Thank you for all the lovely reviews, vanessahung8, Guest and wunderfae! Here's another chapter for all you wonderful readers. So sit back, relax and enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is a sole propriety of Square Enix, all terms, characters and plot similar to the franchise is used mainly for entertainment. No copyright infringement intended in the creation of this fic.
Chapter 36 – The Power of the Echo
The heroes of the New World have come face to face with Bhunivelze, the supreme Fal'cie, a being created by the Crystal to govern realms. A being of pure light who abhors anything that is tainted by the void, his immense power conjured by the blessing of light in its purest form is corrupting his judgment.
"Only those who have been purge from their weakness, from the corruption of the void, can join me and my legion of Fal'cies in the New World I envisioned. You have trampled upon your chance, there is no forgiveness for those who defy god!" Bhunivelze exclaimed in a booming voice, inflicting fear in them. All they can do is to stare in horror at this ethereal being who calls himself "god'. They have their weapons in hand, but they do not know how they can actually defeat him. Hope, Vanille and Sephiroth remain unconscious and are protected by Minerva and Aerith. Amidst all these surreal happenings, Lightning voices out her thoughts to the self-proclaimed god.
"Bhunivelze, god of light. What is a human's strength, when measured against your power? It would be madness to fight you. But, as long as we have this emblem from Etro, a divine power which also transcends human capabilities, I can say that we are not just mere humans. We are chosen, we are remade in order to thrive against the catastrophe around us. We will lead the dead and every life on this Planet on our own New World. And as for you, we will drag you down into the Chaos. Bhunivelze, you're finished."
"Foolish Human, you could've been the New Goddess who shall replace Etro in the New World. A Goddess who shall continue the cycle of death and rebirth, the one who shall instill in those souls the order to follow me in all things, the one who controls the Chaos Gate. You could've been the new Goddess of Death!"
Lightning chuckles sarcastically and retorts, "I can be a Goddess alright, but not the kind of Goddess you want. I'll be the Goddess who'll kill you!"
Bhunivelze gives off a chilly laugh and said, "All I desire is a perfect New World, filled with people who are free, knowing only true joy. Unfettered by grief or grudges, my perfect people for a perfect and glorious world."
"The Perfect World you're envisioning is just a utopia, filled with people who know nothing of their memories, past or even feelings of their own. They're not humans, but mindless puppets who look like people!" Fang remarks.
"You may be a god Bhunivelze, but you can never see into our hearts." Noel added.
"Yes, your souls may be opaque to me, but that is precisely why you humans must be redone. What value can they have if your souls are not known to god?"
An invisible force suddenly lifts Noel into the air as his friends' gasps in shock and horror. Pulled right in front of Bhunivelze's ethereal form, he tried to break himself free of the invisible force when suddenly his eyes go blank, his whole body goes limp. His friends wear a mix expression of shock, anger and fear as Bhunivelze turned Noel's limp body to face his friends. An invisible force slaps, twists and turns Noel's body making him look like a mere doll being played at by the mighty Bhunivelze.
"Your flesh shall be returned to clay! Remade! Remodeled! Made Perfect!" Bhunivelze states as he materializes white lights which looks like puppet strings and attached them to Noel's limp body, making him look like a real puppet in front of his friends.
"Purified, you shall become a vessel for god Himself, transcendent and supreme! Rejoice in the light of god's love! I shall descend and inhabit your frail bodies, to read your heart and bring you joy. I shall be a god amongst you, almighty and all-knowing!"
"You never really tried to save humanity, you were all doing this to satisfy your sanctimonious vision of a perfect future! You're no different with those corrupted by darkness, your hypocrisy and insincere act of deliverance ends here!" Lightning repulsed.
"You think you can slay god?" Bhunivelze utters in a challenging tone.
"Mere humans can't, but a portion of Etro's power still lingers in all of us here!" Genesis shouted back.
"You made us strong enough, both you and Etro used us as fisher of souls. And you transcended my form to become that of a death Goddess, thus I can end you!" Lightning added with conviction.
"Yes! You were all supposed to be my elite chosen ones, you've surpassed trials emitted by the void. Beg for forgiveness and ask for god's salvation!" Bhunivelze brandished his weapon and continued, "Bow thy heads and open your hearts to the benediction of god's light! Bring in the light and cleanse your soul! Surrender to the radiance! Divine Love Eternal!"
They all brandished their weapons as Minerva casts her Shield of Light to protect their unconscious friends. Aerith prepared to help her friends by focusing on recovery and protection magic. She's helped by Lebreau who's in Synergist role, casting support spells to their comrades.
Tifa switches roles between a ravager and commando, while Yuffie focuses on Ravager mode, casting spells like there's no tomorrow. Raines and Angeal decided to do Sentinel roles focusing on defensive abilities as both Lebreau and Aerith can focus more of their heals and buffs on them instead of wasting too much mana on everybody.
Cloud, Vincent, Genesis, Lightning and Fang are all on commando roles, with Cloud and Genesis sometimes switching roles to Ravager, so they can bombard Bhunivelze with Magical attacks as well. They're doing combined efforts to weaken Bhunivelze with all their attacks, Bhunivelze casts Ruinga and Graviton simultaneously.
"Bow to my Radiance!" Bhunivelze exclaimed as he enchants them with Doom spell, Aerith tries to remove the debuff from everyone but to no avail.
"My Esuna is not working on this Doom Spell!" Aerith cried out in panic as a countdown of their death begins.
"Tsk… we have twenty minutes to destroy him or else we're dead." Genesis exclaimed.
"Divine punishment for those who defy me is death. Not even Etro's power can save you, all her life she wants to earn my approval of her. Her ploy proves fruitful, soon, the body of her chosen champion shall be mine to possess. A body which can withstand immense amount of power, a body perfectly made for a god! Sephiroth will serve as the vessel for my soul." Bhunivelze laughs wickedly as he casts Debrave status on those who's on commando roles, halving their physical strength against him. On the other hand, he casts Defaith on people in ravager roles, decreasing their magic damage output greatly.
