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Extraneous: Ditto.

The battle was rather short,
but very much to the point,
and the Lord of Terror was once more cast down.
At long last, the War of 1666 was done,
and the Oricaltos could send the others home.
Yet one thing remained to be given:
A single gift...
Immortality.
-Propehcy di luce e di ombres: Lines CXX-CXXVII

Chapter 16: Gifts of the Oricaltos
Last time on Requiem of Shadows:

At long last, Soma and the others reached the Dark Priest. After a minor debate, six were elected to enter the room to deal with him. By default, both Soma and Saito were chosen. In addition, so were Dracula, Alouette, Mirer Link, and Setsuna. However, the battle proved to be anything but easy. Shaft was also a servant of the Dark God, and he summoned several of the adversaries that had already been slain. While Saito was once more dueling with Zephyr, Mirer went after Dmitrii, and Setsuna decided to eliminate Dulhallan. At the same time, Alouette was launching spells at Headhunter, the Count had decided to take on Cerberus, and Soma went directly after Shaft. The fighting was rather nasty, especially when most of the others finished their duels and decided to gang-up on Cerberus. However, the nastiest piece was yet to come. Shaft resummoned Gergoth, yet it wasn't too long before the hated beast was a sorry pile of dust. In the end, Soma removed Shaft's head, shortly after he had finished with Gergoth, and the mage had finished with Zephyr. There was a minor debate as to whether or not they should go directly in to face Baal, but the Oricaltos and the Lord of Terror both agreed on one thing: Sleep was needed by both sides. It has been nearly twelve hours since we last left, and Soma is waking to find that the final preparations have begun.

Following Soma: Inverted Ceremonial Room: Castle Dracula (inverted): Walachia Province: Transylvania
Time Period: 1666 AD

Soma got up and stretched before looking around. Almost immediately, he noticed that everyone else was already up and about. Looking over at Saito, he raised an eyebrow, as if asking what he needed to do. The Oricaltos yawned before pointing at the door. "Before you head in, there are a couple of things that I need you to know. The first thing is that Baal has two different forms." "Much like myself, correct?" Vlad asked, but the weredragon shook his head. "I'm afraid that you're wrong on that count, Dracula. There is his traditional form, and then there is his true form. His traditional form actually resembles a gigantic stone figure. His true form, however, is human." "WHAT? I thought it was the other way around?" "Nope. Remember what he was telling you earlier. He wants to be human again." "...Good point."

"So, are the rest of you ready for a fight?" The Oricaltos asked as he headed towards the door. The others nodded, and Saito smiled. "Well then, let's get moving. I'm already sick and tired of staying in this castle." Soma laughed aloud before shaking his head in amusement. "I think that your sentiments are felt by most of us, Saito. Let's go and get this battle over with." "I definitely agree," Laharl groaned. "The Netherworld is looking very good from my vantage point here." "I can't really argue with you on that one," Nicholai called with a laugh. "It will be good to head home when this is all finished." "Well then? What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Soma was the first to enter the room, and he was stunned by the sight before him. Baal was sitting in the exact center of the room, doing something that resembled meditation. That, however, was not the surprising thing. Instead of being in his massive stone form, Baal looked, well, human. He was only a half-inch shorter than Soma, and had black hair. At the time, he was wearing a pair of jeans and a white sleeveless shirt. Raising his head, he opened his eyes to stare at Soma. Forest-green met blood-red and silver, and then the Lord of Terror tilted his head to one side, as if acknowledging Soma's strength. "Do you happen to have Cthrek?" "I'm holding-on to it for now, Baal. You don't need to worry about that," Saito called from the doorway. Baal nodded once in understanding before materializing an energy blade in his right hand. "Well, what are we waiting for? It's been too long since I have dueled with an opponent, so I apologize now if my style is a little rusty."

With the formalities now officially out of the way, Baal charged at Soma with an incredible amount of speed. The frost-haired young man dodged backwards, swinging his sword in an attempt to keep the blade away from his throat. Man, I never expected you to be this fast! Why, thank you. I never expected you to be able to match my speed. At this comment, Soma grinned at the Lord of Terror before raising his blade in a salute. "I can actually move a lot faster too," he called utilizing the Black Panther Soul in an attempt to circle the young man before him. However, Baal refused to allow Soma behind him, all the while trying to knock the Claimh Solais out of his hand.

