Chapter Nine
Cloud's Memories
Now they had finally escaped from Midgar, the world seemed so much bigger and more daunting to the five adventurers. Although they had all been outside the city's grasp at some point or another, it felt as though they were leaving their home behind. The Shinra would most likely be searching for them as well as Sephiroth, so it was not safe to dawdle.
The large city gates that had not been opened for a generation, stood locked behind them, closed solidly and completely impenetrable. There was no turning back now. The long chain above their heads that led up to the edge of the highway was much too far to climb back up and near impossible for Red.
Ahead of them, the scorching countryside stretched onwards as far as the eye could see, reaching off to distant green hills that had long been unexplored. The landscape around the city was rocky and dark due to the immense Mako drain from the reactors in Midgar, but in the distance the lands were lush and fertile, and signs of plant life could be seen on the rolling green surface.
Kicking at a few rocks under his feet. Barret stepped in with his new plan. He was more authoritative than the others, desperate to leave this sorry place. He spared a thought for Marlene, but knew she would be safe in Elmira's hands. His quest was far from over yet. "Bigger than I remember it. It's been a while since I strayed from the city. Best get moving".
The others were not thinking clearly, but knew that Barret had a point. Cloud especially wanted to leave the rotting lands that he saw about him and head off into the friendlier territories. The further away from Midgar he was, the better.
"We'll need a group leader for our journey. That way, someone will be taking some responsibility". Barret grinned at the others.
Aeris was the first to answer him. "Then it would have to be Cloud".
Tifa stepped forward. "I agree".
Red was indifferent. "I have nothing against it".
Barret was lost in his tracks. He had expected them to nominate him. This was plainly obvious with the look of surprise on his face. He pushed the resentment deep inside of him. Cloud was one of them now, and he was one of a precious few that he could trust. There could be worse leaders, much worse. His face saddened as he remembered Avalanche's prime days, when they had all listened to Barret and done whatever he said without a word.
Cloud was the man who seemed to know a lot about what was going on and what exactly they were getting themselves into. He would need to explain the situation carefully to them all and reveal a few secrets to them. Now was the time to lay all of their cards on the table.
"To the north is a town called Kalm. It's built on the old Mythril mine several hours walk across the plains". Barret pointed out a direction.
The others looked at him as though they agreed with the plan. It was better to get a fair distance away from Midgar and Kalm was probably the safest place. It was a long walk but at least they could rest there.
Barret continued. "There's an inn in Kalm. We should meet there just as soon as we all arrive. Cloud split us into two parties. It will be safer to travel apart than together as a whole. We can't have five of us strolling through the fields together".
Cloud nodded as he saw Barret's point. Together they were bound to draw all kinds of attention; apart they stood a chance of blending in. He thought for a moment and then beckoned Tifa and Aeris over to him, smiling widely like a kid who had found a supply of sweets.
Barret chuckled in his gruff voice. "Thought you might do that," he said as he looked at Red.
Red had been quiet all this time, but now he began to focus on the task ahead as the group made their plans. "I'm going back to my hometown in Cosmo Canyon. I'll go with you as far as that". He spoke solemnly and with little emotion, which surprised the others. They didn't understand him as well as they would have liked, but that was the way he liked to remain, secret and mysterious.
After the group had finalized their plan and said their last goodbyes they separated off in different directions. Barret and Red were heading directly to Kalm on the overland route, whilst the Cloud, Aeris and Tifa were going to hug the mountains to the west and follow them around to the north of Kalm.
Cloud was surprised how much progress they had made by the late morning. They had covered many miles at their steady pace and were still going strong. The girls were solid hikers and showed no signs of slowing up as he had first expected. If anyone was growing tired it was him, but there was no way he was going to admit it.
The morning sun had rose and gave welcome to the travelers with a beautiful day. There was hardly a cloud in the sky as they stuck to the large mountain range to the west of Midgar. It was not stifling hot, but was comfortably warm with a soft breeze gusting softly through the air, refreshing them all. They were all thankful that the sun was not too powerful, as that would have slowed them dramatically. But it was also better than a cold day. Every day in Midgar had been cold and frosty as the rays of the beautiful day were lost in steep hills surrounding the world's largest city. The people of Midgar didn't know what they were missing out on.
It took them around an hour to reach the lush green plains that they had seen in the distance when they had first left the city. The crusty, brown surface that surrounded Midgar was now a distant memory as the grasslands approached. Cloud knew that these were the parts of the earth that had not been sucked dry of Mako energy and were still living and breathing. He found himself wondering which he would prefer. A living and breathing world, where people broke their backs to try and make a decent living in, or a dried up world, where life was made so much easier by Mako electricity. There was no doubt that the leap in technology and power was largely due to the energy lying beneath the planet's crust. It was an interesting thought.
Another hour had passed before they saw Kalm's rising towers in the distance. It was a village built like an ancient keep, protected by high stonewalls on every side except to the south, where a huge iron gate was the only way in. The walls were obviously used as protection against attacks from the planet's marauders. The gates were open at the moment.
Tifa remembered that the Devil Ride gang, who lived just outside of Midgar, were often involved in such attacks and had forced the building of such ramparts. The attacks had ceased over the years, partly due to the Shinra who felt it was their duty to protect their little puppet town from any such scum. They had deployed a small network of sweeper robots to search and destroy any of the Devil Ride members and as a result had almost wiped them out. The odd few still remained on the plains however and this is why they had to be extra careful.
Kalm was provided with its power from Midgar in a contractual agreement that held up as long as Kalm's marketing was still profitable. The workers of the Mythril mines had provided Midgar with raw materials for decades and in return they received their Mako energy. It was an agreement that had allowed both places to prosper and provided them with a relatively advanced way of life.
They were all tired and hungry, but would need to force themselves to go that little bit further. Soon they could rest at the inn and freshen up. Aeris thought of how great that would be. It had been ages since she had rested properly as the Shinra jails weren't up to much. They had been up for most of the night, so it was hardly surprising that they were exhausted. "Come on," she yelled merrily. "The others will already be there".
The other two moaned at her energy, but set off to follow her anyway.
