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Chapter 4

Damian paced around his garden hideaway. Damian stopped, then paced around again. Stopping again, Damian turned to look at the door in the fence, half expecting to see Cassie run through. Damian shook his head, and began to pace around more.

The door burst open, and Damian's heart leapt. He turned. "Cassie!" To his heart's dismay, however, standing there was Sophie, smiling. "Sorry Sophie...I thought you were Cassie..."

Sophie's smile dissolved. "Cassie..." Damian rushed to her side. "Sorry Sophie...forget I ever mentioned Cassie...let's just go to the tournament!" Sophie looked up. "Cassie will be back...I just know it! And she'll come back with victory over the forsaken Soul Edge!" Damian grinned, and nodded.

"Sophie, I'm going to go put on my armor. Please find Lucius for me, I need to speak with him. If you happen to see Iris, please tell her to come to the tournament..." Damian blushed. Sophie grinned, and headed out.

An hour later, Sophie returned with Lucius and a hooded person. Lucius ran ahead. "Damian! Get over here!" Damian ran out with all his armor weighing him down. "You're here! Finally! Sophie, did you see Iris?" Sophie nodded. Damian noticed the hooded figure. "Whose that...Iris?" The hooded figure lowered his hood.

"It's me, Nikolai." Nikolai's face had been scarred by their battle. Damian was shocked. "Are you OK!?" Nikolai nodded shamefully. Sophie intervened. "We should get to the tournament now, Damian. Nikolai, Lucius, let's go!" Together, the four set off.

A silhouette watched silently in the shadows. A strange force in his mind pushed him to follow the four. The metal fragment in his pocket reacted with something around him. He jumped from building to building, carefully eyeing Nikolai. He unsheathed his sword, and jumped down. Nikolai's acute ears heard the disturbance in the wind, and stepped to the side.

Sophie gasped, then drew out her Omega Sword, and began to fight with the figure. Nikolai pulled out a dagger, and Damian unsheathed his mighty halberd. Damian lunged at their oppressor. "Sophie, move!" Sophie jumped out of the way as the armored Damian began battle. He quickly knocked away the attacker's sword, then leaped aside as Nikolai threw his dagger threw the oppressor's chest.

The figure's hood fell away, showing the face of a young woman, around the age twenty. Damian's face turned white. "Iris! No!" Damian dropped to his knees, and tried to treat Iris.

Lucius stood to the side. Why would Iris, of all people, attack us? Maybe it has something to do with Nikolai. Lucius turned and approached Nikolai in conversation.

Iris' eyes opened. "Damian, I'm sorry, I just wanted so badly to revive my father!" Damian's eyes widened. "How would you revive him?" Iris pulled out a metal fragment, and showed it to him. "With this..." Iris' eyes began to fall off into a deep, endless sleep. Damian let her down gently, then plucked the metal fragment out of her hand. He turned to the others, only to see Lucius and Nikolai arguing.

Lucius yelled. "Why was Iris after you!? Tell me!" Nikolai yelled back even louder. "How should I know!?" Damian walked in between them, and showed them both the metal fragment. Sophie examined it, and shrieked. "It's another piece of the Soul Edge! How could that evil have gotten to Iris?" Nikolai gulped. "I have something that looks like that..." Nikolai pulled another fragment of Soul Edge out. Damian began to wonder if these happenings would ever stop...