The power of Soul Edge

by Wayne the orc

With the mighty Soul Edge in his grasp, it seems as though nothing can stop the power of Raphael Sorel. In an effort to save the world from Soul Edge's evil, the man once known as Nightmare must team up with people who he had once crossed blades with to d

4. The long and winding road

Chapter 3:The long and winding road.

Rothion brushed the sweat from his brow and looked at his new creation with a look of admiration. He had created a work of art here. Perhaps only succeeded by his dear wife's weapon, this would be a weapon to be reckoned with. Then Rothion wiped away his mop of hair as he remembered who he had made this for.

The Azure Nightmare. Despite both Cassandra's assurances that he was not that demon that terrorized Europe anymore, he could not shake the feelings of fear that the man had inspired in him. Even harder for him was the way that the man kept looking at Sophitia. He knew that they had faced each other before he had he even met his beautiful wife. Even so, he couldn't help but wonder what transgressed between the two those four years ago. He was so frustrated by the thought. Was he jealous? Was he afraid of what had transgressed between that demon and his wife? Rothion shook those thoughts away. Even if Sophitia had done anything in that sort with Siegfried, Rothion trusted that his wife no longer had those kind of feelings for anyone but him.

Rothion heaved the sword up with all his might, and briefly wondered why anyone would choose the Zweihander as their main weapon. It seemed such a cumbersome weapon. He walked out of his workshop to see Siegfried standing outside, watching the sunrise. His face bore no emotion, though it was obvious that he was deep in thought. Rothion approached the hulking fighter quietly.

"I... uh... I made you your sword." Rothion said, putting the zweihander in the ground, blade first. "I wanted to give you the honor of naming it."

Siegfried blinked several times, as though returning to reality. "Thank you." he said. "Was the sum of money I gave you enough?"

"Oh! The money! Certainly!" Rothion said. In truth, it was much more than Rothion got from his more wealthy clients. "What are you going to name the sword... Siegfried?"

"Faust." Siegfried said without hesitation. "The name of this sword is Faust."

"Faust?" Rothion asked, thinking it an odd name.

"Faust was the name of a similar sword I had many years ago." Siegfried explained, putting it into a huge sheathe he had made by himself. After years of holding Soul Edge in his left hand, it would be odd to not be constantly holding a sword. "I figure that naming it after my old blade would be a good way to pick up the pieces of the broken life I once had."

Rothion shrugged, not knowing what to say. "I suppose you should go to your friends."

Siegfried chuckled. "My friends. Another thing I have not had for a long time." Then his face becamse very dark. "And for good reason as well."

.---------

Talim sighed, her raven hair blowing in the wind. "Why are you silent now?" she asked the wind. "I see you blow through air, but you say nothing."

She sat down on the grass and gave a great sigh. Just like all the times before, no reply came. She stood up again and continued on her trek. "No use sitting and moping. I have to find and destroy this evil sword." She looked around the forest, wondering where to go from here. She was out of clues and out of leads. At this rate, she would reach her twentieth winter before ever getting near the sword.

"Face it, Killik." a faraway female voice said. "We're lost."

"We aren't lost." another voice -this one belonging to a man- protested. "We're just on an inconvenient detour."

"You didn't even bother to get a map of some sort." the woman said. "You should at least gotten a compass."

"I don't need a compass." the man said. At this point, Talim decided to see who these two people were. "Kali Yuga is all the guidance that I truly need." She saw one man with a mop of brown hair holding a red bo staff and a svlete girl with brown hair, a face heavily painted in make-up, and a chinese sword in one hand.

"Are you two lost?" Talim inquired.

The woman looked at Talim suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was so rude." Talim said, blushing feverishly. "My name is Talim. I'm a wind priestess. I'm searching for something, and since I don't know where to go I might be able to help you to the nearest town. Maybe I can get another lead there."

"She's awfully talkative." Killik commented.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Talim said, blushing once again. "I tend to be overly talkative sometimes.:"

"Anyways, we're headed west. We thank you for your offer, but we don't need any help at the moment." Killik continued.

"Killik, shut the hell up!" XhiangHua cried. "You're the reason that we're lost in the first place, and now you want to give up more help?"

"I just thought-" Killik began, then he realized that there was no way that he would win this arguement. "Fine then. Talim, was it? I am Killik, and this is XhiangHua." Xhianhua smiled towards Talim at the mention of her name. "Where is the nearest town then? There we can rest and start our journey again." Seeing XhiangHua's stern face, he decided to add. "And get a compass as well."

