Side note: Had an argument with my husband over Genesis being a woman, and I finally convinced him that Genesis should have been a woman in the game to begin with because he basically symbolizes Eve. My husband will never think of him the same way again!

He's still disturbed thought that I use some of our interactions to write Cloud and Genesis, but he loves me anyway :) -DHT


"No, no, no,no,no,no." Genesis said, frustration clear in her voice. "Its Ingis Orbis" Genesis stressed. "Not Ingis Orbit, you're not sending it flying around somewhere."

"Well you make fire fly all the time." Cloud said and Genesis just narrowed her eyes.

"Ok ok!" Cloud said before turning back to the stone target.

"Ingis Orbis!" Cloud cried, flipping his wrist to the right. A large ball of fire formed at his finger tips, and he hurled it at the stone target. For a moment it was engulfed in fire before it dissipated.

"Welcome to the 4th circle honey." Genesis said smiling at him. "Now do it again, then we can move on to the next spell."

Cloud groaned, his wife could really be a slave driver. He'd been at this for days. She insisted that he throw himself into his magical studies since others would be coming to him for advice. Genesis crossed her arms and Cloud just sighed turning back to the target firing off another spell.


Cloud settled into the bath that had been drawn for him. Genesis had saw fit to exhaust his magical energy, but she was at least happy with his progress into the 4th circle. He was far from mastering it, but having someone like Genesis standing over your shoulder correcting your every mistake as you made it sped the process up.

He was just about to close his eyes when Genesis burst into their bathroom. "Look!" She was nearly jumping up and down.

Cloud glanced at the fancy looking parchment in her hands. "What is it?"

"It's an invitation!." She spun around. "We've been invited to ball at the royal palace, as special guests!"

Cloud took the paper from her careful not to get it wet.

Dear Lord and Lady Strife,

You are cordially invited to King Shinra's Mid-Summer Ball. To be held on the 3rd Day of the 7th Month in this year of our Lord.

Further more you are to be our guests of honor, as the King intends to present Lord Strife as his new Archmage formally at this event.

Your Presence is requested by noon on the day of the event.

Cloud handed the letter back to Genesis once he was finished reading.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" She demanded.

"Yes, it's wonderful. Now I'll have people banging on the door begging me to teach them something I don't understand." Cloud said dead panned.

Genesis put her hands on her hips, though still somehow managed not to crinkle the letter. "Oh like that's a problem. I know more than anyone else alive currently. I'll just teach them of course!"

"And continue your own studies? And teach me? And continue with the work in SOLDIER?" Cloud said eyeing her.

"Oh it's not like apprentices can't handle anyone below the 3rd circle anyway, you know that. Very few make it farther than that. It was one of Master Kuja's best kept secrets, how little he spent actually teaching." She laughed a bit.

"I suppose." Cloud said looking to his wife, "So what am I suppose to do?" he asked.

She sat the letter down and smiled, coming around behind him and started to wash his hair. "Well really, most of what you need to do, I'll probably end up doing for you. Keep track of the artifacts, the Grimoire, accepting new students into the study of magic."

"I don't want people to think I'm neglecting the position." Cloud said, but he relaxed as she massaged his scalp with her fingers. He loved when she did this, and she loved to touch his hair so it was a win win.

"We will make up some story for those who don't know what's going on. Make it all mysterious like." She laughed a bit. "Something like your too busy with your own studies and furthering magic. It's not really a lie, you will be very busy with your own studies."

"Hmmm," He was practically jelly in her hands right now.

"So can I have a new dress made?" She leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Anything you like honey." He responded nearly moaning.

"Thank you dear." She smiled and finished with his hair, moving her nimble fingers to his neck and shoulders.


Sephiroth stood next to a carriage looking clearly annoyed. "Will you hurry up!"

"Oh like it's going to matter if we take another 5 or 10 minutes." Genesis huffed walking down the steps of her manor.

"Finally," Sephiroth said turning taking Angeal's hand as she was helped up into the carriage. Cloud assisted Genesis. Before motioning to the driver that it was time to go.

"So what's the job this time." Cloud asked looking to Angeal.

Angeal pulled out some papers and handed them to Cloud. "Seems someone has been killing young woman, and making it appear as though it was a vampire's doing."

Cloud opened it up and there were several death reports from various villages and towns. All the same, young woman ages 16-22 were found drained completely drained of blood. The only wounds on their body were two puncture wounds on the side of their neck. It was enough for an untrained eye to assume vampire.

