From the author of
"An Autobiography of Vincent Valentine"
Phoenix Down.
Phantom Wall Devils: A tale of Sephiroth
Part: Psi
Vav
The following morning, Sephiroth woke refreshed- but there was a new air about him. He seemed off- with a determined and deep disposition about him.
It was as if whatever he was set out to do, nothing was going to stop him.
Art, sleepless and weak, did not speak to him the whole flight back to the SOLDIER camp.
When they returned, Art requested to be moved to another platoon. He didn't want anything more to do with general Sephiroth. However, he kept his word in keeping his mouth shut about everything that he told him.
He was afraid of the consequences if he told someone that Sephiroth had lost his loyalty- and was sure to do something with regards to it.
After Sephiroth unpacked his things, he was told by his superiors that he, Zack, and two private soldiers were to be sent out to the newly built- top secret mako factory in Nibleheim.
Their mission was also top secret.
They would be taking a truck there.
Sephiroth understood. And he smiled.
"How was your vacation, Seph? Did you see your girlfriend? How is she?"
"She's." He stopped, and closed his eyes a moment.
Zack stared at him.
"She's fine."
"Oh." Zack turned, and strapped his sword to his back. He didn't push the subject further. Something was different about Sephiroth. He seemed distant, sad, and frankly, just a little off.
"So, do you know who the two other soldiers are that are coming with us to Niebleheim, and did you get the details on the mission?"
"Hm. I think the same kid that came with us to the mission in um, Midgar." Sephiroth replied quietly as he unsheathed his masamune.
Zack hesitated as he saw Sephiroth's well crafted blade make an appearance.
They stood in Sephiroth's office, a tight room plastered with abstract papers, models, blue prints, classical CD's, and books. Mountains upon mountains of books towered around his office.
"Cloud, wasn't it?"
"What?" Sephiroth barked. He was staring transfixed at his sword.
The sword seemed to have a malicious grin. It shined like steel and ice.
"Cloud. I think that was the name of the blonde guy who came with us to Midgar."
"Oh. Oh. Yes. Isn't Nibleheim his hometown?"
"I guess so. I don't know. I'm from Gongaga. But I've lived in Nibleheim for a while."
"Did you?" Sephiroth asked uninterestedly. He turned away, and replaced his sword.
"Yeah. Nice town. Kind of quiet. The infamous Shin-Ra mansion is there. Some guy owns the place- but let it go the shit. My old girlfriend was telling me about it. She said some rich guy- Valentine Sr. A Turk- or someone owns it. I don't know. They used to do lab experiments in the basement. Said there was a ton of top secret Shin-Ra documents down there. Something about the Jenova project. Say, uh- that wouldn't be why we are going to Nibleheim is it?"
Sephiroth went silent. Zack couldn't read the expression that plagued the general's green eyes. Sephiroth's head fell, and he remained as still as a stone statue- sculpted with long silver hair, and sharp features.
Zack glanced to the floor.
He figured that perhaps he said something wrong.
After a moment of well tuned silence, Zack turned and left.
Something was wrong with Sephiroth, but he did not know what.
Sephiroth unsheathed his masamune once more. He lifted it above his head.
On his desk, was a scribbled note he wrote to himself yesterday.
It read, "Destroy Shin-Ra. Kill Hojo. Jenova, Jenova, Jenova. Mother."
The note beside the other read: "Do your laundry."
He stared at the note.
His teeth clenched like a barred wall.
Down came his blade.
He stabbed the note.
The blade protruded from the desk, and stood strait up in the wood like a planted tree.
It was silent.
The steel blade sliced into the note, right between the words, "Hojo, and Jenova."
Sephiroth slid to the floor, and shook.
He didn't stop shaking until it was time to leave.
It was raining hard when they left. Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth, and two others piled onto the flat bed truck. One of the private soldiers took the front to drive in the hideously wet weather.
No one spoke the first hour they drove.
"Sure is raining hard." Zack said as he began to feel restless. "Hey, how are you doing?" Zack stood and asked one of the soldiers that sat across from Sephiroth in the back of the truck. The soldier was complaining earlier from not feeling well from motion sickness.
