Chapter 11: Rise Above the Flames

Chapter 11: Rise Above the Flames

            Zack was rudely awakened by a shrill buzzing sound. He flailed around until his hand found his watch, switching off the alarm. He stumbled from the bed and walked down the hall.

            "Well Cloud, any sign of him?" Zack asked, his voice hoarse from sleep.

            "Nope. Nada. I'm going to bed," yawned Cloud.

            Zack rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wall. His attention wandered to the gaping hole opposite where he was standing. What was Sephiroth doing down there? Zack was dying to know. Zack had always been very curious about things, and his curiosity had gotten the better of him on more than a few occasions. He knew he should stay put, but he found himself walking toward the ancient wooden stairway again. He descended the stairs and walked down the hallway, still unnerved by the bodies in the walls. The torchlight danced across them and created an illusion that they were moving. Once again, Zack stared at the door at the end of the hallway. He pushed it open and heard soft, familiar-sounding laughter from inside. There was no mistaking that it was Sephiroth's laugh. Only this time it seemed off-kilter somehow, slightly… demented?

            Zack moved down the hall and noticed that many of the books had been pulled off the shelves and lay in untidy stacks on the floor. Je-sus. How much of this did he read? Talk about speed reading, thought Zack. At the end of the hall was another small room, in the center of which was a wooden table and red armchair. Seated in the chair was Sephiroth, another book in his hand.

            "Who is it?" Sephiroth asked quietly, not looking up.

            "It's me, sir, Zack," Zack answered, shifting his weight nervously.

            "Traitor," Sephiroth muttered, looking at Zack for the first time. Sephiroth's eyes glowed in the dim light. They always glowed, but now the light they emitted was different somehow.

            "T-traitor?" repeated Zack, now confused and more than a little frightened.

            Sephiroth rose and tossed his hair back. "You ignorant traitor," he snarled.

            Zack took a step back. It felt like Sephiroth's gaze was burning him alive. Something was very wrong.

            "I'm sure you've heard of the Cetra, called the Ancients in layman's terms. The Cetra were a nomadic race. They would journey from place to place, never staying in one location for very long. This Planet originally belonged to them. At the end of their long, hard journey the Cetra would find the Promised Land, a place of supreme happiness.

            "As their travels continued, some Cetra grew tired of the itinerant life and deserted their fellows. They built permanent shelters and led an easy life. These traitors took all that the true Cetra and the Planet had suffered for and created without giving one whit in return! Those are your ancestors," he explained, his voice laden with derision.

            Zack just stood there staring at Sephiroth in disbelief. What had happened to the General to make him act this way?

            Sephiroth continued, pacing slow circles around Zack. "Long ago, a great crisis struck this Planet. Your ancestors ran away and hid like the cowards they were. The true Cetra gave their lives to halt the crisis and protect the Planet. Once the crisis had passed, your ancestors emerged from hiding. With the Cetra gone, they were able to multiply like rodents. Now the Cetra are extinct; they exist only in these scientific reports."

            Zack nervously twisted his hands together, as his head moved to follow Sephiroth. Zack couldn't help but feel like helpless prey being circled by a creature higher up on the food chain.

            "What does all that have to do with you?" Zack blurted, once again cursing his curiosity. Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut.

            "Don't you get it? You were spying on me before. A Cetra, later called Jenovah, was unearthed in an archaeological dig. My Mother's name is Jenovah. Hojo was able to extract DNA from this fossil. He wanted to use this DNA to produce people with powers of the Cetra." Sephiroth paused, drawing a shaky breath.

            "I am what was produced," he whispered.

            Zack was appalled. He recalled Sephiroth's words at the reactor that day. He suddenly understood why the man had become so upset. "P-produced?" Zack ventured.

            "Yes. Professor Hojo, leader of the Jenovah Project, produced me," Sephiroth said as he turned to leave.

            "What?!? How did he…? Hey Sephiroth! Wait!" Zack called after him.

            "Out of my way. I'm going to see Mother," was the last thing Sephiroth said to Zack.

