The intruder's sudden emotional outbursts and wild lunge surprised Xianghua for a moment, but she was trained far too well to let herself be caught off guard that easily. Xianghua twirled to the side to dodge her opponent's leap, and, with her sword positioned behind her back, stabbed it at the woman. She definitely would have preferred to use only non-fatal attacks on a mere intruder, but Xianghua knew that her life was in danger the moment her enemy moved with such agility and swung her weapon with such force.
The woman turned Xianghua's blade aside merely by turning her own weapon to deflect the blow. Xianghua recovered quickly, slashing and twirling her sword at her opponent, having been taught to never give one's enemy extra time to attack. The intruder simply slid back and held her weapon in a defensive position to block Xianghua's blows, but immediately went on the offensive again.
The woman dashed towards Xianghua with such litheness that it almost seemed supernatural - but what was more frightening was the look in her eyes. It was an animalistic, feral look, as if she was more animal than human. Xianghua could tell that something was broken within this woman, but did not have the time or interest to think about it. She twirled her sword in the defensive position she'd been taught to, and deflected most of the woman's attacks, although a few nicks began to appear on her body when she wasn't able to dodge a blow in time.
Xianghua knew that her situation would only get worse if she let this beast-woman continue to have the upper hand, so she stopped defending and started attacking again. She stabbed and thrust with her sword, but no matter how many dozens of times she tried, she could not land a blow on her enemy. The woman bent herself back and to the side at seemingly impossible angles to avoid blows. She was just as flexible and elastic as she was fast and dangerous.
Xianghua tried to counter this by swinging her sword in wide arcs, but this tactic was not very effective, either. The fight was only getting worse for Xianghua. She began to look for holes in her opponent's defense. There was only one very obvious one - the gaping hole in her ring-shaped weapon. The weapon was so bizarre it was almost distracting - Xianghua had never seen someone fight with a giant ring; it seemed so unfeasible. Xianghua began to try to aim stabs at the hole of the ring. This strategy wasn't as sound at it seemed; the woman would simply turn her weapon perpendicular to the ground, making it a thin line rather than a circle. Xianghua decided to try once more to stab through the ring at her opponent - and made a glaring mistake.
The woman allowed Xianghua to stab her sword through the ring - then slid forward so Xianghua's entire arm was through the ring, and jerked it sharply to the right. Xianghua went flying to the side, and into a corner - the sharp edge of the ring had also cut her arm. The sharp pain caused Xianghua to loose her grip on her sword, and it went flying to the side.
Before Xianghua could look up, the woman had pounced on her, pinning her into the corner with her circular weapon, the weapon's blade just beneath her neck. The woman grabbed Xianghua's head, and tried to force her neck down onto the blade. Xianghua put her feet on the inside of the ring, and tried to push it away. She exerted enough force to keep the blade away from her neck, but she wouldn't be able to keep it up for much longer.
The woman gripped her hair tight and pulled Xianghua closer to the blade. Xianghua watched the blade inching closer and closer - it'd slice into her neck slowly, and she could not think of a more painful decapitation than a slow one.
As her eyes were fixated on the blade that would be in her neck within a few moments, she could only think of one thing.
"...Kilik."
Her enemy's grip seemed to let up a little. Xianghua turned her eyes toward the woman's. The feral thirst for blood was still there, but it seemed to be fading.
"...Kilik...?..." The woman muttered. "...The one with the staff?"
Xianghua's eyes went wide. "You know Kilik?"
The woman's eyes wavered. The animalistic look was being replaced by a puzzled one. "...He saved Master's life."
Now it was Xianghua's turn to be puzzled. "What...?"
"It doesn't matter!" The woman barked, tightening her grip on Xianghua again.
Xianghua saw no way to save her life, but if this woman knew Kilik, then maybe, just maybe...
"Did Kilik mention me? ...Xianghua?"
The woman's grip let up again.
"...Xianghua...?..."
"The woman you mentioned...Xianghua."
"Yes?"
"Do you...love her?"
"...I'm not sure what I would call my feelings for her. We care for one another..."
The words shared by Kilik and Sophitia came to Tira's mind. Kilik cared for Xianghua. Kilik had saved Tira's Master, so it would be wrong to harm Kilik. If harming Xianghua would harm Kilik, then it would be wrong to harm Xianghua.
"...We are devoted to one another..."
Devoted...like a slave's devotion to her master? Is that what love is? Devotion? If that was the case, then Tira loved her Master.
