Squall Lionheart awoke the next morning in a befuddled daze. The dark haired boy sat upright and took in his unacquainted surroundings: He was in the center of a mighty forest of which the likes he had never seen; Squall could make out tiny patches above him which he assumed were the sky because the trees were so thick. As he stared all around him he noticed he was entirely alone. No animals. No birds. Nothing. Squall strained his mind to remember... The last thing he could recall clearly was waking up next to Rinoa, at Balamb Garden. And then... It was very blurry. He remembered being dragged into a monolithic vortex.
Where was he? Where was Rinoa? How was it possible that he was in his dorm room one minute, and in a forest the next? These questions swirled in his mind like wildfire. In a desperate attempt to clear his thoughts, Squall quickly stood up and began to walk in a random direction. He only hoped he was heading towards his destination... If I'm late for class professeur will kill me. Squall thought miserably. Time passed painfully slowly as he made his way through the unknown trees. Instead of going towards the edge of the woods, he was making his way towards the heart of them. Oblivious of this, he pressed on. If he had cleared his mind of his worries then he would have also noticed that the trees were growing thicker and becoming more constricted.
One thing Squall did notice though, was that the further he went, the colder he seemed to become. Shivering, he pulled his black leather jacket closer to his body, letting the fur of its collar warm his face and neck. Despite the coldness, he continued to walk, until the one thing he feared came into being and panic began to rear it's ugly head; Night was slowly falling over the forest and he was all alone, with no one for company, cold, and lost. His heart began to pound furiously within his heaving chest and an empty pit opened at the bottom of his stomach and started to corrode his insides. Beads of sweat were now flowing visibly down his brow, his hazel eyes wide with fear. The coldness was now almost unbearable...
"Having fun?" Squall span around on the spot to see who the voice belonged to. He was half relieved that he wasn't alone. Standing with his back rested against an oak was a ghostlike man draped in black. He seemed very relaxed and casual but his pale eyes were alight with greed as he sized up the boy standing before him. Squall immediately decided he did not like this man. His presence gave off a distinctly dark aura. Pulling out his precious gunblade from the sheath on his back, he brandished it at the mysterious man. "Where am I? Where's Balamb Garden?" He demanded, hoping his voice didn't quiver with the mad fear welling up inside his chest.
Sephiroth studied Squall before answering. "Balamb Garden? I have not heard of such a place." Squall began to shudder uncontrollably and tears threatened to pour from his eyes. He had no hope of getting home. His panic-stricken thoughts were cut short by Sephiroth's cold voice. "You look young. Barely eighteen. I'm sorry I must cut your life short but I have come much too far to let a mortal go." He didn't sound very apologetic. Squall gripped the gunblade even tighter, and as he stood there he felt some of his dread fade away to be replaced by anxiety. His eyes blazed dangerously. It had been nearly a year since he had done battle with a worthy opponent.
Sephiroth pulled his long-sword from its sheath. The thin blade looked at least six feet long. The Masumane. There was a short but intense moment between the two fighters before Sephiroth charged. Instinctively, Squall threw himself at the enemy with equal force. Seconds later the two foes met in a mad flurry of flashing blades. If there had been any creatures within the forest they would have immediately fled to avoid the melee of battle. The duo sidestepped and faked attacks to throw the opposite enemy off guard. Squall fought ferociously but Sephiroth's Masumane countered every blow with ease. Seeing this, Squall sprang back and fired a mighty shot from his gunblade. The ground erupted in an explosion of smoke. The veil soon lifted revealing a deep crater in the earth but Sephiroth was no where to be seen.
Puzzled, he looked around, searching for his adversary. Without warning, Squall was hit by a bolt of lightning. He fell crumpled on the ground from blinding pain and surprise. Sephiroth descended like a massive crow of death from the sky, his enormous cloak on all sides like wings. He landed beside Squall and plunged the Masumane into his chest. He stashed the lightning materia safely inside his cloak and wrenched his sword swiftly from the boy's body as the gunblade fell to the ground. A flaccid jet of blood spurted from his mortal wound and soaked Sephiroth and his sword. Sephiroth closed his eyes in a look of bliss, letting the blood trickle over his face. "Feed my Masumane... Satisfy your eternal hunger..." He stated as blood stained his blade.
"Forgive me... Rinoa..." Squall uttered his final words before his dead body hit the forest floor with a soft thud. Sephiroth took no notice for an extraordinary thing was taking place. The blood stains began to seep into his skin and as they did, his body slowly became completely solid. He felt his flesh materialize, and blood started to flow through his veins. Sephiroth took his first breath of fresh air. His first in a long time. Finally gazing at the body on the ground, he picked up the carcass and stripped it of any materia which he had been carrying. To his delight, he obtained Thundaga, Blizzaga, Firaga, Barrier, Ultima, Demi, and a Bahumat Summon. Sephiroth picked up the shiny orbs and put them safely along with his old materia. Sheathing the Masumane, a pair of immense black-feathered wings sprouted from Sephiroth's back. It was time... He gathered all the energy he could muster and jumped into the air catching a powerful thermal which carried him out of sight, leaving the body of Squall in his wake.