"I'm alright." The soldier grunted.
"I wouldn't know, I've never had motion sickness." Zack leaned over the front, and asked the driver, "Everything ok?"
"Hey. Settle down."
Zack glanced over at Sephiroth, and returned to his seat.
"They gave me new Materia, I can't wait to use it."
"Just like a kid." Sephiroth muttered.
"You goin' to brief us on this mission?"
"This isn't a typical mission." Sephiroth replied in a sigh.
"Good!"
"Why do you say that?"
Zack stood and glanced at Cloud-who still was not feeling that entirely well.
"I joined SOLDIER so I could be like you- but by the time I made 1st class SOLDIER, the war with Wutai was already over. My big hopes of becoming a hero like you ended with the war. That's why I sign up for big missions- to prove myself. So, how do you feel, MISTER Sephiroth?"
"Don't patronize me, Zack... I thought you wanted a briefing? Our mission is to investigate an old mako reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning and producing brutal creatures. First, we dispose of those creatures, then we locate the problem and neutralize it."
"Brutal creatures? Where?" Zack asked seriously as he sat down beside Cloud.
"The mako reactor in Nieblheim."
"Nibelhiem... I've lived there a while."
"That's where I'm from." Cloud uttered as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Hmmm... hometown." Sephiroth smiled quietly.
Just as Sephiroth spoke, the truck jerked underneath the sound of a large thud. Something huge had hit the front of the truck. The driver in the front called out as the truck jerked to a stop, "Sirs! Something strange has crashed into our truck!"
"That- would be our monster." Sephiroth stood slowly as he hoisted himself up. He took his sword, and he and Zack went outside to fight.
It took only a moment for them to take down the beast. It was half wounded on its side from being hit by the truck- and it could not see well underneath the gray wall of falling rain.
Then, they continued on their journey to Nibelhiem.
Nibelhiem was unusually quiet that day. There was not a soul on the street, nor a bird on wing in the air.
Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth, and one other soldier by the name of Karl, walked to the gate of town, and stopped.
"So, how does it feel? This is your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So- how does it feel? I wouldn't know, because I don't have a hometown." Sephiroth turned around and asked Cloud.
"Uh... how about your parents?" Cloud asked as he fastened on his uniform hat.
"My mother is Jenova. She died after she gave birth to me. My father-" Sephiroth cut himself off and began to chuckle and shake his head. "What does it matter?" He continued. "All right, let's go."
Sephiroth walked on ahead.
Zack turned to Cloud as they walked, and Cloud whispered to him, "It's so boring, being on watch."
"Just sit tight and do your job, right? I'll come and talk to you once in a while, man. Just stick with it." Zack said in a sigh.
Sephiroth stopped once again, and covered his mouth with his hand. "Uhg. The mako smells pretty bad here."
The four of them headed to the desolate in. Before they entered, Sephiroth told them in a rather cool and official voice,
"We leave for the reactor at dawn. Make sure you get to sleep early. All we need is a lookout, so you others- get some rest. Oh." Sephiroth stopped as he reached the threshold of the inn, and turned to the others, "That's right. You may visit your family and friends."
Then, Sephiroth vanished into the inn.
Zack took a deep breath the moment the general disappeared.
"Man. I'm so nervous." Cloud whispered. Zack turned to him with an odd expression in his eyes.
"How come?"
"Look, you never know when a monster is going to show up, right?" As Cloud spoke, he glanced up into the window of the inn where Sephiroth stood staring out.
Zack shook his head, and began to wander the town.
Zack visited his mothers.
He also visited Tifa's house- with a hope and a prayer that she would be home- she was not. He wanted to have words with that ex-girlfriend- this being her hometown as well.
He played on her piano, and looked through her drawers. No one was home.
As Zack wandered aimlessly in the town, he suddenly felt lonely. He wanted to return to HIS hometown, Gongaga. He wondered when his mother would move back.
He wandered up near the Shin-Ra mansion, where a man stood leaning against the fence. The man seemed familiar.
He was staring at the abandoned mansion. Zack approached him, and leaned against the fence.
Then man glanced over his shoulder at him. He had dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes.