When the ending blow came, it was rather abrupt, and nobody had seen it coming. One moment, the two were standing face to face, and the next, both had lunged towards one another, swords held backwards, ready to swing. There was a deafening crash as the two clashed their swords, and then they were on opposite sides of the room. Baal looked down at the remainder of his blade and smiled. He could already feel the blood starting to spill from his mouth and nose as he turned to look at the embodiment of Chaos. "You...have done...well. I...salute you...Soma Cruz," he gasped before collapsing to the floor. Soma allowed a sad smile to cross his face as he reached up to his forehead. Feeling the blood there, he nodded at the dying demon. "You did well for someone who hasn't dueled in a long time, Baal. But I am afraid that I was the better." Baal nodded, coughed once, and then slipped away, his body dissolving into the floor.

Almost immediately, his spirit reappeared, just as the Inverted Castle gave a violent shudder. "I suggest that all of you get out of here, NOW! With my death, this keep will collapse, and I'm not sure if the warp rooms are working properly." At that point, Erika came rushing into the room. "Master Cruz! The warp rooms aren't working, and the keep is collapsing! We need to get out of here!" Soma nodded in agreement before looking over at the Oricaltos. "Is there another way to get out of here?" "Well, there might be a way, but I'm not sure if it will work..." "What are you talking about, Saito?" "You know exactly what I am talking about, Nicholai. I just wish that we had the chance to test it first..." "There's no time to test it. Let's get out of here."

Soma looked rather puzzled when he saw the Oricaltos bending to draw something on the floor. He became even more intrigued when he noticed that it was the Patriarch's Seal. "What are you doing, Saito?" The weredragon looked up at Soma and gave him a mirthless smile. "I'm getting us out of here." "But how is that going to help us?" Soma asked, pointing at the Seal that Saito had just finished. "This is how we are getting out." "WHAT?" "Just listen, Soma. Here's how Seal Gating works: If you step onto a Seal, and then state the name of your destination, if a seal is there, it will immediately transport you." "But how is that going to help us?" Saito sighed before shaking his head. "I guess you forgot about the Seal that Nicholai drew just before we entered the Inverted Castle, then."

Soma slapped his forehead in disbelief. "You mean to say that you planned for this to happen?" "No, it was just a precaution. We were actually hoping to test it first, but we don't have the time," Nicholai replied. Saito took a deep breath before stepping on the Seal. "I'll go first and see if this works. Hopefully, I will see the rest of you on the other side." Closing his eyes, the mage relaxed, and then he vanished. Almost instantly, Soma received a mental call from Saito. Greetings from the Abyss! It looks like these things work perfectly. EXCELLENT! Now, if you don't mind moving, I think the rest of us want to get out of here, too. One step ahead of you, Soma. See you guys when you get here!

It took several minutes, but everyone (and I do mean everyone!) who was allied with the Count managed to escape from the Inverted Castle before it disintegrated. After a slightly tearful good-bye from the lady Lisa, Saito and the others, including Dracula, returned to the mage's forge.
Onago's Forge: Draconia
Time Period: N/A (Exists outside of space and time)
Time: An hour and a half have elapsed since the end of the so-called "War of 1666"

Dracula was impressed with the size of the forge, and he spent the majority of his time wandering around, looking in the various rooms. When he did stop, it was to ask Saito a rather pointed question. "I saw you speaking with Lisa just before we left. What did she tell you?" Saito shook his head before replying. "I'm afraid that I can't tell you that yet, Count. Maybe I will tell you at a later time." "And exactly what do you mean by a "later time"?" The mage sighed before looking the King of Vampires square in the eye. "You will learn the reason why in the year 2080. Other than that, there is nothing that I am allowed to tell you. Anyway, I need you to gather Soma, the Belmonts, and their descendants, in addition to your own. Have them meet me in the main room." Dracula nodded, and then he hurried-off, wondering what was so important.

After gathering them all in the main room, Saito emerged from the back. However, it appeared as if he were a completely different person. His hair, as always, looked as though it was going to burst into flames at any moment. But, there were some major changes. For instance, he openly displayed his heritage, in the form of his claws, wings, and tail. Another thing that was different was the mage's face. His eyes were no longer pure blue, but rather, they were ice blue with golden centers. Another thing to note about his eyes is that his pupils were no longer round. Rather, they were slitted, as a mark of his draconic heritage. Finally, looking at Saito's forehead, Soma could only gape in amazement. The symbol for infinity was clearly visible, glowing a brilliant blue.

