Another Chapter? And not after a 6+ month hiatus!? Amazing!...Anyways, you'll notice a shift in focus, a little, in terms of characters. There will be a little more focus on other characters each chapter, at least for the near future. We can't ALWAYS be focused on lil ole Link and company, now, can we?

With that out of the way, let's get to the next chapter!

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This is a sentence. - Narration. No character speaking or thinking.

"This is a sentence." - Character speaking out loud.

'This is a sentence.' - Character speaking in his/her head.

"(This is a sentence.)" - Character speaking out loud but in a language unfamiliar to the characters (and I was too lazy to research the correct wording).

This is a sentence. - Emphasis placed on the italic word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.

This IS a sentence. - Same as with the single italic, just a variation of expressing the emphasis.

This is a sentence. - All italics means the event is happening in a dream or flashback of which I would give a quick note prior saying a dream or flashback is occurring.

This is a sentence. - During a dream or flashback, emphasis placed in the normal text word in the normal course of the narration or the character speaking or thinking.

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I do not own The Legend of Zelda or Soul Calibur.


Chapter 29 - Conversations and Plans

(Edge of Western Transylvanian Alps)

A lone figure walked through the valley of the Transylvanian Alps. He had been traveling for a few days now, only stopping to rest for the night, and even then, for less than the entire night's worth. He wore an indigo jacket with black lining and red inner workings, a red sash around his waist. His pants were a dirty brown color and wore indigo gloves and boots that matched his jacket, his boots also having a gold plating on them going from the center of the feet to the angles. In his left hand was his rapier with a red and silver guard at the handle to protect his sword-hand (A/N: His primary SC II outfit).

Raphael walked at a brisk pace with a hard, determined look on his face. After things had quieted down at the castle, he assessed the damages and losses for the next day and a half. Dozens of servants were dead, there were several broken windows and much property damage on the inside—especially in the library, a study, a couple hallways, and what appeared to be the end result of a single cannon fire in the castle garden where he found Amy and that...boy, he thought angrily.

That memory still burned in his mind since that night, but he refused to talk about it with anyone at first. Not even with Amy, as he was not sure how to explain what happened and what he saw. It was only after supper the second day after the incident that he finally made the move to talk to her about what happened that night. Amy had made repeated attempts to try to talk to him earlier, but he persuaded her to wait until the doctor felt she was stable enough and until they had cleaned enough of the castle to remove the dead and parts of the castle while also ensuring no more attacks would be coming any time soon.

After a very quiet (and rather uncomfortable) meal, they then had a private talk to finally discuss everything that happened. He had hoped to finally put at ease the distress and anxiety she had regarding the incident, especially regarding the boy; but to his surprise, it unfortunately ended up doing the exact opposite. He learned from her there was more to what happened than either he or even any of his servants knew; and unfortunately, it did not result in putting him or his daughter at ease with what happened.

The reason for this was the man in the white hood that Amy said she fought.

At first, he thought this man was yet another intruder after his shard. But to his surprise, Amy said the man almost killed her and Link before Link shoved them both out of the way to save her. He asked her multiple times if that was true, and each time, Amy said it was. This greatly altered the flow of their conversation, and into a direction he was not very comfortable with. What began as a way to try to help her move on from the boy turned into confusion and concern as to this new and unexpected threat.

This confusion grew when Amy said this man was apparently wanting Link's sword and fought him to try to take it. This was yet another twist to the confusing tale. Normally, people would be after Soul Edge or the shards thereof, wanting to gain its power for themselves—himself included. But instead this man wanted the boy's holy sword. Why would he want that sword instead? Was he out to destroy Soul Edge? If so, why would he try to kill another wanting to do the same thing?

Shoving that aside initially, Amy continued, saying this man later fought Amy when she stopped him from trying to kill the boy. Then he learned that it was actually this man that caused Amy's head injury based on her description of being flown into the air before blacking out. Prior to learning this, he thought of possibly finding this man to help kill the boy, but upon hearing him attacking his little princess too, those thoughts were dashed. It seemed this man was truly out for himself and no one else.

But despite the man's actions, it did not change his opinion of the boy. He explained his reasoning on how the boy helped steal the shard of Soul Edge he had kept in the library and left with the woman who had first stolen it. And as to why that man would be after Link's sword, Raphael reasoned the boy likely stole it from that man and was willing to use any means necessary to get it back.

At first, Amy looked troubled by this revelation and possibility, and he could see the pain starting to form in her eyes. She was silent for a couple minutes, in apparent disbelief. But then she surprised him when she suddenly looked at him and asked how she got out of the fountain, since that's what they determined that was where she landed after being flown into the air but was found on the ground. He struggled to answer her and suggested Amy instinctively used the last of her strength to pull herself out before collapsing. Amy did not look satisfied at the suggestion, but she also could not rule it out, either. But then came the moment he had been dreading.

Amy seemed to have noticed he was not telling her something. He tried to avoid it, but she was being unusually insistent on asking, and he could not lie to his little princess. Reluctantly, he described exactly what he saw upon seeing the boy kneeling over her and what he was doing. He tried to avoid certain details at first, but again, Amy kept pressing, and so he finally told her and how the boy nearly killed her before he punched the boy away.

When he did, he immediately fretted over how she would react, expecting her heart to be broken into pieces over what the boy did, violating her like that and actually cry for the first time since meeting her at his betrayal. As expected, she was very much stunned by what she learned and mentally prepared for the worst...but her next reaction was definitely not what he expected.

"He...he kissed me?" she said softly with a heavy blush and lightly put a hand to her lips, a rather...dreamy look on her face. And learning of the boy pushing on her...front did not discourage her in the least. In fact, it just made her blush even more.

He then realized his explanation about the boy's actions did not upset Amy in the slightest; in fact, her interest in the boy only seemed to grow. So much so, she was even starting to defend the boy, much to his surprise and anger. She even tried to suggest that he may had actually saved her from drowning, especially since he had saved her from that man with the scythe earlier, but he would not hear of it. The boy helping stealing the shard was enough for him to rule out that possibility, and he also argued how the boy's sword was a threat to his plans regarding Soul Edge.

Amy had approved of his plans regarding Soul Edge—or at least showed no disapproval of it—and he had once discussed with her how some people in the village were no longer...under his influence thanks to that blonde girl with another holy sword that he had "obtained" the shard from.