"Aren't you from Shin-Ra?" The man had a deep, dark voice.
"Who are you?" Zack asked in a rude snap.
"Don't you know? I'm Tifa's father."
"Right, Tifa's father." Zack replied amusedly. He was in a deep and sour mood. He did not want to be here, forced down memory lane.
"I want you to stay away from my daughter."
Zack walked away without a response.
With his hands shoved deep into his pocket, he decided to go back to the inn, and get some rest- like Sephiroth suggested.
Sephiroth seemed oddly distant since he returned from vacation.
"Hey..."
Zack looked up. A man with a flashy smile and a camera slung around his neck stood in front of the inn.
Zack nodded as he reached for the brass handle on the inn door.
"I heard Sephiroth was coming and I got my camera ready. I want a shot of Sephiroth and a monster."
"You better get inside. It's dangerous out. Monsters around, you know." Zack replied tiredly.
"Alright...(bighead)" the photographer with the strange smile muttered. "Hey, (is this guy for real?) So, that's how it is, huh?" You- are you Zack? ... I didn't recognize you at first. You've grown up to be a nice looking lad."
"Then, take my picture." Zack added dismissively. He wanted to go in and rest.
"Let's do this, Zack. Let me take a picture of you with Sephiroth tomorrow, eh?"
Zack nodded his head and went inside.
He didn't feel like dealing with Sephiroth's fan club.
Within the inn, a huge man in a red cape stood chatting with the innkeeper. He looked like a misplaced martial arts master.
His voice was loud, and rung up the wooden stairway that Zack took to the second level.
Outside the rented room, Sephiroth stood pensively staring out the clouded window.
Zack approached him hesitantly.
"What... are you looking at?"
Sephiroth didn't respond first. It was as if Zack was not there at all.
"This... scenery. I feel like I know this place."
"Oh." Zack suddenly felt awkward.
He backed away, and walked into the rented bedroom.
Cloud stood in the room with a disgusted, angry scowl on his lips.
"We are short one bed." He grunted hostilely.
"An Autobiography of Vincent Valentine"
Phoenix Down.
Phantom Wall Devils: A tale of Sephiroth
Part: Psi
Vav
The following morning, Sephiroth woke refreshed- but there was a new air about him. He seemed off- with a determined and deep disposition about him.
It was as if whatever he was set out to do, nothing was going to stop him.
Art, sleepless and weak, did not speak to him the whole flight back to the SOLDIER camp.
When they returned, Art requested to be moved to another platoon. He didn't want anything more to do with general Sephiroth. However, he kept his word in keeping his mouth shut about everything that he told him.
He was afraid of the consequences if he told someone that Sephiroth had lost his loyalty- and was sure to do something with regards to it.
After Sephiroth unpacked his things, he was told by his superiors that he, Zack, and two private soldiers were to be sent out to the newly built- top secret mako factory in Nibleheim.
Their mission was also top secret.
They would be taking a truck there.
Sephiroth understood. And he smiled.
"How was your vacation, Seph? Did you see your girlfriend? How is she?"
"She's." He stopped, and closed his eyes a moment.
Zack stared at him.
"She's fine."
"Oh." Zack turned, and strapped his sword to his back. He didn't push the subject further. Something was different about Sephiroth. He seemed distant, sad, and frankly, just a little off.
"So, do you know who the two other soldiers are that are coming with us to Niebleheim, and did you get the details on the mission?"
"Hm. I think the same kid that came with us to the mission in um, Midgar." Sephiroth replied quietly as he unsheathed his masamune.
Zack hesitated as he saw Sephiroth's well crafted blade make an appearance.
They stood in Sephiroth's office, a tight room plastered with abstract papers, models, blue prints, classical CD's, and books. Mountains upon mountains of books towered around his office.
"Cloud, wasn't it?"
"What?" Sephiroth barked. He was staring transfixed at his sword.
The sword seemed to have a malicious grin. It shined like steel and ice.
"Cloud. I think that was the name of the blonde guy who came with us to Midgar."
"Oh. Oh. Yes. Isn't Nibleheim his hometown?"
"I guess so. I don't know. I'm from Gongaga. But I've lived in Nibleheim for a while."
