Chapter One
It was during the still of night that Talim made her escape from the village. In all her 14 years of life, she has never set foot outside her village, she felt slightly scared yet free as she ran towards the sea.
She thought to herself, about how earlier she argued with the village elders about gaining permission to leave. The village elders forbid her to leave the village, because she was born to be the Wind Priestess. The village worshipped the winds, and said that they would be blessed if Talim were to stay. Talim felt that the responsibility was just an excuse to keep her from trying to explore the world.
"How can I possibly do any good as the Wind Priestess? I am at an age where I should be exploring and learning, and most certainly not be stuck in an old temple. I will be bored out of my mind!" Talim thought to herself, " I'm not even sure what the winds can do."
Thinking while she was running, she realized just how close her village was to the ocean. The Spanish people that she was told about will probably have docked their grand trade ships somewhere along the coast.
After a few minutes of wandering in the dark, all her feelings of doubt and regret were suppressed when she saw a giant ship preparing to leave.
***
Strangely enough, nearly half a world away, another young girl snuck away from home. Cassandra Alexendra carefully wrapped her sister's battle- worn sword and shield. Cassandra examined the sword, it was still gleaming, after all the battles it was put through. She held it in your hand and waved it around, before trying on the shield.
Even more strange was how both these girls lost their faith in their gods. While Talim doubted the winds, Cassandra was upset at the God of the Forge. He nearly had her sister killed, and now is ruining her family. When Sophitia returned from her holy mission, she suffered from terrible bleeding and many broken bones.
Why couldn't He just send a mighty warrior to deal with Soul Edge instead of Sophitia.
Just mentioning the name of the demonic blade caused Cassandra to snap back and focus. She dropped the shield, causing a loud clang. Cassandra, afraid of being caught, quickly shoved the holy weapons into a sack, and walked toward the door of the shrine. As she was about to step outside the shrine, she took a quick glance back at the statue of the God.
She understood the power in the god-blessed weapons she was borrowing, but she had no idea what she was up against. Her sister had told her many times about the carnage that Soul Edge was capable of, giving her nightmares for weeks.
-- -- --
The day before, Rothion, her brother-in-law proudly returned home from work, bringing home a glowing metallic shard. He told her that it cost a fortune and wanted to surprise Sophitia with an anniversary gift.
Sophitia, without even seeing the strange shard, began to feel a pain in her head. She stumbled into her husband telling him that was in pain, while trying to force a smile. She dropped to her knees, shaking and sweating. When Rothion tried to help her up, he let go of the glowing shard, and it fell just like the shield earlier.
Cassandra saw it with her own eyes, remembering how time seemed to slow down to a crawl. The shard as it fell, instead of having a metallic gleam to it, it instead flashed horrible colours of hellfire. As it dropped in midair, it seemed to laugh at Sophitia, whose face was slapped with shock, and more importantly, fear. Once the shard fell across Sophitia's face, Cassandra swore that she saw, on the shard, an image of a mutant eye that opened and stared at Sophitia. When the shard landed on the ground, there was a long pause. Both sisters said nothing, their eyes fixed on the shard.
Cassandra was about to take a much needed breath, when the image of the eye on the shard rotated and stared right at her. She felt her heart shriek, and she stumbled back a few steps.
Rothion wasn't staring at the shard however. He put his hand gently on Sophitia, who didn't move from her catatonic state.
"Cassandra! Help me with your sister!" Rothion said. Cassandra was too shook up to move, so Rothion was on his own. He used only one hand to lift the frozen but still beautiful maiden onto his broad shoulders. His other hand was held in a fist as he carried Sophitia down to a bed to rest.
Rothion returned looking worried, but told Cassandra that Sophitia was beginning to regain consciousness.
"I'm sorry Rothion, I just kinda froze up" Cassandra explained feebly. She looked at Rothion's other hand, still held in a fist. "What's wrong" she asked caringly, but she felt that Rothion had a flash of anger surge through him.
