Chapter 13

Alpha looked around the room, very afraid. He didn't know where he was or what was going on. The android was in a bright room in the center of Crater, held up high on some sort of platform. Then he realized his body was partially embedded into something cold and hard, like a stone door. Below him was Beta and Delta, struggling to free themselves. A flash of silver caught his attention below him, and he turned to see Sephiroth being thrown back into the wall behind him.

"Sephiroth!" Alpha cried as Jenova lifted the man by his neck with one hand. Tears filled his eyes as Jenova embedded her free hand into his chest, the man letting out a blood-curdling cry of pain as she ripped out his heart. But instead of a beating heart, a blood-covered black orb glittered in her hand. A shard appeared to be missing from it. The burning liquid of Alpha's tears streamed down his face as Sephiroth went limp in Jenova's hold, his eyes staring blankly at Alpha. His lips moved as if he was trying to speak, but no sound came out. The man's skin paled as his blank eyes closed in death.

"No! Please God no!" the android pleaded, struggling. "Not Sephiroth...Don't kill..." His sobs began silencing him as he struggled harder. "This...this isn't happening...please no..."

A burning warmth emitted from Alpha's left eye, power flowing in his veins. With a final shout, he broke the bonds that held him. "Sephiroth!"

"No!" Alpha shouted, sitting up quickly in bed. He gasped for breath, his nightclothes matted to his skin with sweat. His left eye burned, giving him a piercing headache. The room was still dark from night, and Alpha could hear Sephiroth standing nearby preparing a cold compress. A cool, damp towel was placed on the back of his neck, relieving some of the stress Alpha was feeling and diminishing the urge to vomit.

"It'll be okay," whispered Sephiroth, rubbing Alpha's back a bit. "You just had a nightmare, that's all."

Alpha shook his head, rocking a bit as his eyes filled with tears. "No, you don't understand! I had a vision...I know I did...I dreamt that you died Sephiroth!" Alpha looked up at the dark angel, his silver eye meeting Sephiroth's aquamarines. "You had something pulled out of your chest...It looked like a black orb...and then you died..."

Sephiroth placed a hand over his heart, his eyes going downcast to the ground. "The Black Materia..." he muttered. "I infused the Black Materia into my heart to hide it and grant me immortality. Yes, if it were ever taken from me, I would die..."

"That's why you had no pulse in Wutai..." Alpha gripped the covers of his bed. "I don't want you to die! I'm not going to let you die..."

"Hush little one..." The dark angel sat down in front of Alpha, wiping away his tears with a gentle brush of his hand. "Hush, don't cry...Please don't cry...I'm not going to die the way you dreamt it."

"Do you promise, oniisan?" Alpha asked.

A soft smile crossed Sephiroth's face. "Yes, obotchan. I promise."

The android embraced the older man, hugging him tightly. He dug his face in the darkness of Sephiroth's cloaks, finding comfort in the dark angel's nearness. For a moment the two sat in the shadows of the night inn room, locked together in the hug that seemed to relieve both of them a bit. Soon Alpha let go, then ran a sleeve over his eyes. "Thank you Sephiroth..." Alpha whispered. "I owe you so much..."

He shook his head. "No...you don't. Cloud would have done the same for you, as any of the others." The man placed a hand on one of Alpha's cheeks, a slight smile on the man's face. "I just got to you first, that's all."

Alpha giggled a bit. Suddenly the door to the guestroom opened, and the two turned to see Delta standing in the doorway. Alpha almost stood to hug the older android, but Sephiroth held Alpha back. It was then Alpha noticed that Delta's once-blue eyes were tainted with flecks of pink. The older android remained standing in the doorway as he spoke, "Alpha Omega 00-13, you are to come to the center of Crater, or Mother will come and drag you there herself." He glanced at Sephiroth. "You are to come as well, Sephiroth of the Right Raven-Wing."

That said, Delta vanished into thin air, leaving the two to remember his words. Alpha spoke first. "My dream...its...its coming true..." he muttered.

