I Am Your Slave

by EvaXephon

An alternate version of the events of SC3 and SC4 with twists to the story and characters. Final Chapter: 60. This story is now complete! I hope you enjoyed it!

58. Forsaken Sanctuary

Our journey is almost over.

That statement was familiar to them. The thought had crossed their minds at several points throughout their adventure. When Hephaestus raised his hammer to destroy the Soul Embrace, when Siegfried held the Embrace over the ocean, when Talim prepared to perform the purification spell on the Embrace, they had all been filled with a sense of finality, a feeling of impending conclusion. And, each time, they had been disappointed with failure; even a god himself could not shatter the Embrace, it would be far too risky to abandon it anywhere, and Zasalamel was determined not to allow the Embrace to be purified until his unknown goal was fulfilled.

And so it was that, although Siegfried and the rest of his companions were heading toward the Lost Cathedral, where they had been told they would be able to purify the Embrace, hope did not stir in any of their hearts. They had been disappointed too often, let down too many times, foiled too frequently to harbor such a thing as hope anymore. They were trying something new, and they wished for it to bring an end to their voyage, but none of them were naïve enough to be optimistic about the outcome. They felt sure that they would encounter danger, confront adversaries, risk their lives; it had been the standard for their travels thus far, and there was no reason for them to believe that their latest incursion would be without peril.

They usually always avoided sea travel; the hazards of the ocean were too numerous for them to take the risk, even to reach a destination sooner. Their encounter with Cervantes at sea had left some of them feeling almost irrationally paranoid about sailing, especially Ivy. The only reason they now sat aboard a vessel was because there was no other way to reach their destination; and because they were willing to face the risks if they could truly conclude their journey at the Lost Cathedral.

The only member of the group exempt from the gloominess and negativity that encapsulated their little ship was Amy, who had never seen the sea before and had never ridden a boat before. The experience seemed to bring actual excitement to her normally demure character, and decorated her face with an amused expression to replace the emotionless one she usually wore. The others envied her childlike naïveté, which was the only distraction available to them. They had long exhausted all avenues of discussion, and now that the energetic and entertaining members of their group were absent, their travels had become exceptionally silent and dull. None of them were on this quest for amusement, however. Siegfried wanted to destroy Soul Edge because he knew how much destruction it was capable of and how much suffering it brought upon its host; Ivy wanted to destroy Soul Edge because she was aware that it could curse individuals to walk in its shadow for the entirety of their lives; Taki wanted to destroy Soul Edge because she felt ethically responsible for any damage caused by a force that she had the power to stop. Amy's reasons were far simpler, given her age and straightforward attitude. The death of Raphael had destroyed her life and her happiness, and now she wanted revenge on the woman who had wrought this upon her. She was certain that she would encounter Tira if she traveled along with these confusing adults, and that was why she had stubbornly refused to leave them.

After spending several days at sea with nothing to see in any direction but the sky and the ocean, the island on the horizon stuck out as much as the sun would during nighttime. The warriors had spent their time as fruitfully as they could, exercising, practicing, and sparring as well as they could on the small boat, but as soon as that island came into view, none of them could find anything better to do than to stare at it and watch as it became bigger and bigger until they could behold the construct built upon it.

It was as magnificent as they had been led to believe – no, tenfold its reputation. The description of its architecture fell short of its actual glory; not only did it possess every form of structural design from Europe, but from many eastern lands as well. The design of the Cathedral almost seemed to reflect Siegfried's journey across half the world – from the stone palisades, enceinte walls, and cylindrical towers of Germany, to the gothic sculptures, stained glass, and frescos of the British Kingdom, to the limestone and marble columns of Greece, there did not seem to be a single country left unrepresented by this otherworldly structure. Upon the sight of it, the group was filled with a sharp sense of regret that such a construct was unknown to the rest of the world, followed by the slow realization that it would be unwise to expose the Cathedral to the general population, since its beauty would only prompt the nations it represented to fight over ownership of it. One of the most incredible creations that man had ever forged was fated to live in myth alone, to save it and others from harm.

There was a port on the island, decorated with statues of angels, pegasi, and gods from all religious to greet visitors. Siegfried, the most nautically skilled of the five, maneuvered their ship into the port, feeling a bit embarrassed to be steering such a modest boat into a port that had been originally intended for the vessels of kings. They departed from the boat and stepped onto the consecrated port, instantly being struck with the feeling that they now tread upon sacred ground. Everything around them felt holy and sacred, right down to the air they breathed. Their desire to bask in the sanctity of this uncanny Cathedral was rivaled only by their desire to conclude their journey, and so they spent little time tarrying before moving forward – except for Sophitia, who took the time to give a quick prayer to a nearby statue of Hephaestus.

The path to the Cathedral was literally paved with gold, making it quite easy to find their way inside the structure. The interior of the building was even more magnificent than the exterior, and awe-inspiring sculptures and designs robbed the travelers of their breath several times before something else grabbed their attention.

"...Siegfried, I sense something up ahead..." Taki said. "Something evil."

"Evil...?" Siegfried echoed. It was difficult to imagine anything foul existing in the midst of so much beauty, but it was also predictable that they would encounter some form of opposition, as they always did. "I sense nothing."

"Indeed, this Cathedral was built at the very center of the world's spiritual energy." Taki said, confirming the words of Olcadan. "As the owl-headed man said, lines of spiritual energy course throughout the world much like the flow of water or wind, and we are at the nexus of those lines. There could not possibly be a more sacred place to be found in the world – the purity and sacredness of this place should blot out any evil that attempts to enter it."

"But, the Embrace..." Siegfried unbound the tassel that held his satchel shut, and drew the Soul Embrace out of it. It was as still and unmoving as ever. "It has shown a reaction to heavily concentrated evil energy in the past. Why does it not stir now, even when it has reached the most holy location in the world?"

"The evil energy that I sense up ahead...I believe that it may be countering the holy energy of the Cathedral, keeping the Embrace safe." Taki said.

"What?" Siegfried gasped. "What could possibly be wicked enough to – "

The answer reached each of their minds at once, and for one moment, each one of their hearts stopped beating before it resumed with a quickened pace.

"Not him...not here...not now!" Siegfried hissed with his teeth clenched shut. "He was tracking us, which meant that he knew which direction we were moving in. Simply by knowing our heading, he could stay one step ahead of us...and then arrive here before us..."

"If it truly is...him..." Ivy began, "The environment could not possibly be more to our advantage. Four against one, a demonic being at the center of the world's spiritual energy...he is at a severe disadvantage."

"Five, not four." Sophitia corrected. "We have Amy."

"And I doubt he will be alone." Taki said. "He has...a servant."

Siegfried winced at the reminder of Tira's new position as slave to Nightmare.

"The girl shouldn't fight Nightmare." Ivy said. "She's not strong enough."

"I'm not interested in fighting Nightmare." Amy said, the usually soft-spoken girl sounding more defiant and bold than ever before. "If she is here, leave her to me."

All eyes went to Siegfried. Although he had done much to gain their trust over their journey, they doubted how he would act in the face of his former lover.

Siegfried had been bottling his feelings for Tira for a long time, telling himself that far more important matters required his attention – but his emotions welled up every time he was reminded of the girl, and he desperately ached for the days when he had spent hours receiving constant affection, appreciation, and love from the girl. He decided to lie to his comrades to soothe their concerns, even if most of them would be able to tell that he was lying.

"...Tira...is a broken person. She is a tragedy. It is not her fault; her caretakers raised her in a twisted and crooked way, so as to develop her into a very specific type of person. She will forever have the mind of a child, and will never be able to live an ordinary life, or a happy life. Because she cannot live in harmony with people, she is a dangerous person, and I should not have let myself be seduced by her. It was foolish of me to develop feelings for her. I know that it is pointless to pine for her any longer; becoming entangled with her again would be a bad choice." Siegfried's voice was beginning to crack, so he decided to cut his speech short. "If she stands in our way, we will have to defeat her. If we must kill her...it would save her a life of suffering."

"Siegfried..." Sophitia said, sad to see her friend so distraught. Ivy and Taki, normally disinterested in other people's lives, each felt a tinge of empathy for Siegfried's plight. Amy, however, smiled when she heard that she would encounter no opposition from Siegfried in her quest to slay Tira.

"Let us proceed...we must dispose of this evil force before we attempt to purify the Soul Embrace." Siegfried said, hoisting the Requiem as he prepared for the impending battle.

"He is here."

As an entity composed of nothing but a desire to consume souls, Nightmare was understandably not very talkative. A being made of pure willpower is only interested in its desires, not in making discussion; but there were times when Nightmare's satisfaction would force words from its helmet. "At long last, the time has come..." He began. "I will be reunited with my original vessel, and regain my former host body. I will no longer be compelled to preserve this form, and the power I have lost will be returned to me..." These things which Nightmare spoke of would require him to defeat Siegfried in combat. However, as he spoke, he did not acknowledge this fact; an indication of his confidence that Siegfried would pose no threat.

"Woman!" Rumbled Nightmare's helmet, causing Tira to wince. She sat on the ground a few feet from her master, her feet pressed together, her elbows on her knees.

"Y-yes, Master?"

"I am certain that I will defeat Schtauffen, but I would lose nothing by increasing my chances of victory."

"How can I help, Master?"

"Give yourself to me – all of you, totally and completely, with nothing left out, every last part of you."

"M-Master?!" Tira gasped, blushing, shocked to hear such a request coming from a being that had never demonstrated a libido. "A-are you asking me for my body…?"