Aerith and Lebreau started dispelling the Defaith and Debrave effects from their comrades and casting them with magic and physical damage buff spells. As everyone is combining efforts to inflict damage on Bhunivelze, Fang manages to get an opening and lurches herself at him.
"Take this!" Fang shouted as she's about to use heavy slash skill on him, but Bhunivelze just swings his huge scythe at her, Fang was able to deflect it but his force was so strong she was thrown across the battlefield.
"Fang!" Lightning and Raines shouted at the same time.
Fang groans in pain as she struggles to lift herself up from the ground. Raines was at her side immediately and helped her.
"Are you alright? Can you still fight?" Raines asked.
"Course I still do! That'll not bring me down so easily! But I admit, that hurts, dammit!" Fang mutters under her breath.
Raines smirks and said, "You can't be out of commission yet, we're still bound to defeat a god."
"Yeah I know, besides…" Fang glances to where Vanille lays unconscious, she then clenches her fists and said, "I'm still gonna make this scum pay for what he did to Vanille!" she then runs back to the battlefield as she casts Ruin on Bhunivelze. Raines switches roles from Sentinel to Synergist and casts Protect, Shell and Haste on himself as well to Lightning and Fang, before switching to Commando Role and bombards Bhunivelze with his Ruinga spell.
After taking a lot of damage from the party, Bhunivelze summons a blinding light which starts to dominate the battlefield. The party started to stick together as Aerith uses Planet Protector, creating an almost transparent barrier around them. Once the light dissipates, Bhunivelze shifted to a bird-like form and he summoned three glowing silver orbs across the field.
"What are those…?" Angeal mutters.
"I'm not sure but I have a bad feeling about it." Genesis answered.
The orbs starts to move and duplicate, each person except Minerva and their unconscious friends were being followed by the orbs.
"I'm not sure what this is but I think it's better if we destroy it first!" Angeal shouted to the others.
"I'll destroy the orbs around you Aerith, just wait for me." Cloud tells Aerith who nods at him.
Everyone tried to destroy the orbs around them however, after destroying just one, the explosion also hits them. Everyone groans in pain, Lebreau and Aerith focuses on healing everyone but Bhunivelze do not let them have their way as he mercilessly rain down Thundara across the battlefield. They all try to evade Bhunivelze's Thundara, but it proves more challenging when Bhunivelze casts Blizzara and made the floor slippery, making it more difficult for them to run around.
Angeal hastily destroyed the orbs around him as well as Lebreau's. He takes the considerable amount of damage to him from all five orbs. He staggered and drops to the ground, breathing heavily.
"Angeal!" Lebreau shouted as she runs to him before switching her current battle role to medic and started casting Curaga on him.
"I'm fine…" he reassured her.
"You don't look that fine to me, you took all the damage from those orbs! That's reckless!" she exclaimed frantically.
"I did that… so I can protect you." He said as Lebreau gave him a puzzled look. He then smirks and spreads his wings and lifts her up in midair. Lebreau screamed and as she saw the white wings on Angeal's back, a memory flashes in her mind, the memory when she was about to be eaten by Dark Leviathan in the Palamecia.
"It was… you." Lebreau whispers as enlightenment dawns on her. Angeal just looks at her. "It was you, the angel who saved me from Jihl back in the Palamecia."
Angeal nods and asked, searching an answer in those light brown eyes of her, "Are you afraid?"
She shakes her head lightly as she gently presses a hand on his cheeks and said with a smile. "How can I be afraid of someone who saved my life?"
Angeal leans on her touch and replied, "But I'm not… a normal human being."
"I don't care, to me, you're perfect just the way you are." She said with a reassuring smile.
Angeal can't seem to wipe the smile off his face as Lebreau said, "We must help our friends."
"Up here, it'll be easier to dodge those lightning bolts instead of running around in the slippery ground." Angeal added.
Meanwhile, Cloud decided to destroy the orbs around him as the exploding orbs harms him as well, he heads straight to Aerith's direction after and destroyed the orbs, Aerith and Tifa screamed in horror as Cloud drops to the ground, slightly burned and bruised from the explosion.
"Cloud!" Tifa shouted as she tried to head to him, the icy floor was slippery enough causing her to lose her balance as a lightning spell hits her, she was thrown away before motionlessly plummeting on the cold ground.
"Tifa!" Cloud shouted he hurried to her evading the raining lightning bolts. Genesis destroyed the orbs as well unafraid of the explosions as he drops on his knees. He hurriedly went over to Aerith and spread his lone black wing.
"Sephiroth's gonna kill me if I don't protect you." He said as he flies and evades the lightning bolts. Minerva, however seems unfazed by the catastrophe, she remains still as all her powers were focused on the protective spell she casts around their unconscious allies.
The others destroyed their orbs as Aerith reaches her limit break and casts Great Gospel restoring everyone's health and giving them protection for a short duration. The doom spell casts by Bhunivelze was also removed from all of them.
"What is the meaning of this? No human can simply dispel my Death magic!" Bhunivelze exclaimed in rage.
Lightning smirks and said, "Aerith is not just a human, she's half-Cetra!"
"A Cetra…? What a surprise… a Geomancer by birthright, to utilize a Planet's insurmountable power source. I see… your innate Echo for succor has greatly saved your friends' lives. However, this Planet is already dying, the spring in which you draw your power shall soon run dry. You could've been another Fal'cie under my wing if you have not been as defiant! Face god's infallible judgment!" Bhunivelze spreads his wings widely as he casts Genethliac Hymn, making him resistant to all kinds of damage, may it be physical, magical or status effects. He then begins to charge a huge blue orb above his head, the ice on the floor begins to melt as well.
