Shards of Memory
I toss out a quote from a game in this chapter somewhere. It's not an overly obscure quote, so let's see who can spot it.
I've also been watching the English preview trailers closely, and as a result of what I've seen, I'll be adjusting Mateus' character a bit. In previous chapters, he tended to shout and raise his voice, while his English voice actor is more even-toned. I find this actually more fitting, all things considered, so my Emperor will be tweaked slightly to be more in-line with that calm arrogance.
Chapter 9
Illusion
"The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant." – Salvador Dali
"And you trusted him?" Cloud asked, ripping another piece of meat off the skewer with his teeth. Terra twirled her share of the meal in her hands, watching with disinterest.
"He gave me no reason not to," she said, "he could have attacked me but he didn't. Whoever he was, he came to offer me advice."
"Hm…." Cloud fell into thought. The two had spent part of the day traveling, it had been a late start and the going had been slow. Cloud still had a slight limp and a heavily bruised stomach, both courtesy of Jecht. Terra was a bit better, she was a bit sore and had a headache, but wasn't heavily injured. She had healed Cloud's more serious wounds with her powers, but he was willing and able to handle the tenderness of the bruises for a few days so as not to exhaust her.
The ease with which Terra used magic was still impressive after seeing her use her abilities so much and for so long. Cloud had no magic at all without Materia, and even on his normal world when it was overused the Materia grew dull and powerless until it rested to absorb more energy from the earth and regenerate its powers. But Terra's power seemed infinite, without any other power beyond her own, her magic had been enough to fight, heal wounds and sometimes do both in the same day with her only showing the slightest tiring from doing so.
"Her spiritual power is incredible…" Cloud thought, looking down at the skewer of meet in his hands. "She can't just be another Magitek Knight like she said, if they had this sort of power they would have conquered her world with ease." Cloud was reminded of the previous night when he had returned to find her unconscious, her hair turned green and Onion Knight gone. He knew something was wrong. She told him the story of her world and who she was in bits and pieces, and a lot of them didn't exactly match up. There were more inconsistencies than could be attributed to a faulty memory, and he ought to know. Cloud's memory may have had holes in it the size of the Northern Crater, but this was something else.
Terra was leaving something out, he knew she wasn't telling him the whole the truth. But what that whole truth was, he had no idea. It hurt a bit that she didn't trust him enough to tell him. The distorted timeline aside, they'd known each other for what seemed like a bit more than a week, and to an extent Cloud sympathized with her hesitations since that really wasn't all that long. But still, they had fought beside each other, they were fighting for the same cause. And even if they hadn't known each other that long, Cloud knew Terra was a good person. The Crystals wouldn't have chosen her as a Warrior of Cosmos if she was cruel-hearted, so how bad could this strange secret of hers really be? Whatever it was, it obviously bothered her. She seemed more distant lately, and Cloud still remembered her horrified reaction to the sight of her hair turning bright green. He still didn't have a real answer for that, and he'd spent a while trying to think one up.
"We'll keep going in the morning, it's late…I think," Terra said. Cloud looked up at her and nodded. The two had been fortunate enough – relatively speaking – to come across a pair of smaller monsters earlier that day. Compared to the more numerous Crystelle, monsters were scarce in this world. In the first place, a lot of the monsters Cloud knew as monsters weren't actually real monsters, just ordinary wild animals, and so the Crystals had taken their lives and their light during the cataclysm. True monsters had no light in their hearts and so were spared, but even then the cataclysm had killed many of them. The occasional lucky find of real food aside, monsters were the only nourishment, at least when they were edible. The monsters they'd killed were from Terra's world, she'd called them "Bloodfangs", slightly luminescent red wolves. Killing them hadn't been difficult, and the slightly offsetting glow had vanished when they'd died. The meat was a little tough but otherwise enjoyable. It was food at least. Cloud bit off another piece and chewed. Now that he thought for a moment, it was a bit salty.
