A tournament was being held in the Ming Empire. The winner was allowed a private audience with the Emperor himself... and anything they asked for, they would be given. Many believed that by winning this challenge, great riches would be theirs. Others sought a new weapon for their own personal use, and China was known for the beauty, strength, and durability of her weapons. Yet many went to boast their strength so that they may join the army and serve their country. However, a certain few wanted the most precious treasure of all... information. For them, an audience with the emperor was vital to a quest or any other undertaking. Therefore, they would fight with their entire being, body and soul, to overcome the other challengers. Thus, these souls were the ones to beware of in the battle, as the many warriors that have gathered will soon discover... - Chapter 9: Battle One... FIGHT! ____________________________________________________________________ Of course, not all were seasoned veterans in combat. Some were only children, and not much older than Talim. They were easy prey... yet they were still competent fighters for thier age. They were therfore placed into another class, and would be fighting before the more experienced warriors. However, Talim was placed in the same class as the older fighters, which upset the young challengers. "I guess it's just the luck of the draw, fellas," sha apologized. "Hey, don't worry, though. I'll win for all of us!" They seemed to be satisfied with this, and wished her good fortune. Mina, who stood by and watched this, did nothing but smile. 'She gets along so well with them. Maybe it's because of her pure heart. She could be the one...' Her weapon replied with 'Indeed... but let's not make any judgements yet.' 'Right.' And so, she continued her excersizes. But she noticed that the young Talim was watching... ____________________________________________________________________ She had never seen a weapon of that size before; about seven feet long. And she guessed that it had a considerable weight to it as well. But despite this, the woman in red had great control over it, as if it were part of her body. 'Amazing... such speed and control at that weight... it's like she's fighting with the wind as her sword.' "Hello, there!" The woman was approaching her... 'The winds say that she means no harm... but they also say that her path is full of suffering.' "Take care." The woman was confused at this. "What's that?" "I said, 'Take care.' You have many dangers ahead of you... I worry about your future. So take care." The woman was in even greater confusion at this, but she pretended not to care. "So, anyway... what's your name?" "I'm Talim, a priestess of the wind. I'm looking for the source of an evil wind that is spreading across the land, and once I find it, I will set it right." She was wize to hide her intentions from this stranger, for the woman would not believe her. "And what is your name?" "Seung Mina. I'm from Korea, a country east of this one. You're from India, aren't you?" Talim was surprised at this woman's accuracy. "Yes, I am... how did you know?" "I've been there before, so I know how to recognize people from that country." 'Of course... that would give it away, wouldn't it?' The woman named Mina noticed Talim's downcast look, and tried to explain herself. "Hey, those are the nicest people I've ever met! I don't have anything against you, Talim, I was just wondering!" 'So... you are not against me... I guess you're all right.' ____________________________________________________________________ A woman of age 20 approached the gardens. Hooded and cloaked, she looked like a commoner who was trying to watch the fights... which was exactly how she wanted to look. This woman had studied the matchup draws very carefully, and had picked a child's name... one who she thought would not win. "Excuse me..." The guard looked at her with a stern expression. "Yeah, lady? What, did you come to see the fight?" She hid a smirk as she said "Yes... my son is competing." After hearing his name, the guard checked the draws... "Yeah, he's in here. You still hafta pay, though." And, to the guard's surprise, she did. "Hmm... well, it's enough. Go on." Once she was inside, she quickly retreated to the shadows and planned her next move. 'So far, so good. But it's up to him, now. If he wins, I'm in big trouble...' This woman did not have a son. In fact, she wasn't even allowed inside the gardens. Her name was Chai Xianghua, and her knowledge of deception had come in handy again, though she felt bad about the boy. 'I don't wish him to win... but I hope he gets far!' Thus, she headed off to find a seat. But she was still wary of her surroundings. 'I think I fooled them easily enough. But still, I have to be careful. They won't be so easily fooled next time...' ____________________________________________________________________ The Amatuer Class would be finished soon, so Mina prepared herself for combat. 'I didn't think that I'd be fighting so early! But then again, the sooner, the better!' Her persona spoke up. 'Remember, this is a test of your own strength. You cannot use my strength in competition. It would give you too great of an advantage.' Mina frowned at that. 'Whose side are you on, anyway?' 'I only wish for you to keep yourself pure, Mina. Promise me that you will keep me hidden until the proper time.' Mina sighed at this, but agreed. 'All right. I promise.' She headed to the final match, when suddenly, she heard a faint whine from the blade... "What's that?" 'It is here... somewhere.' Mina was on alert. 'What? What's here?' 'Find out for yourself. You know how, Don't you?' 'Yeah. Hang on, I'm doing it now...' Mina cleared all things from her mind and closed her eyes. Her other senses came into play... but they saw nothing. 