Author's note: I would like to say sorry again to the readers of this piece (if you're still there) for such a long delay. I had more pressing business to attend to...like school (damned Differential Equations!!!). As a sign of my apology, I give to you this chapter containing the climax.
Pleas watch out for the tapsilog...I...mean, epilogue, pala.
Cervantes looked out into the sea. He stood at the edge of the ports in an abandoned Spanish village. He had called this place home once. This was where it all began. A cruel childhood. A hard life. Murder. Thievery. His mother always told him that he was meant to be great. He should have told her she was right, that is, before he slit her throat.
He heard the Soul Edge 'smirk'.
"You think he and I are alike." He said as he looked at the sword on his right hand. "Well you're wrong. That boy never truly had it in him to be the wielder of Soul Edge. Even with the things he did there was still some small measure of purity in his heart. Who needs compassion? Who needs emotion? Who needs humanity when one has immortality?"
Cervantes raised his swords as he shouted the words, his voice echoing in the ruins behind him.
He then sensed something. A very minute trace of evil energy. He knew at once what it was.
(Insert Death Knight Arthas© tone here) "Ah, at last."
The seekers of the Soul Edge walked silently through the ruins. Earlier they had formed a plan of attack. They knew that with the current state of Soul Edge, Cervantes could very easily detect the pieces of the Soul Edge they had with them. This would make the pirate attack them, then they would trap him and destroy him and the sword.
A team made up of Talim, Yunsung, Raphael and Ivy would lure Cervantes. Running parallel to them would be Kilik, Xianhua, Maxi and Yoshimitsu to the east and Mitsurugi, Taki, Cassandra, and Siegfried to the west. Once Cervantes goes after the first team the other two would come in and form a pincer maneuver.
So far it has been quiet. Talim and the others have been walking around for almost half an hour now but nothing was happening.
"Hey, Talim, are you sure Cervantes is around here?" Yunsung asked with nervousness in his voice.
"Yes." she answered calmly. "The winds told me that he is here. They have never been wrong."
"Well, I really hope they're wrong today. I really don't like the idea of you being the bait." He said, looking at her and then at the small pouch on Talim's side.
The pouch that contained the remaining pieces of Soul Edge.
The wind priestess looked at him with assurance. "Don't worry about me. Cervantes would never get these without a fight."
Her face softened.
"And after all, I have you to protect me."
She quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek. The young man blushed seven shades of red as their companions smirked at them.
"How cute." Said Ivy.
"How romantic." Commented Raphael.
"Such a pity they have to die young." Followed a voice above them.
The four looked up and saw Cervantes descending upon them. Yungsung quickly grabbed Talim and jumped away before the Soul Edge made contact with the ground. Their two companions quickly advanced on Cervantes, quickly followed by the two teenagers.
With unholy speed and agility, Cervantes blocked the parried the blows delivered to him. With one quick motion he put aside a combined strike and put down his opponents.
He stood over them. "It is futile to resist. Just surrender and I'll kill you quickly."
"Sorry, we can't do that." Raphael said.
"What, do you think you can still do something against me?"
"We can't, but he could."
The undead pirate turned and saw Siegfried with his sword in mid swing.
'Big sword!'
Cervantes went flying to a nearby wall. He quickly stood up to meet his new opponent.
"Well, boy, it seems you have a new toy." He said.
"He wasn't the only one who had an upgrade." Came a voice from above.
At that moment, Xianghua and Kilik came down on Cervantes. He tried to move away but he still hit by Xianghua's Soul Calibur. He sent an energy blast against her, but Kilik protected her with the Kali-yuga and Dvapara-yuga.
At the same time, Cassandra and Taki attacked from his flanks. He tried to move away but he had other troubles.
"Not so fast, pirate."
Mitsurgi, Maxi, and Yoshimitsu made sure he wouldn't be moving anywhere. Cassandra and Taki ran their weapons through is chest.
The three blades it their mark.
With a great cry, the undead pirate fell to the ground.
The seekers stood with their mouths slightly open. In truth they were in shock at what they have accomplished.
