Disclaimer: Me not in the owning of SC, Namco is owner, Namco owns.

Note: This is the third and final installment of the prologue. After this, the story will begin in earnest. As I said, many of our favorite souls may be dead or injured, but fear not. I have all the delicious plot holes worked out in advance. Hope you enjoy.

PROLOGUE PART III – THE LAST BREATHS

A light, blinding and brighter and more golden than the sun, stabbed through the darkness of the clouds with an awe-inspiring aura of beauty around it. The groping darkness and thunder in the sky faded as suddenly as it had begun. The lightning and fire above just evaporated into the lowering clouds as all manner of multicolored light began shining through and the warm beams struck earth...

Three blades and a fourth were locked together on earth, in the chapel of Ostrheinsburg. Soul Edge, its eye mad and wild, heaved its final terrified shriek as every single shard and fragment of its being splintered apart and erupted in a mass of jagged debris and flame that ran in rivers over the chapel. The torn apart pieces of metal burst out and sought out new hosts in the span of milliseconds, scurrying through the air to another form that could keep them as their original form melted around them...

The first story of Soul Edge had ended...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taki's heavy eyelids managed to peel open as her half-closed orbs looked up for a long moment, feeling a wave of relief as she saw the light that was slowly pushing all the darkness out of the sky. She managed to prop herself up slowly on her weak, trembling arms and looked out at the gleaming pillar of sun that shot up from the center of the chapel, a white-hot smoke whirling around the column in melodic wisps. Her eyes opened further as the light dissipated, leaving only death and decay. Though she saw the horror all around her, she knew that light had won.

Where the light pillar had been lay what had survived of Nightmare, now Siegfried again. The flesh was almost gone from his cracked bones as the form, seemingly aged by months or even years, lay motionless on the floor. Only the phantom feeling of his immense claw in the shroud of a ghostly aura surrounded his hand, now human again, which still clutched the beating hilt of the destroyed sword. The formerly red eyes of the demonic azure being now were softened and closed, the limp head tilted away from the sky.

Just nearby this husk was that of Cervantes de Leon, no longer immortal, no longer mortal, no longer anything. His cold dead eyes were now really dead, glazed over and staring up. His chest was shredded by the shards that had erupted forth and shot right into him, but that did not help his case for immortality. As Soul Edge died, the power of the shards in him and his mighty blade died as well. The now mortal could not stand against the icy hand of death.

That hand had touched all this day. Taki stopped looking at the field of battle long enough to look down. Bloody stab wounds dappled her front and she knew instinctively what had happened. When Soul Edge burst, its shards had gone everywhere with incredible force. She probably had one or two lodged in herself, as did Cervantes, and probably many of the others to. She would have to work on removing that, but she wasn't sure if there was any way to do so short of committing gory suicide.

The wounded ninja's eyes caught sight of Xianghua, also limping up and staggering to her feet. Then, her gaze passed over the whole field until they alighted upon-

Sophitia lay on the ground not far from Siegfried and Cervantes. She was not motionless, but very still and breathing raggedly. Taki, ignoring the pain that lanced up and down her body, rushed over to the Greek.

"Sophitia, you're going to be alright." She said immediately as she reached her fallen comrade.

"I got lucky once, Taki, thanks to you. Now it is my time. Soul Edge is gone, for once and for all, and I have succeeded. This quest consumed my life, and now it may take it. My job is done..."

Sophitia Alexandra's whitened eyes closed gently as the form sagged and went cold. Taki closed her eyes and bowed her head sadly, but her mourning was severed by an unexpected voice just in front of her.

"She was a brave woman," crooned the voice calmly, "and it was an honor to be with her in her final hours." Yoshimitsu, dried blood clinging to his split side and the remains of his wooden arm dangling weakly at his side, stepped forward towards the two living warriors and the one dead one. He executed a very slight bow and leaned down to pick up his chipped katana.

"You are alive, then?" said Xianghua, obviously knowing the answer, "Who else has survived this last battle?"

Yoshimitsu gestured out at some of the figures that pockmarked the plain.

"The rod wielder is gravely injured, but he is no doubt alive," he gestured over the field to the area where Maxi and Astaroth had fallen. The shaken and mourning figure of a kneeling Kilik could be seen there. It was anybody's guess as to what he was thinking, but Xianghua suspected she knew. Yoshimitsu, gesturing in the other direction, continued. "Yes, he is alive...and-"

The next person he would've identified as living cut him off before he could continue. Cassandra, a muffled cry escaping her, was almost instantly at the side of her deceased sibling. Taki tried not to look at her and didn't bother speaking as Cassandra took in fully what had happened, still toying with her nearly broken jaw.

"Also," droned on one-armed ninja, "We seem to have some late arrivals." He gestured to the mostly untouched area of the chapel, noting the two smaller figures who had sprung there and where heading slowly towards the casualties.

Seung Mina halted for only a minute over what remained of Hong Yunsung, Xianghua couldn't tell if she had shed a tear, but she continued on over the fallen warrior and towards the body of Sophitia. Just behind her, a solemn Talim let her arms and elbow blades hang beside her as she looked out at all the lifeless husks and sighed mournfully.

"The battle is over, I assume?" said Talim, "It does not truly matter. I only came here to return what must be returned." Turning from Taki and Xianghua, Talim drew the last shard, looking dead without a tinge of color or light, and threw it aimlessly onto the ground near the ruin of Nightmare. The small, soulless metal bounced twice before coming to rest beside the mangled visage of Nightmare's claw arm. Seung Mina watched incredulously, letting no emotion creep onto her face.

"It is all over." said Taki, "Many warriors are dead and many may never truly live again. Soul Edge is, as Sophitia said, gone. This battle is over...As are the lives of so many...Let us each go our separate ways now, for there is nothing here for us."

"Agreed," confirmed Yoshimitsu, "Our lives have all been overtaken by this quest. If I might be so bold, I suggest that we make sure all these warriors who so suffered be taken to their respective homes and honored as the heroes...or the villains that they are. I will take who I can and make it my last mission that they all make it home."

"As will I." Xianghua nodded grimly, "Let us leave this death behind us here and see to it that such horrors never come to the world again."

"Let us each vow that this evil shall never resurface," said Yoshimitsu, stepping forward further and still clasping the gash in his left flank, "each one of us here."

"I will take that oath." said Cassandra without hesitating, her head snapping up.

"And I," Taki murmured as she stood up and sheathed her ninja blades.

"And I," Yoshimitsu nodded as he said those two words.

"And I," Xianghua almost let a smile come through her stony features.

"And I," Seung Mina said coldly, issuing out of her trance-like state.

"And I," Talim said, almost defiantly, as she stepped forward.

"And I," Kilik's voice said, filled with choking sobs but still firm.

The seven warriors found themselves juxtaposed in a circle around the body of Sophitia now. They all looked at each other nervously for a stretching moment before they nodded curtly and each turned, going their separate ways. Somehow, they each knew that this wasn't over. Though their sadness was great, no warrior there could shake the feeling that those who had fallen had not truly fallen...

And the first story of Soul Edge ended that day...

But the second story had yet to begin...