What the fuck is up with this fanfiction uploading document shit? It just totally fucked up everything. ugh, I hate this site so much, I swear. Sorry, I just had to rave about that. Anyway, onto the next chapter!!

Chapter 5

Encounter

Boots crunched again the branches lying all over the ground. He staggered forward, panting for breath. Where the hell am I? he thought, his vision failing him. Slowly, he tried to step forward…

He stumbled.

The world began to spin around him.

"Offer your soul!"

"No!"

He gasped in pain. There was blood all around him now. He could see it drip down his hands. The very hands that had killed him…

"Sieg…fried…"

"Father…"

He could see a sword now. A giant sword standing over a mountain of corpses. As he gazed at it, it stared back. It was calling to him. Beckoning him to come and retrieve it.

"Offer your soul!"

He gasped, feeling his entire body aflame. His blood began to boil with a burning lust. He wanted that power. "N…no!" he rasped, trying to fight the sensation. He could feel an invisible hand squeezing his throat.

"You can never escape!"

Laughter filled his ears.

He pressed his hands over his ears and gritted his teeth together, trying his best to ward off the burning sensation. But he couldn't shut it out. He was powerless…

"Yes…succumb to your dark desires…"

The sword was laughing. It was taunting him. Soon it would possess him.

"NO!" he cried out, wrenching his thoughts away from the sword.

Immediately, the vision faded, and the burning sensation dissolved into a dull throbbing all over his body. The fiery inferno that had surrounded him was now gone, replaced by a lush, green forest. All traces of blood were nowhere to be found, and the giant sword had disappeared. He was alone now.

Panting for breath, he lay on the grass, his eyes gaping wide with terror. He was having the visions again. It would only be a matter of time before he was consumed by them.

For a long time he lay where he was, trying to still his aching nerves. When he had calmed his breathing, he raised a hand over his face and inspected it.

Suddenly, a searing pain shot up through his entire arm, inciting a loud cry from him. Looking at his hand, he soon realized that it had transformed into a monstrous claw.

"S-stop!" he screamed, forcing his hand back down to his side. "No more!"

And soon the world went black.

Seong Mina had been walking in the forest for days, and there seemed to be no end in sight. On and on the trees spread out as far as the eye could see, and they seemed to be getting thicker and thicker with each passing day.

A dreadful feeling was now sinking to her gut. She feared that would never get out of the forest. She should have already gotten out a day ago, according to what that villager had told her.

"So much for trusting a local," she grumbled to herself, slumping onto the ground. With a sigh, she fished out a small bun in her pack and munched on it thoughtfully. She needed a plan. Better yet, she needed directions.

Well what did you expect from running away all of a sudden? she thought glumly to herself, continuing to chew slowly on her snack. A part of her just wanted to head back home and give up on her silly adventure. But a bigger part of her wanted to where the journey would take her. After all, once she was married to that awful Hwang, she was sure she would never be allowed to step out of the dojo ever again.

But now it was too late. Aside from being lost in the middle of nowhere, there was no going back for her. Who knew what the consequences were if she went back home empty-handed and with no 'appropriate' excuse? And then she would just be back right where she started – trapped.

Seong Mina sighed and shook her head, finishing the rest of her bun. There was no use thinking about it now. She was lost and had no idea what to do. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to help improve her situation at all.

Rising up from the ground, she patted her skirt clean and continued on her way through the forest, Scarlet Thunder out and ready in her hand. If anyone or anything decided to ambush her, she would be ready.

As she pressed on deeper into the woods, the noise in the forest soon died down. Within minutes, the entire forest was dead silent. Not even the leaves rustled as they swayed in the wind.

Seong Mina gulped nervously. Silence made her uneasy. It meant that trouble was afoot.

As quietly as she could, Seong Mina moved on, her eyes scanning the trees for any signs of danger lurking nearby. The hairs on the back of her neck soon rose up. She was being watched. But by what, she…

Crack!

A twig snapped suddenly behind her.

Alarmed, Seong Mina whirled around to the direction of the sound and twirled her zanbatou before her.

In an instant, a black crow darted out of the trees and sped past her head, nearly missing her with its beak.

Seong Mina felt her heart stop for a second as she held her zanbatou out, perfectly still. As a few seconds passed, she caught her breath and lowered her weapon. "A crow," she murmured quietly to herself, feeling slightly relieved. "Just a crow." She took a step back and turned to face the direction the crow had flown off to. "It's just a stupid – gyah!!!!"

