Fan Fiction ❯ Nightmare's Suffering ❯ Nightmare's Neverending Struggle ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: If I owned Nightmare, I'd so be not doing this. I'd be kicking butt. But, I don't, so it's not mine. NO SOUL CALIBER DUDES ARE MINE! OR LOZ! So there.

Nightmare's Neverending Struggle- Chapter One

"Leave me alone!" the dark knight shouted at his opponent.

Yungsung kept coming.

"Never! We will fight and I'll claim Soul Edge!" he shouted.

"You have neither the power nor the strength to wield the sword." Nightmare advised.

Yungsung looked as if he was shot with an arrow right in the heart. He quickly retaliated with a question that would make the knight fight.

"You're too weak for that, aren't you?" Yungsung said with a huge smirk on his face as Nightmare realized what he said.

It seems from the final battle with Raphael, he too said those words that stung Nightmare's cold, yet yielding heart.

"You conceited wretched human! I'll kill you!" he shouted.

Nightmare stood up and grabbed his sword. Altogether, he was about 6'5". His helmet was shaped like a bat. Pointy nose front and two dual horns on the sides of his head pointing behind him. Soul Edge was as lengthy as Nightmare's body and almost as wide. In this sense it took Nightmare two hands and a lot of muscle to swing the sword as gracefully and fast as he did. Of course, with his right arm mutated to triple its original size, he didn't have much trouble. His dark blue armor gleamed with reflected light as the sun hit it. His two demonic red eyes stared daggers at Yungsung, ready to return that little comment back at him at full force.

He got into his fighting stance. Yungsung drew his scimitar and he charged. Nightmare got into a defensive stance. Yungsung anticipated this and jumped high into the air. Nightmare, though, with years of experience and hard work to keep people from Soul Edge, had a knack for anticipating moves. He had seen this before; the opponent would jump high into the blinding light of the sun and jump behind the unsuspecting victim, and skewer them. But Nightmare was ready, as soon as Yungsung was in the middle of the sun; Nightmare let one hand go of his sword and reached out into the light. He anticipated correctly and was rewarded with the grasping of Yungsung's leg. Yungsung, now in midair and mouth agape, knew he was in a bad position. Not only was he completely shocked and stunned at the moment, but the momentum with which he threw his body to jump over Nightmare gave Nightmare the perfect opportunity to end this fight fast.

Yungsung shouted in horror as he saw the ground approach at break-neck speed, and he fell face first into the ground. Of course, Nightmare wasn't done. Still holding onto his leg, Nightmare threw Yungsung into a nearby wall. He dropped to the ground but got to his feet. He grabbed his scimitar and thrust it into Nightmare's face. Nightmare, however, grabbed the sword and tossed Yungsung into a tree.

Yungsung got up, grasping his back in pain.

Yungsung lunged and hit Nightmare's armor, not doing a thing to the armor.

“When will you learn?” Nightmare said as he brought back an armored fist.

Yungsung bounced on the ground and got up. Nightmare continued his assault.

Hit after hit, Yungsung still got up.

“I will win Soul Edge.” he said to Nightmare.

Nightmare was about to bring his sword down on Yungsung's head. But that was Yungsung's plan. Yungsung, with a burst of energy, brought the sword up and deflected the hit. With that moment of surprise, Nightmare felt Yunsung trip him and Nightmare's hold on Soul Edge loosened, and was lost.

“No!” Nightmare shouted with grief. He never allowed the sword to escape his grasp. He wouldn't start now.

Yungsung ran for the sword and picked it up. At the moment he did, Yungsung felt power course through his veins.

“So…this is true power.” Yungsung said slowly.

Nightmare glared at him.

“Give me my sword!”

Nightmare noticed that Yungsung's old blade was pulled to Soul Edge and it attached itself and was absorbed into Soul Edge. The sword soon took the shape of Yungsung's blade, but in Soul Edge form.

