ACT VIII : RIVEN
Upon his return to Ostreinsburg, Soul Edge informed Nightmare of an army on its way to drive him out.
He'd need new armor, then.
The sets contained within Ostreinsburg's armory were exquisite - it was no wonder they were being kept here, rather than being worn by the soldiers. But Nightmare had no appreciation for the complexity of the designs, the beauty of the craftsmanship. He required it to be functional. That was all.
He did hesitate, however, passing a suit that was a similar color to his old one, though a deeper, richer shade of blue. He didn't want to abdicate his nickname just yet. He hauled the suit off its mounts to inspect it.
The overall design was similar to his last suit, and it seemed sturdy. It was a bit heavier, but would offer more protection. The helmet, however, was nothing like the one he had previously worn. Wings rimmed with gold were affixed to either side, in a way that almost made them resemble the ears of a rabbit. The plate over the forehead was patterned with a gold filigree. Clearly, this wasn't one meant to be used... But soon, all the intricately wrought embellishments would become tarnished with blood.
This was the one he would use.
The "army", when it came, was little more than a tiny, underfed band of vigilantes. A few of them were strong, but they presented no challenge. It was almost boring. Still, the nourishment from their souls was satisfying, and Nightmare was somewhat disappointed when they had all been killed off.
He wandered the battlefeild, finishing off the nearly-dead, devouring their essences as though snuffing so many barely-burning candles.
You have done well, my child... My power grows ever stronger, fed by the souls you harvest. A proper reward is in order... Soon, when I possess the strength to do so... I will free you of this miserable human's body. I shall grant you your own...
Nightmare stopped in his tracks. The possibility of being freed the worm's incessant rabble, having a body and mind all his own, was enthralling. He deisred that even more than he did the souls of the humans. So much so that, for the first time, he ventured forth a direct question:
When?
The sword gave a slight laugh. Patience, child... It will come in due time.
He was frustrated with his answer, but it seemed he would have to wait.
The perfect opportunity for me to put an end to your slaughter, you monster.
Nightmare didn't know how many more of the human's interjections he could stand.
In the days to come, more armies stepped forward to put an end to the Azure Knight's twisted reign over the fallen kingdom of Ostreinsburg.
All failed.
With the slaughter of the armies came power, and with the power, he knew he grew closer to freedom. He was joined by more followers - temporary tools, the sword told him, whispers of betrayal echoed through every one of their twisted minds. All were seeking the sword itself, their "master" was only another obstacle in the way... The once-human, turned to a grotesque reptilian beast, seeking the power to fell the very gods he believed had cursed him to this fate... The alchemist, seeking the power to animate her creations... None truly desired to serve him, it was only a way to bring them closer to Soul Edge.
And, in time, they too would fall.
But for now, the power they siphoned from human souls, combined with his own, would bring him closer to having a body of his own, and much more quickly than he could hope to acheive the goal on his own.
The near-perpetual rain that fell on the kingdom had turned to sleet, signaling winter's approach. Humans, although foolish, really were almost admirable in their determination to kill him. Exhausted soldiers marched up the mountainside, the precipitation forming sheets of ice over their armor and chilling them to the bone. The weaker ones collapsed and froze to death. All that, only to be obliterated once they faced the Azure Knight. Fools, all of them.
When the last of them had given it up as hopeless and retreated, Nightmare returned to the castle, brimming with vitality from the collective life forces of those he had slain.
It is time! Let the very heavens themselves quake with fear, for I shall soon take my rightful place as ruler of every stretch of the omniverse! But first, I will sacrifice a portion of my own power, so that you, my child, can be granted what you deserve... A body of your own, and nothing standing in your way of destroying all who oppose us!
Death! Death to them all!
Nightmare's pace quickened. Yes, yes, he would finally be granted his own body...
You must find somewhere isolated, because the shock will weaken you, if only for a moment. You do not want to be caught off guard...
He would do just that.
His excitement and anticipation had distracted him, however, so that he took no notice of the presence of intruders in the castle until he was face to face with them. A young man with a staff and a girl with an odd iridescent blue shortsword.
Enraged, he charged forward. One interruption after another!
No. Stop. Nightmare faltered, baffled. Did Soul Edge sound uneasy?
My sister essence is housed within that blade... She is equal in power to me... fight this battle carefully. They could easily overcome you if they have any skill.
The girl had taken advantage of his momentary distraction and ducked to the side. She was quick on her feet, he observed, but she was probably physically weak. If he could hit her even once, the fight would be over. As for the man with the staff, he was sitting out for the time being, but he watched carefully, tensed and prepared to strike.
