Five years ago, the southern town of Mideel was virtually destroyed by an earthquake caused by the Lifestream. The World Restoration Organization was instrumental in rebuilding the town and since then, it had become a popular vacation spot as well as a place ripe for retirement.

Recently, however, tourists had begun to vanish. Some students from the Midgar University vanished while on vacation and had not returned. One of the students was the daughter of a wealthy executive in the WRO, who hired a special team of mercenaries for the job.

Reno took a drag on his cigarette as he knelt down to examine the body he discovered. He and his associates were just outside the forests surrounding Mideel. The body belonged to a young girl, couldn't have been more than nineteen. She had been badly mutilated.

"Hey, over here!" he called out.

His two teammates came to his side. However, their appearance was far more professional than Reno's. His red hair was a mess, with a long ponytail tied behind his head and a pair of sunglasses perched on his forehead. His navy-blue blazer was open, his shirt wasn't tucked and the collar was unbuttoned with a tie nowhere in sight. Many would have simply taken him as a slob instead of a leader.

One of his companions was a tall, well-built man with a naturally bald head, several earrings in each ear, and a light goatee. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses over his eyes as well as a pair of black leather gloves. The other was a young woman with short, blonde hair. Like Reno, they both wore navy-blue suits, but the blazers and their shirt collars were buttoned, with their ties immaculate.

"Must be one of the students," said Elena.

"Question is, what killed her," said Reno.

"Looks like an animal," said Rude.

"Either that or some nutcase," said Reno. He took another drag on his cigarette. "But at least we found one of them. Let's find the other three so we can get back to Midgar and collect our pay."

"You don't want to find out who did this?" asked Elena.

"We're Turks, Elena—not superheroes," said Reno. "We were paid to find these kids and once we do that, our job's over. If this guy wants us to find out who killed his daughter—"

"Or what," interjected Rude.

"—then he'll have to pay extra," concluded Reno. "It wasn't in the contract. There's no money in nobility, okay?"

"Is that what Tseng would've done?" asked Elena.

"Tseng's dead, so what he would've done is kind of immaterial," said Reno.

"Anyone ever tell you how much of a bastard you are, Reno?" asked Elena.

"I take it you haven't met my mother, she used to tell me on a daily basis." Reno dropped his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out. "Okay, let's keep moving. The other three should be around here."

Before Reno took another step, Rude grabbed his shoulder. Reno turned to his old friend, and Rude lifted a finger to his mouth, a cue to keep silent. He turned towards a brush and brought himself into a defensive fighting stance. Reno reached beneath his jacket and pulled out a small, metal rod. With a flick of his wrist, it extended to its full length. He turned to Elena, who had a Quicksilver-model gun in her hand.

There was a screech and a large creature leapt from the woods. The front half of its body appeared to be like a reddish-purple chocobo, while its hind legs were furry and had hooves. It also had a plume of feathers for a tail and large, bluish wings.

"Oh fuck me…" said Reno.

The Turks leapt from the creature's path. Reno rolled on the ground and quickly got back to his feet. He rushed at the monster and jumped into the air. He brought his staff down on it in a stabbing motion and flicked a switch on the handle, activating the electrified end. A current was sent through the monster, but it knocked the Turk back with its massive wing.

Elena opened fire on it with her gun in an attempt to distract it from Reno. It worked and although the bullets didn't appear to be causing too much harm, they obviously annoyed it. The monster hovered in the air and flew towards Elena.

As it flew past him, Rude grabbed one of the chocobo legs and pulled himself onto the monster's back. He wrapped his arm around its neck and used his free hand to try and pummel the creature. The monster screeched and flew in erratic patterns, trying to shake Rude off. It succeeded as it was just over the ocean and Rude fell into the waters below.

Elena opened fire on it again and the creature swooped down, going back towards its original prey. It flew towards her and Elena continued to fire at it. Just as it was about to strike her, Elena leapt away.

Reno put two fingers in his mouth and whistled. The creature turned and charged towards him. In his free hand, Reno held a small, circular device. When the creature was in range, he pressed the small switch and threw it. It struck the creature's neck and it exploded at the moment of impact. The monster screeched in pain as it was consumed by the flames.