“Die monster!" Yungsung shouted as he lifted the sword up into the air.

Nightmare watched in horror as the sword lit with fire, and Nightmare was engulfed in the flames.

Nightmare got up slowly and roared with anger. His own sword used against him! A surge of pure hatred surged through him.

Yungsung's eyes turned red, and an evil growl escaped his lips.

“I said die!” he said with more force.

He attacked again with the same attack. Nightmare extended his arms and held the blast. He took the brunt of it, but in his burst of rage and anger, he felt no pain. He walked closer, as he deflected the blast.

“Stay back!” Yungsung shouted with realization.

Nightmare then jumped at him and grabbed the hilt of Soul Edge.

“I will kill you…” Nightmare said.

“Go ahead, try.” Yungsung said.

Nightmare pushed forward then yanked the sword from Yungsung. Right as the sword left Yungsung's grasp, the sword transformed into it's original state. Nightmare used the force to swing around and attempted to decapitate Yungsung. Yungsung however, parried the blow and struck at Nightmare with his own sword. Yungsung backed up and charged, but Nightmare closelined him.

“Yungsung, you'll never defeat me.”

“We'll see about that.”

“Back down before I have to kill you.” Nightmare said.

Yungsung only scoffed and swung his sword wildly and madly, all the while Nightmare only looked on with grief.

“Pathetic human, you know not of what this sword will do to you.”

Yunsung jumped on Nightmare's shoulders and impaled one of his shoulders with his sword.

Nightmare let out a cry and instantly grasped his shoulder in pain and Yungsung rushed to grab Soul Edge.

Nightmare grabbed Yunsung with his good arm and hoisted him in the air, then threw Yunsung over his shoulder right into the ground.

Nightmare was tired of constantly fighting to hold on to Soul Edge, and he always left his opponent alive to show that he wasn't evil. Well, the loser would recover, retrain, and then try again over and over. So he was only protecting them. Meaning that he was protective of the other's lives.

But that was getting old. Really old.

Nightmare faced Yunsung and began stomping on Yunsung and grabbed him by his arm. He then chunked Yungsung to the edge of the nearby cliff. Yunsung groaned and slowly was starting to get up, but Nightmare charged at him and hit him of the side of the cliff. Yungsung let out a cry as he hit the side of the cliff and disappeared under the forest trees.

"Sorry, you were getting on my nerves." he apologized sarcastically.

"Was he now…" a voice called behind Nightmare.”Give me Soul Edge."

"Not another one." Nightmare could tell whose voice it was.

Her voice could never be forgotten. It belonged to the woman who he admired when he was human. She was as beautiful as she was ten years ago. She still could wield a blade better than any woman he ever knew. He also had fallen in love with her those many years. They had kissed once before, and Nightmare still remembered it. But, that memory didn't serve him in anyway. He hated it and wanted to forget it. The human inside said it was not to be. She had left him because of what he had become. He turned into a monster that lusted after Soul Edge instead of lusting after her. She hated him and he never loved another woman. Instead of being filled with kindness and compassion towards hearing her voice again, he was filled with hatred against her. He wanted to beat her, we wanted to hurt her and most of all, he wanted her to suffer like he did.

"Never. Why don't you just wither away like the rest of humanity?"

Nightmare wanted to die. He really wanted to die. The curse of Soul Edge could never let him unless he was killed in a battle of honor. He realized only one thing right now. He had to end the human part in him for good. Human emotion was considered a weakness to him and he had to get rid of them. And that meant to kill all the emotions a human carried. He had done so with all except one: compassion.

"Give it to me or I'll have to kill you." Ivy threatened.

Nightmare only chuckled at her stupidity.

"Foolish mortal. You can't kill me. I'm invincible. But if you wish to offer yourself as a sacrifice to Soul Edge, it'll gladly accept your offer." he laughed evilly.

Ivy drew her whip-like sword and unraveled it. She started to twirl it and she let it fly towards Nightmare's head, an attempt at decapitation.

