Chapter 16: A Tower of Nightmares
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I do not own anything Bayonetta, Persona 5, Devil May Cry or Final Fantasy Seven related. (Hitting all the bases in that one!)
…
The water began to close up from above him as the forces holding the whirlpool in place disappeared. Sephiroth froze the water underneath him and let the opening close; the iceberg began to rise fast and shot him back out and onto the water's surface.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he turned to face Ithavoll. His features hardened and he fought to get his emotions under control.
This was where it all started. This is where he swore never to come back to. But now?
He let his eyes trail down to the surface of the water. Both he and Bayonetta had defeated all four Audito at a score of two each. Aside from the Father, nothing in Paradiso or at Isla Del Sol would potentially pose a challenge any longer.
He wasn't terrified of the city any more. If he had the strength to defeat the strongest Paradiso had to offer, then he could win.
'As you should be.' Khepri purred. 'You have grown stronger Sephiroth, almost enough to be my champion.'
I don't want to be your champion. I want to be normal.
'You will need to embrace it briefly to return to normal,' she fired back, a smile in her words. 'Suck it up, princess.'
Sephiroth merely rolled his eyes, not bothering to hide his smile. He returned his gaze to the city and frowned when he saw two helicopters flying in, lights sweeping the area. He instinctively lowered into a crouch, but then remembered they couldn't see him; he was still in Purgatorio.
'It might be due time to leave,' Khepri advised with concern leaking into her tone. 'It's only a matter of time before any Laguna begins to get curious over their final Audito's fate.'
I agree. He nodded, standing up. Best to save my energy for Ithavoll.
Closing his eyes, he teleported to where he had left the pair. Unsurprisingly, they were both long gone. Grimacing at the dirtied needles and tubing on the floor, he tucked his wing in as far as he could and walked out.
The streets were emptied of the spectral figures that inhabited the mortal realm. Frowning, Sephiroth clicked his fingers and reality split apart. His steps echoed as he walked out of Purgatorio, face morphing into confusion. Unnatural lights gleamed off the street as the sun dipped below the horizon, the space becoming emptier on each echo.
"Where the hell is everybody?" He turned around, gesturing to the buildings and the streets. "There should be-"
'10798…'
His head snapped as the voice penetrated through his defences like they were nothing. His skin went pale. His eyes widened with fear.
If this was the power of the Father, how could he possibly win?
'Welcome home, my dear creation.'
An explosion ripped through the air and the city went white. A small mushroom cloud rose from a building near the Ithavoll tower. The Father retreated from his mind as he threw his own out, trying to see or sense anything.
He found Bayonetta, then Luka. Bayonetta was in the tower and Luka was rising up to meet her. Close to the building itself was the presence of-
"Jeanne!" He screamed, running towards the burning ruins. "No!"
'Calm down!'
Khepri's words had no effect as he launched himself towards the wall of a building with a single jump. He crashed through the wall, causing a few citizens to turn and stare at him. Ignoring them and their lack of reaction, he jumped out on top of the next building and stumbled as he collapsed through the ceiling and into the building itself.
'Just teleport a kilometre into the air and then straight there!' She ordered. "If you are so insistent on doing this, then do it right!"
Pushing some rubble off himself, he jumped up and did just that. His wing extended out and held him aloft as he slowly floated down. His eyes scanned the buildings, until he found-
Smoke greeted him as he teleported above the burning building. Dropping down, he landed in a heap of ash and fire and began to cough from the smoke inhalation. He could feel his arm beginning to burn as something caught aflame. Stamping it out with one hand and covering his face with the other, he closed his eyes and began to walk forward. His mind expanded out, seeing where his eyes could not.
Jeanne was here. Alive. He had brushed her mind briefly before it shut him out completely, so she had to be here. She had to be. There was no alternative.
'How on Earth are you going to find her?' Khepri asked. 'This is just… It's a very unwise decision. I do not approve of this decision.'
I'll find where I can't look. If she's shielding, I won't be able to find anything. She's not subtle.
'Smart. Get going, then.'
He slowly began to creep through the building, his mind brushing against every surface. Nothing but fire and corpses awaited him. Nothing that was Jeanne, nor anything describing the absence of Jeanne.
His foot plummeted through the floor as it gave way. His hands scrambled for purchase as he fell onto the next level, then through it. Ash rained down after him, covering his body and the surrounding area. Landing in a heap a level down, Sephiroth curled into a ball as debris slammed into his body. Groaning, he pushed the beams and plasters off and glanced up to see a shimmering red light among the dust.
And Jeanne.
Her eyes were closed as her body curled into a tight ball. She was encased in a grey catsuit now; its design was extremely similar, if not the exact same as Bayonetta. A translucent red shield surrounded her, echoing the glow of something held tightly in her fist.
Sephiroth wasted no time. He scrambled to his feet, dust flying everywhere, and ran towards the sphere. He impacted against it with a huff, almost flattening himself against it. Sephiroth pulled himself up and took a step back, regarding the shield with a frown.
'It survived whatever caused that explosion. It will survive you.'
He slammed a fist against it, watching it harden into a solid then slowly back to translucent again. How do I break it?
'You can't-'
Tell me. I can and will break it.
Khepri huffed. 'You are insufferable with this little crusade of yours. You need to overload the barrier. You unfortunately do not have-'
"Don't tell me what I can and can't do." Sephiroth hissed, extending his hand out. He rested it on the barrier and felt it harden in response. "I will break this!"
'You're not going to kill yourself for some girl who isn't necessary-'
"All the more reason to save her," he snarled back at her. "My… friends taught me that every life is precious. Jeanne is no different!"
Pure magic surged into the barrier. It hardened further, almost obscuring the woman within completely. Frowning, he pushed more and more into it.
'You're not strong enough. Please, don't!'
"I have to be!" His other hand joined, magic surging from it. "I promised!"
'You have to free her after, and you'll need all your strength to do that! She's not worth it!'
