The Reincarnation Part 1 – Chapter 5 – Connections


For two night after Sephier had fainted in the compound library, he had recollections of his visions and relived them over, and over in his dreams. Hour of restless tossing and turning between the crisp sheets of the bed that had been allocated to him by the compound manager. The dorms were small, as they only needed to accommodate a few individuals at a time. It made it more homely in Sephier's eyes, which was something that couldn't be reckoned with. Everytime he relived his dramatic interlude, there was something that wasn't right; something out of place, and each time he remembered just a fraction more of what he willed to forget. When he clumsily fell out of the window, the few moments of bliss; the few minutes where he felt what it was to be free, were hiding something important. There was a shady figure standing, peering over him on the horizon. The silhouette just stood there. A well-built man with tatty clothes and a strong posture looking like he knew what was going on and wanted it to continue. Thoughts balanced in Sephier's mind as to who this could be and why he was there. This man was a rose in a bed of thorns—more like a thorn in a bed of roses; there was an evil aura surrounding the space that his body occupied—a warning maybe. He had to be some sort of a connection to what was going on. Then there was the female student, Alicia Calder, why was her surname in the vision? There was something…something 'different' about her. The words flowed from Sephier's lips, "She's special." Words also flowed through Sephier's mind like an azure stream trailing down a protruding mountainside. In an instant, a certain fact appeared within the depths of the doctor's entwined thoughts, how did she find the materia so quickly without knowing where it could be, unless she did know…? What does it all mean? There must be some connection between this woman and the materia. He came up with theory, after theory; spending at least eighteen continuous, tedious hours in the library—thinking. His soul was restless and his eyes, tired. Just able to stand up, he made himself a new pot of strong coffee hoping the potency of its contents would keep him going for as long as he could master. He wanted to go home…

~oO0Oo~


        There was a gale blowing outside and a blizzard was settling in to occupy the rest of the night. Six days and it seemed a lifetime in the compound—well the most eventful occasion of his life to date anyway; he doubted it could get any worse—All of his doubts were shattered in the same instant as they had arose when he saw the same, shady figure that he saw in his visions; stationary in the centre of the vacant space the compound had to offer. How did he get in here? Sephier's mind was instantly cast back to the moment of his expected arrival at the camp itself and the security officer, slumbering in his keep. There wasn't any sure certainty that he was awake even now, or any other officer that was stationed there. This figure seemed not affected by the raging weather as his tatty attire was not affected by the raging winds, nor was his body by the blistering cold. As if he were a cardboard cut-out cemented to the floor with no knowledge of touch or common sense for that matter—no one in their right mind would stay out in this weather at the intensity it was being thrown at them—Sealed in his own secluded world, he was looking towards the hut with the rest of the students and just staring at the window as if with some surreal fixation. In a fraction of a second, yet long enough for Sephier to lose his concentration, he had moved and jolted his head sideways to look in the direction of the doctor. As it was dark, Sephier could not see his face, his eyes or the menacing grimace painted seemingly painted on his face as an expression. The blizzard grew thicker and Sephier lost track of this mystery man; in some respects it was a godsend for him to be gone, yet in another for it to be worrying that he had just disappeared in time it took to blink. Who was it? It was…him.

Sephier began to question the situation without figuring a way to obtain the vital answers. The blizzard lightened and Sephier tore himself from his work and seized his coat once again from the clutches of the coat stand. His pulse hastily rose and anticipation over-took his doubts in the race of emotions going on inside his futile mind as he went to investigate the source of the man's fixation with the student's hut. His footsteps across the floor made a profound echo throughout the hut that was picked up by Sephier's heightened senses as he made his was slowly to the door. He could almost taste the unruly stench of fear in the air. The only exit to the hut was stiff as a result to the breathtaking, deadly weather outside. An eerie creak sprung from the doorway as the opening of the door itself seemed to take a lifetime to accomplish; the wind embraced the door as it flung open showing the extreme force that nature could produce in a single gust of wind. Dr. Sephier stepped into the harsh wilderness as if into another world of fantasy—not fantasy, just the harsh reality.

He practically stumbled all the way across to the hut on the opposite wall of the compound as nature somehow didn't want him to reach it and was trying to stop him, with Sephier's determination driving him forward. His trek was short, but against the elements, it was tiring—he hadn't expected the weather to be this bad, not so early on in winter. Well nothing has been normal so far in my life so why should it start now? The distinct sound of the wind howling through the secluded alleyways between the huts, the snow constantly beating against the already-dilapidated-wreck of a garage in the corner, even the consolidated masses of snow drifts leaning against the wall—like the locals would do in the pub at home. Everything reminds me of home—made this night a memorable night. Fear clung to Sephier like a second skin as his trail of footprints, and their trails were gradually being filled in again by the heavy clumps of snow falling around him and an unsettled presence was detected, somehow, from the hut he was approaching. Something was holding him back—the same thing that was pushing him forward…curiosity. He knew something wasn't right but he decided not to go with his gut feeling to turn back this time and let it blow over his head. Dr. Sephier stood cautiously outside the hut and took a long, deep breath to steady his jittery nerves. He spread out his arm to open the door and as soon as he touched the handle his arm dropped and a sharp, stabbing pain trailed from his hand as he realised that the handle was red hot. Blisters started to appear on Sephier's hand, but not even these ruptures in his skin would stop him. Taking the handle again, he ignored the pain and opened the door…they were all dead. All apart from Alicia…

