Chapter 19: Cecil vs. Edgar?!
                       -----------------------------

Edgar stood in the streets laughing to himself over the death of the Demon.
He picked up the Shadow Blade - it was still useful against ordinary people
- and continued down the street.

The light was quite noticeable.  An expanding gate of shimmering green
energy, accompanied by the smell of sulfur, engulfed the area mere inches
away from Edgar.  He drew the Shadow Blade and dropped to a crouch.

Out of the gate flew the so-called King of Baron.  Edgar remembered seeing
him and mocking him in Figaro.  He tackled the strange man and held the
Blade to his throat.

"Edgar!" shouted Cecil, kicking Edgar in the chest.  Edgar flew back and
landed on his feet.  He charged Edgar and swung, but Edgar parried with a
skill famous for thousands of years.

And so it began.  Stroke, counterstroke.  Kata and riposte.  No blow ever
fell.  Before Livouf Takar had given Edgar meta-human abilities the fight
never would have lasted a minute.  Edgar was smart and strong; Cecil was
an artist with a sword.

But Cecil had never fought anyone as fast and strong as the new Edgar.
And he was still confused from the telepathic contact with Cerebratan.
It was only a slight slip, a miscalculation off only by a centimeter.

It was what Edgar had been waiting for.  Cecil's sword flew through the
air and crashed onto the ground.  Edgar held the Blade to his throat.

"Kill me, Edgar.  Strike down an unarmed man.  You've already killed
millions of innocents.  What difference does one more make?"

Edgar shuddered and Cecil grabbed his sword and struck up with all his
strength.  The blow tore into Edgar's unarmored chest and kept going,
straight through his ribs and clear into a lung.  Edgar looked up and in a
fit of coughing smiled.

"At last... I can go... on... take... the Orb... King of Baron..."  Edgar
still managed a sneer at the name, "... I am dead.  Take the Orb... destroy
the Blade... and kill Takar for me... kill the Beast..."

"You mean you aren't possessed by Takar?"  Cecil was frantic.

Edgar merely smiled.  "You never could have known... I..." Edgar erupted
in a fit of coughing.  Cecil knew that he could have scanned Edgar.  He
knew he SHOULD have scanned Edgar.

He had killed an innocent.  Images of the Village Mist filled his mind.
"No!  I will not have another head on my conscience!"

"Let me die... damn it!  I deserve this much..." Edgar dropped his head to
the pavement and began to draw his last breaths.

"No!  Hold on, King Edgar!  You aren't going to make me carry your death
on my shoulders!"  He grabbed the Orb off of Edgar and shouted, "Cure
Three!"

A blue light enveloped Edgar, accompanied with a flurry of green sparks.
And the former King of Figaro lived again.

"Damn it, King of Baron!  Give me that Orb!"

"Here, your Highness.  And call me Cecil."

"Fine, Cecil.  But if you EVER save me again without my permission..."
Edgar trailed off with a threat in his eyes.

"I won't.  But I'm not going to let you die so easily.  Not until you've
paid your penance.  Not until you've paid back Livouf Takar."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Cecil."

And so the two great Kings became allies and prepared to give Livouf Takar
the biggest shock of his life.