Sophitia gripped the hilt of the sword in her hands. She gripped it tighter than she had ever gripped a sword before. But this sword did not belong to her; on the contrary, she belonged to it. She stood over the broken body of the Azure Knight, the energy that formed its maw-like midsection now dissipated and the demonic red light faded from its eye sockets. The ground beneath this lifeless husk was coated in a fine layer of ice, as if it were a cold winter's day.

Standing there, staring her down with piercing blue eyes, was the crystal armour-clad warrior wielding the holy sword in a jagged, crystalline form, almost as long as he was tall. Tira had told her that this man was the single greatest threat to Soul Edge's existence and she could see why. She could still see it in her mind clear as day, how he had cut his way through innumerable servants of the cursed sword as he lay siege to Tower of Remembrance, moving towards his final battle with his dark counterpart. A battle that would change the world forever.

The two had fought at the apex of the tower, the cursed sword and its holy counterpart clashing fiercely, sending shockwaves throughout the tower. During this great battle, Sophitia had been forced to fight alongside Soul Edge's other servants: the Black Giant Astaroth, the bizarre bondage warrior Voldo, and of course, Soul Edge's chief servant Tira. Sophitia had refused to fight at first. But Tira had then reminded the Greek warrior that Soul Edge's destruction would be the end of her children as well. With no other choice, she obeyed.

Sophitia was soon the last one standing as Astaroth was slain by a nunchaku-wielding man, while Tira and Voldo disappeared during the melee. Sophitia wasn't sure what she would have done, either gone to defend Soul Edge personally or track down Tira to save her daughter. Neither choice really mattered in the end when she came face-to-face with Cassandra.

Ever impulsive, her younger sister had left their home in Athens to search for Sophitia and aid her in her quest. She could see the look of betrayal in Cassandra's eyes as they found the shard of Soul Edge Tira made Sophitia wear around her neck, and it caused Sophitia more pain than any blade ever could.

Sophitia had always felt that Cassandra was the stronger of the two, never accepting her fate and always fighting toward a better future. She envied her in all honesty. Sophita could not meet Cassandra's steely gaze out of shame, but she was proud of her sister for doing what she could not: she made the first move.

While their clash did not shake the foundations of the tower as the one raging above did, it did shake the foundations of Sophitia's heart. Of all the battles she had fought, with the dread pirate, with Tira, with noble warriors that fought to rid the world of Soul Edge's evil, not one of them affected her as deeply as her duel with her sister. A part of her wanted to just give in. To let Cassandra proceed, hoping against hope that she may find some way to save her sister's children.

As if sensing her hesitation, the shard around Sophitia's neck crackled with energy and she felt a horrid, burning sensation as she was overcome by dark, monstrous emotions. She flew into a berserker rage and attacked. She returned to her senses shortly thereafter, awakening to the horrid sight of the sister's battered, bloody body lying before her as she herself was about to plunge her blade into Cassandra's heart.

She threw down her sword and cradled her sister's body in her arms as she wept over what she had done. A strange voice suddenly spoke to her. It had not come from within the room; more like it was one of her own thoughts, yet different somehow. It told her that she could save her sister if she only did as it said. Disillusioned and barely keeping hold of her sanity, Sophitia did as the voice instructed, like a puppet commanded by the strings of the puppeteer, and made her way to the top of the tower.

So here she was, holding the sword she had once been tasked with destroying, preparing to face the one person who could rid the world of its evil forever. Somehow, she could sense that this man had been through much, suffered as she had under the power of Soul Edge. She could sense that he desired its destruction just as much as she did.

But she could not allow that. The faces of her two beautiful children flashed through her mind and her grip tightened around the sword's rough hilt. A careless mistake in her battle with the dread pirate Cervantes years earlier had left her blood tainted and victim to Soul Edge's evil influence. Blood that now flowed through the veins of her children.

If Soul Edge were to be destroyed, it would drag her children down into oblivion along with it. How could the gods be so cruel? She had heeded their call to protect mankind and destroy the evil sword, had played a part in Cervantes' defeat and almost died doing so, yet they had allowed her children's fates to be tied to that same cursed blade.

She now stood with tears welling in her eyes, preparing to defy the gods, to ignore her duty to fight for mankind, all to ensure her children would have a future. A future where they could live, free from the influence of the two swords. Where they could fall in love, have children of their own and die happy and content, knowing that they would soon be joining their mother who loved them dearly.

"Pyrrha... Patroklos... Forgive me..."

This is an old piece I wrote between June and July of 2013. It was intended to be the prologue to a story I was planning that was how I would have followed up SoulCalibur IV since I despise SCV. The story would centre around Cassandra after being saved by Zasalamel, searching for her missing sister, who had gone missing after her encounter with Siegfried.

I did start writing the first chapter but for some reason, I never got around to finishing it. So I decided to upload it here so people can read it since I think it works as a standalone.

What do you guys think? Don't be like my YouTube subscribers and ignore me when I ask for feedback. Please?