"This is our chance! Everyone give him your best shot!" Fang shouted, Angeal puts Lebreau down as he lunges at the unmoving Bhunivelze, switching his role from Sentinel to Commando. Genesis did the same as he gently landed on the ground.
"You've saved us Aerith." Genesis said as he winks at her before charging at their foe. Everyone landed an all-out attack, as both Lebreau and Aerith switches to ravager mode and starts bombarding Bhunivelze with offensive spells.
"Fools, do you really think you can overpower me? Your efforts of retaliation are fruitless."
"We're not even damaging him one single bit guys!" Yuffie shouted in panic as she just finished casting a Firaga spell.
"It may look futile but a relentless pursuit may give us a miracle!" Tifa urges the party.
"I will kill you Bhunivelze, even if I die in the process!" Lightning shouted as she keeps on attacking him.
For what seem like an eternity, the invisible barrier protecting Bhunivelze finally dissipates as their attacks finally get through. Everyone felt a surge of hope as they give everything they got.
"Everyone use your limit breaks for a final assault! Whatever happens we cannot let him finish whatever he's doing with that dangerous-looking orb!" Cloud exclaimed.
They all used their limit breaks on Bhunivelze causing him to stagger and drop his incomplete blue orb on the ground throwing everyone across the battlefield. They all try to stand up, assisting each other, the fog cleared and what appears before them was Bhunivelze's first form.
"Resist me more! Come to your god until you all become my spawn!" Bhunivelze says as he commands his scythe to strike at them in a speed of light. They all try to evade it as they jumped out of its way, Aerith casts wall to deflect the attack. Yuffie almost got hit but Vincent shoves her out of the way hitting him across his chest, incapacitating him. He landed right on top of her, bleeding.
"Oh no! Vinnie!" Yuffie screamed in horror, Vincent lays unmoving, eyes tightly shut as he writhed in agony.
"Vincent!" Cloud shouted as the others looked horrified.
"Aerith assist them! Lebreau switch to medic, Raines switch to Synergist! Fang, Angeal and Genesis assist me in distracting Bhunivelze!" Lightning ordered, they immediately complied as Cloud, Tifa and Aerith rushed to Vincent's side immediately.
"Vincent!" Cloud shouted again as he removes Vincent's limp body from Yuffie, carefully laying him down on the ground as Aerith brought down her staff and focuses her hands on Vincent's wound site.
Tifa pulled the shaking Yuffie up, Yuffie was crying uncontrollably as Tifa comforts her friend.
"It's my fault if he dies!" Yuffie screamed hysterically.
"He'll be fine, Aerith will fix him up." Tifa says softly to her friend.
"How bad is he, Aerith?" Cloud asks so only Aerith can hear.
"I… I think I'll be able to stop the bleeding, but if I use more to fix him up, I'll lose so much energy. I'm… afraid I won't be as effective in healing everyone here." Aerith explains.
"Was that because, the Planet no longer holds enough force in which you can draw your power as what Bhunivelze said earlier?" Cloud asked.
Aerith looks at him and nods lightly, she's currently healing Vincent as she starts to weep. "I'm sorry… I… can't be of so much help."
Vincent's hand lightly touches hers, Cloud and Aerith looks at their wounded friend in surprise. "Vincent!" Cloud calls out. Yuffie stopped crying immediately and went to his side, Tifa did too.
Vincent winces as he tries to speak, "Don't… worry… about me…" he said in between gasps.
"Vincent reserve your strength." Tifa replies gently.
Vincent shakes his head lightly and said to Aerith, "You've… been… a… great… help…"
"I'm so sorry Vinnie…" Yuffie wailed as she leans on the gunman, soaking him in her tears. With what strength remains of him, he slowly lifts his other hand to caress Yuffie's head and said, "Yuffie… I'm… glad you're… alright…"
Yuffie lifts her head up and looks at him with her red and puffy eyes, she wipes the blood that trickles on the sides of his mouth with her thumb as she whispers softly, "Please be okay… We have to see the New World together…"
Vincent gives a small smile and nods, his eyes closes and he becomes unconscious. Yuffie held his hand in hers as she continues to sob.
"I… I shall do my best to get him out of critical condition just as what I did with Sephiroth." Aerith said, the huge gash on Vincent starts to stop bleeding, "However, we need something to cover the wound."
Cloud puts down his sword and removed the side of his coat, "Here, I hope it suffices."
Aerith smiled at him and said, "I'll do my best to wrap him in."
Cloud pats Yuffie's shoulder as he beckons for TIfa, Tifa nods and caresses Yuffie's back before she stands up.
"We still need to help the others, we'll leave you guys for a bit. Aerith, I know you can do it." Tifa said as she gives Aerith a wink.
"Take care out there okay? Kick his ass!" Aerith says jokingly trying to ease the tension.
"Of course!" Tifa bids them farewell before rejoining the fight with Cloud and the others against Bhunivelze.
"The void shall be your grave!" Lightning shouted as she bombards Bhunivelze with Ruinga.
Bhunivelze staggers from the attack before crying out in rage, "Divine Judgment is mine to deliver!" White string lights begin to circle him before it all shoots upwards.
"It's Ultima Magic! Cast wall!" Minerva shouted to them as she fortifies her Shield of Light. Both Aerith and Yuffie were able to get Vincent inside Minerva's protected space and carefully lay him down beside Sephiroth.
Raines and Lebreau casts Wall for everybody, Aerith was preparing to cast it as well to fortify the Wall Magic created by Raines and Lebreau, but it was already too late. Cosmogenesis reverberates, signaling the huge amount of energy conjured in the spell casts by Bhunivelze. Soon, non-elemental white rays of magic begins raining down on the battlefield, Minerva staggered at the strength of Bhunivelze's Ultima but presses on, trying to shield those within her protective spell. Aerith and Yuffie cower together inside Minerva's shield enduring the tremors brought upon by the effects of Ultima.
