, I imagined it was a serenade for me…
-It was, Viola… It was…
Viola kept staring at him with that soft and tender gaze and Zwei found her so beautiful; he lifted her chin with his hand as he lowered his head even more and kissed her on the lips. Viola closed her eyes as she kissed him back and embraced him tenderly. After they kissed for the second time, Zwei suddenly heard some hissing noise in the gallery.
-Did you hear?
-Non…
-There were some strange hissing sounds…
Zwei got up and told Viola:
-Stay here with you father. I'll go see.
-But… be careful.
-I will. I won't go too far, said Zwei with a smile.
And he went to see while Viola stayed near her father to protect him. Holding his hand, she wondered how will he take her relationship with Zwei… Yet she thought he must already know… with how he acted… But she mostly wondered how he would be when he would wake up… Squeezing slightly his hand, she muttered in worry:
-Oh, papa…
When Raphael woke up not long after, he realized he was on some couch in Denevér castle while someone was holding his hand tightly. He didn't remember how he ended up there or the last events but he turned his head and realized Viola was sitting on the ground beside the couch. She was the one holding his hand so tenderly… When he gazed toward her, she smiled lovingly at him. She was looking at him with the same loving gaze as before, the gaze she now only gave to Zwei… Now she was also giving it to him again… Still gazing at him with affection, she told him on a soft whisper:
-Papa…
-Amy… You remember me…
-Yes I do… Don't you remember when we met outside? When you broke my orb, I suddenly got my memory back…
The last events came slowly back and Raphael remembered.
-The orb… The orb that was brainwashing you… Taking your memories away…
-Yes… You knew about it?
-Yes… I learned about it… I had doubts it was that thing that caused your amnesia. I'm so sorry for not having been able to protect you from it…
With everything that he lived, Raphael was now becoming emotive and began to weep. Partly because of his joy of finding Amy, partly because he could not help her when she needed him. Viola hugged him even more tightly.
-It's over. It's done. No need to talk about it anymore…
Viola remembered again her time in captivity and as the evil duke brought this orb and this sorcerer to bend her to his will… But it was all over now… Her father also seemed free from that Nightmare curse… They were together again… Becoming emotive as well, Viola suddenly hugged him as she began to weep as well.
-I love you, papa…
Raphael hugged her too as he tried to comfort her.
-I love you, my sweet butterfly…
Having seen nothing in the gallery, Zwei came back as Viola and Raphael were hugging. He didn't worry this time like he would have in the fortress. Raphael just came back from being Nightmare, he was a vampire, hugging Viola very tightly, his head near her neck… Yet Zwei was calm about this, he now knew Raphael would not hurt Viola. The moment was touching and he was happy for both of them. He decided to leave them alone for a while and went back into the gallery. But he wondered how Raphael felt about him; as Nightmare, he seemed to hold a special grudge for him… Yet he also had other reasons than Viola but as Raphael in the fortress, he already didn't seem to like him too much… Now he wondered how the not possessed Raphael would welcome him this time…
Meanwhile Raphael was in complete happiness, he was embracing his daughter in one of his endless hug when he heard some cannon noises by the window. He should do something to stop the war… Yet he was so happy now… With Amy… hugging her… He kept hugging her until this annoying conscience came back again reminding him that he had to do something. So he loosened his grip on her but could not resolve himself to let go of her. After another while of hugging, he let go of her and told her while sitting up on the couch:
-Amy… I have to…
Before he could add anything, Viola threw herself at him and hugged him again, never letting go. She missed him so much! Raphael thought how could he fight against her hug? It was so pleasing! They stayed like this for some times again. None of them really wanted to interrupt those hugs…
-Amy… I'm so happy to have found you again… All my years of captivities are behind me… All my years of misery without you… But… if you regained your memory… I hope… there was not too bad memories for you…
Viola smiled once more at him.
-It's like you, papa… All my bad years are behind me since I now have you… and Zwei.
Zwei… Zwei's mention gave Raphael some slight twinge in the heart. To not be the only one anymore with a privileged place in Amy's heart was hard to take… Yes, that boy had a special place in her heart and was still somewhere around here… Raphael remembered he fought him as Nightmare. Where was he now? Whatever. He'll think about him later. Zwei wasn't dead since Amy talked about him, so no need to worry. Raphael stayed another moment with Viola, embracing his beloved daughter until he loosened his hug again and told her on a soft tone.
-Ma chérie, I have to do something about the war…
Nodding, Viola finally let go of him and Raphael got up and looked by the window at the battlefield. Seeing all the slaughters, he thought with sadness about his promise to Hilde that he broke so often. Sighing, he thought: I'm too dangerous. I won't be able to keep my promise to never hurt another innocent again. Even if only one or two people, I will kill again… Noticing her father's sad gaze, Viola was worried for him, he just got out from Soul Edge's possession, his spirit was still weak, she feared he would take badly all that he had done… But even if he regretted indeed what he did, Raphael was in fact feeling determined, he could handle the shock and consequences of what he did… But he had to undo it now. He went to pick his armour to put it on again.
-Amy. Stay here. I'm going back to stop the war.
-Papa…
After putting his breastplate, Raphael turned toward Viola and his serious gaze softened. He was so pleased that she called him again like this… So he came toward her and brought her toward him once more, holding her tight. After a while, he let go of her and while finishing strapping his breastplate, he told her:
-I have to do it, ma chérie.
Worried for him, Viola quickly said:
-I'm coming with you! There is a man wanting your head down there!
Raphael laughed.