Kalm was a lot smaller than they had first thought. Despite its relatively large towers and huge village centerpiece, the houses and shops that sat in their little nooks, were tiny and neat, almost like a child's toy set. It was a quaint little village, with flashing lights on the roofs and walls of the keep, and a smooth organ sound ringing through the little market in front of them. People scurried here and there, selling various oddments and chatting away outside their homes and in the market place as if the world revolved entirely around them. The centerpiece of the village was resembled to look like a massive mine shaft with various workings all over it. It was well maintained and picturesque at the very heart of this little village.
The inn was the largest place in town. It fit in with its surroundings perfectly, in the guise of an old medieval fortress of some sort. It looked comfortable enough. Inside the lounge area was warm and tidy and a cheerful looking manager sat behind the desk area. He grinned widely, as the three travelers walked in, undoubtedly smelling the hard earned money in their pockets.
Cloud seemed uneasy at first, not wanting to draw too much attention to him and the others. Several of the guests residing in the lobby had already caught sight of the huge sword that was on his back. It was highly unusual to see traveling warriors in this day and age as they were mostly looked down upon in the age of technology. This was a time of armies and city-states. The law of the land wouldn't generally allow for many of these vagrants passing through the endless fields, that was why they had to take extra precautions.
Tifa and Aeris seemed confident enough and projected themselves powerfully in the room, hardly caring what anyone thought of them. They had become quite close over the time they had spent together and Cloud began to wonder if he had been the one who was left out. He felt for both of them deep within his heart.
The manager spoke to Tifa as she approached the front desk. He seemed genuine enough, hardly the sort of man Cloud expected to be a Shinra spy, but in this day and age, it was difficult to tell. "Yes, your party has retired to room fourteen, upstairs on the landing. If you could please mind the steps on your assent as they are quite steep". He cast a glaring eye towards Cloud. "Wouldn't want any of you to get hurt now would we".
Tifa smiled back at the man and beckoned the others to head up to the room. "Thank you sir. We will be extra careful". Winking provocatively to the manager, Tifa sloped away towards the staircase to follow her comrades.
The manager watched the pretty young thing leave. He didn't spend much time contemplating the strange arrival of five unusual guests and instead was more occupied with his own desires. "Still got it," he chuckled to himself as he continued on with his work.
Room Fourteen was a cozy little nook, which housed three beds, a few elaborately decorated pieces of modern furniture and an antique fireplace in one corner. It was small, but comfortable and an ideal place to get some rest. Being on the end of a long corridor outside, the room seemed secluded enough for the group to start discussing their plans and they were all happy in the fact that they were alone and away from prying ears.
Barret sat on the far bed, obviously impatient for the group's safe return. Red sat comfortably on a rug near the burning fireplace. It was difficult to distinguish where the fires ended and Red's body begun as he camouflaged perfectly into its burning background. Both muttered cheerfully as the party reunited behind the door, and they did not cease until Cloud stood centrally in the room, eerie and silent.
Aeris and Tifa settled into the room quickly, glad of the heat they felt from the fireplace and the cozy atmosphere that had been created.
Barret looked at Cloud, but saw only tired eyes in the youthful face. He looked completely worn out, which Barret found strange. The man was a complete contrast to when they had first met in Tifa's bar. It was rather unsettling to him as he remembered the man's past, a member of the elite SOLDIER, where pain knew no boundaries and where the men fought to the finale without fear or remorse. Had the past few days really taken so much out of Cloud? Barret hadn't sensed the fatigue inside himself as of yet. Perhaps raw emotion drove him, that energy that had driven Avalanche in the first place.
After the welcomes and the settling, came the serious words. Aeris was the first to highlight the situation. "Cloud. You have something to tell us all, don't you… about Sephiroth".
"Yeah. I think we should hear your story for a change," Barret jumped in. "What's all this about Sephiroth and the crisis facing the planet?"
Tifa and Red stayed silent, observing Cloud patiently, waiting for him to divulge his secret life that no one seemed to understand. The dark horse of Cloud was about to steer into life and give them all a sense of what was to come… or so they hoped.
Cloud did not look comfortable. "I used to want to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER. After working with him on several missions, we became friends".
Barret butted in. "You call that a friend?"
"Yeah well…he was older than me but he hardly ever talked about himself". Cloud paused as he remembered. "So I guess you could call him a war buddy, we trusted each other, until one day…"
"One day?" Aeris was fascinated.
"After the war with Wutai, it was SOLDIER's job to put down any resistance against the Shinra. That was five years ago…I was sixteen".
There were four men in the truck. Two were regular Shinra troops, armed with good solid rifles and dressed from head to toe in bright blue Shinra uniforms. Both wore full face masks that allowed vision through a special red visor across the front, and hearing through special pads at the sides. The red Shinra logo appeared just above the visors. These were the backbone of the Shinra army, both reliable and strong. It had been thanks to their training and strict discipline, that these troops had emerged victorious in the war with Wutai.
The other two men wore no uniforms as such, but both carried the emblem of the Shinra on their iron breastplates. One man was instantly recognizable by huge crop of spiky yellow hair and massive sword that he lugged around on his back. The face was young and soft, most unlike the battle-hardened features of the other. This man was the young sixteen-year old Cloud.
The fourth man present, sat with his back to the others, bemused by the gauntlet that sat on his right wrist. He was dressed almost completely in black clothes that had been split open over his breast to reveal huge, bulging muscles. His hair was long and reached most of the way down his back, a bright silver in colour. The huge mop hung over his face, but did not do enough to shield the brilliant blue eyes that had been poisoned by Mako. The man as a whole was a daunting presence, dark and mysterious, almost like a passing shadow, drifting between worlds. He was almost completely detached from the world around him. The world that he saw as futile and weak compared to the world he wanted to envision. A world where men like him could rule. This man was none other than the great Sephiroth.
Both of the latter two were members of Shinra's SOLDIER unit, a rookie and a master, sent out into the world on a top-secret mission. Only Sephiroth had been briefed.
Cloud danced around in the cabin excitedly like a spoiled child. His voice was loud and disturbing. "They gave me some new Materia today. I can't wait to try it out.
Sephiroth shot his beautiful eyes towards the youngster. His voice was low and commanding. "Just like a kid," he muttered.
One of the Shinra guards suddenly let out a moan. "Oh god I feel ill".
Cloud turned towards him and smiled. "Really? I don't get travel sickness at all. Guess I must be lucky". He whistled softly and set himself against the side of the truck as it rumbled along its path.