As soon as the tremor stops, the battlefield was completely covered in fog, when it started to clear, all of their friends lays weakened, battered and bruised on the ground. Bhunivelze remains standing in all his glory as the strongest Fal'cie created by the Crystal.
"My power… is not even enough to contend the god of the Fal'cie…" Minerva says dejectedly as she begins to lose hope. Aerith rises and starts to cast her healing magic but Minerva stops her.
"Don't do it Aerith, your power of the Echo draws the unlimited source of energy from the lifeblood of the Planet. As a Geomancer your powers depend mainly on the Planet's energy, but for a dying Planet which no longer possesses the energy you need to use your magic, it will draw upon your own life force instead." Minerva warns.
"B-but… we've got to do something or else… this will really be the end for us!" Aerith protests.
"My powers lean heavily on the power of light from the crystal of origin, which is no longer present here in Gaia and Terra, With that simple fact, even I stand powerless against Bhunivelze. All I can do is preserve my strength and energy to protect your friends." Minerva explains.
"Almighty vengeance is mine to deliver!" Bhunivelze exclaims as light envelops the battlefield.
"I… I'm not giving up… I mustn't, Serah…!" Lightning mutters trying to stand up but the light which turns into a globe of light eventually covers them all.
Suddenly, an arrow made of light strikes the globe and from it, small cracks begin to appear and eventually shatter the globe prison.
"Meteor shots!" came a male's voice and somehow, Angeal, Genesis and Cloud seem familiar with it.
A flurry of meteorites hits Bhunivelze, everyone was startled as they all try to look for the source of that voice.
"Healing Wind!" it was a female's voice and Lightning has a hunch of who aids them as everyone felt the soothing relief brought about by the recovery spell.
"I've heard you Lightning, we still have a stand against Bhunivelze!" came the same female voice.
They all look at the direction of the voice and saw a girl who's a spitting image of Lumina, but somehow different. Along with her were Zack and Mog.
"Serah…?" Lightning utters in disbelief. Serah nods her head lightly and said, "I am here now Light, let's fight together!"
"Zack!" Cloud, Angeal and Genesis all shouted in unison.
"Yo! Miss me?" Zack said as he salutes to them.
"Save your reunion greetings for later, unless you all wanna die here kupo!" Mog said as all of them prepared for another all-out attack.
"Where have you gone?" Cloud asked his friend.
"Hmmm…. It's quite a long story, I'll tell you later." Zack said with a wink.
"You really saved our asses back there." Genesis said with a grin. Zack just chuckles as he confidently taps his broad chest.
"That Healing Wind sure does a lot of help, alright guys let's bombard this fake god with our limit breaks!" Angeal ordered and everyone prepares.
"Our future belongs to us, and as for you, you belong to the void!" Lightning cried out to Bhunivelze, her voice filled with determination.
"The future belongs to me and to my perfect world. Those who resist god's love do not deserve the perfect world I have planned for them. All of you will go to the void fettered in all your sorrows and grief!" Bhunivelze exclaimed as white particles gather in front of him, getting ready to cast another non-elemental magic.
"Everyone, land your limit breaks before he finishes casting another destructive magic!" Raines ordered and everyone rained down their limit break one after another.
Bhunivelze cried out in anguish and wrath as his casting was halted and he falls down helplessly on the ground.
"You all dare to raise your swords against god himself? You shall all burn in his purifying light!" Bhunivelze shouted in rage. He remained kneeling on the ground as he makes his attempts to stop Lightning and the others, firing beams from his eyes. Everyone dodges as best as they could.
"He's almost done for, don't stop attacking! Our relentless pursuit shall soon payoff!" Fang rallies everyone.
All of them were exerting all their efforts to see the battle to the end. Meanwhile, amidst all of these events, Sephiroth was stuck up in his dreams.
"My child…"
Sephiroth can't feel anything, he was drifting in a cosmos-like place, eyes tightly closed as a subtle breeze blows his way.
"Open your eyes…"
Sephiroth stirs and began to open his eyes slowly, he shifts his position so that he was now standing up, his feet stepping on nothing but endless space. He surveys the area and noticed that indeed he was in space. But how…?
"It's almost time to end the reign of the Fal'cies…" a soothing woman's voice came from behind him and he turns towards the direction of the voice. What he saw surprised him, it was Yeul, but she's somewhat different to the Yeul he knows. She's dressed in celestial robes, a golden headdress with an intricate design adorns her head, her coral blue hair much longer than he had remembered, were billowing behind her like waterfalls.
"Yeul…?" the seeress' name falls from his lips in an unsure tone.
The woman shakes her head lightly and said, "Not quite…I am Etro and I created Yeul in my own image."
Sephiroth's eyes widened in surprise, he doesn't know what to do, more so, why he was even summoned into this god-forsaken place.
"You might be wondering where you are or why you're here."
'Alright, did she just answer a question inside my head?' Sephiroth thought , he remained silent but nods just to let her know that it's exactly what he thinks right now.
"You are in the realm I have created in my mind, Fal'cies are beings almost akin to a god in terms of power, that's because the Mother Crystal has bestowed upon us her blessing. The blessing of Light… the power of the Echo. It is a kind of power far beyond human knowledge. The ability to mold anything from raw matter. Infinite capacity. Endless possibilities."
"Why have you summoned me here? I've heard everything from Caius, you toyed with us after we pledge our loyalty to you." Sephiroth said in an accusing tone.
"I would understand that Caius would feel that way after finding out, you have to understand that I did those things in order to end our reign." Etro replied sadly.
"What do you mean?"
