Chapter 12: A Living Legacy
Enyo woke up with a jerk; a terrible dream had just passed. After adjusting her eyes, she noticed she wasn't at her dorm room, but at the laboratory in Shinra Mansion, inside a restoration capsule. "No, it wasn't….Sephiroth really…" Enyo touched the back of her neck, where Sephiroth had thrust his sword. She could not feel the wound or a scar. "Did it really happen? Yes, it must have." She decided she could not stay put and wonder. Enyo broke a hole through the glass of the capsule, releasing all the liquid inside. She saw herself wearing the modified uniform she wore that horrible night. At the other end of the laboratory she found Zack and the infantryman Cloud inside restoration capsules as well. That clearly proves the events that unfolded that night.
"Weren't we supposed to be dead? What has Shinra been doing with us? What have they been doing TO us?"
Enyo released the two young men of the capsules and set them down on the floor gently to wake them.
"Wha? Where are we?..."Zack asked.
"Shinra Mansion, inside the laboratory." She answered.
"What? How did we end up here? Why are we here?"
"I really don't know, Zack. We should have been dead."Enyo said with gloom.
"It was Cloud, he saved us. Hey, buddy. You okay?" Zack shook the boy, who was awake, but he would not react.
"He is suffering from Mako poisoning. He'll return to normal soon."Enyo said looking at the boy with worry. She eyed the entrance and saw a scientist.
"Huh? How did the samples get released? You stay where you are! Down here! I need backup, the samples have awoken and released!" the scientist shouted. Zack swiftly knocked the man down and leaned him against the wall.
"We must leave now, Zack. What lies ahead of us isn't a path of roses."
"Unequipped? I don't think it's such a good idea." He said
"A step ahead of you. Shinra scientists may be intelligent but they lack common sense." Enyo said with a chuckle. She found the weapons inside an unlocked trunk nearby the computers.
Out of the laboratory, Zack and Enyo headed into one of the mansion's rooms and found an old SOLDIER uniform and dressed Cloud in it. As soon as they headed out of the mansion they were surrounded by Shinra infantrymen. They easily handled them; being asleep for some time didn't rust their skills. They had enough time to escape before more infantrymen appeared at the mansion.
"We should head to Midgar, right?" Zack asked. His thoughts were focused on his girlfriend Aeris.
"I suppose. It's not like I have anywhere else to return to. Let's move."
The two SOLDIERs carried Cloud and made sure they weren't ambushed by Shinra. They managed to take a breather when reaching the coastline near Cosmo Canyon.
"Stay here and rest. I'll go take a walk." Zack told Enyo. She looked at the young man with worry. "I'll be fine, don't worry. Just rest for a while."
While at the shore of the ocean, Zack asked Angeal what to do. He drifted in his thoughts when he felt light footsteps and immediately guessed it was Cissnei.
"Are you and the samples trying to escape?" Cissnei asked.
"Samples? Is that what we are now?" He asked. "That is correct, we are."
"What did they do to you in that lab?"
Zack had been having flashes of blurry images of the things that happened inside that laboratory, as Enyo, Cloud and him traveled to get to Midgar. He closed his eyes and answered: "Well, a lot of things…Hey, Cissnei, did you come to take us back?"
She did not answer. She was aware of her duty at the moment.
"Please, let us escape. Let us go. We may be able to stop the army, but if the Turks follow us as well…it'll be too much." Zack said lowering his gaze.
"Forgive me, but it is my duty. If you try to escape, I'll—"Cissnei threw her Rekka shuriken at Zack, who easily blocked it. "You have one of the most powerful SOLDIERs on your side. I don't think it will be that hard for you."
Zack thought of Enyo and the mental state she was in that night. "After that she will never be the same." He thought.
"Don't follow us! If you do so again, I'll—" Zack turned and made his way towards Cloud and Enyo.
Enyo was sitting next to Cloud, lightly asleep. She woke to Zack's footsteps. "What happened, Zack?" she said while getting up.
"It seems we now have the army AND the Turks onto us. We should rest for tonight and continue our move tomorrow. He turned to Cloud with a smile and said: "For now, let's take things slow." As the young SOLDIER finished his words, Enyo swiftly moved behind him, unsheathing her Inpes blade and grabbing the Turk, and placing the blade near her neck.
"Cissnei! What are you doing here? I told you to not follow us!" Zack said also pointing the Buster Sword to her.
Cissnei looked at Cloud and said: "H-he's the one who escaped with you…He doesn't look very good. What happened?"
