Although Siegfried Schtauffen had regained his sanity and learned to accept his past sins, for a period of time, Soul Edge had still held power over him - but with a cruel twist. It could only use its strength in his sleep. No matter how hard he tried not to fall asleep, he would always eventually give in, and the darkness would continue to operate at night in his subconscious. And, so, for four years, Siegfried had awoken to behold the same scene, night after night - his Zweihänder Requiem bloodied, and the corpses of victims he had murdered in his sleep surrounding him. He tried to forsake civilization, going as far as he could from any inhabited area so that no person would ever be a victim of his nighttime killing sprees - but never to any avail.
Since the day that Siegfried had come forth to reclaim his body as his own for the second time, and become separate from his azure identity, he no longer awoke to find that he had slaughtered countless innocents in his sleep. However, the scenes of death and destruction that had for so long greeted him when he opened his eyes after a night of sleep had become so familiar to him that he associated the very feeling of waking up with a mixture of emotions such as terror and regret.
Which serves to explain Siegfried was considerably surprised when he awoke to see the sight of two large, round, naked breasts.
He stared in silence at the breasts, in a mixture of shock and arousal, until he recognized them - it would have been impossible for him to have not to. He had intimately memorized every inch of these breasts last night.
And, so, memories of yesterday came flooding into Siegfried's mind. He considered his actions. How very...unlike myself I was yesterday. Those who had met Siegfried remembered him as a serious and stern man, and struck them as harboring a great amount of guilt and regret. He was not the type of man whom someone could imagine staring intensely yet bashfully at a woman's breasts as he timidly reached for them with trembling hands.
Yet, yesterday, it was as if he had been an entirely different person. His awkwardness and timidness had been a result of being thrust into a situation he was unprepared for...but had enjoyed nonetheless.
Siegfried tilted his head to look up at the one who was to blame for all of this. Tira was still sleeping - Siegfried found a surprising allure in admiring the features of a sleeping beauty. He gazed up at her, thinking of all the two of them had done last night. Eventually, a thought crossed his mind - had it been too early for them to do what they did? After pondering the issue for a short amount of time, Siegfried reasoned that it had been all right. The relationship between he and Tira wasn't a normal one - so normal rules didn't apply. Besides, she was his slave; he was entitled to do whatever he wanted with her...a privilege he had utilized to the fullest last night.
And now, Siegfried's thoughts turned to the concept of him owning a slave. He did not have any sadistic desire to 'own' or 'dominate' another individual - although he certainly had enjoyed it last night. Siegfried had already decided that Tira's company could be extremely useful to him in his quest to seal Soul Edge away forever - and the events of last night only strengthened Siegfried's resolve to keep her. As long as he treated his 'slave' as an equal to himself, then she was the same as a traveling companion, and he need not feel any guilt.
Tira began to stir. Her eyelids lazily slid back, revealing the bright purple gems they shielded. Before long, she found Siegfried's gaze, and a smile formed on Tira's emerald lips.
"Good morning, Master."
Those words sent a shiver down Siegfried's entire body, and right then and there, he decided that he wanted to hear them every morning.
"...Good morning, Tira."
Tira stretched, arching her back, causing her breasts to rise. Siegfried watched contently.
"So, Master...what will we do today?"
Siegfried's blissful vacation finally came to an end. His thoughts returned to his quest. "If I were to set a goal for the day...I would want to be one step closer to sealing Soul Edge."
"Soul Edge...It's been a long time since I heard the story. Hey, Master, how did that story go again?"
Siegfried laid his head back onto a pillow, and looked up at the ceiling, recalling the story.
"...Long ago...I do not know exactly how long, but surely it must have been hundreds of years ago...the sword was forged. It did not bear any significant power at first - but, after being tainted by bloodshed and hatred for countless years, it turned into a demonic weapon that fed on human souls. It was eventually known as 'Soul Edge', and became legendary as it began to appear throughout history.
"Then, a great hero happened upon the sword. He was able to wield the blade for good with his strong will, brought peace to the land, and was hailed as a king by the people. However...the king's son was incredibly jealous of his father, and took the cursed sword for himself. He was overwhelmed instantly by its evil powers, and lost his will to the sword. The king fought against the deranged prince, and shattered the sword into fragments with a mighty blow.
