Chapter 11: Awakened Demon

A/N: I have an announcement to make. Starting Monday the 23rd, I will be taking all-day animation classes for the next two weeks, and will have little time to write. I will still upload chapters as soon as I can, so please continue to read this story. DarkNovelist out.

"Ugh!" Kaia grunted, tripping over a mound of snow. She had flown away from the others until she could no longer use her wings. Landing somewhere in the glacier surrounding Artai, she had begun to wander aimlessly. She had lost track of how long she had been walking, and now her legs could barely support her.

"It's all my fault…I got too angry...I forced the change to accelerate… And now I've gone and killed my friend."

Kaia saw a cliff edge not far from where she stood. Looking over it, she could see the lake far below.

"I should never have claimed you." she said, holding up Angheol. She pointed the blade toward herself. "I don't want to stay like this! I don't want to be like him! This time, please just kill me!"

She plunged the sword into her chest. Staggering slightly, she felt her legs go limp, and she fell over the cliff. Her vision blurred as she fell towards the waves. Closing her eyes, she felt the salty water splash over her face as she disappeared into the lake.

You hopeless fool.

Kaia opened her eyes. Above her was a ceiling made entirely of ice. Slowly, she sat up. Somehow, she was in the throne room of a large castle. It seemed as though the entire building had been carved out of some massive glacier, for everything was frozen. Surprisingly, she didn't feel cold at all.

"Where…am I? Did I manage to take my life?" she said to herself.

"I'm afraid you're far from dead, my dear." someone said.

Kaia turned toward the voice. Sitting upon a throne of jagged, frozen, pillars, was a man with long black hair and silver eyes. He wore a suit of shining silver armor.

"Who are you?"

"I am called by many names. The black steel, the blade of frozen nightmares, bringer of despair, and now, Angheol."

"Angheol? You're my sword?"

"Close." the man stood up. "I am the soul of Angheol, I am the voice that guides you."

"Angheol…has a soul of its own?"

"Correct. I am the manifestation of that soul."

"Does Soul Edge have a being like you as well?"

"Yes, but I am far more…shall we say, human, than him."

Kaia stood up. "Where are we right now? Are we in some sort of frozen Hell?"

"Hell? Sorry, you're still a long ways away from there. No, this is Ilios, my own personal dimension. We're inside the sword."

Kaia froze in place. "Inside…Angheol? How is that possible? And how am I alive? I know I pierced my heart."

The man laughed. "Still as ignorant as ever, I see. Yes, you did pierce your heart, and you did fall into the lake. However, I'm not ready to let go of you just yet. So, I brought you here."

"You bastard! Why won't you let me end my suffering? How long must you torture me? How many more of my friends have to die before you're satisfied?"

The man frowned at her. "If I were to release you, I would only claim a new wielder. As long as your soul belongs to me, I will never let you go. We are bound together, for all of eternity."

Kaia stared wide eyed at the soul. "So that's it then…" she said, falling to her knees. "I'm stuck with you forever. I'm going to be a monster like Nightmare for the rest of my life."

"You should be happy, you know. You'll never age, never be able to truly die, isn't that what all mortals desire? Immortality?"

"Not like this…not when I must destroy those I love."

The two were silent for a time. Finally, the man spoke.

"(sigh) You can never just cooperate, can you? How about this, I'll send you back to your world, and give you a day to decide your fate. If you accept that you are no longer human, I will stop your transformation from going any further, and I will relinquish your soul so that you may live a mortal life. But if you still wish to die, then I will devour your soul and take your body as my own, and I will kill everyone without distinction. Deal?"

Kaia looked up at the man. After a few moments she nodded her head.

"One day. That's all you'll have to decide."

Then, everything around Kaia turned black, and the man disappeared. When the shadows faded, Kaia found herself dripping wet on a rocky beach. Angheol sat next to her. Hesitating for a moment, she eventually picked up the sword and began to walk, thinking about what had just occurred. No matter what I choose, it'll be in his favor. Do I become a monster and fight for the remainder of my days, or do I let him destroy everyone himself? She walked for most of the day, thinking about this. Eventually, she came across someone standing on a cliff, looking out at Artai.

"Excuse me, what are you doing over there?" Kaia asked.

The stranger turned around to face her. It was a woman dressed in a white skirt, with blonde hair that went just beyond her shoulders, and in her hands she held a short-sword and a blue shield with an Ω like symbol on it.

"Cassandra?"

"I am not Cassandra. She is my younger sister. My name is Sophitia." said the woman.

"Sophitia…I have something to tell you, something you may not like."

"I already know about Cassandra."

"Wait, you do?"

"I found her grave a few days ago. Now I must ask, who are you, and how do you know of me and Cassandra?" Sophitia raised her sword.

"My name is Kaia. I knew Cassandra as a friend. She was killed in a battle with the azure knight, Nightmare. Her last words were an apology to you."

"I see…so he's been completely taken by the sword."

"Who?"

Sophitia lowered her sword. "Siegfried Schtauffen. That is the true name of Nightmare."

Kaia froze. "His…true name?"

Sophitia nodded. "I once traveled with Siegfried, when he had first obtained Soul Edge. He said he had taken the blade in order to gain the power he needed to avenge his father. It wasn't until the sword had reached into his heart that he realized the one who had killed his father was Siegfried himself. That poor boy, he took up that great evil with pure intentions, only to become the azure knight in the end."

Kaia was speechless. Everything he said…it was all true. We really aren't so different. And now, we've both hurt someone dear to us. How could I have been so blind? He must be suffering as much as I am. No, he's been suffering long before I was even born.

"You're like him, aren't you?" Sophitia said.

Kaia looked back at her. Sophitia had her sword ready.

"I don't exactly seem normal anymore, do I?" Kaia replied simply.

"I knew it. You're another child who's been misled by evil! I'm sorry it came to this, but I cannot allow you or Nightmare to exist any longer in this world!"

"No, I'm sorry."

"What?"

Kaia rushed towards Sophitia with incredible speed, embedding Angheol in her stomach. Sophitia stared in shock at the sword now lodged in her.

"I must thank you, Sophitia. Because of you, I was able to make my decision. You can join Cassandra in the afterlife."

Kaia removed her sword, allowing Sophitia's lifeless body to fall to the ground. After burying her body, Kaia began to fly away from Artai.

Angheol, I accept my fate. I am human no more.

So at last you see things my way. Too bad you'll wither to nothing eventually.

Actually, you can hold onto my soul for a little longer. If what Sophitia said is true, then I may have found a way to live in happiness after all.

Oh, and what would that be?

I'll let you find out for yourself. Right now, I want you to guide me to Soul Edge.

You still wish to vanquish Nightmare?

Not quite.

Kaia smiled as she flew toward the desert.