"What... What was that?" Noctis was near panicking. Screw that, he was panicking.
"That was my last fight. The memory of my last fight against him. Sephiroth." Cloud spoke with a heavy heart. "Those bodies you saw were my friends."
"How is it you two were able to interact with me then?" That part freaked the prince out more than the bodies.
"Because..." Cloud hesitated. He heard Sephiroth laugh in his head and it distracted him. "I don't know why. Only, if you hadn't shown up I would have been stuck in that neverending nightmare."
Noctis wanted to ask more questions but Cindy noticed them. She approached with a huge grin on her face.
"You're finally awake! Did the prince tell you the good news?"
"Huh?" Cloud had a complete brain fart. He wasn't the only one. Noctis ran a hand through his hair. One minute they were in the middle of a serious conversation, only to be interrupted by bubbly enthusiasm.
"You passed!" Cindy exclaimed with a giggle.
"Really? That's great." Cloud was beside himself. He got to his feet. Noctis noticed how the blonde swordsman's legs were slightly shaken.
If Noctis hadn't known about the vision, then he wouldn't have seen the smallest detail of how Cloud trembled, as if he was still reliving the nightmare. Even in the waking world it made an impact on him. Noctis stood beside him, shaking off the worries of what had just transpired.
It made him realize that Cloud carried a heavy burden in his heart. He survived. Lost everything. All of his friends. His home. His planet. All gone. And he's the only one to remember them all. Noctis couldn't imagine how great the weight it was. But he had a good look at the tip of the iceberg after that vision.
Cloud didn't bring it up again so Noctis left it at that. Instead they focused on celebrating Cloud's amazing success. They threw a small party in his honor. The smiles Prompto captured were full of laughter and joy.
When Noctis and his group left the next day, they said their farewells. Cloud watched them with a mix of relief and sadness. On one hand he was relieved for Sephiroth to not focus on anyone to use against Cloud. On the flip side it meant he didn't have any means to show his gratitude for Noctis.
Instead he shifted his focus on seeing if he could make a replica Fenrir on the sidelines of working at the shop.
xXx
Almost a month went by and Fenrir 2.0 was nearly complete. Halfway through the project Cloud began to feel pain from his left arm. It reminded him of Geostigma, but different.
Was Sephiroth responsible?
This is beyond my doing. Whatever it is, it's effecting me too. Sephiroth whispered in his mind.
Cloud hid the panic well and focused all his energy into work. The pain grew day by day, and then strange black marks started growing on his neck and shoulder. Thus far his vest hid the marks very well. But he didn't know what to do once it grew more visible.
When his project was almost finished Cloud couldn't take the pain anymore. He finally brought the marks to the attention of Cindy and her grandfather. They gave him equal looks of sorrow and horror.
"Starscourge." The old man sighed.
"Starscourge?" Cloud repeated.
"A disease that has haunted us for who knows how long. It comes and goes as it pleases. Recently the disease has made a comeback since the fall of Insomnia."
"I better make a call to the boys." Cindy sighed.
"No!" Cloud panicked. The two looked at him odd. "I... I mean... I don't want them to worry."
"You're far enough that it would be noticeable for them. Don't think I haven't seen you when you think no one is looking, boy. You're in severe pain, have been for a while, you're just good at hiding it."
Cloud didn't know what to say. He couldn't deny the observation. And he silently berated himself to believe he could hide the moments he couldn't bear the pain anymore.
"Should I call them?" Cindy was confused now.
"Best to call them, girl. The Starscourge isn't something to hide from them."
She pulled her phone out, turning to walk a little distance away from Cloud. He knew she was trying to be respectful to give him space while his friends got the news. Even so his mako ears heard it all.
"Hey, prince? I've got some bad news. Your friend Cloud? Well... He's got the Starscourge."
"What? How bad?"
"Papa said he's been in pain for a while, but Cloud's been good at hiding it. Today he finally got the courage to ask us about the marks."
"We're on our way now."
Cloud panicked inside. He could feel Sephiroth stir. As he watched Cindy, he suddenly felt like he was being watched by an all too familiar set of eyes. His skin tingled, his muscles tensed. Standing next to him was Sephiroth.
Slowly the blonde turned his head to see. Sephiroth stared at him with a smirk. His eyes burned with excitement. Was he pleased with the idea of Cloud succumbing to the disease? Or was it that he enjoyed seeing Cloud in pain?
"Cloud? You okay there?"
And just like that Sephiroth was gone.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Cloud turned to Cindy like that didn't just happen.