* * *

            Laeryn was worried. Zack and Cloud were not at the hotel. The receptionist said they'd stopped by earlier and then left again, looking for Sephiroth. Tifa had gone home shortly after. At least they were alive, but where had they gone to now? It was late and everyone in town was asleep. Could they be at Tifa's? Zack and Cloud might be, but not Sephiroth. A light from the north end of town caught Laeryn's eye. That big building, the Shinra mansion. There was a light on in a room on the second floor

            When she reached the mansion, she found the gate open. She plowed through the front yard and barged in. She ran up the stairs and took a right, looking for the source of the light. Someone was asleep in one of the beds. The easily recognizable spiky hair identified the figure as Cloud.

            "Cloud! Get up! What's going on?" demanded Laeryn, shaking him.

            "Whaaaaa…? Gerroffa me… sleeping," he mumbled.

            "Cloud Strife! Get up now! Where is Sephiroth?" she demanded again, hauling him into a sitting position.

            "Laeryn? You're alive?" Cloud asked, bewildered.

            Laeryn rolled her eyes.

            "Where is Sephiroth?" she asked dangerously, tightening her grip on his lapels.

            "He went down to the basement, ask Zack," he answered drowsily.

            Laeryn dropped him and ran into the next room. She nearly collided with Zack, who was booking it upstairs.

            "Zack! What's going on?" she asked.

            "Laeryn! Christ, we all thought you were dead! Glad to see you! But something's really weird with Sephiroth. When we to the reactor he got all upset, saying stuff about how he was no different from the monsters and how Hojo made him… freaky stuff like that. And then we came back and he locked himself in that basement down there and read like a zillion books. I went to check on him and he started spouting all this crap about how we were all traitors and how he was the only true Cetra and how Hojo made him from Cetra DNA. The he barged out of the place and ran off to see his 'Mother'. Jenovah. He's crackers if you ask me," Zack explained, wide-eyed and white-faced.

            Laeryn felt something heavy drop in her stomach. Sephiroth's earlier fears had apparently been valid. Something terrible had happened to him. That whole thing with his 'Mother'…

            A sudden bright light from the window caught their attention. It had awakened Cloud as well, and he came stumbling into the room.

            "What's that light… it shouldn't be light out, it's the middle of the night!" exclaimed Zack, his voice shrill with terror.

            "Let's go outside," Laeryn said. She tried to sound determined and in control, but she dreaded what they might find.

            They stepped out side and saw nothing but walls of fire. They heat made them sweat and they shielded their eyes from the glare. The entire town of Nibelheim was in flames. Cloud screamed and ran towards the blaze.

            "Mom!" he cried desperately.

            "Cloud wait!" Zack and Laeryn called after him, but it was futile. Laeryn swallowed hard. This scene was a bit too familiar for her liking. The burning flesh smell and the terrified screams of North Corel were still fresh in her mind, and now it was like the same scene unfolding before her eyes again. She became suddenly nauseous, and her knees nearly gave out.

            "Hey Laeryn, you okay?" asked Zack.

            "I'm fine. We have to get people out of their homes," she said, forcing down the unpleasant déjà vu.

            "Hey! You're still sane right? Get over here and help me!" a man called to them. It was the same man who'd taken their picture earlier that day.

            Laeryn and Zack went running to assist him. They leapt through burning debris until they came to a wide intersection that the fire couldn't reach.

            "You guys check that house over there, I'll look in this one!" the man yelled.

            Laeryn and Zack entered the house, but didn't get very far before it started collapsing. They dove back outside and beat out smoldering patches on their clothes. Zack wiped sweat from his brow and noticed the confused and distant look on Laeryn's face. He remembered hearing about Shinra's burning of North Corel. No doubt this was calling up some very unpleasant memories for her. Nor was there any doubt in Zack's mind that she was in love with Sephiroth. Chances are she was trying very hard not to think about who set the town on fire.

            Zack's thoughts were not far from the mark. Laeryn slumped down and buried her face in her hands. Images of her family and home burning appeared in the flames. And Sephiroth… was he all right? Whoever had set this fire better not have hurt him. Zack knew exactly who started the fire, but didn't tell her.

            "There he is!" Zack yelled suddenly.