"Mako poisoning." Enyo said not shifting her position. The girl asked again: "Because of the experiments?" Enyo answered yes. "Let go of me, please." Cissnei asked. Enyo hesitated for a few seconds before releasing the Turk. She took out her phone and talked to Tseng, telling him the targets had managed to escape.
"That's how it is. So, go on and leave."Cissnei said.
"Thank You, Cissnei."Zack told her.
"I have a present for you."She handed him some keys. "I believe in you, so please take this." The Turk turned and parted her way from them.
This gave assurance to the SOLDIERs, who took a couple of hours' rest before making their way to the outside of Midgar, finding the motorcycle Cissnei gave to them, when they were attacked by Genesis copies, and none other than Genesis himself showed up as well.
"Stop pulling my hair! " Zack said being held by the copies.
Enyo pointed her blade at Genesis and followed his movements as he recited the prologue of Loveless.
"When the war of the beasts bring the world's end
The goddess descends from the sky
Wings of light and dark spread afar
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting." He recited his words while holding a Banora Apple.
Zack saw one of the Genesis copies holding something in its hands: "M-my hair!"
"Stop this, Genesis!" Enyo divided her sword into two parts and stood close to Genesis. He ignored her and continued: "I heard you took part in Hojo's recent experiments….both of you. He used you for Project S, therefore Jenova's cells are running through your veins. You have her powers."
Enyo couldn't believe what she was hearing. Hojo wanted to make another Sephiroth? "If that was what he was doing with Zack and Cloud, what was he doing with me?"
Genesis closed his hand in a fist and the copy put Zack's lock of hair into its mouth. "You're kidding. That thing just ate my hair!"
"Jenova's cells….they are the Gift of the Goddess; I will finally stop degrading." Genesis said
"Enough!" Enyo hit Genesis on his back with the hilt of her sword, making him take a quick step behind just as she slashed at him. Enyo charged her blades with electric energy and threw the two blades at Genesis. It was a direct hit. Genesis knelt.
"What's wrong with you, Genesis?!" Zack shouted. He had released himself from the grip of the copies.
"After receiving the cells of a monster, everything else becomes meaningless."
"You're the only monster here Genesis!" Zack shouted.
Genesis chuckled as he slowly got up.
"Legend shall speak
Of sacrifice at world's end
The wind sails over the water's surface
Quietly, but surely." Genesis looked at Enyo with pity before he flew away from them with his single black wing.
"Genesis!" Enyo shouted. She turned when she heard the remaining copy screeching in pain. As Jenova invaded its being the copy transformed into a large-winged creature. The two SOLDIERs didn't have too much trouble battling it, although they weren't focused. Once it was defeated, the group headed to Gongaga.
Once there, the SOLDIERs left Cloud on the motorcycle, while they looked around town. In its outskirts, Zack encountered Cissnei once again, and had a short talk with her. She let him know his parents were fine, and that she had seen Angeal. Cissnei gave him a 10-minute span to find him and leave Gongaga before she returned to the Turks. Zack called Enyo when he spotted Angeal flying away. She met up with him quickly and both followed towards Angeal.
"Zack, you know he's gone. This must be…Shinra's doing. Enyo said as they ran.
"Still, I've got to see for myself. I have to know the truth." He answered with a smile.
Enyo smiled as well and said: "Let's go."
At the end of the path they encountered two more Genesis copies. They easily defeated them.
"Zack, it isn't safe. We must take Cloud out of here."
"Right, let's go."
On their way back they were surrounded by more copies, but before the battle could even start Hollander and Genesis appeared in front of the SOLDIERs. Hollander was degrading and had a black wing. He claimed that Genesis would kill him so he had no other choice but to inject himself with Genesis's cells. Genesis spoke of the Gift of the Goddess once again, the 'genuine S cells'. They wanted to take Cloud, because they claimed both Zack and Enyo had tainted cells. Therefore Cloud was the only injected with genuine S cells.
"No, leave the boy alone. I was product of the same Project S. I have Jenova's cells running through me, just as Sephiroth did." Enyo said in an attempt to save Cloud.
"You may have been product of Project S and you may have been similar to Sephiroth, almost identical, but you aren't. At least not anymore. Hojo did experiment on you these last four years, and he made you weaker. He knew you wouldn't cooperate into making another Sephiroth, therefore he weakened you, before he managed to turn you into another atrocity." Hollander told her. "That boy is the key." Hollander flew away with the Genesis copies, leaving Genesis behind with Enyo and Zack. He shared the last verses of the Loveless poem and explaining his theory of the Gift of the Goddess before he took flight. Zack decided to follow Hollander and Enyo would get Cloud. Right before she could get on the bike, Genesis copies appeared and surrounded her. "Give me a break." She said. She didn't feel threatened. Enyo attacked mercilessly at the copies, but more kept showing up. Suddenly, a white-haired version of Angeal appeared in front of her. "Go." He said. She looked at him wary for a few seconds before escaping with Cloud.