"Unfortunately, the attack took his son's life, as well. The king was devastated by the loss of his son. Most would have submitted to the overwhelming grief, but the king did no such thing. The sword was destroyed, but it was prophesized that the loathsome cursed sword would reappear one day to wreak havoc upon the world. This ill omen steeled the king's resolve - for the sake of the world, as well as his own redemption, he vowed to create a holy sword that could fight against the evil blade's powers.
"The king enlisted the help of the greatest sage in the land in order to accomplish this grand task. He used purified fragments of Soul Edge to create the holy sword. After many failed attempts, he succeeded in forging a blade that he named 'Soul Calibur'. The price of the creation of the blade was high, however, for the king lost his life during the events that led to the creation of the holy sword. However, before he died, he created a sect of guardians to carry out his will - to protect Soul Calibur until the day Soul Edge returned. These guardians lived in seclusion, passing down the sword secretly from generation to generation.
"Eventually, Soul Edge was reconstructed from its shattered fragments. Over the years, strong warriors and those with evil intentions came to possess Soul Edge, and, each time, Soul Calibur was used to prevent the cursed weapon from committing unspeakable atrocities. Stories of the struggle between the two swords were passed on from one generation to another, which were what gave birth to the countless legends and fairy tales."
Siegfried turned to see Tira's reaction to the story. Her eyes were open wide, and she stared at Siegfried in an engrossed way. She reminded Siegfried of a young child sitting on her grandfather's lap as he told her a bedtime story.
"And why did you go after Soul Edge, Master?"
Siegfried felt a tinge of pain. She was inquiring into the deepest and darkest point of his life. As part of his redemption, he was sure to remind himself of his past so that he would never forget about it, but it always made him uncomfortable and ashamed to recall those days. ...I suppose that, if we are to be companions, then we will have to know about one another...
"...It's a long story. ...Are you sure you want to hear?"
"Of course! I'd love to learn more about my Master!" Tira replied, as bouncy and bubbly as ever.
"...Alright, then." Siegfried replied, and took a deep breath.
"...About twenty-three years ago, the oppressed peasants of Germany were revolting against the Holy Roman Empire. With its forces weakened by the Italian Wars, the German peasants finally had a fighting chance. One of the champions of the people, a brave knight named Sir Frederick Schtauffen. He was known as the 'Gentle Knight'. While on campaign, he met and fell in love with a woman named Margaret; they spent the night together. When Frederick returned after nine months of battle, he rejoined Margaret, who had given birth to a son. That son was I. I was named 'Siegfried,' after a famous hero. Over the course of the next fifteen years, my father spent a lot of his time teaching me swordsmanship. He wanted me to grow up to become a great warrior.
"One day, my father once again embarked on a foreign crusade. ...Unfortunately, without my father's gentle hand to guide me, I...strayed from the path he had taught me to adhere to. I fell into bad company. We banded together with a group of outlaws. My strength grew, and soon I was the leader of a feared group of thieves. We called ourselves the 'Schwarzwind' - 'Black Wind.'
"We heard that some cowardly knights were fleeing from the crusades. In a misguided act of national pride, we devised a plan to attack the knights who ran away from the crusades, as they were bound to carry valuable possessions, and whom we felt were too cowardly to deserve respect. That night, we ambushed a group of war-weary soldiers, too fatigued to retaliate. I...even managed to kill the commander himself, but..." Siegfried started to falter in his speech. After taking a moment to recompose himself, he continued. "...As I held the commander's severed head in triumph...the moonlight shone on its face, and...I realized that I held the head of my own father."
Siegfried stopped talking again. He bit his lip, and as Tira watched him, she expected tears to pour forth from his eyes at any second. But, after a few moments, Siegfried began talking again normally.
"...There is only one way in which I can describe what happened to me at that point. My mind...snapped. Yelling in grief and fear, I ran straight into the forest, becoming more and more insane as I ruminated over my previous acts. Eventually, I...I came to a point at which I had convinced myself that my father's murderer was actually someone other than me. And, in a newfound delusion for revenge, I decided that my father's murderer must only be defeated by a specific weapon, so that the vengeance would be all the more satisfying; and that weapon was Soul Edge."
