Runemeister – Thank you for your advice, tried to expand here…but I'm so tired. x

DilaZirk – That's what happened when my parents found out…though it was with another woman so it's understandable ha! I joke…or do I? Heh heh…O.O Way too overtired here x

AthaMaarit – Thank you very much, the story continues…x

LinkLuvr – and I updated as soon as I got your review…again I emphasise just how late it is over here! Enjoy x

Chapter 6 – Soul Edge

Lyra hesitated at the broken wall. She stood framed against the wall, her hand resting against it as she looked down into the revealed cavern. There was a path leading down into darkness, blood trickled down the path as if showing her the way forward.

"Nightmare?" she called into the abyss. There was no reply. "Nightmare!" she called again, this time with far more urgency in her voice. But again there was no response. She wiped her eyes as they burned with fresh tears, "Nightmare?" she screamed down into the darkness, her voice breaking as she did so. A cough resonated from within the darkness.

Lyra inhaled deeply and stepped into the cave that had been revealed to her. Her eyes soon adjusted to the darkness and she could follow the path without stumbling. To her horror the blood that trickled over the path had become more than a trickle. She could see puddles of the dark stain causing her to loose her footing every so often.

She seemed to have been walking for an age when she caught sight of Nightmare. His name escaped her lips as almost a scream as she rushed forward. He was lying face down on the rock path. His body was battered and he was bleeding profusely. Lyra knelt beside him, realising that it was his blood that she had been slipping in.

"Nightmare," she whispered, trying to raise his head in her arms. "Nightmare, what happened?" He didn't answer. She rested his head in her lap and stoked the blood stained hair from his face, "Nightmare," she shook him slightly, her voice verging on desperation.

He coughed, blood spluttered from his lips, flecking her cheeks. She paid no attention to it and brushed his cheek with a single finger until his eyes flickered open.

"Nightmare," she murmured, smiling, relieved that he hadn't died in her arms. "What happened?" she asked. Nightmare struggled to push himself up,

"Where is he?" he choked.

Lyra looked down, confused, "Who?" she asked. As if to answer her question a maniacal laugh rang through the cave. The cave became illuminated with flames from a distant point. Beyond where Lyra and Nightmare were lying, Lyra could make out a deep chasm from which the distant flames were burning.

"There he is," Nightmare smirked, trying to pull himself up.

"What are you doing?" Lyra exclaimed as Nightmare used her shoulder, attempting to rise, "Where are you going?"

"I've spent the last few years protecting it…I won't let him take it." Nightmare used whatever momentum he managed to gather and pushed himself up to his feet.

"Nightmare," Lyra cried, pulling his arm, "Look at you, you're in no condition to do anything!" Nightmare wrenched his arm from her grasp and staggered over to the chasm edge.

"Nightmare!" Lyra called again. Nightmare didn't look back, he teetered on the edge for a moment before some invisible force knocked him back towards Lyra. Throwing her arms up she protected herself from the full force of his weight. The laugh came again and this time Lyra could see from whom it came.

From the chasm a figure emerged from over the edge. Lyra gasped and latched onto Nightmare who was now completely powerless to move. The figure walked past them, Lyra trembled and backed away from the figure. A man, quite tall but shorter than Nightmare, his skin was the colour of grey china and his eyes were just as blank. He smirked at Lyra as he passed, his hand was clutching a massive sword. She didn't know which filled her with more fear. The man's blank but burning eyes or the eye that blinked at her from the side of the sword.

"No," she heard Nightmare rasp as he lost consciousness against Lyra. Lyra held onto him watching as the man left with the sword, without a glance back.

Nightmare's eyes opened and he blinked, looking around confused. He was in a bed.

A proper bed.

"Lyra?" He called, pushing himself up on the bed. He felt her hand against his cheek,

"I'm here," she whispered. She shifted onto the bed next to him and allowed him to lie back down.

"Where am I?" he asked, looking around the room. From the window he could see a town rather than the mountain view that Lyra's room revealed.

"An inn in town," came the reply. Nightmare looked down at himself, bruises were appearing over his body and he was covered in bandages. He groaned and threw his head against the pillow, realising that he had failed. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" Lyra asked. The usual warmth had left her voice and she sounded almost bitter. He reached a weak hand to her face but she drew back and looked away. "Who was that man?" Lyra asked, keeping her face turned from him.

"It doesn't matter," Nightmare sighed, "It's nothing to do with you."

"Nothing to do with me!" Lyra snapped, Nightmare jumped, her voice had never risen before and certainly not aimed at him, "He almost killed you! Why were you up there in that cave? Why had the rock face been destroyed? Why were you attacked!" she demanded.

Nightmare gazed up at her as if contemplating whether he would tell her or not. After a long silence between them, he muttered, "his name is Cervantes." Lyra was silent, waiting for him to continue. "The sword he took was the Soul Edge, I swore myself to protect it. Some years ago I realised the evil in the sword would not be stopped if it found it's way to human hands so I took it up to the mountain and cast it into that chasm. Then I sealed the cave and promised I wouldn't let anyone near it again, I wouldn't let the sword's evil possess anyone again…for years I stayed up there with the remains of that evil spirit…now it is free again."

Nightmare rolled over in the bed so he faced the window. An uneasy silence had descended upon them as Lyra tried to comprehend the tale he had told her.

"Evil spirit?" she asked, eventually.

"The spirit within Soul Edge. It possesses anyone it comes into contact with it…that's why I sealed it away so securely." He paused for a moment, "I thought it was secure."

"Nightmare?" Lyra asked as he descended into silence again. He didn't answer, instead he kept his eyes on the window staring into the distance but not really taking anything in.

"My name isn't Nightmare," he snarled. "The sword made me Nightmare."

Lyra hesitated, taken aback by the harshness in his voice, "What is your name?" she asked, tentatively. He shook his head and sat up, pushing the covers from him. He rose and went to the window.

"As long as the sword holds even a part of me, I will remain Nightmare," he clenched his abnormal arm as he spoke and then clenching that fist, banged it against the wall. "I will get the Soul Edge back…this time I will seal it away and not even Cervantes will find it." With new resolve Nightmare turned to the door and his hand was on the handle when Lyra called,

"And what about me?"

Nightmare stopped and looked back. Lyra was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning toward him, she looked as though she were trying to smile, but her sadness was shining through.

"Lyra," Nightmare sighed, moving back to her and sitting next to her he took her hands in his own, "I am grateful for what you've done for me, truly I am. But I have to get the Soul Edge back, you don't know what will happen if I don't. You don't know what it can do." Lyra sniffed and shook her head,

"So you're just going to leave?" she asked, finding the speck of dirt on the bed sheets far more interesting than Nightmare's face for that moment.

"I have no choice. Cervantes spent some time in Paris, I have to start there. I'm sorry Lyra." He touched the side of her cheek and kissed it, "I'm sorry." He rose and kissing the top of Lyra's head he left.

TBC