Etro looked him straight in the eye before telling her side of the story.
"In the beginning, everything is shrouded in complete darkness, This void is called the Chaos… it was the greatest among the three forces that comprises the beginning of everything, Zodiark the Lord of the Void, Hydaelyn the Mother of Light and Midgardsormr the Father of the Greater Wyrms.
"Light comes forth in silent waves, emitted from the Mother Crystal, Hydaelyn. However, Zodiark, Lord of Darkness finds the disturbance in the current a nuisance and he clashed with the power of Light, this however created rifts among the universe.
"The great universe has been shattered like glass into three great portions, one thirds of it was still in complete darkness, another portion is drowned in complete light, and the last portion was a mixture of light and darkness. Among all three portions of the great universe, those who showered in balance of light and darkness sows susceptibility to a birth of other lifeforms. Midgardsormr discovered the embers of both light and darkness combined, were hardened into crystals and became Crystal of Origin. And from all these crystals, a star starts to grow until it becomes big enough to become a Planet that will soon sow life, and utilize the cycle of death and rebirth to maintain the continuous flow of energy within it.
"From the portion of the universe which held both light and darkness, whom do you think reign supreme? Zodiark or Hydaelyn?" Etro asked him.
Sephiroth begins to think and said, "Neither?"
Etro smiled and said, "Correct, for if both Zodiark and Hydaelyn openly relent the possession of these territories, one would grow far stronger than the other, and the weaker force would be completely annihilated. Thus, both Zodiark and Hydaelyn created their own stewards and Pantheons to protect their own, Midgardsormr on the other hand chose to be neutral and settle in the first star to ever become a Planet."
"When you said they created their own stewards, you mean the Fal'cies?" Sephiroth clarified.
Etro nods and said, "Yes, for Hydaelyn it was us the Greater Fal'cies,, as for Zodiark, it was creatures like Lavos, the time devourer and the one who almost consumed your Planet, the creature you call Jenova, which is known as the mind breaker."
Sephiroth was appalled with this revelation, so Jenova was a creature from the void, a spawn from Zodiark's power, which explains why it couldn't be destroyed easily.
"Hydaelyn created Mywnn the first of the Greater Fal'Cies to govern Gaia and Terra, the Twin Star. Using her powers, she created Bhunivelze which in turn created Pulse, Lindzei and myself. However, amongst the three of us, I'm the only Fal'cie who's been tainted by the power of the void during my creation. Resulting inside me which the other Fal'Cies does not possess, a heart to understand the mortals."
Sephiroth blinked in surprise, as he tries to take all of this vital information inside his head.
"Mwynn understands that Greater Fal'Cies does not live forever, but Bhunivelze could not accept it, He thought that to bask in our Mother Hydaelyn's light meant eternal life, but he was wrong. He dreams of eternity, it was always his dream that this world would last forever. He battled forces that would bring about its end. His dream was shattered when the first reset of the world to Zero happened. It was said that when balance is tipped it means destruction.
"The belief stays true, it was a long time ago when mortals waged wars against each other, engulfing everything in complete catastrophe which almost put Gaia in danger. The Greater Fal'Cie Necron, Hydaelyn's ward, uses his power to eliminate all life on the Planet so as to begin the process of rebirth, remaking the life on this Planet from the beginning. However so long as humans have their hearts, they also have free will, animosity amongst them will never cease. The Fal'Cies of pure light would never understand them, because those who do not possess the essence of Chaos within them, will never see right into the hearts of people. The pain and suffering, emotions unknown to beings of pure light who only knows pure joy, they will never understand what it means to have miracles, to have hope." Etro explains in a mild tone.
"Bhunivelze considered this as a threat but since Fal'Cies has their expiration dates, he wants to live forever by possessing new bodies as his vessel. Though I'm not sure if it's possible to do repeatedly, is it?" Sephiroth asked trying to understand the concept further.
Etro nods and said, "Yes, one important ability granted by the Echo is metempsychosis. You were able to do it yourself."
"Me?" Sephiroth asked in disbelief.
"Yes, when you created remnants of yourself, channeling your desire, your thoughts, your plans unto other souls, you're utilizing your Echo. Not everyone can do it, because souls are meant to die in the unseen realm. They are meant to be reborn or stay with me in Valhalla as an Einherjar, and protect the souls from being consumed by the void. However, you were able to maintain your whole essence, the process of death and rebirth did not apply to you, this I sensed and I know your Echo is at the level in which you can destroy Bhunivelze."
"The way I understand it, is the Echo… the same as will power?" Sephiroth probes further.
Etro nods her head lightly and said, "Yes and no, however, willpower is one important key to utilizing your Echo's capability. Strong desires of your heart plus a strong, unfaltering will power give your mind the ability to conjure them to reality. Echo is said to be the power that can break the barriers of existence."
"A power… to break… the barriers of existence…?"
"The barriers that limits mortals in entering other realms beyond the world of the living. Such as the void creatures cannot be granted access to the realm of light or they'll die, this principle also goes to those beings of pure light, who'll perish when completely drowned in Chaos."
"But mortals can go there because we possess both properties within ourselves, properties of light and darkness, correct?" Sephiroth asked with a spark of enlightenment in his eyes.
"Not everyone, only those who's been gifted by the sparks of Hydaelyn's light or Zodiark's darkness, as both beings can bestow the Echo in equal terms. However, mortals who are gifted with this power can unlock its unlimited potential because they do not only possess one affinity, mortals possess both Hydaelyn's light and Zodiark's darkness, and we all don't know what these powers can do if used in full. Such as myself, there are things that I can only do which my other fellow Greater Fal'cies can't." Etro further explains.
"And so by seeing me do metempsychosis, you were convinced that the level of my Echo is already enough to destroy Bhunivelze?" Sephiroth asks, trying to confirm that he's understanding everything alright. Etro nods.
