Prologue-
Bugenhagen
There are always choices.
Even in a split second, a single decision made by one individual
could change the course of the future. To delay for only an instant, to speak
or to hold silence, to strike or to miss- seemingly insignificant actions. Yet
once the decision is made, there is no way of knowing what the consequences of
a different choice might have been.
Perhaps this is just as well.
Only the Planet, as it watches over its children, is burdened
with the knowledge of the possible futures. Alone, it can only observe as the
right and wrong choices are made, stand by helplessly as one man pursues his
twisted dreams in the name of science- or smile upon a newborn silver-haired
child in a desolate old house.
It is a lonely knowledge.
There came a time when the Planet looked into its own future and
saw, like a shadow over the million bright paths of possibility, the seeds of
its own destruction- commanded by a presence which was not under its control.
It saw Meteor hurtling from the skies, called by the power of the Black
Materia, destroying every one of its children. It experienced the terrifying
last moments of loss and pain before its ancient consciousness ceased-
So, at a critical moment in time, it too made a choice.
There are always choices.
Chapter One- Shadows
Fire consumed Nibelheim.
Sephiroth stood in the midst of the blaze, unharmed. The flames
danced. They licked at the old wooden buildings of the town, devouring
everything in their path, casting eerie shadows over Sephiroth's emotionless
face.
He turned to survey the ruins of Nibelheim, the bright orange
glow contrasting oddly with the Mako-enhanced green of his eyes. But he felt no
pleasure at the devastation of the town, or remorse for the lives destroyed by
his hand. He felt… nothing. Not even the heat of the flames. Nothing.
The time had come to join Jenova.
Cloud heard again a cry of pain- not a girl's, this time-
followed by a sickening thud, audible even above the mechanical sounds
of the operating reactor. And was that- he strained to hear- laughter?
What was happening?
This whole mission had been a catastrophe. First, the shame and
regret he had felt in returning to Nibelheim as he saw Tifa, his childhood companion,
sitting dejectedly at the gate. Waiting for him. Pain, the cruellest pain that
came from the heart, as he stood close enough to touch her… but remained
motionless, kept silent by the bitter understanding that it wasn't him
she wanted to see. It was Cloud the SOLDIER, not the second-rate Shinra guard,
that she sat waiting for.
The trek to the Nibel reactor had been long, arduous and boring.
Their party had encountered a few monsters, but even Zack barely had time to
draw his sword before Sephiroth had defeated their opposition with a single,
mighty blow. Sephiroth used to be, and in a way still was, Cloud's hero, but it
still amazed him to see how much raw power he had- power which could be
unleashed at will.
Later, Cloud had gone looking for Sephiroth only to find him
missing. No-one could find a trace of him for days until Cloud discovered him
in the basement of the Shinra mansion. The place was old, disused and crawling
with monsters, but Sephiroth had unearthed an old library and was busily reading
his way through volumes of battered science texts and periodicals. Cloud had
tried to reason with him, but Sephiroth had only mumbled a few broken sentences
and ignored him. Finally, Cloud had given up.
Again, he heard laughter- although it wasn't a humorous sound,
but the cry of a demon, delighting in its newest kill. The voice of a man who
had crossed the boundary between sanity and chaos. And who but such a man could
commit such a crime- the mindless, senseless destruction of an entire town. Cloud's
home. Tifa's home. Nibelheim…
Sephiroth…
Without another thought, Cloud ran into the reactor.
The first person he saw was Zack. He lay slumped on top of one
of the numerous egg-shaped capsules that filled the room, the bluish light from
their windows casting an eerie glow over the room. Blood dripped down the side
of the capsule and pooled on the floor below. Tifa lay nearby, also bleeding
from a wound to the chest. She was lying at an odd angle, as if she had fallen
but was unconscious before she reached the ground.
Cloud took in the scene in an instant, feeling the beginnings of
a powerful surge of rage which threatened to sweep him away. These people were…
his friends. Zack, although of a much higher rank, had always been kind to him.
And Tifa…
With the rage building inside him, Cloud saw again the huge
sword still strapped to Zack's motionless form. He'd died before he had time to
fight back. Cloud unsheathed it easily and ran up the stairs, the roar of the
Mako-processing machinery a mere whisper in comparison to the screams of his
dying friends which still rang in his ears. With no hesitation he pushed open
the door marked "JENOVA" and entered the room beyond.
Sephiroth, arms outstretched, stood at the top of a thick cable
which snaked from the floor to the edge of a huge biological specimen tank. He
was looking at… something… displayed in the tank, seemingly transfixed by the
entity within. Cloud didn't care who or what it was. All he knew was that it
had cost him everything he owned, everyone he loved, for Sephiroth to be
standing here now.
Lifting the huge sword as if it was weightless, Cloud charged at
Sephiroth. Despite the SOLDIER's normally preternatural senses, he didn't
notice Cloud's approach. In one quick movement, Cloud plunged the Buster Sword
into Sephiroth's body.
Sephiroth staggered, releasing a cry of pain as he turned to
face Cloud. Despite the huge wound he had just received he remained standing,
although he made no move to defend himself. "Who… who are you?"
"Mom- Tifa…" Cloud hissed. "My town- give it back…"
Sephiroth made no reply, but an expression of agony twisted his
normally emotionless face.