"Incorrect. I am asking for your soul."

Tira's face went from deep red to stark white. Nightmare was asking her to make the ultimate sacrifice for him – to give him her life. She had already pledged her life to him, but she had spent her entire life avoiding death.

"Dying is the most you can do for me. You are worthless. You failed to deliver me the head of Schauffen, what he calls the 'Soul Embrace', or any suitable host body at all. You have only aided me in collecting souls and shards that I would have collected myself, without sacrificing time or energy. Your value is absolutely nothing."

Tira's heart sank. She felt as though her very soul had been pierced by the sharpest of blades. No words had ever hurt her more than Nightmare's words wounded her now.

"Give me your soul and at least you will have served me some purpose." Nightmare concluded.

"N-no – w-wait!" Tira stammered. "Let me say something!"

"Speak. I hunger. But know that I have no appetite for petty excuses." Nightmare stated flatly.

"...I…right now, I can be more useful than ever before. Siegfried...he and I were in an intimate relationship. He harbors deep feelings for me. I can distract him. I can make his emotions control his actions. I can make it easy for you to strike him. I can disarm him, and even disrobe him!"

"Hmph." Nightmare said gruffly. "I have never lent any credence to petty human emotions…but if you claim that your connection to Siegfried can grant me such powerful advantages, then I will allow you to persist."

"Thank you, O wise Master! You will not regret this decision!" Tira rose from the ground and slung her ringblade over her shoulder. "I will depart now, to beguile and deceive Siegfried. He will be putty. Then, I will lead him here, you will strike, and claim easy victory!"

"Know that if you fail me yet again, I will not hesitate to claim your soul." Nightmare said bluntly. "Go now, and bewitch Siegfried."

Tira bowed deeply, and then scurried to a column which she climbed with ease. She hopped across the elaborate rafters of the highly decorated hallways, leaving Nightmare alone at the center of the Lost Cathedral.

The only sounds that were audible in the long and heavily decorated hallways of the Lost Cathedral were the footsteps of those traveling through it, and this is why every member of the group could tell when one of them had stopped walking.

As each member of the group turned around to see who had halted, their eyes all fell upon the young redheaded waif. Her posture was rigidly straight, her head was tilted up, and her eyes were opened as wide as possible, as though she was attempting to seize something in the air around her with her senses alone. She was the exact opposite of her usual disinterested self, which was unsettling to the others; they were unaccustomed to seeing her display anything other than the purest apathy. She turned sharply to one side, gazing down a hallway leading away from the evil energy, and then abruptly bolted in that direction with more fervor and passion than any of the other four would have ever expected of her.

"Amy!" Sophitia called, reaching a hand out to her in a vain attempt to catch her attention.

"Let her go." Taki said. "She cannot assist us, and to bring her with us would only endanger her. She never had any interest in our journey. She has a journey of her own."

"She's no better off fighting Nightmare than trying to kill Tira." Sophitia said. "She would not be able to handle either of them."

"Oh, I'm not so sure." Ivy said. "That girl developed her combat ability faster than anyone I've ever seen, and her fighting style counters what I remember of Tira's technique. She also nearly defeated the traitor back at Athens. I think she has a shot."

"And if she does not?" Sophitia countered.

"She won't rest until either she or Tira is dead. If she cannot defeat Tira, her fate is already decided; she will die in combat. If she can defeat Tira, then that is one less threat we have to worry about."

"How can you have so little concern for her?" Sophitia demanded. "How can you let someone so young throw her life away like that?"

Ivy continued walking, and did not bother to face Sophitia as she replied. "It is true that I am not concerned for her safety, Mrs. Alexandra. I'm not concerned because I don't think she will die today."

Ivy's faith in the girl was uncharacteristic for one who had rarely demonstrated the slightest amount of camaraderie, but she had spent more time with the girl than anyone else. If Ivy trusted Amy to survive a confrontation with Tira, then the girl was not to be taken as lightly as she had been.

The women diverted their eyes from Siegfried, knowing that they were discussing the potential death of his former lover. He kept as silent as always, his thoughts and emotions known only to himself, exactly as he wished them to be.

It was easy for the group to locate Nightmare; his presence perturbed the air, stirred the energy of the region. His evil aura was muffled by the holy energy around him, but as the group drew closer, they could sense him more clearly. Eventually, his dark aura nearly eclipsed the holy energy around him. It was clear that the sacred nature of the Cathedral would not impede him at all. In fact, when they entered the room that contained him, they found that the opposite was true.

Nightmare was kneeling on the ground in the center of the highly decorated room, his back arched. If energy were actually to be visible, the group would have beheld a funnel of spiritual energy diving down toward him from above. Nightmare was drawing holy energy into himself, where he corrupted it and then added it to his own power, much in the same way that Talim had drawn evil energy into herself and purified it within her. He was actually growing in power just by being there, amidst energy that was opposite to his own.

When Nightmare felt the eyes of his adversaries upon him. He corrected his posture, shifted to one knee, and then arrived in a standing position. He gazed at Siegfried, the Soul Embrace strapped to his back, then at each of his companions in turn. The helmet that represented his head turned slowly from one side to another as he surveyed the group before him. Then, abruptly and suddenly, he tossed back his armored head, and began to screech loudly. It was a painful sound to listen to, and at first the group perceived it as some sort of a reverberation attack – but as the noise went on, they slowly began to realize what Nightmare was doing – he was laughing.

It was an unnatural sound, difficult to listen to, most likely because Nightmare was unaccustomed to laughter.

"You fools – you have undone yourselves!" He crowed. "For how long now have you toiled? How many countries have you traveled, in your quest to destroy the Soul Edge? It has all been a waste! You have ruined your own efforts!"

"What are you talking about, you freak?" Ivy spat. "And stop your cackling! I'm not going to be laughed at by something as wretched as you!"

Nightmare laughed once more before ceasing. "Enough." He said simply. Then, he tucked his arms together, and hunched over.

The group began to feel a rapidly pulsing vibration, an ominous hum filled their ears, and the air before Nightmare became distorted, as the space above a flame is.

The group did not waste a moment before reacting. They did not know exactly what Nightmare was preparing to do, but could tell that he was gathering energy for an attack. Taki made the first move – with a quick chant, a series of hand gestures, and a flick of her wrist to toss a talisman at Nightmare, she unleashed the energy that she had been storing up ever since they set foot on the island, and fired all of her strongest spells directly at Nightmare. The talisman was incinerated the moment it entered Nightmare's vicinity, and although her flurry of spiritual energy struck Nightmare hard, the only effect it had on him was to make him skid backwards across the ground, although he kept his stance throughout the assault. Ivy was the next to strike, extending her snake sword to its maximum reach and then lashing it at Nightmare. She struck him rapidly, her sword a blur, moving faster than the eye could see, but he endured each blow with no sign of pain, continuing to adopt his defensive, coiled stance. Sophitia chose not to attack, but to defend by dropping to the ground and raising her shield. She knew that Siegfried would be the best candidate for a physical attack, which is exactly what he proceeded to do. The German man charged at Nightmare with Zweihänder held high, expertly drawn back to deliver a blow with as much of Siegfried's force behind it as possible, aimed so as to deal damage to Nightmare's most vulnerable spot. But Siegfried was to have as much luck in damaging his adversary as the others.

The moment he swung his sword forward to attack Nightmare, Nightmare unfurled himself, arching his back sharply and spreading out his arms wide. Just as Siegfried's sword was about to cleave into him, a blast of energy radiated from Nightmare. This blast was so thick with evil energy, so heavy with wickedness, so dense with darkness that the energy itself was visible. It spread outward in every direction, forming an expanding black sphere with Nightmare at its center. It spread quickly, engulfing the room in the blink of an eye.

The blast knocked Siegfried away, sending him tumbling across the ground and into a wall. Upon seeing that Taki and Ivy's attacks had done nothing, the women had all adopted a defensive stance that allowed them to absorb the blast – but even with their feet planted firmly on the ground, each of them slid backwards quite a distance, stopping only when they hit a wall.

Siegfried could not muster the energy to rise while this blast of energy was still bearing down on him. It seemed to amplify gravity, making it impossible to push off the ground. It was only when the attack finally subsided that Siegfried was able to look up and survey the scene. His first concern was the Embrace, which he could no longer feel on his back. He spotted it near the center of the room, in front of Nightmare, who stood stoically before it. It was glowing with a dark aura, the meat of Soul Edge pulsating and quivering, the eyeball at its center opening drowsily. The tentacle-like tendrils that grew from the flesh of the weapon began to pull at Soul Calibur, attempting to force it out like the unwelcome visitor it was. With a sickening, squishy noise, Soul Edge succeeded in extricating Soul Calibur from its center and forcing the blade aside.

The two swords were separate once more.

Where are they?

Tira closed her eyes and attempted to concentrate. The swirling mass of dark energy around her Master, coupled with the lines of spiritual energy pervading throughout the Cathedral made it difficult to pinpoint the location of Siegfried and his comrades. One moment she thought she sensed them, and the next moment, their auras seemed to be displaced by the energy coursing throughout the area.

She picked up a faint trace of something that reminded her of her Master. It was north of her – but there was something else approaching from the south.

Tira cocked her head in curiosity, wondering who else could possibly have arrived at this Cathedral, before she realized that one of Siegfried's comrades had been dispatched to take her out.

She clicked her tongue in frustration. She, whom had spent so many years as an assassin, was now targeted for elimination. She felt hurt that her former lover would issue such a command, but could not blame him for taking such a measure, especially so close to his goal.

