Before anyone could react, Kether drove Orchrist deeply into Cloud's still form.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Cid shouted as he desperately grabbed at Kether's arm to pull him away from Cloud. Once he drew near, however, a green bolt of light exploded towards him. A few of the beams connected, ripping the fabric of his clothing and cutting deeply into his skin. "Gah!" he yelped as he quickly withdrew his hand. "Shit! God that hurt!"

"Cid, don't touch him!" Vincent ordered quickly. "Look at him," he pointed with a metallic claw. "He is no longer in this place."

Kether's face was turned slightly upright with his eyes only half open. His mouth was ajar as well, as if he were in a trance of some sort.

"I do not think it's wise to get anywhere near them right now."

"No shit," Cid replied sarcastically. "I almost got my arm sliced off..." With his free hand he attempted to grasp the wound to stop it from bleeding, but he let out another yelp and decided to just leave it alone.

"What is he doing?" Tifa asked quietly. "Do you know what's going on, Vincent?"

The man shook his head slowly. "I couldn't even begin to guess. I only hope that whatever it is, he hurries."

"And why is that?" Cid asked as he pulled out a cigarette and prepared to light it.

Vincent glanced around cautiously. "I have a premonition...something that died here was not laid to rest, and I can feel it slowly encroaching on our position."

Cid dropped the cigarette and glanced nervously around the room. "The hell are you tryin' to do, give me a heart attack?! What, you're sayin' something's gonna attack us?"

"No. At least, not yet," Vincent replied. "But I wouldn't like to provoke it. The sooner we leave this place, the better."

Tifa glanced down at Cloud and now Kether's frozen forms. First Cloud gets stabbed and now this...wouldn't anything go right for her, just this once?

FFVII

"Wha-?" Kether suppressed a chuckle as he quickly dodged Cloud's fist. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I should be asking you the same thing!" Cloud shot back. "I don't know what the hell's going on, but I know for a fact that I don't wanna be in the same place as you!"

"That's not very nice," Kether remarked lightly. "And here I came to save you."

"Save me from what?"

"From death. You probably don't realize it yet, but you're dead, Cloud."

Cloud froze in his tracks. It seemed every time this person opened his mouth something came out that rendered their fighting obsolete. "What did you just say? I'm...I'm dead?" Cloud repeated slowly.

"Pierced by your own sword, no less," Kether laughed.

Cloud glanced down and saw that everything was fine. There were no injuries of any sort, much less a stab wound. "Why should I believe you?" he asked suspiciously.

Kether rolled his eyes. "Just look around you- don't you recognize where we are?"

"All I see is black."

"Precisely," Kether nodded. "We are in limbo. At first I was worried that I wouldn't make it in time to keep your body from entering the lifestream...someone must've been holding you back."

Cloud furrowed his eyebrows, but otherwise said nothing.

"No matter," Kether continued, "you and I are both here, and I am offering you another chance at life."

Cloud tried to keep the surprise out of his eyes, but it didn't seem to be working. "Why would you do something like that? I thought you wanted me dead!" he demanded.

Kether shook his head slowly and clicked his tongue. "Cloud, Cloud...are you saying that you don't want your life given back to you?"

"I-I never said that!" Cloud spat. "I just wanna know why! You must be doing it for some reason!"

"Of course I'm doing it for a reason! You don't think I'd do something like this for free, do you?"

"Then tell me!" Cloud said firmly. "What are you getting in return for this?"

"I'm getting Tifa," Kether answered matter-of-factly. "At some point in time- to be decided by me- she will come to me and serve me until I release her."

"And you think I'd let you do something like that?!" Cloud fumed. His face was bright red in anger, but he refrained from any aggressive actions.

"It's what Tifa wants," Kether stated.

"I would rather be cut into a thousand tiny pieces before I let her do anything like that! Your business is finished here, so leave!"

"But you should have seen the look on her face when she saw you lying there, face down and on the floor, covered in your own blood. Is that what you want for her?"

"I..." Cloud faltered briefly. "I don't care! I won't allow Tifa to subject herself to your whims!"

