Chapter 4: Specters of the Past
Sephiroth:
His rage blinded him. His sadness blinded him. His confusion blinded him...
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...lies...his whole life had been created upon the backs of lies...
Hojo...the man who he had called a father...had been the cause of this. It was Hojo...the man who he had once called a father...Hojo...this was his doing...
The pain doubled inside Sephiroth, threatening to tear his soul from the confines of his body. No...this couldn't be possible...it just......couldn't be......no...
This couldn't be the truth...it couldn't be real...
He knew, suddenly, the place where he could find the truth. The one place where Professor Gast, his true mentor, would have left something...a trail for his protégé to follow...
Without hesitation, he hurled himself into a run, desperate to reach the one place that might have the answers that would calm the torment in his broken heart.
~{:*:}~
Deep in the bowels of the Shin-Ra mansion, Sephiroth set to searching through the long years of neglect that had wracked the secret basement deep underground.
The bookshelves that Professor Gast had taken impeccable care of were old and creaking; many of the journals and reference volumes once cherished by Gast now lay on the floor, victims of abandonment.
Searching desperately, Sephiroth picked up journal after journal, scanning their contents and, deciding that they did not contain the information he needed, tossed them aside.
Fear and misery began to regain a hold on him. There was nothing...nothing here that could help him...nothing that could ease the ache in his soul...
Turning swiftly, he aimed for the nearest wall and let fly a furious punch. With a crash, his fist landed on the aged stone, sending dust away from the wall in a large cloud.
Shaking his head, he turned to leave when...he saw...sitting there on the floor...
"The JENOVA Experiment – by R.J. Gast (112.33.081.1)"
JENOVA...he had seen that name before...but where?
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The realization hit him with sudden ferocity – he had seen that name only hours ago, in the Reactor. It had been marked on a large door at the top of the stairs, as if that door contained the deadliest secret known to the world.
Reaching cautiously, as if afraid of what he might find, he picked up the journal and flipped it open:
(01.25.19) – It has happened. We found it, although we are not sure what IT is...it was unearthed in the Northern Crater, frozen beneath millennia of ice and snow. It appears to have human features...womanly features...but it is impossible to discern that it came from this planet.
Remarkably, she (as we shall describe this creature) is perfectly preserved...the long time under the ice has kept her body in a perfect stasis...I do not know what this creature is, or how it came to be here, but I am naturally wary of it. My new Shin-Ra associate is not, however: like always, he is keen to rush to speculations that he himself cannot possible comprehend.
Yes, Hojo is now a member of Shin-Ra as am I; although, I have no wish to remain here. I am growing ever more frightened by the lengths the Shin-Ra will go to in order to increase their arm. But, I must stay, for I...
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Sephiroth flipped the page, but noticed that the page numbers skipped from 1 to 15. Whether by chance or design, there were gaps in the history – nevertheless, he continued reading.
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(05.12.19) – JENOVA does not respond to the animation process – my efforts thus far have seemed to be in vain. She appears lifeless in every way except for one: readings show that her body is giving off enormous amounts of energy. This energy dissipates rapidly and harmlessly, but that does not change the fact that it is still there.
In light of this enigmatic occurrence, which I have dutifully reported to that beastly slob Heiddegar, President Shin-Ra continues to push the "need" to use the cells from JENOVA as catalysts for creating "new means to bring Shin-Ra's peaceful willingness to the world." In other words, I believe, the President wants to use JENOVA cells, mixed with I presume many applications of direct Mako to create the "Super SOLDIER," a class of warriors that will do his bidding for world conquest.
Hojo of course, in his own need to influence others, adamantly agrees with this course of action; I, however, am extremely nervous over such an experiment. I have decided to unearth any information about JENOVA I can, no matter how fallacious it sounds – anything must be done to stop the Shin-Ra...