Tira no longer wished to serve Nightmare. He was absolutely nothing like she had first imagined. He attributed no value to her, regarded her as a mere tool, and saw more use in her death than her life. Tira thought that carrying out another person's will would fill the hole in her life, but she had been mistaken. It wasn't a state of slavery or servitude that she wanted; she just didn't want to make decisions for herself. That didn't mean that she wanted to be given orders – she simply wanted guidance. Serving Siegfried had given her so much pleasure that she never realized it wasn't what she truly needed in her life, not until Nightmare had shown her what a truly abusive master was like.

Tira desperately wanted to be reunited with him, to reconcile with him, to rejoin him. She also wanted to see that smug suit of armor destroyed. She knew exactly what she needed to do; she needed to explain herself to the person that was headed for her. It would be difficult if she were to face Ivy or Taki, since neither had ever regarded her with respect, and both were stubborn and distrusting. She would also have a very short amount of time to discuss the matter before her current Master confronted her former one. She dropped down from her perch among the rafters, and waited silently in the center of the chamber.

The moment Tira saw Amy come dashing out from behind a corner, she knew that diplomacy was not an option. The girl was upon her in an instant, moving with swiftness only possible by the young or the determined – and Amy embodied both. Tira back-flipped away to avoid the rapier that darted for her neck, then drew her ringblade to block the next few slashes that came at her.

"Wait – I'm not your enemy anymore!" Tira said.

"Are you not the one who murdered Papa? Then you are my enemy eternally." Amy said simply, without pausing for even a moment.

"I am sorry!" Tira replied, wincing as the girl's rapier drew small cuts in her skin. She tried to leap as far away as possible to present her defense. "I killed your Papa to appease my new Master. I regret doing so, because now I reject that Master! Please forgive me!"

Amy's rapier was upon her before the last word had left her mouth. "Your words change nothing." She said with terrifying calmness as she attacked without mercy. "He is dead, and I will never see him again, all because of you."

"It's not all my fault, Nightmare ordered me to!" Tira argued.

"I DON'T CARE!" Amy said, her voice cracking as she spoke at an octave she had clearly never reached before. "I WILL KILL YOU!"

Tira saw that her words would not reach this girl. She turned her concentration to deflecting the girl's attacks. She was a berserker, discarding many of the important principles of combat simply to lash out in violence. Tira saw tears welling up in the girl's eyes – she had harmed the girl deeply, possibly deeper than Siegfried or Nightmare had ever harmed her. She felt a profound sense of guilt, but would not allow the girl to take her revenge.

Tira ran toward a statue, climbed it as swiftly as possible with Amy's rapier slashing just inches away from her, and then leapt up to the rafters of the hallway. Amy leapt up, slashing her rapier desperately, but could not reach her. She attempted to climb a statue to reach Tira, but could not. She finally gave up in her attempts to reach Tira, and simply paced beneath Tira's perch like a lioness waiting for its prey to come down from a tree.

"You say that my words change nothing." Tira said. "But killing me won't bring Raphael back, either. Taking revenge also changes nothing."

"Shut up." Amy growled in a deep, feral voice that no one would have ever expected to dwell within her.

"This is petty compared to what is going on elsewhere in this Cathedral." Tira said. "If Soul Edge falls into Nightmare's hands, he'll become nothing less than a god, and then he'll kill everyone in the world."

"Shut. Up." Amy repeated.

"Are you even listening?! Siegfried and the other people you've been traveling with could all die! We can't waste our time here fighting like this. There are more important things at stake!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" Amy screamed, leaping up and swishing her rapier through the air.

Tira sighed with exasperation, and slashed her ringblade violently in a downward arc. Amy's sword was smacked from her hands, and sent clattering across the marble floor. Amy dove for it, but Tira dove as well. She snatched up the rapier before the young girl could grab it.

"I'm sorry." Tira said. "I know I've hurt you. But right now – HEY!"

Amy turned around and bolted away from Tira as fast as her legs could take her.

Tira's palm met her face in frustration. "There will be no reasoning with her...What am I going to do about this?"

Ivy's snake sword lashed out immediately to grasp the hilt of Soul Calibur and then whip it back toward them. Nightmare did not budge an inch, and merely watched as the woman used her chain of blades to pull the holy sword from his feet.

When Ivy grasped the hilt of Soul Calibur, a hissing sound was heard, and steam began to rise from her hands. She let out a sharp cry, and dropped the sword immediately. "Wh-what?!"

"It rejects you." Nightmare stated flatly.

"Of course..." Ivy muttered. "My parentage..." The blood that flowed through her veins was corrupted, tainted by Cervantes, her father. Although he was now dead, he had been a host of the evil sword when Ivy was conceived. She would not be able to wield the sword because of this alone, regardless of her own alignments.

Sophitia was closest to the holy sword now, and reached for it herself. When her fingers found its hilt, they drew back instantly as she yelped in pain. "Me too?!" She gasped. "But why?! Don't tell me those shards from so many years ago..."

"It's not that..." Nightmare said, satisfaction evident in his voice.

Taki knelt down and gingerly touched the blade with her fingertips, recoiling instantly. She stared at the blade for a moment, puzzled, before acting. "Siegfried." She said simply, kicking the blade across the marble floor toward her fallen companion.

Siegfried rose to one knee, then reached down to pick up the blade. He wrapped a hand firmly around it, and rose to his feet...

...before realizing that here was an intense burning sensation in his hand.

He attempted to hold onto the sword, but then dropped it immediately, and grasped his hand in pain – even through his glove, it had burned his skin. "Why?" He demanded. "WHY?"

All eyes were on the holy sword, until they were distracted by the sound of Nightmare's disturbing, grotesque laugher.

"Fools...undone yourselves...wasted your own efforts...Ha ha ha..."

"What are you laughing at, you monster?!" Ivy demanded. "What do you mean we've undone ourselves?!"

"It's all so pathetic!" Nightmare crowed. "You had no idea that you were contaminating one another!"

"Contaminating?" Siegfried echoed. "What do you mean? How are we 'contaminated'?"

Nightmare leveled an arm at Siegfried, pointing a razor-tipped finger at him. "The pet who abandoned you told me about your habits...how you entangle your body with others. The one named Isabella Valentine...she is your undoing."

"What…?" Siegfried turned to look at Ivy, who seemed just as confused as him.

"When you became one with Isabella Valentine, she corrupted your body with the same curse that stains her own body. You have been soiling your companions, tainting them with Isabella's curse! None of you are fit to wield Soul Calibur now! The blade rejects every one of you for being polluted with Soul Edge's influence!"

As Siegfried and his three companions listened to Nightmare's clarification, their spirits sunk lower and lower. They were consumed with embarrassment and shame – none of them would ever have expected physical intimacy to transmit the influence of the evil sword and tarnish their souls irreversibly. As the realization dawned on them, Ivy and Sophitia slowly turned to face Taki, who drew her faceguard up to cover her face and hide her blush.

"Humans!" Nightmare said in-between laughs. "Always foiling themselves with their own petty emotions and physical desires! Such inferior, worthless creatures..." He turned his gaze down to the evil monstrosity at his feet.

Ivy's snake sword lashed out to wrap around Soul Edge and yank it away from him, but the moment she whipped out her sword, Nightmare's armor-clad foot stomped down on it just in time to prevent her from pulling it away. The vein-like tentacles growing out of the evil blade pried Ivy's whip off of it, and Nightmare removed his foot from the sword. He held out a gauntleted hand above Soul Edge, which then gravitated upward toward him. He clasped his hand around the hilt, and instantly a wave of dark energy washed over Siegfried and the rest. His aura was magnified tenfold, inspiring a feeling of deep dread and desperation upon his onlookers.

"Reunited!" Nightmare bellowed with satisfaction. "And what is more, I no longer have need for a host body. Although I had considered this armor to be a temporary substitute for a host body, this form is a perfectly acceptable vessel. The dark-skinned man who granted me the ability to move of my own will has my gratitude."

"...So Zasalamel was the one who brought him back..." Siegfried muttered. It was gratifying to finally understand why Nightmare had returned in the first place, but the group had far greater concerns at the moment. Soul Edge was free, and able to wield itself – the worst possible scenario had occurred. Each person in the room was now a few steps away from death...no, something worse than death – an eternity of suffering inside of Soul Edge's abyss.

The four of them attempted to call upon the courage that had allowed them to face such powerful enemies in the past, but not a single one among them could muster it. They were facing the enemy they had been dreading all along, wielding the very weapon they had been campaigning to destroy for the past several years of their lives. They had presumed that Soul Calibur would be enough to counter him, but now the sword was useless to them, and in danger of being consumed at any moment, as well. Their only option, it seemed, was to procure the blade and flee from Nightmare – but they could not even touch the blade.

With each second that ticked past, the group lost more hope. They each wracked their minds for a solution – was there anything at all that could save them now?

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Footsteps.

"The slave returns?" Nightmare pondered. "That worthless wretch will be the first sacrifice for my new blade."

A red-headed girl wearing an ornate dress barged into the room. She carried no weapon with her.

"Who is this? No matter. She is food."

Amy's head whipped left and right, surveying the characters inhabiting the room, before the glowing crystalline sword on the ground caught her eye.

Nightmare peered closer at Amy. "...She possesses no taint..."

He abruptly broke into a run as he realized the threat that the girl posed.

Amy and Nightmare dove for the holy blade at the same time.

Amy clutched it first.