"Very well," Kether waved as he slowly disappeared from sight. "But if I do not revive you, then there is no reason for me to keep her alive."

Startled by that new revelation, Cloud shouted, "W-Wait a minute!" He dove towards Kether's translucent form, but because he came into contact with nothing, Cloud ended up landing in an unceremonious heap on the floor. Fortunately, his exclamation did cause Kether to come back. "Tifa is with you right now?!!" Cloud breathed heavily.

"Not only her, but Vincent and Cid, as well. If I do not revive you, then I will eliminate them, along with the woman."

Cloud ground his teeth together and stared at the ground intently. "Dammit," he muttered under his breath.

"You know, you're an odd one," Kether observed. "Here I am, ready to give your life back to you, and yet I must threaten the lives of your friends before you even consider it."

"It's because of Tifa!" Cloud shouted loudly. "What the hell do you intend on doing to her?"

"I'm not going to do anything to her," Kether replied evenly. "The human female is a creature of beauty and grace, deserving only of the utmost admiration and respect. If I violate her- be it either mental or physical- then I am no better than an animal, even if she is my enemy. Rest assured, my intentions towards here are entirely unadulterated."

"...and I have your word on this?" Cloud asked quietly.

"What I have said is enough," Kether answered with an irritated glance. "Now, it is time for you to decide: life or death? Remember that your decision affects the lives of your friends, as well."

Cloud's eyes drooped and he hung his head lowly. For a long time, he didn't say anything- merely remained sitting on the floor staring at the ground.

Then, he spoke almost inaudibly: "I choose..."

FFVII

"What's taking so long," Cid remarked, tapping his foot nervously. "Vincent, why don't you try to move them or something?"

Vincent narrowed his eyes at Cid's comment. "As if what happened to you wasn't enough, this," he said as he held up his metal appendage, "turns me into a human lightning rod. You think I would go anywhere near them right now?"

"But we've gotta do something! I mean, now even I can tell that there's something not right about this place. It's really giving me the creeps, and I wanna get outta here right goddamn now!"

"I'm not going anywhere without Cloud," Tifa spoke up. "No matter what happens, if I die, then I want to die by his side!"

"That may just happen," Cid warned. "Don't talk about your life so carelessly."

"He's right," Vincent agreed. "If it becomes a matter of life and death, then we will flee this place."

"You two can do what you want!" Tifa huffed.

"We...will flee this place," Vincent repeated firmly.

Tifa was about to reply, but an enormous crash startled the words out of her mind. She barely had time to move out of the way before an enormous portion of the rocky ceiling collapsed, effectively cutting off their access to the outside.

"Fuck!" Cid yelled once the commotion had died down. "There goes our exit!"

Tifa covered her mouth with her hands in an effort to filter out the dust clouds that were now swirling around the room. "Maybe it was just that section?" she said in a nasal tone. "The staircase is probably fine."

"Well, we won't know until we observe," Vincent said quickly as he struggled to remove portions of the rock that were blocking the passage. He glanced over at Kether, only to see that he hadn't budged an inch. Much to his chagrin, Cloud also remained unchanged.

This certainly was a bad turn of events. There was no doubt in his mind that this incident had been caused by that maleficent aura, but he wasn't about to worry the others by voicing his opinion. Better to let things play out naturally.

"Y'know," Cid grunted as he struggled to move a particularly large rock, "this wouldn't be so bad if Kether wasn't here and Cloud wasn't lying on the floor with a hole the size of my ship in his stomach."

"Don't say that!" Tifa remarked curtly. "This is really serious!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to lighten the mood," he admitted. "Damn, this thing just won't BUDGE!"

Suddenly, his hands slipped and he stumbled backwards into Tifa's outstretched arms. With a little effort, she was able to prevent him from falling, although the look he was now giving her said that it probably would have hurt his pride less if he'd merely fallen.

"What happened?" Vincent asked.

"Hell if I know!" Cid blurted loudly. "Rock just got real slippery all of a sudden."

He walked over and examined the stone in question. "What is this?" he said mostly to himself. Using a gloved hand to wipe some of the substance off, he held it up to his face and scrutinized it. "Is this...is this blood?!" he exclaimed.