"So… it was never your idea to bring him back?" Sephiroth clarified, because everything he learns here is contrary to what Caius claims about Etro planning all of this so that Bhunivelze can be reborn.
Etro shakes her head lightly, "Fal'cies are never meant to control the mortals, Mother Hydaelyn believes in the capacity of mortals, to possess both light and darkness, to possess wisdom from both sides: the good and the evil. Hydaelyn believes that this phenomenon brings forth a whole new level of understanding, freedom to live one's life, the choice is endless."
"Why did Caius' echo show him something completely different to what you're telling me now?" Sephiroth asked mystified.
"Some plans should not be revealed completely, as a Fal'Cie, Bhunivelze can see right into me, though not everything. I have to make sure I do not give myself away until such time, a hero shall be chosen to deliver the people of Gaia to their New World, free from the grasp of selfish Fal'Cies."
"So you're plan is to gather us all in Memoria so we can defeat Bhunivelze for good?"
"Yes… Memoria, a place of memories, every Planet has their own Memoria. And in this place, lies the Crystal of Origin, when balance is tipped, and the worlds of the dead and the living combined, the doors to it, opens wide. The Planet's Crystal World where the Crystal of origin lies becomes accessible to all who attempts to enter Memoria. Bhunivelze's Cosmogenesis lies within the Crystal World, I need all of this to happen so we can pull him out from his Crystal slumber."
Sephiroth felt a surge of hope as what he once thought as fruitless effort turns out to be the complete opposite. "And I assume, you summoned me here to tell me something very important."
Etro nods and smiled sadly, "Bhunivelze inside his realm, will only recuperate. The only way to defeat him is to strike at his crystal of light that serves as his heart, the crystal is inside his forehead. Pierce it to weaken him incrementally and drown him into Chaos. I have not long to live Sephiroth, both my heart and my will were destroyed completely. I am good as dead, but for a Greater Fal'Cie to completely die, all of their existence must be removed from the surface. I still live because pieces of my thoughts and powers were sealed inside your brands. The reason that I can still talk to you like this, was because you still possess the symbol I placed on your chest."
Sephiroth looks at his chest and touches it then he asked her, "But if we kill Bhunivelze, what will happen to our world?"
Etro continued to look at him with sad eyes and said, "Gaia can no longer be saved Sephiroth, however, there is one thing only you can do."
"Tell me."
"Even if the morrow is barren of promises, Nothing shall forestall my return. To become the dew that quenches the land. To spare the sands, the seas, the skies, I offer thee this silent sacrifice."
"Loveless Act V."
"The last part of the prophecy… a sacrifice to spare all life on this Planet, to complete the rebirth process of all the life force from Gaia and Terra to a New World, that is your last mission."
Sephiroth mulls over this thought, so his Fate was sealed from the very beginning. Even if it feels a little painful, some big parts of him feel grateful for this opportunity. If his life can save millions, he'd be glad to give it away. He asked to be redeemed, and this, is the perfect opportunity to do so. The bonds he formed with everyone he now considered not just his comrades-at-arms but friends. And the valuable time he spent with Aerith, those are enough for him. Such a short period of time but he feels… complete, contented, satisfied. Never in his life had he thought that he'll be ever given an opportunity to live his life with such big purpose. The Fate of this world is now in his hands, and he will accept it gladly. To give Aerith a new life back with their friends, to give everyone a chance to live.
"How should I do it?" he asked with conviction.
"You must gather what little remains of my power from the brands of your comrades. Use your symbol to harness my remnants in those brands, the symbol I have given you will contain my power. Use it to open the portal, I will use the last of my strength to direct you to the location of the Planet's ember of life."
"Ember of life?"
"It is where the Crystal of Origin starts from, the ember of life is like its seed form. And in order to save the lives on the Planet, you must fan the flames of the ember by using your own life force to activate it. Only with someone who was able to use metempsychosis can do it, transmigrate your soul to the ember and activate it from within. Use it to siphon the remaining souls from the Planet and direct them to the New World. I already prepared the path, in which you must direct these souls so they can be reborn." Etro paused before adding, "Your soul however, will never be reborn. You'll return to Mother Hydaelyn and be part of her again for eternity."
"Because I have become the ember of life, a crystal, and so I must become part of the whole, which is Hydaelyn?" Sephiroth replied in realization.
Etro nods sadly. "Forgive me."
He shakes his head lightly and said with a small smile, "You don't have to apologize, you've done so much for us at the expense of your own life. Sacrifices are imminent. I understand, I shall do it."
"Thank you… Just like Hydaelyn, I always have faith in the power of mortals, Gaia and Terra's mankind now lies in your hands." Etro vanished as Sephiroth felt he has mentally returned to his body.
Everyone was panting after giving all they've got on their last attempt to thwart Bhunivelze with all their limit breaks. Bhunivelze remained motionless on the ground.
"Did we do it? Did we really… slay god?" Fang asked their friends. Noel was released from Bhunivelze's grasp. His unconscious form was being held by Serah.
"I think we really did…" Aerith mutters.
"Let's get out from here and figure out how to save Gaia and Terra, there must still be a way." Lightning said to the others as they all prepare themselves to get out of Cosmogenesis and reach their airship.
They haven't walked more than a couple of steps when Bhunivelze began to stir. They all halted their steps as they look back and saw Bhunivelze slowly recuperating.
"No… fucking… way…" Genesis mutters under his breath. He was appalled by the sight of the Fal'cie standing up from his demise as if he was not even beaten down.
"Only fools will believe they can defeat god." Bhunivelze laughed wickedly as he spreads his wings again and prepares to cast the spell Hypernova. "I shall obliterate you all!"
Tifa drop down on her knees looking so utterly hopeless, everyone looks dejected, some of the women begin to silently cry except for Fang, Lightning and Serah.