When Amy's hand grasped the hilt of Soul Calibur, she tried to roll out of the way of Nightmare as soon as she hit the ground, but she did not. She did not hit the ground at all. Her body was hovering inches above the marble floor. She tried to look up at Nightmare, but she could not; she could not move her neck, or any other part of her body. She was frozen in place.

Heed my words, she who has claimed me.

A soft, comforting, maternal voice resounded in Amy's mind.

Your soul is immature. You cannot control my power. The power that you are unable to control will be lost.

Amy was reminded of what happened when Siegfried grasped Soul Edge while his soul was too immature to handle the power of the blade. The power that he could not handle was spread across the world, resulting in a shower of evil energy that was called the Evil Seed. She had not thought before grabbing the blade – she had not realized that she was in danger of unleashing another Evil Seed. But since Soul Calibur was a holy weapon, would the resulting shower of energy be holy? A Holy Seed?

Your soul is exceptionally young – it has scarcely developed at all since birth. You can only control a fraction of my power. If you choose to wield me now, I will be no stronger than an ordinary blade.

Amy felt insulted, but she acknowledged that the blade was correct. She had never developed at all, never grown as a person. She was virtually the same person that she was as an infant. She would not be able to handle the power of a legendary holy sword.

There is but one choice I can offer you. The only way for you to wield me without any loss of energy is to become one with me. You and I will become one and the same; your body and your soul will intertwine with mine. If you choose to do this, your body will take a new form, and will never be the same again; to separate would mean death for you.

Amy was worried. She didn't want Soul Calibur to lose its energy, but the only other option was to sacrifice her body for a 'new form' she knew nothing about, and allow this sword to become a part of her. She didn't know what it would be like, and it scared her.

You and your companions are in grave danger. You are facing an enemy that cannot be defeated without my power, and none of your companions are able to wield me. You are now the only one who can wield my power, but only if you agree to become one with me.

Amy felt uncertain, even if there was nothing to be uncertain about; she only had one option, unless she wanted to die.

I accept your proposal. I will become one with you. Amy thought to herself.

Relax, and free your mind...

There was a flash of light – no, it was a white aura, so bright that it was blinding. Siegfried and the others shielded their eyes, and Nightmare stumbled backward, seemingly in pain until he removed himself from the vicinity of the aura. The power given off by this aura was so intense that it was physically tangible; as Siegfried and the others were bathed in the aura, they felt soothed, calmed, comforted. It was a positive feeling, a blast of holy energy that rivaled the strength of Nightmare's evil energy.

Finally, the intensity of the aura faded, and all were able to see the source of it – it was Amy, although her appearance was now drastically different from before. Her hair hung straight down, and she was clad in what appeared to be a dress made of the same crystalline material as the holy sword. In her hand was a long, thick rapier made of the same matter. It was Soul Calibur, but it looked different than anyone had ever seen it; it was the purest form of the blade, never seen previously. In this form, the weapon was a blue orb with crystal shards extending outward in the shape of the weapon that the user is most familiar with; in this case, a rapier.

Expressing shock was of no use to Nightmare; he wasted no time in assaulting Amy. He lunged forward and swung Soul Edge at her, who was bewildered and staring down at herself in shock. She looked up and saw Nightmare just a moment before he swung Soul Edge at her – but the sword cleaved through nothing but thin air. Amy was now standing beside Nightmare. She had evidently dodged his attack, although no one had seen her move.

Nightmare swung Soul Edge out to his side, unleashing a shockwave of evil energy simply with the movement of his sword – but neither the sword or the wave of energy hit anything, as Amy's new location was above Nightmare's horned head. She leapt through the air, landing some distance behind him, as softly as a feather, as though she had slowed down and floated to the ground at the end of her jump. Nightmare roared in fury and charged at Amy, who now raised Soul Calibur and adopted an aggressive stance. As she did so, the blade of Soul Calibur extended, becoming almost lance-like in length.

Nightmare slashed at her and she slashed back, deflecting his attack. Both when they were swung and when they struck one another, both weapons let lose shockwaves of energy, causing the ground to tremble and the air to fill with a low hum. A few of the stray waves of energy cleaved right through Siegfried and the other onlookers, who felt as though they had just been hit by the blades themselves. They instantly fell back, taking cover around corners and behind sculptures to avoid being harmed by the stray energy. The shockwaves produced when the two weapons clashed were even more destructive, causing craters and gashes to appear in the floor, walls, and ceiling, shattering statues and causing some of the less-supported parts of the room to collapse entirely.

Perfect, said the invisible onlooker, as events unfolded exactly as planned.

Nightmare and Amy continued to trade blows, with Amy dodging faster than the eye could see on some occasions, and simply deflecting Nightmare's blows at other opportunities. She was staying on the defensive, testing her enemy, gauging him, just like her papa had taught her to. Finally, she struck back at him, countering a dodged attack with a heavy blow. Nightmare was knocked backward and tumbled across the ground, only to right himself while still in motion, and skid to a stop. Nightmare raised Soul Edge and then furiously struck the ground, sending a very large shockwave heading across the floor straight for Amy. She leapt over it, sailed through the air toward Nightmare, spun herself in mid-flight to gain momentum, and then delivered a heavy slash to Nightmare at full force and speed. He was knocked off the ground and sent flying away even further than he had gone the last time he was attacked, tumbling across the ground painfully until he finally reached a stop. He immediately leapt to his feet and launched himself toward her by simply kicking the ground.

It was clear to the onlookers that the nature of this fight would be completely unlike anything that had come before it. This was a duel between two supernatural entities that would involve forces and feats never before seen in combat; the principles and techniques they had learned would be of no use against such beings. Siegfried and the others hid as Amy and Nightmare dueled, knowing that their intervention would do nothing.

This is it. This power will bring me eternal rest once and for all!

The two swords each emitted an aura that opposed the other. Where their spheres of influence intersected, a realm of pure chaos was formed. To merely stand between the two blades was to bask in their divergence. Zasalamel felt as though his very soul was being ripped apart by the conflict of the swords, but although the pain that this wrought upon him would have been enough to drive a normal man to insanity, it only served to bring a rare smile to Zasalamel's lips.

As he hovered near the ceiling of the room, parallel to the ground so as to view the conflict unfolding before him, Zasalamel felt certain that the waves of energy ripping through him would be enough to shatter his soul and the curse that bound him to life. At long last, he would finally be able to escape this endless, cursed cycle of reincarnation, once and for all...

...But each time that a wave of energy cleaved through him, Zasalamel felt something else beside the agonizing pain and the euphoric satisfaction of impending death...for each burst of energy that came from the two swords, he beheld visions.

Towering structures that seemed to reach as high as heaven itself...

Steel boats that flew freely through the skies...

The birth of a plan for leaving the world and striking a path toward the stars, and the achievement of that goal...

The creation of new life, the province of the gods themselves...

The tortured mind of a dying brain could conjure any number of absurd visions – but Zasalamel felt as though he was not viewing hallucinations, but in fact reality. What appeared now in his mind's eye was real; it was simply not real yet. He was witnessing the future, and the sum of all human potential.

These revelations that appeared to him stirred something within him, something familiar, something he had forgotten long ago...

...The will to live.

For the first time in centuries, a desire to continue living swelled inside of him. He had to be there with those visions became reality – he had to be there to see it happen – he had to witness these events!

And he had to protect humanity, to allow its potential to blossom and give birth to these amazing accomplishments.

His eyes, glazed over from the pain and the pleasure alike, returned to the two swords. Now, when he beheld them, he saw not tools to use for his death, but two forces that threatened the future of humanity. Now, when he felt those waves of energy tear through him, he did not feel satisfied that his plan had come to fruition, but fearful that his life would end before he could witness the glorious future ahead of him.

The visions granted to him by the bending of space and time had restored Zasalamel's faith in the potential of mankind. The ancient man swiftly made a decision; no longer would he reject his immortality...instead, he would embrace it. The path he walked stretched to the ends of eternity, and he would not allow these two swords to destroy his lives to come.

Zasalamel was fearful of endangering himself by intervening directly in the battle – instead, he would wait until the most opportune moment to lend his assistance.

The battle between the two superbeings waged on. The two swords that had been harmlessly intertwined for a year's time now lusted to destroy one another. Nightmare had transcended the need for a host body, and thus Soul Edge was now unhindered by the constraints of a flawed wielder – however, it was still incomplete; one half had been taken by Cervantes, and later crushed by Ivy, and yet more of the sword had been fragmented and scattered across the world. As large and intimidating as the abominable sword was now, Soul Edge now held less than half of its former power, one half of which it would never see again.

Additionally, in merging with Amy, Soul Calibur had been able to obtain a free range of movement without any dilution of its power. Soul Calibur was now more than a match for the sword it had been born from. The two blades were roughly equivalent to one another in power, neither able to topple the other, but both endlessly trying – it was the same state they had existed in previously, but now, their separation allowed them to actively clash rather than passively assert their influence.

And, indeed, the two swords did clash. Every time the two blades touched, the ensuing shockwaves caused cracks to appear in the nearby architecture, until the pillars that held the ceiling aloft began to crumble. When the first column collapsed, Siegfried and the other onlookers fled to the nearest hallway for safety, only moments before chunks of the ceiling began to plummet down into the room. The first chunk was seized by Nightmare and flung toward Amy, who deftly dodged the projectile and then returned fire with the next large piece of the ceiling that landed nearby her. Now that a new standard for combat had been formed, the two made use of every statue, sculpture, and pillar within their reach as some form of cover or missile.

