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During the 16th century,
France was amidst religious strife. Raphael, the young master of the Sorel
Family, grew up with the tumultuous age as his cradle, the scheming of
noble families as his lullaby, and the rapier and medicine as his playmates.
His cool, unemotional demeanor created many enemies, but his quick and
precise decision-making and execution skills solidified the foundation
of his family amongst the nobles.
Unfortunately, Raphael
made a critical mistake during the year of the notorious Evil Seed catastrophe.
He discovered too late that one member of nobility supported by the Sorel
clan became insane from the effects of the Evil Seed. Consequently, Raphael
gave his enemies the justification to come after him. To make matters worse,
treacherous members of his family who were thrust into the conflict surrendered
quickly and offered to hand over Raphael in order to protect themselves. Raphael hid himself
in an impoverished town to escape from his pursuers, which included his
family members. But accustomed to a life of privilege without want, Raphael
could not bear the cold and hunger he suffered in the slums. He most certainly
would have died if it were not for a little girl named Amy,
who hid the weakened Raphael from his enemies. For the little girl,
helping Raphael was only a simple deed motivated out of spite for the soldiers.
For Raphael, a man who until then lived by his own means, it marked the
first time he owed his life to someone else. He felt emotions that he had
never experienced before, and Amy became an irreplaceable presence in Raphael's
life.
Raphael's exposure
to life in the slums made him see the world in a whole new light, and realize
the meaninglessness of everything. Nobles quarreled constantly and only
thought of their petty interests and self-preservation. And the commoners,
tired of constant warring, had given up hope. The world was filled with
people whose soulless, meaningless lives made them no better than the dead. Convinced that the
chaos of war was no place to live a meaningful life, Raphael took Amy and
left the poverty-stricken town. Avoiding war-torn lands, they moved to
a town in the countryside. But even with the new surroundings, he could
not get Amy to open her heart to the world. Even though her life in the
slums strengthened the 10-year old girl's wariness of life and gave her
a tenacious will to live, it erased any sense of hope she had for the future. Assuming a false name,
Raphael befriended a rich noble to obtain the means to take care of the
young girl. He employed his cunning to gain the trust of the lord and those
around him. And when the opportunity arose, Raphael poisoned the noble
and spread word that the "lord had left on a long journey."
One day, Raphael found
a letter with references to the Evil Seed- the turning point in his life
- in the mansion library. He was fascinated by the information, and it
wasn't long before he made the connection between the Evil Seed and Soul Edge. What if such a sword
were thrust into the hands of the pathetic nobles? They would undoubtedly
fight feverishly for the weapon, and ultimately destroy themselves. Commoners
would be unfortunate victims of the war, but their existence mattered little,
for they were no better off then the dead. It would all be worth it if
the petty, war-mongering nobles could be eliminated to secure a meaningful
future for Amy. But in order to accomplish
his goal, Raphael needed Soul Edge; he was determined to obtain the sword
by any means necessary. A grand, insane plan was brewing in his mind, all
for the sake of a young girl.
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