Thank you for reading. You may have noticed that I said I edited some parts here and there in my story. After reading through it once I caught a potential plot inconsistency. Originally in Chapter 6 I had Siegfried tell Cassandra the story of his past, but it was unclear if he revealed if he was Nightmare. I had already written the story with Cassandra not knowing he was Nightmare, and so I went back to fix that part of the chapter. I fixed the following Chapter 8 accordingly to match the events in 6. Other than that I fixed little bits and pieces of dialogue that seemed out of place in the time and place that Soul Calibur takes place (Ch. 21 dialogue between Cassandra and Siegfried). I also changed some of Cassandra's dialogue in which she seemed to giggle like a giddy schoolgirl into something more befitting of an adult (various spots). After reading more sophisticated works I cringed when I saw that I actually wrote dialogue like that. I will continue to edit and make this work something I and you readers can appreciate. Thanks again for reading.

Part 27

The great light was seen for miles, and its witnesses began a pilgrimage toward where it had struck down. To those who had seen the Evil Seed, they instantly compared the two phenomena. But while the sickly pale light from the Evil Seed that had shot upwards as if spewed from the pits of Hell had radiated negative energy, this light that had come from the heavens did not radiate any tangible energy. Some believed it was the Second Coming, while some believed it was a second Evil Seed.

Among those who believed the latter was the warrior princess of the Wolfkrone Kingdom, Hildegard von Krone. She stood before her army, her face grim as she prepared them for what may come upon at the site of the great light.

"Whether this light is a holy omen or another curse, we must expect the unexpected. We have seen the evil that was born on that day of evil seven years ago, so we must be prepared to encounter any sort of thing that awaits us. If this is indeed the second coming of the Evil Seed, we must commit ourselves to eradicate the new demon born from it, lest the world suffer another terror like the Azure Knight. So, my fellow Wolfkrones, we march for humanity!"

ooooo

Cassandra began to stir slowly. She could feel the blood flow returning to her limbs, and she began to warm despite the cool air blowing across her prone body. She felt as if she had just woken from a long sleep, and when she opened her eyes even the diffused light of the gray day was too harsh for them. Immediately she shut her eyes and laid an arm across her face.

While she forced herself awake, the recent horrible events registered in her mind.

"No. Siegfried…are you okay?" She could barely whisper.

She received no response, but felt uplifted when she heard footsteps approaching. She opened her eyes.

"Siegfried…ahhh!"

Instead of seeing the face of her beloved companion, there was a horned beast with thick gray skin staring down at her. She sat up as quickly as her slightly numb body would allow and scooted back to make room between her and the beast. She looked frantically for her weapons but found them nowhere.

"Get away!" She kicked at the beast's knees as it approached.

"Oi! Crazy girl! Stop that!"

"What?" Cassandra was obviously dumbfounded. Taking a closer look at the beast's legs she saw that they looked like a human's.

"It's me Cassandra!" The beast dropped down to one knee and lifted a hand to its face. It lifted off its honed visage and behind was the scruffy and unkempt but familiar face.

"Rock! What on earth!" Cassandra looked as if she was on the verge of passing out, "How did you get here? And what are you wearing?"

"You need to calm down, girl. Breathe, and then I'll explain." Rock's face showed no sign of joy despite reuniting with an old ally, "Where's Siegfried?"

"That's what I wanted to ask. You haven't seen him?" A dreadful expression immediately fell across Cassandra's face.

"Aggh. No, not unless he's buried beneath these stones. I'd hate to think so."

"No…" Cassandra's voice broke into a quiver, "Please, Zeus no…"

She leapt up to her feet and ran to the nearest pile of rubble. Desperately she began lifting chunk after chunk of rubble. Her breaths were heavy with sobs as she labored. She picked up a particularly large slab of stone and took a faulty step and rolled her ankle. She sharply whimpered as she fell over, dropping the slab and hitting her head on it. She stood back up miserably and hobbled to another heap. Her face was contorted in despair and tears streaked down her face. Finally Rock intervened and picked her up by her waist, carrying her away underneath his arm.

"Let me go! What if he's buried? He's going to die! Let me go you son of a bitch!" She kicked, scratched and bit, but Rock did not loosen his grip.