But to members of SOLDIER this screamed set up. The stories of vampires killing their victims and completely draining them of blood were just that, stories. Vampire were far more intelligent than that. They didn't like to kill their captives, because of the attention it garnered them, that and they looked at humans more like milk cows then meat. As crass as the description was, it was true. Why kill a person for one feeding when keeping them alive would provide several? The other detail was that a vampire's bit always healed even if the victim died from the encounter.

"So any idea what's actually doing this?" Genesis asked looking over Cloud's shoulder.

"No, anyone who's touched so far as dismissed it as vampires. We haven't been provided any other clues." Angeal explained.

"Lovely." Genesis said leaning back away from Cloud.

Cloud closed the folder and handed it back to Angeal. "Well this isn't the weirdest case we've had."

"I don't think their human anyway," Genesis said, "The bodies are to clean."

"I could be a necromancer." Sephiroth said casually.

"Don't even joke about that." Genesis snapped.

"I doubt a necromancer would have left a perfectly good dead body lying around." Cloud said attempting to calm his wife down. Sephiroth was likely just trying to get her worked up anyway.

"You never know, their insane to begin with." Genesis said, if one thing creeped her out it was necromancers. Death magic wasn't something to be trifled with and Genesis had more experience with it then any of them.

"Either way, if we make baseless assumptions of what's doing this then we're no better than the people who thought these were vampire attacks." Angeal said though his focus was mostly on his wife.

Sephiroth just crossed her arms and gazed out the window of the carriage.


It was about another hour's ride before they hit the small town of Kalm. It was the closest and most recent attack. Genesis was the first off the carriage, followed by Sephiroth, Angeal and Cloud.

An older man with plenty of wrinkles approached them slowly before stopping to address them. "Thank you for coming quickly. The poor woman was liked by the people in the town. I hope you catch the vampire that did this quickly."

"We'll do everything we can I promise." Angeal said trying to sound reassuring. Arguing with this man that it wasn't a vampire attack would be pointless.

"Where is the woman 's body?" Genesis asked, she was eager to inspect it.

"It's in the church. They won't let us bury the poor girl until the body has been cleansed." The gentlemen sounded dismayed as he revealed the information.

"My husband can take care of the ritual for you, if you like after we examine her body." Genesis offered. She honestly didn't think it was necessary but it would calm these folks minds. On the rare occasion that someone did die from a vampire attack, it was only because the vampire was looking to raise a spawn. If the person was buried without being cleansed then the victim would become the start of another vampire themselves.

The gentlemen looked to Cloud and noticed the King's Royal Crest on his left shoulder. It was the mark of the archmage."Sir!" The man said eyes wide. "I didn't think they would send you, but I suppose we haven't got much to worry about then? "

"I would be happy to perform the ritual." Cloud said looking to his wife. He had no idea what ritual she was talking about.

"Lovely, we thought we would have to wait for weeks for the priests to come!" He smiled and lead them to the church.

It was the largest building in the town- large enough to fit the entire population of 500 in at once. The man lead them through the front doors and up the center aisle. When they reach the alter the man turned right and lead them to a side door.

"Her body is through there. I'd rather not enter myself." He said and excused himself. Cloud watching him walk away wonder how someone so old could move so fast.

Angeal entered the room first, followed by Genesis then Sephiroth and finally Cloud who shut the door behind them.

The girl had been 18, of average height, on the slender side with blonde hair and green eyes.

"Well, maybe we can at least find out how she actually died." Genesis said, "Her body looks like it's still intact enough."

"Do you really want to do that? You were just complaining about necromancers and death magic." Cloud said looking at his wife.

"I don't like necromancers because they use the magic for ill. Using death magic this way still makes my skin crawl a bit but it's for a good cause." Genesis reassured her husband.

Cloud just nodded and Genesis looked to Angeal who also nodded in consent.

Genesis placed her right hand on the head of the deceased girl and closed her eyes.

Mortis Visio Genesis said as a black light formed around her finger tips and slipped into the woman's skull. Genesis opened her eyes and they worked almost as a project her, displaying the imagines of the dead woman's last moments on the wall opposite her.

The woman was obviously running through the forest. Her field of vision changed and it was then obvious that she was being carried by someone running, not running herself. They caught a glimpse of black leather, and a flash of gold. A red cape fluttering behind them. Then the girl looked up into the face of the person carrying her.

The image was of a woman with long raven hair, porcine skin and blood red eyes. Her mouth was covered by part of her red cape.

"Don't worry, I won't let them get you." The dark haired woman said with a deep soothing voice.

Just then a loud unnatural howl was heard in the background and the field of vision changed again to where they were headed, running through the forest.

The scene was jarred and Genesis actually almost stumbled forward. The woman went tumbling, and caught sight of the black haired woman firing a rather large gun at some black mass before the vision went dark and faded.

