There was a time when Siegfried would have been stunned to see metal transform in size and shape, shifting and changing as fluidly as water. But Siegfried's countless clashes with the supernatural had desensitized him to such paranormal events. He knew not if the owl-headed man before him was a superhuman, a monster, or an illusion, but he would not let himself be shaken by the bizarre display occurring on the man's wrists.
The gauntlets that adorned owl-headed man's wrists extended outward, transforming into long, heavy rods, not unlike the tonfas Talim had once wielded. He lunged forward and launched a series of fast strikes, delivering several blows within the blink of an eye. Siegfried could barely block the bizarre man's assault, and the wide frame of the Requiem was the only thing that kept the attacks from getting through.
When the man's flurry of blows proved ineffective, he drew back, returning his gauntlets to normal, only to shift them once again. He joined his hands and the metal drew into his grasp, taking the shape of a long, thin blade, akin to the Chinese jian Xianghua had briefly held to Siegfried's neck. He began a series of equally speedy strikes, but with longer range. Siegfried quickly grew exhausted from the exertion required to parry such swift attacks, and he was being forced back along the platform quickly. This man showed no sign of fatigue as he continued an offensive that would have drained the energy of any other combatant within moments. When Siegfried finally saw an opening to strike back, his foe leapt away, landing easily on his talons and immediately resuming his attack, forcing Siegfried on the defensive again. When Siegfried finally did strike, the owl-headed man blocked the attack, and – despite having a much lighter weapon – held his ground easily.
"You learned to fight in some sort of military, I think." The man observed. "Your attacks are very direct."
Siegfried did not reply, and continued to press the attack. The owl-headed man held his ground without a sign of effort, and smirked. "Not very creative – I guess this won't be much fun." He finally retreated, the sword shrinking down and once again becoming the gauntlets at his wrists, only to transform again into a heavy axe, nearly as tall as the man himself. "Don't worry; I'll be quick."
Even holding a weapon of that size, he still moved faster than Siegfried. When their weapons clashed, it was the blonde man who faltered, his strength less than this axe's weight.
Siegfried tucked and rolled, keeping an eye on the sack he'd left at the entrance to the chamber. Whoever this man was, he seemed unaware of the Soul Embrace. And Siegfried noted that while this man had a powerful aura, he didn't seem to radiate evil energy as many of Soul Edge's host and minions had. He wasn't evil, but he was still attacking him, so Siegfried had to fight back.
This warrior was powerful, but Siegfried saw no reason to presume that he was undefeatable.
---
Taki stepped towards the illuminated hall, drawn by the sounds of fighting, when the area turned dark once more. No light hung over her, but several of the torches were extinguished, and the darkness shifted apart and separated, dropping a small portion of itself onto the ground before her. She drew back, readying the Rekki-Maru.
That darkness lifted itself, transforming into a more humanoid appearance, albeit one contained in a heavy suit of blue armor. Strikingly familiar armor, by all the accounts she'd heard from her comrades...she had never personally laid eyes on the abomination, after all.
His deformed right arm ending in a malformed, three-clawed hand and the massive sword he clutched in his free hand were what revealed his identity. Though it was now but a pale phantom of its former self, the silhouette of Soul Edge was unmistakable. With no human form beneath the armor, Soul Edge and the Azure Knight were at last truly one entity.
"We meet again…" Nightmare greeted, "…although, this time, I am bereft of a host – and thus there are no vitals for you to strike. Your training will be useless."
"Not completely," Taki replied, sounding much more confident than she felt. She drew purification sutras from her waist and thrust them forth. Nightmare sliced them aside without much effort.
"You insult me." Rumbled the voice from Nightmare's helmet. "Do not be so impudent as to assume that you could even so much as scratch me." He extended his unaltered arm, pointing it at her. "Battle would be futile; you are already destined to become part of me. You are already tainted by my influence, even if you cast the shard aside..."
Taki recalled the Mekki-Maru. Nightmare seemed to remember what had become of his shards, even when the sword was separate from its evil will.