"Stop, you silly girl, just stop."

ooooo

The well disciplined Wolfkrone army marched nonstop through the night and the next morning to confront the potential threat waiting at the site of the great light. By afternoon of the next day the princess' right hand, Gerhilde, spotted a thin column of smoke rising far off in the distance.

"Princess, there, down in the valley, someone has set up a camp. And it is fairly close to where the light had struck down."

Hilde squinted her hazel eyes at where Gerhilde was pointing, "Indeed. Come! We are only a few hours ride away!"

The Wolfkrone army descended down into the valley, moving like one giant shadow colored of silver steel.

ooooo

"Here, eat this." Rock held out a whole cooked quail at Cassandra's face. She didn't accept it and instead stared dejectedly into the fire.

"Oi girl! You'll cook your eyes if you stare at that damn fire anymore!"

"Shut up!" Her voice then dropped to a cold whisper, "How could you still talk to me? Why didn't you just leave me alone?"

"Bah! This again?" Rock angrily took a large bite out of his own bird and continued to talk, "Listen girl, I don't think he was buried alive, or dead for that matter. Did you enjoy your sleep so much that you didn't realize where you were?"

"What the hell does that mean? Of course I know! I was laying where the Azure Knight had blasted me and my friends to smithereens!" She angrily expressed her emotions with her almost insane body gestures.

"No, you dense girl! You were lying on clear, flat ground with not a single bit of rubble touching you. Now how is that possible? All that destruction and yet you managed to avoid being crushed yourself. Don't you think that someone moved you?"

Cassandra gasped. She had never thought of that. But now that it was explained to her, she could see Rock's point. "So you think he's alive? But then where is he?"

"I don't know. I saw no trace of him," Rock answered bluntly.

Suddenly Cassandra remembered a heart stopping detail of the earlier events, "Oh gods! Robin!"

"Gak!" Rock coughed up a piece of quail, "Who's Robin?"

Cassandra stood up and began pacing back and forth frantically, "He was with us! He was caught in the explosion as well! I forgot him! Oh gods!"

"Bah! You want to go back don't you?"

"Of course! I can't leave him!"

"Do you have any clue how long it would take to get back there and actually find him? He may be dead by then."

"Who cares how long it takes? I don't have anywhere to go Rock!"

"Wrong! You do."

"What?" Cassandra stopped her pacing.

"You have two choices. Either go back home and spend the rest of our remaining days with your family, or track down the Soul Edge and destroy it before Siegfried or the Azure Knight do."

"What are you saying?" She cocked her head and glared at him. This reunion with Rock had been a less than pleasant one.

"I'm saying that things have been set in motion. I saw it in a vision while I was so close to death. There is another entity we must worry about other than Nightmare. While we and the rest of the world have been chasing the Azure Knight, the second enemy has been setting up a trap for Siegfried."

"A trap?"

"Yes. If Siegfried reaches the sealed Soul Edge…"

"The Soul Embrace…" Cassandra interrupted.

"If he reaches it first and lays even a finger on it, he will unleash a power that this new enemy will use to pull this world into the Void. On the other hand, if Nightmare gets to it, then we'll simply burn in hellfire until we are all nothing but ash.

"If Siegfried is buried and dead back in that rubble, we still must worry about Nightmare. Do you see what I'm getting at, girl? We cannot waste time." Rock finished Cassandra's bird for her.

Cassandra was absolutely shocked, yet at the same time she was a bit doubtful about how true Rock's premonition was. "How can I help? I would have no clue where to find the Soul Embrace. You don't even know where it is."

"At least I'll search. For all I know I'm the only one who will be." Rock got onto his feet and brushed off his hands, ready to accept the fact that this bull-headed girl was not going to listen to him. "Well, if you're so determined, I'll get on my way. Farewell lass."

"Wait, Rock." Cassandra stopped him before he could walk away, "Where will you be headed? I can follow after I search for Robin and Siegfried."

"Bah! You wouldn't be able to catch up by the time you finish."

"I don't care," Cassandra again fell somber and quiet, "I don't have anyone left on this journey of mine. Siegfried probably left me, Robin might as well be dead, and the gods know where Sophitia is. You're the only friend I have left."