There wasn't any time for a response. A steady stream of the red liquid was now leaking through the stones and collecting in a large puddle on the floor.

"Vincent?" Tifa asked worriedly.

Their exit was blocked, that much was certain. The only choice they now had was to go backwards. "Go into the lab!" he told her quickly. "Lock the door; bolt it; barricade it! Do whatever it takes!"

"What about Cloud?"

"What about him?" came a voice from behind her.

Jumping in surprise, she spun around to see Kether standing behind her with a serious look on his face. Cloud was draped over his shoulder, but at least he was breathing, which was certainly more than what he'd been doing five minutes ago.

"Cloud, y-you're alive!" Tifa cried joyously.

"Don't!" Kether commanded when she made a move to reach for him. "He is still disoriented. The wound has not yet fully healed, either, and he is very weak. It will be some time before he can even speak, much less handle an embrace from a hysterical woman. Besides, we have more pressing matters right now."

The puddle slowly shifted and began to take shape.

"There's no more time!" Vincent shouted. "Cid, take Cloud and Tifa into the laboratory and lock yourselves inside! Kether and I will handle this!"

"Whoat, wait a minute! No, I won't!" Kether objected.

Vincent gave him a startled look. "What are you talking about? Kether, I need your help!"

"I cannot fight him!" came the swift reply.

"Why the hell not?!" Cid interjected. "Don't tell me you're scared or somethin'?" Kether's face was firm, but he did not reply. "Answer me!" Cid demanded.

"I will say no more on the matter!" Kether replied, equally enraged at Cid's probing.

"Agh, fine!" Cid bellowed. "You take Tifa and Cloud to the lab. I'll stay and help Vincent."

"No," Vincent said quietly. "Cid...you go with them. I'll take care of this."

"By yourself?"

Vincent shook his head. "I am not alone. Please...I do not wish for anyone to see me..."

Cid hesitated. "You sure that's what you want, man?"

Vincent's eyes were all the response he needed.

"Okay. You'd better win, though, all right? I'm gonna get really pissed if you do something stupid!"

"I know. Now hurry! Close the door and don't open it...until you hear my voice..."

Without another word Cid, along with Tifa, Kether, and Cloud, made his way to the lab and bolted the door shut behind him.

Once they had disappeared, Vincent let out a heavy breath. A pale red light began to emanate from his body, but he did not fight it this time.

Cold...like ice water flowing through his veins. His very being was being taken over, and yet he allowed it to be so.

"Forgive me," he thought desperately.

The figure that now stood in front of him looked like something straight out of his nightmares- haggard, bright red eyes covered a body that didn't look entirely solid. Although it was hardly human in shape, beneath the ripples of the red water there appeared to be the visages of small children- perhaps no older than ten staring right back at him with hungry eyes.

Then he let out a startled gasp. He'd crossed the threshold, and his vision was beginning to fade to black. The feeling of guilt that now washed over him nearly consumed his spirit- the sadness of having to resort to this...and the disgust he felt because he was partially looking forward to it.

Surely there was no forgiveness for a man who surrendered his humanity so easily. But such thoughts soon faded form his mind completely. He was going to that world between worlds- the only place he could truly say he found rest: that comatose state while hanging between worlds. At least there, he could escape from the memories...

He didn't even hear the demon's vile laughter as it made a move towards the bloody monster.

FFVII

"What the hell...is going on?" Cloud demanded as loudly as he could manage.

"Don't talk," Kether ordered firmly. "You'll only end up hurting yourself."

Tifa glanced nervously at the door, and then over to where Kether was sitting. He was using his own shoulder as a brace for Cloud to balance against. Looking at them now, it was hard to believe that they were, in fact, mortal enemies.

"So...what did happen, exactly?" Cid queried once the silence had become unbearable. "I mean...you had said something about Cloud attacking himself?"

"What?!" Cloud blurted out.

A stern look from Kether silenced any further exclamations he may have had. Turning to look at Cid, he replied: "That is not an appropriate conversation to have while he's sitting right here."

"The hell it isn't! If you know what just happened, then tell me!" insisted the former member of SOLDIER.