Talim nodded and licked her thumb. She then rose it to the air to feel the currents of the wind blow through her. Her eyes closed in concentration, Talim felt every flicker of the wind. Each disturbance to it flowed to her clearly, even when the winds were silent like now. She could tell that there was a small town southwest of where the three stood now. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at her new companions

"This way!" Talim cried. "There's a town this way!"

"Can we trust that she's not insane?" Killik asked, thinking the spectacle he had just seen ridiculous.

"I trust her techniques more than I trust any of yours." XhiangHua commented.

"Ouch." Killik commented. "That certainly hurt my ego."

.------------

Link took a look at Siegfried, who easily kept the pace with Epona simply by running. By the godesses! He may have lost his demonic control, but he seemed to be just as powerful as ever. Link sighed as he remebered how alike he Siegfried were really. Both were now aliens to the world they lived in, strangers by circumstance. Link wondered if he would ever see the blooming world of Hyrule again. Run through the lush plains, speak with his friends, and have the adventures he did. He wondered if he would ever see his beloved Zelda again. The lovely princess of Hyrule was what spurred Link on his journey. Still, the possibility of never seeing her beautiful face again, never embracing her again, Link would give almost anything to be back in his home world now. He would even have been delighted to see Navi, the overly talkative and panicky fairy who had been his guide through his journies.

Yards behind them were Cassandra, Taki, and Sophitia. They all rode horses as well, though none could match the pace the speed of Epona or Siegfried.

"Taki, I still can't helping feeling apprehensive about this." Sophitia said. "This is the Azure Nightmare we're traveling with. And we know next to nothing about his companion, other than the preposterous story he has given us."

"Sophitia-san, a I remember, four years ago, you tried to help the Nightmare." Taki said. "You tried to heal him, rather than destroy him. An act most people would believe unthinkable. You need to find that trust inside yourself again for him, as well as for Link."

"He hurt me, Taki." Sophitia said. "I extended my hand out to him and he hurt me. Can you know how hard that is for me to overcome?"

Indeed, Taki could. She remembered Toki, from the Fu-Ma clan. When she had told him of Mekki-maru's evil energies, rather than agree with her to destroy the evil blade, he demanded the blade for himself and she had been forced to leave her village. Taki sighed, remembering the painful memory.

"Don't you think you're being overly judgemental, sis?" Cassandra said, entering the conversation abruptly. "I mean, if he really was the Azure Nightmare, wouldn't he have killed us all already?"

"I know, I know." Sophitia said. "I know that he isn't that evil man anymore. Even so, its so hard to forget the man that he once was." Sophtia shook her head, her blonde hair waving with her. "Never mind. It's stupid to worry about that."

"You know, he's really different from what I had always thought he would look like." Cassandra said. "I always figured someone that really looked evil and ugly. But it turns out that he's really handsome."

For a moment Sophitia looked at her sister as though she was insane. Then she shook her head in acceptance. Yes, he was a handsome person, but a person who haunted her constantly.

.----------

"Lord Sorel! Lord Sorel!" A frantic servant yelled, running towards Raphael's bed chambers."Demons are coming! Demons!"

Raphael had been reading a book at the moment and put it down to look at the servants. "Demons you say?"

"Yes, yes!" the servant said, on the brink of a mental breakdown. "I saw one, a huge hulking figure, green as a frog! The other was like a mummy from Egypt. He was walking as though he had a curvulation of the spine."

Raphael nodded at the proclamation and picked up his sheathed sword. He did not doubt what the 'demons' had come for. Clutching Soul Edge, he stormed out of the room. As he came out, two figures stalked towards him. The servant's description was accurate. One was an unearthly behemoth, muscled and powerful. If demons did exist on Earth, Raphael had no doubt that he was facing one at this moment. The other slinked forward, gyrating rhythmically. It was wrapped from head to toe in bandages, and had wore two hand-knives. The most disconcerting thing was how the creature's back was arced back so far that his head could reach the back of his knees. Raphael did not worry though. He knew immeadiately how to stop them.

Drawing Soul Edge, he calmly said. "You're looking for this, aren't you?" They both stopped and looked at the sword. Beyond that, it was difficult to tell what they were thinking. Any emotion the bandaged being had were lost behind his masked face. While the green creature did have his face visible, his expression never changed and his red eyes betrayed no emotions. This presented no difficulty for Raphael, though. He could their hunger for the sword through Soul Edge. They wanted to be near it. They wanted to feel its evil power consume them, as it had many years ago.