Genesis pulled her hand back and Cloud caught her before she fell gasping for breath.

"Those creatures, whatever they are, have extremely dark magic." Genesis said and even Sephiroth looked concerned. Death Vision wasn't suppose to effect the caster the way it obviously had Genesis.

"The raven haired woman did indeed look like a vampire, but she was obviously defending the victim." Angeal said.

"I've never seen anything like those creatures." Sephiroth admitted.

"I have and if they are what I think we are, we have a very very big problem." Genesis said steadying herself.

"Worse then necromancers?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes," Genesis snapped.

"What do you think they are?" Cloud asked.

"Nightmares." Genesis said turning her gaze to Cloud.

"Nightmares?" Cloud ask, he was well versed in all kinds of creatures, but other than the bad dreams children had at night he had never heard of a nightmare.

"I was reading about them in the Grimoire. They are summoned by someone using the terror and fear of their victims. With each death the creatures grow in number and strength. Very ancient and very taboo magic. The caster essentially shatters their own soul to create the first one, and usually ends up consumed by the creature before they can achieve their goal. Once created however the creatures will continue to multiply regardless of the original castor's fate."

"And you think this is what we're facing?" Sephiroth said crossing her arms.

"The feel of dread that seeped into my body during the vision, that's not normal. It takes some very dark and very vile magic to do something like that." Genesis explained. "I need to get the book and read more, and we need to find that woman who was fighting them."

"If she's still alive." Sephiroth said crossing her arms.

"She is, they only found one body after all." Genesis said.

"Fine" Sephiroth said looking over the body of the dead woman. Finally she was satisfied as she pulled a fine black hair off of the woman. " A simple location spell can find her."

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Genesis said with a smirk.

"I'm in the 6th circle, I'm sure I can handle a smile 3rd level spell." Sephiroth said glaring at the woman.

" Locare Persona." Sephiroth said holding the hair in her hand.

"She's close." Sephiroth said "Maybe a mile outside the city."

"Let's go have a chat then." Genesis said with a smile.

"We should be careful." Angeal said, he always like to point out they needed to be careful. To his credit though, his wife and Genesis were ever actually careful with their actions. It had gotten them in a situation a time or two.

"Start tracking her, Cloud and I will catch up with you. We should let this poor girl rest, she won't be telling us anything more." Genesis said.

Angeal and Sephiroth nodded and left the room, as Cloud turned to Genesis. "What do I have to do?"

"I'll perform the ritual, it's a 6th level spell. " Genesis said almost distracted. She crossed the woman's arms on her chest and straighter her feet and hair, lastly she opened her eyes and mouth.

Cloud left his wife to her work, and when she was finished to she turned to Cloud.

"Ready to go catch up with them?"He asked.

"Not just yet," She said shaking her head. "I didn't want to say anything in front of them especially in front of Sephiroth, but if these really are nightmare, I don't know how we are going to defeat them."

"You said they were in the Grimoire." Cloud said confused. All creature entries explained the creature's means of destruction.

"They are, but the way the Nightmares were destroyed, well." Genesis said looking away.

"Was it that horrible?" Cloud said concerned.

"The white mages were the only ones that could take care of them." Genesis explained. "It was because of the nature of their magic. Our magic plays to closely along the line of light and dark. Only pure light magic is strong enough to purge their darkness."

"But there hasn't been a white mage in..." Cloud trailed off.

"200 hundred years. " Genesis finished for him. "They were all wiped out in the last great war. Their magic lost to time."

"We'll find something, I know you Gen, you're smart. You'll figure out something." Cloud said looking to his wife.

"I hope your right." Genesis said with a sigh.


Sephiroth and Angeal were making good time. If Cloud and Genesis were going to catch them before they reached the raven haired woman they would have to do it soon.

They stopped though as a bullet landing in the ground just in front of Sephiroth.

"Don't come any closer." It was the same voice from the image.

Angeal held his hands up a bit, "Don't worry we're not here to hurt you."

The woman just laughed. "That's rich coming from you."

"We're just investigating the death of a woman in the town. We have reason to believe you were a witness." Sephiroth said looking eyes with the woman.

"Your with SOLDIER? You work for King Shinra?" The woman asked.

"Yes," Angeal acknowledged, hoping the woman would cooperate.

"Then I have nothing to say to you, you best leave me alone." With that the woman swirled her cape and was gone.

"Well damn." Sephiroth swore. She had lost the location spell when the woman vanished.


Haha, I know I promised to put Genders at the start of the chapter, but I didn't want to ruin Vincent's (Or Victoria's rather) appearance. The plot thickens! I had the worst writers block for like almost 2 weeks on this story hopefully its gone now. Anyway please review -DHT