A scream of anguish erupted from his throat as his emotions began to boil over. "I have to fucking try!"
The shield shattered outwards as a weave slammed into him. He flew backwards and hit the wall behind him, breaking through it and landing on a heap. Rubbing dust off his face, he looked up to see Jeanne stepping through the hole with a smirk on her face.
"Of course…" She held her left hand up, opening it to reveal a glowing red jewel. "Both of you forget who really is in control. Who really has all the chips on the table."
Jeanne closed her fist and summoned her katana to her hand. "The Left Eye is all but mine, once again. And you will not stop me."
Sephiroth didn't let her start anything. Sharuba appeared in a reverse grip with a flash of fire and he teleported behind her. Swinging the pommel, he slammed it straight into the base of her skull. She collapsed forward, her sword clanging off the ground. His own followed as he teleported to catch her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and flipping her face up. Just as he expected, she was unconscious. Gently laying her down, he knelt down beside her and placed his hands on her temples.
'Do you have a plan?' Khepri asked, exasperated. 'Or anything at all?'
No. But I don't need one. He began to concentrate, prodding at her mental defences. Finding no real resistance, he slipped in-
…
He teleported himself upright as soon as he awoke in the world of white. Glancing around, he tried to find the cage. Only endless white awaited him.
"Jeanne?" he called out, a small amount of desperation leaking out. "Where are you?"
"I'm here. Behind you."
Twisting around, he cursed inwardly and stared at the cage containing a very visibly disappointed Jeanne.
"I told Cereza not to bother and I will tell you the same thing." She crawled over to the wall of the cage and held onto the bars. She was about the age of a teenager and the cage had grown slightly to accommodate her. "Go! Leave this island and leave me to die."
"No. I promised I would save you." He knelt down and stared at her, trying to fill his gaze with the conviction he felt. "I'm going to free you, Jeanne."
"I… I fucking tortured you! I made your life a fucking living hell and took it all away from you-"
"He did that. Balder," he swallowed, bowing his head. "Balder did that."
Her expression fell into despair. "You're acknowledging him. You're not leaving."
He stayed silent, waiting for the cogs to finish turning. Somehow, her face managed to fall even further when they did.
"You're going to face him." She swallowed. "You fucking idiot! This is exactly-"
"We're going to face him." Sephiroth corrected with a shake of his head. "You, Bayonetta and myself. We're going to take him down together."
Jeanne scoffed, squeezing the bars tighter. "You're hopelessly optimistic. He's going to come here, and he's going to get the Eye of the World. There's no-"
"Shut up and let me try!" He reached out and gripped the bars. He pulled with all his might; eyes glowing as he fed some magic into his grip.
They didn't even flex.
"You can't break a spell like this with brute force." Jeanne gathered her legs under herself and stared at the ground. "I know, because I've tried. Several fucking times."
"There has to be something we can do." Sephiroth brought his hands away, getting to his feet. "If you have any ideas-"
"I've been stuck here for nearly one hundred fucking years; what do you possibly think I haven't tried!?" she screamed at him. "I'm going to die; that's the only thing I haven't fucking tried yet and I don't even think I can kill myself right!"
Her arm reached out and gripped his top, pulling him down to eye level again. "Here is what you are going to do; you are going to leave here, grab the Left Eye and then stab me in the head with that sword of yours. Cut me in fucking pieces if you have to! Once you make sure I'm in Inferno, you leave and destroy the Eye. Send that fucking stone into the sun, melt it in the core; I don't care. Just destroy it!"
"You're not dying. No one is, except Balder."
"Then at least save yourself!" She shoved him back. Unlike last time, he just landed in a heap and was still inside the world of white.
"Oh no…" Jeanne's eyes widened in fear as she stared behind him. Seeing red at the edges of his vision, Sephiroth turned around.
He was here.
Clad in a long, white robe with gold and cerulean trimmings, the ghastly pale man stood with a sickening grin on his face. His opulent overcoat and monocle were gone; it seemed the man was here to conduct business.
His mental shields fortified, even though he knew Balder could break them at a moment's notice.
"Oh, it has come to this. The weapon 'cares' for its sharpener." His voice was soft and melodic, yet Sephiroth knew better than to listen to it fully. "And in believing in its 'righteous' cause it simply allows me to collect what I desire most at once."
Sephiroth swallowed, then stood up. "I'm not afraid of you."
"Are you convincing me?" Balder's eyes intensified. "Or are you trying to convince yourself of that?"
"What more could you do to me? I have endured all of it." He pointed to Jeanne. "And I will endure more of it to rescue her."
"The useful pawn?" His eyes flickered to her. "She's broken. Without me, she has nothing but vengeance in her heart. And once that is gone, she is but a hollow shell with no purpose and no reason. Take away her motivations, she ceases to function. I gave her purpose, and I will continue to grant it."
Sephiroth glanced back to see Jeanne looking at the ground, looking utterly defeated. Hardening his gaze, he glared at the Sage. "You're wrong."
"Am I wrong? Tell us, Mademoiselle, of what plans you have after you have enacted your vengeance and I lie dead at your feet." Balder folded his arms into his sleeves. "Your love rejected you. Your clan is dead, by your decision. You have slaughtered entire generations of humans in my name. No one will accept you-"
"I will, because I know the truth. And as long as one knows, the one who matters most, it doesn't matter what everyone else thinks," he fired back, thinking of Luka. "You caused all of it, Balder."
"I did?" He shook his head slowly. "Please, tell me Jeanne; who was the one to give in and accept my conditions? Who was the one who said 'yes?' Who was the one who gave her mind to me willingly?"
Jeanne didn't say anything. She was trembling and stared blankly at the ground.
"It doesn't matter if she did," Sharuba snapped into his hand as he took a stance. "What she wants right now is to be free."
"Freedom is a contextual term, 10798." Balder tilted his head. "You, of all, should know that. By being drawn back to this place, you've simply returned to me. You are still shackled by the chains of your destiny."