"Is he dead?" Talim asked.
"I think so." Yunsung answered.
"This doesn't feel right. This was too easy." Taki commented.
"Maybe that's just because of the weapons we have." Cassandra said with a hint of disbelief.
Siegfried looked on at the body before him.
'No. This was far too easy. If it were that simple, I should've defeated him when I was still Nightmare.'
Yoshimitsu, sword drawn and ready, slowly walked towards the 'corpse' of the pirate.
When he got close enough, Cervantes' hand shot up and grabbed enchanted katana by the blade. The pirate's eyes shot open as the Soul Edge energy from Yoshimitsu's sword flowed into his body. When all the energy was drained, he shot an energy bolt at the ninja, ripping off his mechanical arm.
In a blink of an eye, the undead pirate launched his offensive against is enemies. One by one, the seekers fell before even before they could see him. The only one who wasn't hurt bad was Siegfried, but even with his armor and instinct to defend he could still feel the after effects of Cervantes' blow.
The undead pirate stood before them in a cloud of smoke, smirking at his fallen preys. He could also see the knight still standing.
'I'd be more surprised if he did drop.'
"You are a strong one, boy. Let us see if you can stand against my attacks after this."
Cervantes held up his hand and showed the last few shards of the Soul Edge.
"No!!!"
Talim looked at her side and saw her pouch had been slit open, its contents missing. At this Taki tried to get up to retake the shards, but she sank back to the ground when she saw her Mekki-Maru. The blade was broken and riddled with cracks.
"I hope you don't mind me taking the shards from your sword." Cervantes said with a cruel laugh.
He then proceeded to fuse the shards with the Soul Edge. Siegfried charged intent in trying to stop him from doing so. Cervantes saw this, and brought his hand up to catch the blade.
Siegfried brought done his sword in full force, but he was surprised to find it ending up between Cervantes' thumb and little finger. Either way, he was already too late. The shards fused with the demon sword…
…and its powers grew even greater.
With the last pieces in place, Cervantes let out an energy blast that ripped Siegfried's chest armor into shreds. The knight was thrown a good 20 feet before crashing with a loud thud.
Cassandra quickly ran to her fallen comrade's side. She could see the cuts and bruises on the knight's body.
"Siegfried, he is far too powerful. We won't be able to hold out against an enemy like him."
Siegfried knew her words were true. The only reason he was still breathing was because of his armor and his body's adaptation to the Soul Edge's powers. His armor was gone, however, and even if he could withstand the demon sword's energy, his companions won't.
'This could be the only chance we've got. But we will die if we continue.'
He looked at Cassandra intently.
"You are beaten." Cervantes shouted. "Your weapons are no match against me. Surrender now and I might just let you die swiftly."
"Cassandra, take the others and leave this place quickly. I'll try to hold him off for as long as I can." The knight said to Cassandra.
"Don't do it, Siegfried." Cassandra said with shock in her voice. "You won't stand one minute against him, not in the state you are in. We'll pull out together. We'll…"
Siegfried put a finger on Cassandra's lips to silence her, and with a bitter-sweet smile he said. "I promised Sophie I would take care of you, and I intend to keep it. If you and the others could survive this battle, there may still be a chance to defeat Cervantes."
With that he gripped his sword and charged towards Cervantes. He attacked him furiously. The pirate only deflected his attacks and pushed him back.
"You are either very brave or very foolish." Cervantes said. "You have fought me before and you never came close to defeating me."
"I've grown strong. I am no longer the one you fought before. You cannot defeat me now. I will destroy you." Siegfried answered before striking back.
The battle, at this point, would have been an even match, if not for what happened next.
"Press on, Siegfried. Destroy him, Keeper of Nightmare." Yunsung cried out, intent on bolstering his comrade's morale. Unfortunately, the effect was more than just the opposite.
Upon hearing the cry, the two combatants stopped, both having shocked looks on their faces.
"Keeper of Nightmare!" Cervantes cried before releasing a great laugh. "My, my. What stories have you told these people?"