But when Amy STILL was defending the boy despite this, he then realized she may had already been bewitched by the boy—this despite the fact she was still malfested from the influence of Soul Edge. That unfortunately led to a full-blown argument between the two—the first EVER argument between them. With a heavy heart, he angrily ordered to have her confined to her room until the next day and would not hear another word of it. She did not speak to him the rest of the day after, even at mealtimes. He noticed she had the same empty, distant look on her face she had before meeting the boy...but it was also different. This time he could feel the sadness coming from her, but the source of it was him, or at least in the eyes of Amy. And that was what hurt the most.

The next day, Amy softly tried again to convince him that Link's actions may have saved her, but he again adamantly yet softly shot that idea down and reinforced his forbidding of her from ever seeing him or even talking about him ever again. She still persisted in trying to change his mind, but finally, she relented to this, and for the next several days after that, Amy was a little calmer and would spend most of her days in the castle gardens as usual. But he could tell the ressentiment (A/N: Old version of "resentment.") towards him lingered, even if she tried not to show it. He then realized the only way Amy could be truly free of the boy's influence was to silence the boy for good.

He first had to wait to confirm the various threats from that night as well as any more invading armies were unlikely to reappear. Fortunately, news of what happened that night did not appear to have spread to the neighboring regions, or at least not the information he wanted going out. After a week passed with no further incident, he decided it was safe to continue his journey for Soul Edge...and kill the boy. He had wanted to begin his travels earlier, but the incident at the castle made him delay his plans, forcing him to wait until he felt assured Amy would be safe while he was gone.

Before leaving, he met with Amy in the gardens and explained he was going on another trip. "Be a good girl. I'll be back in a while," he said to her before kissing her forehead, though he noticed this did nothing to assuage her. He then ordered all of his remaining servants to take care of her and keep her safe until he returned. But in private, he also emphasized if Amy asked where he went, they were to explain he was going after Soul Edge again. The last thing he wanted was for her to think he was also going after the boy—which he was. The only issue was determining which took priority—ridding the boy's influence of Amy or obtaining Soul Edge?

"I will just have to see how I am feeling when that moment arrives," he said to himself before clenching a fist. "Prepare yourself boy. I'm coming for you," he declared as he continued forward.


(Romania - In the Castle)

A figure paced around the room, debating on what to do as she looked between the front door, the halls for anyone that may spot her, and the painting of her Papa hanging on the wall. Out of habit, Amy hugged her doll to her chest in concern, and a little fear. This was the first time she was doing or even thinking anything like this, and so she wasn't sure what to do.

Their last conversation on what happened lingered for the past several days. She wanted to know what happened and why, but she had to wait until her head stopped throbbing in pain and they cleaned up the castle, including removing the dead. Her Papa would visit her regularly to check up on her, but he refused to talk about what happened in detail until her migraines went away. Every time she tried, he would get this...strange look in his eyes. This angry look would appear, but it also looked...pained. It took until the second evening after supper since the incident before he finally talked to her about it. She hoped she would understand what happened and finally get an explanation from her Papa.

But what she learned was not what she expected. And based on what she told her Papa from what she knew what happened, it appeared he too learned something that even he did not expect. But despite this, her Papa's mind was not changed about Link. She even tried to suggest the possibility of Link saving her life, but the idea only incensed him even more to the point he declared she was forbidden from ever seeing him again.

A sudden chill filled her heart at that, a chill she had never felt before. Her Papa, her PAPA, was telling her no. And not just on anything, but telling her no on seeing Link again. The same boy that had opened her heart and made her truly feel happy. The same boy that made her smile and danced with. The same boy that...kissed her, from what her Papa told her. The thought of never seeing Link again was something that she couldn't comprehend. She was initially too upset to talk to her Papa the until two days later. She again tried to offer the possibility of Link saving her after he had calmed down, but he was still adamant in his decision, no matter how gently he tried to say it to her.

Finally, she reluctantly gave up and resigned herself to how she lived prior to that night. But this time, it felt...different. In the past, her heart generally felt empty, yet she was content with it. Now, it felt empty...and yet was full of sadness, a sadness that never went away. The worst part was her sadness was directed towards her Papa, the one she had trusted the most ever since meeting him—all because of a boy. A boy that he at first seemed to accept, only to suddenly attack him under the presumption Link was trying to kill her.

He also claimed Link helped steal the shard of Soul Edge he had obtained, leaving with a mysterious woman he said was the one who first stole it. But this was also the same woman who stopped her Papa from attacking Link. This fact, combined with how kind and caring Link was to her and helping her feel happy again, actually made her question if everything her Papa told her was true. She was questioning her own Papa.

Then one day, her Papa met her in the gardens and stated for her to "be a good girl" and he "would be back in a while". At first, she was distressed enough to not question where he was going. But after a couple days, she finally became curious (and brave) enough to ask a servant where her Papa went, and she was told he had once again gone after Soul Edge. That, however, only made her suspicious that he did not tell her exactly where he was going. Why would he not tell her that? Did he not...trust her? Was their argument so bad that he did not trust her anymore? Or was it a way of...telling her he was still angry with her?

This unsettled her even more. She tried going back to training with her sword to take her mind off things, but she was unable to concentrate. Then as she was training one day, she had a disturbing thought that shook her to her core.

'What if Papa was really going after Link? Not Soul Edge?'

It made sense. Her Papa could tell she was still thinking about Link, even after telling her she was not allowed to see him ever again. She just couldn't get her mind off Link, and Papa was likely going after Link so she wouldn't have to think about him anymore.

Despite Link possibly helping to steal a shard of Soul Edge from her Papa, she still felt something for him. If her Papa found him, he would not hesitate to kill him and would refuse to listen to him. If that happened, then she would never know what truly happened at the castle, or at least what Link knew what happened. This prevented her from sleeping for many nights, and finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Now she found herself trying to decide whether to obey her Papa and stay in her home...or disobey him and look for Link herself and get the truth from him.

She never faced such a difficult decision in her life. The idea of disobeying her Papa fyrhtaned (A/N: Old version of "frightened.") her greatly...but the idea of never seeing Link again and never fully learning the truth fyrhtaned her even more.