"I came back to return myself to normal!"
Balder regarded him with a sigh. "You fail to see the hypocrisy of that statement. You are not free. You will never be free of the bonds that tie you to this city. Every time you deny me you are simply recognising and interpreting your latest prison."
Sephiroth charged with a roar. Balder merely raised his hand and he felt himself freeze up and fall to the ground.
"You forget that we are in the mind-scape now. This is my strength. You believe yourself an amateur in the Soul Arts?" He scoffed. "I am the master."
A force began to crush his body. Pain blossomed, then bloomed as he felt his bones begin to implode. Screams began to erupt from his throat as it all turned to agony.
'You're going to need to do something, or you will die,' Khepri's voice cut through everything, pleading with worry.
He managed to turn his head to Jeanne in her cage. If she was out, she could help.
'You can't break the cage.'
His mind spun as he remembered what changed when she stuck her arms out. The cage was larger than normal too.
Can I modify the spell?
'You- What are-'
Struggling, he lifted one hand and gestured at the cage.
"Oh please, you cannot break that. Even I could not break that spell without my death-"
"DRILPA!"
The cage expanded rapidly, smashing into the pair of them. The pain lessened as Balder's spell fell apart, but reappeared with the force of the cage.
"What are you doing?" the Sage screeched, trying to push himself off the cage. "You cannot break this spell!"
"I'm not trying to break it," he grinned. "You put her in a cage inside her own mind? Then I'll make the body the cage."
'That works?!'
Wait, does it?
'It does! I feel like an Angel not thinking of that earlier!'
Balder's face contorted into rage. "She will die before I rel-
…
Sephiroth fell backwards as his mind unmelded from hers. Landing on his backside, he stared at the prone body of Jeanne with hope.
He had done it, right?
'Uhh…'
He couldn't sense Balder any longer. He could sense Jeanne next to him, but nothing beyond that. He tried to take in some air and regain a sense of control, but nothing happened. Frowning, he tried again.
'Sephiroth?'
Wait…
He wasn't breathing. Correction; he couldn't breathe. Everything felt blocked. A pounding headache began to form and he could feel liquids running from his eyes, nose and ears.
'It seems that your body could not handle doing that.'
What's happening?
'You're suffering from a lot of internal bleeding. I honestly don't know how you are alive.'
Well, he wasn't going to be for long. Stumbling onto his knees, he began to squeak as the last of any oxygen left in his lungs ran out. Blood dripped from his face as he felt himself become light-headed. He tensed the muscles in his torso, trying to force himself into being able to breathe.
Nothing.
His eyes widened in panic, darting frantically around. He was going to die and he didn't even know if he had saved Jeanne. He didn't even know if he was going to survive long enough to know if he could have saved Jeanne. His limbs were losing strength as he began to sway, red and black dots dancing at the edge of his vision-
Two arms wrapped around him from behind, then squeezed. Blood flowed from his mouth as he vomited everything inside his lungs and stomach out. Coughing more up as oxygen rushed back into his body, he felt his throat burn from the acidic reflux filling every orifice. Sephiroth felt his body weaken, his limbs giving out and he collapsed onto his face.
Except he didn't. The same two arms caught him and pulled him onto a lean and muscular surface. Slowly, he was flipped over to see a concerned Jeanne staring down at him.
He wanted to reach out and check, but he was too exhausted. Letting himself breath, he just settled for observing her.
One of her hands caressed his face lightly, wiping away dust and blood. She raised it up, staring at it intensely. One at a time, Jeanne curled a finger up and straightened it out. By the time she had reached her middle finger, she was trembling. Her thumbs didn't even bend before the tears had formed.
"You…" Her voice was thick. "You did it."
Her hand flew to her mouth, covering it. Her whole body was wracking with shakes and her eyes closed to try and contain the tears from spilling. She wasn't successful; they began to leak out, staining her cheeks and emphasising the dust and ash covering her.
"I promised you, didn't I?" His voice was raw and scratchy, more so than normal.
Jeanne let out a pained sob as her arms wrapped around herself. Sephiroth reached out and pushed himself up into a kneeling position, opposite the distraught woman.
"I thought you would be happier…" He placed his hands onto his thighs, taking in a few deep breaths.
"You obviously don't understand fucking human emotions then." She opened her eyes and narrowed them. Another sob broke out as her body wracked with another tremor. "It's just… It's been so long. I broke out three times, each time with the knowledge that I was just going to become his pawn again. But now I can't even feel him in my mind. It's just me and me alone. The cage, he needs to be in my mind to break it. And you…"
"You can call me a genius." He managed to grin. She punched him in response.
"What the actual fuck were you thinking!? Challenging the Father like that? You could have fucking died, you moron! Then we would all be back at step one and Cereza would be in Ithavoll alone!" Jeanne screamed, tears now streaming down her face. "You didn't escape and ruin the Father's plans just to come back here and die like an idiot, did you?"
"I came here to save you and stop the Father's plans!" He pointed at her, confused. "I thought saving people was something the-"
"You don't save people like me." She looked away, sniffling. "Go and save the innocents in the laboratories. In Isla Del Sol. Anyone but me. I told Cereza-"
"Why do you keep saying Cereza? You haven't been talking to the litt-"
"Cereza is her name, you fucking dolt!" She snapped at him. "The woman you know as Bayonetta is Cereza!"
Everything slowed down as he processed that. Then processed it again. And a third time.
"Then who is the little one then?" He frowned, tilting his head. "Her name is-"
"They're all the same person! They're both a child of light and dark! You should have just gone off and helped them both and not me because it's far more important to keep them both away from him!" She finished, then all the energy seemed to drain from her body. "I'm not important, and I will never be."
Sephiroth just stared at her in shock. Did the thought that Cerezita and Bayonetta could be the same ever cross his mind? No. Did everything make sense when he really thought about it? Yes.
Cereza and Bayonetta both grew up with problematic childhoods. Both were Umbra Witches. Both had very similar looking- no, they were identical watches around their neck/on their chest. They even had similar mannerisms!