Tifa speaks in between sobs, "Is this… is this really the end…?"
Cloud approaches her and held out his hand for her, "Whatever happens, we fight till the end. No matter how bleak the future is, we have to try. We all have each other, that is what's important."
Tifa looks up, she smiled at Cloud despite her tear-stricken face. She holds his hand as he helps her up, they looked deeply into each other as Cloud wipes the tears from her cheeks and plants a chaste kiss on her lips which caught Tifa by surprise. "We've come so far to give up now."
Tifa smiled softly and said, "You're right… we're still going home with everyone… right?"
Cloud nods and smiles softly before gazing back at Bhunivelze. His expression changes to that of an absolute resolve, "We're not giving up just yet!"
Lightning brandishes her gunblade once again and said, "Live or die, we don't have a choice, I'm gonna fight till my last breath!"
Everyone begins to feel a spark of hope and prepares for another battle to the death.
"Fools! Annihilation to all!" Bhunivelze cried out in a booming voice as everyone braced themselves for a final assault.
Sephiroth swiftly charges at Bhunivelze and pierced the god's forehead with his Masamune, the Fal'Cie cried out in agony as his casting was completely interrupted by Sephiroth's attack. Everyone gasps in surprise.
"You-! How dare you!"
Sephiroth didn't say anything just thrusts his katana further into Bhunivelze's forehead. The Fal'Cie groaned in anguish, light starts to emit from his forehead, that's when Sephiroth starts to leap away from the Fal'Cie and lands graciously on the ground.
"How did you… know about…"
"Etro told me your weakness. You're finished Bhunivelze, drown into the Chaos!" Sephiroth exclaims indignantly.
The Cosmogenesis begins to crumble as a void pit starts to appear, swirls of Chaos emits from the hole and wraps the Fal'Cie, sucking Bhunivelze into it.
"No…! I am immortal! I am Almighty! I am god! You-! You'll be my death Goddess, you shall breathe life unto me for my rebirth, I shall take you with me!" A rope-like light appeared and wraps itself around Lightning. It happened all too quickly and she was dragged down into the void with the Fal'cie.
"Lightning!" Genesis and Serah shouted in unison while the others gasp in horror. Genesis runs and jumps right through the void pit, Serah was being held back by Zack as she thrashes against his hold while she cries for her sister.
"Genesis!" Sephiroth and Angeal called out to their friend together but it was already too late. Their friend is already inside the pit of black wind.
"Zack! Let me go! My sister is in there! Please!" she pleads, crying and flailing her arms.
"You can't go in there, Lightning wants you safe! I'm sorry…" he tightens his hold until Serah loses all strength to protest and just cried.
"I've already lost Snow…. I can't lose my sister too…" Serah mumbles in between sobs.
"Genesis will bring her back I'm sure of it." Zack says trying to console the crying girl in his arms. Genesis, please be safe!
"Everyone, we have to leave here unless we'll get drowned in the Chaos!" Minerva shouted.
"But Genesis and Lightning, they're in there!" Angeal shouted back.
"We can't wait for them in here, we have to get outside Memoria before it crumbles completely." Minerva replied firmly.
Sephiroth glances back at the pit before shifting his attention back to Minerva and said, "We have to leave now."
"But-!" Angeal protests.
"Genesis will save Lightning, I'm sure of it." He said firmly. No one dared to argue anymore as Minerva raises her sword and all of them were enveloped in a golden light, a few seconds passed and they all found themselves outside Memoria.
Meanwhile, Bhunivelze continues to sink down into the depths of the void, dragging Lightning with him, the rope of light around her already disappeared, Lightning was sinking fast as darkness envelops everything around her. It feels like she's drowning in dark water, it's getting difficult to breathe.
'If I die here, it's okay as long as Bhunivelze dies too.' she mentally thought to herself.
'Lightning…!'
A female voice calls out to her, she opens her eyes and saw Lumina. "Lumina?"
Lumina shakes her head lightly and said, "No… I am not a real person Light, I am a fake made from the Chaos, I protected Serah's soul inside me while you're busy doing your task as savior. But I have already returned her soul, thus I have to return where I'm supposed to be."
"Return? Where?" Lightning asked.
"Don't you remember who I was Lightning?"
"I don't…" Lightning was about to say something but was cut off by images of her memories flashing across her mind. She was young, Serah is with her, they were on their parent's funeral. She drops her first name when she joined PSICOM, she referred to herself as Lightning, a symbol of strength, power and indomitable spirit. She did all this to protect her precious younger sister.
Lumina was hovering on top of her and she was directly looking in Lightning's eyes. A sudden realization hits Lightning, "You're… me… Young, weak…"
"I am the young Claire Farron… I am the embodiment of your selfishness, weakness, loneliness, fear. Bits of your soul you cannot accept, part of you that you've thrown away. You cast me away, almost killed me… but I will always be a part of you Lightning, I am the symbol of your vulnerabilities. The desire for me to be reunited to you, gave me the opportunity to take form in the Chaos and protect Serah's soul when Bhunivelze purge her away from your thoughts. I have become a seeress, because Serah's soul in me possessed Etro's eyes before her death. And I played along so I can be with you again, so I can fulfill my duty of giving back Serah's soul to her crystalized form in Gaia's Crystal World. And as for me… to be finally reunited with you."
"B-but I can't do that… I have to be strong for Serah for myself, for everyone. I can't be weak!" Lightning says refusing to acknowledge her own weakness.
Lumina shakes her head lightly and said, "You always convince yourself that you have to be strong just to justify your rationality of cutting your vulnerability away. Then so be it… rot in the Chaos alone…"
Lumina's form then disappears into a swirl of smoke. A sudden pang of fear hits Lightning the moment she realizes that's she's going deeper into the Chaos.