"Don't worry Alpha..." Sephiroth spoke, trying to calm the teen. "There won't be many surprises. I believe I've figured out the riddle of Delta's medallion, and I know why Hojo was a step ahead of us the entire time. He was trying to get us to go somewhere specific."

Looking at Sephiroth curiously, Alpha said, "What do you mean?"

Pulling the medallion from his pocket, Sephiroth showed it to Alpha. "The riddle on the back of the medallion Delta gave you. Here, I'll read it to you. 'After Meteor's terror ceased, three keys will be released. Life, death, rebirth hold the power of three, each holding their own key. Life's key is the orb of Ancient's light, magic of the holiest white. Death's key is from the solid Hatred's black, orb of night death does attack. Rebirth's key is the final puzzle share, this round disk of silver fair. Buried under feet of cold snow and ice, these keys unlock the world of eternal paradise. But hold! There is more to this riddle you see, for it is also an old prophecy. Blood shall be spilt and lives shall be lost, the true dark one will get this power at any cost. A fallen angel will give his live to protect life's flower, who will then revive the angel with his holy power. The true dark one's motive will be revealed, as life's hidden power is no longer concealed. And no, the battle fought and sound, true happiness among life will be found.' "

"Then that means, Delta, Beta, and I are the keys to the Promised Lands," Alpha sighed, his distant eyes on the covers. "Delta had the medallion, but I don't know about Beta or myself."

"Beta has a shard of Black Materia in her," Sephiroth stated. "I sensed it when I first met her. And you..." His eyes locked on Alpha's. "You hold within your left eye the White Materia."

Alpha placed a hand on his left eye. "That...would explain everything...I have the powers of life...Beta has the powers of death...and Delta can come back to life with his powers of rebirth...And Mother...Jenova created us just so she could get the keys and find the Promised Lands for herself...for the power to mold the world to her fitting."

Sephiroth nodded his head. "Yes...now you understand, Alpha. Now we must go to Crater and face Jenova."

Nodding his head, Alpha stood out of bed and gathered his things to dress. Time seemed to slow for the two, making it feel as if the day was going to last for all eternity.

***

Neither of the two felt the cold wind blow at their faces or the chilling kisses of snowflakes as they trekked towards Crater and the final battle of their adventure. Alpha walked close beside Sephiroth, more for comfort than warmth. The two walked in silence, making their way though the long, winding paths towards the center of the Crater. Sephiroth wanted to speak, but remained silent, knowing he'd say the wrong thing and make Alpha feel worse than he was already. Alpha's silence was out of fear and prayer that the prophecy was false.

For hours they made their way through the cold caverns under the feet of snow and ice. As they walked, it began to get warmer within the passageways until they reached a new chamber Sephiroth had never seen before. It was lit by many pyres of glowing fire that lined the walls of the huge room. On the opposite side of the room was a great doorway that stretched over the entire wall. Three human-sized diamond-shaped black mirrors decorated the door, forming a triangle surrounded by rune scripts and pagan drawings of dragons, angels, and many other mystical creatures.

Alpha's hand slid into Sephiroth's, the dark angel responding by giving Alpha's hand a gentle squeeze, as if to say "I'm not going to let go." The young android looked up at the man, a curious look on his face. Sephiroth merely smiled softly. Together, the two entered the large room, stepping closer towards the gigantic door.

"Sephiroth, Alpha, so good of you to join us," a dark, familiar voice spoke behind them. The two turned to see Jenova, Delta, and Beta standing in the doorway out. Jenova continued speaking, "Apparently I underestimated both of you. You've gone so strong since we've last encountered, little Alpha."

The android stood between Sephiroth and Jenova. "I won't let you hurt Sephiroth!" he challenged her. "I know you want to destroy him since you can't control him!"

