Author's Note: This chapter is a crossover with Chrono Trigger. For those who've played Chrono Trigger, this chapter will be like an Alternate Dimension to "The Cause of Death". For those who have not played the awesome game (to which I say: find a way, you're missing out), I will try to explain Sephiroth's current situation to the best of my ability. Read on, and feel free to express your opinion, even if it is bad (I'm looking at you, darth).
Altered Destiny Chapter 3: A teacher of magic… a Master of WarBy Novalon
He watched, content, as the mythical swirling energies greeted him with a soothing feeling. Looking down, he could see he was garbed as he once was many years ago, at the very peak of his strength. He looked around to see many of his friends in the same area, some who were already there long before, and others who were appearing after him.
"Hell yeah, Sephiroth's here with us!"
He turned to see Dyne, with a large grin on his face, minus the gun on his hand. Standing near him was a broad dark-skinned man with a gruff look on his face.
"The foo' finally got off his damn train, 'bout time."
Aeris seemed to float up to him, looking as she did so many years ago. He had been waiting for this moment, as she had been the first to make her journey to the Lifestream.
"My dear Aeris… where are we? If this were the Lifestream, wouldn't we be reborn rather soon?"
She shook her head, looking back at their friends.
"We have the spirits of legendary heroes of times past. We are sent to an area of the afterlife different from most people. When the Lord deems it right, we will be called upon to give our energies in the creation of new life, with a destiny to rise above the rest of the lives on the planet to struggle for it's safety."
Sephiroth put a hand to his chin, wondering.
"So wait… what legendary hero was I in a past life?"
Cid shook his spear at him, lighting up on a cigarette. How he had smuggled the cigarettes in the area was beyond anyone though.
"You made my ancestor's life a living hell… and I should know, cause he's living on through me!"
Aeris sighed, bringing a hand up to Sephiroth's face.
"You were a man named Golbez. A man who could have risen to the light of a Paladin, but fell when an dark being took control of you."
Sephiroth grimaced, putting a hand over his eyes.
"The same could have happened with Jenova… luckily, I broke away from such a horror."
She sighed, "Here, many of us have a vantage point of what could have been… and what could have been for you… was what happened to Zack."
Sephiroth shook his head, turning to see Yuffie bounding up and down across the room.
"And who were you, Yuffie?"
She bounded over to him, striking a pose, "I was the great Summoner, Rydia of Eblan, ironically also my ancestor."
Sephiroth nodded, "Indeed, the people of Wutai were the descendants of the Ninjas of Eblan… your ancestor married the prince of the Ninjas, didn't she?"
Yuffie nodded, bouncing across to the other side of the room.
Cloud walked over, calmly looking around the area.
"I don't have to ask who you were, Cloud…"
He nodded, "I was Cecil."
A mask of confusion went to Sephiroth's face before the name fully registered throughout his spirit, and suddenly, he remembered.
"… brother?"
Cloud nodded.
Sephiroth turned to Aeris, "I sense that you've been through numerous lives as well."
Aeris nodded, "I was Rosa of Baron, fighting alongside the former spirits of Cloud, Cid, and Yuffie, and her ancestor Edge. And, I was Terra Branford, a woman who saved our planet long ago, when the world may have been destroyed for good."
Sephiroth smiled, "You've been rather busy, love."
Suddenly, the room flashed with light, and a cloaked man appeared.
None of the people in the room could place where they had seen him before, but for each of them, he looked somewhat familiar.
Sephiroth stepped forward, eyeing the cloaked man.
"I am having the oddest sense of Déjà vu…"
The cloaked man nodded, "That is because we have met, or rather… we met in a timeline different from this one. I traveled here because I saw what happened to another planet, and realized you are needed to help save it, though it will not be in the traditional sense, and such a thing has not really been done before…"
Sephiroth stepped back into a common SOLDIER stance, continuing to stare at the strange man.
"So what is it? What do I need to do?"
The man looked around, focusing on Aeris before turning his gaze back to Sephiroth.
"Your spirit is going to be brought back to the physical plane, and taken to a darkness beyond time… time's very end. There, you will wait to train a group of people to use basic elemental magic so they can save their planet."
Sephiroth looked around, at each of the spirits watching him before turning back to the cloaked man.
"I suppose I owe yet another service to fighting evil. When do I start?"
He looked around as he realized he was no longer in the same place. Stars twinkled forever out in the distance, and the room he stood in was rather non descript. It was a square room, with a fenced barrier to keep one from falling into the void of stars.
"Uh… sir?"
The cloaked man appeared, nodding, "You already know how to give elemental magic right?"
Sephiroth shook his head, but realized he had more power within him than he usually did. He looked at his sword to see all his materia gone; yet the magical power that resided in him was still there.
The man may have smiled, Sephiroth wasn't completely sure, but he held up a hand, suddenly shouting aloud as his both of his hands shot up at exact forty five degree angles in a V shape from his body.
"Ipso Facto Meenie Moe!"
Sephiroth crossed his arms, smirking.
"Is that it?"
The cloaked man nodded, "Indeed, add whatever word you want on the end that would fit. Hell, come up with a rhyme if you want, whatever works for you. Anyway, the man who resides here is coming to talk with you now. I will be off, Master of War."
He disappeared as a door Sephiroth didn't notice earlier suddenly opened, and a gray haired man walked forward, dressed in odd brown clothing.
"Are you the one who was sent from the Lord to aid in saving this planet from Lavos?"
Sephiroth shrugged before nodding, "Indeed, I am Sephiroth, the Master of War."
The man nodded, "Good, I am Gaspar, guru of Time… the heroes will be arriving shortly, you know what to do…"
Gaspar opened the door behind him and walked quickly out, giving Sephiroth the time to put a hand to his head and turn around as about half an hour later, the door opened again.
Sephiroth turned to see a man with wild red hair standing at the front of the 3 person group. His muscular form reminded Sephiroth much of Cloud, and his eyes held a light in them that Sephiroth realized was the look of some sort of Legendary Hero. Since I don't have Light… the closest thing I can give is Lightning. I suppose he'll do well with that. Sephiroth found himself looking at the other two with the man.
The purple haired girl adorned with various odd gadgets had a fiery attitude about her, he was sure of it. She would be perfect for the element of Fire.
The blond haired girl with them shocked him greatly as he read her spirit energy. Such coldness I can sense, you have no idea what to do about this world you live in, and seeing it's destruction has brought you great despair. The power of Ice, and the power of Healing shall be yours.
He looked over the group of people, suddenly speaking.
"A great evil… you wish to fight this evil that destroys your future. A noble cause, indeed. I am Sephiroth, Master of War and Battle, and yet I see you are as yet too weak to face the great evil that has come to your planet. However, despite all this, I see your intentions are pure, and you only wish for the well being of your planet. I will help you by giving you the power to aid in your quest, a power that shall grow within you… the power of the elements, the great power of magic."
The man in lead looked with a state of confusion as he and his friends slowly floated up.
"IPSO FACTO MEENIE MOE! MAGICO!"
Sephiroth pointed his hands to them as their respected elements were given. As they floated down, he looked each of them over, each of them reminding him much of his past compatriots.
"So… fortified with magic… want to try it out?"
Author's Note: Also, this fanfic is crossed over with Final Fantasy 4 (Golbez, Rydia, Cid's ancestor, Cecil) another fantastic game. Anyway, read and review this, see if it is worthy, or if it still needs work.