The two warriors tore the chamber apart, either incidentally with the swings of their weapons, or purposefully in an attempt to destroy the other. In a matter of minutes, the chamber was in ruins, the once beautiful room completely defaced, the ceiling gone completely. Black clouds brewed above, as though summoned by the forces dueling beneath them, and the setting sun turned the horizon red and orange, as if the battle of the two entities had scorched the sky itself.

The hellish backdrop suited the two opponents, who both fought with the ferocity of demons – despite the holiness of one. Although neither force was naturally weak to the other, one of the beings slowly began to surpass the other. Even though their strength was equal, their battleground was flat-leveled, and there were no elements interfering with their duel, Nightmare appeared to be gradually wearing Amy down. Soul Calibur was younger than Soul Edge, and had spent more time dormant than its sister blade; the experience that Edge had gained over its lifetime eclipsed that of Calibur, which was now falling prey to the battle expertise that its foe had gained over centuries past.

Although Amy held her ground at first, she soon had to concentrate most of her effort on dodging or blocking Nightmare's attacks. Each blow cost her energy, leaving her even more susceptible to Nightmare's assault. Minutes before, the battle had begun with Amy taking Nightmare by surprise, but now that this advantage had worn off, Amy was slowly becoming little more than a punching bag. She clearly saw that the outcome of the battle spelled her doom, and began to dash away from Nightmare, circling him and flipping away from him, desperately attempting to devise a way to regain her lost advantage.

"It is no use to resist me," Nightmare growled. "You are merely a fragment of me that was torn away long ago, twisted into something holy. You were forged from me! Neither of us will be complete until we are reunited. I will absorb you, corrupt your holiness, and become complete once more!"

Nightmare gathered energy, then released it in a blast directly behind him. He shot forward at incredible speed, and was upon Amy faster than she could react. He lashed out with his giant clawed arm and snapped it shut around Amy's willowy frame. He emitted a sound of pain as the holy energy of Soul Calibur stung his mouth-like claw, but kept it closed tightly around the girl. She arched her back and screamed in agony as Nightmare's aura began to pervade her own, contaminating her with impurity and twisting her holiness into dark energy for him to feast upon.

Amy struggled back, attempting to attack him with bursts of holy energy, but Nightmare held fast, even though the holiness appeared to harm him. When attacking proved futile, she attempted to counter his assault by absorbing and converting his own energy – but she could not mimic his actions effectively.

Siegfried and his three comrades began to panic – they had already been anxious, but now the battle seemed to have taken a sharp turn for the worse. Siegfried wordlessly signaled to the rest – attack at the same time from all sides, he said with his hands, and then others nodded in acknowledgment. Stealthily but quickly, they navigated the room until all were on opposite sides of Nightmare, and then they descended upon him all at once.

When Nightmare caught Siegfried swinging the Requiem out of the corner of his eye, he reacted quickly by whipping around and holding Amy out in front of him. Siegfried skidded to a halt, his iron boots screeching against the marble floor, his Zweihänder halting only inches from Amy's neck, before Soul Edge collided with him and sent him flying across the room. The blades of Ivy's snake sword wrapped around his clawed arm, which he then swung in a wild arc, whipping Ivy over his head and into the ground with force that formed cracks in the floor beneath her. Nightmare felt a painful sensation in his back, and dealt with it by swinging Soul Edge perpendicular to his spine. Sophitia ripped her sword out of Nightmare's back and leapt away just in time to prevent being cleaved in two. All of these events occurred within the same moment in time – Nightmare's use of Amy as a shield doubled as the swing that countered Ivy's grip, neither of which impeded his ability to swing Soul Edge at Sophitia behind him.

Taki, harboring much faith in her companions, but doubting their ability to so much as scratch Nightmare, did not attack simultaneously with the rest. Instead, she waited for just a few seconds, and then unleashed the same bombardment of magic spells that she had launched a few minutes prior. Her barrage was not as damaging this time, but still would have wounded her allies if she had used it while they were attacking – instead, she waited until after Nightmare had finished defending himself before striking. She concentrated her attacks at a single point on Nightmare's body – the wrist of his right 'hand'. The claw flew open as soon as it was struck, and Amy fell away and rolled across the ground to safety. Nightmare wasted no time in diving straight for Amy to grab her once more, but found that something seemed to be weighing him down. He jerked his horned head around to see what slowed him, and saw a flash of green behind him. He swung Soul Edge at his back to cast off whatever clung to him, which was exactly what Tira hoped he would do.

All present were shocked to see Tira suddenly appear on the scene, swinging from a fallen support beam and landing on Nightmare's back. When he swung the sword at her, she swiftly dodged while swinging her ringblade toward Soul Edge, and the demonic sword plunged through the loop of her ringblade. Nightmare lashed out to grab her with his clawed arm, and once again Tira dodged while maneuvering her ringblade to be in the path of Nightmare's attack. His claw dove through the gap of her weapon, becoming caught in it as much as Soul Edge – and now that both claw and sword were jammed into the hole, Nightmare had effectively bound his wrists together.

The others were shocked to see the woman who had betrayed them return so suddenly, and turn the tide of the battle so quickly. "NOW!" She shouted, and the others snapped their attention away from her and back to Nightmare, who they descended upon in a flurry of steel. Again and again his armored body was struck by a multitude of swords of various sizes, from the gargantuan Zweihänder to a pair of diminutive ninja blades. He was attacked from every side, his assailants only staying their hands when a comrade was in their line of attack. Nicks appeared all over the azure armor of the demon, and the glowing core at his center pulsated with pain as each blow cost him energy. Faced with only one opponent, he would have slaughtered any of them, and with the use of both his hands, he would have been unstoppable – but his bound wrists made him little more than a recipitant for a never-ending hail of blades.

Nightmare struggled with the ringblade binding him, but with both of his wrists incapable of moving, he could not gather the strength to shatter the weapon. Rage boiled within him as he grew frustrated with his binding, irritated at the pinpricks stabbing him from all sides, and then fearful as he realized that he could truly die if he did not free himself quickly. It was Amy's attacks that stung the most and dealt significant damage to him – he had underestimated Soul Calibur and the treat it posed. Indeed, he would die within minutes if he simply stood by and did nothing.

If he did not have the strength to fight or to flee, then he would simply obtain that strength.

Nightmare thrust his arms toward the sky, his wrists still bound together, but Soul Edge pointing skyward. As his assailants ceaselessly struck him, he took every blow without so much as a single wince. The weapon in his hands began to glow, and halfway across the world, so too did something else...

In the pockets of merchants, in the collections of alchemists, in the galleries of museums, in the blades of warriors, in the depths of the earth and the sea, dozens of metal fragments all across the world began to glow blood red. They rattled and shook, vibrating with an ominous hum, until they abruptly pointed northward, and then even more suddenly shot off into the sky with more speed than any object had ever been propelled in history.

The red shards tore across the sky, leaving red trails behind them, seeming to scar the sky itself and leave a bloody trail behind. Each of these pieces of metal, these fragments of Soul Edge scattered across the globe years earlier, now soared through the sky toward a single position on a remote, forgotten island. The metal fragments fell in a dazzling rain of red light upon the Lost Cathedral, all of them diving directly toward Soul Edge. The evil blade drank in the fragments, growing in size and power with each piece. Each shard added to Nightmare's strength, darkening his aura even blacker.

"...A reverse Evil Seed?" Siegfried whispered with both awe and fear.

As the rain of metal fragments amplified the power of Nightmare and Soul edge, both began to transform and shift.

Every aspect of his appearance changed drastically and quickly. The unicorn-like spire coming out of his helmet transformed into a blade that glowed red with heat, the sharp engravings on his helmet turned into fangs, the giant mouth on his shoulder traveled down to his abdomen where it opened to reveal a white and purple core that spat out wisps of black and purple smoke. His clawed right hand grew larger and more deadly, the armor on his left arm and legs extended, sharpened, and became more muscular, and even his armored boots transformed entirely, becoming horse-like hooves of steel. He was no longer a rattling collection of possessed armor, but a being of flesh and blood with thick armor for skin.

The transformation of Soul Edge was even more extreme; it changed from an ugly construct of misshapen flesh and steel to a lethal work of art. It was giant now, almost twice its former size, with a hilt like a battleaxe, a center made of jagged stony spikes, an eyeball that was purple, red, and yellow, and a blade that was crystalline and glowed red as though it was still in the forge. The weapon was symmetrical now, no longer looked like a sloppy monstrosity, but a sword as beautiful as it was horrifying.

"Fitting." Boomed a deep, rumbling voice that that simply reverberated outward from Nightmare's new form.

Of all the monsters and freaks that Siegfried and his companions had encountered, the new Nightmare was by far the most fearsome and intimidating in appearance. The aura and sheer amount of power that Nightmare was radiating was comparable to what Siegfried had felt in the presence of Hephaestus. The four of them cowered in fear before their enemy – the fright that they felt beforehand was nothing to the horrific terror that they felt now. They had never faced an enemy with this much power before, and had no idea how to battle an enemy that transcended the normal means of combat. Not only did they now face Nightmare, the most fearsome force that any of them had ever encountered, but now he wielded a complete blade of Soul Edge missing none of its power; the most dangerous weapon that could possibly exist – and now, both of these threats were magnified in power to mythical status.

They desperately searched for a single sign of hope, but found none. A feeling of doom swallowed all present; there appeared to be no possible way that any of them would survive this encounter.