After what seemed like forever, she took a deep breath and pushed the doors open.


(Present with Link and company)

"First, I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced. My name's Link," he started before continuing. "I believe you've already met my friends. They are-"

"I know who they are," Ivy stated with a dry tone. "That's Taki. We've met before. Twice," she commented in annoyance before looking at Seong Mi-Na. "You...I honestly don't know what your name is, but you're the one I defeated four years ago. Very easily I might add," she added with a smirk, getting an annoyed twitch from Seong Mi-Na while she gripped her zanbatou tighter.

"Hmph. I'm a lot better than I was back then. I could beat you, now," Seong Mi-Na declared.

"Tch. Keep dreaming, girl," Ivy retorted.

"Why you-"

"Ok, that's enough," Link stated calmly to try to break them up. Seong Mi-Na let out a huff but otherwise stayed silent as she crossed her arms, weapon in hand, prompting another smirk from Ivy, which in turn prompted a raspberry from Seong Mi-Na. "(Ahem) So, yeah. That's Seong Mi-Na. Sooo~?" Link trailed off, looking at her expectedly.

Ivy, however, was not getting the cue and instead simply got annoyed as she looked at him. "Sooo~...what?"

"Sooo~, now it's your turn," Link said rather cheerfully.

Ivy merely grunted in annoyance. "Hmph. You know who I am, already."

"I know. But I figured you would want to introduce yourself rather than one of us do it for you," Link replied.

"How kind of you," she said dryly. Damn, this really was tortuous, she thought to herself. Seeing Link still looking at her expectedly made her realize he wasn't going to budge until she said something. "Grr, fine. I am Ivy. Satisfied?" she said impatiently.

Link lightly nodded with a smile. "So, I'm curious. I know you are the daughter of...uh, him," he said slowly, getting a dangerous but otherwise silent look from her as he continued, "and yet you said to me you are wanting to destroy Soul Edge instead of obtaining it for yourself. Given your...heritage, why is it you are looking to destroy it instead?"

THAT got Taki's and Seong Mi-Na's attention, Taki especially. "Destroy it? Ivy?" she questioned while giving Ivy a curious, though disbelieving look before turning to Link. "She really told you that?" The idea of Ivy wanting to destroy Soul Edge just sounded absurd to her.

"She did," Link replied with a nod, "and that's what made me curious."

Taki let out a long "Hmm..." at that. Now she was starting to understand why Link was so intent on sparing her. Normally, she would have simply considered it another trick by Ivy and dismiss it, but she kept quiet and decided to let this play out...for now.

"I do not know what you may have been told about me," Ivy started, giving a hard look to Taki at first before turning back to Link, "but that man never has been, nor will ever be, my father. I am a Valentine, and the Valentine family is the only real family I ever had."

"The Valentine family?" Seong Mi-Na asked curiously.

"An English family of nobility and status," Ivy answered rather haughtily. "Something I doubt you would know anything about, little girl," she added, getting another glare from Seong Mi-Na.

"Hmph. I'll have you know, my father is one the most respected martial artists in my country, recognized by the highest noblemen and military figures in the region."

"Which to me doesn't say much, if our battle was any indication," she added with a smirk

"Grrr...Alright, I'm starting to agree with Taki. Maybe we should just kill her and be done with it," Seong Mi-Na said in annoyance, though not entirely joking with her suggestion. However, Taki did give her a slightly amused, almost approving look at that.

Ivy's smirk dropped as she realized that perhaps she was pushing it a little too far. She was basically a prisoner, after all. And Taki was all too willing to kill her. Fortunately, Link stepped in before something could happen.

"Now, now. Let's be civil here," Link interrupted. "No one's going to kill anyone, here," he declared.

"Yet," Taki added.

"No, we're not," Link said with finality. "But we're also not going to make any more snappy or insulting comments. Agreed?"

Ivy blinked in confusion, her head tilting a little. "'Snappy?'" she echoed, unfamiliar with the term.

"Uh, yeah. Meaning 'witty' or otherwise insulting," Link explained, apparently having used yet another foreign term to them.

"I see..." Ivy replied. She'll have to remember that term.

"Now then. So, you were raised by the 'Valentines' you said?" Link continued.

"Yes...What about it?"

"If you don't mind me asking, if they weren't your real parents, how did you come into their care, then?"

"And what if I do mind?" Ivy replied with a sharp edge in her tone.

Link held up his hands in a surrendering-like gesture, seeing it was a particularly sensitive topic for her and one he didn't really need to know in relation to Soul Edge. "Just curious. But is that why you are wanting to destroy Soul Edge then? Because of them?" Ivy's look softened slightly but stayed silent, not sure how to respond. Link, however, took that as a cue to continue. "Did Soul Edge possibly kill them? Or...did he kill them?"

Ivy again stayed silent but did glance at Link a moment. In a way, there was truth to that assessment, but that didn't mean they needed to know that. "...In a manner of speaking, yes. Soul Edge was responsible for their deaths. But that is all I will say on the matter," she finally replied with a hard look.

"Fair enough," Link said with another calming gesture. "So, Soul Edge, or at least its influence, was responsible for their deaths. I won't push any further on that. But I will ask what happened four years ago," he stated, bringing back an angry, dark look on Ivy's face.

"And suppose I don't want to answer any questions on that?"

"Well...I don't think Taki-chan would be satisfied if I didn't ask it," Link replied while gesturing to Taki.

Ivy wanted to retort and state she didn't have to answer to her, only to stop herself when she remembered her current position. She saw the look from Taki, who nodded in confirmation at Link's statement. She grunted in frustration at that, then huffed out a sigh of defeat. "And just what did you want to know about it?" she growled.

Link then summarized what he knew from Taki about the soul ritual that claimed the lives and souls of many four years ago that she was a part of. "The main thing I want to ask is, is it true you were a part of it?"

This time, Ivy got particularly uncomfortable as she huffed, crossed her arms and started to shift her body in slight nervousness while looking anywhere but someone's eyes, not wanting to answer the question. Her silence basically answered her question, but Link continued. "I won't judge you, Ivy," Link said softly, "I just want to know if what Taki said was true."