"So when we get to this city, what do you think we'll find?" Cloud asked. Terra thought for a moment, and shrugged.
"I'm not sure. He just told me to go north and find a city, he left out what I'd find or where to go next from there. But it's a direction as well as any, given that we don't have anywhere else to be."
"Yeah…good point." Cloud said. It was a sad but true fact, this world, the amalgamation of dozens of others, was vast, far too vast to cover on foot and yet they had no choice. The Crystals were in the hands of the enemy, and they could be lurking anywhere. The Warriors of Chaos had every advantage on their side. And yet…
Cloud narrowed his eyes. They had the Crystals, the worlds were shattered, and as Cosmos told it over time the Crystals were filled with darkness. So why then, did the Warriors of Chaos take action against them? They'd practically already won, the Crystals were in evil hands and the Warriors of Cosmos had no way to know how to find them. Why risk engaging them? Killing them, as far as Cloud knew, would make no difference in the end. It didn't make any sense to place themselves in the open when if they hid they'd have a better chance of victory.
Jecht had mentioned Sephiroth was plotting against him, but why? Was Sephiroth responsible for his vanishing memories? Terra had said Kefka could use the Crystal of their world to antagonize her powers. What if Sephiroth had found a way to affect Cloud's mind with his Crystal in the same way? But why would he want to erase Cloud's memories, in what way would that possibly help him? And why did they kidnap Onion Knight rather than just outright attack them all at once? They had the three of them outnumbered, and yet they only took one away…
"There's too many unknowns," Cloud decided. This dark world had a lot of mysteries to be solved, Terra and Sephiroth and the Warriors of Chaos all included. Their actions made no sense, why go through so much trouble to fight them when they already had the Crystals? "Unless there's something else…something we don't know about. Maybe the Crystals aren't what they're concerning themselves with…maybe it's us. But why? What's so important about us that they'd place the Crystals in jeopardy to strike us down?"
"What are you thinking about?" Terra asked. Cloud looked up, startled slightly.
"Huh?"
"You look like you're thinking about something," Terra explained. "What is it?" Cloud thought for a moment. Terra and Kefka's influence on her had been a link in his chain of thought, but just a link and nothing more. That aside, if he wanted her to trust him, it wouldn't hurt to reciprocate that trust…
"Something about this war doesn't make sense," Cloud said. "Cosmos said the Crystals are the core of our worlds, and the darkness of Chaos inside them is what caused the cataclysm."
"Yes, that's right."
"So then, why are we so important?"
"What do you mean?" Terra frowned slightly. "We're the warriors chosen by the Crystals to defeat Chaos and restore the light of the worlds! How can you ask something like that?"
"I know why we're here, what we have to do!" Cloud protested. "I mean…the Warriors of Chaos. They have the Crystals, they're tainting them with darkness. They've already won, pretty much."
"Not yet they haven't, as long as we fight them there's hope."
"But that's just it, why do they fight us? They have the Crystals, why place themselves in danger to defeat us? We'll fade away when the last light of the Crystal vanishes, so they just have to hide from us until the taint of the Crystals becomes complete. Why fight us when they have no real reason to?"
"That's…" Terra fell silent as she pondered Cloud's words. "You're right," she realized. "They don't have to attack us, so why do they?"
"That's what I'm wondering, for some reason they consider us important enough to jeopardize the Crystals and their lives," Cloud said. "So what is it about us that they want us dead so fast and so badly?"
"Cosmos said it was a matter of time before the Crystals fell to darkness. Maybe they're on a similar time limit," Terra said. "Maybe they have to defeat us before something happens to them."
"The way I understand it, most of them were dead before Chaos called them to fight," Cloud mused. "Maybe that's it, maybe their time back alive isn't that long, that's why they have to win before they fade back into death."
"Or maybe it's just something else entirely…something we don't know about."
"Like what?"