Zack was busy fighting Hollander, who in the he defeated. Enyo met up with him after the battle was over and spotted Angeal sitting far away from them. Zack ran to him and told him: "It's been a long time! You look weak, that's not like you!"
"I am not like a 1st Class. I am only an Angeal copy." He said lowering his gaze.
"A copy? But wh—"
"Lazard." Enyo said coldly.
"I see you're still the same Enyo." He said with a smile.
"Humph. Be glad I haven't killed you yet." Enyo unsheathed her Inpes blade, uniting the two smaller blades into one.
"Wait up. Let's hear him out." Zack said lowering her weapon.
"HEAR HIM OUT?" She grabbed Zack by the collar of his shirt. "HE DOES NOT DESERVE TO BE HEARD! HE DOES NOT DESERVE A CHANCE TO LIVE! IT WAS HIM WHO…" She was out of control. Her emotions were out of control. She blamed it all on Lazard, for letting her know all the truth. She blamed him for what Sephiroth did. She wanted to kill Lazard. Enyo wanted see his blood spilled over the ground. She desired that, but what she really longed for was to see Sephiroth once again. It had been four years since the incident, which felt like a single day had just passed, and she felt like a part of her was missing. She felt empty and unconfident. After twenty-five years together she felt like she was reborn into a new world, alone and defenseless. However, she knew better. Acting selfishly reminded her of Genesis, and she was not making the same mistakes her best friend did. Enyo let go of the young man, held back her tears and anger, and walked away towards the motorcycle, where Cloud was. Meanwhile, Lazard spoke to Zack about how he planned his revenge with Hollander, but then he took part of Project G and became an Angeal copy. Having Angeal's cells made him forget about his revenge and think about helping Zack and Genesis.
...
"So is this finally it? Will you be able to do this? End your best friend's life?"
"You did it once. He was your best friend and mentor. I need to do this." Enyo said. "Let's move."
Zack and Enyo had been traveling through a series of underground mazes and labyrinths with riddles and puzzles related to Loveless. Luckily for Zack, Enyo shared Genesis's love for the poem, which made solving the riddles an easier task. At the end of the last labyrinth was Genesis, standing in front of a statue of the Goddess, his degradation getting worse.
"You inherited Angeal's will and received a part of Sephiroth." Genesis turned to Enyo. "And you my friend are almost identical to him. It is the greatest reunion of friends. However, this time it is my turn to be the hero. Loveless will now take place."
"You're wrong! Genesis, open your eyes and get a grip!"
"When the war of the beasts bring the world's end
The goddess descends from the sky
Wings of light and dark spread afar
She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting."
An orb above the statue of the Goddess glowed intensely. Enyo looked at Genesis with anger.
"It is the Gift of the Goddess. A heavenly boon born from the nature that surrounds Banora." He said.
"Huh? I thought the cells were the Gift!" Zack exclaimed.
"There are many interpretations. Even your feelings are the gift."
"Ugh, I don't understand this at all!" The young man said.
"Forgive me, my friend. Our fates were crossed this way. Let us all return to the Planet, everyone. I will now receive the Planet's providence."
Green glowing energy enveloped Genesis and his rapier, making him stronger.
"Genesis, I've had enough!" Enyo made her Inpes blade glow and charge with energy. Genesis had transformed into a massive creature with wings and armor. The monster was about twenty times the duo's sizes. They charged at Genesis relentlessly, using their whole strengths to defeat him. Zack made a series of thrusts and slashes will Enyo summoned Jenova and manage to control the calamity with her weapon. After an extensive battle, Enyo laid the finishing blows on the monster, leaving an agonizing Genesis on the floor.
"My soul, corrupted by vengeance
Hath endured torment, to find the end of the journey
In my own salvation
And your eternal slumber."
"Fight! SOLDIER First Class, Enyo!" Genesis said as he stood up.
"This will be your last. Hopefully, you'll meet the Goddess. Good night, old friend." She said seriously.
They clashed with their might. Genesis was weakened and exhausted, giving Enyo a wide advantage. Just a few energy blows were enough to end him.
"I wished you had taken a different path, Gen. I wish things hadn't changed." Those were the last words Genesis listened to before being in presence of the Goddess. He extended his hand towards her, and the Goddess took him away, giving him a second chance.
...
"Forgive me, Zack. I was wrong." Enyo said looking into his SOLDIER eyes.
