Disclaimer : Soul Calibur and it's characters are creations of Namco, and obviously not me, so don't sue me. I decided to stay true to the story as presented in the game, but also decided to add a few new characters and twists to keep the story as fresh and enjoyable as possible.
Please review this story after reading. I really value the viewpoints of my readers, be it positive or negative. I'm not the only one reading the stories I write, so it assists me greatly when readers can share their thoughts freely with me. It helps me improve as a writer and helps you by providing you with higher quality fan fiction to read.
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Foreboding ash gray clouds filled the sky overhead, casting a dark shadow across the land. Rain droplets began to slowly pour down. Panting heavily, a young blonde warrior lay crouched on his knees in the middle of a grassy field. Clad in plated azure armor, the warrior was a young man in his mid twenties with short cropped blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The young man dug his hands into the soil, trembling at the sight of the crimson red stains on his armor and in the dirt. The rain mixed the blood with the dirt, returning the life force back into the earth from whence it came
"What…what have I done? Siegfried what have you done?" he thought.
Tears welled up in Siegfried's eyes, as he stood up on his knees and gazed at the gruesome sight unfolding before his eyes. He was surrounded by a field of unspeakable gore and butchery. The severed limbs, strewn internal organs, and mangled bodies of dozens of people lay upon the grass creating a panorama of madness and insanity unfolding before Siegfried's eyes. Small crimson rivers of blood flowing between the blades of grass screamed out to the young warrior. Siegfried gazed at his hands, his face contorted in fear and terror. His hands were drenched in blood, the crimson pools flowing in between his fingers and onto the ground below. In a panic, he tried to run as far away from the scene as he could. He came upon a river surrounded by lush vegetation and a few trees. Siegfried ran towards the river than knelt down to try and wash the blood from his hands and armor. Even though the blood washed away into the river, Siegfried could still see the haze of life force of the blood covering his hands. The sin would not wash away so easily. Shaking his head in disbelief, Siegfried let out a wail of anguish and torment that echoed throughout the land for countless miles. As he wept uncontrollably, his gaze caught site of a horrific image. Atop an adjacent hill, he saw a large and oddly shaped sword jutting from the ground.
It was the Soul Edge, the sword that twisted men's hearts towards evil.
Siegfried could hear a wailing in the back of his mind. The wailing grew stronger, until it became a piercing shriek he could not bear. He knew this sound all too well. It was the twisted sword Soul Edge calling out to him, attacking his mental defenses. The wails of the souls entrapped within the confines of the sword called out to the young warrior, urging him to continue doing the swords malevolent bidding. Siegfried had journeyed as far away as the harsh hinterlands of northern Norway, far away from even the smallest of human settlements. He tried to banish himself from humanity, to embrace his tragic fate as the cursed steward of the sword of infinite evil. However he could not fight the power of the sword. No matter how much willpower he mustered, Siegfried always eventually succumbed to the will of the sword, and transformed into the senseless killing machine known throughout Europe as Nightmare.
"I…I am the one that killed all of those innocents…I don't want to kill anyone else…" thought the weeping young man, grasping his head and writhing in agony.
Siegfried questioned his own sanity, as it seemed to slip from him. He could no longer count the people that fell before the sadistic Soul Edge, their souls entering the eternal abyss, cursed to exist in eternal flux within the confines of the hellish blade. Had he slain 20, 30, 40, 100, 1000 people? The faces of the innocents, the piercing wails, and the cries of people pleading for their lives, all haunted him during his sleep and during his waking hours. Siegfried's vision became blurred. He felt his body give way, as his consciousness slipped into darkness. His vision became filled with images of hellfire and souls dancing within its fiery embrace. He could no longer feel his own body, but instead felt a grave like chill encompassing him. Siegfried could feel a strange sensation coming over his skin, as if it were on fire. His eyes changed from sparkling blue to a demonic red. His body trembled, slowly succumbing to the hideous power of Soul Edge. The sword had control of him once more, as it had so many times before. The slaughter would begin anew.