            Sephiroth was visible through a break in the fire, Masamune in hand. Two people ran at him, but he cut them down long before they reached him. He turned at walked away through the flames.

            "Sephiroth!" screamed Laeryn. She jumped up and ran after him.

            "Laeryn, don't! He's dangerous now," Zack called after her, to no avail.

            Laeryn reached the bodies of the two men Sephiroth had just killed, but was unable to go any further because of the flames blocking her path.

            Sephiroth continued walking through the flames, barrier materia shielding him from the heat. He didn't look back.

            "Good work, Sephiroth. They were all traitors. As you now know, you and I are the true rulers of this Planet. We'll take the Planet back from these miserable fools. We'll find the Promised Land, Sephiroth, you and I. We'll find supreme happiness!" Jenovah exclaimed excitedly, waving its ghostly cane in the air, "Now go on up the reactor, my boy, and visit me!" 

            Sephiroth was aware that his limbs were moving. He was aware of the blood and entrails dripping from his sword. He remembered uttering a soft word and watching the town explode. But he didn't do it. He hadn't wanted to. He closed his eyes, tried to force his hands to loosen their grip on Masamune, tried to clench his jaw shut and keep from using his materia. But he couldn't do any of it. Terror like he'd never known before filled Sephiroth's mind as he realized he no longer had control of his own body.

            Sephiroth didn't know who it was that suddenly controlled his limbs like he was a marionette. He didn't understand why he had been chosen to suffer yet another torment. Hadn't he suffered enough already? Now that the last vestiges of control and freedom were being evicted from his life by some strange force, Sephiroth wished he could die. He'd probably be damned to Hell for taking the lives of all the people of Nibelheim, but whatever punishment he'd receive in the afterlife couldn't possibly worse than what he was experiencing now.

            Terrible guilt gnawed at Sephiroth's soul. Close to ten thousand people resided in Nibelheim. Now they were all dead by his hand. The thought of destroying an entire town had never crossed his mind; he heard Jenovah telling him how those people were traitors and unfit to live, and suddenly he felt his mouth move and heard his voice casting a powerful fire spell. Then he saw a terrible explosion and heard Jenovah's saccharine-sweet voice whispering words of praise in his ear.

            Then he had watched as his hands defied the commands of his brain; they gripped Masamune and used the mighty blade slaughter innocent people. Sephiroth screamed in protest, trying vainly to regain power over his limbs. His efforts were futile as Jenovah's gentle requests echoed in his ears… These people deserve to die because they betrayed you, Sephiroth. So you are going to destroy them now…do not allow any of them to escape; kill those two running at you now. And so he had.

* * *

            Laeryn stopped calling after Sephiroth, realizing he couldn't hear her anyway over the roar of fire. Zack ran up behind her and tapped her the shoulder.

            "Where's Cloud?" he asked, brows furrowed with worry.

            "Jesus, I forgot all about him," was Laeryn's only response as she ran past Zack.

            Cloud lay among the ruins of his house, barely conscious. His mother's body lay beside him. Fire raged all around him. The house was collapsing, but he was too weak to get up. His only thoughts had been of saving his mother. He tried to carry her badly burned form out of the house, but collapsed from the heat and smoke. Now he lay gazing at her face, twisted and distorted by burns. It dawned on him that she had died some time ago, and that his efforts had been in vain. Tears ran down his face, cutting channels through layers of ash on his cheeks as his consciousness left him.

            "That's his house, right there!" Zack yelled urgently, pointing.

            "It's falling apart. We'll have to move quickly. Let's go," said Laeryn.

            The two bolted through the entry and saw Cloud lying on the ground beside a corpse. Laeryn reeled back at the site, knowing the corpse was Cloud's mother. It looked disturbingly similar to her own mother, after Shinra had burned her. Laeryn's memories began to take over her rational thought as the nightmares she worked so hard to suppress rose to the surface. She let out a muffled scream and ran out of the house.

            Zack didn't try to stop her. He grabbed Cloud and hauled him to his feet. Cloud regained consciousness, and began sobbing incoherently. Zack pulled Cloud's arm around his shoulders and dragged the smaller boy out of the house moments before the roof caved in. He saw Laeryn a short distance away, staring at the sky, forcing unwanted memories into submission.

