The Man in black

I do not own SC3 or any characters that appear in it. nope.

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Chapter Thirteen
Death...


Some time later they found themselves in Greece.
Peyton was interested with the area and wanted to check on something..
There was a shrine dedicated to Hephestus, god of the forge.
It was a silly thing to think but maybe he could find some guidance there..
Or at least.. that is what he told Tira (Who began acting more strangely than usual the
closer they got to the shrine).

They enetered the shrine and looked around, the archetecture was beautiful.
Peyton walked forward and stood in front of a large statue..
He rested her burning forhead on the cool stone.. his head still burned from his
strange encounter with luna, like a fire raged in his head.

Tira looked around the shrine, touching statues and staring at the artwork.
She soon become bored though and walked over to a small shrine which held a sword..
Tira reached out to mess with it when a young woman stepped out from behind a pillar.
"Hey you, what are you doing?"
Tira spun around, grinning.
"Just messing with this crappy sword.. you know.. all the artwork here sucks!"
The woman kept asking Tira questions, and Tira kept firing back insults.
Peyton looked over at them and smiled. He quietly walked over to them.
"Tell me why you're here, or so help me!" said the woman.
Tira made a face, "Tell me why you're here of so help me! bleh!"
The woman stompped her foot in frustration and went for her weapon.

Peyton picked the woman up by the back of her shirt, lifting her off
the ground. The woman struggled to free herself from his grasp.
"Hey.. HEY! put me down you jerk!"
Peyton grinned, "Can this really me Cassandra?
you sure have grown kid.. how have you been?"
The woman stopped struggling and tried to turn around.
"Peyton!? is that you!?"
He set her down and she spun around, smiling.
"it IS you!"
Cassandra fell forward, hugging him.
He returned the hug, looking down at her.
Peyton's smile grew more intense, "You sure have become beautiful while i've been gone..
how long has it been?"
Cassandra blushed and looked away, then back to him.
"OH! i should tell sis your back, i'll be right back!"
He held her as she tried to leave.
"Hey, instead of telling her it's me.. tell her its an intruder.."
Cassandra gave him a incredulous look.
"Wha..why?"
He grinned to himself, "Just tell her, ok?" he said, winking at her.
Cassandra nodded and ran off, waving to him as she ran back to her house.

Peyton smirked and looked to Tira.
"Hey, go do something for a while.. I want to suprise her."
Tira smirked "ooooh I get it.... you sure are one horny son of a bitch, you know that?"
Peyton closed his eyes half way, as if he was speaking to a child.
"Not that... just get the fuck out of here.."
Tira laughed and bounded away, dissapearing into the morning mist.
Peyton raised the hood of his robe, casting shadow over his whole face
but his mouth and turned toward the statue of Hephestus and waited.

He soon her footsteps coming up behind him.
A woman also dressed in blue walked towards him, weapons ready.
"Who are you!? speak intruder! now!"

~Showtime...~

He spun around with an evil grin on his face, held is hand to his side
and summoned the phantom edge. Teh womans eyes grew wide and she dropped into a fighting stance.
"Are you one of his servants!? why don't you speak?"
He put on his best evil impression..
"Servant of the gods.. I have come.. raise thy blade.."
He rose his blade up and pointed it at her.
She ran forward, slashing at him.
He dodged most of the attacks and knocked the others away.
He fought with her for what seemed like hours before he finally felt he should
reveal himself.

He let her press him into a corner and she brought her blade up to his throat.
He laughed as her expression grew more sour.
"What is so funny? I do not find this very humorous.."
He grinned at her.
"Why... you are Sophitia"
Hearing her name made her loosen her grip on her sword, she looked at him
with a curious expression.
"Who.. who are you?"
Peyton sighed at her, "You haven't figured it out by now?
I'm hurt.."
Sophitia reached forward and pulled his hood back, she gasped.
She dropped her sword and came forward, giving him an agressive hug.
"Peyton!? dear friend, how are you?"

"AAAH, Sophitia! lighten up, your going to crush me if you keep that up."
Sophita released him and stepped back, laughing,
"What in the world was the act for?"
Peyton leaned against the statue and shrugged, "Eh, I just like messing with you."
Sophitia shook her head in amazement.

Cassandra came rushing back in a few moments later..
"Hey sis, did you find the intruder?"
Sophitia looked at her apprehensibly.
"oh, why yes I did actually."