"Pitiful creatures." Raphael commented aloud. The two creatures did not move, but kept their attention on Soul Edge. "Tell me, you vile abominations. What are your names?"

They remained silent. Raphael narrowed his eyes. Then the green being took one of his hulking green claws and began scratching on the wall. The final product was crude, sloppy, and ugly. What it said was unmistakable though.

"Necrid..." Raphael read aloud. He then turned his stare towards the mummy-like being. "And as for you?"

Following the suit of his green-skinned companion, Voldo began scratching a name in the wall. The final product was even worse than Necrid's considering the creatures unwieldy weapons. Nevertheless, it managed to scribble in the words 'Voldo'.

"Very well then." Raphael said. "Necrid, Voldo, I am the current master of the sword, and your wish is to serve the sword, is it not?" They did not respond verbally, but Raphael could feel through Soul Edge's resonations that he spoken the truth. "Then QED, you two are now in my service." Again, Soul Edge told him that he had spoken the truth. "Then you shall aid me in my recreation of France. Congratulations on your promotions, Lieutenants." The two creatures made no indication that they cared about the new titles, but were now subservient to the new master of Soul Edge.

The servant looked at Raphael as though the man were insane. "Are you certain, Lord Sorel? Letting these... these monsters in?"

"Nothing happens for no reason, Partoufle." Raphael said. "I think that God intends me to use these evil creatures so that they may find themselves saved from damnation."

"Could God really plan something like that.?" Partoufle asked.

"We must hope that he can." Raphael answered. "For all our sakes."

.---------

The chill night air felt good on Siegfried. It had been a long time since he felt cold, or any other feeling for that matter. The senses that had been foreign to him for those long horrifying years as the Azure Nightmare. Link had offered to stay up as watch for this night, but Siegfried had declined this night, as he had every night. He didn't like sleeping. He never dreamed when he slept. He only heard the screams of those he killed.

"Don't you ever get tired?" Cassandra's voice asked, sitting next to him.

"No." Siegfried said. Then, looking at the moon and seeing how late it was, he asked. "Shouldn't you be asleep by now?"

Cassandra shook her head. "I couldn't sleep. I've just got too much on my mind."

"Are you afraid?" Siegfried asked.

"Kind of." Cassandra admitted. "And... I don't know, apprehensive."

"My father told me that fear is more often than not a rational emotion." Siegfried said. "But you have to make sure that the fear doesn't keep you from doing what you've set out to do."

"I don't know if I can do what I've set out to do though." Cassandra said. "I don't know if I'm going to survive this."

"What do you mean?" Siegfried asked. "You're a swordswoman, aren't you?"

Cassandra shook her head vigorously. "I'm not a swordswoman, I'm a baker." She gave a great sigh and lay back to look at the stars in the sky. "So is Sophitia. The only difference is that she's the chosen of Hephaestus. I'm just a fool who got in way over her head."

"So, you're afraid you won't be strong enough to be of any use." Siegfried said. "I see. At least your fear isn't stopping you."

"What do you mean?" Cassandra said.

Siegfried looked up at the star with a sense of regret. "I didn't have the power to face my fear." Siegfried explained. "Because of that, Soul Edge took me over completely. You may not realize it, Cassandra, but you're a very strong person. Don't think yourself below a coward such as I." He then lay down on his back as Cassandra did to look at the stars.

"But you're free of Soul Edge now, aren't you?" Cassandra asked. " so now it doesn't have any hold on you."

"Only because it has a new owner." Siegfried said. "What about if it comes down to me having to destroy the sword? Will I have the

strength or the courage to destroy it?"

"You know, you're nothing like I thought the Azure Nightmare would be." Cassandra said.

"I'm not the Azure Nightmare anymore." Siegfried said, sitting up. "I... don't like killing people. I don't like the screams that they give when they die. I hate the smell of death. I hate their fear. I don't want to be feared anymore. I don't wan't to kill anymore." Cassandra looked to see tears rolling down his face. "I don't want to fight anymore. I just want to die in peace."

Cassandra sat upwards and put a reassuring hand on Siegfried's shoulder. "It's okay. I know you didn't want to kill those people."

Siegfried gave a great sigh, glad to finally be able to talk with someone honestly. "I'm tired, Cassandra. I'm tired of fighting. But I can't. In good consicience, I can't stay idle while that sword is wreaking havoc anywhere in the world. I need to take responsibility for the sins I have committed."

Siegfried then felt Cassandra's arms wrap around him. "Don't worry. You've got us to help you. We'll all help you defeat Raphael and Soul Edge."