When the last fragment of the Soul Edge was reunited with it, completing the blade, Nightmare spread his arms apart violently, tearing Tira's ringblade into two mangled halves. Nightmare turned toward Amy, disregarding the others, mere insects to him now. Without warning, he shot toward Amy with such speed that he was but a blur to the onlookers. He delivered a blow to her before she could even react, and then seemed to materialize behind her, where he struck her yet again. As she flew forward, he instantaneously moved before her and slashed sideways, sending her flying to the side, where she met Nightmare's blade once again. The Azure Knight moved swiftly to whatever destination he sent her to, batting her around the room ceaselessly. Amy attempted to fight back, but she was powerless before such a being. The power of a completed Soul Edge over Soul Calibur was now more than evident.

Siegfried, Ivy, Sophitia, and Taki darted glances at once another anxiously, each hoping that one of the others had any clue what to do. Their eyes found Tira, weaponless, cowering nearby. She had betrayed both them and Nightmare, but they were desperate enough to ignore her untrustworthiness if she could assist them. She looked at them pleadingly, searching their eyes for answers to the dilemma before them, and they knew that she was no less powerless than they were.

All they could do now was to behold the battle before them – or rather, watch the butchery of Amy. Each blow that Nightmare delivered to the girl's crystalline armor sent shards of it flying away, until whole parts of her armor were missing. Splashes of crimson splattered the floor and the walls as Nightmare began to draw Amy's blood. When Soul Edge could no longer protect Amy with its armor, and when Amy's fragile body was finally broken, the only force that could resist Nightmare would be silenced forever.

Zasalamel would not let this happen.

The next time that Nightmare swung Soul Edge at Amy, the sword violently changed direction as soon as it drew near her. The unexpected and powerful movement of his sword threw Nightmare off balance, and he stumbled backwards. A powerful impact suddenly struck him in his chest, and he fell to the ground. Once there, he found that he could no longer move his limbs – they were shackled to the ground, as if they had been bound there.

"WHAT?" Nightmare roared with a voice that scorched the air.

Exerting so much power to keep Nightmare immobile left Zasalamel without the energy to levitate or conceal himself. He stood on the ground in front of Nightmare, his hands stretched outward and his palms pointing at the demon.

"This may be your last chance." Zasalamel said. "I will weaken his defenses and make him susceptible to your attacks. Hurry."

Siegfried and the others could not believe their eyes. It was not once, but twice now within a very brief time frame that their former adversaries had suddenly become their advocates. Tira was disloyal and was formerly in love with Siegfried – it was surprising, but not unbelievable that she would revolt against him. Zasalamel, however, had attacked them, placed curses upon them, manipulated them, misled them, tortured them, caused Yun-Seong to take Talim's life, and, apparently, Zasalamel was the one who had enabled Nightmare's return in the first place. The sight of him exhausting himself to keep their worst enemy pinned down was quite impossible to believe. For a few moments, they hesitated, first from disbelief, and then from a strong desire not to accept Zasalamel as their savior. They did not want to be rescued by this man of all people – but they had no other alternative, and this was not the time to be picky about their redeemer. Everything was changing so rapidly; they did not have time to ponder their alliances, only to act.

They rushed Nightmare, descending upon him all at once as they had done twice before – separate, they might have not had the courage to approach him, even as defenseless as he seemed now. Their weapons were dulled and fractured from their previous attempts to wound him and from the shockwaves of energy that had violently cleaved through them, but they raised their tattered weapons and struck the Azure Knight with every last ounce of strength they had. Each one of them, by this point, was exhausted and fatigued beyond the limits of a normal person, but their hatred for Nightmare and their determination to see this accursed conflict resolved gave them enough strength to charge him and launch one last assault. Siegfried, Ivy, Sophitia, and Taki raised what was left of their mangled weapons and brought them down upon their foe. Even Tira launched an assault of her own, wielding one half of her sundered ringblade. Amy lay on the ground a few feet away, heaving in pain, in no shape to join them.

When their weapons cleaved into Nightmare's armor-flesh, he gave cries of pain that none would ever have expected to hear from him. Their attacks should have been but mere pinpricks to him, but whatever sorcery Zasalamel had mastered was granting them one chance to damage him as though they were each wielding Soul Calibur itself.

Nightmare twisted and squirmed and thrashed, struggling to free himself from whatever spell was binding him to the ground. The damage being wrought upon him as far greater than he could bear, and he screamed in agony, a dark sound unlike any other noise, almost piercing enough to split the eardrum. He quickly decided that if he was facing adversaries whom could devise ways to render him defenseless, then this was truly not a battle worth fighting. He would have crushed them if it were not for the intervention of this dark-skinned man – he would simply have to destroy the man when the others could not support them, or destroy the others when their new guardian was not present...and this meant that he would have to depart and devour them another time.

Nightmare became still, and the glowing orbs in his helmet and at his torso dimmed. He ceased to resist the attacks of his assailants. He relaxed his body and began to concentrate. To the others, his lack of opposition appeared to be an admission of defeat. This sign was the first beacon of hope that had lit their darkened lives in months – imbued with a renewed sense of determination and a hope they had never felt before, they redoubled their efforts to destroy Nightmare, attacking him even more viciously, before the unexpected occurred.

Zasalamel was the first to sense it, and reacted accordingly. "Stop attacking! Move away!" He instructed tersely. The others hesitated, seeing no reason to show mercy to their foe in his weakest moment. "He is preparing something I cannot prevent, and cannot protect you from!"

Taki was the second to feel it coming, and flipped away immediately. The others knew that Taki was neither compliant nor cowardly, and that she was acting prudently rather than following Zasalamel's advice. They followed her, moving away briskly, leaving their eternal foe defenseless on the ground.

Nightmare began to tremble and shake, quaking with instability as he gathered every last bit of his power and began to concentrate it into a single point. Abruptly and with a deafening rumble, a black sphere expanded rapidly outward from Nightmare's position. The release of energy evaporated everything within a spherical radius of Nightmare, forming a crater in the marble beneath him, and blasting Zasalamel away with force that sent him through five walls before he came to a stop. Nightmare's own release of energy blasted him into the sky, above the clouds. He soared off into the distance, leaving a blood-red trail of energy behind him.

"He fled?" Sophitia asked.

"We let him flee?" Ivy demanded.

"We could not have stopped him even if we had tried." Taki replied. "We are lucky to have escaped that confrontation with our lives."

"Nightmare, and Soul Edge, loose upon the world..." Siegfried mused mournfully.

All eyes went to Amy. She lay on the ground in a heap of cracked crystal and blood, unmoving. The others rushed to her side, Tira keeping a safe distance away. Amy's body bore several mortal wounds. Soul Calibur was struggling to keep its host alive, attempting to heal the wounds, but Amy stood no chance of recovering from such injuries.

"Amy!" Ivy cried with uncharacteristic panic.

Amy's voice came from her lips, but somehow it did not sound as though it were her own. "This body cannot be saved. I will calm the girl's mind and ensure that she will be comfortable as she expires."

"You're not Amy?" Ivy muttered. "What are you? The will of Soul Calibur...?"

"We can't let her die!" Sophitia cried desperately. "There has to be a way to save her!"

"She is beyond your assistance now." Amy said. "We must communicate while her heart still beats. We must forge a plan."

"O Holy Sword, tell us what you require." Taki said, refusing to waste time, and giving the sacred blade its due respect.

"My potential cannot be awakened without a suitable wielder." Soul Calibur said through Amy, even as blood dribbled from her lips. "To destroy Soul Edge, you must locate someone who is compatible with me. None of you will be able to wield me – you are all tainted."

"None of us?" Sophitia asked dejectedly. "All this work, and now none of us can use Soul Calibur...?"

"I believe there is something that can be done about that."

A voice that had come to be associated with evil and manipulation was heard from behind them. Siegfried and his companions turned around and beheld a tattered and bleeding Zasalamel limping their way.

"I can remove the stain that contaminates your souls." Zasalamel said. "I can make you all compatible with the holy blade."

"Outcast, I thank you for your assistance." Amy said.

"Have I atoned for my attempted theft?" Zasalamel mused. "Despite my exile, I will once again devote myself to your protection."

"What are you talking about?" Sophitia asked. "Who ARE you?"

"Now is not the time." Zasalamel said. "I must purify your souls so that the sword may choose its next wielder before your comrade perishes."

"What?" Ivy demanded. "You want us to accept your help after all you've done to – "

"Ivy." Siegfried said abruptly, the first time he had spoken in quite some time.

"I know I have wronged you." Zasalamel said. "I acted selfishly, in my own interest – as I do now. I am not offering you my assistance in return for your forgiveness. I will help you now because you may be the only ones who are capable of saving the future of humanity. Now...be still."

Zasalamel approached Siegfried, and raised a hand. Siegfried fought the reflex to reach for his weapon – there was nothing he could do now but trust the moor who had once cursed him. He stayed his hand and tried to relax as Zasalamel placed a hand on his forehead. A disturbing, sickening feeling rushed through him, and he fought the sudden rush of bile rising to his throat. He sharply jerked away from Zasalamel. "Yet more trickery from you?!" He demanded.

"I have removed the taint upon your soul." Zasalamel said. "No longer are you unable to wield the holy sword."

Amy's eyes fell upon Siegfried. "Compatible." She said simply. "This one may wield me. A fine host he would be. What lies within his soul is Redemption."

Zasalamel cured the others in turn – Sophitia, Taki, and a very nervous Tira who was staying eerily silent throughout this exchange. Zasalamel did not draw near Ivy.

"Baring a grudge?" The woman asked.