He found himself shortly thereafter in their home.
Rothion was out while Pyrhha and Patroklos slept.
A fire was roaring in the fireplace.. the home was quite comfy.
Peyton took a long swig of the warm drink they had prepared.
He sat with Sophitia on a couch while Cassandra sat across from them, talking
a mile a minute. Sophitia interrupted her sister, "Cassandra, could you leave for
a minute? I have matters I want to discuss with our friend in private.."
Cassandra protested, "Why?! he just got here, I want to talk to him too!"
Sophitia grew stern.
"You'll have your chance to speak with him, jsut not right now."
Cassandra sat forward.
"B-but Sophitia.."
Sophitia just shook her head, "Mind your older sister, now go."
Cassandra grumbled something about how she wasn't a little girl and left the house.

He and sophitia sat in silence. Peyton stared into the fire.
Sophitia looked over at him, looking sad.
"Why did you leave last time?" she said softly.
He looked over at her and sighed.
"It's more complicated than you think Sophy..."
She averted her eyes from him.
"was it.. because of what happened?"
He shook his head, becoming more serious.
"Don't Sophitia.. that was my fault.. I shouldn't have asked you to drink with me.."
She did not look at him..

They sat in awkward silence before Sophitia spoke again.
"Do you.. ever regret it?"
Peyton sighed and rubbed the corners of his eyes with his hand..
"I suppose I don't.. you know I love you.. in my own way."
Sophitia crossed her arms and looked at him.
"I'm a bad person aren't I?"
He would hear no more of this..
Peyton turned to her and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her gently..
"do NOT do this Sophitia.. you're the most unselfish and rightous woman I have ever
known.. what happened was my fault entirely.. don't you dare think anything different!".
HE stood up and crossed the room, grabbing the doorknob and pulling the door open.
Sophitia also stood up and rushed to him, embracing him.
"please don't leave.. I'm sorry.. just tell me.. why did you leave last time?"
He looked back at her and sighed again.
"I cannot stay anywhere too long, my prescense is like a poison and corrupts the pure,
I could not poisen this place or you.."
Sophitia tugged on him, motioning for him to come back.
"Please.. don't go.. Cassandra will be so dissapointed if you leave now."
He sighed and walked back over to the couch, sitting down and picking up his drink.
He motioned to te sleeping children..
"Theres no way that.. one of them are mine.. is there?"
Sophitia shook her head slowly and tilted her head to the side in thought.
"I don't think so..."
He sighed and took another swig of his drink.. somehow he wasn't very assured..

Peyton decided to take a walk to calm himself.
He thought of that night he had shared with Sophitia..
He did indeed love her.. she was the most beautiful and pure woman he had ever known..
but..
He heard a small chuckle coming from the roof, he looked up and his eyes grew wide.
Tira was sitting on the roof, grinning devilishly at him.
She sprung down to him.
"I knew it.." she said slyly.
She had heard their conversation.
Tira looked up towards the shrine then back at him.
"I wonder what her poor hubby'd say? he's praying right now... heh heh.."
His look became very grave.
"Tira, don't you dare.. i'm not asking you, i'm telling you.. don't.."
She laughed at him and ran towards the shrine.
Peyton yelled out in rage for her to stop before giving chase..

Tira reached the shrine well before he did, he was always so slow!
There was something odd about the shrine now, She stepped in further to determine what.
She saw what it was, the statue had been cut to peices.. something that could only be done
by a giant sword..

Tira spun around to see a Giant dark figure step out from the shadows and stand before her..
"Girl... where is that man? this is not him" said nightmare as he held up the now unconsiouse Rothion..
Tira ran a finger under her nose and looked into his eyes.
"Who?" she said.
"Do not try my patience servant.. you know who I mean!" he barked.
Tira shrugged, feigning ignorance.
Nightmare chuckled to himself.
"You can either tell me.. or I could just devour your soul.. what say you girl?"
Tira closed her eyes, thinking to herself before opening them again and putting an upturned fist toward him.
She spun her fist over and shot up her middle finger.
"I say Fuck you asshole!"
Nightmare threw Rothion to the side and reached out for her.

Peyton suddenly felt the strong presence of darkness.. where had it come from?
He ran up the steps of the shrine...

