8A.N~ I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry… I have not updated in over…. 3 MONTHS! I wanted to update sooner, but I was having trouble deciding where I wanted it to go… So at least it's her! And I promise I won't keep people waiting for 3 months again….
One thing you should remember before reading this is that it is based on the second game and a little bit of Soul Caliber legends, which should explain Siegfried relationship with some of the characters…. Just so you know, for anyone who hasn't played soul caliber Legends, I don't think it really matters XD….
And I want to thank Sentinel07, Mark Ol' Henry, egarsoul173(anon) and Cassandrafan for reviewing!
And a special thanks to Cassandrafan for pointing out my mistakes, and Mark Ol' Henry for your input about the dialogue, I know it's not perfect but I tried to fix it!
Wow...Updating this was an intire ordeal... Fanfiction was giving me many, many problems... URGH!
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SOUL CALIBUR….. IF I DID, I WOULD HAVE A LOT MORE MONEY, THAN I DO NOW! (So I would have, like a dollar XD! )
"As reason clouds my eyes, with splendor fading
Illusions of the sunlight
And the reflection of a lie will keep me waiting
Love gone for so long"
~Trading Yesterday – Shattered~
Chapter 2: Nightmares
'Do you really think you can destroy us?'
The cry echoed throughout the cathedral, engulfing the once sacred grounds in a thick veil of darkness. He had forgotten the feeling of control, which had eluded him for some years now. The most freedom he had experienced was the slight conscience he would gain for a few wavering minuets. But this was different.
He groaned in pain, fighting for dominance with his rebellious limbs. "N-n-no…" He despised how weak his voiced sounded compared to the roaring of the evil which possessed him. He stumbled forward, casting aside his azure helmet, allowing long strands of golden hair to cascade down his shoulders in long awaited freedom, sticking to his sweat matted forehead uncomfortably. The demon – as that was the only word befitting to the evil which possessed him – growled in disobedience, fighting harder for control over his no longer willing vessel. "I no longer…wish to harm…t-the innocent…"
The demon seemed to snarl at his words. 'No one of this earth is innocent! We must cleanse this tainted world of filth you call humanity!'
"N-no!" The man fell to his knees, grasping his throbbing head with his right hand, while holding his left as far away from him as possible, still unable to admit ownership to the grotesque limb. That arm was not him, not anymore.
'We can stop this vermin from spreading their influence any further; we can finally gain the power we were long searching for!'
"No…" The man breathed again, ignoring the demon's groan of annoyance. "Not 'we', YOU! It was you who killed all of those people! It is you who yearns to spread its influence! And it is you who searches for power, not me! The only thing I crave is freedom!" The man brought his – now throbbing – mutated hand up to join his other as he tugged painfully at his hair, wishing to harm the demon anyway he could, even if it meant destroying himself. "Just leave me be, or let me DIE!"
'Never!' snarled his demon, as his mutated limb began to throb again, starting from his shoulder, and extending to the tips of his three long fingers. 'Have you forgotten who it was who killed your father? You deserve not the peace that would befall you in death! I may have done the things you implied, but that sin is yours to bare!' It spat every word to the trembling man, who froze as the words sunk deep into his mind.
Did he do that? He wasn't sure; he couldn't remember a life before the wrenched sword fell into his possession. He couldn't remember, and that was what scared him most, he refused to believe he could commit such a heinous crime without the steady influence of the demon sword, but was what the sword had spoken the truth? If it was, did he really deserve freedom from his constant suffering?
The demon, sensing the internal struggle within his vessel, growled triumphantly. He would gain control of his body yet again, only this time, he would make sure this sudden burst of foolish disobedience would never happen again.
However, before the demon could plant his seed of manipulation further into the unwilling knight's mind, a blood curling scream, snapped the knight out of his depression. Looking down, astonished where a thin sword had pierced the demon sword in the center of his eye, he stood up on shaky knees, shocked to have gained full control of his body. He looked gingerly down at his arm, letting out a surprised sigh of relief. His arm was once again that of a normal human being.
"Foil beast! We die together!" The knight watched as the English man stumbled on his feet, and toppled to the ground. The knight's eyes scanned over the man. He had thought he killed him, but was happy the man could live another day, he narrowed his gaze on the demon sword, but not so long as this evil remains alive.