The seekers heard the pirate's words and were confused. What did he mean by stories?
Siegfried knew his secret has been compromised and his instincts told him Cervantes would divulge more. He quickly moved against his opponent. Cervantes, however, had other plans. With one quick stroke, he disarmed the knight and put him in a head lock facing the seekers.
"Your friend is no Keeper of Nightmare."
Siegfried tried to struggle to break free and stop the pirate, but the more he did, the more Cervantes tightened his grip. The knight knew it was already too late.
"He IS Nightmare."
At these three words the seekers froze in their place. They could not believe what they were hearing. Siegfried was a great and noble knight. He had saved them from near destruction and even helped formulate plans for their attack. How could this man be the Azure Nightmare?
"You're lying." Cassandra shouted to Cervantes.
'What he is saying is not true. Siegfried can never be Nightmare.'
"You think? Why don't you ask him?"
Cervantes threw Siegfried to the ground. The knight felt like all his energy has been drained. His secret has been revealed. He looked up and saw Cassandra looking at him, tears threatening to fall down.
"Siegfried, please tell me he's lying."
The knight rose from the ground and knelt, eyes falling once again to the ground.
"Eight years ago, a boy sent out on a quest for Soul Edge. He searched for it to avenge his father's murder. In truth, it was he who accidentally slew his father, and that the realization had driven into insanity, making him believe it was another and thus making him take up the quest. He found the demon blades from the remains of a pirate and, after defeating a demon, claimed it for himself. As soon as his hand touched the handle of the blade, Soul Edge took possession of him. Tricking him into thinking he could revive his father by gathering souls, the demon sword transformed the boy into the Azure Nightmare."
He then looked at is companions.
"I was that boy."
The last sentence shocked the seekers, but it affected Cassandra the most. She felt as if a knife was plunged straight trough her heart, and was violently being twisted around. She fell to her knees, every ounce of her strength, gone.
Cervantes smiled greatly at the outcome of his revelation. Their spirits were broken the distrust for Siegfried would surely deplete their forces.
"What are you going to do now, boy." Cervantes said to Siegfried, "No matter how you try to hide it, you will always be who you are."
Siegfried slowly took hold of his sword again.
"You said it yourself. I can never hide from the fact that I was that monster, that I once held the Soul Edge, that I had once slaughtered thousands of innocents. No matter how much I try to fight the demon sword's power, no matter how much I try to resist its voice, I will always be a monster. I will always be Nightmare no matter how noble I try to be. That being the case, all I can do is finish what I have started before."
He quickly stood up, bringing his sword into full swing.
"I will destroy you."
Siegfried attacked Cervantes again and again. He no longer cared about the outcome. He had nothing to live for now. His past will always haunt him wherever he will go. It will not matter if he died.
Cassandra could hear the battle raging in front of her. The shouts, the clanging of metal, the stomping of feet on the ground. Even with such chaos so close to her, she did not seem to pay any heed.
Thoughts and emotions swirled around inside her. The shock of the revelation and, strangely, the pain of betrayal wracked her heart. She was confused of the emotions within her.
'Why am I feeling this way? Why do I feel so hurt? I can't accept Siegfried is Nightmare. Yes, that is it. I can't accept it. I don't accept it. But why? Am I really…'
---Flashback---
The sisters Alexandra were in their kitchen preparing some dough to be baked. The older sister was humming to a tune while the younger one had a somber, almost irritated look on her face. This was a routine sight inside the Alexandra household
Sophitia preferred this line of work over fulfilling oracles. It was more peaceful, less strenuous, and she didn't need to be too far from home. Cassandra, on the other and did not like to be stuck inside the house. She had always had an adventurous streak inside and gladly chooses getting out of the house over chores.
The sound of foot falls drew the sister's attention towards the kitchen door. The two girls looked and saw Siegfried, the sack from the other day hanging on his shoulder, coming into the kitchen. For some unknown reason, Cassandra's face seemed to light up at his arrival, Sophitia noticed.
"Good morning, Sophie, Cassandra." The knight greeted.