"Offer your soul!" Nightmare instructed, as he began his charge. Taki moved aside, but the energy pouring from him – the darkness – pushed her back with the force of a strike. She recovered quickly and slashed, but only left a gash in armor, striking no discernible form underneath.
Taki tried a second strike with her kodachi, but Nightmare blocked the next strike with his heavy sword, and forced her back to the ground with only one arm. She shot back up, only for Nightmare to knock her away with the flat of his blade, sending her tumbling back without much effort.
The blows weren't fatal; indeed, he hadn't made effort to cut her at all. He wanted her alive...was he looking to use her for a host, or would he absorb more energy from her if she were still living when he took her soul? She wasn't sure how Soul Edge's parasitism worked, but the demons she'd encountered before could continue to exist in dead bodies, and animate them as needed. Soul Edge was nothing but its will, operating an empty suit of armor, forced to gather souls to endure. Though weaker than before, with no human to damage, Taki had to wonder if the Azure Knight felt pain at all.
She glanced at a pouch on her waist, where she kept a few of the purified Soul Edge shards. Though they were certainly not on the level of Soul Calibur, they would help to some extent...Taki reached forth, grabbed a single shard, and prepared to graft it to Rekki-Maru.
Nightmare reared back to attack again, but she flung a sutra at his armored forehead. Unable to cut it away in time, Nightmare cried out as the ward burned into the metal...and that metal collapsed, transforming into incongruous dark blobs, moving apart and then reforming, sliding away from her.
Taki flung four sutras at the darkness, ensnaring it as she had the last one. Though contained, the darkness still fought against her spiritual barrier, with far greater fervor than the last.
Taki considered the purified shard in her hand, and held it towards the darkness, and it sank down, trying to conceal itself. When she pulled the shard away it resumed its unrelenting attack on her barrier.
The darkness was reacting to Soul Edge...the purified shard had stifled it, but undoubtedly the cursed shards strengthened it. This darkness was tied to Soul Edge, but how?
She had no idea what this darkness was, but if it could draw strength from Soul Edge, she would need to secure the Soul Embrace immediately. While in its dormant state, the blade would not affect the rest of the world around it, but with so much evil energy around, the balance could be tipped.
She would also need to make sure Sophitia and Ivy were well. They, more than Siegfried or Amy, were tied to the cursed sword. But that would wait.
For now, she headed towards the sounds of fighting, lighting the darkness before her and heading towards a single lit chamber at the end of the hall.
---
While Amy was not in pain from the injury on her right calf, her reduced mobility was becoming quite distressing. Tira was bouncing along the scattered stones as easily as she walked on the ground, while Amy could scarcely remain standing. It was all she could do to parry and block, and Tira's ringblade made it hard to determine in which direction an attack would come from. The young girl's hatred of this woman and concern for her own life was all that kept her in the fight.
"Don't worry, this'll be over quickly," Tira told her. "You can join your Papa and be happy."
Amy glared at her. "I won't be happy until you're dead."
"Okay, so you can still join the only person you care about," Tira rationalized. "You're still too young to beat me. You tried to attack too early, and it cost you."
"I'm not dead yet," Amy pointed out.
"Oh, but you will be," Tira promised, as she attacked again, and Amy dropped to the ground to avoid having her head lobbed off. "It'll be swift, and it'll be painless. You won't even know it."
Amy climbed back up as Tira landed on another rock, seemingly without fatigue after so much leaping. She remained enthusiastic at all times, smiling like a demon about to devour a meal.
Amy wanted so badly to kill this woman, but she did so with a sense of purpose. Why did Tira intend to kill her? Was it for revenge after Amy managed to get the better of her? Or was it to pass the time?
No, there was no reason. Though a ravenous lunatic, Tira usually had some reason for killing. And unless her evil unseen Master ordered it, she wouldn't have devoted effort to tracking them into this labyrinth.
Tira shot forward to attack. Amy ducked again, but this time held her Albion up and made a small, insignificant cut into Tira's leg. Barely more than a deep scratch.
When Tira landed on the next stone over, she landed on both feet. Though light, the weight she placed on her bone and muscle caused blood to flow out, and her leg weakened. She slipped and tumbled into the water.