"If you're in love, then I want you to go find the one whom you love, and be with her. Always. And never betray her. If she disappoints you, work out your differences. Don't harbor bad feelings inside until they are released in a destructive way."
Tira remembered thinking that Sophitia's advice to Kilik sounded wise, and now that advice applied to her, as well. She had harbored her feelings, and they had been released destructively. It would have been better if she'd simply worked out her differences with -
Tira's inner thoughts were shattered by the feeling of two feet slamming into her stomach. The wind was knocked out of her, and she loosened her grip on her weapon. Xianghua shoved hard on the ringblade, pushing Tira onto her back, and pinning her down with her own weapon, the blade dangerously close to her neck. It had only taken a scant few moments for the situation to reverse completely.
"Let me go." Tira said flatly. It was not a plead or a cry for mercy. She had come to understand that she did not belong there, and was asking to be allowed to leave. Xianghua was not very understanding.
"...What? No! You've resisted arrest and assaulted a guard! You're going to be punished!"
"I know now that my choice was wrong. I understand that I should have simply spoken with my Master."
"I don't know what you're babbling about. Just give up!"
Tira removed the dagger from its sheath, and in one swift movement, plunged it into Xianghua's throat, twisted it in as deep as it would go, and then drew it across Xianghua's neck until
No.
Tira pressed the tip of the blade against Xianghua's throat, causing a tiny pinprick of red to appear, but did not plunge it in.
"Master detests killing. It would disappoint my Master if I killed you. But I will kill you if that is the only way to return to my Master."
Xianghua did not spend much time thinking over her situation. Moving very slowly and carefully, she let go of Tira's ringblade, and rose off of her. The moment Tira was able to, she rolled to the side, got to her feet, slung her ringblade over her shoulder, ran towards the nearest window, and leapt through it.
Xianghua ran to the window and looked out of it, but saw no sign at all of the intruder. She slammed her fists on the windowsill, and then began telling the other guards to search the area and be on high alert.
---
"Siegfried, we're being followed."
"I know."
"Doesn't that concern you? There must be at least ten guards trailing us."
"We've done nothing wrong. They will do us no harm as long as we cause no trouble."
"Is it just me, or does this park have at least twice as many guards as it did yesterday?"
"It's not just you."
"They're all staring at us, and have their hands beside their weapons. I know we're a group of suspicious foreigners, but is this really necessary?"
"I overheard someone mention that a thief broke into the mansion last night."
The group fell silent after that, but everyone said the same thing to themselves in their minds.
Tira.
After the group had woken up and heard that the general had returned, they made plans to travel to the mansion as soon as possible. However, their trip was belayed by the search for a missing person - Tira. Tira hadn't been in her room, and after a short search, they couldn't locate her anywhere. They eventually decided to give up and go to the mansion without Tira. But this information about a break-in seemed to provide a piece to the puzzle.
Tira rarely spoke or took action - but she had a distinct personality and way of thinking. Siegfried and his group were quite familiar with the way Tira's mind worked - she was always trying to be helpful, but rarely succeeded at it. Breaking into the mansion to try to steal information on Soul Edge was exactly the sort of thing that Tira would be likely to do. However, it was still a mystery why she was missing.
Siegfried and the others now reached the large courtyard in front of the mansion. There were more guards in this area than there were anywhere else in the park. The group approached the large front doors of the mansion, which was guarded by several men. The closer Siegfried came, the more prepared for battle the guards seemed. Siegfried, however, retained a calm appearance and demeanor, as if nothing was out of place about the situation.
"Greetings." Siegfried said. "We wish to have an audience with the General."
At first, the guards did nothing. Then, reluctantly, one of them turned, opened one of the doors, stepped inside, and stepped back out a moment later.
"We're sorry, but the General won't be seeing anyone today."
The voice had not come from any of the men. In fact, it did not sound like it had come from a man at all. It was a youthful, female voice.
The guards parted, and a petite woman walked through the mansion doors, and stood before Siegfried and the others. She was dressed similarly to the other guards, but her uniform was slightly different, and implied that she was a rank above the others.
She spoke again. "You see, there was a break-in last night, so we're not very comfortable accepting visitors at the moment." The woman's words were casual, and she made no attempt at sounding formal. It was just as well - the woman had such a cutesy appearance that if she'd tried to act like a tough guard captain, Siegfried and the others would have had to suppress laughter.