He smiled and said: "No, it's alright. You had your reasons for reacting that way. He's gone now, so it doesn't matter. Killing him wouldn't have changed anything."
"You are absolutely right."
"Is it that hard to face the truth? It is frustrating to know that things didn't turn out the way you thought they would, but what triggered his actions?"
"Although I am not agreeing with his actions...I can sort of understand how he felt. When you are raised in such a way that you believed that you were perfect, then facing these truths is difficult. The fact that we never knew our parents were just little holes in our stories filled up with other memories. With training, and weapons and words of pride. As we grew we found out we weren't perfect, but we weren't like others either. We had unique abilities no one did. We were humans, but superior to average people. We always liked that. We were proud and egocentric at times, but after Shinra began to corrode and Genesis rebelled out...and Angeal passed, all we wanted was a normal life. Sephiroth more than me. He longed for a human life. Finding out that even his planning was inhumane triggered his insanity. But the irony of it is that instead of wanting that humanity, he embraced his strength and viewed himself as superior. As a special race."
"He almost killed you."Zack said bitterly. He turned to look at Cloud who was asleep.
"I can't assure the mental state he was in at the moment. All I know is that he turned into the being he never was. Not during the war, not during missions. Not even when he fought against Genesis. This man was someone absolutely different." Tears were brought to Enyo's eyes, so she turned sideways. She placed her hand over her stomach, where her child should have been growing four years ago, and now would have been standing next to her and Sephiroth if the events at Nibelheim hadn't occurred. She could not stop her tears anymore. She wept silently, unable to forgive Sephiroth's action. No matter what was he feeling, he had no right to decide over the life of an unborn child. It was the same thing that was done to him. He had not chosen to become a subject of an experiment.
"Are you okay?"Zack asked as he looked at her slowly.
"I was with child…."
"Huh?"
"I was pregnant….All I wanted was to leave Shinra. Life as I knew it was over. The company didn't feel the same, my friends were gone. We had decided to leave Shinra after we taken care of the reactors. I found out I was expecting a child before I went to Nibelheim. I had to tell him; that way we would surely leave Shinra and try to find some peace. But then he…."
"He almost killed you…and the baby…it couldn't have survived the shock and the stress your body went through."
Enyo nodded seriously. Her tears were a mix of sadness and anger. "I'm sorry. Me, crying like this." Enyo said wiping her tears away.
"It's okay to cry. Don't apologize….Enyo, you have my thanks. For being with us until now. You never gave up hope on me, even if sometimes you treated me like dirt. Thank you, really." Zack said with a smile.
Enyo's tears stopped falling. She gave him a small smile and nodded.
"Take some rest. I'll stand out guard. Tomorrow we will hopefully arrive to Midgar. "Aeris, just wait a little longer for me, okay?" Zack thought.
"Thank you, Zack. She turned and leaned against the rock wall of the small cave. Her mind couldn't be put to rest as jumbled thoughts from the events of four years ago revived. Together….Sister…A Shining Future….You said you loved me...Scum...Traitor…Mother's cells….I respected you!….Careful…with child….perfect…my experiments!...Inject her….only way to control…her….fetus's corpse….laboratory….Project S….brought back to life….reunion!
It all mixed in, haunting her mind constantly. No matter how much she tried to think of nothing, there was no stop to the nightmare. She was aware of her state, considering herself weak and unstable. Her pride was nowhere to be found and her honor had gone as well. She opened her eyes briefly and saw Zack sitting next to the boy, Cloud. He looked so determined, strong even in the grief. The young man gave her hope. Before falling into empty dreams, she determined herself to protect him and Cloud, for they were what she had left to live for. No matter what, she would give her life for them. "Aeris, wait for Zack. I assure you, you will find eternal happiness with him."
...
"Just kidding. I'll never abandon you." Zack said looking to Cloud. The boy had not recovered from the Mako poisoning yet.
Enyo smiled at him, amused.
"We're friends, right?" Zack asked.
"I'm sure he looks up to you more than anyone, Zack." Enyo told him.
"You're saying too much." The young man felt embarrassed.
The trio was currently riding in the back of a truck on its way to Midgar. The desert sand and the bright mid-day sun burned on their skin.
Enyo felt they were being watched. She heard a gunshot and managed to cover Cloud's face with her Inpes blade just before the bullet hit the boy.
"Zack!"
"Yeah, I know. Hey Pops! Park us over by the rocks!"
They were dropped off and the truck sprinted away, lifting dust along the way. The two SOLDIERs left the boy behind the piled boulders and made their way into battle. What they didn't know was that it would be their last. Just as they walked away, Cloud was healed from his poisoning, and stretched his hand towards the two, before fainting.