Sephiroth let out a sigh…
"We were in the truck for quite a while. The journey from Midgar was longer than expected". Cloud broke off for a moment when he saw Barret groan. He scowled but continued anyway. "Sephiroth explained to me that we were on the way to a failed Mako reactor. Apparently, the thing was malfunctioning and turning out monsters".
Barret suddenly woke up. "Monsters? The hell?"
Cloud nodded and scanned around to the others…
The four men in the back of the truck picked up their weapons and dived for the van's rear exit. Suddenly being overcome by a furious roar and an almighty gust of wind, the men knew that this wasn't going to be easy. Facing them was a massive dragon shaped creature, almost twenty feet long from the head to the tip of its spiny tail. Green flame trailed from its mouth as it grimaced its long shiny teeth.
Sephiroth told the two guards to return to the safety of the truck as he contemplated the beast. He then beckoned to the young Cloud, who was shivering violently from the mad billowing gust caused by the dragon. "Get here now," yelled Sephiroth. "You wanted a chance to use that Materia of yours and now is your chance".
The two men leapt into battle. Livened by Sephiroth's bravery, the young Cloud heroically battled with the beast alongside his hero, but this was a battle that Cloud could not win. He was viciously swept aside as he tried to contemplate his Materia summoning. The dragon wasn't allowing any of it. Cloud was wounded slightly, but certainly not dead.
The gigantic monster then struck out at Sephiroth, but his magical barrier deflected most of the physical attacks. Drawing his legendary sword, the Marasamune, he lunged forward. Catching the dragon off guard, the huge blade was plunged deep into its heart and the threat was gone in an instant…
Cloud stiffened up as he remembered the sight vividly. He saw the shocked faces of the others, especially Barret. "That is the kind of strength that you will face if you go up against Sephiroth. He's far stronger in reality than any tale you might have read about him".
Barret and the others were lost for words, but prompted Cloud to continue with hand gestures.
Cloud turned away from them suddenly and walked over towards the fireplace, where Red was listening on quietly. "Do you know where that Mako Reactor was? Do you know where we were heading?
The others remained puzzled.
"We were heading towards Neibelheim," Cloud answered softly…
"My hometown, Neibelheim," the young Cloud said blankly.
Sephiroth was surprised. You are not happy to be here?" He strolled in front of the mighty Neibelheim gates examining the whole exterior of the entrance. The gates looked like they had remained opened for many years. An old truck stood to his left, abandoned and broken down, a disused wreck. The buildings, starting from either side of the gate were two-story wooden houses arranged in a large circle to form a town square. A big wooden structure of indefinable use stood in the very middle of the square. A small dog ringed the well excitedly wagging its little tail. No people could be seen.
Sephiroth reached out for the gate with a gloved hand, his massive Marasamune swinging under his arm as he did so. He massaged the gate strangely, as though he was trying to understand its importance. "What does it feel like to be back in your hometown?"
Cloud said nothing.
Sephiroth continued. "I wouldn't know because I don't have a hometown".
"What about your parents?" Cloud asked walking forward and looking into his town for the first time in years.
Sephiroth looked puzzled, as if a chunk of his life had suddenly awakened. "My mother is called Jenova. She is… My father…he…" Sephiroth stuttered and finally stopped, looking annoyed. "What does it matter?"
The two guards approached from the rear of the SOLDIER members and they all stepped boldly into town…
Barret steamed up suddenly. "Jenova? Wasn't that the name of the damn headless spook in the Shinra building? This doesn't make any sense".
Cloud shrugged and looked down at the floor. There was nothing he could say or do to make the others understand.
Tifa was saying nothing. Oddly, she had backed away from the others and was staring from the window into the village of Kalm down below them.
It was Aeris's turn to suddenly pipe up. "Barret. Will you please let Cloud finish his story? You can ask questions later".
Barret nodded as he sulked. "Well go on then"…
Cloud was not entirely joyous at being able to discover the roots of his hometown again. It was as though anyone hardly recognized him in his Shinra attire. He was a member of SOLDIER, but it was as though no one cared. As far as they were concerned, he was just another stranger passing through. A small child came running to him asking permission to go and get Sephiroth's autograph. When the boy was asked if he would like Cloud's signature instead, his response was shocking. "I don't like autographs from nobodies".
One house that Cloud immediately recognized was his own, the brightly coloured cottage situated between the general store and Tifa's house. Thinking back at the time, Cloud could not recall a single happy moment that he spent there. He walked to the front door…
"Hold it," said Cloud. "These are my personal memories. It has nothing to do with the incident five years ago". He seemed strangely bothered by something.
Barret nudged Aeris and winked.
She smiled and began to speak with her beautiful voice, which rang in Cloud's head like starry angels. "No, please continue. I want to hear".
Cloud shook his head softly, but persevered with the painful memories…
Cloud's mother was a vibrant woman, always looking to do her best by everyone whatever the circumstances. She looked at him as though he were a stranger appearing from the misty beyond. "Cloud?" She had recognized him after a few moments. The huge hair was a bright blonde, same as hers, and full of spiky outcrops. The eyes were still blue, but were a different kind of blue. They had changed since these two people had last met. The eyes had grown deeper as Cloud most probably had done with his time in SOLDIER. The eyes still told her nothing, but they were more experienced and had seen most of the outside world. "Cloud," she said again. "Welcome home, Cloud"…
He broke off suddenly, breathing heavily. Why could he only remember certain things? It was the same feeling again, the breaking of memories. It was as though he were only allowed to remember certain things, as though someone was telling him what was right and wrong to recall. "Let's stop this".
The others watched him, but did not dare to speak, fearful of the reply.
Cloud stopped, feeling the group deserved some kind of explanation. "Getting back to the point. After my wanderings I came back to the hotel where I spotted Sephiroth peering from a window".
"What are you looking at?" the young Cloud asked.
Sephiroth was hesitant which was most unusual. "The scenery. I feel like I know this place". He lowered his head away from the window, but did not look towards his comrade. "You better get some rest, we have an early start tomorrow. I've hired a guide to the Mako reactor. I've heard she's young so I hope we can rely on her".
Cloud nodded. As he turned to go to his room he saw the image of a great man, a silhouette of darkness peering through a window of light towards the hope on the horizon. He was the greatest man ever to have existed, but was perhaps also one of the loneliest. He was beyond all help, a power unto himself, one that could never be tamed and in that second when the two men parted, Cloud felt a deep emotion of sorrow, a feeling Sephiroth could never know.