"I don't know…it's just…" Terra hesitated for a moment. "I've been thinking too…there's got to be a lot more worlds than this. Cosmos said there were ten of us chosen to fight. But they have to be dozens, hundreds of worlds, so why us specifically? And why only ten? And if Chaos has been able to make this sort of play for power by seizing the Crystals, why hasn't he tried before?"
"Yeah…" Cloud nodded. "Something isn't right, we're missing something here. Something important. This war can't just be about beating Chaos and saving the Crystals. There's something more to it…" the two comrades fell silent again in the aftermath of their conversation.
"For now, I guess there's nothing more we can do than trust Cosmos," Terra said finally. "Even if there's more to this than what we know, we still have to trust that. We need the Crystals to save our worlds and stop Chaos, so we have to keep fighting. As long as one of us still stands, there's still hope for that salvation."
"Right," Cloud nodded. "At least we have a path to keep us focused. How long do you think it'll take to reach the city he mentioned?"
"I'm not sure, he didn't say how far away it was."
"Great….well let's just hope we went the right way."
"We are, I know how to navigate," Terra assured him. "Fortunately a few things in this world are constant after all."
"What do you mean?" Cloud asked. Terra looked up at the stars above and smiled.
"I was taught to navigate by the stars when I was used by the Empire as a soldier, they taught my the constellations for our field missions," she said. "There, see those three stars?" Terra pointed, and Cloud followed her finger to a triad of three bright stars in a triangle formation. "And the four stars in a sort of semi-circle near them?"
"Yeah," Cloud nodded, noting the formation seemed familiar.
"That's the Chocobo's Beak, the three stars form the beak and the other four form the Chocobo's head. I remember learning about Chocobos from a stable hand at the Imperial capital. He told me that Chocobos always sleep facing the north, and because of that the Chocobo's Beak always points to the north. So as long as travelers can find the Beak, they can find their way no matter where they are."
"Oh yeah?" Cloud asked, thinking. "Any other constellations you know about?"
"Of course," Terra said. "Over there," she pointed to another familiar cluster of stars. "That's the Moogle, that really bright star is the pom-pom, and those four stars there-"
"Are the tips of its wings, and those stars are the feet and hands," Cloud finished, looking back at Terra from the sky. Terra gave him a stunned look. "Those are the same constellations as in my world, the Chocobo's Beak, the Moogle, we have those too where I come from," Cloud explained.
"Really?" Terra chuckled slightly, smiling. "Wow…I didn't expect that."
"Well maybe it's just those two, what other ones are there?" Cloud asked. Terra looked back at the sky and scanned it for a moment.
"There, those three stars there form the curve of the Behemoth's horn, and those two stars there make its paws," she said. "That familiar?"
"Yeah, that's the same," Cloud nodded and lift his head. "That line of stars over there ring any bells?"
"Yes, that's the Cactuar!" Terra laughed. "And that large cluster of stars in front of it are its needles, right?"
"Exactly."
The two Warriors of Cosmos fell into a silence again, the only sound the crackling of the campfire between them. Cloud looked back at the sky in thought. Their two worlds had the same stars…he was sure there was some huge philosophical lesson behind that, but it was escaping him.
"Does this mean…" Terra said. "Since this world is formed from the remnants of our worlds…do all the worlds have these stars?" Cloud lifted his eyebrows. Terra got it faster than he did.
"Yeah…I guess so."
"There's so many worlds…and they all share the same sky…" Terra said, looking up again with a small smile. "The same sky…"
"And if we fall, there'll be only one destiny among them too."
"Then we just won't fall."
"You make it sound easy. Terra, we can fall, and the Warriors of Chaos are doing everything in their power to destroy us," Cloud said.
"How about we make a deal then?" Terra said. "I'll believe in Cosmos and hope for our triumph, and you can mope and remind me that we're gonna die. How would that work for you?"