Ivy sucked in another defensive breath, shifting her jaw multiple times while looking from person to person uncomfortably, then anywhere but someone's eyes again. Finally, at one point she looked at Link again, and the look was enough to make her reply. "It's not something I'm proud of," she said angrily, both from having to answer and the event itself while looking away.

"So it is, true," Taki stated simply, not in any way sympathetic to Ivy's situation.

"Grr, you know it's true, already!" Ivy snapped towards her.

"Just wanted to make sure," she replied, though with noticeable smugness in her tone.

Ivy grunted back at her, but Link gave a calming gesture, stopping her from doing anything more. He then gave Taki a "stop that" look, which she did, though, inwardly satisfied at having annoyed Ivy. Link then turned back to Ivy. "So, you did participate in it, but you also say you regret it," he added, getting her attention. "If that's the case...what made you participate in it?" he asked as gently as he could.

Ivy shifted her jaw again before turning to the side again. She genuinely did not want to answer that, as she could honestly say that was the worst she ever felt in her life. She was not one for compassion to anyone other than her parents, but being responsible for the deaths of many who did not deserve it like that left her very regretful of her actions.

She looked back at Link. From the way the boy was acting, it sounded like he was really wanting to understand her, but she felt no one could ever truly understand her. That's partially why she always preferred to work alone, only working with someone else if she truly felt it worth her while and only for a short time. Like with Nightmare at the time, though in that case, such actions did the exact opposite, which only reinforced her belief she was better off alone.

That being said, she also wasn't in much of a position to say no. Although the boy decided not to question further on her motives for destroying Soul Edge, and Taki did not either, she also knew this was one Taki would not let go, who would more than likely use force to get an answer out of her. She decided to answer this as carefully as she could.

"I...was deceived. At the time, I had been looking for Soul Edge-"

"I knew it."

Ivy gave an annoyed look at Taki at that, and for interrupting her. "NOT what you are thinking."

"Uh, huh."

"That's enough," Link declared simply before giving a look to Taki. "Let her speak."

Taki gave a look to Link, though Link could see the defiance in her eyes, no matter how hard Taki tried to hide it. Nonetheless, she complied. "Proceed," she said mockingly with an equally mocking bow of her head to Ivy.

Ivy twitched at that, but decided to let it slide...for now. "As I was saying, at the time, I had been looking for Soul Edge for the purpose of destroying it, but I had no idea what it looked like. As such, I did not recognize it when I encountered Nightmare and saw it in his hand. He did say he was the one that breathed life into my sword, giving it the life-like properties you all have witnessed first-hand."

"Is that so?" Taki replied in genuine interest. Each of them had fought her at some point, and each of them noticed how unique her sword seemed to behave, almost as if it had a mind of its own. Now it seems it really did have a mind of its own but obeyed Ivy's commands.

"Indeed," Ivy commented dryly before continuing. "Intrigued, he then explained he wanted to perform a ritual called 'the summoning of souls,' as he called it, as a way to summon the sword Soul Edge to him. Seeing what I thought was an opportunity to destroy the sword, I went along with him and assisted him with this ritual. It was...only after fighting Taki and after Nightmare was defeated—by whom, I do not know—that I realized of Nightmare's deception and he had Soul Edge the whole time, and the ritual was merely a means to steal the souls of the nearby people and increase its power," she finished...with an unusually sad and regretful look on her face, the most emotion she had shown all day.

A silence filled the group as they reflected on Ivy's words. Link and Seong Mi-Na had more sympathetic looks on their faces as they looked at Ivy while Taki...was now giving her a rather curious look as opposed to the distrustful one she had earlier. She was very good at reading people, and she expected to see some sign of deception on Ivy's part in her story. But she was surprised to see no such sign at all when describing her story. It sounded like she was being...genuine in what she said and how she said it.

'Perhaps there is at least some merit to what Link said after all,' she thought to herself. But she would continue keeping a close eye on her until she was proven otherwise.

After a minute of silence, she continued. "Disgusted with myself and what Nightmare had done, I rushed home and did my best to try to destroy my own sword, as it too had been imbued with Soul Edge's power. Whereas before, I saw my sword as my pride and joy and as a way to destroy Soul Edge, after that day, I then saw it as a symbol of my failure and regret. I spent months trying to destroy it in my mansion...but to no avail," she said sadly. She paused to reflect on that a moment before continuing.

"After a few more months of soul searching, I felt I was now the same as my sword...the power of the evil sword flows through my own, and the blood of the first wielder of Soul Edge flows through my veins. I then realized it would not be enough to just destroy Soul Edge by itself. As such, I vowed to not just destroy the evil sword, but eliminate all traces of it as well...including myself, when all is said and done," she added softly.

Everyone looked at Ivy in surprise/curiosity at that last part. Even Link as he was not told that part when they fought. Taki actually rose an eyebrow at that declaration, as that was not something she expected to come from Ivy. Seong Mi-Na gave a curious tilt of her head in equal surprise. "That's...surprisingly noble of you," she commented.

Taki let out a scoff at that, still not convinced but stayed silent as she stared back at Ivy's glare from the grunt she let out. Seeing another argument was about ready to break out, Link decided to continue.

"(Ahem) So, uh, moving on," he started, getting Ivy to slowly turn back to him. "So, after making this vow, what led you to that castle in Romania? What made you go there, exactly?"

Ivy paused to contemplate that question, but seeing no harm in this one, she decided to answer it. "Believe it or not, it was because of that man with the scythe you fought earlier."

"Zasalamel?" Taki said in surprise, making Link and Ivy turn towards her.

"What?" Ivy blurted in confusion.

"That is his name. He approached Seong Mi-Na and myself earlier while Link went to 'stretch his legs,' as he put it," Taki elaborated, giving Link a look at that last part.

Link winced at that last part and how she said it. "I see," he said slowly before letting out a sigh of regret. Then Seong Mi-Na spoke up.

"And when we're done here, WE are going to have a long talk about that. Whether you like it or not. Understand?" she added sharply.

Link winced at that, a somewhat surprised yet regretful look still on his face at her before turning into one of acceptance and resignation before nodding. "Uh, right...There is something I wanted to say about that anyway."

Seong Mi-Na blinked in surprise at that unexpected response. Where before, he was always avoiding their questions and concerns; now, he was agreeing to address them with them? It was a very stark contrast. Did something happen to him? She gave a confused look to Taki, who didn't seem as surprised as she thought and simply nodded. Was that what they were talking about in Japanese earlier? Whatever the case, that was enough for Seong Mi-Na.