Cloud tried not to meet the stare of Barret and the others as they grilled him with their eyes. He had never had this much attention thrown at him before, but as he grew more comfortable with holding the chair; his speech began to flow once more.
The next morning was bright and sunny and it was not as cold in Neibelheim as it usually was. The frost had lifted from the village to give a few hours of heat but Cloud knew it would not last.
Sephiroth and the guards were already set to go and were stood in front of the huge mansion that Cloud remembered as a child.
Sephiroth was his blunt self as usual. "As soon as the guide gets here, we're heading out".
A bald man with a slight stutter was stood next to him looking worried. "Listen Sephiroth, if something happens…"
Sephiroth had no patience for the man. "Trust me…"
"It's okay dad. I have two men from SOLDIER with me". A small girl skipped from the trees by the mansion.
Cloud recognized her immediately. She was about the same age as him, but looked more lively and confident. The shimmer in her eyes and the boundless energy told him that she had not seen much action since they had last been together. "Tifa, you're the guide?"
She beamed at him. "That's right. I just happen to be the number one guide in this town. She skipped over towards Cloud.
"Tifa I can't let you be involved, it's too dangerous".
"Don't worry, you'll be there to protect her". Sephiroth gave him one of those looks and Cloud dare not argue.
The mood was spoiled for a moment as the small child from the previous day came running up the banking leading to the mansion. He was crying out excitedly and waving a camera around his head like a weapon. "Excuse me, mister Sephiroth. Please let me take one picture as a memento".
The great man looked slightly awkward for a change, almost embarrassed by the youngster's request. He smiled for the first time since Cloud had known him, a weak, pitiful grin requiring great effort. He turned towards Cloud in an odd gesture, hardly wanting to be in the picture alone.
The small child was growing excited now; by the precious souvenir he was about to snap. His friends would be immediately jealous when he showed them. "Tifa, can you be in it too?" He pushed at the teenage girl he had known since birth, heaving he over towards Sephiroth and Cloud. As he backed away with his snapper the three stood up straight and willing. Sephiroth seemed edgy, but he posed well anyway, trying to keep his sword from getting in the way of the beautiful young girl who stood to his left. Cloud folded his arms and smiled cockily as he stared into the lens. They all heard a click…
Barret laughed loud. "So this guy doesn't stand up to the camera much eh?"
The others gave him a look to be quiet. Cloud had not finished. "Our journey was just beginning, a journey that would bring about the ultimate change in Sephiroth".
Tifa still did not stand with the others. She seemed distressed by the tale, as though it held some kind of significance to her. She had been there, but the look on her face seemed to contrast evenly with Cloud's tale…
Mount Neibel had stood unchanged for many a generation in the middle of the great continent. They were masses of spiky peaks stretching towards the clouds twice higher than the great city of Midgar, hundreds of miles away across the sea. The Neibel peaks stretched each way along paths of intertwining caverns etched out like a huge ant colony, with little caverns and caves scattered beyond number through the rock. These paths led up the sides of the mountain and through the middle of it, running up to the icy tops that were surrounded by a huge frosty haze blocking out a lot of the sun. It was extremely cold here, almost as fresh as the mountains on the north continent, and experienced hikers were the only ones who usually challenged the summit. Recently though, there had been all too much activity around the mountains of Neibelheim with attacks from some strange creatures making the trail almost inaccessible. The dragon monster they had faced on the road to Neibelheim was only a part of it. Still, there was no need for people from the village to go wandering into the mountains anymore, especially since the Mako reactor had been built.
Tifa led the group in front with Sephiroth whilst Cloud lagged behind slightly leading the other two Shinra guards. The going had been quite easy up until now, as they had been led along the path leading up to the mountain. The level was flat and gravelly as appose to being rocky and the rough road winded up to higher ground to a path that led deeper up the mountainside towards an old rope bridge in the distance.
Cloud was surprised that he did not remember this place as well as he ought to and he was also shocked by Tifa's attitude towards him. It was as though he had wandered into a place he had never been to before, as though this place was not his hometown and place of birth. Still he bore on, hardly contemplating his grudges further. He shouted to the two guards behind him, who were already exhausted and slowing their pace.
The route led around the old Mount Neibel Bridge, constructed in the last decade by Tifa's father amongst others. The bridge had been used by the townsfolk and the Shinra as a quick means of reaching the highest summits and the Mako reactor further up on an icy ledge. The bridge had served Neibelheim well over the years, but today it was ready to let them all down for the first time. When all five people were wandering across the old bits of rope and wood the thing began to buckle and the last thing they heard before the bridge snapped in two was Tifa's terrified scream. One guard was immediately thrust into mid-air, falling to his death on the jagged rocks below. The others hung on as long as they could before Tifa eventually lost her grip and slipped onto Sephiroth's shoulder. He grabbed her quickly but the board he was clinging onto snapped and he was also sent plummeting. Cloud and the other guard didn't last much longer, falling down into the icy abyss.
It was Sephiroth who roused them all some time later. Miraculously they had been unhurt and the great man was keen to be pressing on to the reactor as though nothing had happened.
Cloud rubbed the back of his neck as he scanned Tifa over for injuries. He knew this would be too dangerous for her, but what could he do? She seemed okay, a little shaken, but seemingly unharmed. He skipped to his feet and spotted a guard shaking the snow from his arms.
Sephiroth looked up at the mountainside, wandering how to proceed. It was impossible to see where they had fallen from, for the mist was too great. "Everyone seems to be alright," he said softly. "Can we get back to where we were?"
Tifa seemed unsure. "These caves are intertwined like an ant-farm, we should be alright. But…there seems to be a person missing". Tifa had noticed as well as Cloud.
The remark passed over Sephiroth with no reaction. "It may seem cold, but we have no time to search for him. We can't go back now, it's much too dangerous, and so we must press on. Stick together". Sephiroth jumped up onto a rock and scouted around the area.
Moving through the caves proved a difficult task, with Sephiroth leading as point man this time. Tifa was directing from behind, determined in her task, whilst Cloud talked to the other guard, who showed surprising resilience to losing his comrade. The harsh rocks and steep upward climb made for slow and heavy trekking, but sure enough, they had cleared a few caves out and with each new environment they felt enlivened and one step closer to their final target. Helping each other out, they managed to move quicker than usual and were grateful of each other's company by the end of it all.