And she was a child of light and dark. His eyes widened as he finally realised that there were three of them.
He was ultimately expendable.
"They're the same person…" Instead of dwelling on that, he tried to focus on one thing at a time.
"Only just figuring it out now? Who else would Balder turn to if he needed another? The Eclipse Project was becoming a bust, so he simply found another version of the only other child who existed." She spat out. "The only piece of the puzzle he is missing is this."
The soft glow of the Left Eye briefly turned everything red as she opened one fist. Closing it, she slammed it against the ground. "Everyone died because of me, you know? Everything that happened is because I was a fucking idiot! Yet another reason to simply let me perish and go save the fucking world instead, yet here you are. Fucking rescuing me…"
'She has issues.'
That has to be the bluntest piece of information you've ever given me.
Khepri laughed. 'You are welcome. Now cheer up Miss De'Arc here and get moving.'
Did you know the entire time? About Cereza and Bayonetta?
Her silence was enough of an answer. Shaking his head slightly, he reached out and slowly pulled her head in his direction until she was looking him in the eye.
"Before, it was just Bayonetta and myself against the entire world," he started. "But we now have two things that Balder doesn't. That Eye and you."
"Me? He knows exactly where we fucking are, and the only reason he hasn't sent a taskforce to mop us up is because we are not considered threats-"
"You said the same thing about me, did you not?" he interrupted her, fire in his eyes. "You thought I couldn't do shit about anything, and look at me now. I defeated you, two Audito and then outsmarted him!"
"That wasn't me, that was-" Her eyes widened. "That was Balder."
"Exactly! He's overconfident because he has all the pieces in place. The only thing he needs right now is that Eye, and I'm certain he expects me to take it to him or something." He reached down, pulling her enclosed fist up and to her chest. "But you… You can take it."
"The Eye doesn't work like that." Jeanne shook her head. "It has to be willingly given or won in battle. All Cereza has to do is accept it and then none of this even matters."
"She won't. I trust her on that." Sephiroth tried to put all the conviction he had in those words. He did truly believe that, but he wasn't sure whether Jeanne did.
"How can you be so confident?" She tried to look away, but his hand kept her face in place.
"I have to believe in all of this. He's overconfident, so we have to use that to our advantage."
"We?"
"You're coming with us, right? Three of us against him will definitely turn the tides in our favour." He stood up, extending a hand to her. "We can win this, together."
She mulled over his words, hesitating. "I'm not strong enough. Not compared to Cereza or yourself."
"You hid for four hundred years. You resisted him for one hundred to the point there are powers within you that Balder has no idea about. You are strong, Jeanne. And besides, I'm just an untrained person who gets by using brute force." He gestured to his hand. "Please, we can do this together."
"How do you know?" She asked, looking into his eyes. "What makes you believe?"
"I don't. But your memories show you doing actions that I could only dream of and abilities you've never used before." Sephiroth shrugged.
"I meant winning." Jeanne rolled her eyes, then gave him an unamused look. "How do you believe we can win?"
He smiled warmly. "My friends taught me the meaning of faith. I gotta have it, or there is no point in anything. And as Dante said, 'if I didn't, and I let this power go to waste, then who would?' I have a responsibility to save the world now. Not to destroy those in vengeance for the sake of it."
Closing her eyes, Jeanne let out a shuddering breath. Wiping the tears from her face, she reached out and accepted his hand with determination in her eyes.
"If you can be so certain of yourself, then I suppose I must follow suit." Her body gracefully stood up. "After all, you were the terrified one about ten days ago."
The pair regarded each other. He was smiling, but Jeanne wasn't. She blinked, then let go of his hand. Turning around quickly, she walked over and picked up her sword. "B-but we do need to get moving then, if you think that we stand a chance."
He regarded her with a curious eye. "We've seen each other at our respective lowest-"
"It's nothing, now shut up." She glared at him, then walked over to his sword. "You'll be needing-"
She hissed and tossed the Sharuba away. "What the fuck was that?"
Jeanne began rubbing her hand as the katana warped back into his hand. "So that's the soul-stealing in action. Huh."
"Soul-stealing!?" Her voice pitched up slightly as she stared at the sword in fear. "What do you fucking mean by that?"
"I don't know. But I guess it's just a failsafe to keep the wrong wielder from using it." He let the blade fall back into Inferno and shrugged. "It's never done anything like that whenever I kill an Angel."
"Don't let it touch me again." She hissed. Tossing her own sword into Inferno, she gestured to him. "Let's get to Ithavoll then."
…
The pair walked to Ithavoll Tower in silence, an awkward air forming between the two. Sephiroth didn't know what he could possibly say, and he was sure that Jeanne was just as lost.
Even now with the knowledge of what had happened to her, coupled with the actions of rescuing her, it was hard to separate the person from the memories. Her new outfit did help; having a very clear association with red allowed him to dissociate the grey version before him.
But even with that in mind, every time she glanced in his direction and he caught her, she would only look away in shame. He didn't blame her, but she had to know Balder was the one behind everything. From the brief memories he had glanced from her, she had withstood his tortures for nearly four years before he broke her. And even then, with the way her subconscious self had became the conscious self, Jeanne had managed to hide away a fair few of her powers.
He was honestly in awe. But, now was definitely not the time to praise that.
'Good idea.'
Jeanne was blaming herself for everything. While she did have a point for one of her decisions becoming the butterfly effect that caused everything, Sephiroth had a suspicion that the Angels attacking the Umbra and igniting the Witch Hunts was only a matter of time. From what little he knew about the Hunts and the ultimate goal of the Laguna, it seemed that Bayo-Cereza becoming the Left Eye was simply just an excuse to enact the plan.
Flowers assaulted his nose as he walked past a building. Frowning, he slowed and stared at it. A tug on his wrist broke his concentration as Jeanne kept him moving.
"We shouldn't linger," she whispered.