The woman looked uninterested in them. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere, as if she was worried about something. The break-in must have been particularly stressful for her. "The General is usually very hospitable and glad to give tours of his mansion, but..." She paused. At first, she had not seemed to regard Siegfried and his group without much concern, but after her eyes had settled on Siegfried, she did not take her gaze off of him. As she spoke, her eyes slowly began to look more and more suspicious, and she eyed Siegfried up and down warily, finally seeming like a real guard. "...not today." Now she seemed to be even more preoccupied than before, as if she was desperately trying to remember something.
"...Have we met before?" She asked, her eyes fixated on Siegfried.
The woman looked familiar to him - or, rather, 'felt' familiar. He had felt her energy once before in his life; of that, he was sure. Of when, he was not sure. Her appearance was familiar to him as well, but only slightly. His memories of what he'd seen as Nightmare were difficult to recall; perhaps he'd met this woman when he was still Nightmare. He certainly did remember feeling her energy during a very important moment in his life. But, when...?
"...I believe that perhaps we have." Siegfried said.
Suddenly, a look of revelation came over the woman's face, as if she'd remembered something. She eyed Siegfried differently now - as if he was dangerous, a threat.
"...Tell me..." She said, in a guarded tone of voice. "...have you heard of the Azure Knight?"
"He was defeated a long time ago." Siegfried said, perhaps too quickly.
"...But have you heard of the recent rumors?"
"...Recent rumors?" Siegfried asked, nearly caught off guard for once.
"Yes...the rumors that a man in azure-colored armor is committing slaughter after slaughter in Europe?
Siegfried's right arm throbbed.
A familiar wave of dread washed over the group.
Nightmare...returned?
"...No. It would be impossible for him to return now." Siegfried said sternly.
The woman's eyebrow arched. "Impossible? Why?"
Siegfried was in a corner. He could not simply come out and admit that he was once the Azure Knight while in the middle of a courtyard full of guards.
...But it IS impossible for Nightmare to return. I am not possessed by Soul Edge, so he cannot return. ...But, could this rumor somehow be true? Could there actually be a way for Nightmare to return?
Siegfried curiously pondered this possibility.
And, then, it hit him like the flat side of a Zweihänder.
"...Of course." He whispered. "That's what it was..."
"Why have you come here?" Xianghua asked.
"The dark energy we felt in the West was Nightmare!" Siegfried blurted out.
Xianghua blinked. "What?"
"Madam - could I inquire of your name?" Siegfried asked, almost hurriedly.
"...Temporary Captain Xianghua Chai." The woman said.
Siegfried realized who this woman was immediately. She was the woman who had defeated him the first time he had become Nightmare. "The same Xianghua that Kilik mentioned?" A few of the women in his group asked.
"Kilik?" Xianghua chirped. "You know him, as well? The intruder last night knew Kilik, too...said he saved her Master."
"The intruder - what happened to her?" Siegfried asked.
"...Escaped." Xianghua muttered. "But, more importantly, how do you know Kilik?"
"...We sought one who could purify evil energy, and our search led us to him. He mentioned you."
"...I see..." Xianghua said to herself. "And, tell me - why have you come here?"
"We came here searching for information about Soul Edge. We know firsthand what a wicked monstrosity it is, and seek its destruction."
Xianghua nodded, as if hearing profound words. "I see. I understand now."
She unsheathed her sword, and pointed its tip at Siegfried.
"You are the Azure Knight!"
Siegfried opened his mouth to protest, but the woman did not give him a chance.
"You are also the 'Master' of the intruder who broke in last night! The entire burglary was a sinister plot that you orchestrated! You seek information about how Soul Edge can be destroyed because you wish to prevent its destruction! You are a band of evildoers most foul, and in the name of justice, I will punish you!" Xianghua concluded, standing on one foot and striking a dramatic pose.
Siegfried and the rest had no time to object. Most of the guards had drawn their weapons after Xianghua's first accusation, and by her last statement, all hands in the courtyard were holding weapons or prepared to draw them. A small number of guards had even run away after hearing that Siegfried may be the Azure Knight.
Siegfried and his group were quickly encircled by a few dozen guards. Although Siegfried was a pacifist, the fighter in him weighed his chances. As Nightmare, he'd defeated armies of hundreds of men. However, as his normal self, even with the women on his side, it was not certain if he could survive this battle. He would have to strategize quickly, fight as fiercely as Nightmare had, and spill the blood of many men to live through the coming -
"Just kidding!"
All heads turned towards Xianghua with the same expression - disbelief.
"Don't worry, I believe you. I know you're not Nightmare. You remind me of him, but you couldn't be him - I sense that your intentions are pure and good. I have a feeling you're connected to the intruder, but I also have a feeling that she was acting on her own."