"…yeah, sure." Blue eyes met over the glow of the fire, and Terra blushed slightly and shrugged. Cloud let out a small snort and lowered his eyes, a small smile on his face.
Cosmos had her eyes closed, using the dimming power of light to survey the land. Though it was subtle, her eyes saw the earth shifting form. The Chaos Shrine, the center of the vortex of darkness that was consuming the worlds, was drawing the various meshed lands into itself. The worlds, already forced together in the cataclysm, were coming closer together, the barriers that kept them separate were nearly gone. The world…this dark remnant of worlds, was nearing its end.
The goddess heard a small clank, and opened her eyes at the armored figure stepping towards her throne. She smiled softly and stood as the figure stopped and kneeled. She had been awaiting him, though she hadn't known when he would come. Seeing him gave her hope. The light in this one was powerful, perhaps strong enough to finally accomplish what she could not. She was a goddess, but not omnipotent. She was still bound by the shackles of destiny, but this one…she had known when he first came before her, that this one could perhaps shatter those shackles.
"Lady Cosmos," the figure bowed his head.
"Stand…" Cosmos whispered. "Why have you again come before me?" the armored figure stood and crossed his arms. He respected her, Cosmos had no doubt for that. But she treated him like an equal, here when they met, and he had likewise learned to do that same. He was the key to ending this war for good, for that she desperately needed him.
"I fear our time is growing short. The denizens of Chaos grow wary of fighting your warriors, too many risks and too many fallen comrades. I fear if they cannot be spurred to fight before the divine dragon awakens, then all our efforts will be for nothing."
"I have sensed this as well. The land grows smaller, the darkness deepens," Cosmos said sadly. "Time is running out for this world. We must complete the plan you devised before this world sinks into oblivion."
"I am doing my best, but there have been difficulties. As their numbers have shrunk, Chaos' minions are devising ever more clever and subtle tactics to conquer your warriors. If it were just simple Crystelle and the occasional ambush they planned, we would be safe, but…"
"You speak of Cloud and Terra," Cosmos nodded. The figure reacted in surprise.
"Then you know what Sephiroth and Kefka plot for them."
"If they have their way, Cloud and Terra will attempt to destroy each other, and the survivor will march against the others and slay them. This cannot happen."
"Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to stop them. They play their games using powers I cannot hinder, not without drawing unneeded attention. But they cannot be allowed to continue either. We must devise an alternative method to save Cloud and Terra from their manipulators."
"Yes…" Cosmos closed her eyes again and reached her spirit out across the torn landscape beyond the haven of her sanctuary, safe from the cataclysm. She touched the light within Cloud's heart, and watched what she saw. "Wait…there may be a way…"
"You have seen an alternative?" the figure asked. Cosmos opened her eyes.
"Destiny oft works in ways even the gods cannot understand, but…yes, I believe I have glimpsed the path destiny has charted for them. It was not by chance they met. They help each other more than they know…together, they have already taken steps to thwart the schemes of the enemy."
"I…I'm afraid I don't understand," the figure said.
"Nor do I, not fully, but…the two of them strengthen each other against the darkness in ways they don't even realize. Together, they can stand strong. I am certain of it. No intervention will be needed, just make sure they continue on the paths we've charted for them. Though you cannot see it, I assure you, Cloud does not fight Sephiroth's influence alone."
"Very well, my lady. If that is your desire," the figure sighed. Cosmos smiled and stepped towards him.
"Do not despair," she whispered, laying a hand on the figure's shoulder. "You have performed beyond what I ever could have hoped. When first we met I saw a faint glimmer of hope, but now, it has grown into a brilliant ray."
"I do only what I can, no more, no less," the figure replied. Cosmos reached out her other hand, and the figure gasped at the light that burst forth from his armor.
"I knew that after centuries of the cycle, Chaos would slip one day. I knew when they day came, I had to seize upon the chance he would unwittingly give me. After so long…that day has come. He called ten warriors to his aid, but he failed to choose them as carefully as he should have. A warrior of darkness with a heart of light…you, you are the chance I have waited for. You have given me hope for a world without Chaos' darkness. You may have done only what you can, but you have done so much. Together, the two of us can unravel this cycle."
