Meanwhile, Cloud, Tifa and Barret were walking along the Corel Desert Prison until they came to a junkyard with pile of wrecked cars.
They walked to the other end of this pile of cars, and they suddenly found Dyne, standing alone, his back to them, at the end of the junkyard in front of two crudely made graves just at the edge of a cliff.
Dyne looked exactly the same as he did four years ago except that he had a shotgun grafted into the slump of his left arm in place of a hand, and there was now a dark, sinister look of complete madness in his eyes.
Dyne was obviously the one who killed the soldiers and innocent people at the Golden Saucer, and had killed yet more people at the Corel Desert Prison that he was in, for some odd, peculiar reason.
Barret sharply told Cloud and Tifa to stay back and not to interfere, and then Barret walked up to Dyne slowly, looking at his best friend for the first time in four long years.
"Dyne…is that you…?" asked Barret, cautiously, stepping forwards in slight disbelief.
Dyne jumped slightly, and he was clearly startled, but not worried, as he quickly spun around to face Barret, a dark sneer spreading across his face.
"Now there's a voice that I haven't heard in years. A voice that I'll never forget…Barret. You were the last person I expected or wanted to see around here," said Dyne, with a snarl.
Barret seemed taken aback by Dyne's cold, hard attitude towards him, but he stubbornly refused to give up hope of getting through to his childhood friend, and kept himself calm and steady, and spoke up as Dyne glared viciously at him.
"I always hoped that I would be able to see you again someday. I knew you had to be alive somewhere. We both had the same operation, after all. Listen to me, Dyne. I want to…" began Barret, stepping forwards, but Dyne suddenly interrupted him, as he fired his shotgun straight at Barret.
This was only a warning shot so Barret wasn't shot, although the bullet only narrowly missed his face by less than an inch, and Barret immediately froze in his tracks, stunned by what had almost happened, what Dyne had almost done.
Dyne, however, seemed not to care in the least, not caring that he had almost killed his childhood friend, and Barret knew now that he would have to be more careful and cautious towards Dyne if he wanted to survive this long awaited encounter.
"What's that…? I hear her voice…" said Dyne, quietly.
Barret stared at Dyne in surprise and confusion, and a feeling of alarm was also beginning to grow inside him at Dyne's insanity seemed to increase as each and every second went slowly by.
"I hear her voice…my dear wife, Eleanor's voice. Begging me, as she always does…not to hate your rotten guts. That's why…I didn't hunt you down…for her. I would still do anything for her…" explained Dyne, coldly.
Barret sighed wearily, his head bowed sadly.
"I know that I was stupid back then…I know you've got every right to be mad at me. I'm not asking you to forgive me for what I did that day. I'll understand if you can't accept my apology. But…just what are you doing here, in a place like this, Dyne? Why do you want to kill all those people, who ain't even involved in what happened back then? Why?" asked Barret, with a sense of urgency to understand why his best friend had become like this.
At Barret's question, however, Dyne snarled angrily, and he stared at Barret with overwhelming rage as he seemed to explode with sudden, wild anger, as he clenched his fist tightly, his eyes burning with terrifying madness.
"Why!? WHY!? The hell do YOU care for!? Are the people killed going to understand WHY!? Are the people of Corel going to understand just hearing Shinra's pathetic excuses!? I don't CARE what the reason is! All they give us are artillery and stupid excuses! All that's left is a world full of emptiness and despair…but, I suppose you still want to know WHY I killed all those people? Alright then…I'll tell you. It's because I want to destroy EVERYTHING. The people of this prison, then the prison itself, and then, THE…ENTIRE…WORLD! I've got nothing left in this world anymore. Not since that day those years ago…when I lost them all…Corel…Eleanor…Marlene…" said Dyne, miserably, and his rage disappeared as he broke into racking sobs, but he finally spoke up again after he stopped crying, but was still filled with despair and misery.
"When I finally went back to the town a few months after recovering from the fall and having this gun operation…the whole town was destroyed and burnt down…I never did manage to find their bodies. There was just a great big pile of fire, ash, and the sick smell of burning, tattered flesh...that's the homecoming I got. Eleanor…Marlene...and even your own wife, Myrna...they're all dead…all of them…" said Dyne, grief stricken, as he stared back down at the two crude stone graves in front of him, and broke into even more sobs.
There was a grave with the name 'Eleanor' craved on it, and a smaller grave beside it with the name 'Marlene' carved on it, and both graves had holy crosses beside them.
As he glanced at the graves though, Barret suddenly realised something else, something important that Dyne still didn't know about, and he cursed himself for forgetting to tell him about it.
"Dyne…Marlene's…Marlene's still alive…" muttered Barret, quietly but clearly, hoping that this might bring some long lost sanity into his old friend.
Dyne's eyes widened as he suddenly spun around and stared intently at Barret with pure amazement, complete shock and disbelief, hardly daring to believe that his own daughter was still alive after all.