Kether rolled his eyes slightly. Reaching over towards Cloud's face, he formed a pale sphere of light in his hand and, once he'd passed it over Cloud's eyes, the ex-SOLDIER member immediately fell unconscious.

"I told you not to talk," Kether declared simply. "You should have listened."

Tifa leaned forward and examined Cloud's sleeping frame. "What was that you just did?" she asked. "It didn't look like a sleep spell."

"That's because it wasn't. It's really quite useful, though- a person under its influence recovers at a much faster rate than they normally would. It's also more restful than normal sleep."

"Well, good for him," Cid remarked dryly. "Glad one of us gets to relax right now. But now that he's out of it, why don't you try explaining what the hell it was you were talking about?"

"I don't believe I can put it more simply," Kether regarded Cid with a tired look in his eyes. "Cloud attacked himself, and he suffered for it. That's all there is to it."

"You must be mistaken," Tifa informed him. "I only saw it for a second, but the thing that attacked me definitely wasn't Cloud."

"Yes," Kether countered, "it was. Or rather, one of his personas."

"One of his what's?"

"Persona: a reflected image of one's self, or that mental image projected publicly," Kether explained briefly.

Tifa shook her head. "Cloud isn't anything like what that monster was!"

Kether could only chuckle at her response. "Tifa, you're still so naïve. You really need to work on that, you know? In the human mind there consist so many facets of humanity that it is impossible for one person to merely be represented by a select few."

"...and that means what, exactly?" Cid interrupted.

"Basically, that the characteristics of the human mind are composed of many conflicting emotions. What separates us from the animals, however, is that we are capable of determining which ones dominate. However, the remaining selves within us still exist in the metaphysical sense. That cannot change, no matter how much we may want it to."

"Okay, you lost me," Cid threw up his hands in disgust as he headed towards the far end of the lab. "If you need me, I'll be over here." With that, he sat down in the large chair and pulled out his spear. Silently, he began to sharpen the edge with a tiny stone.

"Wait a minute," Tifa said aloud softly. "So you're saying...that the thing I saw was a part of Cloud?"

Kether nodded.

"A part that doesn't show, and yet still exists inside of him?"

"Bingo."

Closing her eyes in frustration, she cracked of few of her knuckles before returning to the conversation. "But...why would an aspect of Cloud manifest itself in a physical sense? Emotions aren't tangible."

"Au contraire," Kether contradicted easily. "What do you think that thing out there is?" he asked as he motioned towards the door.

Tifa shivered merely at the thought of it. "I assumed it was just some monster."

"Nope. You know what a poltergeist is, don't you?"

Tifa could help but let out a small chuckle at his remark. "You aren't serious, are you? Grow up, Kether."

"Do I look like I'm joking?" he replied evenly. "There are many things in this world that have yet to be discovered or explained. Personally, I don't find it so hard to believe."

"But even if they existed, that's not a poltergeist!" Tifa told him smugly. "Those only reveal themselves through strange noises and other little things."

Kether stared at her knowingly. "Now, Tifa, tell me honestly: you really think some of the things you've fought in the past were just run-of-the-mill creatures? I think you know that poltergeists are capable of much more than just 'noises', as you so quaintly put it."

Well, he certainly had a point there. Now that she thought about it, there were a few things did come to mind. Most memorably was the demon they faced in the Gi cave, and if that thing wasn't a demon of some sort, then there was nothing else that could even come close to qualifying!

"But...aren't poltergeists a representation of suppressed emotion?" she asked.

"Most notably anger and hostility," Kether informed her. "There are also instances where sexual frustration can be a cause."

Tifa glanced nervously to where Cloud was laying. "Can he hear us?"

"Don't worry, he's still asleep."

Tifa nodded. "If that's the case," she continued from before, "then that means that Cloud would have wanted it to happen in some form or another."

"That is the theory," Kether acceded.

Tifa furrowed her eyebrows. "But why would he want to do that?"

"Usually revenge. Do not forget, we are standing in the very mansion- the very room- where Cloud was forced to undergo mako fusion. I imagine that at the time he was very bitter and desired nothing more than to see his oppressors suffer."