And when Amy looked to see where the current would take her, she saw only a dark mass, separating and dispersing beneath the surface.
Not Tira after all...just a manifestation of evil.
The disparate platforms connected together, forming a single pathway. New illumination emerged, and Amy limped forward, glancing at the shadowed walls around her.
This meager victory brought her no satisfaction. It was a cheap imitation...and all it did was make her want to kill Tira all the more. Rather than grant her some relief, all she felt was frustration.
She'd still have to grow stronger and find the real thing. She'd gotten the better of Tira before, and surely with a few more weeks of training she'd be able to deliver the killing blow.
That alone was the only thing that could bring her peace.
---
The darkness radiated within its new host as Sophitia walked forward, grasping the manifestation of Soul Edge and dragging it along the ground. Though it had trouble controlling her motor functions, contact with the cursed residue within her was making the process smoother.
They were moving her towards their targets, gathering together. The energy that had sustained them before had begun to wane, but so much evil had gathered to them they could absorb it and continue to exist.
The alternative was to disperse, and return to nothing. Existence was preferable to nonexistence.
This woman was a capable combatant, and her comrades would be hesitant to strike. She could prey on their darkness, and after a protracted combat, they could add draw the others into the darkness and sustain them.
Starting with the white haired woman...
---
Siegfried dropped to a knee, able to stand only with the help of his sword to balance his weight. The man with the owl head was now wielding two blades, almost as Cervantes had, his gauntlets shifting whenever Siegfried would change strategy. While he was sweating and breathing heavily, the owl-headed man showed no sign of fatigue, looking down at him calmly.
"Don't take it personally," the man said. "You fought well, but you were out of your league from the start. I am Olcadan – the strongest man in the world! This was the only possible result."
"Strongest in the world..." Siegfried muttered in between gasps for air. "Why are you down here?"
"The gods were afraid of me." He answered. "They cursed me with this appearance and locked me up in this forsaken place."
"But the entrance is open," Siegfried replied. "You could leave at any time..."
"I've been asleep for centuries; my muscles have become stiff and my reflexes slow." The owl-headed man replied. "I decided to train here for a while among the shadows until my skill had returned – and because I was able to best you in combat, perhaps the time has come to conclude my 'exercise' here."
"Siegfried was not at his best when he fought you."
Both Siegfried and Olcadan glanced toward the direction of the voice to behold Taki emerging into the room, her Rekki-Maru at the ready. "Schtauffen lost some stamina on his way to meet you, battling abominations. Do not judge your strength against a man who is weary from battle – judge your strength against my own. My reserve will make for a better challenge."
"You ask me to judge my strength against that of a woman?" Olcadan replied curtly. "I refuse to fight you. Women are not warriors. You may hold your blade properly, but there is no way you could possibly pose a decent challenge."
"You are not the first and you will not be the last to speak such words," Taki said firmly, "But you have assaulted my comrade, and I will make sure that you pay for it appropriately."
"Oh, really?" The owl-headed man said snidely, his owl-like features forming a sarcastic expression.
"Yeah, really." The Japanese warrior replied sternly, showing no sign of fear or doubt.
Olcadan's gauntlets changed again, mimicking Taki's short sword. "Fine, woman. You asked for it."
Siegfried bore no ill will toward the overconfident warrior, and feared that even Taki would not be able to match his combat ability, but their scuffle would give him the opportunity to secure the Soul Embrace. He drew away from the two of them as they readied their weapons.
As Olcadan leapt forward to attack, Taki ducked and lashed out with the Rekki-maru, cutting into the man's impressive chest and leaving a deep gash.
Siegfried and Olcadan both were awestruck. Siegfried had been unable to land a single blow, and Taki had hit on her first try – and her second, when she kicked Olcadan away and put some more distance between the two.
Olcadan recovered quickly and resumed his attack, his weapon changing once again into a longer blade, reminiscent of a katana. Taki parried the blow, though Olcadan's strength pushed her back a bit.
"Stiff muscles and slow reflexes, indeed." Taki said as she exchanged blows with the man. "How long ago did you awaken?"