Reno took out a cigarette and lit it on the flames, then placed it between his lips and allowed the smoke to fill his lungs. He removed the cigarette and said, "Turk light, bitch. You fucked with the wrong people, asshole."

Elena holstered her weapon and Rude emerged from the water, soaking wet. His sunglasses were missing and he peeled his blazer off, wringing the water from it. Reno walked towards them.

"Hippogriff," said Rude.

"But how? There hasn't been a monster sighting in at least three years," said Elena.

She was right. After the destruction of Meteor, the use of mako energy was outlawed. Two years later, most of the monsters were hunted down and killed.

"Which means something's not right," said Reno. "We should probably get over to Midgar and have ourselves a little chat with Reeve Tuesti. Maybe even offer our services to help him investigate the situation."

"For a price," said Rude.

"Need you ask?" said Reno with a grin.


Nanaki sat before the eternal flame known as the Cosmo Candle. It served as the center of Cosmo Canyon, the rest of the town was erected around it. Seated on each side of him were two of the tribe's elders, Bugah and Hargo.

On the other side of the Candle were the tribe's two chief shamans. Both were supremely in tune with the planet, and it was their knowledge Nanaki sought. They were lost in deep meditation and Nanaki knew he must simply wait for them to bring themselves out of it.

Slowly, that is what they did. Kyoske was the first to open his eyes, followed shortly by Midreian. They remained seated in a cross-legged position, the palms of their hands resting on their knees.

"Did you learn anything?" asked Nanaki.

"Your senses are as keen as ever, chieftain," said Midreian. "There is indeed a disturbance within the Lifestream. However, I haven't been able to pinpoint the source of the disturbance."

"Kyoske?" asked Nanaki, turning to the elder shaman. Kyoske simply shook his head.

"I wasn't able to pinpoint the source, either," he said.

"Could it be related to Sephiroth and Jenova?" asked Hargo.

"There's a strong possibility, Sephiroth was the greatest threat ever posed to the planet and his presence could certainly cause such a disturbance," said Kyoske.

"Sephiroth and Jenova were destroyed, though," said Bugah.

"Jenova was essentially a virus, and each piece of its DNA could survive independently of the whole, so there is a chance we missed part of it somewhere. As for Sephiroth, he has a history of cheating death." Nanaki looked to the shamans. "What do you suggest?"

"The wound inflicted on the planet is perhaps the best place to begin," said Midreian.

"The Northern Crater," said Hargo.

"An investigation must be conducted," said Nanaki.

"You will go?" asked Hargo.

"As the son of Seto and the chieftain of the tribe, it's my duty to defend this Canyon and its people," said Nanaki. "But I can't do it alone."

"You're our chieftain, Nanaki, we will follow wherever you lead," said Kyoske.

"The offer is appreciated, but I want the two of you to remain here at the Canyon," said Nanaki. He looked to Hargo and Bugah. "I leave for Midgar at the break of dawn."


Cloud remained low to the ground as he kept the Nibel wolf in his eyesight. Cloud was near the base of Mount Nibel, and was able to remain out of the wolf's sight. He hefted the sword in his hand as he slowly moved closer. The wolf still failed to notice his presence, just sniffed the ground and looked off into the horizon. He, too, was on the hunt.

As the wolf slowly padded towards the mountains, Cloud moved from his position and followed, ensuring he kept enough distance between him and the animal. As he continued his hunt, he realized that this wasn't such a bad life. Living alone, hunting down his food. Occassionally, he would need supplies and on those days, he drove the Fenrir model motorcycle to Gongaga. It was a bit of a drive and Cosmo Canyon was closer, but this way Cloud avoided any uncomfortable questions Red XIII may have raised.

The wolf stopped and turned to look behind him. Cloud ducked down behind one of the jagged rocks that made up Mount Nibel. The wolf had probably picked up his scent, which meant this hunt wouldn't go on for much longer. He'd have to move quick and strike now before it was too late.