The man stumbled forward to grip the hilt of the holy sword. 'Do you think you can destroy me?' The voice of the sword physically shook the cathedral as the man fought his way to the demon sword. 'You can't destroy me! You are nothing! You have NOTHING without me. You are nothing but a hollow vessel.'
"No…" The man's voice no longer shook from fear as he allowed the holy sword to hover over the demonic blade. He wasn't scared, not anymore. He was far beyond that now. "It is you who is empty without me." He lifted the sword, seemingly oblivious to the tendrils of darkness that desperately clung to the sword. "I am Siegfried Schtauffen, and I no longer need your help!" He slammed the sword down, hearing a deafening crack ring though out the cathedral.
It was music to his ears.
Siegfried shot up from his restless sleep. He had been having the same dream – more like memory – for months now, ever since he escaped from the evil sword's clutches. But regardless of how many nights were disturbed by the same dream, it always had the same effect, leaving Siegfried sweating feverishly and trembling.
He glanced down at his arm and found himself jumping back as his arm turned, from a mutated limb to the arm of a normal man. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He was just restless, that was all. He must not give attention to things that did not matter, or he would surly lose his mind.
He surveyed the dark forest that enclosed around him, searching for any sign of movement. He sure the strange girl Tira from the night before was long gone. He hadn't seen any ravens since she left, and the thick presence of evil surrounding him had long since dissipated, but he couldn't help but be wary. It was rare of him to be caught off guard, yet the girl had done it. And she almost killed him.
He turned to the sleeping Athenian beside him, whimpering quietly in her sleep. He had endangered her too, maybe not purposely, but none the less, he couldn't help but feel guilty of the long gash trailing along the side of her stomach. It was his fault. She had tried to protect him, and in the process, endangered herself.
He crawled over to where the girl slept and inspected her side. He was sure he spared the girl from an infection, but the wound would need to be cleaned frequently. 'Would she be able to do it all herself?' As much as he wanted to help her, he had to continue his search for Soul edge, and the girl's presence would hinder his search. As soon as he reached a village, he would drop her off at an infirmary. That was the only option.
He sighed leaning against a tree, allowing his eyes to shut. It had to be him.
"Gods damn. My head hurts." Siegfried opened his eyes reluctantly to gaze at the now mobile Athenian. He shot up and held her down before she could stand up.
"What are you doing? You should be resting."
"Ugh… I'm fine…" Siegfried narrowed his eyes at the girl when he caught the inconspicuous roll of her eyes. What was her problem? She was unlike any Athenian he had ever laid eyes on. Instead of the usual Athenian warrior apparel, she wore blue battle clothes with a collared shirt and a pink ribbon in front. Her skirt was white with blue lining paired with a pair of black tights, and unlike the normal long flowing blonde hair most – if not all – warriors sported, hers was cut short, just above her shoulders, and pulled back with a white head band. And it wasn't only her looks that had him doubting her Athenian roots, the girl was insufferable, with no sense of decency, and the pride for their homeland that overflowed from most Athenian's attitude, was completely absent with the young woman. If it were not for her unmistakable fighting style, he would have completely dismissed the idea.
The girl smirked at him, ignoring his grip on her as she slowly pushed herself up. "Wow…that hurts like a bitch…" Siegfried furrowed his brow at the crude language, trying to hold her somewhat still so she wouldn't reopen her wound. "Gods, I'm fine, will you stop touching me!" She slapped at his hand until she was released and pushed herself up. "I'm a warrior, I've had worse." The knight snorted, causing the Athenian to whip her head back towards him. "What was that noise for?"
Siegfried shrugged. "I've never known a warrior to sport a pink bow." Siegfried chuckled, only to receive a sharp kick to his side.
"Ow!" The girl released a string of curses, while holding her side, and hopping on one foot. "That was your fault." Her cerulean eyes bore accusingly into his and she lowered herself slowly on the ground. "Why the hell are you so hard anyways?"
Siegfried rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm wearing armor. The fact that you did not notice that makes it apparent that you still need rest."
The girl pushed herself closer to him, so that she could inspect him closely. "So… Who was that girl?"
Siegfried shrugged. "If I knew, she would already have been dead." He said matter-of-factly. "She won't get away. I think she knows where I can find someone."
"So, where can we find her?"
Siegfried almost laughed aloud at her statement. "What do you mean 'we'? You aren't coming with me."
"That witch, threatened my family. And who knows, maybe she knows where I can get soul edge, like, killing two birds with one stone, or something like that – I was never very good with quotes."