            "Are you all right?" Zack asked.

            Laeryn nodded. "I'm fine. What about him?"

            "Alive, at least. Let's get out of here," Zack murmured, "We need to find Sephiroth."

            Laeryn immediately became attentive at the mention of Sephiroth.

            "Where is he? He's not still in this town, is he?" she demanded.

            "No, he left. I suspect he went up to the reactor," Zack answered. He was not looking forward to telling Laeryn about what happened.

            Zack quickened his pace to follow her as she ran towards the mountains.

            Cloud had recovered to a point where he could walk, but he was still not well. Shaken and grief-stricken, he was in no shape to be attempting the dangerous climb into the mountains.

            "Zack, he's not going to make it to the top," Laeryn stated when they reached the base of the caves, "You stay here with him and I'll find the reactor."

            Zack shook his head. "You don't know where the reactor is. You fell off the bridge. I'll have to show you the way," he pointed out.

            Laeryn knew Zack was right. She had no idea where the reactor was. "All right, then. Let's get going."

            They made slow progress through the mountains, making frequent stops.

            "Maybe Cloud could just stay here, by this Mako fountain. Animals won't come near it," suggested Laeryn. Cloud wasn't looking any better.

            "No…" Cloud gasped, "I must avenge my mother's death. I must find him."

            "Find who, Cloud? Do you know who did this?" Laeryn asked intently.

            Zack grated his teeth. This was going to very hard on her. Cloud was probably the worst person to break the news to her. He was not known for being particularly tactful.

            "That… that monster… I thought he was amazing… I wanted to be just like him, I spent my life idolizing him, until now! I hate him!" sobbed Cloud.

            Laeryn swallowed hard. She didn't like where this was going. "Sephiroth?" she suggested carefully. Zack and Cloud both nodded. Laeryn froze, eyes wide, completely unsure of how to react to what she just heard.

            "Are you sure? Did you actually see him set the town on fire? Or are you just making irrational accusations?" Laeryn demanded suspiciously. Zack was about to reply, when a stream of small rocks came tumbling down beside him. He cursed; this was the worst possible time to be attacked by animals.

            Instead of a creature, they were quite relieved to see a familiar brown-haired girl jump down in front of them. Laeryn's confusion was interrupted with happiness at the fact that her friend was still alive.

            "Tifa! You're safe!" she exclaimed.

            Tifa nodded dumbly. "Yes, but I couldn't save my dad… I was at my martial arts lesson when the fire started, and I couldn't get home in time." She trailed off, bravely fighting tears that formed in her eyes. After taking a moment to compose herself, she continued, "Apparently, my house was near the starting point of the fire. When I got there all that was left were some charred remains. So I fled into the mountains, the place I know best, for safety. And I came up here to the Mako fountain because I find it comforting somehow, because it's so pretty."

            Tifa drew a deep breath and set her jaw firmly. Her iron-studded fists clenched as she declared, "My father's death will not go unavenged!"

            She looked over at Zack. "He went to the reactor, didn't he?" she asked.

            Zack nodded. Her eyes glanced over to Cloud, and she promptly did a double take.

            "Cloud!" she exclaimed, "When did you get here?"

            "I've been here all along… I was wearing my helmet before," he admitted.

            "Riiiiight. Well as glad as I am to see you, this no time for small talk. Let's go." Tifa set off at a ferocious pace.

            Laeryn hung back a bit until she walked beside Zack.

            "Zack. Is that really true? Did he destroy the town?" Laeryn whispered. She knew what the answer was, and it terrified her, but she knew better than to run from the truth.

            "It's true, Laeryn. Sephiroth burned Nibelheim. Now Cloud and Tifa are hell-bent on killing him," Zack said softly.

            Laeryn bit her lip. "Zack… it's not really him, though! It can't be. He wouldn't do something like that. It's Jenovah. Jenovah makes him do these things," Laeryn answered in an urgent whisper.

            "Laeryn, I'm sorry. I know how much you care about him. But he killed thousands of innocent people," Zack said a bit more firmly.