"Good morning, Siege." Sophitia replied cheerfully, "You're up late."
"I was praying in my room. My God and I had a lot to talk about"
"I see." Sophitia's voice was full of understanding.
"Have you eaten yet?" Cassandra asked the knight.
"Actually, that is why I'm here. I'm starving."
"Here you go." Cassandra gave him two loaves of bread. "I baked them myself."
Siegfried took a big bite out of one of them.
"They're good! You bake fine bread, Cassandra."
The girl blushed slightly. This didn't pass undetected through the older sister.
"Sophie, is Rothion here?" Siegfried asked Sophitia.
"He is out in his workshop, I believe."
With a bow and a thank you, Siegfried left the sisters.
"Why are you blushing?" Sophitia asked her younger sibling.
"N…No, I'm not." Cassandra said, stuttering.
"Yes, you are." Sophitia continued, "Don't think you can hide it from me. I've been in love already."
Cassandra went red. "Are you saying that I'm in love with him?"
The older sister only smiled. The two have completely stopped working at this point.
"Sister, I can tell you right now that I am not in love with Siegfried. We work together and all I have for him is respect, plane and simple."
"Are you sure you're not in love?" Sophitia asked, the smile not fading from her lips.
"Yes, I am." Cassandra said; crossing her arms and stomping her foot to prove her point.
"Very well." Sophitia said. "Still, it's not easy not to. Especially with those lovely blue eyes of his."
"Green."
"Excuse me?"
"He has green eyes. Emerald to be exact." Cassandra said. There was lightness in her voice and a small smile on her lips.
Sophitia smiled wide. Cassandra saw this and realized her mistake.
"Little sister, you are so in love with Siegfried."
The younger sibling tried to defend herself, but she knew at this point it would be pointless. Cassandra simply dropped her shoulders.
"I'm so confused, Sophitia. I've never been in love before and I have so many feelings going around inside of me. I don't know what to think anymore."
Sophitia took her sister in her arms.
"Sophitia, how can I know if I am in love with Siegfried?"
"Do you always want to be with him?" the older sister asked.
"Yes."
"Does his anguish pain you as well, and does his happiness become your joy?"
"Yes"
"Does the mere mention of his name make you blush or make your heart seem to flutter?"
"Yes."
"Do you find great happiness in the small gestures of kindness and friendship he shows towards you?"
"Yes."
Sophitia looked the eyes of her sister.
"Then you need only find out one more thing. If you can see Siegfried for what he truly is, cast your eyes away from his past, and look on to a future where the two of you are happy, then you are truly in love."
---End Flashback---
Her sister's words rang through Cassandra's heart and mind.
'Siegfried may have committed those crimes in the past, but now he is trying to atone for them.'
In the battle, Siegfried dodged another strike from Cervantes and sent back one of his own.
'He may have been the wielder of Soul Edge, but he tried to resist its power. He tried to prevent the slaughter of all those innocents. That is why he imprisoned himself.'
The attack hit itsmark, but the pirate was quick to strike back.
'He tried to save those people, but he was not strong enough. He cannot be blamed for failing against such a powerful adversary.'
Cervantes has begun his counter attack, and the knight is forced into the defensive.
'Nightmare is a monster and would have killed us with ease and without a second thought, but Siegfried is the exact opposite. He aided us in our travels, fought by our side, even saved our lives.'
The knight falls under the pirate's advances, strength slowly seeping away.
'I must help him as has helped me. I must rescue him just as he has rescued me before. I can not let him die. He has done so much for me. Now I must do this for him.'
Taking her weapons, she charged towards the battle.
'Now I know, Sophitia. I love Siegfried.'
Siegfried was on his back, Cervantes standing triumphant beside him. Wounds and cuts covered the knight's body and he was breathing heavily. His strength was completely spent.
Cervantes stood beside him, the longer Soul Edge held close to the knight's neck. Though he had won their match, he was in no better form. Open wound covered his body. Though the Soul Edge gave him restorative capabilities, Siegfried's sword created wounds that would take some time to heal.
"This is where it ends." The pirate said, breathing heavily.