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The full moon hung eerily in the pitch black night sky, casting a haunting gaze over the lakes, the forest, and the earth below. Xianghua woke suddenly in her bed, bolting upright. Her heartbeat was pounding, her lungs heaving for air. Xianghua had been sleeping soundly, until her slumber was invaded by a feeling of terror and foreboding that was so intense it interrupted her rest. Sweat beads dripping down the side of her face, Xianghua tried to collect herself. The shutters to her window were open, allowing a fresh breeze to overcome the stale air of her bedroom. Xianghua allowed herself some time to rest and breath.
"I've never felt a terror so intense, so real…What does this mean?" thought Xianghua as she got out of bed and moved to her window. Looking out at the infinite expanse of grassy plain unfolding before her vision, Xianghua breathed in the fresh air. She loved the scenery of the Indian subcontinent. The moon light made her fair skin almost haunting. Xianghua was a young and beautiful woman. Her profile revealed her shimmering black hair and mysterious black eyes. She sat down on a wooden chair situated next to a circular white oak table. Her lodgings were not luxurious, but were adequate for her needs. A modest bed with comfortable bedding, a dresser, table, and a personal washroom was all she needed for her journey. Opening the dresser drawer, Xianghua gazed at a strange shard of metal. The metal seemed nearly translucent under the influence of the light of the moon. She felt an indescribably evil emanating from the shard. The appearance of these strange shards is what started Xianghua her journey.
"I thought I had destroyed the sword, the so called 'Sword of Heroes'" said Xianghua gazing at the strange shard.
Her mind began to wander back into her past, evoking memories from years long ago. Xianghua and her two friends Maxi and Kilik journeyed to the far off lands of Europe and to the Ohstenburg castle. Using her mother's keepsake sword, Xianghua battled the dreaded demon Nightmare and the sword of darkness, Soul Edge. While Kilik and Maxi held off Nightmare's countless demonic minions, Xianghua was transported to a realm of energy and light. Within a blazing crimson ring of fire, she fought the essence of the Soul Edge, Inferno, using the sword of justice, the Soul Calibur. She was victorious, and managed to cast Soul Edge into an abyss. She thought she had ended the existence of the sword, ridding it from the mortal world. But ever since the appearance of these strange shards was reported throughout the Ming Empire, Xianghua took it upon herself to investigate.
"If these are pieces of the sword, then I must collect them all and destroy them. While I no longer have the Soul Calibur, I'm sure I can find a way to rid our world of the sword's evil influence," thought Xianghua, her eyes showing clear determination as she gazed out her window.
Xianghua stood up, took her long sword off of her dresser, put on her blue and white uniform, and walked outside. The city of Vajparuti was quiet in the evening, as all the merchants and tradesmen had gone home after business hours were done. The city was enclosed within a high wall, protecting it from invaders and raids. The buildings were made of earth toned brick or mud. She walked down a few alleys, and found an abandoned courtyard within the old section of the city. The courtyard was old and tucked in behind several old warehouses and stores. Wooden stalls lay broken in crumpled heaps, as well as signs and stones from the city walls. The buildings around the courtyard were quite tall, and cast shadows onto the ground below. The moonlight was concentrated in the center of the courtyard, making the cracked gray cobblestone glow. Xianghua positioned herself in the center of the moonlit spotlight, her eyes closed. She fluidly drew her sword from its scabbard and waved it before her. Opening her eyes, Xianghua began to dance with her sword.
As Xianghua practiced her sword moves in a fluid and graceful display of swordsmanship, she thought back to her days training in the royal palace. Her mother was a sword expert, teaching Xianghua her own special sword style. Xianghua spun the sword in her hand, allowing the sword to flip around once, and then expertly caught the hilt to deliver a thrust. The moonlight reflected off of the sword, causing the sword to glow. Her agility and reflexes were what earned her a place within the imperial guard of the Ming emperor. She kicked high into the air, her sword tucked behind her back. She then bent down and leaped forward, her legs spreading out like a fan as she made two hops. At the end of her second hop, she landed low to the ground, her feet spread evenly apart and her sword extended out.
