The sky was black, the stars were shining brightly. The large ship quietly sailed on the cold ocean and through calm, soul soothing winds. Inside the hull of the ship, down six feet worth of steps were the crew living their lives to the fullest with their fellow crewmen. The far back, however, was empty from anyone. That is, except for Jesse and Raphael who Siegfried's amulet between them while Raphael read a large, hardback book.
"Hmm, it does talk about the Nevarious Crystal, but nothing about Soul Edge." Raphael thumbed through the pages.
"The Nevarious Crystal, a crystal created from the souls of many mortal humans and demons." Jesse said while bringing her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, "What kind of sick person would create such a thing?"
"Says here some sort of enchantress. But, how? How can an enchantress, much less a mortal in general, steal souls to create a weapon of mass destruction?" Raphael asked out loud, knowing full well that Jesse didn't have the answer. Taking his chin in his hand, he entered a deep state of thought.
"Simple, she's a demon." The amulet started to shine a bright green as the elder's voice echoed from it.
"The hell?" Raphael glued his eyes on the amulet, "I must be losing my mind."
"I assure you Mr. Sorel, you are not losing your mind." The voice appeared from the glowing amulet once again. "This amulet is merely a form of communication and I am communicating to you through it. As long as there is a supply of mana in the air, I am able to talk to you and vise versa, see what the wearer sees, and hear everything the wearer hears."
"Well speak up! What makes you think she is some sort of demon?" He asked, his voice in a commanding tone.
"Yes elder, please explain. Enchantresses are wizards who specializes in charms, enchantments and other similar spells. So how could a demon be an enchantress when demons can't use spells?" Jesse asked as well, bringing her eyes up to the amulet.
"I don't care if demons can't use magic. I want to know how in the hell is a demon able to steal souls and use them to create a crystal!" Raphael suddenly burst out in a loud voice.
"Alright, if it interests you that much, then I'll explain. There once existed a race of powerful demons. This race of demons resembled humans so greatly that one could be your bride for many years and you'd never know. But, they held an very unique power that all other demons lacked. The ability to drain one's soul. The fear of this ability led the other races of demons and humans to hunt them down." The elder explained.
Scratching the back of her head, Jesse looked at the glowing green amulet, "Well, that explains one thing. Now explain to me how in the hell she can be a demon."
"Another good question." The elder said as a long pause took over.
"Well?" Raphael glared at the stone, his voice hinting irritation.
"Mana, in case you didn't know, is why humans are able to cast spells. It lingers in the air, awaiting for some outside force to manipulate it. Namely spiritual energy." The elder said as Raphael started to read through the book once more, obviously still listening but at the same time, reading to see if there was any more useful information. "Mekai is the weaker of the two polar opposite spiritual energies. Interestingly enough, it is also the weaker of the two energies, which makes it the perfect candidate to manipulates the mana. Demonic, however, is another story. It's much stronger than mekai, therefore, instead of manipulating mana, it destroys it."
"That doesn't help at all! To be able to use magic, one has to be able to manipulate the mana. How can one manipulate something as delicate as mana if they destroy it." Jesse let out a sigh of exhaustion and leaned backwards until she was against the wall.
"There are exceptions child. Though demonic energy is more powerful of the two, if one has complete control over their spiritual energy and keep the severity of power in check, they'll be able to manipulate something as delicate as mana." The elder explained.
Slowly Raphael turned the page of his book, "Why would a demon want to use magic? Aren't demons born with natural powers at their disposal? So what if the power they use is racially inherited, it is still far better than magic since it doesn't require an outside force. I guess the only drawback to it is that natural powers are limited. One who was born with the ability to fire bolts of lightning can't all of a sudden create balls of flame. On the upside, the more powerful ones demonic energy is, the more powerful the effect of the power is. Of course, that also means that they're really not in control over their power except who they target it at and when to use it. Might I add, that they can't switch to another power if they find their powers being of little help in combat."
"You seem quite knowledgeable of the different spiritual energies." The elder chuckled in amusement.
"When I possessed Soul Edge, all, or at least, most of the information it had flooded into my mind. That was how I came to know about this world in the first place. Mekai, demonic, the rips in the fabric of time and space that separates our two worlds, and the fact that your world's mana is going through that rift and entering our world. But enough about what I was taught by that cursed sword."