The Oricaltos smiled when he saw the expression on Soma's face. "I see that you noticed the one thing that I was always hiding," he remarked, gesturing to the infinity symbol. "You see, this is what makes me unique. This mark is what makes me immortal. And now, it is time that I share my gift of immortality with each of you." Dracula's jaw dropped open as he stared in undisguised amazement at the young man. "Are you telling me that you can grant others immortality? You have got to be kidding me!" "I am being dead serious about this, Vlad. Soma, do you mind being the first?" The frost-haired Lord of Chaos slowly shook his head as he walked over to Saito. "Not at all, King of Dragons."

Soma knelt down as Saito directed him to, and all watched as the mage traced the infinity symbol on Soma's forehead. "May your loyalties never waver, nor your heart ever falter. Seek the path that leads to righteousness, and follow your own rules. You are your own master, now and forever. Do you accept the tasks that I have given you: to live your own life, and to help serve those in need?" he asked Cruz, and the man immediately replied. "I do." "Then rise and embrace your fate, your destiny, your immortality," Saito intoned, and then he gestured for Soma to stand and face the others. The infinty symbol which the mage had traced was now glowing silver, and he was smiling. Saito repeated the words and gestures with each of the others present, ending with Dracula.

He then gestured for each of them to raise the hand upon which the Chaos Ring resided. "I'm going to do something that I haven't pulled-off in a long time. I'm going to put a fraction of my powers into each Chaos Ring here in the forge. That way, you won't have to worry about needing my blood to activate the Seal Gates for the first time." "So that's what was in the vial that Setsuna was wearing!" Sonia exclaimed, and Saito nodded his head. "There is already a Seal Gate here, so you won't have to run all-over creation looking for me." The others nodded, but then Soma raised a hand. "I know that you charged us with helping to serve those in need, but with the recent attacks, don't you think that we should be focusing more on containing the radical monsters who might do something rash?"

Saito scratched his head and paused for a moment. Then, he got an idea. "Okay everyone, listen up. I have an idea that might be just crazy enough to work." "Well then, go on," Mina said, and the others nodded. "I was thinking about creating some kind of organization to help defend those who might get caught in the cross-fire between the Church (which was well known for the practice of hunting down monsters) and the monsters." "Sounds kinda like what Hellsing is doing," Dracula remarked, and Soma turned a quizzical eye towards the vampire. Saito however, smiled. "I know what you are talking about, 'Alucard'," he said, causing the Count to wince. "How many times have I told you that I hate being called that?" he snarled, and the Oricaltos laughed. "Five thousand, two-hundred and eighty times, to be exact."

"Anyway, getting back on topic: what will we call ourselves?" Soma asked, and everyone looked at one another. "I have an idea..."

Three hours later...

"If we can't agree on one name, then the organization idea will be shot," Saito lamented, and the others agreed with him. "I think I have an idea that might work." "What is it, Joachim?" "How about the name 'Order of the Shadowed Sword'?" Saito paused for a moment, and then he looked at Soma. "Well, what do you think?" Cruz shrugged his shoulders and grinned. "It sounds good to me!" "Is everyone in agreement, then?" Saito asked, and everyone else nodded. "Okay then. Now that we have that issue settled, where are we going to establish our base?" "I'm willing to offer the castle in the eclipse, if that's okay with you, Mina." "It sounds good to me, Soma. As a matter of fact, it sounds perfect!" "Alright, that's another issue down. Now what about..."

Makai Kingdom: Zetta's Netherworld
Time Period: 6580 AD

"And thus was born the Order of the Shadowed Sword. Even today, the stories about them are still being told. They will survive, in both truth and in memory, for years to come." Pram set her pen down and closed the Sacred Tome once more. "I think that's enough for the day." "Agreed," Zetta grumbled slightly, still unused to the idea of being a book. "When do you think Saito will be coming here? I don't think I can wait any longer!" The young Oracle of the Netherworld shook her head before chiding the Overlord. "You know not to ask me those kinds of questions! However, I do have an answer for you this time. He should be here in about three weeks, give or take a day." "Thank you! I thought I would be waiting forever." "You don't need to worry about it that much any more, Zetta," the Oracle said, a simple smile on her face. "He will be here, and I will make sure of it!"

Author's note: WOW! I can't believe that I left this just sitting around for a while, and then I end up finishing the last several chapters in three days! Anyway, the main story has ended, but I can assure you, the Order will be playing a prominent role in one of my upcoming stories. But, it will not be the next one. Stick around, ladies and gentlemen! I still have to do the epilogue, and then it's on to my next story. That, and back to the Disgaea section! SEE YA!