Darkwings13: The third installment of the Fate and Destiny Series. For the summary of the series, just pm me and I'll send it to you or if you want a super duper short summary, just check it out on my profile page. But here's the order for this series.

1)A Journey of Fate

2)Returning to a Destined Journey

3)Fighting Against Fate*

Three weeks after Soul Edge's defeat...

Up high, on one of the balconies of Ostrheinsburg castle, Tira raked the claws of her gold gauntlet across the stone in front of her. The screeching metallic noise echoed through the silent setting, under a more than matching gloomy sky. Tira's dark pigtails were in complete disarray, with short locks sticking out here and there. Her red outfit was crusty with blood and her violet eyes were bloodshot and crazed. "Nightmare... is gone," she whispered to herself hoarsely. "He's gone..." She clawed at the stone beneath her gauntlets and bared her teeth in rage. That damn priestess and prissy vampire ruined everything! Everything she had worked so hard for was gone! Nightmare was gone! He was gone!

Tira wailed and her cry echoed across the grey skies and dull waters. Nightmare was gone! What was she supposed to do now, without him?!

Fool, what are you doing?

Tira heard her other side and wailed, "He's gone! What do you think I'm doing? Practising my singing?!"

Her darker side immediately berated her. "He'll back. You know he'll be back. But sooner or later, depends on us. We are loyal, are we not? We will help him come back, will we not? We... have a vessel in mind for him, do we not?"

Tira sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Pyrrha is a baby. She won't do to be the new host."

"But we have an able man in our dungeons, correct? He is strong, he is malfested and he is just as good a vessel as Pyrrha. Why not use him for now?"

"BECAUSE I HATE HIM, THAT'S WHY!" Tira shouted shrilly. "All I want to do, is carve out his heart along with that goody goody priestess and have them burn together! Why should we make him the new host!"

Her more cunning side replied, "It will take years before Pyrrha is ready. Death and destruction should not come to a stop because of that. Raphael will be an adequate host until the girl is ripe. Think of it this way Tira, how devastated will the priestess be when she comes face to face with the one she loves, and finds out he's Nightmare?"

She smiled giddily at no one in particular. Her other side was right. This would be a pain that would break the priestess like no method of torture could. To see that goody goody fall into the black pits of despair... oh how beautiful and satisfying that would be.

Tira's eyes gleamed maliciously as her other side took other. Her lips curved upward as she said, "That's a good girl, Tira. Now... first thing first. Gathering the shards." She put her fingers to her mouth and whistled. Soon enough, three giant ravens appeared. They landed heavily on the roof and cawed, their eyes gleamed wickedly and their black feathers shone like obsidian. Tira rasped, "Find the shards! Find those who are malfested! Find the priestess!"

Her pets cawed once before taking off in a shower of black feathers. Tira looked over as a smaller watcher landed on her shoulder and began making some urgent sounds. Her eyes narrowed as she heard its report. "I'm not in the mood. But let the others know they're free to kill any intruders that come close to Ostrheinsburg."

A dark feather drifted slowly down, from one of the tainted ravens that flew past. The feather danced in the cold wind as it moved across the castle until it sneaked past the bars of a window of a dark and damp cell.

The man inside lifted his head, his blonde hair falling in front of his handsome face. Seeing the black feather that landed on the dirty straw of his cell, he lifted his head, pulling at the chains that bound his hands and feet to the cold stone wall. Raphael's eyes drifted to the window and he bared his fangs hatefully. "You will pay... mark my words, you will pay for this, Tira."

"Talim, oh Talim..." Lidi, Talim's mother wept as her daughter was lowered to the ground. Her friends meekly stepped back as Talim's mother moved to cradle her daughter against her chest. The quiet glow of the sunset illuminated the gathering of people around the unconscious priestess and no wind turned the magnificent windmills of the village.

Kalana, the head elder and Talim's grandmother turned to the ones that had brought her granddaughter back. Her white robes trailed behind her as she approached the young Korean man. "What happened?"

Yun-Seong looked down at the grass beneath his feet and said grimly, "We fought against Soul Edge."

Beside him, a monk wielding a staff replied, "In a place where no light reached, we fought for our lives. Talim... sacrificed a great deal in the battle. She lost her love and almost her life." Kilik held a hand to the wound on his stomach and grimaced. "We were rescued by your spirits of the wind and they gave us the location of your village, as well as a charm to find it. It's the least we can do for talim.

Xianghua closed her eyes and sobbed. When they returned to their world, the bird and the two storm maidens had quickly vanished after telling them the location of Talim's hidden village. While Siegfried, Dampierre and Hilde had remained back in Europe to take care of matters, the rest deigned it their responsibility to return the priestess home.

Talim's grandmother listened to their story with a heavy heart before bending down and laying a withered hand on her grandchild's forehead. "Perhaps it was wrong of me to send you out into the world... my granddaughter." She closed her eyes as the wind danced past her.

Just as I travel and sing for the world, so should my last wind priestess. She has no regrets, Kalana. Wheom amai nosko.

"What is the meaning of this!" Algol tore at the gold chains entwined around his body angrily while angels pushed him down on to the ground roughly.

His son kneeled beside him and whispered, "Father, please stop struggling. I'm sure... there's a reason for this.

Gnashing his teeth, Algol shoot bitter looks at his judges. Up above, the four ancients and the Grand Creator looked down calmly at the Hero King from their magnificent thrones of gold, silver and precious gems. Holy light streamed through the windows covering every inch of the wall and rich gold tapestries adorned the windows while a long vermilion carpet laid down on the ground and connected to the gold doors at the end of the long walkway. Marble white pillars supported the tall roof over their heads and immortal beings of great beauty stood in two lines, one on the right and one on the left as they watched their gods passed judgement.

"Algol, do you know why you have been brought before us in this fashion?"

Algol growled, "No. I have done nothing wrong to warrant such a rude greeting from you all."

"Oh? Then perhaps I should tell you," replied the Ancient of the Wind, flourishing her long white and green sleeves that billowed as she waved her arm in a single stroke. "That tower of yours have brought great instability to the borders of the spirit world and human realm. Many people have fallen in that tower of yours and because of it, the Tainted managed to pass through. Do you know how many people died because of your foolishness to resurrect yourself and obtain Soul Calibur and Soul Edge?"

"I atoned for my crime by rescuing the remaining survivors!" Algol objected angrily.

The Ancient of Wind nodded. "Because you realized your mistakes, your punishment will be less severe. However, we can't let you go that easily." She leaned back and crossed her arms. "Storm maidens, take him away and seal him in Astral Chaos."

"No!" cried Algol, struggling against his bonds as two women with floor length green hair came forward to take him away. He had just been reunited with his son! This can't be happening to him now! "Let me go! Don't you dare touch me! Arcturus!"

"Father!" Arcturus reached out for his father but more guards restrained the two and led Algol out. "Father!"

As the doors blocked his son out of sight, Algol let out a roar of rage. "The gods will pay for this!"

With a sigh, The Ancient of Wind closed her bright emerald eyes and whispered, "All will be judged. But will all be saved? That is the question not even I have the answer to."

One, chained by madness and a terrible future

Another, bound by the powers of a mad sword wearing a cold mask of justice

The last, tied by the sins of his past

Freedom comes to those who fight for it

Death comes to those who fail to achieve it