"...Wow..." Tira whispered. She could see from the expression etched in Siegfried's face that it caused him a great deal of pain to recall these events, but her curiosity was building with every moment. Eventually, it got the better of her. "...What happened then?"
"...First, I traveled to here - Ostrheinsburg Castle. It was then the refuge of the noble Sir Stefan. It was quite well known in the region that he carried a legendary sword - I believed it to be Soul Edge. I joined his forces, rising in rank with the hopes of eventually stealing the blade. During a siege on the castle, I saw an opportunity to take Sir Stefan's prized possession, the sword Grimblade, and...killed him. I ran off with it into the Black Woods nearby the castle, but only to find that the sword held no power. Frustrated, I continued to search for weeks for Soul Edge, growing increasingly more insane and hungry for its power as time passed.
"Following clues, I finally determined the true wielder of Soul Edge - the dreaded pirate Cervantes de Leon, who had wreaked havoc among the Spanish seas with the cursed blade. I traveled to the Spanish port that he had used as a base. A search turned up nothing – until I decided to search his ship, the Adrian, which was still anchored there. As I climbed aboard it, I found only what appeared to be the corpse of a pirate captain...gripping Soul Edge. Soul Edge had been partially destroyed, but the remains of the evil blade had not lost all of its powers.
"The cursed blade had been waiting for a moment like this - the corpse lit up in a hellish blaze of fire, and attacked me. However, the evil sword was no match for my madness, and Cervantes was once again defeated. Soul Edge fell into a crazed, unstable state as it lost its host. Mesmerized by the powers of the blazing hellfire, I reached for the blade...An incredibly foolish act.
"At the precise moment that I grasped the hilt of the sword, the history of massacre within Soul Edge traveled into me. All of the anger...the sadness...the agony...the horror...it devoured me. It consumed me completely. My mind and body were too immature to contain it, and evil energy began to flow out of me. The energy pierced the heavens as a column of white light, and spread thorough the world. That was the phenomenon came to be known as the Evil Seed...
Tira's body tensed up at the mention of the Evil Seed. Siegfried had not expected this reaction from her, but continued speaking.
"After the sword merged with me like a parasite, it began to use me for its own purpose. It made me obsessed with a new quest - to bring my father back to life with the power of Soul Edge, and to avenge his murder. I thought that, if only I could devour enough souls, my father would be resurrected. This was a delusion that Soul Edge planted in my mind to make me harvest souls for it. When my self-induced brainwashing had worn off, and I finally remembered that it was I who had actually killed my own father, it was too late - the sword had totally enslaved me with its power. I became but a puppet. I wielded the sword no longer - the sword now wielded me. And that is when I became the Azure Knight – 'Nightmare'.
"Over the course of three years, I formed a partnership with three other individuals. No - we were not necessarily partners...just a loose collection of beings with overlapping interests. We possessed different motives...although we all cooperated with one another for various reasons. Each of them aided me in Soul Edge's quest to devour souls for a rejuvenation ceremony to be performed in my chosen stronghold...Ostrheinsburg Castle. I did succeed in resurrecting my father, but, I came to the realization that this 'resurrection' was merely an illusion of my own weakened soul. Eventually, I was defeated by someone who had arrived to destroy Soul Edge. As my wounded body lay on the ground, I began to become the dominant force in my own mind again. I regained my sanity, becoming my former self.
"I spent a great deal of time meditating on all that I had seen and done, and eventually decided to accept responsibility for my sins. I decided to return to my mother, who had no knowledge of anything that occurred during or after that fateful night three years ago. As my hand rose to knock on her door, I heard words of prayer in the voice of my mother from within the house. She was praying that my soul may see peace. It was then that I realized that I was unworthy to see my mother, and that I could not return until I had settled everything. I left the town of my childhood with a refreshed will.
"...However...every time I awoke from a night's rest...I found myself surrounded by corpses. Soul Edge still had power over me. It took over my body while I was asleep, and caused me to murder nearby people. I gradually fell under the influence of the sword once again, and slowly transformed back into a being worthy of the name 'Nightmare'...