Siegfried felt an odd elation within himself from being in Cassandra's arms. This was the first time he had felt a woman's touch. Siegfried immeadiately corrected himself. It was not the first time. He remembered the emotions he felt four years ago towards an equally soothing woman. Siegfried quickly moved away from Cassandra's grasp.

"I... I'm sorry." Siegfried said. "I can't."

"What's wrong?" Cassandra asked, reaching to touch him.

"Stop!" Siegfried cried. "Look, I can't do this right now. You are a beautiful and kind woman. You're any man's desire. But, I... I just cannot!"

Cassandra nodded. "I see." she said evenly. She knew the reason for his rejection was justified: that he had been under a lot of pain, but the rejection still hurt her. "But we're all here to help you fight. Me, Link, Taki, and even Sophitia."

"Sophitia..." Siegfried thought aloud as Cassandra left. "If she knew what I had done to her sister, she would hate me more than any other."

.-------

Fuunsaaki came to a walk as they entered the village he been told was Roo-un, the home of Raphael Sorel, as well as the new home of Soul Edge. Mitsurugi dismounted his faithful beast, to look at the devastation in the city.

"Its like a war's been going on here." Mitsurugi said. "And of course, considering that Soul Edge is here, that's probably what happened."

Coming to closest living man he saw, he quickly unsheathed his katana and pointed its tip at the man. The stunned man made no move to protest. Apparantly, he was more intelligent than most of the barbarians Mitsurugi had encountered on his journies here.

"You." Mitsurugi growled. "Take me to Raphael Sorel. NOW!" The man silently nodded and began walking through the desolate landscape of the city, Mitsurugi's sword at his back. They traveled until they came to a seemingly unblemished mansion as big as a feudal lord's castle. Mitsurugi nodded at the man gratefully. He pulled out some gold he had stolen from bandits. "Here's your payment, now get out of my sight."

The frightened man was more than happy to oblige as Mitsurugi managed to jump over the guard wall with a single bound. Mitsurugi proceeded to go towards the entrance of the house. Unable to open the door, Mitsurugi unsheathed his blade and tore through it with a single stroke. Two men armed with guns raced towards him.

Mitsurugi, having set his goal to show that the sword was superior to the gun, knew the weapon quite well. They took much longer to load than a sword took to unsheath. His katana swept forward, striking them both in the heart before they could even put the gunpowder in their weapons.

"Have a nice nap in hell." Mitsurugi said, sheathing his sword. While it was true that he didn't know where Raphael resided, he was sure that if he caused enough carnage, Soul Edge's new owner would come. Mitsurugi proceeded to tear down tapestries and destroy statues, creating havoc all around him.

"Do you mind?" a familiar voice asked. Mitsurugi turned to see Raphael twirling Soul Edge slowly in his hands, as though mocking Mitsurugi. Behind him stood his faithful, if terrified, servant Partoufle.

"Before this day is over," Mitsurugi said. "That sword will be mine!"

"You're welcome to try and get it." Raphael said as he got into a fighting stance. "But if you couldn't defeat me before, what hope do you have when I have the ultimate blade in my hand."

Mitsurugi responded with Shishi-oh blazing forward. Raphael easily parried the blow, turning Mitsurugi's attack away. Mitsurugi quickly turned around to served another blow. Raphael brought his rapier forward again, and the two locked swords. The two disengaged their attacks and took several steps backward.

Mitsurugi had to be careful. He had battled Raphael Sorel once before, and the man had been formidable then. With Soul Edge in his grasp, there was no doubt that he would even more of a difficult adversary with the cursed blade in his hand. Mitsurugi was a man of unbreakable resolve, and he would take that sword one way or another.

Mitsurugi sheathed his sword then, and crouched over. Raphael paused, wondering if this man had conceded before any actual decisive strike was made. Then, quicker than the eye could track, Mitsrugi's blade came flying out of its sheath. With deft speed, Raphael drove his sword downward to block. He barely caught Mitsurugi's katana with the edge of his rapier.

Mitsurugi stood in shock, seeing his sword blocked. "That is quite the technique." Raphael said, raising his sword. "What do you call it?"

"Iaijuttsu." Mitsurugi explained. "The art of drawing out one's sword with the intention to kill."

"I see." Raphael said. "You almost killed me with that move, you realize that don't you?"

"As I said, that is the move's intention." Mitsurugi said. "Your ability to block it is a testamate your ability."