-There is more than one, I think…
Viola was somehow happy to hear her father laugh again. He was so resilient… Already back on his feet despite his wounds and that big task of repairing his deeds he had to face now… Laughing at the thought of all those enemies… But after his little laugh, still putting the Azure armour back, Raphael gazed at Viola with a worried gaze.
-Amy… Stay here. It's too dangerous… I may be slaughtered by those adversaries who want my head… I may be slaughtered by my own army if they don't like what I will tell them…
-More reason for me to come… I want to protect you, I will never leave you alone again!
And Viola grabbed his hand tightly. The gesture touched Raphael. Amy always knew how to convince him… He could not send his daughter away… He tightened his grip as well.
-Alright. You shall come with me… ma fille adorée. But please, be careful.
-Mind if I come with you? Asked Zwei who stayed in the gallery while they hugged but now thought the intimate family moment was over. Viola had noticed him when he came back the first time and was glad he was alright and left them some moment alone but she now was happy to see him again.
As Zwei came beside Viola who smiled at him, Raphael stared at the werewolf without a word for a while. A slight bit of jealousy appeared in his eyes. And a bit of shame as well. He told Zwei on an attempted neutral tone but sounding more cold than anything else:
-You can come.
Raphael wondered why he was feeling like this toward Zwei. Zwei had been kind to Amy, that was why Amy loved him… So technically, Zwei was a good boy… And he didn't seem angry at him right now… Zwei even tried to included him in the group when they spoke together after the Jeu de Paume… He encouraged him during the game… Zwei was not a bad guy… If Amy had to have a lover, he probably was a very good choice… Yet he was taking his daughter away from him… Still torn between his feelings, Raphael turned away and said as he put on his mask:
-Well then, let us go. We must stop this war.
Zwei noticed the somehow cold answer but didn't really care about it. He knew Raphael's general feelings toward him and he was glad Raphael seemed normal again… Since Raphael was some kind of mother hen, it was normal he would act like this. Beside Zwei told himself that Raphael will probably change and accept him over time… And what mattered was that Viola loved him… Wondering about how they would get along, Viola took her father's hand and Zwei's hand in hers. They both let her do it.
And following Raphael, they walked throught the castle to another exit where Raphael knew some troops were. He could not meet the Schwarzwind or Wolfkrone and look friendly with them for now or else his autority would be questionned… Beside some of them could jump on him… For a while, Raphael held his daughter's hand tightly but as they were getting near the exit, he let go of her hand.
-Stay beside Zwei, Amy. You'll be safer. Beside I wouldn't look serious while holding your hand…
He didn't want to put her in danger by showing she was dear to him and how much he loved her. Some enemies may take specifically her as target then. Yet they probably all knew already about the white-haired woman he liked… And Viola's hair were not dyed red right now. So Raphael as Graf Dumas went to his horn man and told him:
-Give the order for retreat.
-But… we are winning!
Looking around, Raphael noticed it was indeed the case in that part at least. Many elephants were still on the battlefield while troll like creatures were still taking down a lot of enemy soldiers. The elite was still very strong. But he had to stop the war so he sighed and said:
-We are not. Did you see the rest of the battlefield? We may win here but…
He suddenly took a more imperative voice. He didn't have to explain to him, he was the leader! He was still Graf Dumas! No time to be tired of all this and act like a weakling!
-How dare you answer me back? Just heed my orders! Sound the retreat!
-Yes sir!
After he blew the horn, the man gazed at Zwei and Viola. Didn't he saw the black and white haired man fighting on the other side a little sooner? Oh right, he must have been malfested by Graf Dumas… That power of his leader was somehow confusing… Yet he didn't ask more for fear of being punished.
-And send some messenger. I need to speak with the enemy leaders, continued Graf Dumas.
Not knowing if she could present herself as his daughter, Viola adressed Raphael:
-Graf Dumas… I think you can already meet with Siegfried Schtauffen, he was in front of the castle…
That way, he would already meet with some friendly leader because if he was to meet them all, Viola feared for her father… Zwei muttered, a little worried:
-Yeah… He was guarding the gate of Astral Chaos and waiting to fight Patroklos… We should go see him…
-You are right, said Raphael who then adressed his soldier.
-Forget the messenger. I am taking care of it. But sound the retreat. We shall make a truce to negociate.
And going through the castle once more, they went toward the entrance of Devevèr castle.
But as they arrived where Siegfried was, they saw him laying unconscious in a pool of blood while patches of ice were covering him. While they were still under the shock, Patroklos suddenly came out from behind some statue. His eyes were glowing a bright blue.
-Dumas! I'll kill you!
Before Raphael could do anything, Patroklos ran to him and thrust Soul Calibur in his chest; the magical sword going through the armour like if it was a thin sheet of paper, piercing Raphael from one side to the other, the blade getting out of his back. Raphael widened his eyes in shock, and as he turned all pale and faintly groaned, he fell down on his knees and collapsed to the ground. Ice began forming around his wound at a fast rate. Viola who had especially worried about Patroklos when she told her father that one man was after him, kept staring at her fallen father in horror.
-Papa! Non! Not again!
She remembered when her father had been similarly wounded while they were escaping their Walachian castle and Raphael got pierced by some soldier and then she also remembered when Raphael got pierced from side to side by the Walachian soldier in Duke Radu's mansion. She had remembered then that she knew someone who had such a wound but she didn't remember it was her father… And now her father was pierced from one side to the other for the third time… And this time it seemed really bad, at a more vital place and with a deadlier weapon…
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year since I may not be able to write before that but I will try. I am extremely busy but don't worry the story is coming to an end soon.