Xianghua stared at a sea of extremely disappointed faces.
"...It was only a joke. C'mon, don't be mad."
---
The General emerged from his mansion, and demanded to know exactly what was going on in his courtyard. Siegfried quickly explained everything from the beginning to avoid any further misunderstandings. The curtain of distrust and confusion was quickly lifted, and all parties were finally allowed to be at ease once more.
After learning of Siegfried's past identity, the General was initially shocked, but quickly understood that the two of them were separate entities. The General then considered Siegfried and his group to be very important for their wealth of knowledge about Soul Edge, and invited them inside (under the condition that they temporarily relinquish their weapons). They were led to the room that contained the information they sought, and exchanged the knowledge they possessed.
Unfortunately, it was Siegfried's side who held more relevant knowledge of Soul Edge. Their first-hand experiences (and the book that Ivy had once possessed) held more information than the room did, and most of the information contained in that room was only miscellaneous details about Soul Edge, its recorded appearances throughout history, and so on. Although Siegfried and the others contributed much to this room, the General was very grateful to them for their assistance, but the General's assorted details about Soul Edge and its history was of little help to them. Despite this, the rest of the day was quite enjoyable, as Siegfried and the others heard fantastic tales of the history of Soul Edge.
Siegfried and the others apologized for Tira's intrusion, explaining that she had meant no harm, and Xianghua and the General decided to overlook Tira's transgressions in light of Siegfried's contributions to their archives. Finally, it was time for them to part ways.
"Where do you think Tira has gone?" Xianghua asked.
"I doubt she has gone far, or that her leave will be a permanent one."
"About those rumors of Nightmare..."
Siegfried nodded solemnly. "I do not know how the Azure Knight could have revived, but as I sensed his presence, I fear the rumors may be all too true."
"What will you do about him?"
"If anything is capable of unlocking the evil energy within the Soul Embrace, it is that abomination. Before, we only feared the possibility that an evil force would arise and threaten to wield Soul Edge again - now, that possibility may have become a reality. We will need to double our efforts. Purification may or may not be the answer, but it's the only lead we have. Where can we find the most powerful purification arts?"
"The farther East one goes, the stronger such arts become. The most powerful purification arts are found in an island nation called Japan."
"Then that will be our next destination."
"...Wait." Xianghua said, scrunching up her face. "At the moment, Japan is in the middle of a war. There are no ships willing to sail to a country entangled in a war. That's suicide."
"I guess that means we'll have to find a suicidal sea captain, then." Ivy said.
Xianghua laughed. "You're determined, aren't you? That's good - you need determination to be able to cut your own path in life." As if she had just reminded herself of something, she changed the topic. "About Kilik - where is he?"
"The last we saw him, he had finally completed his training, and had set out on a journey to find you."
Xianghua blushed a little. "...I see." She'd sworn to herself that she would only leave the mansion once she'd proven to herself that she could overcome any obstacle - and her encounter with Tira had proven that she wasn't ready yet. But, Kilik was looking for her...Kilik wanted to find her. Xianghua couldn't allow him to wait any longer. Just as she'd said, determination was all she needed. "...Well, that settles it. Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving to find Kilik!"
"And we'll continue our journey tomorrow, as well."
---
Siegfried and the others returned to the inn, and went to their respective rooms. A short while after Siegfried entered his room, he sensed a presence, and felt as if he was being watched. He walked to the room's only window, opened it, and then leaned against the wall next to the window.
"Come in, Tira."
Tira leapt into the room with the grace of a sparrow. But, from that point onward, she slouched and moved sluggishly. She slumped up against the same wall Siegfried was leaning on, but on the other side of the window. She and Siegfried did not make eye contact.
"...Are you mad at me, Master?"
Siegfried closed his eyes. "...I will not lie. I am disappointed."
The two were silent.
"...Master...it's not like the old days."
"...What do you mean?"
"In the old days, we were...closer. You asked me to serve you more often."
Siegfried realized that Tira was talking about the first weeks they'd spent with each other.
"I really enjoyed serving you. But, then...other people joined us, and...you rarely gave me orders any more."
"Tira, I'm not comfortable ordering someone around. I'd feel cruel if I did such a thing."
Tira turned to face him. "But it's not cruel in my case! I want you to give me orders!'
Siegfried was silent for a long time. Finally, he spoke.