            Laeryn's temper immediately flared in defense of Sephiroth. It wasn't him; it was Jenovah. But of course no one was going to believe her.

            "Zack! Did you not understand what I just said?!? It's not his fault! It was Jenovah!" Laeryn retorted angrily, raising her voice.

            Tifa turned and looked questioningly at them, but quickly refocused on the path ahead.

* * *

            Zack, Cloud, Tifa, and Laeryn stood just outside the reactor.

            "He's in there, I know he is," stated Cloud. His never-ending quest to impress Tifa had given him some extra strength, and now he was feeling more resolute than ever.          "Let's go. Zack, Cloud…" Tifa trailed off as she looked at Laeryn. She suddenly remembered how deeply Laeryn loved Sephiroth. Tifa felt a wave of sympathy for her friend, knowing that her pain must easily equal theirs.

            Laeryn shook her head. "I'll wait out here. I don't care what's happened. I can't hurt him. I promised him I would protect him. And I failed…" She turned away so that no one would see her crying. Tifa bit her lip and sighed. She walked over to Laeryn and gave her a quick hug.

            "I'm so sorry. I wish it didn't have to turn out this way. But I have to do this. And so does Cloud," she said.

            "I know. Nothing I say will convince you otherwise. Go," Laeryn whispered without turning around.

            As Tifa, Zack, and Cloud walked into the reactor, Laeryn broke down completely, sobbing unabashedly for the first time since the death of her family.

* * *

            Sephiroth made his way into the heart of the reactor. He remembered where Jenovah was kept from his previous visit there. He walked up the stairs to the black door. His mouth moved. "Mother, I'm here. Open this door, please" were the words that came out. Obediently the black door slid open with a hiss. The room beyond was dim and misty. Control panels lined the walls, while glass pods filled with various organic looking things stood below them. A giant metal statue dominated the room. The statue was a female form, and a giant control panel monitoring life support readings covered its chest. Two LEDs had been place in its eye sockets, and they glowed eerily, filling the room with soft orange light. Its arms were outspread in a twisted version of a welcoming gesture. Above its head was inscribed the word 'Jenovah'.

            The sight of the statue's orange electric eyes caused Sephiroth to suddenly remember the black form he saw when he first met Jenovah, back in the hotel room. Fear hit him like a tidal wave. He took several steps back and looked around, disoriented. Why am I at the reactor again? Where's Laeryn? What's wrong with me? He stood there confused, a strained expression on his face as he remembered, little by little, the events that had taken place while he was possessed by Jenovah. He remembered the library, and reading some books about Professor Hojo and the experiments he conducted… and the there was a fire, and a lot of innocent people died. It was his fault.

            "No! Why are you making me do these things!" Sephiroth yelled as he ran for the door. He got about halfway there before all of muscles tensed painfully, and he collapsed in a miserable heap on the floor.

            "Don't you ever, ever, try to disobey your Mother like that again, Sephiroth. You do exactly as I say. Now get up, come over here, and get me out of this thing," snarled Jenovah.

            Sephiroth suddenly found himself standing in front of the statue. One of his feet braced against the base while his hands reached up and grasped its head. Sephiroth pulled hard. With a grating, screeching sound, the metal gave way under Sephiroth's tremendous strength. He tossed the severed metal head aside and proceeded to tear apart the rest of the statue.

            Inside the statue stood a metal tube. It contained a monster far more hideous than those outside. It looked nothing like the protective statue that covered it. The monster was humanoid in form. Its body was thin and rotted, its skin a sickly yellow shade. Each hand had an indistinct number of fingers; some were cut off or rotted away, and those that were left were twisted every possible direction. Its face was hideous; a lipless mouth gaped wide to reveal row upon row of tiny sharp teeth. It had no nose, only long slits in its face. The eyes glowed the same orange color as the statue's, only their light was not from LEDs. Streams of thin gray hair trailed from its skull, floating of their own will in the formaldehyde. Numerous tubes and wires ran into its sallow skin.

            "Sephiroth," Jenovah whispered, "Please get me out, my son. I don't like it in here."