"And when we prevail, you will grant my wish?" the figure asked.
"When the light returns to the Crystals, the forces of darkness will vanish, and Chaos' minions will sink into oblivion with him. A world without this cycle…for the hope to see such a world…yes, Golbez. I will grant your wish."
"Then for you, and for the world without this cycle, Lady Cosmos," Golbez nodded, standing up, "I shall not fail you."
Mateus snorted and leapt back, the carpet and stone floor underneath it shattering as a gigantic black sword slammed down where he had stood. Mateus landed at the top of the ramp of the Chaos Shrine with a flourish. Below, Jecht hefted his sword back onto his shoulder and glared up at the emperor.
"You'll have to fix that, you know," Mateus muttered dryly.
"I'll fill it in, with the goo I'm gonna pound you into!" Jecht snarled, running up the ramp. Mateus narrowed his eyes and clicked his staff on a ground. A field of electricity appeared on the ramp, and Jecht cried out as lightning shot through his body. His legs gave out and his collapsed, his sword sliding up the ramp. Mateus looked down at the blade and kicked his foot out, knocking it aside.
"Hmph. Imagine, a traitor challenging me for the sake of his own treachery," Mateus said as Jecht gasped for breath. "You're pathetic, Jecht."
"Oh yeah?" Jecht lifted his head. "Try saying that again, to my face!" At the last word, Jecht jumped forward, his fist raised. He slammed his fist down, and Mateus calmly held out his hand. A crest of energy appeared over his palm, stopping Jecht in mid-air. Jecht let a gasp as ripples of energy pulsed over the field of magic, the center of the field glowing.
"I said," Mateus growled. "You're pathetic." Bolts of magical energy shot out from the center of the crest, sending Jecht flying through the air. The blitzball star crashed into the wall above the doors of the shrine and fell to the ground. Mateus looked to the side and jerked his head. With a glowing blue aura, Jecht's sword levitated off the ground. "You forgot something," Mateus said, swinging his staff forward. Jecht's sword flung itself through the air, flipping and imbedding itself in one of the pillars beside the door.
Sephiroth emerged from one of the halls leading deeper into the shrine, and frowned as he heard the sounds of battle.
"You're late, this show's been going on for a few minutes now." Sephiroth turned his head to see Kefka and Kuja standing behind the pillars lining the sides of the shrine, standing in the shadows.
"And what show would that be?" he asked, approaching them. Kefka grinned and rubbed his hands together.
"Mateus and Jecht are fighting, and the muscle-head is taking a pounding!" he laughed.
"Oh?"
"Mateus had words for Jecht when he dared show his face here," Kuja explained, crossing his arms. "Jecht didn't appreciate the way his highness spoke to him."
"Few of us do," Sephiroth agreed, turning his head. Jecht grabbed his sword from the pillar and pulled it free with a grunt, chunks of stone flying out with it.
"Your little tantrum is beginning to bore me, Jecht," Mateus said from the opposite end of the shrine. "Really, are you so blinded by emotion that you cannot see the truth the lies plainly before your eyes?"
"Shut…up…" Jecht gasped.
"I will conclude speaking when you commence listening. We don't have time for squabbles like this," Mateus replied. "Your actions directly interfered with a plan that otherwise may have been a complete success."
"Yeah yeah, I've been a bad boy, what are ya gonna do, spank me?" Jecht muttered. "You can't hurt me, not really, you still need me, darkness and Crystals and all that."
"So it may seem, but if you persist in these futile shows of defiance, then I may have to re-evaluate your role in the plan. Simply put, Jecht…don't make me have to kill you."
"Do it, do it, do it, do it!" Kefka chanted, clapping in time with the words. "Come on, I wanna see someone die already!" Jecht glared at him, but Mateus ignored him and continued speaking.