"Is it now?" Raphael asked. They both began circling the room, swords at guard position. Each waited for the other to make the first move. Raphael then thrusted forward. Mitsurugi moved his blade up with the intent to parry, but found the thrust to powerful to move. He twisted out of the way at the last minute. Raphael instantly swerved his rapier over to hit Mitsurugi. Mitsurugi responded by dropping down to roll forward a few meters. He rose to his feet to see Raphael charging again. He brought his sword into a guard position, blocking the strike.

Then Raphael began thrusting and swinging with amazing speed. Mitsurugi blocked and responded with equal speed, both showing their prowess with their art. The dance of a swordfight countinued many minutes until Mitsurugi made a fatal mistake. Before Mitsurugi could correct the fatal mistake, he felt the tip of Flambert against his neck.

"Kill me." Mitsurugi stated bluntly. "Losing and battle and surviving is a samurai's shame."

"Spare me your barbaric rituals." Raphael replied. "The fact is that I could use a warrior as skilled as yourself."

"You would deny me of my honor?!" Mitsurugi demanded, anger coming from his voice. This had been the first time he had been defeated since the incident of him fighting against the man with the rifle. This was far from a pleasant experience for him.

"I give you the chance to reclaim your honor." Raphael corrected. "If you would join me to return justice to France. Perhaps if you fight well enough, Soul Edge may be your prize."

Mitsurugi growled. He didn't like this at all. Then again, if Mitsurugi could get another shot at fighting for the coveted blade, it would be worth it.

"Fine." Mitsurugi said. "I'll fight for your little revolution. But keep in mind that I will still strive for Soul Edge, and in no way am I loyal to you or your cause."

"Duly noted." Raphael said. "I suppose you would like a room here?"

"If you have one." Mitsurugi said, shrugging. In truth, he didn't care for the atmosphere of these barbaric places. It would provide a good base for finding a way to retrieve Soul Edge.

"Portoufle?" Raphael asked. "Bring Sir Mitsurugi to a room, will you?"

"Y- yes sir." Partoufle said, somewhat intimidated. "Come with me, shall you sir?" Mitsurugi made no sound, but merely followed the servant.

Raphael failed to surpress a chuckle as he saw Mitsurugi leave. "It seems as though I am going to have my hands quite full soon." he turned and walked down the hall. After passing a few corridors, he came to see young Amy looking at him. "Is something wrong mon angele petite?" he asked.

"I had a bad dream." Amy said. "I dreamt you had to leave me again."

Raphael came to one knee to embrace his dear daughter. "Oh Amy." he said soothingly. "There is nothing in all the world that would make me ever leave you."

"Thank you, papa." Amy said, wrapping her arms around Raphael's neck. "Could you read me a story?"

"Amy dear, nothing would make me happier." Raphael said truthfully.

.------------

It was another day of traveling for the five warriors. They had taken months of traveling and were almost at their destination. Taki had decided on one more stop to rest and refresh. All except Siegfried believed it to be a good plan. He, of course, never rested.

The night was calm, but Siegfried felt unsettled as he looked over the horizon, barely making out a city in the distance. "So, what happens when I have you back in my grasp?" he wondered aloud. Would he once again become the Azure Nightmare, terrorizing all of Europe once again, or would he be able to resist it?

"Quiet night isn't it?" Link commented sitting next to him, looking over the horizon. "Odd, but I've only felt calm such as this one time before."

"And when was that?" Siegfried asked. He couldn't be in any more of a different state. He was anxious and jittery, fearful of what the next day had in store for him.

"Before I fought Gannondorf." Link explained. "Complete serenity overcame me. I suppose its my body's way of preparing me for the fight to come."

"Link?" Siegfried asked. "What do you suppose will happen once we defeat Raphael?"

"We'll destroy Soul Edge of course." Link answered. Then he hesitated. "Why?"

Siegfried sighed. "Soul Edge... I may be free of its grasp now, but what about when it is free of that man's control? Will I be able to resist it?"

"You managed to resist it for a long time." Link said. "I'm sure you will be able to resist until Taki is able to use Mekki-maru to neutralize it."

"But what about when I slept?" Siegfried asked. "I was completely under its spell! What if I can't resist it."

Link paused for a moment. "I suppose that we would have to kill you." he said.

Siegfried scoffed. "Good. I'd expect no less of my first friend in four years."

Link gave a good-natured smile. "Surely you'd do the same for me?"

"Of course, Link." Siegfried said. "Sorry about the disturbance Link."

"No problem." Link said. "I'm going to go get some sleep though."

Siegfried nodded and was left only with the silence of the wind to ponder alongside him.