            Sephiroth's arm tore the lid off the tube, reached inside, and grabbed the stringy gray hair. He began to pull, as he had done with the statue. It didn't take nearly as long for him to decapitate this decaying organic monster.

            Sephiroth's hands maintained a tight grip on the gruesome head, which dripped formaldehyde and dark black blood. The body twitched and floated, as lifeless as ever without its head.

            "Thank you so much for freeing me, Sephiroth. Now we can truly rule the Planet together. Let us begin our quest. The usual routine; I give orders, you obey without question. It is one of the Ten Commandments after all. That children should obey their parents," Jenovah whispered.

* * *

            Tifa leapt ahead of Zack and Cloud, sliding down chains and bolting across the bridge.

            "Hey Tifa, you shouldn't run ahead like that. It's really dangerous. Sephiroth could be lurking around any corner," Cloud cautioned.

            Tifa glared at him. "Oh and what are you gonna do if he is? Protect me?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm. Cloud's face reddened and he gave her a very nasty look.

            "Please don't argue, you two. I understand you're both very upset and looking for someone to take it out on. But Sephiroth is our enemy, not each other," Zack said calmly.

            Tifa looked sheepish for a moment, then continued her mad descent to the reactor's core.

            Tifa reached the entrance to the core, noting all the open doors. Zack was right. Either he's here, or he just left and didn't bother to close the doors, she thought. Her speculation was ended when she looked up and saw Sephiroth standing at the top of the stairs, a putrid-smelling severed head in his right hand, Masamune in his left. This was it. She couldn't screw up now.

            "Sephiroth!" she called out boldly, "You bastard! How could you do that to my father and all of the townspeople?!? I'll kill you!"

            Sephiroth's eyes regarded her calmly, and as she ran toward him Masamune reared up and slashed across the front of her body, from her right hip to her left shoulder. Tifa realized she had been defeated, and as she tumbled back down the stairs her eyes glared at Sephiroth with red hatred.

            "Tifa! No!" Zack yelled as he ran into the room. He dashed over to her, relieved to see that she was still alive. She was rapidly losing blood, but she would live. Zack ignored Sephiroth for the moment and concentrated hard on using his Restore materia to slow the bleeding. After several tries he was successful. He carefully moved Tifa off to one side, leaning her against one of the capsules, trying to make her as comfortable as possible.

            "Hang in there, Tifa. I know you will. I'll be back soon and we'll get you to a doctor," he reassured her, even though she was now unconscious from lack of blood.

            Sephiroth had seen what had just happened. He stared at his blood-stained sword in horror, unable to believe that he had just done something so awful. Tifa had done nothing but help him since he arrived. And he had repaid her by nearly killing her. Once again, Sephiroth tried to relinquish his grip on Masamune. He wanted to drop his sword and let Zack kill him. That would be far preferable to living as a slave and puppet to some other being. Because his DNA and blood contained Jenovah's cells, it was inextricably a part of him, and Jenovah could therefore control him as if he were an extension of its own body. Jenovah was always in his mind, supervising his every thought and action.

            Sephiroth was thoroughly cowed by this new demonstration of Jenovah's power over him. It was one thing to make him kill people with whom he had no association, but Tifa was a friend of his, and a friend of Laeryn's. It dawned on him that Jenovah could easily command him to kill Laeryn, if it got the idea into its head. That is, if Laeryn wasn't already dead among the wreckage of Nibelheim. He doubted she was; she had a knack for getting herself out of life-threatening situations like that, and appearing right on cue as he was about to lose hope. Well, then she ought to be showing up any time now, he thought, sincerely hoping she would. Whatever Jenovah was, Sephiroth was fairly confident that Laeryn could defeat it, especially if she was in one of her violently over-protective moods. Sephiroth's body spasmed from a sudden needle of pain in his head.

            "Enough, Sephiroth. I find it very annoying that your thoughts continually dwell on her and not on our plan. I'll make you kill her, you know. Slowly and painfully, so you hear her voice screaming for you to make it quick. Hmm, I can just imagine some of things she'll be saying…" Jenovah hissed nastily. She was acting less and less like his Mother and more like a jealous rival girl.

