Soul Caliber Fan Fiction

Lost Souls

By Kraven Ergeist

Chapter One

The sword was gone. His nightmare was over. Yet still he walked this Earth.

Siegfried stared out at what should have been a beautiful world. He had contributed to the plague that was Soul Edge in its slow, sure quest to cover the land in darkness. But he had repented – he had struck down the cursed sword with his own hands. He had erased that which was evil in the world.

So why did this black planet look so ugly?

He stared at his right gauntleted hand. Once upon a time, it had been a horrible monstrosity, a wicked claw that had spread like pestilence up his arm and to his chest, slowly eating his body away. Even after the cursed sword had been lifted from his body, he imagined the dark claw was still there, a phantom reminder of his curse.

Now, all he saw was metal and leather, which covered soft human flesh. Yet even after he had imagined the claw open to tear at his face, never before had he wanted to dig those metal finger into his own neck and…

Siegfried shuddered. This whole world looked brutal and wrong. His own, human body, which he had for a time spent months wishing to have returned to him, now seemed like a burden to carry around, a weak, rotting corpse that did nothing but hinder him, sending sharp twinges of pain as a thorn snagged his arm or a stone struck his boot, or growl deep within his gut as nourishment was needed. He wanted to just lie down somewhere and sleep forever, but every time he did, his body seemed to betray him, opening his eyes, and tearing at his nerves for whatever it happened to need.

He wanted to die.

He wanted to be rid of this mortal coil.

He had struck down Soul Edge, but there was no telling whether or not it would be back. But one thing was for sure – if it did come back, it would haunt him. He would feel it, whether it wanted anything to do with him or not. His life, which should have been a prize that he had won through hard years of torment, was now spent with the constant expectation that one day, Soul Edge would return, and reclaim the sanity that he had once had. He had nothing to look forward to, and everything to fear.

And he wanted to be rid of it all.

He still had the Requiem, an enormous zweihander, a two handed sword with a sharp, blunt tip with tapered edges. It would be easy to simply throw himself on his own sword and wait for death to claim him. The pain would be excruciating, but his life had been nothing but. Though he supposed that very few people in the world had the luxury of dying in anything other than the thralls of pain.

No one would miss him.

He took the sword in his hand and looked at it. It was a beautiful thing, folded tempered steel, crafted by the finest weapon smiths in the world. No doubt if would fetch a pretty penny to whomever came across his bloodied corpse. Aside from the zweihander, his possessions were remedial, only those provisions needed to keep someone alive out in the wilderness. Perhaps someone would make a profit off his armor, it was in good condition.

He almost laughed. Here he was, considering suicide, and all he could think about was whether his possessions would go to good use. He supposed, at least, he'll have had a positive impact on somebody, even if they didn't know it.

He could right every wrong in this world, and still never be cleansed. He had done too much harm to be forgiven. The world was better off without him, and he had no desire to tough it out.

He placed the blade of the sword against his neck. It would hurt, he knew. But it would do the job. One quick slice, and then…

He paused.

Could Soul Edge inhabit the dead? Would this even accomplish anything? Was he only making it easier for Soul Edge to return to this world by snuffing out the last bit of his soul? He had vanquished Soul Edge, hadn't he? If it returned, couldn't he do it again? Could anyone else? He had encountered many a warrior in his life that were all confident that they were a match for the blade. But he had no reason to believe they were. Those he had fought against, he had beaten. And he, himself, was the only one he knew who could defeat Soul Edge.

Perhaps, he truly was the only who could beat it.

Didn't he have an obligation then, to stay alive, and ensure the blade never returned to power? What right did he have to snuff out his own life, when he commanded a considerable amount of power himself? He may not have had the right to live, but it didn't matter – he had a duty to live. And that was more important than anything.

He put down his blade.

"I've found you…"

Siegfried turned. He had thought he was alone for miles. No one came down these roads anymore, and the whether was horrible for travel.

He turned to see who it was, and his eyes widened.

"Isabella…"

"Silence!" the woman in violet shouted. "You have no right to call me by that name!"

Siegfried stood to face the white haired Ivy, her sword held in a tight grip by her side.

"I…" the man gasped. "I had thought you dead."

Ivy smirked. "You would be so fortunate. No, I am very much alive…and I intend to finish what we started one year ago."

Siegfried raised his arms. "Isa…Ivy, wait! The sword is gone!"

She snorted. "Of course it's gone! It's biding its sweet time, preparing to return to wreak havoc! No, Siegfried, its life force is bound to your own! So long as you're alive, Soul Edge shall continue to threaten humanity."

Siegfried shook his head. "I don't believe that. Soul Edge has existed far longer than I have, my life is not of so mch consequence. When one host dies, it moves on to another. I am no different. It even prolongs the host's life, even after their body has died."