It was then that they reached the mysteriously coloured cave within the mountain of Neibelheim. Cloud felt an immediate foreboding but Sephiroth was surprisingly calm. Behind a few boulders and curiously shaped stalactites hanging from the ceiling there stood a stone pedestal holding a great stand of green rock, outline with a golden glow. Cloud and Tifa had never seen anything like it before, and gathered around it in sudden excitement, hardly daring to breathe in case the thing was affected.
Sephiroth looked around at the glow on the cave walls. "It must be Mako energy. This mountain is especially abundant in it, that's why the Mako reactor site was settled here"
Cloud reached out a hand to the pedestal. "And what's this?"
Sephiroth did not look. "It's a Mako fountain, a miracle of nature".
Tifa smiled brightly, taking off her hat. "It's so beautiful". She paused. "But…if the Mako reactor continues to suck up the Mako energy, then this fountain will dry up". She looked at Sephiroth. "Right?"
The man seemed to ignore, instead he was too busy keeping an eye on Cloud. "Materia. When you condense Mako energy, Materia is produced. It's very rare to be able to see Materia in its natural state. Materia is mostly created during special techniques of Mako compression, but this creation is completely natural".
An odd question popped into Cloud's head. He had been dying to ask for a while now, and this gave him the perfect opportunity. "Why is it that when you use Materia, you can also use magic too?"
Sephiroth scoffed. "You are SOLDIER and you don't even know that? The knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients is held in the Materia. Anyone with this knowledge can easily use the special powers of the land, such as fire and earth. The knowledge acts between ourselves and the planet, calling up magic…or so they say".
Cloud was left in awe. "Magic…a mysterious power".
Sephiroth laughed at Cloud's naivety.
"Did I say something funny?" Cloud asked as he straightened up.
Sephiroth also pulled his gaze away from the fountain of Materia, squaring up to Cloud. "A man once told me never to use such an unscientific term as mysterious power. It shouldn't even be called magic. I still remember how angry he was".
"Who was that?" Cloud wondered aloud.
"Hojo of the Shinra board. An inexperienced man assigned to take over the work of a great scientist. He was a walking mass of complexes".
Tifa was still transfixed to the glow. "A Mako fountain…so this is where the knowledge of the Ancients is".
They reached the reactor by mid-afternoon. The thing was about thirty feet high, red in colour and most uncharacteristic of anything else about the mountainside. The thing stood out like a Chocobo in a field of sweepers as it sat perched on its mechanical foundations on a ledge of solid rock, snow covering its mechanical body. The four approached the reactor with a sense of success and they were all elated by their final destination.
Tifa jumped up and down in glee. "We finally made it. Sure took the long way around though".
Cloud gave her and uncomfortable grin. She had certainly proved him wrong, but her journey would end here. "Tifa, you wait here".
She shook her head as she looked up at the giant tower. "I'm going inside too. I wanna see!"
Sephiroth now turned his head towards her. His attitude seemed to change for the worse as he spoke. "Only authorized people are allowed in. This place is full of Shinra's industrial secrets". His tone was harsh and commanding, much changed from the softer side she had seen down in the village. "Take care of the lady".
At this command, the Shinra guard stepped in front of Tifa and shoved his right arm out front. Cloud shrugged and followed Sephiroth into the reactor.
The inside had never been designed for humans. Mechanical robots were sent in when they were needed, but aside from the odd maintenance man, the place had never been stepped in. Ahead of him, cloud saw two bars that formed a rough bridge over to another metal platform leading off to the right. Here, chains were dangled down onto the bridge below. Sephiroth had already gone this way; Cloud could see the flailing silver hair and the black overcoat, winging their way down the chains towards the reactor core. Below the bridge, Cloud saw the pure Mako energy, gushing around like a sea of power in the bowels of the earth. It was the first time Cloud had ever seen an actual Mako pool before and he remembered what Sephiroth had told him.
He quickly scrambled across the poles and onto the chains, trying his best to keep up with his superior as the great man kept a fair pace across the bridge. Eventually landing on the solid surface, Cloud was overcome by the Mako fumes and was knocked slightly dizzy for a few moments before the effects wore off. He was used to it by now, he just didn't expect pure Mako to be so strong. Ahead of him, Sephiroth had already past through a small open doorway, beneath a mass of working cogs, grinding their metal away in a daily toil, working them night and day sucking up the precious fuel source.
Through the door, there was another small chamber, coloured by red lights on the wall. A series of steps ran up towards another door, and on each level of steps, a platform spread either way, with various tanks situated on large bulky metal stands. Pipes and tubes fed from each of the tanks and ran along the floor and down the steps, disappearing beneath the floor at the bottom. Sephiroth was stood at the top of the steps, slightly crouched and investigating several gages. Cloud crept up the first step, looking around in surprise. This place didn't seem to be connected to the reactor at all; it was almost like a storeroom, a separate entity within the building, far away from prying eyes.
Sephiroth suddenly signaled to him. "This is the reason for the malfunction. Cloud, close that valve over there". He pointed over to a large wheel on the right side, down at the bottom of the steps where Cloud was stood. He obeyed quickly. "Why did it break?" Sephiroth asked himself as he straightened up. His head span around slowly as he took in more of his environment. He seemed as surprised as Cloud.
Swiftly hopping down a few steps, Sephiroth settled over by one of the huge tanks that Cloud was investigating. When there he pulled himself up to the glass window about half way up. The frown touched his face instantly, a look of realization and horror, but at the same time, disgust. He fell back and glanced at the floor. "Now I see, Hojo. But even doing this will never put you on the same level as Professor Gast". He spoke quietly, not intending for Cloud to hear, then he changed his mind and took note of his understudy. "This is a system that condenses and freezes Mako energy…that is when it is working correctly. Now what does Mako energy become when it is further condensed?"
Cloud thought for a moment, uncomfortable with the change in Sephiroth's eyes. "It becomes Materia".
Sephiroth nodded. "Exactly. But Hojo put something else in there as well. Take a look".
Cloud hesitated, but he was also dying with curiosity at the same time. What could have spooked Sephiroth so much? Cautiously, he approached the window, grabbed at the edge of the pain and pulled himself up, glaring into the gloom with his own eyes. He saw the head and the terrible, terrible face looking back up at him with those eyes. It was alive! Cloud fell back in terror. "What was that?" he yelled.