Yelping aloud, Seong Mina tripped over something and fell back, her legs flying over her head. With a hard thumb on the ground, she winced and struggled to sit up.

"Ow!" she cried out, rubbing her sore behind. "Just what is this…" her voice trailed off as she caught sight of what had tripped her.

Oh my god! It's a dead guy! I just tripped on a dead guy!

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!"

Poke…poke…

What is that?

Poke…poke poke…

He stirred, his fingers twitching. Where am I? he thought, seeing nothing but black all around him.

A faint scent hovered over his nose. It smelled fragrant and sweet, with a mixture of sweat and herbs. He found it quite pleasant, a wonderful change from the overpowering smell of blood and metal.

Poke…poke…

Quit poking me, he thought, regaining his consciousness. Opening his eyes, he gasped for breath and panted, his body shaking.

"So you aren't dead after all."

It was then that his vision cleared, and he caught sight of a beautiful maiden peering down at him with almond shaped eyes. He had never seen such an exotic face before. He found himself breathless for a moment.

She smiled ruefully. "I'm sorry if I woke you. I was just a little scared, that's all," she said, moving away so he could sit up.

Slowly, he rose up and rubbed the back of his head. "Who are you?" he asked, his eyes focused intently on the young woman.

"Just a traveler," she replied simply. "Are you alright?"

He nodded hesitantly, his body numb for some strange reason. "Where…" he paused and looked around his surroundings. He soon realized he was in a forest. "Where am I?" And to himself, he added, Why am I here?

"Well that's a good question," Seong Mina said, a thoughtful look on her pretty face. "I was sort of hoping you might know where we were, exactly. I've been here for days."

Silently, he wondered why a pretty girl like her would be wandering around a forest barely dressed and without an escort. It just didn't seem proper. But then again, he shouldn't have been in the woods in the first place.

Seong Mina didn't seem to notice his eyes staring at her as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She seemed to be too preoccupied with her current situation to notice his intense gaze.

"…no, that couldn't be right…no…that's…" she muttered to herself, her voice trailing off as she scowled. With a sigh, she turned her gaze back to him. "Well, I should get going, and so should you," she said, standing up. Peering up at the sky, she noticed her surroundings growing dark. "It's going to be night soon. You shouldn't stay here when all the animals come out." And with that, she began to walk away.

For a moment he merely sat motionless, watching Seong Mina turn her back towards him. It was then that something caught his eye. Something had sparkled brightly when Seong Mina had turned around. It was something dangling from her wrist. It was…

As if lightning had struck him, he leapt up to his feet and threw himself onto Seong Mina, tackling her onto the ground.

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!" Seong Mina shrieked as she was pressed onto the ground.

Despite her desperate attempts to throw him off of her, he continued to press her against the ground, forcing her to stay still. "Don't – ow! Don't move! Hey – ow! Cut that out!" he growled, feeling her painful kicks on his shins.

"GET OFF ME!" Seong Mina cried out breathlessly, continuing to squirm under him. "JUST WHAT–"

But she was immediately silenced as a flock of crows sped through the air, cawing madly. They darted over the two humans on the ground, snapping their beaks where Seong Mina had been standing just a few seconds ago.

Seong Mina immediately froze and shut her mouth, watching the crows leave as quickly as they had come. It was only when their caws could no longer be heard that she was finally able to move.

Moving off of her, he looked far ahead, a concerned look rising to his face. With one hand, he rubbed his cheek where Seong Mina had punched him. Damn, it really hurt.

"What were those things?" Seong Mina finally asked, regaining her composure. "Earlier I saw one fly past me just before I found you."

A vision flashed before his eyes: a girl laughing in the night with thousands of crows circling her.

Shaking his head, he replied, "They are spies."

"Spies?"

"They were looking for something." He turned to glance back at Seong Mina. It was then that he spotted the same glowing shard hidden behind Seong Mina's wrist. Wordlessly, he grabbed her arm.

"Hey! Ow! What do you think you're doing now?!"

He ignored her and turned her wrist to face him. Gripping her arm firmly, he inspected the blue shard and gasped.

Seong Mina scowled. "What's wrong?"

Looking up at her, he demanded, "Where did you get this? Where did you get this sword fragment?"

"I found it," she answered hesitantly. "I found it with a soldier. He gave it to me before he passed out."

"No, it can't be," he whispered softly to himself, releasing her arm. "Give me that shard," he finally said, holding up his hand towards her.