Ivy's nostrils flared. She knew exactly who he was referring to – her swine of a father, Cervantes de Leon.

She raised her sword and pointed it at the man in front of her.

"You shut up! I don't recall asking your permission! I will have erased at least one more host for Soul Edge to inhabit."

Siegfried frowned. "I have destroyed Soul Edge before. Should it reappear, so help me, I shall do it again."

Ivy sneered. "Am I to take your word on that?"

Siegfried made an ugly face. "I don't need your validation. Either believe me and move on, or fight me and die."

The Valentine blade uncoiled in her arms.

"Plan B it is!" Ivy growled, launching at him the knight, her whip-like blade twirling menacingly overhead.

Siegfried dropped to one knee, resting his sword point on the ground, balancing it on his arm. The Ivy blade bounced harmlessly off the glistening Requiem, and Siegfried leapt at her, swinging his blade at her feet, clipping her plated knees. She spun head over heels, letting out a shout as she hit the ground.

When she looked up, the blunt nose of the enormous zweihander were inches from her throat.

"This is strike one," the longhaired man said. "Make me count to three, and so help me God, I will kill you."

"Why wait!" Ivy shouted back defiantly, smacking his sword away with hers, bringing it back in whip for, nearly cleaving off his head.

Siegfried recoiled, guarding her attack with the flat of his blade. She brought her sword back, enveloping it around her body, before sending it up into the air. Siegfried tumbled, just in time for the Ivy Blade to sink into the earth at his side.

In an instant, Siegfried was upon her, smacking the butt of his sword at her, which she blocked with her gauntlet. Siegfried then kicked her legs out from under her, before letting his sword hover over her face.

"Strike two…" the man said. "I warn you…"

Ivy was relentless. She back flipped, nailing his chin with her boots, before she plunged her blade into the earth.

Siegfried dodged left and right as the blade came up from the ground beneath his feet. Again and again, he leapt, just barely clearing the razor sharp bits on a thread that shot up from the ground.

With look of fury, Siegfried dodged again and charged her, raising his sword high.

Ivy retracted her blade from the Earth just in time to catch the massive blade with her own, gauntleted hand clutching her sword.

"Walk away, Isabella…" Siegfried growled. "You still have a chance to live your life, away from all this. This is not your fight."

The woman simply glared back. "I told you…"

Throwing him off, Ivy spun her chain blade around in a cyclone around her body.

"Don't call me by that name!"

The whirlwind of blades would have gutted the knight, had he not caught the Valentine blade in a blaze wind, twirling the Requiem around his body, tangling the whip about itself, before he delivered a kick that sent Ivy flying.

The Valentine blade retracted back into sword form, and Siegfried picked it up, before stepping over to Ivy's fallen form.

"This sword…" he said, eying the blade carefully. "It feels…"

"Give that back!" Ivy shouted, getting to her feet, reaching for her stolen weapon.

Siegfried pulled the sword back, putting his own sword point in her path.

"You lost. Thrice. You're lucky I don't kill you."

"If you won't give back my sword, then at least have the decency to give me the death you promised!"

"I have had my fill of death. Alive and unarmed, you are no threat to me."

"I am nothing without it!"

"Perhaps this sword is the problem," Siegfried said. "It's so strangely similar to the cursed blade."

Ivy's eyes glared evilly. "You dare! You dare compare my sword to the Soul Edge!"

Siegfried nodded, sheathing Ivy's sword behind his belt. "Who would know better than I? In any case, your life is already forfeit. You are better off without this fowl imitation."

Ivy felt rage boiling inside her.

"No!"

She lunged at him, sinking her sharp gauntleted fingers into his neck, drawing blood.

"I can still kill you, with or without the sword!" Ivy roared.

Siegfried seized her attacking arm and pulled her off of him easily. "Ivy, listen to reason…"

Ivy struggled under his grip. She pounded with her unarmed fist, kicked and kneed him to no avail, and finally resorted to spitting in his face.

"One way or another, I am getting that sword back!"

Siegfried dropped his sword and seized her other arm. "Ivy, calm yourself. You are in no further position to fight – all I ask is that you move on. I'll even return your sword to you if that's what you truly wish."

Ivy stopped struggling, and smiled insincerely. "…Very well then. Give me my sword and I'll press on."

Siegfried almost laughed. "That was rather quick. I find it difficult to believe you've dropped your grudge just like that."

Ivy's expression went back to rage, and she begun to thrash in his grip.

"Unhand me, you great oaf!"

"As you wish…"

Ivy suddenly flew back after throwing all her weight against a grip that was no longer holding her.

Siegfried picked up his sword and sheathed it.

