As a member of SOLDIER, Sephiroth loved the battlefield. He participated in all the big missions and always came out victorious. He had no memory of his hometown and all he could remember of his mother was the name Jenova. He assumed that she had died but joined SOLDIER in hope to find a clue to her whereabouts.
The current mission was to travel to a mako reactor in Mt Nibel. A malfunction in the reactors system had caused a large increase in the number of monsters in that area. On the mission, Sephiroth was grouped with three other soldiers. A member of SOLDIER 1st class named Zack and his blue uniform friend, Cloud followed by another blue uniform who had just joined.
By the time they reached the reactor, with the help of a guide from Nibelhelm, the new blue uniform had fallen and was lost in the mountains. Cloud waited outside to look after the guide who he apparently knew quite well. Zack and Sephiroth entered the reactor and found the problem.
"Over there." Sephiroth pointed out an open valve in the pipeing causing mako energy to flow out creating monster cells in the air. "close the valve for me, would you? Its not much of a problem, all this way for nothing."
When the valve was shut Sephiroth pointed out the containers to which the pipes where passing mako energy. In the pods where large monsters which were once normal members of SOLDIER.
"They have been subject to high levels of raw Mako energy." Sephiroth had been told this by a professor long ago. "The magic within this gives them a power even stronger than your materia. The result of this is the monster contained in these pods."
"Wow!" Zack had never seen these monsters before and was amazed that such an experiment was even legal. "They look almost as strong as you, Sephiroth."
Something shouted at the back of Sephiroth's mind. Was I created this way to? Am I no different to these mindless creatures? And then he saw it. Big white lettering above a door at the back.
Jenova...
Sephiroth drew his sword and destroyed a nearby pod. He refused to believe it. it couldn't be true!
He ran back to Nibelhelm and shut himself in the Shinra mansion. He stayed in the library for days and days, flipping through book after book. He soon learned of an experament. A surviver of the Cetra had had her body cells removed. The cells were placed in a young child by the name of Sephiroth. The result was a great warrior, stronger than any member of SOLDIER,capable of destroying entire army's and return without a single scar.
Further reading showed that Sephiroth was the rightfull master of an area known as the "Promised Land", a land of supreme happiness. Sephiroth was supposed to go here and claim the rule of the entire human race.
Sephiroth sat and thought. Mabey he could take his mother back and go to this "Promised Land". Maby he could gain revenge on Shinra for taking him away from this seat at the tip of life.
He stood up and left the mansion. Outside people were waiting for him. They were shouting at him to leave the village. Shinra had been the cause of the rise in monsters in that area. Many people had died. Sephiroth laughed.
"Fine. Stand in my way. I will slay every one of you fools." He drew his masamune and slashed a group of protestors. He used his materia to light the village on fire. Cloud, the blue uniform, attacked with his broadsword but Sephiroth simply brushed him away.
"Out of my way fool. Im going to see my mother." And with that Sephiroth laughed and slowly turned around. He walked easily into his own flames and wandered, with his sword by his side, to take his mother back to the land that was his home.