"I went back to the town first, before you did, just after you fell, and I escaped the soldiers. I thought she and all the others were gone for sure. And that's when I found her. When I found Marlene, crying, alone, but unhurt. Out of guilt for what happened…to both you and Corel…I decided to raise your daughter myself, to look after her. That's why I wanted to be by her side until the end, to make up for my sins for what happened that day, but then not long afterwards, I cared for her like the daughter I never had, and I still do now, though she'll always be yours, of course. She's safe and sound in Kalm, hiding there right now, even as we speak. So come on, let's go see her together, alright?" said Barret, gently.
Dyne slowly turned away, and he stared up at the sky in very deep thought, and then he laughed softly.
"So…she's still alive…alright then, Barret…I guess that this means you and I have got to fight one another," said Dyne.
"WHAT!?" yelled Barret, in disbelief, his eyes widening in pure shock.
Dyne spun back around to face Barret, a look of pure madness now on his face, and in an insane tone in his voice as he spoke.
"Eleanor's all alone by herself right now. I've got to take Marlene to her…" said Dyne.
"Dyne, are you insane!?" roared Barret, sharply.
"Marlene wants to see her mom…doesn't she…?" asked Dyne, with an insane grin.
He suddenly started firing at Barret, without warning, but he didn't seem to be trying to hit him at the moment, just trying to scare him, but that would change soon.
"Stop it, Dyne! I can't die yet!" shouted Barret.
Dyne snorted and raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, yeah? Well, my life's been over ever since that day…" said Dyne, and he continued firing.
"Stop it, Dyne! I don't want to fight you! This is so damn stupid! Dyne, there ain't no reason for any of this!" shouted Barret, urgently.
"Barret!" shouted Cloud, alarmed, and he and Tifa began to rush to his aid, but Barret shook his head at them and they quickly stopped.
"Cloud, Tifa, you both stay the hell out of this! This is my problem!!" roared Barret, sharply.
Nodding numbly, Cloud obeyed, and so did Tifa, although they were both reluctant to leave Barret fighting alone against this madman. Barret had no choice but to fight Dyne, and so the duel between them begun.
Dyne raised his gun-arm shotgun and fired some rounds of bullets at Barret, but Barret was able to deflect the bullets with his own gun-arm, holding it up in front of his face (where the bullets were aimed at) just in time to protect him, so Barret wasn't affected.
Acting quickly against this, Dyne quickly charged up his gun-arm for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from it, straight at Barret. All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying hard into scraps of ruined cars in the junkyard.
Barret stumbled and fell to the floor, very badly injured and bleeding badly, many of his bones broken by the attack, and he was very surprised by the pain it caused.
Barret slowly and painfully got up, and then green light burst from the ground beneath his feet as he grasped a Materia equipped on his gun-arm. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere and fully healed his injuries and wounds.
Dyne was untroubled by this, however, as he reacted very quickly to it. He charged up his gun for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from it, straight at Barret.
All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying hard into scraps of ruined cars in the junkyard. Although badly injured once again, Barret was determined not to give up.
Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Barret's feet, as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then he fired a grenade from his gun, straight at Dyne.
Dyne tried to avoid the grenade but it still exploded nearby him, so he was caught by the blast, and he was badly wounded by it. His right arm (the non-gun arm) was broken and he seemed to have many marks and bruises across his body. Dyne stumbled a bit, but he was also determined never to give up.
Dyne then raised his gun-arm shotgun and fired some rounds of bullets at Barret, but Barret was able to deflect the bullets with his own gun-arm, holding it up in front of his chest just in time to protect him, so Barret wasn't affected.
Still attacking ruthlessly and relentlessly, Dyne quickly charged up his gun for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from it, straight at Barret. All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying backwards.
Barret stumbled and fell to the floor, badly wounded and bleeding badly, more of his bones broken by the attack than the first time, and was barely able to even keep his eyes open, let alone get back up again.
Barret slowly and very painfully got up, and then green light burst from the ground beneath his feet as some magical energy appeared out of nowhere once again and fully healed his injuries and wounds.
Dyne raised his gun-arm shotgun and fired some rounds of bullets at Barret, but Barret was able to deflect the bullets with his own gun-arm just in time to protect him, so Barret wasn't affected or injured.
Dyne charged up his gun-arm for a moment, and then fired three red balls of energy from his gun-arm, straight at Barret. All three of them hit Barret and exploded, sending him flying hard into scraps of ruined cars in the junkyard.
Barret slowly managed to get back up, he was starting to get used to this, so he wasn't quite as injured as before, but he was still bleeding and was wounded.
Barret quickly grasped a Materia equipped on his gun-arm, as green light burst from the ground at his feet. Some magical energy appeared out of nowhere, and fully healed his wounds and injuries once again.
Red light suddenly burst from the ground at Barret's feet, as he charged up his gun for a moment, and then he suddenly fired a grenade from his gun, straight at Dyne.