Cervantes pulled the sword back and prepared to run it through the knight's neck. Then he heard a cry from his right he turned and saw a large circular object flying towards him.
The Nemea shield hit the pirate square on the jaw, making him stagger backwards. With his guard down Cassandra came in close and gave him a blow across the torso, giving the pirate new wounds and opening old ones.
Siegfried looked up and saw Cassandra in front of him.
"Cassandra, what are you doing?"
Cervantes stood up and looked at his new opponent with death in his eyes.
"Very foolish of you, girl. You should have let me finish my business with the Azure Nightmare."
"Siegfried is not Nightmare."
What Cassandra said surprised everyone who heard, even Cervantes and Siegfried.
"Are you deaf, girl, he himself admitted to what he was." The pirate bellowed.
"It does not matter to me" Cassandra answered back, "Nightmare was a monster, a demon. He slaughtered innocents without a second thought and regardless who they were. Siegfried is not like him. He tried to save those lives by resisting Soul Edge. When he failed, he imprisoned himself so that the sword would never harm again.
If he were still Nightmare he would never have done these things. He would never have saved our lives. He would have slaughtered us all without breaking a sweat. Yet he didn't. In fact he saved our lives from you. That is enough proof for me that he is not the Azure Nightmare"
Cassandra raised her weapons.
"And I will not let you claim him."
Cassandra charged at Cervantes. The pirate gripped his weapons and began to counter the Greek girl's attacks. His battle with Siegfried left him with many grievous wounds and Soul Edge's energy has weakened because of the knight's sword. Still, his pride more than his unholy desire drove him on. He would not be defeated by a woman for a third time, let alone the younger sibling of the first woman to defeat him.
Cassandra fought with all her strength and will. Her mind was focused on her goals: defeating Cervantes and saving Siegfried. She put all her heart and soul on each attack, allowing her opponent neither a moments rest nor a chance to retaliate. It would almost seem that she has acquired Sophitia's strength.
The battle raged on. Even with the Greek girl's drive and conviction this battle did not remain in her favor for long. Soon the tables were slowly turned. Fatigue slowly fell upon Cassandra. Cervantes, the tireless undead that he was, eventually gained the upper hand and began to push Cassandra back. Soul Edge, its energies weakened but not depleted, gave the undead pirate all the power he needed to route his opponent. The Greek warrior was eventually felled and thrown beside her German comrade, her weapons cast out of her hands.
Siegfried, with what little strength he had left crawled to where Cassandra lay. He crouched in front of her, took her into his arms and cradled her head on his chest. Cassandra looked up and saw Siegfried looking down upon her. She raised her hand and touched his cheek.
"You should not have fought him."
"I couldn't let him take you. I owed you my life for saving me from him. And…You mean so much to me."
Behind Siegfried, Cervantes slowly walked towards them. The knight sensed this movement, but did nothing about it. He knew what was about to happen and he also knew he could do nothing to prevent it.
"I meant everything I said back there. I don't care about your past. All that matters to me is who you are now."
"Thank you. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for believing in me even when I, myself, couldn't. Thank you for giving me peace. I only regret that I could not save you from this fate. You, who mean so much more than life to me."
Cervantes was now directly behind the two fallen warriors. He raised his left hand as he prepared to skewer to two with the Soul Edge blade it held.
Siegfried hunched his body forward, at least denying Cassandra the sight of what was to come. He closed his eyes and drew her closer to him.
"I love you."
Cassandra closed her eyes, letting tears fall from them. She clung closer to Siegfried, knowing that this was to be their final moments.
"I love you, too."
Cervantes was laughing inside. Even with all his wounds, his efforts were not in vain. He would finally be ridding himself of two pests, and one of them happened to be the 'former' Azure Nightmare.
He prepared to bring down and put the two out of their misery.
Just as his hand began descend, something metallic wrapped around his wrist, preventing it from going any further. He looked up and saw the bladed links of the Ivy blade.
"I will not allow you to claim them!"