"You're right. We should worry about fighting against the Conner." Jesse said. "He already has the Nevarious Crystal, and now he has Soul Edge. It seems so hopeless with the odds against us."
"No, when I saw him, he had a crystal on a necklace. If that crystal is the Nevarious Crystal, than it is only half complete. So the other half is still somewhere in this world. Plus, Soul Edge isn't complete. Hell, Siegfried can even vouch for that. There are still three fragments missing for the female sword. Then there is Soul Calibur. Not only does he not have that, there are still five fragments somewhere in this world that mysteriously vanished in front of mine, Siegfried's, and Cassandra's eyes." Raphael corrected her.
"If Soul Edge is almost at full power, then he already has no need for that sword. From what I saw through the amulet, he was just using both sword's power. Compared to his Nevarious Crystal, Soul Edge in its current state, or even completed, is no where near his crystal's current power. The proof is the fact that both you and Siegfried survived the battle." The elder explained.
"Then why in the hell does he need Soul Edge?" Raphael slammed his book down, "It makes no sense! Soul Edge, Soul Calibur, Nevarious Crystal, what's the god damn link!"
"Instead of searching for the link, why don't you search for the other half? At least then you have a fighting chance." The elder said.
"Yes, but where do we start?" Jesse asked as she watched Raphael pick up the book. He turned back to the page he was previously reading.
"How about the place where the Nevarious Crystal was first defeated. We might find some clues there as to what happened to the other half." Raphael spoke up as he placed his finger on the page to help him read the words.
"It is a possibility." The elder said, pondering about Raphael's comment. "Ah ha, then it is settled. You will visit the site where the last battle the Nevarious Crystal was involved in. When you arrive in Nase, head to Split Rock. You might have to get the king's permission, but it's well worth a look."
Cassandra stood on the deck, staring at Siegfried who was leaning against the railing and staring at the stars. It amazed on her on how serene he looked when he was without his sword an armor, save for the boots and thigh guards with his belt running through them. When he's completely armored or holding his sword, to her he looks powerful, invincible, and always ready for battle. But now, he didn't. If she didn't know any better, she'd never had guess who he really was.
"You should talk to him." A small, childlike voice said to her.
She looked down to meet a pair of blue eyes belonging to the little girl they saved the night before, "Why should I?"
"It's clear that something is bothering you. And you've been avoiding him all day, so I'm positive that it's about him." The little girl explained.
"I…don't know what to say." Cassandra explained.
"Just say what's bothering you. From what the other woman told me, you and him tend to not get along. But even if that is the case, it will make you feel better if you just come right out and tell him what's bothering you. That's what my mother always told me. If something is bothering you and you never deal with it, it'll never go away." The little girl said as she turned her head toward Siegfried.
"You're probably right. I'll go talk to him. Oh, I forgot to ask. I never got your name."
"Melanie."
"That's a pretty name." She said cheerfully.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" The girl quickly disappeared down the hall for a minute. When she came back, she was holding an old brown cloak in her arms, "I managed to hold onto this during our escape. I'm sure he would want it back."
"Damn that girl. I shouldn't have been so careless." Conner sat down on his throne, his body was aching all over from the previous battle. "Kynour! Gilgamesh! Serena!" He called out.
Two figures appeared in front of him, one was Kynour, the other Gilgamesh. In the back, however, was a figure cloaked in the shadows. She stepped into the light and stood beside Gilgamesh. Instantly the three took a kneel, "My lord." They all said in unison.
"I have some missions for you three. Kynour, lure that pirate to Split Rock. Gilgamesh, I want you to slow down Siegfried and his friends anyway you can. Serena, I want you to head over to split rock immediately and prepare everything for the ceremony. We'll be releasing her within the week!" He ordered as everyone stood.
"At once my lord." Gilgamesh said as he turned to walk away.
"I'm on it." Kynour said as she teleported out.
"My lord, excuse me for asking, but the spell placed on Soul Edge is powerful. We'll need Soul Calibur to help us break the spell." She said while tucking her long blond hair behind her left ear.
"I know." He said as he leaned back in the throne.
"So, that would mean that you have Soul Calibur as well?" She asked.
"No, but I believe I know where it is. I felt it last time I saw her. Ha ha, this is grand! I should've noticed it the first time we met. But that doesn't matter now. What matters is making her my wife after I take over both worlds."
