Chapter 12
"Yes, I too am a demi-god."
Cloud was gawking, no doubt with his jaw to the floor. While he had just thought to take a wild guess on it, he never actually expected it to be true. But now he was stuck. He had this new information and he had no idea how to process it. Where was he even supposed to begin with it?
Tseng was also a demi-god? A Turk who he had only met once before? It almost seemed too crazy to believe but Cloud had to try and give it some trust. It seemed much too elaborate just to set everything up to fake him out. Then again Tseng was a Turk after all…
"You seem surprised," Tseng said after a while. "Did you not know there could be other demi-gods among you?"
"No," Cloud shook his head quickly. "Ah I mean l knew there could have been, but my father told me that he wasn't sure if there were any others out there."
"Ah, so it was your father… I see," Tseng replied with a nod. "I didn't expect it either but I sensed your aura when you first came to Shinra. I knew it was only a matter of time before we crossed paths."
"You knew? You could just sense it?"
"It seems you still have a great deal to learn about being a demi-god. I can be of help if you ever need. I may not look it, but I have been around a bit longer than you would think," Tseng started to smile more. "Youthfulness is one generous trait of being a demi-god didn't you know?
"Oh… I see. But um…" Cloud moved slowly back to the table. "If you are a demi-god, who is your… well you know um…"
"My godly parent? Ah yes… the very same question I was going to ask you. But instead I will ask you this, who do you think my parent is?"
Cloud wasn't sure where he would even begin with that. There were so many gods and goddesses out there, far more than there were summons that had been based off of them. Tseng's parent could have been any of them. Well expect for Odin of course otherwise Cloud was sure his father would have told him about that. But that still left so many more options for who it could have been.
Though as he thought he watched as Tseng smiled again, remaining calm and relaxed. Suddenly there was a drop in the temperature and Cloud started to shiver. He wasn't trying to pay any attention to that, knowing maybe the AC just turned on, but he caught just how Tseng was looking. The way he was smiling wasn't just a regular smile… there was something else behind it.
"Shiva?" Cloud finally asked.
Tseng nodded as the temperature of the room started to return to normal. "You are correct, Cloud. Shiva is my mother."
It was still quite a shock to hear, but honestly the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Tseng, from this time and the time before, had always been rather calm and collected but had an almost unmoving seriousness about him. There was also the fact that Tseng had the tilak on his forehead, which was something Shiva was known to have in some of the old depictions of her. Even the summon was designed to have something that reflected that in her appearance.
"Now, what about you?" Tseng asked.
"Odin," Cloud answered softly.
"Ah, I should have suspected that. You are from Nibelheim after all, it's where Odin resides."
"Why are you so curious?" Cloud asked next. "I mean why were you so curious to find out more about me?"
"Forgive me if I seemed a bit much. You see, as far as I knew there weren't any other demi-gods. I was the only one in centuries and I thought that was how it would be, until you showed up. It feels nice to know that I am not alone in that respect."
"Ooh, I think I get it now," Cloud answered. When he gave it some thought with the words Tseng had said, he felt the same. He had wondered for years about other demi-gods or if he was the only one. "So that's all you really wanted? To talk about being a demi-god?"
"Yes there was that, but there was something else. I heard what happened during your SOLDIER tryouts. I wish I could have stepped in to say something sooner, but I didn't want to concern you or make you feel like I was trying to dissuade you from trying."
Cloud tilted his head slightly. "What? What are you talking about?"
"I am talking about how our demi-god blood cannot mix with mako."
"Oh yeah… my father told me about that after. It's okay, it's good that I learned about it. Now I can be a bit more careful around the stuff. But is that why you became a Turk?"
"Part of the reason, yes, I have my other reasons too but this is one of them." Tseng leaned back in his chair before crossing his arms. "Which brings me to my next point. I see that you have applied to be in the Infantrymen, but if you ever wish I could easily help you get into the ranks of the Turks."
Cloud's eyes widened. Could something like that really be so simple? Maybe for the Turks it was, but he had never given it much thought. He began to wonder if he spent more time around Tseng if maybe then he could learn even more things about being a demi-god. Learning from his father was one thing, but learning from another demi-god sounded like it could really help him grasp more things.
But even with the offer he had to shake his head. "Thank you, but I'll stick to Infantry, it's the closest I'll get to being a SOLDIER."
"A really strong determination there. I see." Tseng got up from his desk and headed towards the door. "Well that covers what I wished to talk about. And Cloud, if you do have any questions, or just wish to talk demi-god to demi-god, you let me know."
"Oh okay, thank you Tseng," Cloud said before he walked through the door once it was open.
"If you want, I can exchange my email with yours. That way it'll be easier than trying to find me."
Cloud pulled out his phone and handed it over. "Makes sense. Thank you again."
Tseng put in his email and then Cloud did the same on Tseng's phone. After that he nodded before he was left on his own now as Tseng started to walk down a different hallway. Left on his own again, new thoughts fill his mind about what had just happened. He had met another demi-god. There really was another demi-god and in Midgar of all places! It was rather convenient in that matter, but also piqued his curiosity.
"Another demi-god…" Cloud though to himself. "I wonder what dad would think… doubt he knew, but wow. A son of Shiva. Pretty cool."
He chuckled to himself after that, proceeding to head back to the apartments. As he did, he began to think of what he was going to tell Marcus. No doubt Marcus would want to know why he had just had a private talk with a Turk. He knew he could figure out a way though, he had enough time to think about it anyways.
Meanwhile outside of the Shinra HQ, Shiva and Odin had been observing the situation. Shiva moved a little closer to Odin and smiled graciously. "You see now? Their paths have crossed. But what more will they make of it? The choice is theirs and theirs alone."
"I know Shiva,"Odin replied. "We cannot interfere in their lives much. As people will their free will they can make their own decisions. But I am glad. Your son I hope will be helpful to mine in teaching him about demi-gods."
"He will do his part. He knows enough by this point that he can educate yours," Shiva replied.
"I do wonder though for the future… for the both of them as they stay here at Shinra. I have an uneasy sense of something."
Shiva hummed. "So you sense it too… It's no doubt it has a connection with Shinra but perhaps more… there are things at work here. Forces that we cannot control."
"All we can do is wait and see what will come… I wish that both our children will be safe."
Ta da! The reveal for Tseng has come in full! Hope you enjoyed!