"What happened there?" Sephiroth asked as he tore his gaze away. "That smells like-"
"I sent Angels after the mortal," Jeanne snapped, then her expression became pained. "I wanted to kill him. Because he has Cereza's attention and not me."
"You really think she-" Then the second half of her statement hit him. "You think of her as more than a friend?"
"Don't fucking remind me." Her voice went cold. "Because of my foolish wish to be with her I gave in to him. I should have known it was nothing but a childish wish; the Princess never gets who she desires."
"What would denying your heart even achieve?" Sephiroth wondered aloud.
"I would have resisted his torture for far longer-"
"Jeanne," He turned to her as she turned away. "I have no fucking idea how you managed to survive a month with what he did to you, let alone forty-seven of them. Balder did things-"
'Stop talking! You are distressing her!'
He swallowed as he realised she was shaking slightly. "Look, I get it. You're blaming yourself for events that were way out of your control. Instead of focussing on the past, focus on the present. Focus on your immediate goal."
"He was right." Jeanne's voice was wavering. "I have nothing left once he dies. If Redgrave is anywhere near as competent as his Father, then everything will be out within days. The world will want to know the truth, and he will give it to them."
"I'm fairly certain possession-" Sephiroth started.
She whirled around to face him, eyes ablaze. "The human world cares not for technicalities. I will face justice for my crimes-"
"Balder's crimes, which we can give him justice for-"
"It's a fucking death sentence to fight him-"
"How else do we stop him?" He cut over her, anger starting to seep into his tone. "If you haven't noticed, he has two children of light and dark on him. Even if we take that away I would not put it past him to try and forcefully conceive with either version of Cereza!"
"You don't think I fucking know that? I tore myself apart and ripped out everything to make sure he couldn't impregnate me!" she screamed back. "You think what he did to me was bad? Imagine being an eighteen-year-old Witch, who had just lost her entire family and clan due to her own stupidity and arrogance, who had just lost her best friend in the entire world because the most evil being in existence wanted her, terrified out of her life because Balder could show up at any minute and render anything she had done pointless? Imagine being that same Witch who couldn't talk to anyone except the contracted Infernal who did not give a shit whether she lived or died, who had to avoid socialising out of fear that the one wrong word would bring the nightmare back onto her!? Imagine being so desperate, so out of options, that you would willingly nearly kill yourself to make sure that he couldn't just win. And guess fucking what!? It didn't even fucking matter! I'm certain Cereza despises me, I was captured anyway and slaughtered generations of people for him and he got his two children! I spent five hundred years as a wreck only to fuck it all up anyway!"
Her whole body was shaking as tears began to flow again. "Imagine being a Witch who has to live with what she has done. What world she has created because she dared to love. I swore to be strong for her, you know? I couldn't even keep that promise."
Sephiroth just stared at her, his anger fading into a numbed horror. Swallowing, he shook his head. "You're wrong."
"Oh, I'm wrong? How the fuck am I fucking wrong?"
"If you were so weak, then you wouldn't have tried." He explained as he walked towards the main entrance into Ithavoll. "And sometimes, that's all you can do."
"You're saying it's fine that I have doomed the world-" She started, but he held a hand up to interrupt her.
"Until Balder has won, he hasn't." He shrugged. "If there's still one person who can make a stand against him, he hasn't won."
Jeanne huffed, then crossed her arms as she increased her pace to catch up. "I ask again; how can you be so hopeful?"
"I believe in us."
"You confuse me." She shook her head. "I spent years torturing you, and you didn't kill me. Now you know for certain my actions doomed the world, and yet you're just here, being all optimistic and treating me like it does not matter."
"How many times do I have to tell you? That was Balder. The only real contact I had with the real you was when you broke out that one time and fell asleep with me." He stopped and turned to her. "Why are you so insistent-"
"Because at one point I did think that. What Balder did to control me was to modify my personality so any thought I had that he deemed 'acceptable' became the basis of my morals. I had wanted to slaughter humans after the Witch Hunts, I had wanted to keep Cereza by my side, I had wanted the world to just turn into a Utopia and I had wanted, most of all, that someone else could take the responsibility of the world off my back and take it for themselves. But I didn't give into those ideas because obviously they are wrong." Jeanne looked at the ground, her hands gripping her elbows a little tighter. "That's how he got in. He promised me everything, that he could give me anything I wanted. All I had to do was let him in and the pa- It would all stop. And I considered it for one second."
"Then don't stop to consider anything when you are killing Balder." Sephiroth tilted his head. "There's nothing wrong with thinking."
"It is-" Jeanne closed her eyes tightly and turned away. "It really is.
'This argument is going in circles.'
"We are wasting time," she echoed, opening her eyes. "We need to keep moving. Where are Cereza and Redgrave?"
Sephiroth just stared at her, confused at the sudden change in attitude and topic. Shrugging at her actions, he glanced up to the tower. He held a hand up to his temple as he searched through the building, finding the pair easily. Well, Luka. Bayo-Cereza was shielding. "They're somewhere in the middle. Way ahead of us."
The pair hurried along, reaching the entrance swiftly. He went to step through, but Jeanne held him back by grabbing onto his arm.
"Are you seriously just going to walk into Ithavoll?" She pulled him over to the side, keeping the pair relatively hidden. "I thought you were smarter than that."
"Then we will go through Purgatorio-"
"Purgatorio is crawling with Angels; it would take far longer to fight your way through them." She shook her head. "And those guards are all controlled by him. There's no way you can get inside without being spotted."
"And you?"
"Balder believes I am not a threat." A frown etched its way onto her face. "He probably hasn't bothered updating everyone that I am now a rogue agent. I will be able to walk in, essentially, and do my thing."
"You'll be fine." He smirked. "Now for me-"
"Actually, I've been thinking," Jeanne closed her eyes, then opened them. "I should go down to the Laboratories."
That raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why?"
"I need to make things right." She let go of his wrist and began wringing her hands together. "If I can't atone for my past, then I must save the present and stop the future."