Cloud peeked around the rock and saw the wolf turn away and continue down his path. Cloud moved behind the rock and began to run, bringing his sword up, ready to strike. He was just about to move in for a killing stroke, when a figure clothed in black leapt from one of the ledges and descended from the sky. The wolf only had a chance to howl in pain as the new arrival's sword pierced its side.

Cloud stopped in his stride and regarded this figure with caution. He kept his sword at the ready, prepared to strike. The figure drew the sword from the wolf's body. It was a man with short, silver hair and green eyes. Eyes which had an unnatural glow to them. They were eyes which were hauntingly familiar to Cloud.

"Who are you?" asked Cloud.

The man offered no reply, just smiled as he started to approach. Cloud raised his blade to indicate that he wasn't playing around. This man bore a striking resemblence to Sephiroth, and Cloud's own experiences taught him that he couldn't take any chances with anyone who resembled that madman.

"I asked you a question," said Cloud. The man still kept silent. Instead, he charged forward with his katana blade. Cloud brought up his sword and blocked the strike. The man leapt over his head and thrusted at Cloud's side. The blond man sidestepped the thrust and brought his sword around in an arc, aimed for the man's feet. The Sephiroth lookalike leapt over the blade and drove his heel against Cloud's temple.

Cloud rocked back, shook the blow off, and hefted his sword. He reached into the blade with his free hand, pulling out a second, smaller sword. He rushed forward, swinging both blades interchangeably. The cloaked figure moved quickly, dodging each strike with almost no effort on his part whatsoever. Cloud could see a green glow coming from the man's arm.

Materia. Judging from his speed, it was probably a haste spell. Cloud mentally kicked himself for not being prepared with materia of his own. It had been years since he had a need for it, so he had gotten used to leaving it behind. Now he realized that was a mistake on his part.

The cloaked man jumped onto a mountain ledge and leapt forward. His speed was unreal and he seemed to fly towards Cloud. He brought his katana blade down and Cloud's head would have been sliced in half. However, there was a loud CLANG and a flash of gray appeared around Cloud's body. Cloud's shock was the same as the cloaked man's. Someone had cast a barrier spell on him, but who?

"Gebura! That's enough!" The voice came from a woman, with long hair the same color as Gebura's, as well as the same eyes. She, too, was dressed all in black. Gebura looked at Cloud with an anger in his eyes, but sheathed his blade and stepped over to the woman's side. She approached Cloud with a smile on her face. "I'm sorry about that, Gebura has a bit of a temper."

"Apparently," said Cloud. He still kept his sword ready, however. "Now who are you people?"

"My name is Binah, this is Gebura," she said.

"What do you want?" asked Cloud.

"We were simply on our way to the reactor, that's all," said Binah.

"The reactor's been torn down, all of them have been. The use of mako was outlawed after Meteor."

"That's okay, we just wanted to visit the site of the reactor," she said.

"For what purpose?" asked Cloud.

"You're Cloud, aren't you?" asked Binah with a smile. "You're taller than you looked in the newspapers." She was trying to avoid the issue.

"I asked you a question," he said.

Binah paused and looked at Gebura. He crossed his arms over his chest, but kept his gaze fixed on Cloud. "We were looking for the place where Sephiroth fell."

"Then you should be at the Northern Crater, that's where he died," said Cloud.

"You would know, since you killed him," said Gebura.

Cloud returned Gebura's stare with one of an equal intensity. "You say that like it's a bad thing."

Gebura moved to advance, but Binah placed a hand on his chest, keeping him back. "Please, no more fighting." Gebura held himself back and huffed.

"What's your connection with Sephiroth?" asked Cloud. "And don't tell me there is none, because there's gotta be some reason why you look like him. I thought he killed off all the clones."

"He's our father," said Binah.

"Come again?"

"You heard her," said Gebura with a growl.

"We are the Sephira," said Binah. "Please Cloud, sheathe your sword. We only want to learn more about our father."

Cloud looked at the peaks of Mount Nibel. They intended to go to the site of the reactor, and judging from Gebura's reaction earlier, they would kill him if he tried to stand in their way. There was something about Binah he found intriguing, and he wanted to learn more about these Sephira.

"Okay," he said as he slid his sword into the harness on his back. "But I'm going with you."