"Since poltergeists stay in the place where they're convocated, then that must be the case," Tifa replied softly. "They must've done some terrible things to him..."

"Indeed," Kether agreed without a hint of emotion in his voice.

"So the manifestations of Cloud's emotions were none other than repressed aspects of himself? That's why when he attacked it..."

"It was like attacking his own body," Kether finished for her.

"Then, what makes you think that thing out there is a poltergeist as well? Is there a reason for why you can't attack it?"

Kether's eyes narrowed briefly, but then his face resumed its calm look. "Because...it...I mean, I..." He trailed off and merely shrugged. "Doesn't really matter," he grinned foolishly at her.

"I guess I can't expect more than that from you," Tifa sighed. "It can only be one thing, though...those poor children..."

"The trauma from their demise no doubt spawned the creature faster than Cloud's own incarnations."

"Wait a second...you mean there's more than one?!" Tifa shouted.

Kether narrowed his eyes. "Did I just say that? I guess I should stop talking now..."

"No, wait, how do you know there are more than one?" Tifa demanded. "Tell me! Who are you?! How do you know so much about everyone and everything?!"

"I don't have to answer you, and there's nothing you can do to change that, so stop talking."

"I'm not gonna stop talking until you tell me!" Tifa replied obstinately.

Kether glared at her with fiery eyes. Swiftly, he pressed his hand to Cloud's shoulder, which caused him to stir.

"Dammit!" Tifa said through gritted teeth. With Cloud awake, there was no way they would be able to continue their conversation. Well, she would get it out of him sooner or later, that much she was determined to do.

"You bozos finished chattin'?" Cid called from the back room.

"Yeah," Tifa answered with a hint of irritation in her voice. "Kether decided to be an ass."

"Is that so?" Cid chuckled.

"What's...going on?" Cloud murmured with a dazed look on his face.

"Don't say another word or I'll put you back to sleep," Kether warned.

Cloud pursed his lips together and said nothing else, though his eyes burned with an internal fury.

With seemingly nothing else to talk about, the four of them sat in that room for what seemed like a small eternity. Reading was out of the question, for the books turned to piles of dust as soon as they were touched. Exploring also wasn't an option: the laboratory only consisted of the two, small rooms.

With a disgruntled sigh, Tifa got to her feet and made her way towards the large door. After fiddling with the locking mechanism for a few moments, she heard a soft click as it was released.

"Tifa!" Cid whispered fiercely. "Vincent told us not to open the door until he tells us it's all right!"

"I just wanna see what's going on!" she replied briskly. "I haven't heard any commotion in there for a while..."

"I'm telling you, that's not a good idea!"

"But what if he's hurt?" Tifa countered. "Look, we can't stay in here forever!"

"Just sit down and be patient," Kether replied condescendingly, as if he were speaking to a child.

Tifa huffed slightly. Returning her attention to the door, she turned the knob and pulled open the monstrous panel. Peering through the small aperture, everything seemed normal...except for the fact that there was nobody there.

She could see neither Vincent, nor the monster he had been fighting; however, wherever they were, it couldn't be too far, for the passageway was still blocked off.

"Well?" Cid pressed curiously. "What do you see?"

"I don't see anything," Tifa replied quietly.

"What do you mean, you don't see anything?" Kether asked with mild disbelief. "Did they just up and disappear?"

"I dunno," Tifa remarked. Pulling open the door a little more, she moved her head around the corner so that she could see the entire tunnel area. Nothing. Had they really...disappeared?

With a perturbed look on her face, Tifa withdrew and pressed firmly on the door to close it once more.

A clawed hand shot through the opening and wrapped around the frame, preventing it from moving.

Tifa let out a startled cry as she fell backwards and scooted over to where Kether and Cid were standing.

A charcoal black face pressed itself up through the orifice so that only one eye was visible, but it was enough to send shivers down Tifa's spine.

The yellow eye, with only a small, black pupil, peered into the room, while swiveling in its socket as if it were searching for something. There was a toothy grin that leisurely spread across the visage as it slowly, deliberately pushed the door open wider.

"I thought," came the low, raspy voice, "that he told you...not to open the door!!"