Sephier folded and collapsed on the floor—he'd been doing that a lot lately. Obsidian darkness had fallen on these young souls. Brutally murdered, they lay there, silent. The silence seemed all too loud at the doctor stared at the mass of torn flesh and pools of blood. He could hear the screams of the people when hey died—their anguish, their pain, their despair, all-amounting to nothing. The bodies were just slumped everywhere and limbs had been torn clean off from the innocent men—or were they innocent? No…Alicia stood there giving a vague look at Sephier expecting him to know what was going on. NO! This can't be happening, not again…what have I done? "Sir…" The stench of rotting flesh filled the room like the bodies had been there for days, not hours. The decay set in and in the next instant they were gone. All the blood, sinew, and even the anguish had gone. The hut was once again pure, but the memories of it were clouded in guilt and betrayal. Something had happened here that reckoned the forces beyond nature to act in such a twisted way.

"Sir…why?" Her innocent eyes reminded Sephier of Tina back home as her question rattled his mind as to try and unlock an answer to which he did not bear the key. "Alicia…I don't know why, I doubt I ever will, but you are the one now with all the answers…what is going on?" Rage filled his eyes, as he couldn't stop staring at where the bodies were sprawled on the floor.

"Sir…" What can she say…she doesn't know anything about this…stop being the bitter man you used to be and give her a break. Get a grip Jules. Get a grip. "…I don't know." The tears rolled down her cheek and left a trail of sorrow where they lay— Tears…one thing I haven't seen in a while. Sephier approached the broken girl and tightly embraced her against his chest. She could hear his heart rythmetically pounding in his chest, as could the doctor himself. Mixed emotions hung around the room battling with each other to see which one would triumph; fear would always come out on top. Dr. Sephier looked down at the sorry state of a girl he held in his arms… how old is she? 18? 19? And she's already seen her first tragedy. As he stroked the golden locks of hair, comforting her, he couldn't help but feel some guilt about the scene she just saw. It seemed as if it was his entire fault that this mess had occurred—it was to some extent, but not as much as he should go blaming himself for everything. Alicia looked up at the doctor and wiped the tears from her delicate cheeks. Her face was pale and her breathing shallow, but the calming embrace with the doctor settled the fear somewhat lying in wait in the stomach. "The materia…" She mumbled, "…It's the materia that did it…" I knew it! "It was glowing…" The ebony materia was lying in a box on the table with measuring equipment lying next to it. "Then he came and slaughtered them all where they stood; but not me…" The look had changed in Alicia's eyes as she broke away from Sephier's comforting hold, "…he looked at me and I felt as if…" carry on, "…as if I knew him." A feeling sank in Sephier's stomach as he came to his senses about all of what was going on. "Alicia, I'm sorry to push you like this, but come back to the library with me…there is something I need to show you."
"But shouldn't we call Mr. Jones first?"
"Bernard? No, I don't want to bother him. He's spending time with his family…" Both of them at the time wanted to do the same but they couldn't. Not now.
"The let's go." Alicia nodded her head towards the door and the expression on her face was somewhat a mystery—unlike Sephier's, a cold fear surrounded his thoughts. She seemed as if nothing had just happened, and everything was fine.

As they proceeded through the door and back to the library that was easier to reach than the grief-stricken abode they had just left, all emotions and feeling had left the pair of watchful scientists as the walked across the icy landscape. The door to the library was once again opened as the heavy footsteps of Sephier and the student stepped inside. The rows and rows of books were all too familiar with Sephier with him not actually having to read any. He knew it all, already. The history book was still lying on the desk as he pointed out the author to the girl he had just befriended. "Yes, that's him…my Grandfather. He was in Midgar at the time of the Meteor but shortly passed away from old age after he wrote this book all about it."
"Then your Grandfather was actually there?" The sceptical, questioning side to Sephier was beginning to show.
"Yes." Alicia didn't mind all the questions, because she had all the answers and practically knew what he was going to ask anyway. "There was something about my Grandfather though, he was a family friend to the Jones family, they saw us as a part of their own family if anything. That is how Bernard and myself got acquainted and it's also how he got all his information for the book…" There wasn't much time to waste with all the small talk so Sephier got cracking on with all the questions to get to the root of the information this girl had to offer.

Morning came to the compound and Sephier was found with his back against the hut wall and a very peaceful girl curled up on his lap— at least we managed to get some sleep. The events of the previous night were still active within the mind of the young girl as she lay sleeping. Restless nights were ahead, there was no doubt of that, but it would soon be over which is some consolidation to what she had to go through. Dr. Sephier lifted her feather-light body from his lap and gently placed her down on the floor so she could get as much rest as she could without being disturbed. He strolled into the bathroom and gazed once again at the freak leering back at him the mirror. A crash was heard from across the compound and a piercing scream from the girl in the corner. Sephier rushed in to see what was going on and Alicia staggered away from the hut window and fainted into Sephier's arms. As he looked out of the window, the research hut was desecrated into a pile of rubble and all that moved was the same figure that had done the un-earthly deed last night, carrying the Black Materia within his hand. With one last look, Sephier let out a faint mumble as everything came into place. "Sephiroth…" that is why he didn't attack Alicia… 'A family friend of the Jones family, they saw us as a part of their own family if anything…' those were her very words. It all comes into place now. Sephiroth was Hojo's son…he wouldn't want to kill a member of his own family 'circle'. She's safe. She's the only defence we have now he's got the materia back…we need help.