A strangled noise of frustration leaked out before he could stop it. "I already told you-"
'For the love of Sheba, don't. I'm getting sick of this.' Khepri's voice was laced with venom. "Move on. Now."
Swallowing, he let it go. "So, you'll head down while I go up?"
"I'll join you as fast as I can. I should be able to destroy everything, and get everyone out." Her eyes bore into his as she grew serious. "Promise me; you will not fight Balder until both Cereza and myself are there. It is far too dangerous to go alone."
"I wasn't planning to." He nodded. "Any advice for me?"
"For you, I would recommend teleporting up levels, but I don't believe you have locations in the tower in your memories?" she asked and Sephiroth confirmed with another nod. "Then your best bet is to reduce the visibility."
"Isn't the tower self-sufficient?" He shook his head. "Then I don't know how I would do that. Reduce visibility, I mean."
"If you destroy the transformers behind the building, then you'll trigger a chain reaction that will remove the power to the whole structure except the basement levels." Jeanne pointed to a passageway marked with 'AUTHORISED PERSONS ONLY' with a shrug. "The actual power itself is a lot harder to destroy, but the conduit can be interrupted easily. Then most of the building will lose power and the rest will come to you."
"Got it." A thought came to him. "How long until they restore it?"
"Who knows? I don't believe we- they've ever accounted for someone actually attacking the tower." Jeanne folded her arms. "The best example they had was when you broke out; the damage is still being repaired on the exterior."
That brought a chuckle out. "It's good to see that I'm still making an impact, one year on."
"Communication is not the Father's strongest point. He relied on me to keep contacts with the human world open; which involved changing their memories to suit us." Her voice carried a small amount of humoured scorn. "So essentially, I just happened to be the one who designed everything and kept it all up to date."
"Then you designed the power conduit to be faulty?"
"I did, actually. I must have decided to bottleneck everything in case of a time like this subconsciously." A glimmer of pride shone from her eyes. Then it was gone as fast as it had arrived. "But it doesn't matter. You can do it, and that's all that does."
Sephiroth nodded, swallowing. "Then, I guess this is goodbye for now?"
"I suppose," Jeanne nodded as well. "But, above all, remember that everyone inside has overlaid personalities. They are not the real them. Please, spare them from a fate you could deliver."
"If I can. But if everything goes to plan, then I shouldn't need to fight them anyway." He smiled confidently. "Should be easy with no power."
She rolled her eyes. "Just be careful, okay? I don't… You will stay alive."
Then she darted off, entering the building with a confident walk. Watching her wave at the desk at the centre, she walked off to the left and disappeared from view.
She's-
'Yes. She's handling it poorly,' Khepri hesitantly interrupted. 'But she is compartmentalizing it. That will work in our favour until the end.'
What do you mean? He vaulted over the gate and began to jog around the building. I just found it strange that she's able to shift her emotions so easily.
'Jeanne is pushing all of it to the side. It will help her in the short run, as she probably won't focus on all the turmoil inside.' She explained. 'But in the long run, that's where it will get tricky.'
A blocked door closed the path. Sephiroth gestured and blasted it apart with a gust of wind, entering the building soon after. Is that a bad thing?
'It can be.'
A soft hum filled the air as the transformers came into view. Sharuba snapped into his hand as he lunged forward and pierced the metal with a thrust.
Electricity coursed into his body and shocked him back out of the room. Groaning in pain, he sent the katana back into Inferno and stared at the transformers.
'Try something smarter,' Khepri commented sarcastically.
Sephiroth snarled, then let electricity fill his palms. Extending his arms out, he sent two arcs into the lead transformer. The machine whined, then exploded in a chain reaction. Each transformer shuddered and grinded to a halt in succession, then burst into flames.
That should do it.
'Let's see if it did.'
Teleporting back to the entrance, he smirked as the lights had been completely cut. Aside from the small glimpses brought in from the street and the upper levels, the building was in complete darkness.
'It's time for stealth.'
Sephiroth walked into the building, confidence spreading throughout his body.
…
It had been quiet.
One of the few benefits he had found from his enhancements was his ability to see in the dark. Every torch-wielding patrol had been spotted well before they had a chance to see him. Yes, even he admitted his hiding techniques of sticking to the shadows as very rudimentary, but they were working.
He had traversed a quarter of the way up the tower, by his estimations. The elevators being essentially non-functional during the blackout were an annoyance, but it wasn't too bad of an inconvenience. He did have legs and he knew how to use them.
Slipping past another patrol, he found another set of stairs leading to the next floor. Checking both sides, Sephiroth made his way up them and started his crawl through the next.
He was there. Walking down towards him with purpose, stopping abruptly when their eyes met.
Sephiroth didn't bother hiding. Sigurd definitely knew. The scientist's teal eyes were focussed completely on his own. Slowly, but surely, his mouth curled into a straight smile.
"Asmoranus, observe," he declared, his tone taking on the slightest hint of emotion. "Our specimen, our magna opus, has returned to us. In excellent condition as well."
"It's…" the second scientist behind him shuddered. "It's beautiful!"
"You…" Sephiroth growled. Memories were beginning to flood his mind, each one increasing his anger. "I didn't expect to find you. Thought you would be grovelling in your little hellhole downstairs."
"10798. It is good to see you almost at your full potential." Sigurd placed his hands behind his back, walking forward slowly. "The Father will be pleased with your progress, regardless of his feelings on the Eclipse Project."
"The Father can be pleased when I kill him," he hissed back, Sharuba snapping into his hand. Taking a low stance, he pointed the tip at his self-proclaimed 'designer'.
Sigurd's expression changed to curiosity, tilting his head slowly and deliberately. "Parts of your powers have been revealed, as evidence by your battle with the Lord of the Winds. Potential I theorised, but you had never shown previously."
He extended one hand out, pulling it from behind his back. "The Infernal within you was released and captured by the weaponsmith, and I knew the weapon he produced would only answer to your command. The Lagunan within you gifted you the healing arts; it seems your other elemental magic stems from there as well."