"...You're right, Tira - when things first started out, it was just about you and I. But, it's not just about us anymore. My journey has become something important. We're on a very important mission. I'm focusing on the mission now. I just don't have time to focus on us anymore - that's not where my attention should belong. I have the duty of protecting the entire world. I don't want this duty, but it's mine. And if I am to redeem myself for killing thousands of men, creating thousands of widows and orphans, then I must focus on this mission. I can't allow myself to be distracted. Tira, I...care about you. But now is not the time for that." He turned to face her. "When Soul Edge is no longer a threat, Tira, then it can be about us again. ...But right now...we just can't afford that."
Tira's eyes were cast down.
"...Tira...if you are unsatisfied with me...with the direction in which things are moving...then you are free to leave."
Tira's head jerked up, and her eyes flew open wide, as if Siegfried had said something incredibly shocking.
"I understand if I am not a satisfying master. I understand if you would rather leave me, and find another master, if what you want cannot be found with me."
Tira turned away. Silence fell once more.
"...I'd be jealous, though." Siegfried whispered.
Tira faced him again.
"...I'd be jealous if you had another man as your master."
Tira said nothing, but slowly approached Siegfried, and wrapped her arms around him.
"...I can be proud of myself, then." Tira said. Her voice did not sound as sorrowful as it had before. Siegfried smiled, and held her.
The two held one another for a while, and then Tira spoke. "About what I did..."
"You just wanted to help."
"...I wanted to be useful...valuable...worth something to you..."
"Don't worry. I understand. The others understand, too."
"...I'll join up with you outside of the city tomorrow. I still don't think it's safe for me to walk around in this city anymore."
"Alright. I'll let the others know."
Tira planted a small peck on her Master's cheek. Her Master smiled, and gave her a longer kiss, on the lips. They smiled at each other briefly, and then Tira left as swiftly as she had come.
But she was not as comforted as one would have thought.
As she perched herself within a tree for the night, uncertainty and insecurities ran through her mind. Although her self-worth had been restored, she now had another problem on her mind.
Is Siegfried the right Master for me?
It was the first time since she'd given herself to him that she'd addressed him, even mentally, by his name instead of the title she'd given him - it was the first time she'd had the thought of calling anyone else her master. Although the others had not seen her, Tira had followed them to the mansion. She'd been on the roof while they were in the courtyard, and on the rafters of the mansion while they were inside of it. She'd heard every word they'd said about Nightmare. She'd heard of Nightmare before, of course, but as Nightmare was dead and gone, she had never regarded him as being significant to her. In light of recent events, however, she began to think of him in a different way.
Master's former self...Nightmare. Would he be a more fitting Master for me? Nightmare lives to kill. He's killed entire villages, towns, even armies, and does so daily. If I were his slave, surely he'd command me to kill nonstop. Tira's heart leapt at the thought, as she remembered how good it'd felt to finally let her true desires take control after months of self-restraint. Nightmare was evil - so was killing. Tira enjoyed the thought of killing far more than the thought of being a servant who is never called upon to serve - did that mean that she was evil? If she was evil, did she belong in Nightmare's service? Nightmare himself had no free will, didn't he? He was just the will of Soul Edge itself, nothing but a thirst for souls. Tira could think of no more perfect master than pure will itself.
Tira originally thought that Siegfried was the perfect master for her because she saw strong similarities between them - Tira had done nothing but follow orders from birth, and Siegfried was unable to do anything but obey Soul Edge's will when it had possessed him. Tira had a side of light, and a side of darkness - and Siegfried had once been a being of two opposing sides, as well.
But now, it seemed as if Tira had found someone with more similarities to herself than Siegfried. A man who she would enjoy being the slave of even more. And Siegfried himself had even told her that it was acceptable for her to leave his service and enter the service of another.
But, at the same time, Tira almost felt physically ill at the thought of leaving Siegfried. For months now she'd thought of nothing but being loyal to him, and devoted every moment of her life to thinking of ways to please him. He was so important to her that she was practically attached to him. The thought of separating herself from Siegfried was like the thought of tearing off one of her limbs.
Siegfried was the world to her, and she'd pledged her life to him forever. But she was unhappy, and might be more happy with the polar opposite of Siegfried, and Siegfried had told her that it was okay to leave him. Now, she felt even more confused than before. Turmoil churned within her for hours until she finally reached a temporary conclusion.
I've rarely made any decisions in my entire life - I could never make a decision this important. I'll just continue doing what I've been doing all along. And if something happens in the future to change who my master is...then that's simply what will happen.
Having decided to make no decision, Tira was much more comfortable and happy. Despite the fact that she'd been sitting in the same spot for hours, she was exhausted almost beyond the human limit, and fell asleep within seconds.