Rothion reluctantly opened his fist
Cassandra couldn't believe it! Burned in Rothion's palm was the image of the mutant eye!
While Rothion was helping Sophitia, Cassandra was left wondering if all that she saw earlier was just an illusion. Now she is left wondering the meaning behind it all. She was almost sure Rothion picked up the shard, but instead he had an image of an eye branded in his hand.
Rothion seeing Cassandra's eyebrows furrow, tried to explain " I don't know what happened. The damn metal scrap got really hot all of a sudden"
"Yes" Cassandra agreed, and pointed to the image branded on Rothion's palm. "That scar there looks a awful" she said, suddenly half-serious.
"I don't see any scar. Hmm. are you ok Cassandra?" Rothion replied dumbly, as he examined his palm again.
Cassandra felt that she was going crazy and that the shard would explain everything.
"Where is that strange shard now?" wondered Cassandra quietly. This was when she first felt the desire to have the shard.
Rothion sighed and quietly returned to the bedroom to be at Sophitia's side.
Cassandra was looking all over the floor for this mysterious metallic shard. She felt a primal desire to have it, and closed her eyes to calm herself down. Strangely, she felt her hand heat up. For a moment, her hand started to vibrate uncontrollably.
Opening her hand, she saw the mysterious shard!! It was there the whole time! This prompted her to run to the Shrine with her shard to look for answers.
-- -- --
Back in the Shrine, Cassandra was about to leave her home, hoping to save her sister. Just before she stepped out, she turned back. She was about to perform one last prayer, but she stopped.
"I don't need any silly blessings" Cassandra thought to herself. "I have with me the very weapons that destroyed the Soul Edge. Destroying it again will be no problem"
With that thought clouding her mind, Cassandra ran off to solve the mystery of the metal shard and the strange eye.
***
Summary : Talim has decided to leave the home. Cassandra has a flashback of the metal shard, and is also leaving home. Both girls are doubting the powers of their gods.
It was during the still of night that Talim made her escape from the village. In all her 14 years of life, she has never set foot outside her village, she felt slightly scared yet free as she ran towards the sea.
She thought to herself, about how earlier she argued with the village elders about gaining permission to leave. The village elders forbid her to leave the village, because she was born to be the Wind Priestess. The village worshipped the winds, and said that they would be blessed if Talim were to stay. Talim felt that the responsibility was just an excuse to keep her from trying to explore the world.
"How can I possibly do any good as the Wind Priestess? I am at an age where I should be exploring and learning, and most certainly not be stuck in an old temple. I will be bored out of my mind!" Talim thought to herself, " I'm not even sure what the winds can do."
Thinking while she was running, she realized just how close her village was to the ocean. The Spanish people that she was told about will probably have docked their grand trade ships somewhere along the coast.
After a few minutes of wandering in the dark, all her feelings of doubt and regret were suppressed when she saw a giant ship preparing to leave.
***
Strangely enough, nearly half a world away, another young girl snuck away from home. Cassandra Alexendra carefully wrapped her sister's battle- worn sword and shield. Cassandra examined the sword, it was still gleaming, after all the battles it was put through. She held it in your hand and waved it around, before trying on the shield.
Even more strange was how both these girls lost their faith in their gods. While Talim doubted the winds, Cassandra was upset at the God of the Forge. He nearly had her sister killed, and now is ruining her family. When Sophitia returned from her holy mission, she suffered from terrible bleeding and many broken bones.
Why couldn't He just send a mighty warrior to deal with Soul Edge instead of Sophitia.
Just mentioning the name of the demonic blade caused Cassandra to snap back and focus. She dropped the shield, causing a loud clang. Cassandra, afraid of being caught, quickly shoved the holy weapons into a sack, and walked toward the door of the shrine. As she was about to step outside the shrine, she took a quick glance back at the statue of the God.