"Your blood itself is tainted." Zasalamel replied. "There is nothing that can be done for you." Ivy did not seem to be phased by this remark, having expected such a development.

"Redemption, Truth, Honor, Torment." Amy said cryptically. "Of the four hosts available to me, I would place myself within the hands of Redemption. He is the holder of the most powerful of all human emotions...Regret. His will to redeem himself grants him a determination that will give him the courage to slay any evil."

So, if I did not have any actions to regret, I would not be a suitable host? Siegfried wondered. Is it fortunate, that I have committed atrocities?

"A soul that is forced to undergo the trials of repentance will be stronger than any other." The sword said, as if in reply to his thoughts. "Siegfried Schtauffen, former puppet of the evil blade, liberate the world from his menace in order to redeem yourself. Wield me and destroy the bane of humanity."

Amy gently laid her head back, and relaxed her body. As her heartbeat slowed, the crystals that composed her armor slid across her skin to her hand, where she still gripped the blade of Soul Calibur. Once the blade was complete, its host perished, and Soul Calibur dropped from Amy's hand. The clattering of the sword against the marble floor was the only eulogy that the distant girl would receive. Ivy turned away as Amy died – she was the only one among them who had been close to the girl, and, perhaps, Amy was the only one who had ever been cared for by Ivy.

"Wield it, Schtauffen." Zasalamel commanded, as though Siegfried required any motivation. The German gazed at Zasalamel for a moment, attempting to understand the enigma of a man, before simply giving up. He stepped forward and knelt before the corpse of Amy, moving his hand downward across her face to close her eyes, and then grasped the hilt of Soul Calibur.

Instantly, the blade transformed, taking the shape that its wielder was most accustomed to. It retained the form of an icy blue sphere surrounded by floating crystals, but the crystals elongated in the shape of a Zweihänder blade. Although the sword was asymmetrical and seemed to be made of jagged glass, it was still a beautiful construct that rivaled Soul Edge in deadly magnificence.

"Soul Calibur," Siegfried said breathlessly, in awe of the weapon he held. He had carried the weapon on his back for the past year of his life, but the sight of his own hands gripping the hilt of the weapon was still overwhelming. He now held the weapon that could destroy Soul Calibur, the tool that could redeem his sin of enabling Nightmare to slay thousands. It had chosen him, and he would pick no other weapon to be his. It was weightless in his hands, lighter than a feather, as though the sword refused to be a burden upon him. He waved it in a mock swing, feeling anxious to test it out in combat – but, at the same time, he felt that it would be a crime to use such a sacred weapon for anything other than the destruction of its counterpart.

"Wield it respectfully, Schtauffen." Zasalamel said.

Reminded of Zasalamel's presence, Siegfried turned around and let all of his thoughts fall from his mouth. "Who are you and where did you come from? What is it that you've been after this whole time? Why must you manipulate us and use us as your puppets? Why would you help us now?"

Zasalamel's hands were gripping his wounds – not in pain; he was silently casting healing spells from his palms to his injuries. He appeared to be gravely wounded, but showed no sign of pain as he worked at his own scars. "I suppose I do owe you, at the very least, an explanation." He conceded.

"Centuries ago, there lived a man named Algol. He was known as the Hero King. He was able to obtain Soul Edge and avoid being controlled by it, due to his indomitable will. The powerful weapon allowed him to end a great many conflicts and secure many lands in his name...But although he thirsted for dominion of the world, he was a benevolent ruler, and life under his rule was peaceful. His son, Arcturus, was jealous of his father's power. He took Soul Edge, unaware of his malevolent properties, and was possessed. Algol was forced to battle and kill his own son.

"Remorseful after his son's death, Algol desired to create a sword to counter the evil within Soul Edge. Using purified shards obtained from the battle with his son and the assistance of various sages, Algol was able to create Soul Calibur after many failed attempts and the sacrifice of his own life. However, the ritual produced unexpected results: the blade created was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge, due to the restlessness in Algol's soul. The tribe that was tasked with the protection of the new sword slowly purified it, sealing the Hero King's soul inside, keeping him and his thirst for power dormant over the centuries."

"Then, this blade...Siegfried gazed at his reflection in the crystalline fragments that composed Soul Calibur. "It houses the soul of this ancient Hero King, Algol? The voice that spoke through Amy...was that Algol himself?"

"Algol is dormant within the blade, forever in a state of slumber." Zasalamel said. "The voice which spoke to you was the will of the sword, just as Nightmare is the will of Soul Edge."

"Thank you for the history lesson," Ivy said dryly, "But you haven't explained who you are or why you've been at our throats for this past year."

"I hail from the tribe that was tasked with the protection of Soul Calibur. I was...angered by the tribe's edicts that forbade the use of the sword. I argued that, if a crisis were to occur, we should be allowed to wield the blade...but the rest of the tribe disagreed. I was believed that I would be a better protector of the sword than the rest of my tribe, and attempted to steal the sword away. When trying to take Soul Calibur, I was discovered and banished from the tribe. I spent the rest of that lifetime in pursuit of ancient and forbidden knowledge long thought to be lost, until I attained the art of reincarnation. Through rebirth after each death, I became immortal.

"...However...over the course of my many lifetimes, I have lost interest in living. Joy is unknown to me now, and the pain of death has increased with every subsequent reincarnation. I was ready to leave the mortal coil and rest, and so I sought a way to end my 'curse'. I tried many things over a course of several lifetimes, but still, eternal death eluded me. That was when I remembered Soul Edge…I spent a lifetime searching for the blade, which I eventually obtained. I attempted to use its soul-devouring properties to commit a form of suicide and release myself from the circle of eternal reincarnations...but even death by Soul Edge was not enough. I turned his hopes to Soul Calibur, but when I reached the place where his tribe existed, I found no traces of it or the holy sword.

"Desperate, I hoped that the power of both Soul Calibur and Soul Edge would be enough to shatter my soul...but I discovered that Soul Edge had lost half of his body and become sealed, and that Soul Calibur had been infected by evil, gradually losing its strength. In order to restore both blades to their power, I revived the will of the sword in the form of Nightmare. In order to aid the sword in its restoration, I needed to create conflict within the bearer of both blades, and so I led survivors of Nightmare's past massacres towards him. If Soul Edge regained its strength, so would Soul Calibur in order to confront it. By forcing you to undergo so many trials, both swords were returned to power."

"...So that's it?" Siegfried asked incredulously. "You made us suffer because our conflict and strife would feed both swords?"

"That is correct." Zasalamel said.

"So, because you can't escape a spell you put on yourself, and because you can't derive any happiness from life anymore, you think that it's perfectly fine to cause others to suffer?" Ivy demanded. "You must be the most selfish, egocentric, insensitive, inconsiderate, shameless bastard that has ever lived! There's not even a point in berating you for being so disgraceful, because you don't feel any form of regret for your actions, do you?! You simply don't care who or what you hurt as long as you get your way!"

"That is correct." Zasalamel said in a flat and toneless voice devoid of any emotion. "That is exactly why I wanted to die; I feel nothing anymore. There is no point in feeling anything toward anyone – I have watched so many people suffer and die that person's distress means anything to me anymore. Not yours, not mine. Eventually, you will all die and disappear forever, but I will simply continue. I will simply...continue. Endlessly."

The others struggled to relate to Zasalamel, but could not. None of them could ever know how he felt, since they would need a dozen more lifetimes to come close to understanding him. All they could do was try to swallow their hatred for him just enough to tolerate him.

"So, what of your plan to attain death?" Siegfried asked. "When the two swords were separated, you did not seize them."

"I waited for two wielders to unleash their power, so that my soul could bask in the chaos and be torn asunder." Zasalamel said. "But when the two swords clashed, I...I saw..." His head tipped back as he became lost in thought. "...The sum of all human potential...everything possible, everything that is to come, accomplishments that will outshine the Lost Cathedral a thousand times over...but only if the two swords are stopped. I must witness these events. Even if I must perish and be reborn over and over again to experience those occurrences, I simply must ensure that they come to pass."

"And, let me guess – you'll hurt anyone who gets in your way, just so you can see something happen a few hundred years from now." Ivy said. "You certainly are a shining paragon of moral perfection."

"To be berated by you is quite ironic, Miss Valentine." Zasalamel retorted. "I plan to protect the future of humanity – from this point forward, I will only cause harm to that which threatens the future."

"What if tormenting us for the rest of our lifetimes will protect the future?" Ivy said snidely. "You already found some justification for doing it once before. Can we look forward to that, then?"

"I find it unlikely that the emotional stability of your group is relevant to my purposes any longer." Zasalamel said. "From now on, I will do whatever I can to ensure that both swords are destroyed."

"Both swords?" Sophitia asked. "Why destroy Soul Calibur?"

"It is a weapon capable of untold destruction." Zasalamel replied. "If corrupted, it could become another Soul Edge. As long as it exists, men will seek it for selfish purposes. Although the destruction of Soul Edge is a higher priority, the holy blade must be crushed, as well."

Siegfried looked down at the sword in his hands. "A tool I must use for one purpose, then destroy...I accept this. Such weapons as this should not exist." He raised his head. "Zasalamel, our goals do not conflict. May we count you as our ally?"

Protest stirred within the others, but they did not raise their voices. Zasalamel was their savior not minutes before, and no longer held an antagonistic position toward them. There was not a single person present who did not find him to be despicable, but if they could make use of his godlike abilities, then he would be invaluable to them.