"Well...Good. I'd say it's long overdue, wouldn't you say?"

"Eh, yeah," Link said slowly, rubbing the back of his head in slight nervousness.

Ivy watched the exchange in silence, very much confused on what they were talking about. She also noticed this time it was Link listening to them and not the other way around. Perhaps he did something wrong to them earlier? Whatever the case, NOW Link looked like a young teenager, especially compared to earlier when he was controlling the conversation. She made note of that as the boy looked back at her.

"(Ahem) So, anyway. Back to the man with the scythe. Zah-suh-luh-mel?" Link asked towards Taki regarding the name, who nodded. "Zasalamel. What did he do to make you go to the castle?"

Ivy paused, internally debating whether to tell them or not before deciding to tell them. "He actually confronted me over six months ago at my mansion in England. I had just read a book I obtained with very...interesting information that he apparently did not want me to read. We came to blows, and he managed to procure the book from my possession. He then promptly burned it, in the process also starting a fire in the mansion, forcing me to put it out while he escaped. Before leaving, he said the book 'was a mistake from my past' and that 'the world no longer needs this.' Apparently, he has some connection to it, but what that connection is, he did not say."

"Interesting," Taki commented, this time sincere with her reaction.

"What was in the book?" Seong Mi-Na asked curiously.

This time, Ivy hesitated to reply, something Taki picked up on. "Something important, obviously, if him going so far as to burn it was any indication. What was it?" she asked more authoritatively.

Ivy still hesitated as she thought it over. If they knew what she knew, it could entirely change their perspective on how to destroy Soul Edge...but perhaps maybe they already knew something given the boy's sword? Or maybe even something she herself didn't know? She decided to take a different approach.

"Tell you what. I will answer that question, if you answer one of mine first," she finally replied.

Taki narrowed her eyes slightly at that, not all blind to what Ivy was trying to do. This was a common strategy of trying to obtain information prior to giving any out. Having been trained all her life in a lifestyle that focused heavily on obtaining information, she was fully aware of such situations when she saw it. It was also an attempt for one side to have more control of the situation than they normally would, especially when one was a prisoner. Not wanting to give her that satisfaction, she was about to "politely" decline her, but Link gestured it was alright before nodding to Ivy.

"I can try at least. What is your question?"

'Kuso. Don't fall for her manipulations, Link! I thought I trained you better than that!' she thought to herself.

Pleased that her request was granted, Ivy's look softened a little before replying. "That sword of yours," she started while gesturing to it with her head, "it appears to radiate a holy power of some kind, one opposite of Soul Edge. I'm curious, where did you get a sword such as this?"

Taki saw where she was going with this and gave Link a look. Link saw it and understood what she was getting at. He went into a thinking pose a minute as he thought how he should reply, then finally answered. "A few months ago, a powerful wizard attacked my home, using the power of a large shard of Soul Edge to do it. I fought him and managed to slay him in battle, though it wasn't easy," he added, rubbing a part of his body where a scar from that battle remained. Ivy saw this but remained silent as Link continued.

"Afterward, one of our...sages had a vision of what I later learned was Soul Edge and how it still threatened my home. To fight against this threat, the sages took the shard of Soul Edge and performed a ritual to purify the shard, turning it from an evil shard to a holy one."

Ivy's eyes widened in surprise at this revelation. "You are serious?" she asked, the most emotion she had shown thus far. "These 'sages' of yours were able to purify a shard of Soul Edge?"

"Mm, hm," Link replied with a nod.

"I see," she said, both surprised and impressed at this revelation. "And then that shard was used to help forge the sword you have now," she surmised.

"Correct."

"Interesting. Very interesting," Ivy commented, then paused to process this. Although it answered her question, it still raised many more. Who were these "sages," and where did they and this young lad hail from? And what kind of power did they possess to actually purify a shard of Soul Edge like that? And why would they entrust it to someone so young? As a reward for defeating this "wizard" perhaps?

Whatever the case, she could ask about it later. But ultimately, she did gain one key piece of information that she was looking for.

'The sword the boy has is NOT Soul Calibur after all. And yet...it seems to have the necessary properties to combat against Soul Edge. Was this a second weapon that could destroy it? Hmm...it definitely seems to be the case. And unlike Soul Calibur, this one appears to be one I CAN wield!' she thought with a small smile.

"Alright," Taki stated, interrupting her thoughts. "He answered your question. Now, answer his."

Ivy gave her a look at her tone, but she nonetheless complied. "Very well," she replied before turning to Link, finding him much easier to work with. "The text mentioned an ancient spirit sword, one with holy power that is said to be opposite of Soul Edge in every way."

"Soul Calibur," Taki muttered softly.

Ivy's eyes widened and sharply turned her head to Taki in surprise. "What!? How could you possibly you know about that?" she demanded.

Taki lightly smirked at her surprise at that before replying. "Zasalamel briefly mentioned it to us before we fought. He mainly shared such information with us to distract us while you and Link fought in hopes the two of you would exhaust each other before taking Link's sword while you were weakened."

Ivy took a moment to calm down before giving a slow nod. For a moment, she thought that Taki had somehow read the same text at some point. THAT would have annoyed her even more than she already had. "Hmm, I see. Link mentioned how that man was also after Link's sword."

"Wait, YOU want his sword too?" Taki said in surprise before narrowing her eyes at this information. "Hmm, so THAT'S why you decided to follow us, is it?" Ivy merely shrugged nonchalantly. "I should have known. How was it you found us without me detecting you?"

Ivy breathed out a chuckle at seeing her "rival" feeling slightly flustered. "I have my ways just as you have yours, Taki-chan," she replied, mockingly adding the -chan suffix Link used earlier, aware of the Japanese term and what it meant.

Her insult worked as Taki twitched in annoyance before giving Link a glare, who gave a nervous look at that. Oh, she was so going to call her that more often. "You still haven't answered the original question," Taki stated sharply...with a hint of annoyance in her tone, both at her and Link for having openly used that term with her name. "How did Zasalamel lure you to the castle and why?"

"I believe that was two questions, not one, Taki-chan."