"Jecht, your loyalty to your son is a weakness Chaos will not tolerate, and one that you must overcome. When Tidus' time arrives, he will fall, as will his comrades. I suggest you place your emotions in order before that time, because if you interfere with our plans again, this thrashing will pale in comparison to what Chaos will do to you."
"Yeah right…" Jecht snorted. "Like Chaos would really take me out, Garland maybe."
"Actually, this is direct from Garland himself, and thus from Chaos," Mateus said coldly. "And this extends to our audience as well," he turned to the three overlooking the shrine from their vantage point. "The failure of this plan has been the final straw. Chaos will not tolerate any more failures, from any of us. The next time this happens, he will see us personally." Mateus looked back down at Jecht, then back up Sephiroth, Kefka and Kuja.
"So, let me ask you, my associates. Who among you will chance another failed plan, and rather than explain it to me, explain your failure to Chaos?"
"At least we have plans," Sephiroth said. "What of you, Mateus? What great schemes do you have in the works?"
"Schemes far more complex and grand than you could formulate, I assure you," Mateus sniffed. "Speaking of your plans, isn't it about time you scamper off to toy with Cloud's mind again? You spend so much time playing havoc with his memories and yet nothing substantial has developed from it. I wouldn't mind seeing actual results sometime soon."
"I am working on these 'results'," Sephiroth said, irritated. "Even if you cannot perceive the damage I've done, I can. You've no idea what sort of state his psyche is in thanks to me."
Cloud emerged from the door, looking down at the Cosmos Candle. His friends were sitting around the blazing orange flame, staring into its depths. Cloud had heard the tales of the Cosmos Candle's supposed mythical powers over the soul during his time in SOLDIER, but had doubted then if there was any truth. After speaking with Bugenhagen just now, he wasn't so certain.
Cloud stepped down the stairs leading into the mountain, and walked towards the fire. Yuffie and Barret looked up at him as he neared, then back to the fire. Red XIII was curled up almost as if asleep, but his eyes were open and staring off. Tifa had her legs crossed, staring into the flame with similar absent-mindedness. Cloud turned his head to the other girl of their group, eyes downcast and legs pulled up to her chest. He walked over and sat beside her.
"You alright?" he asked. The girl lifted her eyes to look at Cloud through her bangs, and shrugged.
"Yeah…" she whispered, looking back at the ground. "I'm just thinking."
"About what?"
"Me…my powers. The Cetra. These last couple of days here, I've learned so much from the elders of the canyon. Their powers are incredible, they can use magic without Materia, sense the presence of the Lifestream. And not just their powers, their knowledge, they know so much about the Cetra, where they came from, what they were…" the girl trailed off, but Cloud knew there was more than that.
"But?" he prompted after a moment. The girl shifted her feet, pink and red clothing shuffling as she wrapped her hands around her knees.
"But…they aren't Cetra themselves. It was when they were teaching me about the Cetra's search for the Promised Land, that it hit me…they aren't Cetra, because there are none left. No one but me. No one else will ever really understand the powers I have, the sort of legacy I have to carry on. Just me, no one else. I'm the only Cetra left alive…" Cloud tensed as the girl sniffed slightly. "I'm alone."
"Hey, that's not true," he said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. "We're with you. And we may not be Cetra but we can help. We all want to find the Promised Land and find out what the Cetra were. We're a team, we support each other any way we can. And last time I checked you're a part of the team too. So whatever it takes, whatever you have to do, we'll be there to help you."
"You mean that?" the girl whispered. Cloud nodded.
"Yeah. And not just us, I mean me, too. I'm your bodyguard, right? So whatever happens, I'll be there to help you. And as long as I'm around, you won't be alone. I promise." A hand reached up to cover Cloud's, and the girl smiled.
