How hard can it truly be to describe such events that would make someone seem crazier than what they actually are? If you were to ask me that question sometime before, I would have laughed and chalked it off to some kind of wind up but you ask me now of all times. Simply recalling the events of what happened in that town is no walk in the park, trust me. I never knew it then but when I became a witness to something so brutal, so horrifying, I felt like I was losing my mind like anyone else would. If you saw what I saw, you would understand why.
That town is haunted…
It was a typical rainy day, just like it had been all this week. I was stubborn, foolish, completely ignoring all of the gossipers in the small coffee shop. For a coffee shop, it was unusually busy but if you lived in Midgar and had a set of local shops or restaurants near you, chances are they were hard to get into because it was always full of people from all over the world. I allowed my long raven hair to flow past my shoulders, wounding so beautifully into the atmosphere in that small coffee shop. I sip at my drink, planning the easiest route to get to Nibelheim, my hometown, a town of forgotten memories and never ending silence.
…One mistake is all it took…
It wasn't long before I was heading back to my car, issuing polite nods to the people who passed. Climbing carelessly into the front, I took off at a speed capable of blowing anyone away. I wanted to make it to Nibelheim quickly, to see what had become of my old hometown but I am quickly stopped by an accident in the road, something that could have been fatal if I didn't notice it before hand. Stepping out of my car, I observe the accident like the other drivers surrounding me before continuing my way on foot.
…Pain so much pain…
It was already nightfall when I reached the small settlement. Instead of attending to the pain in my legs, I explored further into the town. The unusual silence of the town was beginning to unsettle me. Something had gone terribly wrong here, but what was it? And why did the houses look like they did when I left this town so long ago? Like small little huts, no bigger than an average sized cottage on the outskirts of Midgar. What was more worrying was the looming edifice of the Shinra mansion. I was pretty sure I could see someone looking at me from this large dusty windows but when I tried to see who it was, the mysterious figure disappeared into thin air as if what I saw was an illusion. Taking my eyes off of the grimy window, my eyesight settled upon a small hut, no bigger than the rest of the huts in this town.
…My old house…
It was my old house that was definite but there was no sign of life. Even when I looked though the window, all I could see was a sitting room with a rocking chair in front of the fire. Pressing my weight against the old door, I gasp as the door opens effortlessly into the front room where the chair is still rocking but this time I was sure I saw something sat upon the smooth basin that provided comfort for its host. Somehow that braided hair looked all too familiar but I can't place it, nor can I place the vacant expression of the woman herself. Edging closely towards her, I make sure not to make any sudden movements just in case this girl turned on me, I take one look into her crystal irises before backing away in amazement.
…Something happened…
She grabbed me; she actually grabbed me as if she knew I was there. Her crystal irises didn't leave my dark ones as she pulled me forward with such vigorous envy before I nearly collided with the fire place. Looking back up at the girl, I notice that her pretty features suddenly became grotesque as her beautiful bright irises were replaced with unexplainable voids of darkness whilst her own beautiful hair had disappeared and before I knew what was happening, she had disappeared just like that mysterious person in the Shinra Mansion.
…Something bad…
What had happened here? Why was the village so silent? So derelict of noise? What had become of my hometown? All these questions seemed to collide into one as I stared for hours on end at the space where the girl had disappeared. I wasn't tired, not even from the long hike I took to get to this place but I couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was watching me with unspeakable envy just like that girl. I couldn't turn around, couldn't move and I didn't really want too. I have seen horror before but in the form of War and violence. Whatever this was, it shocked me beyond belief. I wanted to get out of here, wanted to take my chances and run for it but something was keeping me here, rooted quite literally to this house.
…The house I had grown up in…
What was it that had drawn me to the town of Nibelheim after so long? And why had everyone disappeared? In those few moments, I longed to see a friendly face, someone who could give me a helping hand and somehow pull me away from this madness but all I got was the eerie silence that surrounded the deserted town. I had a curious urge to go and see if anyone was next door but I couldn't even bring myself to move from my position. I wanted to see if my own best friend was still alive, wanted to see if he was safe unlike the poor souls who had mysteriously disappeared. Running out of the house, I knock on the door feverishly, hoping that someone would answer and to my relief or what I thought was my relief, someone answered.
…Survivors...
A man, no older than at least twenty seven with spiky blonde hair answered the door in a pair of what looked like an old SOLDIER's uniform. If I remember correctly it was always his dream to join the Shinra bodyguards known only as SOLDIER to the public. He was alive, Cloud was alive…or was he? Something seemed completely vacant about his expression, as if I wasn't really there but all of a sudden I am pulled inside the old house, the sound of the door slamming shut behind me rattling the old hut as I am held at sword point by one of the only survivors of this town.
"Why did you come back? What do you want this time?" Who was he referring too? And why was he holding a sword that looked oddly familiar at my throat? Before I could ask him any questions he disappeared just like the girl had done before. I didn't actually know what it was in those few moments but for some reason, even through the shock, I felt drawn towards the old Shinra mansion, as if I knew that all my problems were going to be solved there, in that old decaying building. Either that or something completely different was pulling me towards it because I could remember walking out of the small hut, towards the old gates of the mansion where an even thicker chill descended over the haunted town of Nibelheim.
…Mysterious Entity…
The mansion itself was like a mysterious entity in its own sense. Something was pulsating at its core, I could feel it but whatever it was, it was out of reach because of the rubble in the way of the stairwell. Sighing I took two steps away from it before screaming and falling into a black void, passing out from the shock. When I awoke, I was in a surreal world full of nothing but scary machines and candles but there was something at the centre of this mysterious room. A gleam a silver hair in the candlelight confirmed that there was definitely someone there, watching me with vigorous envy just like the other two did. What was it that they were so envious about?
"…Tifa…Tifa…Tifa…" it kept whispering as if it was in a chant. Looking at the creature (if that was what I could only call them) I feel like screaming but I realise that I have no control over my own voice.
"This is what you look like when you die Tifa…" Others started to appear now, young children, older children, teenagers, adults and of course old people. Pointing out their unusually pale hands towards the one person in the middle, I scream out, breaking the bonds of whatever came over me. I wanted to run away from here but they were also blocking the exits like a pale barricade. The one in the middle chuckled, his silver hair gleaming effortlessly in the candle light as he stepped off the strange altar shaped desk, his black cloak and silver hair billowing after him as he made his way over to me, reaching into his cloak and producing something long and sharp. Something very deadly…
…That sword…
I knew that sword! It was the sword that was held by one of the greatest heroes this planet has ever known, Sephiroth. Looking up into his still angelic face, all the brutal murders, all the continuous violence come back to me. Was I the cause of all this? Did I kill everyone? No I couldn't have could I? But I did and I knew it by the look in his eyes, the look that I gave my victims before they died of a painful death. I was ready to accept death, to feel the hilt of the blade hit my back and I did. And when that blade hit its mark, I felt nothing but release from a corrupted life, something that was given to me…
A/N: Don't ask, just don't ask! I didn't want to kill anyone off but something happening to me at that time gave me a dark horrific idea…Do not flame me!