Taki gritted her teeth in annoyance again and prepared to wipe that smirk off Ivy's face-

"Uh, ladies, please," Link said, almost as if he was the adult and they were the kids bickering. This sentiment wasn't lost on the three ladies...which they actually found pretty amusing. Well, Seong Mi-Na and Ivy, anyways. Seong Mi-Na because she wasn't involved in their argument and had to admit it was kind of amusing to see Taki annoyed like that. Same thing for Ivy, even though she was also one of those being almost chided by someone also less than half her age. The fact she got to see Taki annoyed and could do nothing about it made it tolerable for her. "Ivy?" Link said, as if prompting her to continue.

Ivy's smirk dropped, but shrugged in acceptance before answering. "I came across him again while traveling the eastern parts of Europe. A stranger mentioned a man resembling him was spotted at a large clock tower in Poland. I indeed found him there, and we fought again to the point he was forced to retreat. I lost him at the time, but I was able to follow his trail to the south for several days. I thought I lost him again when I reached Romania, but a few days later, I overheard a rumor he was spotted heading towards a castle in Walachia.

"Then as I continued towards the castle, I heard another rumor that the area was infected with a contagious disease, like a great evil was spreading over the people there. That was when I suspected Soul Edge may have had something to do with it, which only further increased my resolve to head there. When I got there, I saw Zasalamel sneaking around the outside of the castle before I lost sight of him again. Thinking he went inside, I snuck into the castle from another entrance on the north side, only to detect there was a shard of Soul Edge somewhere within. I traced its power to the library, expecting to find him there, only to be surprised at finding the familiar form of Taki having found the shard instead. And then...well, you know the rest."

The group was silent a minute as they processed this. This Zasalamel really got around, going from England to Poland to Romania to Serbia, and somewhere along the way, Istanbul and Japan. And he appeared to be making more enemies than friends, which made them wonder who else he crossed swords with.

"Now, my turn," Ivy stated suddenly getting their attention. "What did this 'Zasalamel' mean by your friend being held at the Lost Cathedral? Who is he talking about?"

"Nothing you need to be concerned about," Taki replied sharply.

Ivy let out an amused chuckle. "Perhaps. I just find it rather odd for you of all people to travel in any way but solo. I never pegged you as one to have friends."

That last comment got a glare from Seong Mi-Na and a frown from Link. Taki narrowed her eyes at that, sucking in a deep breath as she tried to keep her anger in check. But then her look calmed as she thought of a response. "Perhaps," she said calmly, keeping her eyes on Ivy, "but unlike you, I actually have friends I can depend on."

Now it was Ivy that frowned her jaw twitching a little as that comment hurt her more than she expected. It didn't help that Seong Mi-Na commented "Oooh~. Nice one" to Taki, both of them now with a more pleased look on their faces.

Unseen, Link gave another frown, but this time a sad one at seeing Ivy's face from that last jab. So much for no more snappy comments, he thought to himself. While Ivy wasn't exactly the nicest person in the world, he felt that last comment was a little too far. Ivy looked legitimately hurt by that last comment, even if she tried to hide it. Link then spoke up before things started getting more out of hand.

"Alright, that's enough," Link declared, calming them down.

Taki saw the dirty look from Link, though was by no means regretful in her comment. In fact, she gave a shoulder shrug. "She started it," using a similar expression others used when a petty dispute arose.

"Perhaps. But I'm finishing it," Link replied, getting a raised eyebrow from Taki at his tone.

As much as Ivy might have appreciated that sentiment, she felt this torture had gone long enough. "Grr...If you have nothing more to ask, I am ready to leave now," she said as calmly as she could, but the anger was easily noticed.

Link flinched a little at Ivy's angry look and tone. "Yeah, um...sorry about that. She's...normally not like this. It's just been...stressful with our friend being held captive," he replied nervously, which only prompted a more than dry and disbelieving look, which did nothing to alleviate his nervousness as he swallowed a lump in his throat.

"I don't care," Ivy replied impatiently, "and if we are done here, I would like my sword back now," she said, raising her hand out expectedly to Link.

"I have a question."

Everyone turned to Taki, who kept her usual stoic look. Ivy glared at her, not wanting to hear any more from her. "I'm not interested in any of your questions, Taki-chan."

This time, Taki's eye only twitched briefly at the jab as she replied. "Perhaps. But as our conditions did not specify Link was the only that could ask them, I'm going to ask it anyway," she declared, getting a light glare from Ivy at that.

Before another fight could break out, Link held a hand towards each woman to calm them down, which seemed to do the trick as he looked between them. Link gave a reassuring look to Ivy before turning to Taki. "Alright. What's your question, Taki, and be nice."

Taki gave a brief look at that comment before turning back to Ivy. "After everything that has happened here, what is it that you plan to do next?"

Ivy briefly tilted her head at that question, not quite expecting it before scoffing. "Hmph. And what do you care what I do next?"

"Considering you have made it known you are after Link's sword, I would not find it unlikely for you to leave us, only to return a short while later and make another attempt to steal it, likely killing him or any of us in the process. As such, I care very much what you do next."

"So do I," Seong Mi-Na added, "It was bad enough for one person to be after Link's sword, and now we have two."

Ivy remained silent. She would be lying if she said the thought of making another attempt at Link's sword hadn't crossed her mind. In fact, it was something she had been planning on doing at some point after she was done here and she got her sword back. While Link might still be willing to keep his word and let her go, that didn't mean the other two were so willing.

Ivy stayed silent a minute, which made the other two cross their arms in impatience. "Well~?" Seong Mi-Na asked slowly.

Ivy frowned at that, but Taki spoke up before she could reply. "I think it's clear that if Ivy were allowed to leave, she will simply return one day and make another attempt to take Link's sword. As such, I don't think we can trust her to keep her word, and so we should take care of her now," Taki declared.

"Hey!" Ivy yelled before standing up and prepare for the worst, the rest following suit. "I held up my end of the bargain! I answered all your questions, so I am allowed to leave WITH my sword. That was our agreement, was it not?"

"And why should we give it back to you if you're just going to return and try to kill us in our sleep?" Taki retorted.

"Oh, and you say MY word can't be trusted? What about YOUR word, miss ninja of honor? Is that not what you said about yourself when we fought the first time?"