"My recent intervention caused me to exhaust almost all of my energy." Zasalamel replied. "I will be of little use to you until I have finished recuperating. I suggest that you do not wait for me; seek Nightmare, and slay him."

"Good enough. I would find it nearly impossible to tolerate you, much less cooperate with you." Ivy snapped.

"...Zasalamel?" Sophitia asked timidly. "I...have a question."

"Speak." He said simply.

"If Soul Edge is destroyed, what will become of...those tainted by it?"

"When the evil blade is annihilated, Patroklos and Pyrrha will die, as you fear. Isabella Valentine will perish, as well." Zasalamel said without emotion.

Sophitia's hands flew to her mouth and she stepped back in shock, as if trying to distance herself from this revelation. She shook her head furiously, trying to refute what she had just heard. Ivy showed no reaction at all – she had predicted and accepted her fate long, long ago.

As the group drank in this news in silence, Siegfried's eyes drifted to Tira, who had been silently watching the group from a short distance away. She had not concealed herself, a sign that she was not hostile, but she appeared ready to bolt away at the first sign that the group still rejected her.

"What are we going to do about the traitor, anyway?" Ivy asked.

"...Tira." Siegfried said softly, simply.

Tira's voice seemed to be lost. She found herself unable to do anything but stare into her former lover's eyes.

"Who's side are you on?" Ivy demanded tersely.

"...I reject Nightmare." Tira said. "I do not align myself with him anymore."

"Then, who do you align yourself with?" Ivy asked, always one for direct and straightforward questions.

"I don't know." She said. "But, I'm...I'm sorry for betraying you. I should never have abandoned you. I didn't know what I had until I threw it away. It was a mistake. ...I...I wish I'd never left." The girl seemed to be on the brink of tears. "If...if I had a choice, I'd want to be aligned with all of you again. It was...the only period of my life when I actually felt as though I belonged. I want to go back to those days...but I understand if you hate me and will never forgive me."

Siegfried's companions darted glances at once another, and all of their eyes finally came to Siegfried.

"...I understand why you left. I don't blame you. I mistreated you." He said simply. "I have learned why I was wrong. I would never mistreat you again."

"...M-Master." Tira said, her voice and her body shaking. She bolted at Siegfried with swiftness usually reserved for combat, and threw herself at him. She buried her head against his chest, and even though it was covered in hard and jagged armor, it was the most comfortable place she could have been. Siegfried put one arm around her, feeling an overwhelming wave of relief and comfort to see the woman he had thought to be lost forever return to his arms.

Ivy opened her mouth to make a disparaging comment, but found Taki's hand covering her lips. The ninja gave her a disapproving look, and she decided she'd stay quiet just this once. Sophitia was still weary of the girl who had attempted to kidnap her children, but understood that Nightmare had played a role in the entire affair, and decided not to just Tira too harshly.

"If you would forgive me and give me a second chance, I would treat you with the respect and loyalty you deserve." Siegfried whispered.

"You've taken the words from my mouth," Tira replied in the same hushed voice.

Zasalamel was the only person callous enough to interrupt their embrace. "To expedite your journey, I can grant you passage to land. However, that will most likely be all that I can do for you for the time being. Shall we depart?"

The dark-skinned, white-cloaked man was courteous enough to give the group enough time to gather their belongings from the boat they had sailed to the island, and also the time to carefully wrap Amy's corpse in cloth. Zasalamel conjured a spherical field around himself and the others, and then began to move the field, transporting them through the air and across the ocean. At a pace that put the fastest of ships to shame, they soared to the northern tip of Great Britain, reaching it within minutes. The group could not resist feeling a sense of envy toward Zasalamel for having the ability to traverse so much space so quickly, and also felt extremely fortunate to be granted a speedy return to land.

Almost immediately after Zasalamel's spherical field reached the northern shore of Britain, he lowered the field and dropped to one knee. "My power is exhausted." He said, showing fatigue for the first time since they had known him. "I have done all that I can do for you." He sat cross-legged in the sand, and then appeared to meditate.

"...We thank you." Siegfried said, with some difficulty, biting back his opinion of the man.

"How are we going to locate Nightmare, anyway?" Ivy asked. "We don't have a clue where he's gone."

"When he propelled himself into the air, he was headed southeast." Zasalamel said. "If I must hypothesize, I would suggest that he aimed himself toward Osthreinsburg. He has claimed it for himself in the past, and it is the closest thing he has ever had to a personal abode. He will most likely dwell there while he recovers his health."

"That is a good lead." Taki conceded. "However, before we attempt to track down Nightmare, we should locate a town where we can recover our strength and repair our equipment. We will also need to devise a plan for the final battle."

"...I don't believe that the rest of you will need to accompany me." Siegfried said.

There was a moment of stunned silence, before an eruption of voices.

"WHAT?"

"Why?!"

"But, Master!"

"Explain yourself, Schtauffen."

"Please, hear me out." Siegfried began. "Nightmare is now as powerful as a god. He could snap any of you in half without effort. Do you recall the power he demonstrated? All of us would have evaporated if we had not retreated when we did. Your weapons can do nothing against him; there is no force in this world that can harm him now but Soul Calibur, and I have been chosen to wield that power.

"We're not useless just because we're not wielding Soul Calibur." Taki said. "There are a number of ways we could still assist you."

"That may be true," Siegfried conceded, "But the only reason that I allowed any of you to travel with me was to ensure that the Soul Embrace would be protected. Now that the Embrace is no more, there is no reason for our coalition to remain. None of you have any need to risk your lives from this point forward; the burden of destroying Soul Edge is on my shoulders now, and I do not wish for any of you to endanger yourselves. I'm the one who brought this calamity down upon us in the beginning...none but me should be tasked with ending it."

"So you're telling us all to just go home and let you take care of things?" Ivy asked. "Not a chance. I've already vowed to make sure that Soul Edge is destroyed, and just because there's someone else on the job, it doesn't mean I'm just going to sit around and do nothing. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. I'll just stalk you if I have to."

"I respect your desire to protect us from harm, Siegfried." Taki said. "However, I cannot leave this up to you. I will accompany you to protect Soul Calibur and wield it if you should fall in combat."

"I'm not leaving you right after we've been reunited, Master." Tira said firmly and stubbornly. "I've been wishing for this for so long, and I'm not letting it end so quickly."

Siegfried smiled weakly at his comrades' rebuttals. "I should have known it wouldn't be so easy to slip away."

Sophitia had remained deathly silent since they had disembarked from the Lost Cathedral, and even now she did not raise a word of objection to Siegfried. Instead, at this moment, she turned to Zasalamel. "...Is there anything I can do?" She asked, quietly, meekly. "Anything you can do?"

"No." Said the moor. "Your children's fates were sealed the moment your body was pierced by those fragments of Soul Edge. They will persist as long as Soul Edge persists, and perish when Soul Edge perishes. There is nothing I can do to change that, since their connection to Soul Edge is woven into their very lives."

"...I see." She said weakly. "I think...I think I would prefer to return to my family." She said without looking at her companions. "I think that I will not accompany you any longer."

Siegfried and the others could think of no words to say to her. They did not want to lose her, but they also did not want to attempt to convince her to join them in an act that would essentially kill her children.

"I understand, Sophitia." Siegfried said. "I respect that decision. You have been an outstanding companion, and you will be missed. I wish you safe travels, and good fortune."

Sophitia collected her belongings, and was granted one fourth of the group's funds for passage home. She squeaked a few timid farewells to her companions, and then traveled south in a slow and wistful way, as though she was sleepwalking.

"Will you be accompanying us, Zasalamel?" Siegfried asked.

"It will be some time before I can travel again." Zasalamel said. "I will recover my strength here, for this place is as good as any other. I assure you that, when the time comes, we will be reunited."

Siegfried was slightly relieved, since traveling with the moor would be one step below traveling alongside Nightmare himself. Although he would have been grateful to have a companion capable of crossing oceans within minutes, he would not have been comfortable walking beside the man who had caused all of his suffering for the past year. The four of them set out in search of a place to rest, knowing that many settlements were always located close to shorelines.

As the most eventful day of Siegfried's life came to a close, his troubled mind attempted to organize the events that had come to pass. He had seen the Soul Embrace split apart, freeing both swords. He had learned that by bedding his companions, he had passed the influence of Soul Edge into them. He had seen Amy fuse with Soul Calibur, transcending humanity to a godlike form. He had seen Nightmare gather all the shards of Soul Edge that had been lost, elevating himself to godhood as well. He had been rescued by the man he hated the most, a man who was now no longer his enemy. He had watched Amy die, leaving him to become the new wielder of Soul Calibur. He had seen off Sophitia, one of his oldest and most valued comrades.

But what brought him the most pleasure was the return of Tira. With his life endangered for so much of the day, he had been completely unable to express the joy he felt toward her defection against Nightmare. As soon as he knew she was no longer loyal to his adversary, he wanted to whisk her up in his arms, hold her, squeeze her, love her – but the gravity of other issues had kept him from giving her all of the attention that he desired to give her. Now that she was once again at his side, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. He wanted to ask her so much, to tell her so much, to speak with her about everything – but he was far too weary to form the words. Although Ivy and Taki kept their distance from Tira, still distrustful of her, Siegfried stayed close to her, waiting until the two were alone before he would bask in the affection he had missed for so long.

Not a day had passed without both of them wishing that they could return to those old simple times when they simply cared for one another. Despite all of the complications that had surrounded their parting and their reunion, they did not wish to discuss the pain or the sorrow – simply being in one another's presence once more would satisfy them until they had the time to find the words they wished to speak.