            "Shut up, you bitch," snarled Sephiroth. He threw the head against a wall. Part of its skin disintegrated from the impact. Once again he turned to leave. His limbs felt like they were being made of lead, and they were rapidly getting heavier and heavier. Was there truly no escape from this monster's control?

            "Don't think you can just walk away from me. Ever. You disobeyed your Mother, Sephiroth. I'll see to it that you burn in Hell for that," Jenovah screeched, "Now get over here and carry me!"

            Zack just stared at Sephiroth as this strange sight unfolded before his eyes. It appeared that Sephiroth was fighting against his own mind. At one point Zack heard him yell something at an opponent that wasn't there. Then Sephiroth attempted to walk toward him, only to stop, turn around and pick up the severed head he had thrown against the wall moments earlier. The strained, angry expression on Sephiroth's face made it clear to Zack that he was struggling for control of something. His own body? Surely not, that was ridiculous. Suddenly Laeryn's words flashed in his mind: It's not his fault. Jenovah makes him do it. No longer did that seem totally far-fetched.

            Sweat was beading on Sephiroth's forehead from the strain of his brief mental battle with Jenovah, which he ultimately ended up losing. Now he approached Zack, Masamune raised to strike. Every cell in Sephiroth's body cried out against this; Zack was his second-in-command in Soldier, an important person and one of the few people he could trust. How many more of his friends would Jenovah make him kill? Zack raised his broadsword to parry, but Masamune effortlessly knocked it aside. Tears formed in Sephiroth's eyes at the knowledge that Zack would be forced to die at his hand. As Masamune swept in for the killing blow, Sephiroth exerted every ounce of strength and turned the blade so Zack was struck with blunt edge instead. It was a powerful blow nonetheless, and Zack crumpled to the ground.

* * *

            Laeryn regarded the door, carefully weighing the decision whether or not to enter. She wanted to free Sephiroth from whatever it was that had control of him, and then convince the others that he was not the one to be blamed. On the other hand, she had no idea how she was going to carry out this plan. Whatever had a hold on Sephiroth might kill her easily, or possess her the way it had him. She would be no good to him dead. And then there were friends whose lives were also in danger. She wanted both them and Sephiroth out of harm's way, but knew that would be a very difficult thing to accomplish. I guess I'll just have to make it up as I go along, she thought and entered the reactor.

            Laeryn hadn't gotten very far in before she spotted Sephiroth. He was advancing on Cloud, Masamune raised. In his other hand he held something unpleasant-looking. They were positioned on a bridge that spanned a chasm that plunged to the center of the Planet. The Lifestream, raw Mako energy, frothed below.

 As Laeryn ran towards the scene, Sephiroth lifted his sword and shoved it through Cloud's midsection. Laeryn screamed in protest. Sephiroth heard and turned his head to see her approaching. His eyes filled with tears again, knowing that he would be unable to explain or apologize to her for what had happen. He was afraid she would leave him after what he had done. He certainly deserved to be abandoned, and he certainly wasn't worthy of Laeryn.

            Sephiroth glanced up and saw Laeryn running toward the bridge. He only had to look at her a moment to see that his fears were unjustified; she didn't look angry at all. Her normally pale skin was dark and smudged from soot and the clothes he bought her were dirty and torn. On her face, he could see thin white lines of her skin showing through the grime. She had been crying.

            Sephiroth's thoughts had distracted him; he was aware that he was being pushed backward, toward the edge of the bridge. Cloud had somehow managed to shove him backwards. He tried to move his feet to get a better hold, but Jenovah held them firmly in place.

            "Let him push you into the Lifestream, my son. Then you and I will grow more powerful than ever. And maybe she will try to follow. I hope so; all that pure Mako energy would give her quite a painful death," Jenovah commanded. So Sephiroth's feet didn't move. As he stumbled over the edge, he lost his grip on Masamune and the sword went spinning downward.