Dyne quickly tried to avoid the grenade, but it still exploded nearby him, so he was caught by the blast and was badly wounded by it, giving him many bloody wounds and marks across his body.
Suddenly, Dyne stumbled heavily to the ground and he lowered his gun. He was too wounded to carry on fighting, bleeding badly. Barret was shocked at what he just done, and he quickly ran over to Dyne, and handed him a potion.
Dyne accepted it and drank it in one gulp, fully healing his wounds and injuries. Barret tired to help Dyne up, but Dyne quickly got back up and raised his gun-arm and aimed it warningly at Barret.
"Get back! It wasn't just my arm, my hometown, or my family…that I lost back then. I lost something else…something irreplaceable. I don't know where I went wrong…" said Dyne, miserably.
"Dyne, I don't know either, man. Is this the only way that we can resolve this?" asked Barret, gently.
"I told you…I-I want to destroy everything. Everything. This crazy world…and even me…" said Dyne, quietly.
"And what about Marlene!? What's going to happen to her!?" shouted Barret, indignantly. Dyne sighed wearily.
"Think about it for a moment, Barret. How old was Marlene back then? Even if I did go to her now…she wouldn't even know me. And what's more, Barret…my hands are just far too stained with the blood of my own actions to carry Marlene anymore…Barret…please give this pendant to Marlene. It was Eleanor's…my wife's memento…Marlene deserves to know the whole truth someday…tell her, please," said Dyne.
Dyne took off the pendant hanging around his neck, and he handed Eleanor's pendant to Barret, which showed a picture inside it, of a blond-haired young woman with blue eyes and a wide smile. It was Dyne's beloved wife, Eleanor. Barret took it without hesitation, and nodded grimly.
"Alright, I will. I'll tell Marlene the truth some day. I promise, Dyne…" said Barret, seriously, determined to keep his promise to Dyne.
Dyne nodded, and for a split second, the ghost of a smile seemed to pass across his face.
"Wow…Marlene's…already four…" said Dyne, in wonder, turning away.
Dyne slowly walked over to the cliff edge in the desert prison, above a huge canyon, clearly deep in thought, and staring down the massive drop.
Dyne came to a stop right at the cliff edge, and stared down at the rocky canyon many hundreds of feet below him. Not looking back at Barret, he slowly spoke.
"Barret…don't…don't ever…don't ever make Marlene…cry…" said Dyne, sobbing, his tears splashing down onto the ground far below, as Dyne continued to stare down the cliff.
"Dyne…?" said Barret, confused, staring at Dyne, not understanding what was happening for a moment, but then suddenly with a horrible feeling of fear and alarm he realised what Dyne was about to do.
Barret's eyes widened in surprise and horror as Dyne slowly turned to face him, his mind clearly made up as he spread his arms wide, standing just before the cliff edge.
Barret quickly rushed towards him as fast as he could, but he was just a split second too late as Dyne took a deep breath, closed his eyes and smiled softly, before suddenly throwing himself straight off the cliff face into the huge canyon and the ground that was hundreds and hundreds of feet below.
"NO, DYNE!!!!" screamed Barret, lunging for the edge of the canyon, hoping to grab Dyne just in time.
But when he got there, he only managed to catch one final glimpse of Dyne's dirty white shirt as he fell, before the darkness of the gigantic chasm quickly swallowed him up.
Moments later, a loud, nasty thud was heard at the bottom of the canyon, as something that sounded like a body hit the ground with tremendous force.
Barret hung his good arm over the top of the canyon, as if he was trying to reach for the bottom far, far below, reach for Dyne, whose body now lying completely broken and bloody at the cold, dark floor of the canyon, lifeless, and yet Dyne was now peaceful at last, finally able to rest in peace.
"DYNE!!!!" screamed Barret, his voice echoing around the whole canyon, sounding both desperate and frantic.
But moments later, the whole canyon was suddenly filled with a horrible silence that was accompanied by only a cold breeze of wind.
Realising that Dyne was now dead, Barret slowly stepped away from the cliff edge, and then he fell to his knees and buried his face in his arms, completely distraught.
"Dyne…me and you were both the same. My hands ain't any cleaner...I've killed several innocents too…I shouldn't be able to carry…Marlene…either…" said Barret, miserably.
He then yelled in grief, anger and frustration, which echoed around the whole canyon, and then he dropped his head down onto the soft, loose sand, unable to hold back his tears…
After a long moment of mournful silence, Barret finally got to his feet, and walked back to Cloud and Tifa, who were both looking sorrowfully at him, but he didn't even say anything to them, or even glance at them.
He just walked on, his head bowed hopelessly. Cloud and Tifa glanced grimly at each other, then they quietly and silently followed Barret back along the way they came, to go to the tacky Desert Prison houses where the others were still waiting for them, and they would certainly be told a lot of news…