Prologue
"To the settling of everything!" Cloud yelled, and reached for his sword.
Sephiroth laughed as Cloud drew his Ultima Weapon, and struggled against the bonds holding him. "Ah, Cloud. You're still a failure. And you have failed again."
"What are you on about?" Cait Sith yelled, the mog's robotic body struggling against the force that held it immobile.
"Just this. You are late. My dear mother, rest her soul, kept you just long enough." His voice dropped to a hiss "Did you really think that you could stop a god?"
"You're no god Sephiroth. You're only human. And just like your father..." Vincent stood, calm, as the planet cried around them and Holy pulsed it's gentle light out into the void.
Sephiroth smirked at the former Turk. "At the moment maybe." The voices surrounding them cried louder, in pain and terror. "Even as we speak, Meteor descends on the earth above us! The knowledge and power of every soul that has lived will be mine, and I will be one with the planet. Everyone who has ever lived or will ever die will become part of me!"
The cries rose to a crescendo, but above them all was a huge rumbling sound. Far above them, at the bottom of the Northern Cave, there came the scream of tearing rock. A crack opened, and a rush of green light enveloped Sephiroth.
"Wanna...bet?" with a supreme effort, Cid reached back and threw his spear. Sephiroth turned and his attention lapsed. Free of their bonds, Tifa and Cloud jumped at the back of the black caped man. Tifa started the punches of her combo, as Cloud leapt into the air for a mighty Braver. Sephiroth turned with a sneer. With a wave of his hand, he sent Cloud flying into the wall of the cave. Sephiroth drew the Masamune and batted Tifa away with the blade. Tifa flew to the wall, where she lay slumped against Cloud's unconcsious body. Sephiroth twirled the Masamune, and sent a bright green bolt of Ultima towards the two prone bodies.
"Tif! No!" Barret ran across the room, and jumped towards his two friends. The emerald bolt caught him in the back, and he screamed in pain as the energy burnt it's way through his body.
"Barret!" Nanaki leapt to where his friend lay still on the floor. Barret opened his eyes and struggled for breath.
"It's...cold, Red." Barret looked down at his ruined body, and his face fell in shock. Trembling, one hand reached up around his neck and took the pendant Dyne had given him in the desert prison. "Give...this to Marlene...and tell her...I...love...her..." His voice died, and he took one last shaking breath. Red looked up at Sephiroth, who was shaking in the green light.
"Oh...the power!" Sephiroth cried ecstatically. He shivered as the light entered him, suffusing him with a green glow. "The power..."
From behind his back, two raven black wings unfurled. Sephiroth stared at them, unbelieving, then soared up towards the source of the light. "The power..."
* * *
The world was bathed in an angry red glow as Meteor hovered above the Northern Crater. The very ground quaked. In Icicle Inn, the townsfolk gathered outside the inn, and looked up at the glacier, and felt the wind rip through the town, and they were afraid. In Midgar, where the rule of ShinRa had been bought to an abrupt end not a week before, the people looked to the angry red glow on the northern horizon, and they were afraid.
In Cosmo Canyon, where the study of the planet was everything, they felt the lifestream rush through the earth, faster and more intense than it had been for thousands of years, and they heard the planet howl in rage, in hate, in pain...and they were afraid. Founts of Mako burst through the earth's crust as the lifestream rushed to where it was need. Ancient pools ran dry, hot springs turned cold, reactors ground to a halt as every last drop of lifestream was drawn to the Northern Crater.
And in the crater, where the angry red glare of meteor met the intense emerald glow of Lifestream, Sephiroth soared, and threw back his head in ecstasy.
* * *
Cid grunted in effort as he tried to climb up the side of the cavern. He looked down briefly, then wished he hadn't. His face turned back to the roof of the cavern. A familiar gleam of steel caught his eye, and he made for it.
* * *
"How are they?" Nanaki looked up from examining Cloud. "Concussed. At least, Tifa is. I think Cloud's injuries are from more than the fall."
"Mako?" Vincent asked, his eyes blazing.
He nodded slowly. "I think so. The presence of so much of it, so soon after he recovered from poisoning...it isn't good. Cid better hurry up."
* * *
Cid jumped the last rock and caught his breath. Smoking was bad for you, but he didn't think this was quite the scenario they were thinking of when doing the health warnings. Ignoring the burning in his side and chest, he struggled up, and leapt the gap to the Highwind.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sephiroth descended through the crack in the ceiling, his wings moving slowly. "So, pilot. You want to fly?" he asked, and a slow smile played across his face.
* * *
Vincent looked up as the explosion rocked the cavern. The Highwind smashed against the wall, smashing open like an egg and engulfing the roof of the cavern in flames. Then through the flames, descending like a falling angel, came Sephiroth. The Lifestream entered him, and Meteor smashed into the ground.
* * *
The shockwave tore through the earth, leaving devastation in its wake. Tidal waves roared across the ocean, mountains trembled. Everywhere, people clung to their loved ones as the buildings shook around them.
There was a horrendous scream of tortured and twisted rock.
There was silence.
Everywhere, people lifted their faces to the northern horizon, straining to see what had happened, amazed that they hadn't died.
They thought it was all over.
It had only just begun.