Rock understood, "I'll be heading farther west, towards Germany. If this 'Soul Embrace is to be anywhere, it must back at Ostrheinsburg."

Cassandra nodded, "Okay, I'll find it. Farewell then, Rock."

"Aye," Rock kicked dirt over the fire, smothering the flames.

ooooo

Cassandra didn't realize how hard it was to travel alone. Before she would have Siegfried to share her thoughts with, but now she was alone with only those thoughts to keep her company. She was aware of every mile and step she took, and it was grueling.

Siegfried, could you really be gone? Where did you go? Why did you just leave me alone?

She thought of Rock's premonition.

If it's true, there's little chance for anyone to stop the chain of events. How would anyone find the sword in time?

With the realization that she had been abandoned came doubt.

Why am I still journeying? I was only here to help Siegfried, and now he's left on his own. Sophitia has once again left on another quest ordered by Hephaestus that I know nothing of. Why don't I just go home? Ah, I must be kidding, I don't even know where home is at this point.

Her one-woman conversation came to an end when she approached the scene of carnage. Her dispirited mood lightened when she saw a lone figure hobbling down the path.

"Ah! Who is that? Siegfried? Robin? Is that you?" She ran towards the person.

But instead of being greeted by a grateful friend and a warm embrace that she so desperately needed, she was stopped in her tracks by the approach of a wild-eyed Robin.

"…Doom…We are doomed. Cepheus is dead…"

"Gods! Robin? Are you okay?" Cassandra cautiously approached. Robin did not look right.

"…Humans are so ignorant…He will play his part, and then we are doomed to nothingness." Robin began to quicken his uneven steps. He suddenly lunged forward and grabbed Cassandra by her arms, digging his fingers into her flesh, "Siegfried will doom us all!"

Cassandra screamed as she stared into his fevered eyes, "Stop! Robin gain your senses!"

"But I have Cassandra, and more! I…ha! I saw it! There is nothing we can do! Ha! Come Cassandra, let's live while he have the chance!" With uncanny strength he forced her back and down onto her back, where promptly he forced himself upon her.

"Ahhh! Stop! Nooo!"

"Ha! Cassandra, I have wanted this since I first saw you. Let's give each other what we crave!"

His face closed down upon her chest and she looked away disgustedly, unable to do anything against an insane man's strength. She was prepared to resign herself to this abuse when she heard a loud rustling and a sudden thump. With the thump came the freedom of her limbs. She sat up and saw Robin tumbling away, stopping in a heap a several meters away.

"How?" Cassandra looked up at great form looming over her. It was a horse, and sitting atop the great steed was a knight clad in silver-shining armor.

"Are you okay?" The voice of the knight was oddly feminine. When the knight turned to her, Cassandra saw why. She was indeed a female, young and pretty with luscious burgundy lips and a beauty mark below her lip.

"Y…yes, I am. Thank you." Cassandra stood up and extended her hand to the female knight.

The female knight called out to one of the three armored women waiting patiently behind her. "Siegrune, bind this man. We'll have to interrogate him," she pointed at Robin's limp body.

"Cassandra!" There was another voice, this one no doubt not a female's.

Cassandra looked behind her to the waiting company of knights for the voice. She scanned the company over several times, but saw nothing until a split in their ranks revealed a knight with a bound man in tow.

"Rock? Why are you tied up?"

The female knight raised her hand and the knight receded back into rank along with Rock. "You are a friend of his?"

"Yes. You should let him go."

"I cannot do that, and if you are an acquaintance of his, you must be bound as well." The female knight motioned to one of her soldiers who promptly rode forward with rope.

"What! Why? I have done nothing!"

"We cannot afford to be so trusting of everyone we meet. I suggest you don't struggle."

Looking at the spear she carried, Cassandra heeded the knight's advice and was bound and set atop a horse.

"Gerhilde, take a battalion of twenty men and search these ruins. I will meet you back at home."

"Yes, Princess Hilde. Take care." Gerhilde motioned to her men and they neatly rode into rank behind her. Meanwhile the rest of the company about-faced and began riding back to down the road from which they came. Cassandra cursed her luck. These past two days have been a nightmare, and to add to her fears, she remembered Robin's crazed, yet frighteningly relevant words, "Siegfried will doom us all!"