I know I promised you the final chapter before the new year, but I decided to hold off becuase it seemed rushed. I wanted the final chapter to be perfect and I suppose I'll just wait for your well-respected reviews to see how well Idid. Enjoy!
Chapter 15: Tira vs. Toren
Toren sat alone at the table in the bar in northern Denmark. He had been nursing the same beer for the last our. It wasn't because he had nothing better to do. I was actually because he was waiting for a good shot. The old man from Ostrheinburg was in the bar, but the crowd standing around him made it impossible for him to get a good shot.
He held the kunai close, but he had never actually taken the time to learn how to use it. He preferred using his hands. The old man hadn't left the spot he had been sitting in for the entire hour. He surely must have spotted him by now.
The old man motioned for a man standing next to him. He whispered something to him and he walked over to the Toren. "The boss would like to speak with you."
Toren stood up and shoved the man aside. Toren pushed the other crowd members and shoved a woman out of the stool and sat next to the old man. "You know why I'm here," Toren said calmly. "Why are you still here? You stand no chance against me."
"Is that so?" the old mad asked as he spun his chair around, almost turning his back to Toren. "If I remember correctly, I won the fight four years ago. You don't seem to be any better skilled. For your only safety and well being, I suggest you leave now. I'll be willing to spare you your life if you disappear right now."
"I couldn't do that," Toren explained. "I made a promised to someone I love and I put my family first. You will die." Toren pulled the kunai out and stabbed the old man in his rib. Toren slowly pulled the kunai out and held it defensively.
No one moved. Toren spun the old man around and realized the trick. That wasn't the old man. He was thirty years old at most. "Funny," Toren yelled. "You're a comedian. Now come on out and stop acting like a coward!"
There was no answer. The old man's henchmen were talking amongst themselves in confusion. Something was clearly not going according to plan. Toren stood up but was shoved down by one of the old man's henchmen. "Stay," he ordered.
The henchmen began to climb up the stairs to the second floor the bar. A sharp scream came that was abruptly cut off. The other henchmen and woman began to rush up the stairs and began to fall back down in swarms. Many others began to flee the bar in flocks. Toren stood up and began to climb the steps amid the madness.
There were only a handful of people left as Toren approached the source of the commotion. "Tira!" Toren yelled. Tira didn't turned around as she lopped off the head of another henchman. Eventually, only Tira and Toren were left on the balcony.
Toren looked behind Tira to see the old man, who was barely holding on the life. "Tira," he whispered. Tira took two steps back and raised her ring blade in front of her. "Tira?" Tira remained silent, but unmoving. The entire room was shrouded in silence.
After five minutes, Tira readied an attack, and Toren cracked a smile. Tira lowered her ring blade and stared in shock. Tira took two more steps back and hopped out the window. Toren dropped his smile and looked out the window, but Tira was nowhere to be seen.
Toren spun the kunai around his finger for a few more seconds until dropping it in the old man's head.
Hours passed. Toren wouldn't easily forget his short meeting with Tira, but he couldn't do anything about it. It seemed like Tira vanished into thin air. Toren had been walking aimlessly around town, hopelessly trying to find any indication of Tira's whereabouts.
Toren sat down on a park bench. A man in a black jacket resting against a tree looked back and forth before sitting down next to Toren. "I've told you everything I know about the old man," he insisted.
"That's not what I'm here for, Kam," Toren explained. "I have a new job for you. Don't worry; you'll be paid double. I need you to find my sister, Tira. The last time I spoke with her was about four years ago at the old Bird of Passage headquarters near Copenhagen."
Kam sighed before standing back up and walking off. After a few minutes, Toren did the same and headed home.
The following day, Kam arrived at the old Bird of Passage base as he had promised, but he soon felt that the trip was a waste of time. "It's all a pile of ruble," he complained to himself. "Either way, his sister's not here now." Kam sighed before turning his back to the ruins.
Kam began to walk off until he heard rustling in the trees. The sound was clearly made purposely. Kam turned back around to see Tira right behind him. Tira shoved him up against a tree and put the ring blade on his throat.
"Listen closely," she said. "The only reason you're still breathing is because I need you to rely a message for me. If Toren isn't here in two days, I'll hunt you down and make sure your death is unnecessarily painful."
Tira slowly released Kam from her grip. Kam began to regain his breath and said, "You're lucky my job was only to find you." Kam began to walk off, but not before Tira's inhuman growl sent shivers down his spine.