"No-! Wait! Don't go! Please… Don't… Don't leave me alone… Lumina! Serah!"
An image of a particular red-haired SOLDIER flashed across her mind, she closes her eyes as tears escapes her eyes. "Genesis… I need you… Help me…"
Her tears floats in the Chaos and emits a bright light, enveloping her and everything around her. She opens her eyes slowly and squints at its brightness, Lumina reappears and giggles softly as she embraces Lightning. Lightning wraps her arms around her too as she fully acknowledges her own weakness. Lumina raises her head up and looks at her, showing her a bright smile before she slowly vanishes into a glowing orb of light and enters Lightning's heart.
Suddenly a gloved hand appears above her from the blinding light, holding out for her to grab onto. She did and she was surprised to see Genesis smiling at her, his beautiful deep blue eyes looking at her with so much joy and relief.
"It's okay Claire… I heard you, I got you." Genesis says as he leads them both out of the Chaos.
'Lumina… thank you… even though you were never real, you still saved me and Serah. I will never, leave you alone from now on.' Lightning thought to herself as she closed her eyes.
'I love you Light… despite how you hated me, you and I are one, I will always be a part of you. I may be fake, but the experiences I have with everyone during my journey were real, and for that I am thankful.' Lumina responded inside her head.
Genesis managed to get them out of the Chaos as he spreads his wing and carries Lightning in his arms. He flies swiftly evading the swirling Chaos to take hold of them.
"Hold on tight." Genesis orders as Lightning nods and clings to him tighter. Memoria is crumbling down as the Chaos submerges it in its unforgivable depths of eternal nothingness.
Sephiroth and the others were safely onboard the Shera, meanwhile the Proudclad appears just beside the Shera.
"That's Yaag's ship! What is the meaning of this?" Raines exclaimed in disbelief.
"Will there be more fighting?" Tifa asked Cloud. The blonde shakes his head lightly and said, "I don't know Tifa, I honestly don't know."
"Oy, we have a communication notif from that ship, know somebody In there?" Cid asked Raines.
"Go ahead Mr. Highwind, open the communication line." Raines said. Cid punches the red button and on the screen appears Yaag, surprisingly he's with Zidane and Kuja.
"Yo! How're you guys?" Zidane greets while grinning happily.
"What happened? Why are you in the Proudclad?" Sephiroth asked.
"Apparently, This guy saved us! Him and Kuja doesn't seem to be in good terms though." Zidane remarks.
They saw Kuja standing silently in a corner, brows furrowed and arms crossed against his chest.
"Raines." Yaag said as Zidane stands away from the camera.
"Yaag, what is the meaning of this?" Raines replied casually.
"Apparently, my loyalty lies with the people and not with someone who craves the world on his own."
Raines smirks at his friend's statement and he said, "You never changed Yaag. Betraying your superior, you've done it again."
Yaag smirks and replied, "You're just the same as me."
"I presume Jihl has died?" Raines clarified.
"Put out of commission by the SeeDs. I look forward to meet you in the New World my friend."
"You can count on that." Raines said with a smile. Yaag smiled before closing the communicator.
"So it seems we have gained a strong ally." Cloud comments.
"Yes, Yaag and I believed in freedom more than anything else. We serve for the people's safety not for selfish reasons. I'm just glad he chose to switch sides at the very last minute."
Yuffie is with Vincent who's currently recuperating in one of Shera's cabin. Lebreau and Angeal stay inside a cabin where both Maqui and Yuj were currently unconscious. While Fang stays with Hope and Vanille. Noel just wakes up and notices Weiss sitting on the opposite bed in the same cabin.
"Hey, good thing you're already awake, everyone's at the bridge. I was asked to look after you." Weiss explains.
"Where are we?" Noel asks as he pinches his nose bridge.
"We're in Shera, Cid's airship. I placed the Celsius on autopilot, I came here to greet my brother, but it looks like he's not with the party. So I thought, I'll stay and wait for him in here."
"He'll be fine… let's go to the bridge?" Noel asks.
Weiss nods and went out of the door first followed by Noel. Once they enter the bridge, everyone in there looks at Noel. "How are you feeling?" Aerith asks.
"I'm okay… where's Lightning?" Noel asks.
"She's…" Tifa tries to answer when she was suddenly interrupted by a crew from the Shera.
"Look at that!" They all look at the screen as Cid zooms in the camera. What they saw was Genesis flying out of the crumbling Memoria with Lightning cradled in his arms.
Sephiroth smirks, "That Genesis always tries to look the hero."
Serah covers her mouth as she cries happily. Zack places a hand on her shoulders as he looks at the big screen.
"We're safe now Light, I can see the Shera." Genesis said.
"Thank you…" Lightning replied softly.
Genesis smiles and said, "It's nothing."
"You jumped into the Chaos to pull me out… risking your own safety for me. I… when Serah and I were left alone, I thought I had to be strong, to the point that I don't need anyone to help me. But I was wrong… No man can live alone, I am not an exception." Lightning reflects loud enough for Genesis to hear.
"Everyone has their own weaknesses, it's part of us, part of what makes us unique. Our strength lies in our own weaknesses, once we acknowledge our vulnerabilities, that's when we become stronger, braver and indomitable. All it takes is just acceptance… remember what Sephiroth said? Rely on others just as they rely on you. We are not gods, weakness is part of being human." Genesis responds and he felt Lightning clings to him more tightly as he smiles to himself.
"I'll always be here for you Light… I promise." He whispers.
"Claire…" she replies softly. Genesis looks at her in surprise, she was gazing at him as a small smile tugs at her lips. "From now on… I'll be Claire Farron, the real me."
Genesis smiles at her and nods, "Everyone's waiting for us… Claire."
He then flaps his wing and accelerates as he flies towards the Shera.