Nightmare wasted as little energy as possible with swings that were little more than feints in the first place. He quickly observed that the girl was inexperienced, combat-wise, and that much showed in the way she barely managed to avoid his strikes, even though she was fast.
When she rushed again, Nightmare simply waited until she almost managed to execute an attack before he swung the sword down diagonally, leaving a long, deep gash from the girl's collarbone down to her hip. She sank to her knees, stunned, just as her companion rushed in with a cry of outrage to avenge her.
A well-executed upward slash snapped the man's weapon right in half, and brought down again the sword embedded itself where his shoulder met his neck with a meaty thunk.
Far too simple.
What was that sword the girl had been wielding, though, that was equal in power to Soul Edge? It was still there on the stone floor, the blood of its own wielder splattered across its sapphire-colored surface. He moved closer to better look at it - and instinctively took a step back. Something about the energy the blade emitted was repellent; it felt almost as if the air around it was burning.
It was strange, but he would have time to worry about it later. For now, he had business to attend to...
Nightmare trudged off to the throne room, the most unused part of the castle. He wanted his own body so bad that even as fast as he could get there didn't seem fast enough. When he finally stopped, shutting the huge wooden doors behind him, Soul Edge spoke.
You have done well. And now you will be properly rewarded...
The time has come, my puppet... Time for you to inhabit a body of your own!
The feeling of the demon's mind ripped from his own left Siegfried disoriented for a moment - and then, enormously relieved. The twisted flesh of his right arm faded back to normal, the blood-color vanished from his golden hair, and the firelight in his eyes cooled to emerald again.
"I'm free..." He was free. He was finally free, liberated the demon's control.
"That makes two of us, human."
The relief that flowed through his freed mind froze, and dread replaced it.
Only freed the demon's control, not rid of his existence.
He turned slowly, taking in the sight. Soul Edge had done a marvelous job of making him look human, exactly as he had, save for the arm; in fact, it was almost unsettling. He didn't look like the monster Siegfried always imagined. But that was only a facade, he knew.
He then realized, with a start, that Nightmare still held Soul Edge and he was unarmed. Oh, no.
As fast as his legs could carry him, he tore away from the throne room. Down the stone steps, into the main hall, he had to get away... No. He stopped, shaking. No, he couldn't run away. He had to end this. He remembered the blade Soul Edge had claimed was its equal but opposite... If he used it...
He found it, his stomach turning slightly as his fingers met with the blood. It was still somewhat warm. He shook it off of the blade as best he could and readied himself to face Nightmare as he entered the room, shoulders heaving. He was still weakened by the transition to a body of his own.
You must dispose of this monster. Siegfried jumped as the voice of the sword in his hand spoke to him through his mind.
Who... who are you?
Humans such as yourself know me as Soul Calibur. I am the equal opposite to the demon blade. Go... We will speak more later. Purge the earth of this monstrosity...
Siegfried nodded, readying himself for Nightmare's first strike, which was weaker than it could have been but still forced Siegfried to his knees as he parried. He noticed as he retaliated that the sword in his hand was starting to change shape to the zweihander he was used to.
I will assist you as much as I can. But this is a battle you must fight and win on your own.
Nightmare blocked the strike, and Siegfried found himself looking right into the demon's blazing fire-colored eyes. Nightmare pushed back, breaking the hold the two blades had established on eachother and backed away again. The spirit sword's energy drained his own.
He is weak... You can finish him.
Before he could react, Siegfried lashed out and caught his in the abdomen, in the area left unprotected by his armor. But before Siegfried moved in to finish him off, something felt as though it had clamped around his chest, suffocating him.
Stop! Soul Edge... Soul Edge is protecting him... You will have to finish this later. The sword sounded disappointed. I promise you, there will come a day when I will have the power to overcome my brother, and we will put an end to this, you and I.
Siegfried was hesitant to leave, but he did not want to chance death. Taking the strange blade with him, he retreated from the castle and headed to leave the cursed kingdom, the sleet quickly soaking through his thin tunic as he ran for the forests, trying not to see the piles of corpses all around him, and trying not to think of many more who would be just as dead for as long as Nightmare was allowed to roam free.
And in the castle, Nightmare watched, barely conscious, as his lifeblood poured from the deep lesion in his torso onto the stone floors, wondering, as his vision started to blur, if this was his end. It couldn't be, he had only just gotten a body all his own... This couldn't be how it ended, felled by that miserable whelp of a human.
But all that soon ceased to matter, as his thoughts all ran together until exhaustion was the only thing he was aware of, dragging him down into the blackness of unconsciousness.
And, for the time being, he knew no more.