Sephiroth took a breath. "Normal members of SOLDIER are humans that have been showered with Mako to enhance their abilities. You are different from regular army, but still human, almost superhuman". He nodded and placed both hands on the hilt of his sword. "But the things in here have been exposed to a much higher degree of Mako, treated with much more than you".
"Is it some kind of monster?" Cloud warbled.
"Yes. They are the monsters that have been terrorizing Neibelheim, created by Hojo of the Shinra. Mutated living organisms that have been produced by Mako energy and…something else". He looked up to the door at the top of the staircase. Bronze words were etched over the door like an arch of truth for Sephiroth. "Jenova," he read.
Cloud backed away as Sephiroth walked up a single step and began to flip out. "No…Was I?" He drew his Marasamune and began to swing wildly clashing it against the metal tanks in a blind rage. Cloud had to roll backwards to escape from the swishing metal in the air.
Sephiroth's chin shot upwards towards the ceiling, and he brought his sword up the same way. "Was I created this way too? Am I the same as these monsters?"
Cloud reached out a hand in a useless gesture. "Sephiroth".
The man was not listening. "You saw them. They were all mutated humans!"
"Humans. No way!" Cloud spluttered.
The sword was lowered, along with the great man's head. "I've always felt that I was special, different form the others. But not like this…"
To their left, there was a large clanking and one of the tanks toppled over, cracking under its own weight. A yellow fluid gushed out and splashed down the steps as a large sized embryo splattered onto the metal steps. There was a scream from the cocoon as an evil head protruded form the casing, breathing its first life of free air. The thing looked to be a human form, but was grossly disfigured and discolored.
Sephiroth had seen enough. "No!" He screamed as he raised his mighty sword and plunged towards the newborn beast, with his intent on killing the thing once and for all…
"Damn Shinra! The more I hear, the more I hate them!" Barret pounded his fist to the bed beside him, wishing he had something harder to hit. He was not the only one who felt this way. The others had been listening intently, but were now dazed by the revelation that the Shinra were involved in much more than had first been the case.
Tifa now turned back to the group and squatted to the floor, crossed legged. "Who would have thought that the Mako reactor held a secret like that?" She said it as though thinking to herself.
Red nodded, hardly moving his body, as though transfixed by the thought of the beast in the container. "So that explained the increase in the number of monsters around Neibelheim. I think we should hear more".
Aeris nodded enthusiastically, annoyed by the sudden cease. "So you were waiting outside then Tifa?"
She nodded. "Yes".
Cloud returned to form. "We returned to Neibelheim by the late afternoon. Sephiroth confined himself at the inn. He didn't even try to talk to me".
"Then all of a sudden he disappeared right?" Tifa butted in.
Cloud nodded. "We found him inside the biggest building in Neibelheim".
"The villagers used to call it, the Shinra mansion". Tifa added to the interested party.
Cloud continued. "Long ago, people from the Shinra used to live in that mansion…"
The great SOLDIER opened the book. "An organism that was apparently dead was found in a two thousand year old geological stratum. Professor Gast named that organism, Jenova". Sephiroth read the words aloud from the book as though they would have more meaning if he tossed them through the air. He was almost oblivious to Cloud as the young SOLDIER sat in the corner of the basement laboratory silently. Cloud had come down here to check on Sephiroth, but was beginning to wish he hadn't bothered.
"On this date, the Jenova project was approved by Shinra. Then five days later, Jenova was confirmed to be an Ancient". Sephiroth's voice rang out in monotone as he studied the words almost religiously, desperate to find out the hidden meanings. He stood in a pile of books that he had thrown off the shelf in a frenzied search. "The use of the Mako reactor was approved for the…" He snapped the book shut and turned his head left towards the testing table, hovered over by two huge glass canisters.
Cloud sat here nervously, not knowing how to react.
Sephiroth continued to speak, now in dire need of answers and hoping perhaps that his young colleague had some. "Jenova was my mother…Jenova project…is this just a coincidence?" He chewed the words for some time, thinking them over with rigid hope. "Professor Gast, why didn't you tell me anything? Why did you die?" His head turned away from Cloud, his voice full of loneliness and sadness. Sephiroth was like an orphan, a character in a page of legends who had just discovered the awful truth about his childhood.
Cloud felt strongly for him. Jumping off the table he wished he could think of something to say to his hero, but all he could do was utter his name. "Sephiroth…"
"Leave me alone…" the words trailed off as the great man passed down the shelf of books into the study at the end.
Cloud watched him leave, a black figure in the eerie glow.
He would stay here for days at the bottom of the old stairs, reading manuscript after manuscript in the hope of turning up some answers, and never once did the light in the basement go out. Days became night and still Sephiroth read like a man possessed in the spirit of the books, never sleeping or taking a moment to rest. There he stayed, beneath population until one day…
Cloud had ordered the Shinra man to stand guard on the door and take Sephiroth anything he needed, whilst Cloud wandered through the mansion in awe, eating and sleeping mostly. They had been in Neibelheim for about a week before the sentry came and woke Cloud in the early hours of one morning. He seemed strangely nervous and agitated, but Cloud dismissed it as a lack of sleep. "Sephiroth seems different". That was all the man would mutter before he disappeared out of the room.
The mansion had taken on a new light in the early morning. Small shafts of light attacked the dusty old windows but did not seem quite strong enough to penetrate the pane, and could only leave a dim glow in the room. Cloud rubbed his eyes as he awoke and swung his legs over the side of the bed, glancing over towards the door to the bedroom where he had set his head down for a few hours. Through the wooden frame he could see another door across the hall, where the entrance to the basement lay. It had been a secret passage down to the laboratory not so long ago, when the Shinra had used to live here. Cloud crossed over to there now and found himself in the same dim surroundings. There was no sign of the sentry who had just woken him, only the last remnants of his cigarette in the ashtray. Feeling for the knob near the old fireplace, he switched it, and opened the passage that led down into the basement.
The steps were old and creaky, built at the same time as the mansion, hundreds of years ago. The basement had originally been used to house wine and meats for the rich owners of the old house, but since the Shinra had bought the place, the old science team had decided to put it to much better use as an underground research laboratory. He continued his decent into darkness…
The place was warmer now than when he had first set foot down here. Sephiroth had been burning the electric for over a week now with no let up, so it was bound to have picked up in heat. He wandered into the central lab space and glanced around at the old tools sitting on the desks and medical tables. What kind of macabre experiments they carried out here, Cloud could only guess. To his immediate left, the passage was confined into a tunnel, with rows upon rows of bookshelves covering both sides. The books that they had once housed were now lying on the floor in piles, some torn and open, others sat closed off in piles, almost completely blocking the passage. At the end of the tunnel, there was a desk and an opened out clearing. Cloud recognized the man who sat there, with a broad, evil smile on his face.
"Who is it? Ha it's you. Traitor". Sephiroth cackled his annoyance and buried his head in the book in front of him.
"Traitor?" Cloud asked as he walked forward, trying to avoid the discarded books and notes on the floor.
"You ignorant traitor!" Sephiroth stood violently and threw the book over at Cloud.
The young man stopped, looking horrified.
"Okay I'll tell you," Sephiroth sneered. "The Cetra were an itinerant race. They would migrate onto a new world, settle in, and then move on. At the end of their long and hard journey, they would find the Promised Land and supreme happiness. But there were those who did not wish to continue with the journey, those who would stop and build shelters, electing to lead an easier life. They separated from the Ancient Cetra, taking what they had originally made without giving one whit in return. Those are your ancestors!"
Cloud tried to take in what the man was saying, but was more concerned with his anger than anything else. He took a step backward, signaling his fear.
Sephiroth was now walking around the table. "Long ago, disaster struck this planet. Your ancestors escaped…they escaped because they hid, and the planet was saved by sacrificing the Cetra. After that, your ancestors continued to spread, along with the indigenous population of that world. Now all that's left of the Cetra is in these reports".
"What does that have to do with you?" Cloud asked, now in desperate fear as Sephiroth grew closer to him.
"Don't you get it? An Ancient named Jenova was found in a geological stratum two thousand years ago. Then was the Jenova project, a project that wanted to create people with the powers of the Ancients…No! The Cetra. I am the result!"
Cloud shook his head but it all seemed to make sense in a creepy sort of way. "Create?" Cloud stuttered.
"That's right. Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova project and genius scientist, created me". His voice was coy and slithering, like an evil snake.
"Cloud was now out of the bookshelves but was still retreating. "How…how did he? Sephiroth?" He was backing up so far, that he forgot where the table was, and ran right into it. A few beakers fell to the floor and frightened him.
Sephiroth then skipped over past him and mumbled to himself. "Out of my way! I'm going to see my mother!"
It seemed to take an age for Cloud to escape the mansion. Every step he took seemed to take him one step back and he could never remember the mansion being this large before. But when he finally reached the great entrance to the place and looked out onto his hometown he began to wish that it had all been a dream. His past life, his entire childhood history was burning up right before his eyes in a sea of dancing red and yellow flames spitting off scorching heat towards his body.
He stumbled from the mansion path, hardly able to see anything through the intense fires. He couldn't tell one building from the next as they were all joined by flames, engulfed in one horrible inferno. When the shock had passed he began to see the reality, his hometown, Neibelheim, burning to the ground. It was all very, very real, not some stupid dream or fantasy. The people he knew and cared about were gone, the house and shops that he had been in since he were a child were dying a slow death, amongst the flames.
Cloud stumbled forward, his hands on his cheeks, not quite knowing what to feel. There was a gradual decline down to the village, but every step he took, his face felt the heat growing stronger, and soon it would be burning his face off, the face that was transfixed on the destruction. A voice called out to him from the ashes. It was muffled and he did not recognize it, but it was there all the same. Looking for some kind of rationality, he scanned desperately for the voice. There he saw an old man tending over a badly wounded boy calling out to him in desperation. "Hey it's you".
Cloud nodded and rushed over towards him, shielding his eyes from the worst of the flames. As he squatted down he recognized the traveler, Zangan, who had been in the town for many years now. His face was beaten and wiry, but he remained calm, despite the situation. "Check that house over there. I'll see to this one," the old man cried, pulling his coat over his head.
Cloud did as he was told. He could feel the heat beating through his arm now as it covered his face. It seemed to be rushing him from all directions, wanting to burn him up like the rest of Neibelheim and destroy him for good, but he wasn't about to let that happen. That was when he realized that his own house was also of fire and burning down from the rafters. It was impossible to reach from the outside, as the door had collapsed inwards. He was frozen to the spot as Zangan sprinted over there, murmuring something. Cloud thought about the person he loved dearest in the world, trapped beneath the rubble, crying out his name in fear, wanting him to save her. There was nothing he could ever do for her, for she had perished long ago. He had never shown his feelings, and now she would depart this earth forever, without ever really knowing how her son had felt. Cloud was alone now in this world, shivering despite the flames, harboring these thoughts.
But then another emotion matured as he looked upon the hill leading back up to the Neibelheim mansion. There he saw a few survivors from the town, armed with pitchforks and shovels and a few had guns. They were attacking the dark shape of nightmare, the figure amongst the flames that had destroyed a whole town in his fury. Sephiroth hit back at the six people who surrounded him, with a sword technique that was to prove fatal for them all. A wave of energy from the Marasamune swept them all away with a single blast as the legendary SOLDIER swung in a complete circle. He drove the very edge of the blade into one of the townsfolk and then rose his head back towards the village. Cloud saw his nemesis in front of him, almost framed by the burning fires in the corners of his vision. Anger flowed through him as he saw Sephiroth's eyes, now evil and beyond reproach. The two men simply stared for an absolute age, before Sephiroth eventually took off up Mount Neibel. There Cloud saw his chance for revenge, he would not stop until he had killed Sephiroth…
Fuelled by his rage, Cloud's journey from the burning village to the Mako reactor was surprisingly fast. Along the way he saw the bodies of many townsfolk, lying dead in the snow as they had traced Sephiroth to the peaks, looking for revenge for their town. The man had cut them all down without mercy, killing them as though they were nothing but obstacles on his path to the reactor. Cloud didn't care about them; he just cared about reaching Sephiroth and killing him down there and then. He found the reactor sitting where it always had, a horrible image on the seat of nature, clanking away to the echoes of the mountain.