"My lord?" Serena was confused as to what he was talking about.
"Serena, what are you still doing here?" He suddenly snapped at her. "We have too much work to be done. So get!
The cool breeze gently blew through his hair and around its body, its icy chill eased the pain underneath the bandage on his left shoulder. His eyes stared at the stars, hypnotized by their beauty and wonder. "Hey." He heard Cassandra's voice as she stood beside him. "Here." His turned his gaze to his right to see her handing him his cloak.
Gently, he took her from her hand and watched as she shivered a bit. When she turned to lean against the railing and stared at stars in the black sky, he delicately threw his cloak around her shoulders. Instantly he was met by a puzzled look. "It's cold and you're shivering, so you can keep it for the night. It'll keep you warm."
"Thank you Siegfried." She said in a serene, angelic tone. The tone, though he definitely wasn't used to it, wasn't what surprised him. "What?" She asked while noticing that he was chuckling.
"You just caught me off guard." He said while turning his gaze back to the stars.
"Caught you off guard? With what?" She asked, sending him a death glare just in case he was insinuating something rude. Which wouldn't surprise her if he was.
"I've never heard you call by my name before." He said.
"Oh." She started to blush from his comment, "Well the way I see you now is different than before."
"How so?" He asked while dolphins in the ocean started to jump up and swim alongside the ship.
"I always thought of you as an evil person. A demon who would killed for pleasure. But lately, I'm starting to see that you're completely different than that. At night while we're sleeping, you stay awake and protect us. When we're fighting, you make sure no harm comes my way. And when I threatened you with my sword, the look in your eyes told me you wouldn't fight back. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm starting to see what Father Prometheus sees in you." She let out a sigh.
"The reason I protect you and keep watch at night is because I made an oath to myself. I put your sister and so many people through hell because of my weakness. To help make amends, I will make sure you see your sister again." He told her, hiding only part of the truth. The reason why he stayed awake at night was because of his nightmares, the voice and fear, not because he swore to protect her. He was a light sleeper, so even if he did sleep, he would easily wake up if danger was nearby.
"It's alright. You don't have to lie to me." She stated with a small shake of her head, "I know the truth. I've watched you at night when you thought I was sleeping. I've even heard you scream. The nightmare's you have must be horrible."
"It's part of my punishment for my sin and I will accept it without complaint." He told her.
"You're so hard on yourself." She let out a sigh.
"Let me tell you a story. Long ago there was a little boy who wanted to be a knight like his father. His father was always at war. Well one day, the boy's father went on a crusade. As years pass, the boy deeply missed his father and even more so desperately to be knight and fight alongside his father. In short terms, he wanted to be like his father. But, he didn't want to take the normal road to become a knight. He wanted to skip being a page and squire and go straight into knighthood. Eventually, a friend of his convinced him to join a gang known as the Schwartzwind in light that if he joined them, he could one day become wealthy. He knew that if he became rich enough, he could get the best equipment and join the tournaments that allowed non-knighted people of noble blood to join and win his knighthood." She listened to his words, his voice and all hints of regret in it. But what caught her was the fact that he didn't hesitate to say anything. As if he rehearsed this story a thousand times and etched it into his heart.
"Well one day, when the boy turned fifteen and became the leader. He and his men were going to attack a group of weary knights and demand all of their equipment to sell on the market. When they attacked in the middle of the night, it wasn't even a skirmish. Most of the knights quickly gave in. But their leader was a different story. He quickly took off and the boy chased him down to a small clearing by a lake. The two fought and the boy quickly was gaining the upper hand. Even though he hated to kill in cold blood, the knight was giving him very little option because no matter how badly wounded he was, he kept on fighting. In the end, he beheaded the knight with a clean sweep of his sword. When he took the helmet off of the knight's head, he was horrified at what he had done. He had killed his own father." Siegfried clinched his fist in anger at that memory. "The boy panicked at what was in his hand and took off into the night. In denial that it was he who had killed his own father, the boy convinced himself that someone else had done it. With the memory that he was the killer replaced with a lie, the boy went in search of his father's killer and for a way to bring his father back to life."
"That boy…his desire to be by his father's side was so great that he became blind between right and wrong." Cassandra said, finally realizing that the boy was in fact the man beside her.