A platoon of army soldiers reached up to Enyo and Zack, and began to surround them while another platoon headed towards the direction the couple had walked through.
"Zack, leave these to me."
"What? No, Enyo, I'm not leaving you here!" he answered taking the Buster Sword.
"That platoon is heading towards those rocks. If they find Cloud they will kill him. GO! THAT IS AN ORDER!" she barked. "I will meet you there!"
Zack nodded gave a thumbs-up to Enyo before sprinting away. She focused on the platoon.
"Looks like I got my work cut out for me. Humph. I will not lose my pride. I will protect those dear to me. I am SOLDIER 1st Class Enyo, Destruction's Mind's Left Hemisphere and I will fight for our freedom!" Enyo claimed territory by quickly charging her blade with energy and hitting the ground to rise up a dust cloud. The soldiers began shooting their weapons wildly, but she moved swiftly and quietly, slashing at every passing soldier. From a helicopter, a sniper managed to hit her on the shoulder, but she kept moving. Enyo disassembled her sword and threw half of the blade towards the head of the sniper, killing him instantly. As the sand blew away and the vision of the soldiers became clear, they had a perfect shot at their target. She charged electricity, hitting a group of soldiers at once. Soldiers behind her shot at her left leg, making her kneel and stumble for a few seconds. She growled and got on her feet, moving faster than before, making it hard for the soldiers to focus on her. She slashed and thrust at every soldier that got in her way, but more kept coming. One of them shot her on the right side of her chest. She turned to him enraged and thrust the blade into him, lifted him in the air and threw him against a wall of soldiers. Suddenly, another soldier came into battle carrying a cannon. When he had a clear focus on Enyo, he shot it, giving her a split of a second to try to dodge. However it hit her almost directly. She fell on the ground, as other soldiers shot at her. Close to her death, she felt her insides pouring out. The blood was draining out of her body quickly. Just as she saw images of her life running right in front of her eyes like a film, she felt a sudden surge of energy and strength coming out from deep inside her body. She got up and began to glow. She sprinted towards the remaining soldiers raising her sword, charged with energy while shouting with all her might: "DAMN YOU!" A dome of bright light surrounded the area, ending with the remaining soldiers, and leaving Destruction's Left on the floor.
At the other side of the vast field, Zack Fair was making his last stand in battle, before falling by the hands of the army soldiers. He battle with his soul, always thinking in his mentor Angeal, and Aeris whom he knew he would never see again. Just as he fell, the three remaining army soldiers walked away, completing their mission. Zack's life and memories flashed in front of him as he faced the gray sky. His last memory was of Aeris.
In the Sector 5 church, while tending to her flowers, the Ancient girl Aeris felt how her boyfriend's soul was slipping away, returning to the Planet. Rain began pouring through the hole in the ceiling.
Cloud, who was now fully awake but still weak, managed to crawl through the muddy soil to where his friend Zack laid. "Zack." He said in shock. Zack saw his friend kneeling in front of him, and he grabbed his head and pulled him close to his chest. Enyo, whom was using her remaining strength to find them, saw the dismal scene, pulling out a faint scream from her. "N-no! Zack!" Cloud lifted his head and saw her, looking worse than Zack. She stumbled and fell, her whole body covered in blood. She crawled to where he was and put her hand over him, as if he tried to hug him. "Z-Zack, forgive me." Tears fell down her cold, bloody cheeks. Zack coughed and said: "No... For all of us." "Cloud, you're gonna… live. For all of us." He lifted the Buster Sword still gripped in his hand and handed it to him. "My honor, my dreams, they're yours now." Cloud gripped his hand around the hilt of the heavy sword and Zack pushed it at him. Enyo looked at the boy, tears still falling down her cheeks. The rain poured strongly and it began washing away the blood. "Live up….to his name. Never forget." Enyo said. A single white wing sprouted from her back, embracing the boy. She closed his eyes to an eternal slumber. "I'm your…living legacy." Cloud said. Zack smiled one last time and closed his eyes. When Cloud realized the fateful end of his friends, a deep scream escaped his lungs, gripping the sword tightly. It was a cruel destiny for human beings whose dreams and honor, and protecting others were their reason to live.
The rain eventually stopped, and Zack's first speech to Cloud resonated in the boy's mind. "Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams." "Thank you…both of you." Cloud said. "I won't forget." The boy rose to his feet and held on to his tears: "Good night." He turned to leave but stopped short: "Zack…Minerva…" The boy stumbled as he carried his destiny in his hands, unaware of the future journey, and the birth of a hero.