"Bah, what does it matter?" Olcadan demanded in between a parry and a strike. "Time means nothing to me. It may have been months or possibly years."
"And, in that time, you set up the trials in this labyrinth?" Taki asked.
"Trials? You mean the shadows? Those abominations have nothing to do with me. In fact, I was going to ask you where they came from." Olcadan said, as he attempted to decapitate his adversary. "What sort of place has the world become in my absence, I wonder..."
Taki drew back to avoid a potentially fatal attack and then lunged forward to strike with one of her own. So he isn't connected to those shadows, then.
As Siegfried observed the two, he heard footsteps approaching him from behind. He immediately readied his Zweihänder, but lowered it when he saw that it was only Amy. She stood beside him, uncharacteristically exhibiting an expression of alarm at the sight of the owl-headed man.
Siegfried wasn't quite sure what to tell her – especially when he still had questions of his own about this perplexing situation.
---
Ivy had cut down many of the dark denizens, now that she knew their particular weakness. Her platform had reconnected to the rest of the stone passage and lights were illuminating her path. Though slightly worse for the wear, Ivy proceeded, and spotted her blonde haired compatriot in the hall.
"Sophitia," she called out. "Glad to see you again. Do you know where the rest of our merry band has gone to?"
Sophitia gave no reply.
Ivy was irked. "I'm talking to you, girl. Are you paying attention?"
Sophitia's head was hung low, her hair concealing her eyes. Ivy had no idea whether the Athenian woman was even awake, much less alert – until she hoisted up a heavy blade Ivy couldn't help but recognize.
"No...how…"
"The time is at hand," Sophitia said, raising her head to reveal eyes that glowed with the telltale hue of demonic possession. Her speech was slow, but her voice was deeper and more masculine. "Fulfill your destiny and return your cursed blood to me."
Ivy prepared her sword again. "Just when I thought I was making some progress."
The two charged, their blades clashed, they filled the darkness with their strength, the passion of their conflict, their fear, their anger, all that had birthed it, and all that now sustained it.
---
Olcadan and Taki clashed again, and once more Olcadan overpowered her. When in close quarters Taki's speed yielded little advantage, as her owl-headed foe was quick to cut her off at every turn and block her strikes.
"You're better than your friend," Olcadan conceded. "But you have even less energy left than he does."
He had been able to sense her aura. Taki knew she wouldn't be able to fight for much longer.
She heard a clash of swords not far beyond her. Her allies were facing more of this darkness, and Olcadan seemed interested only in continuing his personal battle with her.
"Schtauffen!" Taki called. "Find Ivy and Sophitia! I can hold him!"
Siegfried hesitated. He was still unsure whether the owl-headed man was truly their enemy.
"Now!" Taki called back.
Siegfried simply nodded and headed out with the Soul Embrace in tow, Amy following behind him.
Taki returned her focus to Olcadan, continuing to trade words with him even as they traded blows. "You do not know what curses this labyrinth?"
"No, but it provided me with practice and exercise – although I haven't sparred with anyone since I was trapped here, and nothing beats a real life adversary."
"So, then, will you be leaving now to seek combat?" Taki asked, as she parried another strike and kicked Olcadan away again.
"What business is it of yours'?" Olcadan demanded.
"It is my business because this place is infested with evil." Taki replied firmly. "A foul form of darkness has sprouted here, and it is my duty to stop evil where it emerges. I do not believe you are evil. If you will help me and help my comrades put a stop to the shadows here, I would be glad – " She paused to parry his attack. " – to spar with you again later."
"Comrades?" Olcadan asked. "Are they powerful warriors, too?"
"The strongest in the world," Taki answered, knowing full well how to draw him in.
---
When Siegfried and Amy found their companions, they were not expecting to see the two fighting. Although Ivy might've been easily provoked, but Sophitia was far too gentle a soul to strike someone she shared a common goal with.
To see her now, clutching a heavy blade and brandishing it without mercy was a sight Siegfried could hardly believe. Only in moving forward to prevent Sophitia from cutting Ivy down did he force himself to accept it.