'Do not look only to your senses. Look deeper...' She increased her concentration... and began to sense something strange. Something that didn't belong. She went further, and it became clearer and clearer, until... 'There! In that bag... it's a piece of Soul Edge! Talim was carrying around a fragment of that sword!' 'I know what you're thinking. She is still pure, and has not been tainted by the Blade. But it calls to one of its kindred.... somewhere in this country.' 'We've gotta stop it!' The weapon had doubts about their chances, however. 'It won't be easy. That girl believes that the problem will be solved by bringing the pieces back together again. You must convince her to end this quest of hers... or we are all doomed.' She didn't like the way he said "convince her". 'I won't kill her. She's got nothing to do with this! She's just fifteen... she doesn't know any better! And I bet she's never left her village before now, either!' 'Then, what do you suggest?' Mina stopped short of her ranting. She had to think of something, or else killing her was the only option... 'Well then, I have advice, if you'll listen.' Mina didn't have time for his advice, but she knew the concequences of not listening to advice. 'I'm listening...' 'When one fails, many are needed. Should they fail, all is lost.' Another riddle. But at least it was a clue. 'All right, I'll play along.' ____________________________________________________________________ As Talim prepared herself to fight, she reflected upon the reason that she traveled here. 'One of the fragments of metal is here... I must warn the ruler of this country to beware of it. As far as I can see, this is the only way to speak to him.' She put her game face on, and steeled herself for what was approaching... 'No one will stand in my way! I have to win... or the evil will continue to spread!' But she also knew that the Korean woman in red would be one of the competitors. 'Her soul is strong, no doubt. Not even the winds can protect me from her... her will is too strong. She might be of some help to me later on... but for now, I have to overcome her. She seeks the pieces of metal as well... but the winds tell me that she seeks something else. Who, or what, is she looking for?' Talim centered her focus on the upcoming battle again. 'I'll ask her later. For now, I must focus...' ____________________________________________________________________ Xian had much to speak about to the emperor. But doing so would expose her. 'I wish that I could move freely; then I could do this the easy way, through this tournament.' Her weapon gave off a soft whine, as if it were afraid of something. 'Yes, it's here. No doubt about that. I'm sure that Mina knows that too... now if only I could find her.' The burden of not telling Mina about her situation was almost too much. If only she'd told her earlier... but it didn't come then. 'Maybe I was too happy to see her to tell her... but that's no excuse. I could've told her on the way here... so why didn't I?' She had no clue... but she didn't like this feeling within her. She wondered how Mina felt right now... ____________________________________________________________________ "Damn those pirates. They have no honor... they hire me to fight their battles for them. Spineless dogs. But still..." The mercenary smiled as he looked at the opportunity before him. "Still, these are strong opponents. Somehow, I can feel it. This could be interesting, and worth my time..." He had already signed up for the fight, and had free time until his matches. People in the streets stared at him in awe... for some, this was their first look at the man known as the Demon... He still looked for the weapon that was said to conquer firearms... but he had since been discouraged from that quest. He carried with him a fragment of the blade that was said to be unbreakable. Little did he know that his coming here was the will of that little shard, for there were two other pieces like it in this country... and they called for each other as if they longed to be whole once again. And on top of this, the winds of battle were stirring... for he too was at that same castle on the Ming border that Xianghua was assigned to, and before it fell... he heard talk of another piece of the sword from the servants... and how it had poisoned their master's mind. He was obsessed over it; could not be separated from it. "Why would the lord of this castle bother with a little piece of metal? Unless it's..." He didn't want to say it, because it would make it final, absolute, and unchangeable. But, with two shards in his possesion, he was faced with the truth... it wasn't the strongest weapon in the world. there had to be another, somewhere. So he came to these gardens to compete for a new one, for he was disillusioned with Soul Edge. "No more foolish legends and myths! I'll have to follow a new lead... one that's actually true!" And so, he had freed himself from the influence of the Blade. But that left only one option... he would have to win by his own strength. And if that wasn't enough... all hope was gone. ____________________________________________________________________ -End I know that I'm stalling, but I want to introduce the main fighters for the tourney. All the others are cannon fodder. I'll start the action next chapter, make no mistake about that! - Next Episode - The true battles begin, and there's more at stake than an audience with the Ming emperor... Xian finally speaks with Mina, but doesn't get the respnose she expects... and Talim must fight in her first real battle. Can she handle it?
Back to The Seeds of Evil: Phoenix Rising Index - Back to Soul Caliber Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction