Disclaimer: All are property of square except for the story flow which is mine. I altered some points and ideas of square to my own. By the way, the city's name is not Luxerian rather, it is Luxerion, sorry about that, I'll be correcting the city's name from here onwards. Anyway, i welcome you all to my AU, mostly combined beliefs of the final fantasy games with the majority of it from the Fabula Nova Crystallis final fantasy. I tried combining them to connect the worlds together, it's pretty hard but I'll do my best to make this story exciting. This chapter is about the basis of the worlds I'm putting in so you guys will understand it better. Enjoy reading!^_^v
Chapter 2- Of gods and swords
While Aboard The airship, Aerith was still looking at the window, amazed by this realm. She saw a vast expanse of sea from afar; the city of Luxerion is a sight to behold with all its Goth-Romanesque design. Its structure was a combination of both modern and ancient touch, the grandiosity of the city was even admirable from the sky. After indulging herself to the views offered by the tall cabin glass window, she finally turned her gaze to her companion who was sitting on a single couch by the bedside on the far left, near the wall that leads to the door outside their room. Sephiroth was busy analyzing a poster-like parchment spread before him holding it with both hands. Aerith can't help but wonder what he is reading so she crossed to his side and saw that Sephiroth was actually analyzing a map, the map of this vast and grand realm.
"Wow, Valhalla is quite huge don't you think? But… even if it is, only 3 places occupy the whole realm, I mean, look, almost half of it was occupied by Luxerion, then here's Memoria and the vast expanse of sea on the opposite end is already the Sea of chaos or known as the Void. There's no other place here at all. Hmm…", she said while crossing her left arm on her chest and holding her chin with her right hand.
Sephiroth hinted the disappointment evident on her voice; he straightened his seat as he crossed his right leg, putting it on top of the other.
"Aside from the 3 major spots in Valhalla, you can still see some places, look at the map carefully, Can you see this vast expense of natural landscape?" Sephiroth said without looking at Aerith and straightening the map so she could get a better look to where he's pointing at. Aerith leaned closer, her eyes grew wide.
"Oh! That's a good amount of space but not as big as the major three places. What's it called?", Aerith asked interestingly.
"This place is near to where exactly the void is coming from, it stands between the Void and Memoria, this is called Narsus Polia, the field of Valiance. It's a combination of a wide area of plains and glaciers said to be a place of battles occurring in Valhalla. The eternal battle between light and darkness always takes place in here, they said that if massive amount of Chaos slips in past this field, it will cause ruins on the other places. Massive amounts of negative energy produced by the Chaos from The Void should not reach Etro's temple at all cost or it will be ruination to all in Valhalla." He wisely explained.
"Wow, how did you know so much?"
"Everything you need to learn about this place is in here.", he reached for the book on his bed and gave it to Aerith. After that he rolled the map and put it on the bedside table, the one in the middle of their beds. He walked towards the window,the window was taller than him, it serves like a thin barrier between them and the world outside the ship. As he looks at the vast expanse of the world outside he closed his eyes, absorbing everything he had come to know so far from this world and its places.
The Void was already part of this realm before Bhunivelze, whom the people quoted as the "Maker". He can't stop thinking of the time he spent in the lifestream, lying dormant for a year after the events of Geostigma, when his consciousness almost shattered taking everything he knows of himself, Aerith had saved him in the brink of being part of the Void. He can't stop thinking, what would have become of him, had Aerith failed to save him? What was the Void like? Why does even the gods feared for it as evident of creating the coliseum and training the best warriors there is, just to defeat whatever lies in its hellish depths? What is the secret shrouded in darkness of the aforementioned place that not even the author of the book he was reading earlier could discern?
The sound of a heavy sigh broke him out of his thoughts as he turned to look at Aerith who was now slumped on her bed, with a furious look on her face evident by her furrowed eyebrows while staring on the book held in her hands.
"What's the matter?", he asked confused at her sudden change of behavior.
"This book, is quite difficult to understand, how can you do it so quickly?", she said, a hint of frustration on her voice.
Sephiroth chuckled as he shrugged his shoulders and shook his head, then he walked towards Aerith, towering over her. Aerith looked up at him before rolling her eyes and then she put the book on her side. She lied down on the bed with her hands clasped on her stomach as her legs dangled on the sides of the bed. She closed her eyes before she said, "I give up… I don't want to read it. Besides, we're going on this whole thing together." She sat up again and looked at him, then said as she beamed, "I just have to trust your knowledge on this!"
Sephiroth's eyes grew wide as he thought to himself, 'she actually trust me on this? How can someone trust their own fate in this unknown place to their own nemesis? She never really fails to surprise me.' With that in mind, he took a seat beside her and turned his head to the side facing her. As his mako eyes met hers. He said, "Would you like me to briefly explain it to you then?"
Aerith nodded. He sighed and turned to face the window in front of them.
"According to the author of that book, The Cosmos was just a vast expanse of swirling green liquid-like substance in a vast expanse of black sea. The black sea was called chaos as it emits negative energy while the green liquid was called lifestream as what comes from it is restoration and life. And from those two mystic substances, Valhalla the invisible world was born. This place knows nothing of time and space, thus making everything in here eternal. Also, it is said that Valhalla was born out of the crystal produced by the substance. The crystal gave life to the goddess Mywnn, she possesses the power to create and restore but at the same time the power of destruction and ruin as she possesses both embodiments in her."
"Mywnn was tasked to create a world outside Valhalla, and so when she went outside the realm, she decided to create and mold the world thinking of balance, a cycle of death and rebirth. However, Mywnn felt so alone, as the things she creates eventually perish, she then decided to create something that will not easily perish, and thus she gave life to her son, Bhunivelze. Together they started creating the visible world. Bhunivelze grew selfish and decided to overthrow his mother so he could have the mortal world all to himself. He tried to kill his mother with his own hands, but failed to do so because as he was about to land the deathblow, the crystal which molded the unseen world took Mwynn via the Chaos Gate, the only passage to Valhalla."
"Fully knowing Mwynn's power about death and rebirth, Bhunivelze thought that someday, his creation in this world will perish as this was created by Mwynn and might have put a curse on it, his intuition was right as a calamity destroyed what he worked hard so far, thus putting an end to the first cycle of life resetting everything back to zero. With this happening, Bhunivelze thought that his mother might still be alive in the gate which took her in the verge of death. Bhunivelze tried so many things in order to open the gate but to no avail, since he can't control the mortal world and finding the gate at the same time he created the fal'cie Pulse, tasked in searching the world for the Unseen Realm."
"Hold on, what is a fal'cie?", Aerith asked confused.
"A fal'cie is like a god that only acts on the task given to them by a more superior being. Think of them as puppets.", He said as he smirk upon touching the word "puppet". Aerith clearly knew why, as she thought, 'So, he still clearly remembers that he calls Cloud a puppet.'
"Any more questions?", he asked Aerith as he turned his eyes towards her.
"None, please proceed with your story telling.", she said smiling.
"Alright, as I was saying, Pulse was created to search the door. To assist Pulse, he created another fal'cie, Etro."
As he paused, Aerith asked him to stop again, "So Etro was a fal'cie too created by Bhunivelze!" she exclaimed.
"Yes, but, could you stop reacting, if you're not going to ask any questions, might as well just keep silent.", Sephiroth had said quite irritated.
"Oh! I'm sorry… Please go on, I was just hyped after hearing the goddess name finally.", she said giggling.
With a heavy sigh, Sephiroth continued, "But Bhunivelze was distraught to find that Etro greatly resembles Mwynn's appearance thus giving her no task at all. He created another fal'cie, in her place, the fal'cie Lindzei with a task to aid and protect Pulse and Bhunivelze. After creating the fal'cie he goes in crystal sleep, and would only awaken when the door to Valhalla was found. Etro was distressed for not having any task given thus lacking purpose at all, so she tore her body killing herself in the process, out of her spilled blood sprung a new life, Mortals. Mortals' fate was bound by the Curse of Etro's blood, which is the destiny of death."
"Poor Etro… so that's how our ancestor gets to live huh? That's what this story is about right?", Aerith tried to ask as she tries to put the pieces together.
Sephiroth nodded and continued, "Her death has led her to Valhalla, the despair in her heart, though was not as grave as the feeling of hatred, caused her to be transported in Luxerion instead of Memoria. In there, she felt someone was calling her, she heed the call and found Memoria, she entered the goddess temple and found atop the majestic throne, the goddess Mwynn enveloped by chaos. Mwynn tasked Etro In maintaining the balance as it was after all the origins of life. The source of all life, the lifestream and chaos formed together as a crystal giving life that brought Mwynn into this realm with a fate of death and rebirth. Etro must maintain the chaos at bay in Valhalla while the planet itself manipulates the lifestream giving life to everything in the mortal world. Mwynn warned Etro that if the balance is disrupted, destruction will envelop everything, it was a fate and not a curse as Bhunivelze falsely believed it to be."
"Etro did not understand it and soon Mwynn's soul was corrupted by Chaos and taken to the void as it was her hatred towards Bhunivelze allowed it to consume her completely. Etro was sad as she was alone so she felt affection towards the Mortals, the only ones destined to die like her. As the fal'cies Lindzei and Pulse branded mortals to be their own L'cie-",
"What's a L'cie Sephiroth?", Aerith cutting him with confusion evident on her face and voice.
"It's a being created by the fal'cie, just like how god created fal'cie, fal'cie creates a being lower than them, which they call L'cie. These L'cies are mortals branded with either Pulse or Lindzei tattoo and are given a focus and gift of eternal life through the crystal sleep. Focus is like the task, they are bound to achieving the task bestowed upon them or else they'll turned out as mindless crystal monsters called Cie'th, and die with their souls knowing no rest, thus calling their spirits the 'Unsent'. The 'Unsent' are the souls who fail to reach the lifestream because they are possessed by the crystal's power. As Cie'th, they are lost and know nothing of their mortal origin thus failing to know that they're indeed dead."
"That sounds harsh… Will they never reach the lifestream?", she replied sadly.
"Well, they can.", he said as he shifted his position, now both elbows leaning on his knees, with his hands under his chin and as his body leaned forward.
"How? Was it indicated on the book?", Aerith asked eagerly.
"Summoners will perform a certain ritual called 'The Sending' in order to guide the souls back to Etro. This ritual awakens the chaos given by Etro to all her creation. During the ritual of Sending, the hearts and souls of these 'Unsent', will remember the goddess Etro, thus will call out to her, Etro will hear the pleading souls of her creation, and will pull them towards the lifestream. The souls of the Cie'th aftermath were usually the ones who stay in the Planet surface and keep the circulation of this energy going for all eternity. L'cie who becomes Cie'th and died were the eternal lifstream, they are no longer capable of being reincarnated."
"I see…" Aerith replied.
"Would there be anything else you would like to clarify before I proceed?", Sephiroth asked tilting his head to face her.
"Uhmm... What was the Chaos given by Etro?" She asked.
"It's on this part so you should listen carefully."
Aerith nodded and listen more intently, he also nodded and said, "Good, moving forward, since Etro doesn't have the power to create L'cie, she decided to utilize the chaos abundant under her temple. She tried to mix it with lifestream and created a gift for all mortals. She decided to impart her gift on every beings destined to die like her. This is what not only humanity came to treasure but all living races destined to perish which are affected by the normal cycle, one example is your ancestors, the Cetra. This is what we call our "heart". The gift of Etro was supposed to take on infinite possibilities driven and affected by one's will. This greatly compensates the fate of the mortals. An example of a mortal race who achieve an impossible are the Cetras, they were the first to achieve a possibility with their 'heart', allowing them to be the ultimate healers of this world, making healing an innate ability of theirs, that's not all, they were also able to understand the concept of the mortal world, magic and materia. As for humanity, they have yet to find out I suppose. Well that's all there is to it. I summarized the hundred pages' book for you." As Sephiroth ended the story, he stood up and walk towards the window again with his hands clasped on his back. Aerith clapped her hands, eliciting a puzzled look on his face.
"Wonderful! I know I could trust you! I was never wrong!", giggling, she stood up and walk towards him. She poke his chest then putting her hands on her waist, she looked up at him and said, "Now I know why Cetra differs from humans. Though they were both mortal races, they drive their will awarding them with the gift given by the 'heart' the goddess Etro bestowed upon us. What a wonderful gift the goddess has given us." Then she looked outside through the window.
With that said, a thought came to his mind. 'A power to attain the impossible… that's what our hearts can do, maybe that's the reason Cloud was able to defeat me over and over again.'
'Tell me, what do you cherish the most? Give me the pleasure of taking it away.' he said darkly during their final battle on the ruins of Midgar with Cloud attempting to put a stop to his madness.
'I pity you, you just don't get it at all, there's not a thing I don't cherish!'
His eyes suddenly shot up, panting, he closed his eyes and put a hand on his forehead. He looked on his left and saw Aerith sleeping soundly; he blinked twice before looking up at the ceiling.
'That was some kind of dream I got there.'
He shifted to a sitting position looking at his Masamune resting on the wall beside his bed. He stood up, took it and went straight towards the door, he slid it softly preventing to wake his sleeping companion and closed it with a soft thud.