"As Nightmare, I desperately pursued fragments of Soul Edge, that I might fully restore it. As I plundered powerful souls and recovered shattered fragments of the sword, the cracks in the Soul Edge's surface healed, one by one. My goal of reviving the sword was nearly complete, and I returned once more to my old stronghold, so that I could be in the Ostrheinsburg Chapel when I restored the blade to its true power. But, just as I was about to begin my ceremony, I was interrupted once again, by yet another warrior seeking to destroy Soul Edge. At the end of the fierce battle, I stood victorious; but, just before I administered my finishing blow, a faint hint of the will of my true self emerged and attempted to fight off Soul Edge's influence for a second time. The battle between my two personalities waged in the mind of a singular being, causing my body to stand motionless in distraction. The warrior conjured up all of his remaining strength and unleashed a desperate pierce into the center of Soul Edge's eye. As the will of Soul Edge desperately clawed to keep its grasp on my body, I managed to reclaim my body as my own.
"I quickly thought back in a daze over all I had done. Just then, a sword appeared within the light: the holy sword Soul Calibur. It had been trapped inside the Soul Edge all this time, waiting for a force strong enough to free it, for its fateful battle to occur. As if guided by a mysterious force, I grabbed Soul Calibur by its hilt, and drove it into the evil eye that was the core of Soul Edge.
"The blow that Soul Calibur had administered, however, was not enough to destroy Soul Edge. The malevolent energy of Soul Edge had quieted, but the holy sword itself, still lodged in the cursed blade's eye, had gone silent, too, as if it had lost its power. I knew that this result was not enough to ensure that the reign of Soul Edge would never appear again, so I forced my weary mind into motion and began to think. First, I threw off the detestable azure armor and smashed it to pieces, vowing to truly atone for my sins once and for all. Then, taking both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur in hand, I left Ostrheinsburg Chapel. That was...a relatively short time ago. Since then, I have merely been traveling the land, seeking information...until I was led here."
Tira seemed to be absolutely amazed by all that she had heard. "...So, you...have Soul Edge and Soul Calibur with you?"
Siegfried nodded. He pointed a finger to the other side of the room, where a large satchel lay, bulging with its contents. Tira's purple eyes grew wide.
"Can I...see it?"
Siegfried smirked slightly. "You may."
The two of them rose from bed, and crossed the room. Tira stood before the satchel, seemingly too scared to look inside of it. Siegfried untied the knot that kept the bag closed, and pulled the bag down, revealing what it covered. Tira beheld its contents.
The satchel did, indeed, hold Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. The two of them were lodged within one another, Soul Calibur driven straight through the bizarre eye in the center of Soul Edge. The portion that was Soul Edge was meaty and fleshy, red, orange, and yellow in color, with a blade on one side of it and tentacle-like growths on the other side. The tentacles spiraled and twisted around the blade and hilt of Soul Calibur. Soul Calibur looked more like a conventional sword - but was with its own form of bizarre appearance. The blade was decorated with symbols, and the portion between the blade and the handle was an orb that faintly glowed a dull blue, surrounded by rocky and ice-like stones with spiky and fin-like obtrusions.
"It almost appears as if the two of them are frozen in some sort of twisted embrace, does it not? The Soul Embrace...I've felt compelled to call it by this name."
Interested by Siegfried's analogy, Tira leaned forward to get a better look at it.
The eyeball rolled down to stare her in the eyes, and blinked.
Tira yelped and leapt back. When she looked at the sword again, the eye was in the same position it in was before.
Siegfried put his hand on her shoulder. "Tira? What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? That eyeball blinked at me!"
Siegfried wrinkled his brow. "I didn't see anything like that...but I believe you. This cursed blade...nothing good can come of it!" He quickly pulled the bag back over Soul Edge, and then tied the knot. When he turned back to face Tira, she was staring at him in amazement.
"Master...you're such an amazing person. All you've been through...it's more than happens in ten normal lifetimes!"
Siegfried chuckled a little. Then, he realized that this was an opportunity to ask something that had been on his mind. "And, what about you, Tira? What's your life like? I'd like to learn about you."
Tira seemed flattered that he wished to know about her. She bit her lip, looked up at the ceiling in thought, and then sat on the bed.