Two days had passed. Tira hadn't left the Bird of Passage ruin since her meeting with Kam, not even to eat or sleep. Still, she didn't feel weak. In fact, the lack of food and sleep seemed to give her more energy. The day was quickly coming to a close and there was no sign of Toren.
Tira picked p her ring blade and prepared to hunt down Kam. Tira stopped. Footsteps. Tira climbed up a tree and sat carefully as Toren came into view.
"Okay!" he yelled. "I'm here! What do you want?"
Tira didn't move. She continued to watch Toren haphazardly walk back and forth among the random pieces of wood and the occasional standing wall. Toren yelled for Tira again, but she still didn't come down.
"Tira!" he yelled again. "I'm not sure what this is about, but I want to know. Come on out and tell me what's going on!" This time, Tira hopped down. Tira leaped in the air, ring blade close in hand and launched at Toren.
Toren hopped back, but didn't in anyway attempt to defend himself. Tira stood straight up and said, "One of us is not leaving here alive."
"Coward," Toren whispered.
"Coward?" Tira asked. "How am I the coward? I'm here to rip you to shreds. If anything, you're the coward. You were late."
"You need me to explain?" Toren asked rhetorically. "Fine. First off, Tira isn't here. Tira's hiding. Tira's been looking for a place to hide all her life and now she's found the perfect place. Behind the Evil Seed. Do you want to know why Tira is hiding behind the evil seed?"
"Enlighten me," she said cheerfully. "Maybe I can get a good laugh for this."
"Tira is afraid of rejection," Toren explained. "That's the only reason you're here. It because Tira is afraid of being rejected. You killed Logan and Zatana before they had a chance to reject you. Now you're doing the same to me. The only difference is that I've already rejected you. You lost."
"We'll see who's the loser?" Tira yelled indiscriminately. Tira raised the ring blade and swung at Toren head. Toren simply ducked. "I must be right," Toren said. "It seems like I'm fighting two people with two completely different plans. For once, Tira's mind and the mind of the evil seed aren't thinking as one."
"They don't have to be," she growled. "All I need to do is kill you, and I can promise you that it'll be the single most fun I will ever have." Tira launched another swing, but Toren simply took two steps back. Tira continued to try the same strike over and over again, and Toren simply moved back.
"Tira," Toren continued. "I'm not talking to the evil seed. I'm talking to you and I'd really appreciate it of it was you who answered. You don't want to do this. So why are you letting it happen?"
"I may not want to do this," Tira replied. Toren could tell it was really Tira talking, "but wanting and needing are two different things. I need the power!" Tira continued to slash and swipe wildly, none of which were even getting close to hitting Toren. Toren continued to walk back until backing up to a tree. Tira launched the same attack as Toren leaped in the air and the ring blade impaled the tree.
"You won't get anything from me," Toren said. "The reason I was late is because I had a little meeting with someone named Zasalamel. He explained to me that the power of Soul Edge is greatly increased if the soul taker is close to the victim."
"I know that!" Tire yelled as she removed the ring blade. "Why else would I be here? Now let me kill you!"
"I'm not done," Toren said as he return to dodging Tira's random attacks. "This goes back to what I told you about your fear of rejection. The fear is more intense than you realize. The only thing that kept you from having a complete mental breakdown after I deserted you was retreating backing the recesses of your own mind."
"Your point?" Tira growled.
"My point is that because the Tira that was once related to me is trapped, I'm not related to you. I'm not talking to Tira. All I see is a lifeless husk possessed by evil."
"Don't you get it?" Tira yelled. The evil seed wasn't talking it was Tira. Her voice was the same as when she was thirteen. "I'm not here to kill you for your soul. I'm here for revenge. You left me. Only your death will satisfy my thirst for revenge."
Toren stood silent for a long time before finally responding, "I'm sorry."
"I'm not," Tira said. Tira gave a monotone whistle and Liv came flying down from the sky like a missile. Toren didn't have time to react as Liv stabbed him in his neck. Toren was instantly paralyzed. Tira pushed Toren back against the tree with her foot and began to slowly push the ring blade into his stomach.
Tira pulled it out as soon as she was sure that Toren was no longer breathing.
"Congratulations," Nightmare said as he approached Tira. Tira knew that he was watching, but it hadn't changed anything. "You have proved your loyalty. I suppose I owe you a gift." Nightmare napped his fingers as an army of raven began to engulf the sky.
"They're all yours," Nightmare said.
"Good," Tira said as she stared off into the sunset, "Black's my favorite color."