"Did you?" Sephiroth asked uninterestedly. He turned away, and replaced his sword.
"Yeah. Nice town. Kind of quiet. The infamous Shin-Ra mansion is there. Some guy owns the place- but let it go the shit. My old girlfriend was telling me about it. She said some rich guy- Valentine Sr. A Turk- or someone owns it. I don't know. They used to do lab experiments in the basement. Said there was a ton of top secret Shin-Ra documents down there. Something about the Jenova project. Say, uh- that wouldn't be why we are going to Nibleheim is it?"
Sephiroth went silent. Zack couldn't read the expression that plagued the general's green eyes. Sephiroth's head fell, and he remained as still as a stone statue- sculpted with long silver hair, and sharp features.
Zack glanced to the floor.
He figured that perhaps he said something wrong.
After a moment of well tuned silence, Zack turned and left.
Something was wrong with Sephiroth, but he did not know what.
Sephiroth unsheathed his masamune once more. He lifted it above his head.
On his desk, was a scribbled note he wrote to himself yesterday.
It read, "Destroy Shin-Ra. Kill Hojo. Jenova, Jenova, Jenova. Mother."
The note beside the other read: "Do your laundry."
He stared at the note.
His teeth clenched like a barred wall.
Down came his blade.
He stabbed the note.
The blade protruded from the desk, and stood strait up in the wood like a planted tree.
It was silent.
The steel blade sliced into the note, right between the words, "Hojo, and Jenova."
Sephiroth slid to the floor, and shook.
He didn't stop shaking until it was time to leave.
It was raining hard when they left. Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth, and two others piled onto the flat bed truck. One of the private soldiers took the front to drive in the hideously wet weather.
No one spoke the first hour they drove.
"Sure is raining hard." Zack said as he began to feel restless. "Hey, how are you doing?" Zack stood and asked one of the soldiers that sat across from Sephiroth in the back of the truck. The soldier was complaining earlier from not feeling well from motion sickness.
"I'm alright." The soldier grunted.
"I wouldn't know, I've never had motion sickness." Zack leaned over the front, and asked the driver, "Everything ok?"
"Hey. Settle down."
Zack glanced over at Sephiroth, and returned to his seat.
"They gave me new Materia, I can't wait to use it."
"Just like a kid." Sephiroth muttered.
"You goin' to brief us on this mission?"
"This isn't a typical mission." Sephiroth replied in a sigh.
"Good!"
"Why do you say that?"
Zack stood and glanced at Cloud-who still was not feeling that entirely well.
"I joined SOLDIER so I could be like you- but by the time I made 1st class SOLDIER, the war with Wutai was already over. My big hopes of becoming a hero like you ended with the war. That's why I sign up for big missions- to prove myself. So, how do you feel, MISTER Sephiroth?"
"Don't patronize me, Zack... I thought you wanted a briefing? Our mission is to investigate an old mako reactor. There have been reports of it malfunctioning and producing brutal creatures. First, we dispose of those creatures, then we locate the problem and neutralize it."
"Brutal creatures? Where?" Zack asked seriously as he sat down beside Cloud.
"The mako reactor in Nieblheim."
"Nibelhiem... I've lived there a while."
"That's where I'm from." Cloud uttered as he folded his arms across his chest.
"Hmmm... hometown." Sephiroth smiled quietly.
Just as Sephiroth spoke, the truck jerked underneath the sound of a large thud. Something huge had hit the front of the truck. The driver in the front called out as the truck jerked to a stop, "Sirs! Something strange has crashed into our truck!"
"That- would be our monster." Sephiroth stood slowly as he hoisted himself up. He took his sword, and he and Zack went outside to fight.
It took only a moment for them to take down the beast. It was half wounded on its side from being hit by the truck- and it could not see well underneath the gray wall of falling rain.
Then, they continued on their journey to Nibelhiem.
Nibelhiem was unusually quiet that day. There was not a soul on the street, nor a bird on wing in the air.
Cloud, Zack, Sephiroth, and one other soldier by the name of Karl, walked to the gate of town, and stopped.