She understood the power in the god-blessed weapons she was borrowing, but she had no idea what she was up against. Her sister had told her many times about the carnage that Soul Edge was capable of, giving her nightmares for weeks.
-- -- --
The day before, Rothion, her brother-in-law proudly returned home from work, bringing home a glowing metallic shard. He told her that it cost a fortune and wanted to surprise Sophitia with an anniversary gift.
Sophitia, without even seeing the strange shard, began to feel a pain in her head. She stumbled into her husband telling him that was in pain, while trying to force a smile. She dropped to her knees, shaking and sweating. When Rothion tried to help her up, he let go of the glowing shard, and it fell just like the shield earlier.
Cassandra saw it with her own eyes, remembering how time seemed to slow down to a crawl. The shard as it fell, instead of having a metallic gleam to it, it instead flashed horrible colours of hellfire. As it dropped in midair, it seemed to laugh at Sophitia, whose face was slapped with shock, and more importantly, fear. Once the shard fell across Sophitia's face, Cassandra swore that she saw, on the shard, an image of a mutant eye that opened and stared at Sophitia. When the shard landed on the ground, there was a long pause. Both sisters said nothing, their eyes fixed on the shard.
Cassandra was about to take a much needed breath, when the image of the eye on the shard rotated and stared right at her. She felt her heart shriek, and she stumbled back a few steps.
Rothion wasn't staring at the shard however. He put his hand gently on Sophitia, who didn't move from her catatonic state.
"Cassandra! Help me with your sister!" Rothion said. Cassandra was too shook up to move, so Rothion was on his own. He used only one hand to lift the frozen but still beautiful maiden onto his broad shoulders. His other hand was held in a fist as he carried Sophitia down to a bed to rest.
Rothion returned looking worried, but told Cassandra that Sophitia was beginning to regain consciousness.
"I'm sorry Rothion, I just kinda froze up" Cassandra explained feebly. She looked at Rothion's other hand, still held in a fist. "What's wrong" she asked caringly, but she felt that Rothion had a flash of anger surge through him.
Rothion reluctantly opened his fist
Cassandra couldn't believe it! Burned in Rothion's palm was the image of the mutant eye!
While Rothion was helping Sophitia, Cassandra was left wondering if all that she saw earlier was just an illusion. Now she is left wondering the meaning behind it all. She was almost sure Rothion picked up the shard, but instead he had an image of an eye branded in his hand.
Rothion seeing Cassandra's eyebrows furrow, tried to explain " I don't know what happened. The damn metal scrap got really hot all of a sudden"
"Yes" Cassandra agreed, and pointed to the image branded on Rothion's palm. "That scar there looks a awful" she said, suddenly half-serious.
"I don't see any scar. Hmm. are you ok Cassandra?" Rothion replied dumbly, as he examined his palm again.
Cassandra felt that she was going crazy and that the shard would explain everything.
"Where is that strange shard now?" wondered Cassandra quietly. This was when she first felt the desire to have the shard.
Rothion sighed and quietly returned to the bedroom to be at Sophitia's side.
Cassandra was looking all over the floor for this mysterious metallic shard. She felt a primal desire to have it, and closed her eyes to calm herself down. Strangely, she felt her hand heat up. For a moment, her hand started to vibrate uncontrollably.
Opening her hand, she saw the mysterious shard!! It was there the whole time! This prompted her to run to the Shrine with her shard to look for answers.
-- -- --
Back in the Shrine, Cassandra was about to leave her home, hoping to save her sister. Just before she stepped out, she turned back. She was about to perform one last prayer, but she stopped.
"I don't need any silly blessings" Cassandra thought to herself. "I have with me the very weapons that destroyed the Soul Edge. Destroying it again will be no problem"
With that thought clouding her mind, Cassandra ran off to solve the mystery of the metal shard and the strange eye.
***
Summary : Talim has decided to leave the home. Cassandra has a flashback of the metal shard, and is also leaving home. Both girls are doubting the powers of their gods.