The cabins were lined up in a long corridor, there were ten doors on each side, and Aerith chose the fifth cabin on the left rather than on the right. She said it was the middle so it's not that far from the function rooms inside the airship and at the same time, Sephiroth can enjoy a time of solitude as well. Talk about mutual decision, that's what he thought before they entered it. And now he was thinking that Aerith indeed made a good choice, their cabin was not far from the workout room as well as the stairs that lead to the top deck. He could use some workout before they arrive on the coliseum. According to the pilot, it will take around 48 hours, or as per their departure time from Luxerion, 4 cycles of 9 when you look at the big clock towering on the center of the city. It still puzzles him on what purpose do they need the clock if they have all the time in the world in here, but as they say, according to the Goddess' Valkyrie, it's a way of protecting themselves from the corrupted chaos seeping in. They said that when nocturne comes in, the whole city was not safe because portals mysteriously opens, releasing chaos mutated monsters, threatening the lives of the people living here. They may be immortals, but the spawns of Chaos can still harm their souls, kill them and trap their souls forever in its void.
He went to the workout room and saw no one, he decided to do some warm ups before proceeding to the top deck for some katas. He's been aching for a battle for quite some time now; after all, he was made for combat and nothing else.
He went to the locker room, he slid off his coat and put it inside the locker, gets a towel and went back to the workout room. He rests his Masamune on a wall as he did some crunches, squats and a series of pushups on a bar. This kinds of exercise helps strengthen the upper body, necessary to wield a sword of great length such as the Masamune. He remembered in his past, upon reaching SOLDIER first class, he was given the freedom to choose what weapon to use in order to fulfill his missions more effectively. Upon setting his eyes on this 7 foot long sword with a slim curved blade, he immediately fell in love with it. It may be slim, but the length contributes weight, one does not wield such blade with ease, even he could not wield it properly at first, but after a week of training, he proved himself and the others that he alone can wield Masamune with high precision and expertise.
After doing two hundred counts on each warm up exercises, he wiped the sweat off his body with a towel, he then picked up Masamune and left the workout room. He walked towards the stairs leading to the top deck.
Upon reaching it, he saw the skies, the darkness that everyone in Valhalla feared, everything is encircled by black swirls of darkness. Similar to the tainted lifestream he summoned during his fight with Cloud, the same scene he was dreaming of earlier.
Nevertheless, he proceeded towards the middle, he unsheathed his Masamune and he felt a burning passion seeping through his veins oh how his body ached for battle so badly. He then lift Masamune drawing it on eye level, he held the hilt with both hands in a piercing stance as the moon shines on the blade making it glow under the night. He did a series of moves, starting from thrust, hack then slash. As he turns and slashes through the air, the blade sings humming with every movements, his perfect swings brings out the music elicited by his blade, truly, the glorious sword Masamune has found a befitting owner in Sephiroth's hands.
Aerith stirred from her sleep, she rubs her eyes and yawned. She looked at Sephiroth's bed and found him missing. She sat up quickly and turned her gaze on Masamune's resting place and also found it gone. She hurriedly went outside their room and tried to search for him, 'The training room perhaps?' she thought as she hurriedly checked the workout room and found it empty. She walked around the ship and in a corridor leading to the pantry she found a man strolling around the halls, she approached him immediately.
The man saluted and asked, "Can I help you with something miss?"
"Uhmmm… well… my companion is missing, he didn't tell me where he was going so I… uh… went out to look for him when I saw his bed empty. Do you happen to see a man clad in black with silver hair about 6 feet tall?" Aerith asked worriedly.
"Oh, the guy that every women aboard in this ship were fuzzing about!", the man replied as he chuckled.
"Uh… right…", Aerith replied with a questioning look. 'Really? Even in the world of the dead his charms never left him huh? I didn't know ladies were already fuzzing over him.' She thought as she puts a finger on her temples and closed her eyes.
"Uh… miss?"
Surprised, Aerith opened her eyes and looked at the man then said, "Oh! I'm sorry I was lost in thought back there. So… where did we left off?"
"You're asking me if I've seen your friend."
"Yeah, that's it! Uhmm… did you happen to see him?"
"No, but I already patrolled every function rooms here and I didn't see your friend, the only places I haven't checked are the cabins, the workout room and the top deck.", the man replied smiling.
"Oh right! He's probably not in any cabin and I've checked the workout room either, the top deck is the only place left. Thank you so much, I'll go check the top deck and see if he's there.", Aerith took off immediately and rushed to the stairs leading to the top deck.
As she was nearing the door leading to the deck, she hears a resonating sound beyond it, as if a wind striking a crystal. She opened the door slightly and saw Sephiroth doing a series of katas; she can't help but stare as she saw his precise movements with every single swing, she can clearly hear the Masamune's blade singing with his every slash, thrusts, hacks and turns. She felt her jaw drop as she see how expert his movements were, as if he's just dancing, the blade doesn't look like a gruesome weapon at all, in his hands, Masamune gloriously shone under the moonlight, like the sword itself is holy.