He pulled his body through to the core in the other side of the grand entrance and saw the familiar industrial setting of the dangling chains and the old platforms above the bridge. There he saw an image that brought fear and sadness into his face. He saw Tifa cowering over the body of her dead father, crying into the reactor with her hatred. "Papa…Sephiroth! Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he? Sephiroth… Soldier… Mako reactors… Shinra… Everything! I hate them all!"
Cloud leapt onto the nearest chain, and began to shimmy himself down it quickly, but before he reached the bottom, Tifa had already picked up with Sephiroth's sword, the Marasamune, and was running into the core of the reactor. He dropped the last few feet and hit the bridge with a clang. Worried and disheartened by Tifa's cries and horror, he picked up his pace and sprinted after her.
Tifa looked up to see him at the doors of Jenova, arms stretched out wide. Her instincts took over as she sprinted up the steps in the pod room and lunged forward with the giant blade.
The man had sensed the attack before she had even entered the room and was easily able to dodge to the left and catch the blade on his gauntlet. He twisted his arm and managed to grab the hilt whilst catching Tifa off balance. A short struggle ensued.
Cloud arrived at the bottom of the stairs to see Sephiroth bring the blade across Tifa's chest in a long downward motion that seemed to last an eternity. He watched his childhood friend cry out her attacker's name before slumping backwards and hitting the steps hard. She slithered, almost lifeless down the slope and into Cloud's arms at the bottom. He caught her quickly and raised her head to his own, staring into her teary eyes. Blood began to dribble form the corners of her mouth as she spoke. "You promised…you promised that you would come… when I was in trouble". Her voice was gargled and slow, but full of meaning and emotion.
He nodded as he sobbed, catching a look up at Sephiroth when he got the chance. The Soldier had disappeared through the doors at the top and into the Jenova chamber. Cloud meanwhile had raised her up into his arms taking on the strain of her body as well as the strain on her feelings. He carried her over to the right of the Jenova pods and set her down there before she slipped into unconsciousness. He felt immediately guilty, but the only thing on his mind was Sephiroth and he could not bring himself to concentrate on Tifa right now. He turned and sprinted up the steps to follow his former mentor.
The Jenova chamber was surprisingly small, but had been stocked out with tubes and pipes leading up to a huge, reinforced glass cage that Sephiroth now stood before. The multicolored tubes that fed a brightening liquid into the container ran up to the back of the cage and connected in socket through the back of a huge gigantic mask. It bore the image of a woman's crying face, and was made from solid gold patterned with white pearls. The horrible face stood over the real head of Jenova inside the case, covering it from first appearance, but Sephiroth wasn't fooled. He wanted to see her real face, to see what was within the creature's eyes. He shot his gloved hands towards the sides of the mask and pulled at it with all his might, shredding the gold from the cage and ripping countless tubes. Sparks shot out onto his face, as he grimaced against them but they would not deter him. When he had finally got the thing free, he tossed it casually behind him and stared upon his so-called mother.
Cloud did not see the image behind Sephiroth, but simply glared with hating eyes towards the man himself, praying for vengeance. "My family! My hometown! How could you do this, Sephiroth?" Cloud yelled his heart out with as much fury as he could muster, not that it would make any difference.
"They've come again mother," Sephiroth muttered, still staring into the face behind the glass. "These worthless creature are stealing the planet from you, mother. But with your superior power, knowledge and magic, you are still destined to become the ruler of this planet!" He laughed loudly, turning his head back towards Cloud. "Now I'm here with you also, so don't worry".
Cloud saw Sephiroth's blade, now bloodstained and tarnished. He feared it, the wrath it brought out within this great man, but there was no way he could control what he was about to do. He brought his right hand up to the Buster sword hilt on his back and drew the thing, the blade swinging down and hitting the ground with a thud. His left hand went to meet the right. "What about my sadness, Sephiroth? You've taken everything away from me".
Sephiroth looked surprised. "What do I have to be sad about? I'm the chosen one, chosen to be the leader of this planet. I have orders from mother to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. What have I got to be sad about," he repeated cruelly.
A tear returned to Cloud's eye and he was surprised, for he thought he had shed all of them before now. "I trusted you," he stuttered. "You're not the Sephiroth I used to know". Then Cloud raised his weapon above his head and thrust forth…
The little room in the hotel of Kalm had stood silent for a long time listening to the end of Cloud's story, but they were left feeling unsatisfied by the conclusion. "And that's it," Cloud shrugged.
Barret looked at the surprised faces of the others. "Wait a damn minute, aint there more?"
The ex-SOLDIER shook his head. "I can't remember".
"And what happened to Sephiroth," Aeris asked inquisitively.
Cloud walked away from the group and over to the window frame, where he saw Kalm's workers scurrying about the place doing their daily chores. "In terms of skill, I couldn't have killed him".
"Official records state that Sephiroth is dead," Tifa offered helpfully. "But then again, Shinra owns the newspaper, so we can't rely on that information".
Aeris nodded her agreement to that. She remembered reading the article long ago when she was only a teen.
Cloud still seemed trouble, despite getting it all off his chest. "I want to know what happened. I challenged Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me?"
"I'm alive too," Tifa said as she cradled Cloud's arm. He wasn't paying much attention though.
Aeris noticed the affection from Tifa. "It seems like a lot of this doesn't make any sense. What about Jenova? It was in the Shinra building, right?"
"Shinra shipped it from Neibelheim to Midgar," Cloud answered without looking.
Tifa glanced up at his face. "What happened then? Did someone carry it out after that? Did Sephiroth? It was missing from the Shinra building".
"None of this makes any damn sense! I'm going, going, gone, right out of here and leaving all the thinking to you. Cloud, come on man lets go". Barret stamped upward and waved at the man.
Cloud shook his head. "We need some rest first. A few hours at least, we have a lot of traveling to do".
Barret grunted and sat down again, before small talking with Red.
"Cloud?" Tifa sat on the window ledge with him.
"Yeah".
"How bad was I when Sephiroth cut me?"
The man switched his eyes between the outside and Tifa, not wanting to look at her for too long, for fear of the memories they had shared as children together. "You were bad. I thought you were a goner…" That was enough; he had drifted off into his own world, not wanting to think about anything more for the rest of the day. The journey through his past had been long and tiring, as he had recalled them accurately and he was now exhausted.
He stole a glance at Aeris, who smiled.