Nightmare caught Tira by the head with his deformed hand and held her up.
He began to drain her soul from her body before she brought her foot across
the face of Nightmares helm, causing him to release her.
Tira cartwheeled backward and did a flip, spinning around as her Drossal appeared in her hands.
Nightmare charged her again and Tira charged as well..

"NIGHTMARE!" came a mans voice..

Nightmare stopped short and looked behind him, turning around to face the man.
Tira jumped up in the air, aiming the Drossal at his head..
Nightmare looekd behind him, his red eyes glowing as a burst of dark energy flew out catching the young
girl and sending her flying into a nearby wall hard enough to chip some bits free..
Nightmare turned his attention back to the man..

Peyton glanced around the shrine to find Rothion hoisting himself up.
Nightmare turned to the man, he thought he had taken care of him.. no matter..
The Azure knight brought the blade up, then down towards Rothion..

Peyton flew as if on wings towards Nightmare, bringing his sword up to block the demons blow,
his knees almost buckleing under the sheer force of the blow.
Nightmare pushed down on him, trying to drive the man to his knees.

Peyton looked over his shoulder at Rothion.
'Run, now!"
Rothion nodded and ran back towards his home, where his wife and children waited...

Peyton looked back towards Nightmare and grinned...
"I won't let you pass demon.. back to hell with you!"
Nightmare laughed at his proclomation and pressed down even harder.
Peyton let go of his guard, sliding back at sweeping his blade out at the knight, catching him in the side.
The demon fell back, angering him..
"You made a good effort whelp, but you underestimate who it is you deal with!"
Nightmare held his sword up in his grotesque arm, ready to swing when a green blurr came up behind him and
caught him in the side of the head, sending him staggering.

Tira landed beside him, Drossal ready..
Nightmare threw his blade in a boomerang motion, tira dodged backwards and came back up..
unaware of what would happen next..
She tuanted him.. "Hah! is that the best you've got?"
Nightmare only grinned under his helmet..

Peyton knew what was coming, and he made his choice..

He ran forward, grabbing her by the shoulders and throwing her to the side, out of the way of the incoming blade..
The blade came on, point first and impaled him, sending him flying into the wall and pinning him.
Tira looked back, not believing what he had just done!
His eyes grew wide as the realization of what had happened hit him, he had just forfeited his life..

Nightmare came over to him and pulled the blade free, sending his adversary sliding to the ground as
his lifeblood pooled onto the ground under him.
He was going to take his soul when Tira rushed past him to kneel beside the man.

Tira looekd into his eyes, quesitonly.
"Why.. did you do that?"
He just smiled at her, his eyes growing more distant.
The life left his eyes and closed, his head fell downward and he went limp..
He was dead..

Tears began falling from her eyes, she touched her face to find she was crying.
Why? why was she crying? Did she really care that he was dead?
She did..

Nightmare scoffed and shook his head, turnign around.
He would not waste taking the soul of someone so weak.. it would surely only weaken him.
Nightmare strode back into the shadows and dissapeared..

Peyton felt strange.. like he could put his hand through himself.
He looked around, he was still in the shrine but something was different, where was nightmare and Tira?
He looked down and discovered the answers to his questions.

Tira sat on the ground with his lifeless bodies head in her lap, stroking his hair and crying..
Crying? Tira was crying?
He remembered being scewerd by Nightmares blade but didn't remember feeling any pain.
There was no getting around it though.. he had died..

He stood there, staring at his own lifeless body when he heard a voice behind him, it was the voice
of a woman. He spun around to find a tall, strong looking woman in strange armor with silver hair..
Her armor was blue and shone in the light, she wore a feathered helm.
"Human, come.." she commanded.
He shook his head, "Who the hell are you to order me to do anything?"
He rose his blade up towards her.
The woman sighed, why did she have to deal with these bothersome humans..
why did they always fight the inevitable?
"I am to take you to asgard.." she said calmly.
"What the hell is an asgard? and who the hell are you?" he retorted.
The woman sighed again..
"It is where I take souls of fallen men, and where I am taking yours.. and as
to your question of me.. I am lenneth.. a Valkyrie.."
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Valkyrie Profile" and Lenneth are trademarks of Enix and Tri-Ace.

I may have a few other characters cross over, but they won't be anything too out of place
so don't worry.