Siegfried flinched, his hand instinctively reaching behind him to grasp the holy sword. "You are on a quest for the demon sword?" He shook his head at memories from his own quest for power that had led him to posses the sword himself. "The power of the sword is far more devastating than you can ever imagine. No amount of power is worth the pain."
"HA!" She nearly screamed, making Siegfried jump back. "My quest has nothing to do with the sword. My sister searches for the retched sword, not me. I have no need for power." She crossed her legs painfully, and supported her chin on her hand, which was propped up on her leg. "All I want to do is get to my sister before she does something stupid. If along the way I find that sword, I'll destroy it for her. All I know is that where ever the sword is, I'll find my sister." She looked at him and grinned. "And if we both have a common enemy, why not work together? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend'… or something like that…"
He looked away from her, suddenly not able to meet the cerulean irises. "I am not the kind of friend you need."
The girl shrugged. "I could probably say the same thing, but seeing as I'm not getting anywhere – I'm still trying to figure out a way to destroy the sword without soul caliber, and by the looks of it, that is next to impossible – and to be honest, it seems as if you could use the company."
The knight laughed at the girl's naiveté. The girl didn't even know his name, yet she was willing to journey together with him? He had to be honest, it was refreshing to meet someone who knew nothing of his sins, but it was still odd. Normally, people would be a lot less…trusting. The girl didn't even question why she had woken up next to a stranger, and showed no signs of suspecting him of anything. Maybe she was ill?
"We don't even know each other's names…"
The girl shoved her hand towards him, smiling brightly. "Cassandra Alexandra…" 'Alexandra? Could she be…?'
"Normally, when one offers her hand, the other one takes it." She interrupted his thoughts with a curt smile.
Blinking, he reached out to grasp the Athenian's hand. "Siegfried Schtauffen…" He watched her face intently, trying to organize his thoughts. "Uh… Your sister…"
"Huh? What about her?" Cassandra released his hand, and resumed her previous position.
"Is she… Okay…?" Cassandra blinked at the unusual question.
"Uh…Yeah…She fine…. At least I hope…Why?"
"Nothing…" He said quickly turning away from her, pulling his dark brown cloak around him. It was already too late to collect fire wood, so they would have to go without the warmth of the fire tonight. He pushed the thick blanket towards the girl, who reluctantly accepted it. "Get some sleep. We can discuss this in the morning…"
The silence didn't last long before a snort interrupted his sleep. "You sleep in your armor?"
Siegfried groaned. Did she not know when to be silent? "Just go to bed."
Power is the greatest motivation for sin. People blindly follow any path, regardless of how malicious that may be. Humans are the most greedy and deceitful beings in the world, it is a well known fact. Humans search to hurt and destroy each other in an attempt to impose power and dominance over the weak. It was, in fact, the way of the world, for the strong to dominate the weak. That is why we strive for power. We strive to surpass those around us, to ensure our survival.
Power is the greatest motivation for evil….
Which was why she wouldn't let anyone posses that sword. Such evil should not be able to exist. She scowled at the former Azure knight slept beneath the tree she was perched on. It was not fair that the beast be able to rest peacefully after all of the sins he had committed. He had betrayed her and tormented the Europe for years, and he strived for redemption? Such treachery was beyond forgiveness, beyond retribution.
It was apparent that she was not the only one who thought so. The strange woman in the green clothes was almost successful in ending his life, and had the Athenian not came along, she was sure she would have. However -that girl - she was a retainer of the demon sword, and therefore could not be spared.
She shook her head, causing her black ponytail to whip back and forth in front of her face. All who serve soul edge cannot receive mercy, which was why Siegfried could not live. She looked down to the Athenian girl who was curled up in a thick wool blanket close to the knight. What of her?
The girl must not know of the man's true identity or she would not have saved him. She couldn't sense any negative energy emanating from her, but she may have to deal with her before she could fight the former azure knight. It should be easy, seeing as how she was currently injured – not mortally, thanks to the knight, but injured none the less – and therefore was of no threat to her. She wanted to spare the innocent life, but if she had to, she would do what would need to be done to acquire soul calibur.
The woman smiled to herself, now was the best time to strike if she was going to destroy him.
The woman descended quietly down the tree so that she was crotched next to her target, she drew her dagger and pressed the blade to the knight's throat to slit the flesh.
Just as her blade began to pierce the skin, the man's eyes shot open and she was met with wondering green eyes. However, that was not what stopped her blade from taking his life. What had her frozen was the cold blade poking at the base of her neck.