"If what you say is true, Ivy…then I must live on," Siegfried explained as he offered her a hand to pull her to her feet. "I must be here to fight Soul Edge if and when it returns, do you understand?"

Ivy swatted his hand away and got to her feet, still in a fighting stance.

"Spare me your self righteous reasoning," Ivy cawed. "Your words are worth less than nothing to me."

Siegfried pressed on, unfazed. "My quarrel is not with you, Ivy. I just wish to be left in peace."

Ivy held out her hand expectantly. "Then return to me what's rightfully mine."

"But…" Siegfried said, holding up a finger. "For the time being, I may be able to help you."

"I don't need your help, vessel of Soul Edge!" Ivy sneered.

"I think…" Siegfried withdrew the Ivy blade from his belt. "…You do…"

Ivy watched in awe at what should have been impossible: The Ivy blade opened, letting it's blade bits dance around the wielder, bound only by the alchemic chord that attached them to the hilt.

Ivy nearly gasped. The sword shouldn't respond to any command save her own!

"How…?"

"This sword…" Sigfried breathed. "It speaks to me the same way Soul Edge did. And I think it's affecting you the same way it did me."

Ivy crossed her arms. "Fine! Suppose I believe you – what do you propose?"

Sigfried shrugged. "Get rid of it."

"Unacceptable."

"Then you've bound yourself to a demon, Ivy – this sword, for all it's worth to you, is cursed, the same way Soul Edge was cursed. You'll live a damned life so long as you keep it on you."

"Then so be it!"

"Ivy…" Siegfried breathed. "Listen to yourself. Are you willing to give up everything for the sake of this sword? It's taken hold of you, Ivy…fight it! I broke its influence, you can too!"

Ivy shook her head. "Silence! You know not what you speak!"

Siegfried shook his head, his expression blank. "I cannot allow you to live with this blade, Ivy. If one of us is to be cursed for life, I would prefer it be me."

Ivy gasped, incredulously. "So, what then? You're just going to take it!"

Siegfried sheathed it back into his belt. "Unless you agree to use all your knowledge to isolate the evil presence in this blade and eliminate it."

Ivy sniffed. "And how am I to do that? I don't exactly have your keen sense for all things dark and impure."

Siegfried flinched. That had been unnecessary.

"I said before, I'm willing to help you. I've got nothing better to do while I await Soul Edge's inevitable return."

Ivy stared hard at the man. Then her features lost their sharp edge.

"You're return my sword and in return, you will help me remove the evil presence?"

Siegfried nodded. "And when we finish, I can be out of your life forever if you wish."

Ivy frowned. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. For now…give me the sword."

Siegfried drew the Ivy blade. "Give me your word then."

Ivy sighed. "Fine. I give you my word that I shall strive to cleanse this blade of all things dark and impure. Satisfied?"

Siegfried handed her the Ivy blade, smiling smartly at her. "Good then. How do you plan to go about it?"

Ivy held her sword, eying it as a mother would a long lost infant. "I'll take it home to Valentine Manor. I'll set it up in my father's lab. You will accompany me?"

"If that is the lady's wish," Siegfried bowed his head, his chivalrous instincts kicking in.

Ivy smirked. No self-respecting knight would strike a lady, armed or unarmed, and here, this buffoon meant to adhere to that ancient code? It was laudable!

"Very well, then…" Ivy smiled. "This could prove interesting. The manor is due west of here, about a day's walk."

Siegfried eyed the sky. "I doubt we have that long. Shall we make camp, or travel through the night?"

"Night time travel is just fine. Unless you're afraid of the dark."

"I imagine that, cursed or not, that sword of yours will protect you just as well as mine will, night or day."

Ivy sheathed her sword to her belt. "Then it's settled. We press on till morning."

Siegfried didn't say a word. He just followed her as she started along down the road.

Every so often, she would turn around to check on him, only to find him prodding along, keeping his distance.

An hour passed, and Ivy huffed. "Confound it, Siegfried, I can't have you lagging behind the whole trip! Walk with me if you please!"

Siegfried blinked before speeding up his pace to keep even with hers.

"Feeling lonely, are we?"

"Shut up," Ivy shot back. "We just look strange, walking five meters apart."

Siegfried would have pointed out that they had passed no houses or populated areas, and no one had passed them on the street, but he said nothing.

"When I set out after you…" Ivy said in a lowered tone. "I had intended to kill you."

Siegfried eyed her warily. "And do you still intend to go through with that?"

Neither Ivy's posture nor her tone suggested she was about to attack him, but one could never be too sure.

"If you give me reason to," Ivy said with a wry smile.