"If one side is not willing to keep their word, then the other does not have to, either. As such, no honor is lost."

This type of bickering continued between them for a couple minutes, with Link and Seong Mi-Na looking on. Seong Mi-Na more of annoyance and Link more of concern as they looked on, not wanting any more blood to be spilled. As they continued arguing, it was then an idea came to Link, just in time as Taki made a comment about being "through with words" and drew her Rekki-Maru and pointed it at Ivy. "Whoa! Hold up, there Taki-ch...uh, Taki," he declared, gesturing to Taki to calm down, but Taki was not backing down.

"There is no reason to let her go if she will simply return and try to kill us for your sword. She already has the blood of innocents on her hands. She has admitted as such, and she tried to kill you as well. As such, we should eliminate her now while we have the chance," she declared with a glare at Taki

Link, however did not budge. "I am aware of her sins. That doesn't mean I'm going to let you kill her. And besides. You tried to kill me when we first met. Remember?"

Taki was now getting very frustrated with Link. Her patience was already at its limits when Link chose to spare Ivy, and him bringing up that memory wasn't helping matters. "Her sins are too great to deserve a second chance, Link. She deserves to die now."

"And maybe she does," Link replied, momentarily getting her to pause at that and got a rather fearful look from Ivy, "but that doesn't mean I won't give her one."

Taki gritted her teeth in frustration as she looked back at Ivy. She always knew Link was way too trusting with others at times, but this was just too much. Can he not see just how dangerous and untrustworthy Ivy was? Just why was it he kept defending her?

'...Because that's just the kind of person Link is,' she thought ruefully to herself, 'for better or for worse.' Link's earlier statement about her also once trying to kill him also took away one of her key arguments against Ivy. So with a reluctant sigh, she slowly sheathed her swords again, but she did still keep a hand on Mekki-Maru just in case.

Seeing it was...relatively calmer, Link spoke up again. "Alright. While you were arguing like a couple of angry beavers, I thought of a suggestion, if you're willing?"

Everyone gave a curious look at Link, Taki and Ivy cautiously looking between him and each other before Taki spoke. "What sort of suggestion?" Taki asked slowly.

"A crazy one, and one you're not going to like, so I wanted to discuss it in private a minute before offering it."

Taki continued looking at Link curiously. Having known Link for the past few months, she felt she had a general idea of what Link was thinking on whatever topic was at hand. Even when she wasn't entirely sure what Link was going to ask Ivy at first, she soon caught on real quick, and she was rather pleased that Link was applying her training rather well. She had to admit, he was quite skilled in knowing what questions to ask and how to ask them, while also controlling the flow of the conversation. For the most part, any way, such as when Ivy took a little control away from him without him realizing it (or that was her impression, anyway).

But right now, she had no clue on what Link was thinking of suggesting. Whatever it was, it was important enough to discuss it with her first. She was rather glad for that, as she felt she had put a lot of trust in Link the past several minutes, especially when her instincts told her to finish Ivy off as soon as possible while Link wanted to keep her alive for now to gain information. So far, trusting in Link has paid off well, despite the issues they were having earlier.

It helped that during their earlier conversation in Japanese, he had actually apologized for his behavior to her, and in general, and promised to explain what had been troubling him after everything with Ivy had been sorted out. After thinking it over a minute, Taki finally nodded. "Very well," she said slowly before standing up.

"You too Seong Mi-Na. You'll want to hear this as well."

Seong Mi-Na had a confused look on her face at that and looked between Link and Taki a moment. "Alright," she said hesitantly before standing up.

"And what am I supposed to do?" Ivy asked, crossing her arms in annoyance at suddenly being left out of the conversation.

"It's alright. This will only take a couple minutes. Trust me," Link replied with a smile.

Ivy was about to retort, but stopped herself and settled for letting out a huff. "Fine. But hurry it up, already."


Link gave a grateful nod and moved the other two ladies a decent distance a way from Ivy before Taki spoke up. "Alright. What is this idea of yours, Link?"

"And what made it 'crazy' exactly?" Seong Mi-Na added in equal confusion.

"Well..." Link trailed off while rubbing a hand behind his head in nervousness, "here's what I was thinking. First, what did you think of Ivy wanting to destroy Soul Edge?"

Taki raised an eyebrow at the question before replying. "I think the idea absurd. I can still see the bloodlust in her eyes, and her blood is descended from Cervantes, who is known to be a murderous pirate."

"Maybe," Seong Mi-Na replied, "but I don't think she was lying when she said she wanted to destroy it."

"You are serious?" Taki replied in slight surprise. Was Seong Mi-Na really buying into her story as well?

"I am. Her behavior is...something to be desired. But I do feel she's not as evil as we made her out to be."

Taki lightly frowned at that. She was expecting Seong Mi-Na to be on her side on this one, but it seemed she had some doubts. Admittingly, she did too, but not enough to change her opinion. Link then continued.

"That is what I've been feeling about her. At the same time, we are all under the impression if we just let Ivy go, chances are she will just return for my sword some time down the road, right?" he asked, getting a nod from the other two.

"Indeed," Taki said slowly, "and that is why I do not agree in simply sparing her life, even though we learned a little more than expected from her."

"Perhaps. But I think I have an idea that would best resolve our...dilemma with her."

"And that would be...?" Taki asked slowly, still not entirely sure what he was thinking, but she was starting to get a sinking feeling in her gut.

Link took a deep breath to prepare himself for what was expected to come. 'Here goes nothing.'


Ivy tapped her foot impatiently, her arms crossed as she waited for them to hurry up. If the boy didn't have her sword all sealed up in that magic scroll of his, she would have left already. She still wasn't quite sure how it worked or what it was made out of, but she couldn't deny it was a very useful item.

The ability to store large objects in something as light as paper? That would make traveling a lot easier, to say the least. She imagined they were already making use of it in that regard, given the various pictures she briefly saw on it when she held it which she assumed meant a separate object for each one.

As she was about to dwell on this further, she was surprised when she heard a rather loud "WHAT!?" from the group. Even more so when it was from Taki of all people. "...Well, that was unexpected. Now I'm wondering just what was it the boy said that would make her cry out like that?" she mused to herself. Little did she know just how surprising it would be.