"I had so much respect for you… I admired you…" His fury spent
at the defeat of his enemy, Cloud
turned and made his way to the door of the JENOVA chamber. Feeling a sudden
need to breathe, Cloud removed his Shinra helmet and stood for a moment in the
doorway. Vengeance was his. Would Tifa live to see it? Would he at least be
able to say goodbye?
Racing down the stairs of the reactor, Cloud reached Tifa and
bent over her anxiously, fearing the worst. She still breathed, however
shallowly, and her eyelids fluttered briefly as Cloud gently lifted her up and
carried her over to the side. He moved a hand under her back to support her and
it came away sticky with blood.
I'm sorry, he told her silently. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you like
I promised. But if… when you wake up, I'll tell you everything. Just hold on a
bit longer until I can get help.
Intending to look after Zack, Cloud lifted his head- only to see
the enemy he had thought vanquished standing at the top of the stairs.
Sephiroth moved awkwardly, but move he did. He walked slowly out
of the JENOVA chamber, still carrying his bloodstained sword, and began to make
his way down to the lower level of the reactor. Cloud froze, expecting any
minute to see Sephiroth's cold green eyes upon him, but the wounded SOLDIER
strode past him and out the door as if he no longer existed.
"Cloud…"
Zack's voice was weak, wracked with pain, and his breathing was
erratic. Brown eyes fixed upon blue. Zack took another breath and spoke again.
"Kill Sephiroth…"
The brief effort draining what little energy he had left, Zack
slumped against the egg-shaped capsule once more.
…Kill Sephiroth, for what he did to Nibelheim. For your mother,
your friends, for Tifa. Succeed where I failed. Don't let him get away. Kill
Sephiroth…
"Sephiroth!"
The tall SOLDIER stopped in the middle of the metal walkway
which led to the reactor entrance. Below, the glow of pure unprocessed Mako
accented green light in already emerald eyes. He turned to face Cloud with an
expression of clinical disinterest, sword still clasped in one hand, and stood
waiting.
Your move.
Calling upon all his Shinra training, Cloud steadied himself,
his reflexes hyper-alert. If he could just get Sephiroth off balance for a few
moments, a well placed strike would send him off the walkway and into the
reactor machinery. He knew that Sephiroth was wounded, his movements slower and
more awkward than usual, so by using his speed and the element of surprise…
He again raised Zack's Buster Sword and rushed at Sephiroth,
trying to anticipate his enemy's next move. He saw the calculating expression
change, saw the eyes narrow-
-and Cloud's charge was halted by three feet of slender steel
blade through his chest.
Cloud's eyes widened. Shocked and disorientated, he only had
time for a detached feeling of admiration for the SOLDIER's phenomenal speed
before he was hit by the mind-numbing pain. His vision blurred. He felt his
feet leave the ground- with one hand and no apparent effort, Sephiroth had
lifted him into the air. He'd been a fool to think he could challenge him. But
now it was too late…
…the Planet felt the young man's wavering life-force and cried
out in despair, for the last chance was almost gone. For the future told that
Sephiroth, imbued with the power of Jenova, would end the life of the Planet
and all its children by the summoning of Meteor, just a few short years in the
future.
In other, happier places on its surface, life went on. A child
was learning to walk. A young woman was reading on the train. Another girl sat in a deserted church,
tending to a bed of flowers and singing quietly as she worked.
The Planet felt a surge of rage. This was not how it was meant
to be. Like the girl with her flowers, it would tend to its children. It would
not let them be destroyed. It would fight against Sephiroth.
And with that decision, one solitary path opened- the last
remaining hope for the future.
As suddenly as the pain hit, it disappeared. Cloud could feel
the damage in his body and see the sword protruding from his chest, but his
vision was clear and his mind no longer clouded.
With incredible strength, Cloud grasped the blade in front of
him and pulled to one side. Sephiroth stared at him in disbelief. "It can't
be…" he murmured.
With another surge of power, the sword moved forcefully in his
hand. Off-balance, Sephiroth stumbled sideways, his centre of gravity thrown by
the weight of the Masamune. His wound weakened him, slowed him down. Unable to
compensate for his movements, the inevitable happened- Sephiroth was cast
violently from the walkway and into the surging Mako below.
Jenova, too, cares for her children.
Sephiroth's incredible force of will would not be broken by a
minor incident such as a fall into pure Mako. Every Jenova cell in his body
rebelled at the idea of ceasing to be, retaining consciousness and refusing to dissolve.
The Planet looked into this future and saw with astonishment
that the destruction it feared loomed still. Such was the strength of
Sephiroth's will that it was virtually impossible for him to be destroyed.
Almost, but not quite.
The task of holding together under such stress was enormous. In
one split second, there was a moment of danger as Sephiroth's defences were
almost overcome, but by calling on Jenova's power as well as his own, he would
live on. Even so, there was still a possibility, ever so slight, that their
combined forces would not be enough. One brief weakness in his seemingly
impenetrable armour.
So in that instant, the Planet directed some of its own power at
Sephiroth's mind, to break the ties that bound it together.
And the futures were torn apart.
Note from Xiao: This is fun!
Poor Sephiroth… Anyway, if you have any comments please feel free to email me
at reika_blade2536@hotmail.com.
