|
|
|
Soul Edge
|
|
Soul Calibur
Arthur does not know who his siblings are. Born in a harbor town of England, he was living alone by the time he realized what life was like. On that street, which was the key point of the Atlantic trade, even a beggar could make enough money to live a day. At the age of 8, by the suggestion of a sailor who became close to him, he became a sailor. Life on the sea as a handyman of the ship was fun. But, his travel as the mascot of the ship, being loved by the crew, was over only in 2 years. When they visited the country of the Far East. Japan, known as the island of gold-a wealthy merchant who was trading with them took him as a stepson.
For the merchant, he only took Arthur in as a collection of things from the West, but a 10 year old boy couldn't have understood such peculiarity of an adult. He was very happy to have someone to call father. He learned Japanese and the Japanese manners so as to please his stepfather. The Japanese people disliked and criticized "the foreign boy who acts like a Japanese" and eventually, his stepfather offered him to a noble in the excuse that it was to teach him manners.
In the battlefield, his appearance was a target. Arrows, blades and lead bullets attacked him. To stay alive, he had no other way but to fight recklessly. And one day, after countless battles gave him confidence about his skills, he realized: What he is, is neither a Japanese, nor a foreigner, but a swordsman without roots.
The Japanese just look at him with curiosity, not as a man. But there was no way he could be European again, having forgotten his mother tongue already.
An ineffable anxiety and nervousness overwhelmed him.
What to do to be recognized as a man? The only way was to fight. Achieve what no one else can by accomplishing brilliant exploits! Without knowing what to accomplish, he left his home and wandered the battlefields. To become stronger, he risked his life many times. As a result, he lost an eye that people said was like a jewel and what he gained were countless scars, self confidence that he couldn't lose to anyone, and a lovely woman who used to be a prostitute, who followed him like a shadow.
By the time a baby of mixed bloodline was born, a rumor reached his ear. The evil knight of the West. And Soul Edge. It was like an oracle to him, who didn't know what to accomplish. If he defeats that knight and obtains that sword that's called invincible, this time, people might recognize his skills. Then his love and his baby won't be seen as strangers.
Leaving behind the woman and the suckling, he went aboard a ship again after 20 years. At the moment a cannon signaled the departure of the ship, the long-forgotten scenery of his homeland came back to him like an illusion.
|
|
|
|
Soul Calibur 3
Arthur was born in Britain, sailed across the sea when he was still young and was adopted in Japan. But there he was considered a more novel property by a local warlord, never treated as a human being.
As he grew older, he sought something that he can prove himself with--a sword. He immersed himself in battle, losing an eye along the way, but he gained unshakable confidence, a companion and a daughter in exchange.
Now that he has gained something worth protecting, he desired an achievement that everyone would respect. He needed recognition and acceptance to shield his companion and daughter from public scrutiny.
The Azure Knight and the legendary Soul Edge...it was only one of many rumors that drifted from foreign lands. Still, Arthur felt his greatest achievement would be to defeat this inhuman knight and claim this sword as his own. He thus left his companion and daughter in Japan and headed for the continent.
But the journey to capture the fabled sword was perilous. especially with no leads in a foreign land. The deformed knight's whereabouts eluded him, and he was constantly reminded of his powerlessness. He gained valuable experience though--he grasped the vastness of this world and realized that regardless of the situation, for better or for worse, humans were only humans.
He now appreciated what was important in life, understood what he had to accomplish and that his agony was trivial.
A year had passed since he set off to obtain the sword, and he begin his return back home to Japan. He carried with him a single proof of his journey, the one lead he found in a deserted town--a piece of metal said to be a fragment of Soul Edge.
His companion waited faithfully for his return to Japan. Without a word, he embraced her and presented her with the fragment that he no longer needed. They exchanged their vows, and he returned to the life he knew, going from one battlefield to another, in order to feed his family. No matter how distinguished his accomplishments were on the battlefield, he was treated no different. Still, those curious stares no longer caused him distress or torment.
For a while the rhythm of life did not change. Two years after he wed, a pandemic broke out in the village they lived in. Fortunately, no one in Arthur's family caught the disease and his wife, who believed that teh metal fragment from the foreign land saved them, was ecstatic. She started carrying the fragment wherever she went. As the epidemic subsided, the village returned to normal, but his wife became frequently ill.
One day, Arthur returned home from the battlefield and heard what sounded like a body collapsing in the back room. He opened the door to find his wife slumped to the ground with his daughter crying next to her. As he approached her, he saw that her body had turned an alarming color. Her breath was shallow, yet her eyes were gleaming with life. Realizing that this was an emergency, he brought the most prestigious doctor to examine her. All he could do, however, was tell Arthur that she was near death. He could do nothing but watch her suffer, in vain, until one day she left his life for the next.
A short man robed in bizarre attire visited Arthur immediately after the incident. He claimed to be a traveling physician, who visited because he heard of his wife's condition. However, engulfed in anger and sadness from the loss of his wife, he barked at the man to go away.
"Probably caused by the fragment..." muttered the short man as he left.
His words stunned Arthur. He scrambled to call the man, but he was nowhere to be seen.
After the funeral, he put his crying daughter to bed and contemplated the words that were left by the short man. If what the man said was true, then the person responsible for his wife's death...was none other than himself. The path he must take was clearly set--the legendary sword, no the cursed sword Soul Edge, must be destroyed. In order to undo his wrongs, he must prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again.
The following day, Arthur prepared for the journey ahead, and then boarded a ship with his daughter to foreign lands once again. He had yet to lay eyes on the cursed sword, but his unclouded blue eyes seemed squarely locked onto it.
|