A soft chuckle escaped the woman's lips. "Well now, you sure have some bite to you, little one. But we both know very well what happens to little androids who try to stop evil sorceresses like me." Without warning, she grabbed hold of Alpha's throat and threw him into the air. The power of the throw sent him flying straight towards the black mirror on the top of the triangle embedded on the door. Before Sephiroth could react, though, Alpha hit the mirror. Instead of shattering the mirror, though, Alpha was sucked into its black, liquid-glass and imprisoned with his arms and legs stretched out, his body standing in a T in the diamond.

"Alpha!" Sephiroth shouted.

Slowly Alpha recovered. He tried struggling free, but the liquid-black had solidified when he hit it. "Sephiroth!" Alpha cried. "I can't escape!"

Sephiroth turned to glare at Jenova. "What have you done?! Set him free!"

"I will do no such thing," the woman smiled. "Alpha was created solely for this. He is one of the keys to opening this door to the Promised Lands. As the other two are beside us." She lifted her hands and behind her, Delta and Beta were lifted from the ground. Under her enchantment, they floated to the two other diamonds, and infused with them as well in the same position as Alpha. "You see, Sephiroth? This is the only chance we have at unlocking the powers of the Promised Lands."

"You are a sick monster!" Sephiroth spat at her, taking a step back. "The power will only corrupt you as it did me!"

Again Jenova chuckled. "That's the slight difference between us, angel. I've been corrupt from the beginning!" She turned to the door. "It's not working...Why isn't it working?!"

The dark angel smirked. "Perhaps you forgot a key or two?"

Spinning around quickly, Jenova grabbed Sephiroth by the throat with a hand and lifted him from the ground. Her arm seemed to stretch out, lifting him higher and higher as he struggled to release himself. "Tell me!" she growled. "Tell me where the Black Materia and the medallion are! Tell me now or die!"

Not replying, Sephiroth gathered what little spit he had in his dry mouth and spat at her. As planned, the bit of liquid landed in her right eye. The woman let out a raging shriek and hurled him towards the great stone door, the man hitting the wall in the center of the triangle. Alpha let out a cry as Sephiroth hit hard, the man wincing in pain as he landed on the ground. He smirked, however, as he slowly stood and took up a defensive stance. "That all you got?" the man asked. "I remember you a lot bigger and bitchier."

"How dare you!" Jenova shrieked, flushing a dark crimson with anger. Holding her hands in front of her, she cast a barrage of fireballs at the dark angel, who quickly took to the air to dodge. As Jenova and Sephiroth fought, Alpha tried struggling harder, praying to Aeris and God for strength to shatter the bindings that held him. The room shook as Jenova's fiery assault continued, Sephiroth merely circling the room to avoid her spells.

As he turned to make another pass, a net of energy appeared out of nowhere, capturing Sephiroth. The man fell to the ground and landed hard on his wing. The snap of hollow bones echoed through the room as he hit the hard earth. When he stood, his wing hung limp and broken behind him, the net no longer binding him. Suddenly Jenova's arm stretched across the room and once more grabbed his throat, dragging him off the ground and towards her. "I'm giving you one more chance, Sephiroth," she hissed at him. "Just because you always were my favorite puppet. Tell me where the other keys are or die!"

Sephiroth turned his gaze away from her and towards Alpha. His aquamarine cat-eyes met Alpha's single silver eye that now brimmed with tears. "No..." Alpha whimpered, struggling more now. "Sephiroth..." The android saw the angel's thoughts in his eyes and heard the silent words the eyes spoke. "I will always protect you, obotchan..." the eyes had said. A single crystal tear formed in Sephiroth's left eye, and froze into ice as it touched his cheek. "No!" Alpha cried. "Sephiroth, please no!"

Taking the angel's silence as his answer, Jenova sighed as a blazing light surrounded her free hand. With a shout, she thrust her hand into Sephiroth's chest. As in the dream, the man let out a loud cry of pain as she ripped the Black Materia from his ribcage. His warm blood flowed heavily from the gaping wound in his chest as he once more turned his head to Alpha, his blank eyes staring right at the android. Slowly, his lips moved as if to speak, but again no sound was heard. But Alpha didn't have to hear anything to know what Sephiroth was trying to say as the android whispered it to himself, "I love you, little one, more than you know. Good-bye obotchan...forgive me for breaking our promise..."

