Sether, Part 6: First

First:

Act 1

Dusk was creeping nearer, stretching shadows and painting the skies a brilliant aquarelle picture.

Katai was kind enough to remember that she had a small potion with her, and was able to walk again.

Every now and then he would turn to check on her. He had promised her parents he'd protect her, after all.

Each time he did so, she would cower almost subconsciously. Sether would give her an apathetic look and turn back.

A few steps further, just half an hour from Corel, Sether stopped in his tracks. Katai bumped into him from behind and apologized hastily.

"Hush." He ordered while scanning the darkening surroundings. His eyes darted around, but he could not discern any shadow from another.

Someone was most definitely around.

Sephiroth? No. It wasn't him- it was—

"Watch out!" He shouted, swirling around and throwing his arms around Katai protectively.

A fire spell crashed into Sether's back, singeing and ruining yet another shirt. The force of the spell caused Sether to lose his balance and fall forward, Katai still in his hold. She was too surprised to act.

Mid fall Sether twirled his body around, letting himself hit the ground first before Katai. She clung to his shirt, panic griping her heart as she realized they were being attacked.

Sether glanced up to see a figure looming over them, a staff held above it's head. A quick roll on the grass broke the strike on Sether's back.

From there on, Sether turned offensive; He hopped to his feet, one hand beside him readily, the other yanking Katai to her feet and placing her behind him.

The situation was revealed to be that of being surrounded. A group of five figures encircled the two, various long weapons in their hands. Each of the figures was wearing a black hooded robe on.

"Thieves??" Katai asked weakly, clinging close to Sether. He in return held one hand behind him protectively.

"Feh!" One of the figures exclaimed, "Do not insult us! We will not stoop to such acts. We need but sacrifice."

Sether's eyes flashed wide.

"That voice-!!" He faced that figure, Katai still behind him.

The figure lifted it's head. Two violet, shining eyes glowed from the depths of the hood and gave Sether a surprised look.

"The one from the reactor!!" Exclaimed Sether and the robed person together. Sether's reaction was anger. The hooded figure wonderment.

One of those who accompanied the violet one tried to grab Katai's wrist from behind, only to receive a might punch under the chin from Sether. The figure raised in the air and landed on it's back a few feet back.

One down, four to go.

"Stop!!" The violet eyed figure yelled, "can't you see who this is??!"

All the four figures stared at Sether, who was still in a defensive position.

Then in unison, they all fell to the ground and groveled.

"Oh, mighty Sephiroth! Forgive us!" Cried the leading figure, her violet eyes now cast towards the ground.

Upon hearing no response, she looked up.

No one was there.

She got up and kicked on of her underlings.

Act 2

Sether was running like a man possessed with Katai flung over his shoulder.

She tried to yell at him to stop, but the bumpy ride made it impossible for her to utter anything but a segmented vowel.

After a few miles, when South Corel City's lights were already visible in the near distance, Sether slowed down.

More specifically, he fell down.

Or crashed down.

He fell on his side and tumbled a couple of times with his own momentum. Katai was flung from his shoulder and landed a while away on her behind.

She was ready to go and pound him for throwing her like that, when she noticed that he wasn't getting up.

She crawled to his side.

He seemed to be out cold.

He was just laying there, head slumped to it's side, eyes closed lightly and his hand over his chest.

Act 3

Sether was in a place with no place in it. He had heard about this place from several stories.

It had no ceiling or top just as it had no floor or walls. It was an endless darkness. Sether could see himself as if there was a spotlight solely on him.

Maybe there was plenty of light around with simply nothing to light on.

"At last, you've heard my call, son."

Sether turned around and saw a woman standing there. She was unearthly beautiful, with silver- blue hair and big glowing eyes of a peculiar color.

"I know you." Sether replied, his heart racing with fear in spite of himself, "You are not my mother- my mother's name is Lucrecia- and I can still see without spectacles to say that you are not her."

"Who am I, then?" She smiled seductively at him and closed the distance between them.

Sether did not attempt to move away. He would not show any signs of weakness in front of… This.

"Feh, by saying your name I acknowledge your existence. You are a dead thing, and you get deader by the day. Every offspring will have less and less of you in them. One day there will be no nothing left of you but a bad dream."

Her smile faltered and twisted into a vicious growl, her pretty face twitched and seemed to become immeasurably older for but a second.

With unbelievable speed, her hand flew and she grabbed Sether by the throat. Even though she was almost a head and a half shorter than him, she managed to lift him several inches from the ground.

He held that white- blue wrist of hers, his face contorted with pain.

"I might be dying," He heard her say as his senses started failing, "But I'm taking you with me."

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That can't be good, can it??
Continue and find out!
As if poor Seth didn't have enough already...