"But where is your Umbran and Lumen heritage? Why hasn't that appeared?" Asmoranus spoke up, eyes burning with curiosity. "What happened to the power we were promised!? The power we designed you with!"
"Patience." Sigurd glanced towards the scientist. "It will show that soon enough. Surely you have made contact with your contracted?"
Oh, he could show them how much contact he had had with her. He could simply wave his hand and-
'Do not let me out.' Khepri cut off any thoughts he had.
Why!? I can kill them with you!
'Bayonetta's third rule. You need to calm down!' She sounded desperate. 'You start with them, then the whole tower comes next. I may be a Demon, but endless death in my name is not what I want.'
I will- I'll try.
Swallowing, he tried. He really did. He breathed in, trying to remove all the stress and emotions he was feeling. Breathing out, he felt it all go away.
But then Sigurd leaned over, gesturing to the walls. "It seems that you were not the one attacking the laboratories. Perhaps it is that new female friend you found?"
His face went pale. They didn't know Jeanne was down there that fast, right?
"My hypothesis is proven correct. You brought your own replacement, or a second copy for the Father to utilize for his second child of light and dark." An alien smile appeared on his face. "Thank you for your generosity to this cause."
"NO!" he screamed, a cold pit forming at the bottom of his stomach. "YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER!"
"She is down there? What was her name again?" Sigurd looked at Asmoranus. "Please, refresh my memory."
"It was Niijima." The scientist nodded, then frowned. "I believe her own blood was tested on before."
"Ah, her. She became stimuli, did she not?" Sigurd walked around, his hands clasping together. "Should this Niijima be a stimulus for you as well?"
He was beginning to shake. His vision was becoming tinted with red. Every fibre of his being hated. Sephiroth knew he was supposed to be keeping a straight head, but he did not care.
This was his chance. Finally.
'Calm-'
Fuck you. I don't care about rules or what's right; I will set this right the permanent way.
'Jeanne and Cereza would not want you to do this!'
Jeanne and Cereza are fucking cowards. They would spare too many and let it all rise up again!
'They aren't right of mind! You know this!'
And you aren't influencing me now?
'What?!'
Everyone else wants my power. I don't want it. His mind seemed to clear as a realisation came to him. You want it.
'You're absolutely delusional.' She actually sounded offended. 'Just… why? Why would I want your power!? I have done nothing but-'
You've tricked me into coming back here. You've tricked me into believing you were my friend. You wanted nothing more than a mortal to play with and drive your schemes. You're no better than the Father.
'I-' Khepri was hurt. Raw emotion was in her voice now, driving his rage further. How dare she pretend to hurt and pretend to be his friend? Pretend to be his confidant? All she wanted was her little champion when he wanted to be normal! He never asked for any of this!
He shut her out with a fortified mental shield. Let her pretend to cry to Madama Butterfly. Perhaps she could care.
"Every new specimen we begin the process on undergoes the same," Sigurd tilted his head. "Perhaps you would like to get her acquainted with everything?"
"Shut up."
Sephiroth was beyond anger now; a cold fury had filled him. He knew vengeance born from hate would not help him right now, but he did not care. Lunging forward to skewer Sigurd on the Sharuba his fury only grew as the scientist flickered out of existence with a green warp to his left.
"Such a pity. Perhaps I will administer the beginnings myself. Asmoranus, please see that our guest is sufficiently entertained while I check the laboratories." Sigurd smiled unnaturally again. He disappeared in a flash of green as the lights dimly flickered back on.
"Emergency power online," a distant voice announced. "Please refrain from using any unnecessary power until the main grid is restored."
Sephiroth turned his gaze to the remaining scientist, who was still staring at him with fascination.
"You're amazing…" he whispered. "Everything about you… You're perfect. Everything we wanted you to be."
Sephiroth stood up and walked towards the scientist. Asmoranus did not move; if anything, he reached out to meet him.
"The Father will love you. The Father will cherish our gift to the cause. And you! I can't believe how successful you are! You are the perfect speci-"
The katana flashed out, Asmoranus falling apart from a diagonal slash through the chest. Gurgling, the man fell silent and collapsed into green goo. Sephiroth raised an eyebrow; he should've expected that the two in charge of body alteration would have done the process to themselves. He had known demon-infusion had occurred somewhere in the world, so partial alteration to an inhuman state was possible.
It just meant he was more justified in his actions. If they weren't fully human, then slaughtering them all would be all the sweeter. Sephiroth would be doing the world a service in ridding it of abominations, starting with those in the tower and ending with himself.
"There it is!" The sounds of boots filled the air as several armoured guards arrived at the end of the corridor. "Assume defensive positions!"
Memories poured through him, each one more violent than the next. Sephiroth felt his mouth twitch into a smile.
An eye for an eye. What goes around, must come around.
He didn't give them a chance to get ready. Teleporting into the formation, the Sharuba began to swing wildly. Limbs flew into the air as blood sprayed from dismembered bodies, their owners screaming in agony. Panicked guards began to fire randomly, mostly hitting their own allies rather than anywhere near him. The smile grew into a grin as he twisted through the rest of the humans, the Sharuba dancing along in broken, jerky movements.
They treated him worse. He deserved this small token of vengeance for twenty years of pain.
The guards at the end broke ranks and sprinted towards a door, gesturing at another group to close it. Six ran from him; five of them made it whereas one was locked in the corridor with him. The human pounded on the door, screaming at the rest to open it. Sephiroth stalked towards him, infusing the katana with wind.
"Please!" The man, he assumed, was begging. "It's going to kill me!"
"We can't!" The people behind the door shook their heads and stepped back. "This will hold it back!"
"No! Please! Open the door!" He glanced back, trying to press his body through.
His grin widened. He wasn't going to kill him. Lessons taught by the Father ran through his mind as he raised the katana in a backhand stance; collateral damage is just that. It didn't matter that there was a human in the way. His goal was to get through the door and he would do simply that.