He glanced at her, watching as a sadden expression appear on her face. He then glanced toward the stars again and continued his story, "Well one day, after much hardship and searching, he came across a battle. Two women fighting a powerful man with a set of powerful swords. During the course of the battle, one of the swords were destroyed. When the two women left, both badly wounded, he snuck over to the fallen man's corpse and took hold of the sword. The man arose from his grave and the boy fought a fierce battle with him, but managed to walk away victorious."
Siegfried let out a deep sigh. "I'm sorry if I'm boring you. I'll stop."
"No, please continue." Cassandra persisted.
Siegfried looked at her as she met his eyes, "Alright." He nodded his head as they turned back toward the stars. "As I was saying, the sword he won felt his desire and promised him the resurrection of his father if he stole souls from people. So during his travels, he killed those who were of an evil nature and stole their souls. But unbeknownst to the boy, as he slept, the sword possessed his body and forced him to do its' bidding. Everyday he awoke, blood covering his armor and sword. When the sword completely possessed him, he killed untold amounts of people. One year later, after he had first picked up the sword, he was defeated by a trio of warriors and banished to a void. Miraculously he escaped the void a month later temporarily freed of the swords curse. There, he wandered about while mentally fighting the sword. But because he was stronger than it at the time, he was able to stay in control. But, even though he was in control, the sword continued to haunt him at times, making him wish for death."
"If he wished for death, why didn't he end it there?" Asked the Athens born warrior.
"You see, when he escaped from the void, the memories of the past came back to him. All of the pain he caused in the past, the faces of the people he killed, and the fact that he was his own father's murderer. He couldn't live with himself after all of that. But, he couldn't take his life. No, that sword could never leave his hands. It wasn't because he wanted the power. It's just that he couldn't allow that sword to fall into another person's hands and suffer the same fate as him. For the first time in his life, he was actually living up to the code of chivalry. Fighting for virtue and against the forces of evil. Six years later, the boy is still fighting against the sword, trying to save everyone from its fearsome power and make amends for his bloody past."
The guilt suddenly hit her like a ton of bricks. He was misguided in the past, but he wasn't evil. Selfish? Yes. But not evil. "Is…that why you distant yourself from people and accept the way people treat you even if its horrible?"
"Ever since I chanced upon your sister and her friend fighting Soul Edge seven years ago, my life changed. A burden was placed on my shoulders to fight against Soul Edge. And this is a battle I have to fight alone. It's the only way I know how to protect everyone from its terror. The only way I know how to make amends for all the pain I've caused." He explained.
My sister didn't kill Cervantes seven years ago. thought Cassandra, No, that was nine years ago. If the memories of the past returned to you, then how come you forgot about two years of your life?
She turned toward Siegfried, "Siegfried, I want you to look me in the eyes." He turned his body toward her and did as he was told, "I want you to promise me to quit placing the weight of the world on your shoulders and allow us to share some of your burden."
"I…" He started to say before she quickly interrupted him.
"Please, let us fight by your side. Let us help you in anyway we can." She said softly and teary, a sign that showed Siegfried that what she was saying came from the heart. He was definitely experiencing a side of her he had never seen before, but whether good or bad, he knew what he must tell her. Even if it wounds her spirit; he had to do it. He just couldn't afford to allow someone else to get hurt in his fight.
"Sorry Cassandra." He said apologetically. Slowly he walked over to the door leading below and pulled it open. Fearing that he might have hurt her on the inside with his refusal, he turned his head toward her and spoke once more, his voice containing that of sorrow, "Your soul is pure and kind, like an angel, but I am to far in the darkness to be saved. So stay as far as you can away from me. I don't want to bring you into darkness as well."
After he was gone, Cassandra turnedto the starlit night and saw trail of white light pierce the blackness like an arrow, a shooting star. A memory from her childhood began to fill her mind, reminding her what her sister told her when they were little. "See a shooting star, make a wish or a promise and it will always come true." She whispered to herself. With determination in her eyes and her heart filled with the desire to protect, she spoke into the chilly wind, "Gods, the wind, the sky, the ocean, here me now and forever remember. I vow to save my once upon a time enemy, Siegfried. I vow to save him from the very darkness that plagues his mind and soul. You have my promise and I intend to fulfill my promise even if it ends my life."