The tears burned Alpha's eyes as Sephiroth's aquamarine eyes closed, death having taken him away. "No! God please no!" Alpha cried, still trying to pull his arms and legs free. "I don't want Sephiroth to die! Oniisan please! Don't die!" His sobs convulsed his body and choked him, the sound of Sephiroth's lifeless body hitting the ground echoed over the teen's cries.

"There's one key..." Jenova muttered, uncaring and unhearing Alpha's sobs. "Now I wonder where the medallion is..."

"You'll never have it bitch!"

Jenova spun around quickly and glared up at the source of the outcry. During the time Jenova had spoken, a sudden power swelled in Alpha. His tears had stopped and strength soared through his veins. As the power coursed through his body, Alpha let out a shout as he freed himself from the hold of the black stone prison. Around him, the stone shattered into dust, the teen leaping away from the wall and landing softly on his feet in front of the door.

She smiled darkly at him. "You really think you can defeat me, Alpha, when your guardian angel has fallen so easily?"

Alpha smirked, his eyes blazing with white light. "Then attack me. I dare you."

Glaring daggers at the teen, she raised a hand at him and summoned another fireball. Alpha merely stood his ground as the ball flew towards him and smashed itself into an invisible shield five feet in front of him. Jenova gasped and took a step back to flee. "No...This power...Where did you get such incredible power?!"

The teen began floating a bit in the air as light surrounded his body. When the light vanished, silver armor covered his body as a pair of metallic angel wings with platinum feathers kept him hovering in air. "You were right Mother, I am a lot like Aeris," Alpha stated, his face cold and emotionless. "I started off weak and innocent like her, but I grew. I became far more powerful than you could have imagined. Why, you ask? Because of Sephiroth...If I hadn't have escaped and tried to kill myself, I would never have met him and gained this power that I have. This holy power which I will now destroy you with!"

A blazing aura of white light surrounded him once more as he summoned a katana of pure light. Flying at a great speed, he dove down and slashed at her with the katana. Jenova's shout of pain rang louder than Sephiroth's had as the white-hot blade burned through her flesh and disintegrated her. Finally her shouts silenced as she faded away, leaving behind nothing more than a pile of ashes. Flying to Delta and Beta, he released his siblings from their prisons. Delta seemed as if he were waking from a dream as Beta's flesh had become deathly cold and no longer breathed. Saying nothing, he went to the fallen Sephiroth and landed beside him.

"Sephiroth..." Alpha whispered, tears forming in his eyes once more. He knelt down in his armor, his great metallic wings shadowing the man of darkness as Alpha sat the man up in his lap. "Sephiroth please...come back to me...don't leave me here alone."

"Alpha..."

The voice was distant, but instantly the android looked up at the door-wall to see the spirit of Aeris floating towards him, followed by a familiar spirit that made Alpha keep from crying even more. Sephiroth's aura was a bright white that almost blended in with his white robes, the man walking over to Alpha. Instead of one wing, two shining pearl wings shown behind him.

"Alpha..." Sephiroth repeated the name as he knelt down beside the robot and his old body. "I don't think I can come back now. I'm sorry, obotchan."

"No..." Alpha whimpered. "You have to come back...the prophecy said that I would revive you with my powers..."

Aeris smiled. "I don't think you can argue with that, Sephy," she said. The man smiled, closing his eyes. A light mist surrounded him as he faded, the mist going into the body that Alpha held. "You must finish reviving him now," Aeris explained.

Nodding his head, Alpha closed his eyes and focused all of his holy power and magic into the dark angel in his lap. Slowly warmth came to Sephiroth's flesh as a certain coldness left Alpha.