Chapter III: Foreboding Dreams
Hovering over an overgrown patch of dirt and weed, the Highwind made a smooth landing just outside of the resort town of Costa Del Sol, where I had bought a leisurely condo suite. It was about 3 in the morning, but everyone was awake across the planet after witnessing the day's events. Recognizing us as the world's saviors, many of the townsfolk and tourists ran to where we were as other locals and security staff tried to qualm the growing crowd. Too tired to talk, we stumbled into to our suite, Barrett handing a lifeguard 800 gil to keep them undisturbed. Immediately upon falling on the soft cushions we drifted off into darkness. Perhaps the others in the room had pleasant dreams knowing that they had just saved the world, but I couldn't sleep in peace. Sephiroth's face, I couldn't get it out of my head... Oh god... no more nightmares...
Sitting in the darkness, Sephiroth breathed in and out heavily. He was wounded... but not dead yet. He cackled deeply after every breath, his head leaning down and his hand covering his face.
"I killed you already..." I mumbled, half-realizing that I was dreaming even though I still felt fear due to his presence.
"No my boy, our lives have only just begun."
"OURS!? I have nothing to do with you! And you're dead! I destroyed the last of the Jenova cells... in YOU! That's how Holy was freed! I HAVE PROOF!" I shouted hysterically, wishing to beat him down.
"Hmm... you've come this far and still you understand nothing. The darkness in your heart... do you feel it?"
"What?"
"Why do you think I stopped controlling you, Cloud?" Sephiroth answered. "It's not gone, oh no... I just stopped using you. You are my future, our future, I realized that. Using you again... might lead you to suicide just to stop yourself. Then where would I be? I had to take this sacrifice, ending in my doom. But our journey has only just begun..." he concluded, beginning to stand upright.
"The Jenova cells! They're all gone! DEAD!"
"YOU IDIOT!" he hissed, his snake-like aquamarine eyes penetrating my skull. "What about YOURS? You too were injected with them! You are the last one in which they live and subside! It's far from over! Holy was released even though Jenova wasn't all gone!"
"This makes no sense... you're a dream!"
"I RELEASED HOLY!" he screamed hysterically. "AFTER I WAS KILLED I ENTERED THE LIFESTREAM AS SPIRIT ENERGY! MY BODY, MY MIND ARE GONE! BUT NOT MY SPIRIT! I RELEASED HOLY BECAUSE NOW THAT I WAS DEAD MY PLAN WITH METEOR WOULD NOT WORK! IT WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU, MY ONLY CHANCE LEFT!"
"...dream... DREAM!" I told myself, clenching my teeth hard and biting my tongue. I was going to have a heart attack, this was too much to take! This had to be a dream... right? "What about Aeris? If you're controlling all the world and you're just a spirit now, why can't any spirit do the same!? Why not Aeris? SHE's an ancient, NOT YOU!"
"Because, my dear son Cloud..."
"Don't call me dear son you sick pervert!" I interrupted, Sephiroth paying no attention. "Make this dream stop!"
"... because she's no longer here in the Lifestream! She's not dead anymore! She's born again through the cycle of life and death... unable to do anything to counter my actions!"
"You mean, she's not dead? She's a baby now or something?" I said in shock, approaching the homicidal maniac.
"Yes, and now I am in control. For, besides her, I am the one with the most knowledge of the Ancients, the most knowledge of all things living and dead... past, present, and future. All are powerless to stop me; Aeris can do nothing as a child, can she?"
"My god, what's happening? THIS IS YOUR FAULT SEPHIROTH!!"
"And so... brother, son, clone, puppet... I leave you now. Good night... pleasant dreams..." Sephiroth said softly, a single white wing as if of an angel extending from his side as he laughed sinisterly and I faded off into darkness. I hoped for at least one pleasant dream before awakening, for it seemed that the peace now felt worldwide would soon fail.
Shit...
Hovering over an overgrown patch of dirt and weed, the Highwind made a smooth landing just outside of the resort town of Costa Del Sol, where I had bought a leisurely condo suite. It was about 3 in the morning, but everyone was awake across the planet after witnessing the day's events. Recognizing us as the world's saviors, many of the townsfolk and tourists ran to where we were as other locals and security staff tried to qualm the growing crowd. Too tired to talk, we stumbled into to our suite, Barrett handing a lifeguard 800 gil to keep them undisturbed. Immediately upon falling on the soft cushions we drifted off into darkness. Perhaps the others in the room had pleasant dreams knowing that they had just saved the world, but I couldn't sleep in peace. Sephiroth's face, I couldn't get it out of my head... Oh god... no more nightmares...
Sitting in the darkness, Sephiroth breathed in and out heavily. He was wounded... but not dead yet. He cackled deeply after every breath, his head leaning down and his hand covering his face.
"I killed you already..." I mumbled, half-realizing that I was dreaming even though I still felt fear due to his presence.
"No my boy, our lives have only just begun."
"OURS!? I have nothing to do with you! And you're dead! I destroyed the last of the Jenova cells... in YOU! That's how Holy was freed! I HAVE PROOF!" I shouted hysterically, wishing to beat him down.
"Hmm... you've come this far and still you understand nothing. The darkness in your heart... do you feel it?"
"What?"
"Why do you think I stopped controlling you, Cloud?" Sephiroth answered. "It's not gone, oh no... I just stopped using you. You are my future, our future, I realized that. Using you again... might lead you to suicide just to stop yourself. Then where would I be? I had to take this sacrifice, ending in my doom. But our journey has only just begun..." he concluded, beginning to stand upright.
"The Jenova cells! They're all gone! DEAD!"
"YOU IDIOT!" he hissed, his snake-like aquamarine eyes penetrating my skull. "What about YOURS? You too were injected with them! You are the last one in which they live and subside! It's far from over! Holy was released even though Jenova wasn't all gone!"
"This makes no sense... you're a dream!"
"I RELEASED HOLY!" he screamed hysterically. "AFTER I WAS KILLED I ENTERED THE LIFESTREAM AS SPIRIT ENERGY! MY BODY, MY MIND ARE GONE! BUT NOT MY SPIRIT! I RELEASED HOLY BECAUSE NOW THAT I WAS DEAD MY PLAN WITH METEOR WOULD NOT WORK! IT WOULD HAVE KILLED YOU, MY ONLY CHANCE LEFT!"
"...dream... DREAM!" I told myself, clenching my teeth hard and biting my tongue. I was going to have a heart attack, this was too much to take! This had to be a dream... right? "What about Aeris? If you're controlling all the world and you're just a spirit now, why can't any spirit do the same!? Why not Aeris? SHE's an ancient, NOT YOU!"
"Because, my dear son Cloud..."
"Don't call me dear son you sick pervert!" I interrupted, Sephiroth paying no attention. "Make this dream stop!"
"... because she's no longer here in the Lifestream! She's not dead anymore! She's born again through the cycle of life and death... unable to do anything to counter my actions!"
"You mean, she's not dead? She's a baby now or something?" I said in shock, approaching the homicidal maniac.
"Yes, and now I am in control. For, besides her, I am the one with the most knowledge of the Ancients, the most knowledge of all things living and dead... past, present, and future. All are powerless to stop me; Aeris can do nothing as a child, can she?"
"My god, what's happening? THIS IS YOUR FAULT SEPHIROTH!!"
"And so... brother, son, clone, puppet... I leave you now. Good night... pleasant dreams..." Sephiroth said softly, a single white wing as if of an angel extending from his side as he laughed sinisterly and I faded off into darkness. I hoped for at least one pleasant dream before awakening, for it seemed that the peace now felt worldwide would soon fail.
Shit...