"To the settling of everything!" Cloud yelled, and reached for his sword.
Sephiroth laughed as Cloud drew his Ultima Weapon, and struggled against the bonds holding him. "Ah, Cloud. You're still a failure. And you have failed again."
"What are you on about?" Cait Sith yelled, the mog's robotic body struggling against the force that held it immobile.
"Just this. You are late. My dear mother, rest her soul, kept you just long enough." His voice dropped to a hiss "Did you really think that you could stop a god?"
"You're no god Sephiroth. You're only human. And just like your father..." Vincent stood, calm, as the planet cried around them and Holy pulsed it's gentle light out into the void.
Sephiroth smirked at the former Turk. "At the moment maybe." The voices surrounding them cried louder, in pain and terror. "Even as we speak, Meteor descends on the earth above us! The knowledge and power of every soul that has lived will be mine, and I will be one with the planet. Everyone who has ever lived or will ever die will become part of me!"
The cries rose to a crescendo, but above them all was a huge rumbling sound. Far above them, at the bottom of the Northern Cave, there came the scream of tearing rock. A crack opened, and a rush of green light enveloped Sephiroth.
"Wanna...bet?" with a supreme effort, Cid reached back and threw his spear. Sephiroth turned and his attention lapsed. Free of their bonds, Tifa and Cloud jumped at the back of the black caped man. Tifa started the punches of her combo, as Cloud leapt into the air for a mighty Braver. Sephiroth turned with a sneer. With a wave of his hand, he sent Cloud flying into the wall of the cave. Sephiroth drew the Masamune and batted Tifa away with the blade. Tifa flew to the wall, where she lay slumped against Cloud's unconcsious body. Sephiroth twirled the Masamune, and sent a bright green bolt of Ultima towards the two prone bodies.
"Tif! No!" Barret ran across the room, and jumped towards his two friends. The emerald bolt caught him in the back, and he screamed in pain as the energy burnt it's way through his body.
"Barret!" Nanaki leapt to where his friend lay still on the floor. Barret opened his eyes and struggled for breath.
"It's...cold, Red." Barret looked down at his ruined body, and his face fell in shock. Trembling, one hand reached up around his neck and took the pendant Dyne had given him in the desert prison. "Give...this to Marlene...and tell her...I...love...her..." His voice died, and he took one last shaking breath. Red looked up at Sephiroth, who was shaking in the green light.
"Oh...the power!" Sephiroth cried ecstatically. He shivered as the light entered him, suffusing him with a green glow. "The power..."
From behind his back, two raven black wings unfurled. Sephiroth stared at them, unbelieving, then soared up towards the source of the light. "The power..."
* * *
The world was bathed in an angry red glow as Meteor hovered above the Northern Crater. The very ground quaked. In Icicle Inn, the townsfolk gathered outside the inn, and looked up at the glacier, and felt the wind rip through the town, and they were afraid. In Midgar, where the rule of ShinRa had been bought to an abrupt end not a week before, the people looked to the angry red glow on the northern horizon, and they were afraid.
In Cosmo Canyon, where the study of the planet was everything, they felt the lifestream rush through the earth, faster and more intense than it had been for thousands of years, and they heard the planet howl in rage, in hate, in pain...and they were afraid. Founts of Mako burst through the earth's crust as the lifestream rushed to where it was need. Ancient pools ran dry, hot springs turned cold, reactors ground to a halt as every last drop of lifestream was drawn to the Northern Crater.
And in the crater, where the angry red glare of meteor met the intense emerald glow of Lifestream, Sephiroth soared, and threw back his head in ecstasy.
* * *
Cid grunted in effort as he tried to climb up the side of the cavern. He looked down briefly, then wished he hadn't. His face turned back to the roof of the cavern. A familiar gleam of steel caught his eye, and he made for it.
* * *
"How are they?" Nanaki looked up from examining Cloud. "Concussed. At least, Tifa is. I think Cloud's injuries are from more than the fall."
"Mako?" Vincent asked, his eyes blazing.
He nodded slowly. "I think so. The presence of so much of it, so soon after he recovered from poisoning...it isn't good. Cid better hurry up."
* * *
Cid jumped the last rock and caught his breath. Smoking was bad for you, but he didn't think this was quite the scenario they were thinking of when doing the health warnings. Ignoring the burning in his side and chest, he struggled up, and leapt the gap to the Highwind.
"Where do you think you're going?" Sephiroth descended through the crack in the ceiling, his wings moving slowly. "So, pilot. You want to fly?" he asked, and a slow smile played across his face.
* * *
Vincent looked up as the explosion rocked the cavern. The Highwind smashed against the wall, smashing open like an egg and engulfing the roof of the cavern in flames. Then through the flames, descending like a falling angel, came Sephiroth. The Lifestream entered him, and Meteor smashed into the ground.
* * *
The shockwave tore through the earth, leaving devastation in its wake. Tidal waves roared across the ocean, mountains trembled. Everywhere, people clung to their loved ones as the buildings shook around them.
There was a horrendous scream of tortured and twisted rock.
There was silence.
Everywhere, people lifted their faces to the northern horizon, straining to see what had happened, amazed that they hadn't died.
They thought it was all over.
It had only just begun.