Sephiroth finished his stance with a lunge and thrust movement then he put his blade down.
"I know you're there." He said loud enough for Aerith to hear before turning his gaze on her spot.
Aerith jumped in surprise and said apologetically, "Oh! I'm… sorry, I didn't mean to stare. Did I bother your training?" She closed the door softly and walked towards his direction.
Sephiroth ignored her and went towards the edge of the ship stopping just a short distance on the railings. Aerith also stopped a few feet away from him, Sephiroth closed his eyes, clutching Masamune's hilt with his left hand.
"Why are you here?", he said as he looked at her devoid of any emotions.
"Well, I woke up in the middle of the night, when I saw your bed empty and Masamune missing, I panicked so, I came looking for you.", she answered honestly.
"Were you bothered that I might go for a hungry killing spree on this ship?", he asked amused.
"No! Of course not, I haven't think of it that way, I just thought that maybe… you spread your wing and flew off somewhere, leaving me to fend for myself in this unknown world." She replied bowing her head as the words that left her lips were sincere as he himself can tell she was not lying.
He turned his gaze at the moon shining above them and said, "I'm just… eager for the upcoming tournament on the coliseum, my body aches for a fight, I can't help it so I thought I might do some warm ups. I was made for combat anyway, I find fulfillment in… battle."
"I see… uhmm… You know what? While I was watching you earlier, I can't help but watch in awe, your moves were graceful and Masamune looks dazzling under the pale moonlight. For the first time, I can't help but be amazed, it looks marvelous and… beautiful." She said as she was looking intently on the blade he was holding.
Sephiroth can't help but chuckle on her remark; he then raised Masamune straightly in front of him, its blade pointing towards the sky as it reflects the moonlight.
"I first wielded Masamune when I become a first class SOLDIER, I was 13 back then. When you reached first class, you were given a choice to choose your own weapon, I no longer use the toy sword given by Shinra, I decided to choose a unique and remarkable weapon to aid me on my missions. My eyes landed upon this blade, Director Lazard told me that this sword is called Masamune, it is a type of katana. Katanas were made in Wutai and are different than other swords because they are known to be slim and curved at the edge. He said that many attempted to wield this sword but none was successful, he believed that if this sword falls on the right hands, one can unleash its true potential. I decided to prove them that I can unleash the sword's true strength and trained. In a week, I was able to wield it with precision and ease."
"Well, there's no doubt about that, you're the strongest SOLDIER after all", she replied smiling.
The edge of his lips curled upwards in a smile and said, "What really interested me with this sword was the legend behind it, Director Lazard told me that there were only two legendary katanas known in Wutain legend. Masamune and Muramasa, he said that only a warrior with a calm and collected nature can wield Masamune, while Muramasa can be wielded by anyone who desires strength and power."
"There was a legend in Wutai about a student challenging his master to craft a sword and they should see who crafted the most powerful and precise one. The student crafted Muramasa, while his master crafted Masamune. When their masterpieces were made, they both dipped the blade on a flowing river; Muramasa cuts everything that floats in its way, leaves, fish and even the wind that blew on it. However, the case was not the same with Masamune, the leaves were not cut, even the fish just go around instead of swimming straight into its blade and the wind hissed as it gently blew on its blade. His student scoffed at his master for his apparent lack of skill. A monk who was watching them from a distance approached them and explained the nature of their swords. Muramasa was bloodthirsty and will not spare anything that gets in its way, while Masamune will not cut anything innocent and undeserving. Thus the Wutains believed Masamune to be a holy sword while Muramasa is evil.", he explained.
"Wow… I didn't know swords have their own tales.", she replied in awe.
He closed his eyes and sheathed his Masamune, he then turned to walk away but before he does he gazed at her and said, "Honestly, I do not believe the legend Lazard told me."
"Why not?", she said with a puzzled look.
He turned his back on her as he said the following statement filled with guilt.
"Because… my Masamune was able to cut anything, even the most innocent and… undeserving one…"
With that said he walked away, Aerith was left on the deck, still looking at the door where he left, and she bowed her head then looked at the moon.
'I never… hated you for it…'
A/N: Will try to update weekly, please enjoy reading and don't forget to give reviews! The legend of Masamune and Muramasa were from Wikipedia, it's not my own idea, it really is the legend about the two most famous Nodachi or Katana. Narsus Polia was two words in different language, it means "Valiant Field", if I remember correctly as per google translate; Narsus is the Lithuanian term for Valiant, while Polia was Field in Slovak language. Anyway till next update!^_^