1Chapter Fourteen: The Gates Open
"Hyrule...it's gone..." Sonic leaned over the edge of the crater.
Samus turned over to Cloud. "Has Sephiroth ever done anything like this before?"
Cloud was silent for a moment. "No, Sephiroth has never used the Black Materia before."
Snake looked down into the hole. "What's that?" The other's came to him and looked down into the crater. A strange green light shone from the center of the impact site.
"The Life Stream." Cloud jumped down into the massive crater. The team looked at each other and jumped in after him.
As they fell, the green light grew brighter and brighter. Cloud gripped the hilt of the Master Sword tight as they came close to a floating chunk of rock amid a swirling vortex of green light.
"What is this?" Sonic asked looking around. The walls of the crater were normal stone, but all around them, the green light shot from even deeper within.
"It's the life stream of the planet." Cloud said looking down.
"What's life stream?" Sonic asked. "You said something about it before."
Cloud sighed. "The Life Stream is the energy force that a planet lives on. It's like the planet's blood. All living things are made of it, and when they die, they join it again. Sephiroth used Meteor to damage the planet so heavily that the life steam would come pouring out, like how blood pours from a wound. Sephiroth plans to merge with the life stream, giving him limitless power."
"Where's Sephiroth now?" Samus asked.
Cloud looked around. "He's down there." Cloud pointed into the vortex of green light.
Sonic smiled. "Then what are we waiting for?"
The team looked at each other and jumped down into the life stream.
They fell for what seemed like hours before they finally landed on a very large platform above what looked like flowing green water.
"Is that it?" Snake asked.
Cloud nodded. "Yeah, that's life stream."
Samus pointed forward. "And that's Sephiroth."
Cloud spun around to see Sephiroth at the very edge of the platform, hands extended.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud charged. Sephiroth lowered his hands and dodged Cloud's attack with ease. "How can you do this? How can you destroy so many lives just for power?" Cloud slashed at Sephiroth with both the Master Sword and his Buster Sword. "You don't care who you hurt, just as long as you get stronger!"
Sephiroth hit Cloud on the chest with his open palm. Cloud flew back hitting the ground several times. Sephiroth lifted into the air a short way. "You know nothing." Sephiroth unsheathed his sword. "I am the last of the ancients, the Promised Land is mine by right. If it will not be given to me, I will take it."
"You aren't an ancient..." Cloud uttered under his breath. "She was the last of the ancients, and you killed her yourself!"
"The Promised Land is mine, no one else can take it from me."
Cloud gripped the hilt of his swords tighter.
"Ha, ha ha...stop trying to act as if you were sad. There's no need to act as if you were angry either. Because, Cloud. You are,"
A deep rumbling growl filled the crater.
Cloud and Sephiroth stared at each other.
No one moved.
The team looked around for what made the sound. Cloud and Sephiroth stared directly at each other.
"Sephiroth..." Cloud said slowly. "What was that?"
Sephiroth was silent. "I don't know."
The deep rumble filled crater once more.
Sonic noticed a sparkling light on the crater wall. When he went to it he realized that the light wasn't on the wall, but floating in the air close to them. "Hey guys..."
The light began to grow bigger, lightning cackled off of it.
"Sonic...what did you do?" Snake stepped away from the light.
Cloud and Sephiroth slowly turned their heads to the light. "What is this Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth turned and looked at Cloud. "I don't know."
Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's coat. "What is it?"
Sephiroth leaned forward. "I don't know."
The lightning then stopped.
"Is it over?" Samus said after a moment.
The light then grew into the form of a large blue circle filled with a swirling vortex of light making a sound that can only be described as the universe being torn apart.
There was a brief moment of silence before the team began to get sucked into the portal.
Samus dug his hand into the rock, Snake grabbed onto the ground, Sonic ran in the opposite direction of the portal, and Cloud and Sephiroth both managed to stand evenly on the ground.
Sephiroth looked around and smiled, he then looked into the portal.
"What are you doing Sephiroth?"
Sephiroth knocked Cloud away from him and then dashed toward the portal.
"No!" Cloud flew after Sephiroth with both swords ready to strike.
Moments before entering the portal, Sephiroth vanished in a cloud of black smoke and feathers. Cloud turned to see Sephiroth across the crater smiling. "Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted as he was sucked in. Sephiroth then threw his palm at the platform the rest of the team clung to, shattering it. The team went flying into the portal as Sephiroth laughed.
The portal closed behind them, and Cloud, Samus, Sonic, and Snake went flying through a vortex of swirling blue light.