"Sophitia!" he cried, grasping the Requiem with both hands, prepared to knock her blade aside if it was necessary. It was only then that he noticed the nature of the weapon Sophitia was wielding – and the single, powerful eye on her sword.
The Soul Embrace was still in his satchel, dropped on the floor beside Amy. This Soul Edge he faced now was not the real one – but evil energy nonetheless radiated from it, and now from Sophitia, the very last person Siegfried ever expected to feel such darkness from.
"There you are," Sophitia spoke, the voice coming form her mouth a mixture of her own and the strong, masculine voice of Soul Edge. Her eyes remained stationary and unblinking, with only the eye of Soul Edge focused on Siegfried. "It is time you returned to me."
Dark blobs fell from the ceiling, on either side of Sophitia, and began to take new shape, almost like monstrous, animated spikes, surrounding her and beginning to attack. Siegfried leapt back, blocking himself as he could with the Requiem.
"More of this darkness..." Siegfried spat.
"All damn day," Ivy replied, readying her sword. She created a barrier between herself and the nearest dark prong, slicing away at it as it tried to strike.
Siegfried, meanwhile, resumed his attack, cutting one of the dark prongs aside and raising his sword to Sophitia.
"Can you harm me, Siegfried, after all we've been through?" she asked. Siegfried stopped in mid swing as she spoke, his grip on Requiem weakening. "You continue to destroy everything you love."
Soul Edge slashed, and Siegfried barely had time to dodge, even as more darkness fell from the walls and surrounded her, driving into her and empowering and defending her further.
"In the end, it is your destiny to serve me," Soul Edge explained. "Without me, you haven't got the stomach to kill this woman, and all just because you lay with her." Soul Edge laughed its hideous laugh. "And now you never will again..."
Siegfried struck, and again Sophitia held up the Soul Edge to block.
"And that makes you so angry," she continued. "And your anger only empowers me. I feed off of the very fury that I cause you to feel! Your frustration at your inferiority to me only makes me that much stronger!"
The darkness around her began to attack again. Siegfried held up the Requiem, pushed back by several attacks at once.
"Schtauffen, get out of the way!"
Taki leapt right past him and stared down Sophitia, even as the darkness continued to build around her. Olcadan stepped over, standing beside Siegfried and briefly taking in the scene.
"Taki, what – ?"
"I know what's causing all this," Taki told Siegfried flatly. "This darkness...it's drawing strength from us. All our fear and all our doubts are allowing it to grow stronger and multiply."
Sophitia stood, uninterested in Taki's words, with the heavy Soul Edge dragging on the floor. More darkness sprouted around her, beginning to encircle Siegfried, Taki, Ivy, and Olcadan.
"And how do you propose we defeat it?" Ivy asked. "Because that's the kind of information we could actually use."
"Acknowledging this darkness only makes it stronger," Taki replied. "Purification arts can repel it away, but not harm it. My sutras can contain it, and what purified shards we have can drive it further away. If we – "
"Have at you!"
Olcadan jumped forward, his gauntlets taking a new shape, akin to a heavy broadsword like the one Sophitia was wielding. His weapons clashed with the phantom Soul Edge, and Olcadan forced Sophitia back, cutting aside a few of the dark prongs along the way.
"You finally came out of your hole," 'Sophitia' observed. "Unfortunately, you won't be leaving this labyrinth."
More darkness fell from the walls and ceiling. More energy flowed into Sophitia, and more dark forms sprouted.
"I can contain it, but I need to separate it from Sophitia first," Taki told the others. "If we can reduce the energy flowing into her somehow..."
Ivy was already at work, drawing a transmutation circle on the ground. When Siegfried and Taki noticed, she politely instructed: "Everybody get down."
She completed the rune and began charging it with kinetic energy by whirling her snake sword rapidly through the air. She slashed forward and the rune released the energy it had built up, cracking the stone beneath her, sending a jet of water bursting out. Ivy moved the stone, angling the direction of the blast right towards Sophitia. Olcadan leapt out of the way, and Sophitia was hit by the blast of water.
The darkness was ripped out of Sophitia the powerful stream. The Soul Edge she held transformed once more into dark globs, and Siegfried instantly moved forward to recover her, pulling away from the darkness.