"Fool." he thought to himself.

He raised his arm, and grabbed the sword with his hand. He pulled her with such force. He punched in her stomach when she was close enough. She grabbed her stomach and she jumped back and wrapped her sword around her body. It began to light on fire.

Nightmare took this chance to heal his arm as best he could. He dislocated it then popped it back in place, not so much as flinching as he did so.

She released her attack and it hit Nightmare, he flew back and skidded on the ground. He got up and lunged at her and hit her in the face with his arm. When she fell to the ground, he grabbed her leg and dragged her on her stomach before throwing her into a tree.

Ivy got up and thrust her sword through the ground and it popped up and uppercut Nightmare's jaw. He stumbled backwards and she ran at him and wrapped her sword around his neck and pulled it free and he dropped to the ground, hurt and gasping for air.

She charged again and he tripped her with his foot and he put an arm out and caught her on her stomach. But he quickly grabbed her neck and hoisted her into his face.

“Get away from me and leave me alone.” He said coldly.

“Never.” Then she spat in his face.

Enraged, Nightmare tossed her into another tree.

On impact, she broke the tree and it fell on top of her. She tried to move it, but she was too winded. He put an armored boot on the tree to put more pressure on her. She looked up at him and he looked back at her.

“I'll never forgive you for what you've done.” Nightmare said to her.

"I'm sorry." she responded with genuine sarcasticness.

Nightmare raised his sword and brought it down to the only emotion he had left. Nightmare now was no longer human. Now he was just a monster. He murdered in cold blood without remorse.

Suddenly, he felt a familiar presence in him. It was warm. It was where his heart was supposed to be. He had to get this checked out.

"What's happening to me?" he grunted as he walked/limped as the pain hurt him.

He found a nearby river and looked in it. He saw his reflection, yet it was darker and it looked more sinister and evil.

"Nightmare..." an eerily low and cold voice called out.

"What? Who is that?" he could only answer.

The reflection spoke to him. It seemed Nightmare was going crazy, but he didn't care. He was intrigued by this talk to his own reflection.

"Hello, Nightmare." it called.

"Who are you?"

"I'm your dark side. I am the monster inside of you."

The sword suddenly began to glow an evil violet.

"The sword." he spoke.

"That's right. I am Soul Edge."

"No...It can't be." he kept telling himself.

"Oh but it is." it laughed an evil laugh that only Satan could've mustered.

"You see, I'm am now fully part of you. You and I are one. Compassion was the only thing standing between you and I becoming a powerful force of destruction. That was a weakness, now that you have destroyed it, we are one." it chuckled.

"Get out of me!!!" he shouted.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. I need you as a host to live and spawn. And to corrupt the minds of men to join hell's army. I needed a ruthless killer who welcomed any power that was bestowed to him. But you were getting……overzealous. You needed to kill more, talk less."

"Well, if you need a host to live, I'll kill myself!"

Nightmare got up and grabbed the still glowing sword and thrust as hard as he could at his stomach to end his suffering once and for all. Unfortunately, that was not to be. The sword stopped mere inches away and slowly backed away.

"Ahh ahh, we can't have that now can we." the voice said.

"What have you done to me?" Nightmare called out.

"I've joined with your mind and it's mine now. I can control your body, your arms, legs, and even your thoughts." it snickered in delight.

"No! I won't let you control me!" he said as he struggled.

"I'm afraid you won't have a choice in the matter." it laughed harder now.

Nightmare felt the presence of Soul Edge starting to cloud his mind. He tried to grasp onto anything human left in him. There was only one shred of human left. It was a stray emotion. This particular emotion never interfered with Nightmare's life; he never had any use for it either. He had no idea what it was about. It carried with it the sense of helplessness when one has nothing else he/she could do.

Nightmare, for the first time, felt a new emotion he had never felt before.

The emotion fear.

End Chapter One