Where was he? Where was Rinoa? How was it possible that he was in his dorm room one minute, and in a forest the next? These questions swirled in his mind like wildfire. In a desperate attempt to clear his thoughts, Squall quickly stood up and began to walk in a random direction. He only hoped he was heading towards his destination... If I'm late for class professeur will kill me. Squall thought miserably. Time passed painfully slowly as he made his way through the unknown trees. Instead of going towards the edge of the woods, he was making his way towards the heart of them. Oblivious of this, he pressed on. If he had cleared his mind of his worries then he would have also noticed that the trees were growing thicker and becoming more constricted.
One thing Squall did notice though, was that the further he went, the colder he seemed to become. Shivering, he pulled his black leather jacket closer to his body, letting the fur of its collar warm his face and neck. Despite the coldness, he continued to walk, until the one thing he feared came into being and panic began to rear it's ugly head; Night was slowly falling over the forest and he was all alone, with no one for company, cold, and lost. His heart began to pound furiously within his heaving chest and an empty pit opened at the bottom of his stomach and started to corrode his insides. Beads of sweat were now flowing visibly down his brow, his hazel eyes wide with fear. The coldness was now almost unbearable...
"Having fun?" Squall span around on the spot to see who the voice belonged to. He was half relieved that he wasn't alone. Standing with his back rested against an oak was a ghostlike man draped in black. He seemed very relaxed and casual but his pale eyes were alight with greed as he sized up the boy standing before him. Squall immediately decided he did not like this man. His presence gave off a distinctly dark aura. Pulling out his precious gunblade from the sheath on his back, he brandished it at the mysterious man. "Where am I? Where's Balamb Garden?" He demanded, hoping his voice didn't quiver with the mad fear welling up inside his chest.
Sephiroth studied Squall before answering. "Balamb Garden? I have not heard of such a place." Squall began to shudder uncontrollably and tears threatened to pour from his eyes. He had no hope of getting home. His panic-stricken thoughts were cut short by Sephiroth's cold voice. "You look young. Barely eighteen. I'm sorry I must cut your life short but I have come much too far to let a mortal go." He didn't sound very apologetic. Squall gripped the gunblade even tighter, and as he stood there he felt some of his dread fade away to be replaced by anxiety. His eyes blazed dangerously. It had been nearly a year since he had done battle with a worthy opponent.
Sephiroth pulled his long-sword from its sheath. The thin blade looked at least six feet long. The Masumane. There was a short but intense moment between the two fighters before Sephiroth charged. Instinctively, Squall threw himself at the enemy with equal force. Seconds later the two foes met in a mad flurry of flashing blades. If there had been any creatures within the forest they would have immediately fled to avoid the melee of battle. The duo sidestepped and faked attacks to throw the opposite enemy off guard. Squall fought ferociously but Sephiroth's Masumane countered every blow with ease. Seeing this, Squall sprang back and fired a mighty shot from his gunblade. The ground erupted in an explosion of smoke. The veil soon lifted revealing a deep crater in the earth but Sephiroth was no where to be seen.
Puzzled, he looked around, searching for his adversary. Without warning, Squall was hit by a bolt of lightning. He fell crumpled on the ground from blinding pain and surprise. Sephiroth descended like a massive crow of death from the sky, his enormous cloak on all sides like wings. He landed beside Squall and plunged the Masumane into his chest. He stashed the lightning materia safely inside his cloak and wrenched his sword swiftly from the boy's body as the gunblade fell to the ground. A flaccid jet of blood spurted from his mortal wound and soaked Sephiroth and his sword. Sephiroth closed his eyes in a look of bliss, letting the blood trickle over his face. "Feed my Masumane... Satisfy your eternal hunger..." He stated as blood stained his blade.
"Forgive me... Rinoa..." Squall uttered his final words before his dead body hit the forest floor with a soft thud. Sephiroth took no notice for an extraordinary thing was taking place. The blood stains began to seep into his skin and as they did, his body slowly became completely solid. He felt his flesh materialize, and blood started to flow through his veins. Sephiroth took his first breath of fresh air. His first in a long time. Finally gazing at the body on the ground, he picked up the carcass and stripped it of any materia which he had been carrying. To his delight, he obtained Thundaga, Blizzaga, Firaga, Barrier, Ultima, Demi, and a Bahumat Summon. Sephiroth picked up the shiny orbs and put them safely along with his old materia. Sheathing the Masumane, a pair of immense black-feathered wings sprouted from Sephiroth's back. It was time... He gathered all the energy he could muster and jumped into the air catching a powerful thermal which carried him out of sight, leaving the body of Squall in his wake.