Taki, meanwhile, bound a purified shard to her blade, and Rekki-Maru glowed brightly. "Schtauffen!" she called. "I must be propelled upward!"
"Allow me," Olcadan offered. Taki had already begun her sprint and didn't raise an objection. She leapt up, and Olcadan spun, swinging his broadswords upward to catch her feet and launch her up into the air, towards the darkness as it reconstituted itself on the ceiling.
She drove Rekki-Maru into that mass, and with her free hand cast her purification spell, flinging sutras at all four corners of the entity, ensnaring it.
"That woman's actually not half bad," Olcadan noted.
"What a flattering compliment," Ivy observed, albeit under her breath.
Ivy sealed the crack she had made in the stone beneath her and glanced at the others. Amy carried the Soul Embrace to them, disconcertingly indifferent as usual.
Taki dropped down from above, landing gracefully in the middle of the group. "We need to get out of here before this structure collapses."
"Collapses?" Olcadan echoed.
The ceiling above them began to crumble. The darkness remained pinned to the ceiling, wounded and unable to move.
"You might've mentioned this earlier!" Ivy snapped.
Taki shook her head. "It was not my intention. But now it is happening."
Olcadan had already begun to run, his taloned feet carrying him nimbly across the stone floor. Siegfried helped Sophitia to her feet while Taki lent some support to Ivy, and they followed after him, heading back to the central antechamber, the stone ceiling and pillars holding it up falling over all the more quickly. Following Olcadan's enormous bounds, the fivesome emerged out of the labyrinth, beholding sunlight again for the first time in hours.
The stone began to crumble behind them. Dust followed them as they went up the stairway and stepped out onto the beach sands once again, where Olcadan stood at the Black Sea's edge, waiting for them.
"I apologize," Taki stammered, almost appearing to be flustered. "I did not mean to cause the destruction of your abode."
"I wasn't too attached to the place anyway," Olcadan replied. "It's good to be out." He held one hand up to conceal his sensitive owl eyes from the sunlight. "This is going to take some getting used to, though. Now! About your end of our arrangement."
Taki winced. "Surely you'd allow us some rest before we begin to spar with you."
Olcadan shook his feathered head. "I'll call in the favor another time – there is far too much for me to catch up on first."
Taki breathed a sigh of relief. "If we may trouble you for just one more thing – I would like to ask you if you know anything about a weapon called Soul Edge?"
The owl-headed man scratched his chin. "Doesn't ring a bell."
Taki nodded. "I see. You are...ancient, indeed. In that case, there is something else I wish to ask of you. We are in possession of a great evil that cannot be destroyed, only purified. We have failed in all attempts to purify it thus far. Is there anything that you can recommend to us?"
Olcadan closed his eyes, and contemplated silently. Then, he spoke two very simple words in a tone of reverence: "The Cathedral."
Ivy arched her eyebrow. The others were simply puzzled.
"During a time when all the nations of the world were torn apart by warfare, those who wished for an end to the bloodshed collaborated to build a monument to peace." Olcadan began. "Their monument took the form of a cathedral, a glorious palace constructed by the most brilliant architects from all countries of the known world. The project was undertaken in secret, for the leaders of these nations would have never authorized a collaboration with the countries that they were at war with. The architects of the Cathedral wanted their construct to prove that, for all our differences, every cultures can harmonize with one another and form something magnificent when working together. However, once they finished constructing the Cathedral, they feared that their leaders would view it as an abomination. The architects realized all too late that the people of warring countries would never want to see their architecture meshed with that of their enemies. And so, they abandoned their creation, leaving it to remain a secret for all eternity, so that its beauty would never be harmed by hateful individuals who refused to accept it."
"Your history lesson has been entertaining," Ivy said dryly, "but I'm afraid we cannot use your suggestion. The Lost Cathedral is just a fairy tale."
"A fairy tale?" Olcadan laughed. "If the world believes it to be a myth, then the architects succeeded in keeping it a secret! However, I can assure you that the Cathedral does in fact exist. I would know...I have been there."