Siegfried nodded back. He had seen that look before. He had seen it in many women over t he years. It was a look that said, "Touch me, and die." Something in his bones told him that, as far as matters of civility went, for as long as he remained under her roof, this look was all the warning he'd ever get.

"I know you have no reason to trust me, Ivy…" Siegfried muttered. "But as a knight of the Holy Roman Empire-"

"Oh, shut it!" Ivy snapped. "You're no more a knight than I am a duchess! They are titles that may have once identified us, but no longer. For all intents and purposes, we are both damned, Siegfried."

Siegfried nodded. "I understand. But we can also put the past behind us, at least temporarily. We can go back to living, if not the way we did before, than at very least, by the same principles."

Ivy sneered. "My past is too full of sin for that, Siegfried. If you can so easily shrug off your scars, than go right ahead. Consider yourself lucky."

"I cannot," Siegfried frowned. "I bear my sins with me always. But my point is simply that the past is not entirely filled with sin. Somewhere, in our lives…we were good people, at some point. And there's nothing wrong with drawing upon that."

Ivy considered that for a moment. "It seems to me that I'd just be fooling myself. My so-called 'good memories' are of my childhood, and they end with my adolescence. From that point onward, my life has spiraled down a well of insanity."

Siegfried frowned. "For what it's worth, I am sorry. But a happy memory, even one drawn from childhood, is still something worth holding onto, isn't it?"

Ivy fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Can we change the subject, please?"

Siegfried bowed his head, without even meaning to. "As the lady wishes."

Ivy bared her teeth. "And stop with all the 'lady' nonsense! We are both of us warriors, and I would appreciate it if you not insult me by presuming to honor some imaginary status!"

Siegfried sighed. The lady had her share of quirks, and there wasn't a lot that didn't get on her nerves somehow.

"I was simply trying to be polite, but I'll stop trying so hard if it upsets you that much."

Ivy gritted her teeth. Normally, she enjoyed it when men submitted to her will this easily, but for some reason, obedience from Siegfried was simply maddening.

"In any case," Siegfried went on, trying to revive what might have been a civilized conversation (Though he half felt that he was beating a dead horse). "I intend to make good with what remainder of my life exists. If I can save just one soul, then maybe when Saint Peter judges me, I can say that at least I did some good for the world. He can send me to hell, but I'll go knowing that I did something admirable."

"Foolish," Ivy chided, idly. "You're far too soft, Siegfried. It's a wonder any part of you survived Soul Edge."

"Indeed…" Siegfried nodded, eyes closed. "Perhaps, a better man would have put up more of a fight, and been extinguished. I was eventually broken, and holed myself off in vacant part of my mine, while Nightmare dominated my existence. I didn't survive because I was strong – I survived because I was weak, and I posed no threat to Soul Edge, at least, inside my own mind."

Ivy nodded, curious. "Inside your own mind…but you managed to defeat Soul Edge."

"I did, but that was once it had relinquished control, leaving me for dead. I was not dead, and when I rose, I destroyed it before it could take me again."

Ivy nodded. "I see. And then?"

"I had thought myself free. But then I started having…flashes…feelings, that Soul Edge wasn't gone. At first, I thought it was just my own demons coming back to haunt me. But then he showed up."

Ivy bit her lip, intrigued. "The immortal?"

Siegfried nodded. "He was a death seeker. He wanted to use Soul Edge to induce his own death. Madness, I told him, but he wouldn't listen. He used it…and became something horrible…"

Ivy clenched her fist. Had she been a woman of charity, she might have touched his shoulder to ease the telling, but she simply waited for him to compose himself.

"When he disappeared, the cursed sword vanished with him. I had thought it finished…"

"But it is never finished…" Ivy finished for him.

"I thought about killing myself…" Siegfried confessed. "Just end it all. But it wouldn't have solved anything. And I drew the same conclusion that you did – the Soul Edge would be back, and that it was my responsibility, as one forever bound to it, to ensure that it never happens."

There was a long silence that passed between them as the weight of his words sank in.

Ivy crossed her arms. "Perhaps I was wrong about you. You are far from soft. A lesser man would have crumbled under such pressure. Yet you remain."

Siegfried blinked. Had she just said something nice?

"Don't get me wrong, however," Ivy smirked. "I still think you're a fool. A sentimental fool, in over his head. But your heart is in the right place."

Siegfried found himself smiling.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

xxxxx

A/N: Well, here's my first published Soul Caliber fic. I based Siegfried's fighting style off his SC3 command list. He's my favorite character to play, and Ivy was a close second, at least, in SC2. I was delighted to learn that these two were a popular pairing, so I decided to write a fic around them. I might throw in a few other characters from the game, but this is going to be primarily a Siegfried/Ivy fic. Romance will come later.

Keep reading!