            Laeryn saw Sephiroth lose his balance and dove forward. She slipped on Cloud's blood and landed hard on her stomach, barely grabbing Sephiroth's hand. She crawled up to the edge to look down at Sephiroth. His eyes were wide with fear and confusion, his brow furrowed, and he looked at her pleadingly. He wrestled with Jenovah's control for a few moments and spoke to her, "Laeryn I l…"

            She interrupted him. "Sephiroth, reach up with your other hand and grab my arm. I can't hold you up for much longer." She kept her voice calm and steady for his sake, but inside she was bordering on panic. The Lifestream bubbled below Sephiroth, and as much Mako energy had been injected into veins throughout the course of his life, chances are he wouldn't survive exposure to such a high dosage.

            Sephiroth's brief moment of control was quickly squelched by Jenovah, who held his arm and jaws firmly in place. He could do nothing but look up at her with apologetic, tear-filled eyes as his hand slipped out of hers and he fell.

            Laeryn frantically grabbed at him, trying to gain another hold, but he was already well past her reach. She sat back, feeling numb, the reality of what just happened still sinking in.

            "No…" she murmured, "That can't happen. Things can't work out like this…"

More tears overtook her as she absorbed the full meaning of his departure. "I broke my promise…" she sobbed, "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me… I love you, Sephiroth."

            In the next room, Zack groaned as he regained consciousness. There was a sizable lump on the side of his head from where Sephiroth had struck him. Zack rose shakily to his feet, feeling very lucky that he would come away from this confrontation with nothing but a bump on the head. Tifa was still slumped against one of the capsules, out cold. Zack approached and examined her. The wound was beginning to close, but blood still oozed slowly from several spots. Once again, Zack directed his strength toward a cure spell for her. After he succeeded casting the spell, the wound closed fully and Tifa came to.

            "Ugggghhhh…" she moaned, "What the hell… am I dead? What happened?"

            "You're not dead. You're extremely lucky. Sephiroth cut you with his sword, but you survived. You did pass out, though. I'm not sure what happen to either Sephiroth or Cloud," Zack explained to her.

            "Well, let's go find them," she said, attempting to stand. Her legs were weak and she leaned heavily against the wall.

            "Don't stand up so quickly! You lost a lot of blood so your limbs are weak. Move slowly," Zack said.

            Tifa took his advice and edged gradually down the stairs, sometimes leaning on Zack to steady herself. Once they reached the bridge, they were confronted with a gruesome sight. Cloud's body lay in lake of blood and entrails, nearly cut in two. Laeryn lay curled a short distance away, crying softly. Tifa gasped in horror and turned away from the gore for a moment, fighting down nausea from the sight of it. Once she composed herself, she approached the body and identified it as Cloud, his blue eyes now dull with death and staring blankly at the ceiling. Tifa closed them and sighed shakily. This was whole situation was becoming more and more nightmarish.

            "That's Cloud, isn't it?" Zack asked softly.

            Tifa nodded. Zack turned away in anguish. Cloud had been one of his best friends. Tifa turned her attention to Laeryn, who hadn't even looked up at them. She knelt beside her.

            "Are you going to be all right? Can you tell us what happened?" Tifa gently inquired of Laeryn.

            "Sephiroth stabbed Cloud and then Cloud pushed him over the edge, into the Lifestream. I grabbed his hand, but I couldn't hold on…" she trailed off, he voice scarcely above a whisper.

            "I'm sorry, Laeryn. I really am," Tifa whispered. She had overheard what Laeryn said earlier about Jenovah controlling Sephiroth. After seeing the chamber inscribed with 'Jenovah', and Sephiroth's facial expression as he sliced her, she couldn't help but wonder if there had been some merit to Laeryn's words after all.

            Zack approached them, his face stained with tears now as well.

            "Let's go," he murmured as he helped a still-crying Laeryn to her feet.

            "Where can we go?" demanded Tifa, "You have a job to return to back in Midgar. Laeryn and I don't even have homes anymore."

            "Come with me to Midgar. I'm sure you can find some kind of work there. And Laeryn, don't worry about Shinra anymore; he's got much more serious things to worry about now," said Zack.

            Laeryn, Tifa, and Zack slowly walked out of the reactor, each having lost that which was most valuable to them.

"Pardon me

While I burst into flames.

I've had enough of this world

And its people's mindless games.

So pardon me while I burn

And rise above the flames.

Pardon me, pardon me,

But I'll never be the same".

End Book I