"So, how does it feel? This is your first time back to your hometown in a long time, right? So- how does it feel? I wouldn't know, because I don't have a hometown." Sephiroth turned around and asked Cloud.
"Uh... how about your parents?" Cloud asked as he fastened on his uniform hat.
"My mother is Jenova. She died after she gave birth to me. My father-" Sephiroth cut himself off and began to chuckle and shake his head. "What does it matter?" He continued. "All right, let's go."
Sephiroth walked on ahead.
Zack turned to Cloud as they walked, and Cloud whispered to him, "It's so boring, being on watch."
"Just sit tight and do your job, right? I'll come and talk to you once in a while, man. Just stick with it." Zack said in a sigh.
Sephiroth stopped once again, and covered his mouth with his hand. "Uhg. The mako smells pretty bad here."
The four of them headed to the desolate in. Before they entered, Sephiroth told them in a rather cool and official voice,
"We leave for the reactor at dawn. Make sure you get to sleep early. All we need is a lookout, so you others- get some rest. Oh." Sephiroth stopped as he reached the threshold of the inn, and turned to the others, "That's right. You may visit your family and friends."
Then, Sephiroth vanished into the inn.
Zack took a deep breath the moment the general disappeared.
"Man. I'm so nervous." Cloud whispered. Zack turned to him with an odd expression in his eyes.
"How come?"
"Look, you never know when a monster is going to show up, right?" As Cloud spoke, he glanced up into the window of the inn where Sephiroth stood staring out.
Zack shook his head, and began to wander the town.
Zack visited his mothers.
He also visited Tifa's house- with a hope and a prayer that she would be home- she was not. He wanted to have words with that ex-girlfriend- this being her hometown as well.
He played on her piano, and looked through her drawers. No one was home.
As Zack wandered aimlessly in the town, he suddenly felt lonely. He wanted to return to HIS hometown, Gongaga. He wondered when his mother would move back.
He wandered up near the Shin-Ra mansion, where a man stood leaning against the fence. The man seemed familiar.
He was staring at the abandoned mansion. Zack approached him, and leaned against the fence.
Then man glanced over his shoulder at him. He had dark brown hair, and dark brown eyes.
"Aren't you from Shin-Ra?" The man had a deep, dark voice.
"Who are you?" Zack asked in a rude snap.
"Don't you know? I'm Tifa's father."
"Right, Tifa's father." Zack replied amusedly. He was in a deep and sour mood. He did not want to be here, forced down memory lane.
"I want you to stay away from my daughter."
Zack walked away without a response.
With his hands shoved deep into his pocket, he decided to go back to the inn, and get some rest- like Sephiroth suggested.
Sephiroth seemed oddly distant since he returned from vacation.
"Hey..."
Zack looked up. A man with a flashy smile and a camera slung around his neck stood in front of the inn.
Zack nodded as he reached for the brass handle on the inn door.
"I heard Sephiroth was coming and I got my camera ready. I want a shot of Sephiroth and a monster."
"You better get inside. It's dangerous out. Monsters around, you know." Zack replied tiredly.
"Alright...(bighead)" the photographer with the strange smile muttered. "Hey, (is this guy for real?) So, that's how it is, huh?" You- are you Zack? ... I didn't recognize you at first. You've grown up to be a nice looking lad."
"Then, take my picture." Zack added dismissively. He wanted to go in and rest.
"Let's do this, Zack. Let me take a picture of you with Sephiroth tomorrow, eh?"
Zack nodded his head and went inside.
He didn't feel like dealing with Sephiroth's fan club.
Within the inn, a huge man in a red cape stood chatting with the innkeeper. He looked like a misplaced martial arts master.
His voice was loud, and rung up the wooden stairway that Zack took to the second level.
Outside the rented room, Sephiroth stood pensively staring out the clouded window.
Zack approached him hesitantly.
"What... are you looking at?"
Sephiroth didn't respond first. It was as if Zack was not there at all.
"This... scenery. I feel like I know this place."
"Oh." Zack suddenly felt awkward.
He backed away, and walked into the rented bedroom.
Cloud stood in the room with a disgusted, angry scowl on his lips.
"We are short one bed." He grunted hostilely.