"Thank you…Cloud." The girl lifted her head and turned to face him, and Cloud's eyes went wide. He stared, transfixed, at who sat in front of him.
"I mean it…" Terra whispered, squeezing the hand on her shoulder. "Thank you Cloud. You don't know how much that means to me."
Cloud's eyes popped open with a sharp gasp. He lay still for a moment, staring up at the stars, then sat up and looked across the dying campfire. Terra laid asleep on her side, using her unclasped cloak as a pillow, her chest rising and falling with the sound of her breathing. Cloud stared at her sleeping form, stunned at what had happened. This wasn't like the nightmares before, this was…this was…
"What the hell was that?" Cloud asked aloud, half-hoping Terra would open her eyes and answer him. She didn't. Cloud licked the inside of his mouth. The dream had felt as real as the other nightmares, like he had been reliving the past. But unlike the other dreams, this one wasn't fleeing and leaving only bits and pieces of the dream behind. He could picture every moment of the dream, vividly and clear. But that didn't make any sense.
The dream itself made no sense. Terra was from another world, he had never met her before and of course they had never traveled together. But somehow, this dream…or was it a memory? Cloud wasn't sure which it was, he remembered the group's stay at Cosmos Canyon clearly, but at no point had any idea of Terra being there even crossed his mind. Looking back now, though…she was everywhere. She was sitting next to him at the campfire, next to Yuffie in Bugenhagen's lab, at the table in the inn eating with Tifa…but that didn't make any sense. And yet, there she was.
Cloud looked back at Terra, his mouth set in a line. The memories of her hallucinated green eyes and the suspicious déjà vu feeling came to the front of Cloud's mind, and he nearly glared at her.
"What are you doing to me?" he demanded. Once again, Terra didn't answer but to continue sleeping.
"What was that?"
Sephiroth opened his eyes and frowned, uncrossing his legs from atop his bedding and standing up. He reached out to Cloud's mind, and let out a small growl. He was awake, he couldn't return now after so unceremoniously being…the only term that was coming to mind was 'kicked out', for that was more or less what had happened.
It had been going fine, the extraction had been proceeding the same as all the others had. Then, he felt something shift. The image of the memory he was exploring changed, like a wall sliding shut in front of his eyes. In its place was hard stone that curiously, Sephiroth's powers couldn't penetrate. But that was impossible, Cloud didn't have that sort of mental strength, not anymore. And yet somehow, the memory had not only resisted being destroyed, it had all but ejected him from Cloud's mind and replaced itself with a stronger presence.
"How?" Sephiroth asked, aloud, narrowing his eyes. This wasn't Cloud's doing, it couldn't be. But the fact was undeniable – someone, somehow, had stopped him in his tracks before the memory could be taken. Sephiroth closed his eyes and reached his powers out again. Cloud was still awake, so he couldn't enter his mind directly without being sensed, but he didn't need to. As he suspected, Cloud's mind was alive with the memories of the dream.
Careful to not give the action away, Sephiroth lashed out a mental tendril and brushed the memories. In that instant, the memories of the dream came to him, and Sephiroth surveyed the scene, looking for any clue as to how he'd been halted. The dreamscape was a photograph, unmoving as Sephiroth's presence floated through it. The memory Cloud was recalling was identical to the memory Sephiroth had attempted to pluck away, and yet this one had not been plucked. How?
He came near the still image of Cloud near the fire, and stopped. Beside Cloud, held in perfect suspension within the memory…this wasn't right, it couldn't be. This was impossible, she wasn't a part of this memory, she didn't belong here. And yet, the scene before him was unmistakable. Sitting beside Cloud, among the other wretched members of the group that had defeated him years ago, was the still image of Terra Branford. Sephiroth walked in front of the image and stared down. The memory he was in was just that, a memory of a split second, and so none of the group around the fire reacted to his presence. Sephiroth looked down at Terra, his eyes alight in a mixture of irritation and confusion.
"What are you doing to him?"