Xianghua liked to practice her swordplay whenever she needed to clear her mind. Her quest to destroy the sword Soul Edge put a great burden and heavy responsibility on her shoulders. Not wanting to let her mother down as she watched Xianghua from the heavens, Xianghua was determined to rid the world of Soul Edge's evil influence.
The morning sun rose between the green hills of the city of Vajparuti, in northern India. The rays of light flowed across the land, dispelling the shadows of night. Xianghua was already up and ready to continue her journey. Leaving out of the inn she was staying in, she met the hustle and bustle of the city. The sound of horse hoofs clapping against the cobblestone road rang through the air. The haggling and arguing of merchants dressed in bright and lavish clothes mostly drowned out the sound of the chatter of the peasants walking the streets. Xianghua walked down the streets, looking at the stalls filled with all variety of exotic fruits and vegetables, as well as brightly colored crafts and textiles. She was wearing a form fitting blue and shirt with detached sleeves. Her pants were a darker blue with a rose flower pattern stitched along the hem down the length of the pants. Xianghua's shoes matched her pants, except the straps were fiery red. She carried a long sword within a scabbard fixed to her belt sash. She journeyed to the city square to meet her guide, as she did not know the surrounding geography nor the language of the area. Catching sight of her guide, Xianghua waved her hand and jogged briskly towards him. Her guide was a holy man from a local temple. His hair was jet black, his skin a dark brown, and he wore simple sackcloth like others in his order. Her guide simply smiled, waving to the young girl.
"Did you sleep well mistress?" said the guide, his voice jovial and refined. His Chinese was impeccable and unaccented.
"Oh I slept wonderfully Rajit. I wanted to make sure I had enough energy for today. We have a lot of ground to cover. Tell me, did you find out how I can get to Persia? I think from there I can find my way into Anatolia and then make it to Europe," said Xianghua, her voice very excited.
"My my, mistress you certainly want to cover a lot of ground! I have checked with several of my contacts. I can assure you a ship that will take you from here to Gujarati, and then from there you can take a ship to Persia. From there I cannot help you," said Rajit, smiling jovially.
"I'm sure once I get to Persia I can handle things myself," said Xianghua.
"But mistress, you've an awfully long way to travel, and yet you have no traveling partners. It is dangerous for a woman to be traveling the roads and seas all by herself," said Rajit, his face showing clear concern for the young woman.
"No need to worry, Rajit, I can take care of myself just fine," said Xianghua, smiling to hide her true feelings.
Xianghua knew that she could take no one along with her on her quest. Combating the sword of infinite evil was dangerous enough. She did not want anyone else to befall the same fate as Kilik or Maxi had so many years ago. Xianghua had not seen Kilik or Maxi since that fated battle in Ohstenburg castle, and she could only hope with all her strength that both of them were still alive. Her imagination took her back to the moment she was sucked into the cosmic vortex to battle inferno. She had tried to reach out to Kilik, who was lying unconscious on the ground, but she was slowly fazing out of the dimension. After battling Inferno, Xianghua was transported to an empty plain away from the castle, not knowing what fate had befallen her comrades in arms.
"Well we should be setting off mistress. I've prepared some horses for our trip south. We'll try to make the port city of Sajarat before nightfall. If we are quick we should make it," said Rajit, motioning to two sturdy horses strapped to a stall. Xianghua smiled and nodded, walking towards the horses. Expertly straddling the horse, Xianghua and Rajit went out of the city and onto the main road leading south. She gripped the stirrups of her steed and urged the horse on. Rajit and Xianghua sped along the trail atop their steeds, kicking dust into the air.
"I must get to Europe as fast as possible, if I can get to the source of the evil and destroy the sword once and for all I can ensure the safety of this world. I will not rest until every fragment of that sword is smashed to dust," thought Xianghua as she rode behind Rajit. With a heart filled with a mix of fear, trepidation, and bravery, Xianghua found a new resolve as she began her quest. Storm clouds were brewing over the city of Sajarat, creating a deep sense of foreboding within Xianghua.