With a loud cry, Ivy pulled at her serpent sword's cord with all of her strength. This sent the links around Cervantes' hand spinning, effectively cutting off the pirate's hand.
Cervantes screamed as his hand was severed off, the Soul Edge blade still in its grip. He stumbled backward. At that moment, Talim and Yunsung leapt in front of him and began a combined strike on the pirate, sending him further backwards.
While this was happening, a shadow fell over Siegfried and Cassandra. The two then saw Cassandra's sword fall in font of them.
"Cassandra, use it!" Taki shouted as she landed.
The Greek girl immediately knew what to do. Taking the sword in her hand, she ran it through the demonic blade. It began to shake and glow, letting out a screaming like sound. Siegfried grabbed Cassandra, just in time pull her clear of the sword as the demonic blade exploded.
Cervantes sent out another tortured cry. The pain of the destroyed Soul Edge blade coursed through body, his power thinning with every second. Taking advantage of his diminished state, the seekers let loose all of their power upon the pirate. Attacking from all sides, the pirate was slowly overcome. His remaining Soul Edge was not enough to push back the advances.
Cervantes was staggering on his feet. Xianghua, Soul Calibur at hand, advanced running towards the undead pirate. He sees this and attempted to defend to defend, but Xianghua had a plan up her sleeve.
Remembering her mother's signature move and one of her most powerful strikes, she twisted her body a full 360. Putting the energy from the turn behind her attack, Xianghua drove Soul Calibur straight at her enemy and left it there. The prongs of the holy sword ran right through the demon blade, piercing it and its wielder.
The undead pirate looked at his chest in shock and saw Soul Calibur pinning the last of the demon blades to him. Cervantes' body began to shake wildly. Cracks began to appear on his body, spreading like those on the Soul Edge. At the sight the seekers moved away, expecting a probable explosion. With on final cry, a blast of light and energy swept through the battle field. When it subsided all that was left was Soul Calibur, sticking out from the ground, sunlight reflecting from it.
Xianghua approached the spot. Wrapping her fingers around the handle of her sword, she pulled Soul Calibur out of the ground, twirled it around her fingers, and faced her companions.
"It's over."
With that cheers of joy and accomplishment rang out. After so many hardships, their mission has been accomplished. Soul Edge and Cervantes was no more. The curse of the demon sword was finally over…
…then what is this nagging thought at the back of Siegfried's mind.
Of all the seekers, Siegfried was one most delighted at the demon sword's destruction. For almost a decade he had been under the sword's control. Now at last he was free. No longer must he lose his mind to Soul Edge. No longer must innocents fall before his hands. Yet instead elation, he felt confusion. He sensed something…illusive. He felt as if something was still suppose to happen, yet he could not place his hand on it.
A warm touch brought Siegfried out of his thoughts. He looked and saw Cassandra with her hands enclosing his. There was a smile on her face, and her eyes showed nothing but love and pure joy. At this, the knight pushed back all of his thoughts, at give the girl his sweetest, most genuine smile.
Lowering his head, he captured her lips in his in a sweet kiss, not paying heed to the shouts and jests. Yes, something was suppose to happen. And that was him getting his life back on track. There was no place for paranoia at this moment. All that mattered him, Cassandra, his friends, and the new life ahead.
Unbeknownst to Siegfried, his instincts were right. While the seekers celebrated they did not see the shattered pieces of Soul Edge liquidate and gather together in two puddles. Siegfried suddenly felt the urge to turn. He did so, just in time to see an explosion of hellfire erupt from where Cervantes fell. A portal of flame spun on the ground. From it emerged a flaming skeleton. Reaching out with its bony arms the two puddles rose, becoming Soul Edge once again.
Siegfried knew what this entity is.
"Inferno."
The demon manifestation of Soul Edge smiled.
"I'm glad to see you still recognize me, Azure Nightmare."
"Don't call me that!" Siegfried shouted at the demon. "I am no longer that monster. I am now free of Soul Edge's power."
"Are you sure?" Inferno said, snickering.
"SIEGFRIED, HELP!!!!!"