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Sephiroth tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. Super SOLDIERS...he didn't want to believe that it could be true, but he knew that there was only one way to find out:
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(06.01.19) – Success! After much tiresome digging, I have uncovered the truth about JENOVA through an old tale related to me by a woman named Ifalna. Her account follows:
"3000 years ago, there lived on this planet a race of people
called the Cetra; they were called the 'Ancients' in the tongue of mankind. These people were peaceful individuals who were in harmony with the planet. They were extensions of the planet's Life Force, and the planet was the ethereal mother from which every living thing sprung. Being in such a harmonious state with the planet, the Cetra were able to use the energies it created in a way not seen before; small bands of humans who witnessed the power of the Cetra called it 'magic.'
It was the height of the Cetra – they lived in peace with the planet and with themselves. But then it all changed...
During a search of the Northern Continent, they came upon a geological stratum, one that encompassed a creature they had never before seen.
It appeared human, even womanly, but its skin was a pale blue and it had wings upon it back.
The Cetra removed the body from its icy confines and used their Cetra magic to revive her (for that is what they decided to give to her: the possibility of being human) frozen body reawakened with the powers of the Cetra.
She could not remember anything. The Cetra did not know her, but they could feel the anguish pouring from her.
Saddened by the state of distress suffered by the creature, the Cetra took her into their village, whereupon she remembered that her name was JENOVA. She could not, however, speak of her history (where she came from, why she was here, etc.). But, as the weeks wore on, she befriended the Cetra and began to learn the secrets of their ways.
But all along, JENOVA deceived them. Her desires were not of friendly intentions... ... ... ... ... ..."
~{:*:}~
Sephiroth looked up, realized that he had slunk down to the floor. He rubbed his head with his hand, trying to digest everything. This JENOVA...she...it...was something to be feared, it seemed. At least, it had cause Professor Gast to fear, and anything that frightened him was something to be reckoned with...
He flipped to the next page, but found that it had been blackened, charred, ruined by some outside force. In fact, he noticed, the rest of the journal was that way, with only pieces of information left to find. He moved through the tiny book, begging for any bit of knowledge that was left to be found:
...has begun, then. Hojo's views have been made clear He...(here, his account was hastily written and largely illegible)...first subject for this project will be a child, one who has not been affected by the cares and forces of the world...(illegible)...have chosen the mother to be a research scientist named Lucrecia – she is skeptical, but Shin-Ra has empowered Hojo to force his way...(charred)......it has begun – everything will change...
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Sephiroth quickly flipped to the next discernable section, many pages later:
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...child, even at 12 years of age, is remarkable. He shows combat skills already far superior to those of a normal Shin-Ra SOLDIER...(burned)...has exceptional skills.
Despite my misgivings, I now realize that Sephiroth will be the best warrior this world has ever seen...
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NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!
It hit him. Hard. So it was all true...the "memories" he had...the life he had been brought from...it was all a lie...
...no...
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Without any effort, Sephiroth pulled his holy Masamune from its sheath – with one stroke, he had cut the bookshelf in two. Twirling around, he slashed again, slicing a table into a useless heap.
Panting heavily, he let his blade drop – he cried as he slumped back to the floor.
Tears in his eyes, Sephiroth clutched his hands into fists and slammed them into the stone beneath him.
They would pay...Shin-Ra...Hojo...they would all pay for this...
…they would pay for doing this to him...
Vowing silently, Sephiroth wept, crying softly for the pain that had encompassed his very being.
~{:*:}~
And on Mt. Nible...deep inside the confines of the Shin-Ra Reactor...
...she became aware that...it was indeed time...time to finish the work she had once begun...
...this boy, this Sephiroth, the human that held some of her cells inside him...he would be the method to her madness...he would be the body carrying out the actions of her mind...
...but this was no ordinary human: he had a strong will, one that partially came from her, but the truth remained...he would not simply give into her...
...she realized that the only way to continue her cause was to use the boy by...playing out his fears...
...he now knew the truth; about him, about her...those too stupid to "recognize" the history as a fairy tale were of no consequence any more...he believed in it...
...she would prey upon his fears and then calm him, soothe him...she would make him believe her, because that was what he wanted...someone to believe...
Smiling inside herself...she worked about readjusting her mind to the cares of the physical world...it was time...
...there was work to be done...