"...My earliest memories are of...killing."
"...Killing?"
"Yes. I don't know who my parents are. I was raised from birth to be an assassin. I don't know how it came to be. It's just been my life for as far back as I can remember."
Siegfried felt a mixture of intrigue and sympathy. "Please go on."
"The people who raised me were from an underground organization that went by the name of 'Bird of Passage.' We operated from the shadows - affiliated with no single side, keeping our existence secret, and influencing the history of Europe from behind the scenes. My days were spent...either killing, or working to improve my skills."
"Were you...happy with this life?"
"Yes. ...No. ...I wasn't. I acted cheerful, and pretended to enjoy my job...but I wasn't happy, and I didn't enjoy my job...or my life. I didn't even know the true feelings that lay buried deep within my heart...I still don't. So, I just kept on pretending, fooling myself every day, just to shield myself from the truth. ...Hey, that's another way we're similar, isn't it?
"...Anyway, the turning point came when the Evil Seed rained down. I...forget exactly where I was, but I was in the middle of a mission, and the evil energy burnt the mind of my leader. The chain of command quickly collapsed. I was suddenly set free from the underground world, and thrust into a completely different world that I knew nothing about.
"For a while, I was taken in by a family. It was an ordinary family, I suppose...in an ordinary city...with ordinary people. I thought to myself that this life might be okay, too...but..."
Tira paused. Siegfried saw in her what he'd felt in himself a few minutes ago. He felt that she was about to reveal something to him that was the equivalent of his murdering his father.
"...Those peaceful days didn't last for very long. The family had a child that was keeping a bird as a pet...I'm still not even sure why I did it, but, I set the bird free. I remember being so happy with myself...but the child burst into tears, and the parents scolded me. I remember being overcome with rage, and feeling like they had committed a horrible sin by scolding me for what I'd done...and...the next thing I remember after that...is looking down at my hands, seeing them dripping with blood and then looking around the room to see the family laying dead around me. That was when I realized that I was different from other people...in a very fundamental way...And could never live peacefully among them.
"...I began a life of aimless wandering. I grew more and more confused, but instead of trying to solve my problems, I just ignored them. Things just got worse and worse...that was when...I heard about you, Master. ...And you know the rest from there."
Siegfried sat with his elbow on his knee and his chin in his palm as he listened to Tira's story. When she was done, it seemed as if the final piece of a puzzle had fallen into place. I finally understand why she is so desperate for a Master.
THUNK"...What was that?"
Siegfried raised a finger to his lips. "Shh! ...I think that someone else has entered this Inn. Quickly - put your clothes on." He whispered.
The two of them hurriedly dressed themselves. Then, Tira began sniffing the air.
"...What is it? Do you smell something?"
"Smells like smoke."
Siegfried sniffed the air as well. "...It does!" He reached for the handle of the door, and opened it - to face a wall of black smoke. The smoke poured into the room from the top of the doorway. It washed across the ceiling looking like a wave, as if gravity had inverted itself. The roar of a fire was coming from downstairs, as well as a wave of heat.
"But, why would someone set this Inn on fire? ...Master?" Tira turned to Siegfried, who seemed to be lost in thought.
"...Please...please, don't let it be-"
"NIGHTMARE!" A voice suddenly crowed out from downstairs. "NIGHTMARE! I KNOW YOU'RE UP THERE! I'VE COME TO TAKE MY REVENGE!"
"...No...!..." Siegfried gritted his teeth, shut his eyes tight, and hung his head.
"...Master?"
"...Those seeking Nightmare...to avenge their loved ones...occasionally appear in my path to challenge me. The voice coming from downstairs...I recognize it. Not the person, but their intentions - they are young, and full of anger. That can be a deadly combination."
"NIGHTMARE! YOU CAN DIE A COWARD'S DEATH IN THE FLAMES, OR I CAN GRANT YOU AN HONORABLE DEATH BY MY BLADE! THE CHOICE IS YOURS!"
"What will we do, Master? Kill him?"
"I have no desire to further stain myself with more sins. I avoid killing whenever possible. But, if worse comes to worst, then I have no choice but to-"
The Inn suddenly gave a loud shudder.
"Tira...we have no time. We must escape. Come!"