As Ivy recoiled in shock, Taki pressed Olcadan with a question. "Why would this location – fictional or not – be of any use to us?"
"You seek a powerful method of purification, do you? Then there can be no better place to travel than to the Cathedral. As I am sure you know, holy energy flows through our world with the current of water and the wind. These currents coalesce at one exact point – at this location, the nexus of all the world's spiritual energy, the Cathedral was built. Verily, it is the most holy location in the world – as far from as possible from vandals, war, or evil, and more enchanted with holy energy than anywhere else. I do not know what you seek to use purification arts for, but surely the Cathedral would be the ultimate destination for any quest that regards the cleansing of evil."
"Where might we find this Cathedral?" Taki asked.
"I almost hesitate to tell you – it's hallowed, sacred ground, after all, forsaken centuries ago and untreaded ever since. But – if you give me your word that you do not seek this location for malevolent purposes, I shall tell you where to find it."
"We seek nothing more than to rid the world of the pain and suffering wrought upon it by Soul Edge." Siegfried said. "That blade is the worst of all evils. We are committed to seeing it banished from the world."
"...I can sense that your intentions are pure." Olcadan said. "I trust you – you will bring no harm to the Cathedral." He raised one of his large, muscular arms, and pointed northwest. "The Cathedral resides an island north of where the Celts dwell."
The members of the group gazed toward one another, each one hoping that another knew what the owl-headed man was talking about.
"Celts, Celts..." Ivy muttered. "Ah! Now I recall where that word comes from. The Celts ceased to be a people around a thousand years ago. They resided in what we know today as the British Isles."
"It's going to take quite a while to catch up on things, isn't it?" Olcadan muttered dejectedly to himself.
"We thank you for this information, Olcadan." Taki said, placing her hands together and bowing slightly. "In return, I will impart this knowledge to you: there is a fighting arena several hundred miles northwest of here."
"Arena?" Olcadan echoed, his feathers standing on end. Without another word, he bolted off into the distance, creating a great cloud of dust at his heels as he traveled, quickly becoming only a speck on the horizon.
"...What a peculiar man," Taki noted.
"Quite," Ivy agreed. "Now – anyone have any idea what that darkness was?"
Taki shook her head, but Siegfried chimed in: "The Evil Seed."
The other two looked at him, surprised.
"Seven years ago, when I first grasped Soul Edge, my soul was not mature enough to contain the evil of the blade. The evil that I could not contain was moved from the blade. It was released into the sky, where it fell down to the Earth and caused all manner of catastrophes...it is not impossible that this release of evil, when striking the entrance to the labyrinth, could have unsealed it and poisoned it with the evil of Soul Edge."
"Plausible," Ivy agreed.
"And the lead he gave us – a cathedral, lost to time..." Taki asked.
"We aren't pursuing any other leads," Siegfried pointed out. "And from the way he described it, just setting foot there would be enough to purify Soul Edge instantly. It's worth a shot, especially with the purified shards and arts we have accumulated thus far. It will be our new destination."
---
They set up camp about half a mile from the broken labyrinth entrance. Though whatever darkness had existed in there may have still been alive, it had no means of escape and nothing to feed off of. And Taki, of course, was keeping watch, so the others very much doubted they were in any danger.
Sophitia awoke after several hours of slumber. Normally the most conversational member of the group, she was very quiet after awakening. The others did not press her for information, and none of them begrudged her for being possessed by the darkness.
But what haunted Sophitia and left her so stoic was what Soul Edge had told her. Although it was nothing more than an illusion, the real sword wasn't too far from her, sitting in a satchel beside Siegfried.
She'd hated what it had said. She knew the sword was evil and its only true intention was to consume her soul. But, lying and deceiving as it was, its words remained with her. She longed to speak to Soul Edge, either to know for certain that no harm would come to her children...or to confirm its words.
As she looked at the expressionless brown satchel, she held a hand atop her chest, the pain of her cursed wounds nothing compared to the burden now weighing on her heart.
She had to protect her children, no matter what that entailed. It was the only reason she'd come on this journey.
She cared for her comrades, but she cared for her children even more. It had always been this way.
Only now, that fact was painfully apparent to her...