Seong Mina took a step back and scowled. "What? No way! I don't even know you. I can't trust anyone with this shard. It's evil!"

Stupid girl, he thought impatiently. "It would have been better if you had never laid eyes on that," he growled, taking a step towards her. "By becoming the shard's carrier, you have becomes its sacrifice. No one will be safe in your path. Now…give me that shard."

"No," Seong Mina said with new determination, moving back slowly.

"Don't be stupid!" he snarled, his temper rising.

"And why should I trust you?" she demanded, backing away from him even more.

He scowled. "Look, if you don't hand that shard over right now, then I'm going to have to take it from you by force." And with that, he drew out his sword and pointed it towards her.

Seong Mina was not to be swayed. She was used to death threats. She wasn't about to let this man intimidate her. "Fine! Why don't you just try that?" she challenged, swinging Scarlet Thunder before her.

For a long moment they stood perfectly still, their eyes glaring at each other. Time seemed to stand still as they both stood their ground. Not once did they blink or even twitch. To do so would mean certain death for either one of them.

The wind blew, and the trees rustled quietly. Soon, a number of leaves tumbled to the ground.

From the corner of his eyes, he watched the final leaf fall. Slowly, it hovered in the air and then descended. Soon it would…

Now!

Without a moment's hesitation, he swung his Zweihander over his head and towards his opponent.

CLANK!

Metal clashed against metal as Seong Mina held her zanbatou over her head, blocking the sword. With her teeth gritted together, Seong Mina pushed against the sword with all her might, her arms trembling from the pressure.

She's strong, he thought, pushing his sword down against her. But she would not be able to hold his weight up for long. With a fierce cry, he shoved her down with all his might and sent her tumbling backwards.

Seong Mina gasped and tumbled onto the ground, temporarily stunned. But it was only for a brief moment as she quickly recovered and rolled to the side right before his slammed down against the ground.

Quickly, he raised his sword into the air once again and swung it horizontally, nearly slicing her head off had she not ducked in time.

"Jerk!" she yelled, slamming the butt of her zanbatou against the ground and pressing all her weight down against it. With a fierce cry, she swung her legs into the air and landed a kick against his armored chest, sending him backwards against a tree.

He grunted and fell back, faltering for a brief moment. But he recovered quickly, and swung his sword again, this time slashing upwards.

Not expecting such a fast recovery, Seong Mina moved away as fast as she could from the swinging blade. Too late. The sword sliced her thigh open and caused her to scream in pain. With one hand, she clutched her thigh, gritting her teeth in pain.

Taking advantage of her injury, he moved forward and kicked her hard on the stomach, sending her flying back against a tree.

With a sickening crunch, Seong Mina collided against the tree and gasped, slamming her head against the trunk. She began to see stars as she tried to move.

He moved closer to her and pinned her against the tree roughly. With one hand, he clutched her neck and forced her to look up at him. "I warned you," he said in a low, and dangerous voice. And with that, he struck her, rendering her unconscious.

Seong Mina's body grew limp and she fell forward.

"A pity. You really were beautiful," he whispered quietly, rolling her onto her back and inspecting her wrist. He had never meant to injure her severely, but he needed the shard she possessed. He, after all, knew well of the consequences. He would never allow anyone else to suffer the same fate.

Without a moment's hesitation, he touched the shard fastened on Seong Mina's wrist and tugged at it. But as his fingertips brushed against its cool surface, it began to glow brightly. In an instant, it grew hot under his touch, and he was forced to back away, his fingers slightly singed.

I cannot touch it, he thought as he released the shard. Moving his gaze down to Seong Mina's face, his eyes widened with shock. "This girl…" he murmured quietly to himself. "She is bound to it…" He then shifted his gaze back to the shard strapped to her wrist. It was now glowing a gentle periwinkle color. The harsh, bright light was no longer present.

He was stunned at the sight. Seong Mina had purified the shard. Her aura had exorcised the evil implanted within it.

"Impossible!" he whispered, astonished by the thought. How could a mere girl purify the shard? Only those possessing a pure heart were capable of such a thing, and even then purification took years.

Seong Mina stirred slightly in her sleep, her arm twitching for a brief moment.

"Perhaps there is more to you than meets the eye," he whispered, sheathing his sword as he gazed down at her beautiful face. With his decision made, he gently scooped up the unconscious Seong Mina into his arms and carried her as he moved through the woods. Looks like she would be of use after all.