(Egyptian Port - Suez Canal)

A ship had just arrived from the far eastern parts of Asia carrying a wide variety of goods and spices. Trade between such regions was very rare, but ships still traveled between them every now and then. However, this merchant ship also happened to double as a transport for one passenger. "Arigato for the journey. As I said, I will not need a return trip. I hope the money was suitable for taking up so much of your time."

"Oh, it was more than suitable, Mitsurugi-sama. It may be a long journey for me, but the money is very much worth it, and I may get more business as well. Sayonara, Mitsurugi-sama. And thank you for keeping the ship safe during the long voyage," the ship captain replied as he departed.

Mitsurugi nodded before pausing to take a deep breath as he stepped onto the docks, pleased to having finally arrived after a long journey. It had been four years since he was last in this part of the world. Four years since he last searched for Soul Edge and the Azure Knight but came up empty. Now he was back, only this time, the Azure Knight wasn't the only one he was searching for.

There was also the renowned Fu-Ma no Taki, whom he was sure had already arrived on this continent. Twice they had fought while he looked for Soul Edge, but it was never to a decisive end. She only fought him just enough to hinder his pursuit of Soul Edge, and both times she succeeded and escaped. To this day, he still wasn't sure why she kept preventing him from finding Soul Edge. Nonetheless, he was still hoping to have a true fight against her to the end. But while he was very much wanting to fight her again, it was her so-called apprentice that he wanted to fight most.

A certain gaijin boy in green who bested him months ago.

He had been fuming ever since that day and was fortunate that no one was around to witness his humiliating loss. If that had become known, it would have made him a laughing stock across the nation, even more so when he lost a duel to a soldier who defeated him with a newly introduced weapon, a "gun" they called it, in front of a large crowd. He searched for the boy for some time in Japan, but at one point, his anger was such that he needed to let out some frustration and did so by agreeing to fight for a very under-manned army about to engage in battle.

He killed hundreds of soldiers in combat, ultimately resulting in a victory for those he worked for, but he did not feel the thrill of battle like he hoped. His blood did not rush in excitement like it had in the past. His heart did not race at the possibility of death. It was such an empty and hollow feeling, probably the worst he had ever felt in his life. But no matter what he did to try to fill that void or no matter how hard he tried to shove it aside or move past it, it always came back, more empty and hollow than before. He soon realized the only way to remove that empty feeling—the only way to experience that rush once again—was to find the one who bested him and defeat him.

But to his fortune, shortly after he helped win the battle for the under-manned army, he learned a rumor from the general that hired him that another warrior he had searched for in the past had returned—the Azure Knight in Europe. Then to double his fortune, he learned another rumor from him that Fu-Ma no Taki was seen leaving a temple that had recently been attacked...along with a familiar young gaijin in green. Apparently he had become her "apprentice," or so the rumors went. Regardless, if there were rumors spreading that the Azure Knight had returned, then Taki would no doubt have heard the rumor as well. And since he knew the gaijin took the shard of Soul Edge from him, it was likely he would also go looking for the Azure Knight.

That sealed the deal for him. He now had THREE warriors to look for in Europe, meaning he could have at least THREE fights of his life. And so he took the reward money received from his last battle to travel to Europe. All three of them brought an excitement to him, each in their own unique way. But of all three warriors to fight, it was the young warrior that he wanted to fight most.

A part of him wanted to say the loss was simply a lucky shot by the boy and nothing more, but something told him otherwise. The look in the boy's eyes was not one of a youngster in over his head but of a hardened, battle-experienced warrior despite his age. It seemed like even death itself did not instill fear in the boy. A rare thing, especially in one so young. He stayed calm the entire fight despite how fighting the boy with killing intent.

He underestimated him, and this overconfidence cost him just long enough for the boy to hit him with a surprise attack that stunned him before he followed with another attack that launched him headfirst into the stone rails of the bridge, knocking him out.

'And if Fu-Ma no Taki did indeed take him as her apprentice, as absurd as the idea sounds, he likely will be even MORE skilled,' he thought with a smile at the idea. 'No matter if it's true or not, it still stands there are three worthy opponents wandering in Europe for me to fight.'

Since they had a head start on him, he had no idea where they were now, so he would have to look for them the old fashioned way. He once heard a rumor about Soul Edge when he was in Istanbul four years ago. It was as good a place to go as any.

He checked the now smaller bag of money he had on him. He originally gave all the money he had been awarded to the captain to take him to Europe. Along the way, some pirates tried to attack the ship, but Mitsurugi easily defeated them when they boarded, despite being outnumbered 25 to 1. A part of him felt it was his responsibility to protect the ship as he had pretty much ordered the man to take him to Europe on a moment's notice.

Nonetheless, the captain was grateful for it as well as the opportunity to show some Eastern goods to the West. It was what he normally did in the region, though primarily traveled only as far as India. With the money from Mitsurugi and the destination he was headed, he saw it as a good opportunity to increase business for him and his clients. Even if it did not result in any trade deals, he would still profit from the trip, though he did give some of the money back to Mitsurugi as thanks for keeping the ship safe.

"Istanbul it is, then," he said before setting out for the city on foot. "Get ready, boy. I'm coming."


A/N: Whoa, nelly it's been a b*tch to get this chapter done. The conversation with Link and company was bad enough to get down. Then there was Raphael and Amy and figuring out how to best reflect their feelings on everything from what they know. As I said earlier, I also felt it was time to slowly reintroduce and/or involve more characters from before in the next few chapters, so the upcoming chapters will not focus entirely on the main group. As this is my first story, I am still working on finding the proper balance in terms of focusing on the main or secondary characters, especially with as diverse a cast as Soul Calibur.

As such, some future chapters may focus less on the main cast than before. Depending on the circumstances, a chapter more focus entirely on secondary characters in order to help advance the story.

Things are starting to get tense with Link and company now that Ivy has joined them, if only for now. How will this change their approach to rescuing Talim? Will they be able to work together long enough to save Talim and stop Zasalamel? Or will their distrust, particularly between Taki and Ivy, cause a wedge to come between them?

And what about Raphael, Amy, and now Mitsurugi all on the move in search of Link? Will any of them find him? If so, when? And under what conditions?

Stay tuned!

Until then, this is Agent Ghost-Writer 000 signing off.