"Do it and I'll take your head off…" The woman turned her head to see the Athenian; she stood over her, with the brown blanket still wrapped partially around her shoulders, the sudden movement of her blade causing it to fall the rest of the way off. "You know, I was having a pretty good dream too."
"Taki…?" The dark haired girl turned back to her green eyed target and pressed the knife closer to his throat, which in turn caused the Athenian's sword to pierce her skin, sending droplets of blood to trickle down her pale skin.
"Watch it…" The Athenian warned. "I didn't save him so he could die the next day." Taki ground her teeth, maybe she should have killed the meddlesome girl before.
"Cassandra wait…." The girl relieved some of the pressure on the blade as she turned to the knight for reassurance. "Just let her do it…"
"What?" Taki smirked at the girl's angered voice. At least the knight would accept his fate.
"You don't understand all the things I've done…" He looked down at his hand and clenched his eyes tight. "It would be best…"
"Shut up, I'm not going to let her kill you, I personally don't care what you did, you still need to help me find the weird girl, so I won't let you die."
Taki turned to face the Athenian, and allowed shock to take over for a second before she narrowed her eyes at the girl. This Athenian looked so familiar… "Stay out of this. You know not of the sins he's committed. If you knew, you would not be so egger to come to his aid."
"I don't care what he did. Everyone deserves a second chance regardless of from what. If he is ready to die for his sins, then he is worthy to be redeemed. And I'll be damned if I stand back and watch you kill the man who healed me."
Taki smiled, as nostalgia washed over her. She was almost positive of who this was now. The words she spoke were so similar to those of her closest friend. "You sound just like her…"
The girl's brow furrowed in confusion, as Taki removed her dagger from the knight's throat and turned to face her. "What? Who are you talking about?"
Taki ignored her questions and turned to the knight. "Take care of her, or I will kill you next time. However as it stands, your life is spared. Though I will be the one to destroy soul edge."
"I can take care of it myself…"
She smiled at the knight's reluctance. "Of course, though we all know what happened last time you came in possession of the sword. Don't slip up Schtauffen…" She turned back to the Athenian and bowed her head low. "Since you believe in the redemption of this man he will live, though just know; now it is your burden to bear should anything happen." She turned back to the knight. "Take care of Soul Caliber…" She laughed, and in a puff of smoke, she was gone.
Siegfried leaned his head against the tree trunk when he was sure she was gone. He was so close. So close to freedom from his damn guilt and of course he had been denied his sanctuary. It had been years since he had been in contact with his old companion, and it was good to see her well again. He had killed so many of those close to him that he had assumed she had died too.
He had betrayed her. He had taken soul edge and ran, becoming consumed with hate and rage. She had warned him to relieve himself of the burden of souledge, but he had wanted the power that the sword possessed, and he had accepted the evil which consumed the sword. He should have been killed, but he wasn't. He turned to the Athenian who had slumped in the spot next to him. She had saved him, because she believed he deserved redemption, when she knew nothing of him or his sins.
"Why did you do that?"
The girl shrugged and looked over at him. "I would have done it for anyone."
"Anyone…?" He almost laughed at her reason. It was hard to believe.
Cassandra laughed and turned to face him. "You have a lot of enemies don't you?"
Siegfried sighed. "You have no idea…"
Cassandra looked underneath her bandages and smiled. "The wounds aren't so bad that I can't travel, so we can leave first thing tomorrow." Siegfried opened his mouth to object but was silenced with a glare from the Athenian. "If you really do have soul caliber, then there is no reason for me not to travel with you. And seeing as how I saved you twice, I think you owe me."
Siegfried frowned, ready to object again, when the girl pulled her blanket over her and curled up against the tree. Siegfried sighed ready to sit up when a hand grasped his arm. "You should stay here. I don't want you to wander off and get killed." She smirked up at him and Siegfried sat back down, wrapping his arms across his chest.
He could leave now. With the girl's wounds, she would be unable to stop him, but he found himself easing into her touch. The one person who had never told him, it wasn't a sin for him to live. The one person who believed he deserved redemption. And as much as he wanted to say, he could do it himself, that he didn't need her to tag along, he couldn't…
He wanted to believe he was worthy of redemption too…
He wanted her to come…
A.N~ Yay! It's done! Chapters after this one will be longer; I just wanted to get the adventure going…. My next update won't be too far away!