The knight turned and saw his companions on the ground, writhing as bolts of dark energy arced all over body. Cassandra lay closest to him, hands out stretched, her eyes pleading for him to help her.
"Don't you understand, Siegfried? You were the only one not affected by the power I unleashed. The Azure Nightmare could open vortexes and bring life to inanimate objects, while Cervantes was nothing more than puppet with a butter knife. You survived the sword's destruction while Cervantes was left nothing more than dust."
Siegfried's head was spinning. What was this demon talking about? What did he mean by all of this?
"Don't you understand? You were meant to wield Soul Edge. Ever since before you were born the lord of darkness has chosen you to become his most powerful general and lead the armies of hell across this world. It is your destiny to become the Azure Nightmare."
The demon's words echoed through the knight's head. Does this mean that all of the things that happened, all the slaughters committed, were suppose to happen? Does this mean that being the evil knight was his destiny? Does this mean that he will never rid his soul of corruption?
"Do not try to deny the truth. It is your destiny."
Siegfried looked at the ground. For a moment he was silent. He glanced one last look at Cassandra and turned at the demon.
"You want me? Come and get me."
With the knight's taunt Inferno advanced at him. At the same moment Siegfried began to run towards the demon. Just as they were about to meet, the knight slid on the ground, effectively overshooting the hell spawn, and taking him where his sword lay. Gripping his weapon, he brought it into full swing, just in time to block Inferno's blades.
"Why do you insist in denying yourself you destiny?"
"For so long I have told myself that I will forever be Nightmare. For so long a bore that curse thinking it was what I deserved. Not anymore! I will never become Nightmare again. I will never bring suffering to anyone ever again.
I am Siegfried Schtauffen, son of Fredrick and Margaret Schtauffen. I am a knight, sworn to uphold righteousness and justice. But much more, I have sworn to fight evil and shun its ways. I am a warrior of the light and a soldier of God, and I shall destroy you."
With that, Siegfried began to push the demon towards the portal. He tried with all his might the push his enemy into it, but the demon was too strong. From where she lay, Cassandra silently prayed for Siegfried's victory. She knew that only he had the power to stop the demon.
Inferno was pushed back to the rim of the vortex, but he did not fall. Siegfried was running out off ideas. He could hear the cries of anguish from his friends and he knew that they may not stand the energy coursing through them any longer. To make matters worse the demon was no where near being defeated. In fact it had a wicked grin on its face.
Then an idea came to his head. He knew that if he did this, there would be a chance that his friends would be saved, but there would be a terrible price to pay.
'I would do this...for Cassandra.'
Giving one last look at the woman he loved, he mouthed to her for one last time…
"…I love you…"
…and charged headlong towards the demon.
The moment Siegfried turned to her, Cassandra knew something bad was going to happen. When he charged at Inferno, she knew what was about to happen.
"Siegfried, don't do it!!!" she cried out.
The kept on going, not paying any heed to her words. Slowly, she began to stand up.
"Siegfried, please." She pleaded again, tears falling from her eyes.
With one great cry, Siegfried Schtauffen rammed to Inferno, sending him and the demon hurtling into the portal.
"SIEGFREIED, NO!!!!"
There was explosion of light and energy, and Cassandra was knock off her feet again. When the light subsided, there was no sign of the portal, nor the demon, nor the knight.
"NNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Cassandra scrambled to her feet, and began to ran towards the spot where the portal to hell was just moments ago. Her head was spinning, her vision blurry, and her limbs faltering, yet she still ran. Almost half-way she tripped, her legs giving way. Yet she still continued to crawl towards the spot.
When she got there, she began to dig furiously. She dug like her life depended on it. She dug until her white gloves began to tear and her hands bled. She dug as if somehow by doing so she could get back the man she loved…
…but she, herself, knew it was already too late.
With her strength finally gone, she fell into the ground, curled up and began to cry. No amount of word could express her grief and loss. Behind her, the other seekers too were shedding tears. They have lost a valuable ally, and a good friend.
The Seekers of Soul Edge were victorious in their campaign…
…but for their victory they have paid a heavy price.