He swung in a downwards slice and the shockwave tore both the door and the guard apart, throwing the debris into the rest of the humans. Sephiroth didn't waste any time; he closed the distance with a warp and began to hack apart the survivors, cutting down each with efficiency. He didn't care if they lived or died, only that they stopped screaming. It was annoying.
Once he was satisfied with the mess remaining on the floor, he continued on.
…
Corpse after corpse was left in his wake.
He didn't care that it was slow. He didn't care that they were technically not their real selves. He had wanted vengeance for twenty years and he was getting it.
Sephiroth killed and killed again. It didn't matter who or what he came across; everyone died.
He had found a room full of scientists huddled away, as if they were trying to hide from him. Not bothering to open the door, he set fire to the lot of them and waited for the screams to start dying down. Extinguishing and healing all of them, he listened to their sighs of relief speaking that the Father had saved them.
Then he returned the inferno, this time a hundred-fold more intense. He walked away, smiling as the screams burst into a dirge, becoming louder and louder until they just disappeared.
More guards had attempted to delay his ascent. Each one had painted the walls with their blood as their screams became music to his ears.
Sigurd had not made another appearance. Either he was busy with Jeanne in the laboratories or he was simply observing his actions. Did Sephiroth care that he was putting on the best show of his life? No.
Jeanne had said that she needed to stop the future by destroying the labs. Well, if he killed everyone then no one could ever do this again. Evil always exists in the hearts of mortals; destroying the cause never eliminates the source.
He frowned as another guard disintegrated into blood and dust as Sephiroth imploded them. Was that his excuse or was that his reason? Snorting, he gestured and ripped apart a fleeing secretary with a telekinetic strike to the spine.
Whatever he did right now was peanuts compared to what he and Jeanne had gone through. If anything, the swift deaths he was giving most of them was generous.
"Code Black is now in effect. All non-military personnel-" The klaxon and accompanying speaker was destroyed by a blast of lightning. He had found the messages amusing as he continued to wipe each floor of life, but after a few it had become tiresome and repetitive.
Stalking his way across the corridor, he found a set of elevators and finally realised that Balder was still alive. Teleporting to them, he punched his way through the wall and glanced up the shaft. Teleporting to the highest point, he healed his hand as he attempted to pry the elevator doors open using the Sharuba. Frowning, he stepped back and blasted them apart instead.
The statue of Jubileus greeted him. Or rather, the human interpretation of the Goddess of Paradiso. The woman depicted was serene in her beauty with an ethereal perfectness to her features. Her expression was one of hope as she reached up to the cherubs above her, as if it was connecting the humans with the heavens above.
But he knew better. Chances are Jubileus did not look anywhere close to that; Sephiroth had a vivid imagination when it came to Angels and he expected Jubileus was the same as the rest of her legions.
A sudden sharp pain erupted in his skull. Collapsing down, he gripped both temples tightly as it even out, then throbbed. Something burned on his head as Sephiroth screams echoed around the empty room.
Then as soon as it started, the pain disappeared. Pulling his hands away slowly, he frowned at the sensations running through him.
He felt strange. It wasn't that he couldn't describe the sensation; words didn't really cover what it was. Something had awakened inside of him, and it terrified him. What he could feel was that the pain that scourged him was gone. Well, lack of feeling, in this specific case. Stretching out, he felt his joints pop without the accompanying agony. His eyes widened in joy.
He was freed.
Lightning arced between his fingers as he looked upon them with glee, transforming into fire as it passed between them. The expression turned into a frown, then deepened; he couldn't do that before. Each element had its own category, so to speak. He had to fully switch to another if he wanted to combine them.
Footsteps rumbled behind him. Lashing out with whatever was available, he set a wave of pure magic towards the guards. Sephiroth watched as it wrapped around each person, flaying each one out of existence in a mixture of lightning, wind and fire. His eyes widened as he realised just how easy it had been.
Did he get stronger?
A conversation from long ago sprung into his mind; "His contract with me is limited due to most of it still laying with Rosa."
Rosa's body had been destroyed. Whatever powers Khepri was missing, and by extension his own, were now fully restored.
As if in response, his whole body began to feel lighter. His senses expanded out, breaking through and encompassing everything. Energy seemed to continuously dance at his fingertips, giving off bright blue and green sparks. The Demon inside of him roared its approval, whereas the Angel seemed tentative.
No. It was fear he felt from it. And from himself.
This was not what he wanted. He knew that this was Khepri's goal and Jeanne must have achieved it downstairs. Sephiroth was happy for her, in a sense. Now she could leave him once he was back to normal and be satisfied that her power was restored.
Sephiroth was tempted to confirm with her, but he decided against it. He really did not need to talk to someone who wanted him to do the 'right' thing and how her powers and his own were something to be proud of.
Khepri was a Madama. She had done much worse than killing a few worthless humans to get to that rank in Inferno. If she wanted to keep him pure, then she could fuck right off.
Hypocrites. All of them were. Sephiroth's eyes hardened as he spotted what he presumed was the last elevator shaft, or what remained of it. Bayonetta claimed to want to help others, yet wanted to keep him as a monster, chained to her whims. Luka wanted to find the truth, yet he believed in a self-absorbed lie for twenty years.
Walking towards it, he felt the latent power of an Infernal nearby. Glancing up, he found the ruins of a strange construct embedded into the wall, along with both elevators.
Bayonetta had been here. If that wasn't obvious from the careless destruction- No seriously. She claimed to want to help the humans and be their protector from the Angel's as per her charge and responsibilities, but here she was again, endangering everyone again with her 'protection'. If she really wanted to protect the humans she loved so dearly, she should just kill herself. They already slaughtered each other in droves; her 'protection' merely added to that tally. At least he was honest about his protection.
Or lack of it. Everything about this place reminded him of just how low humanity would stoop to pretend they were improving and enriching lives. Upon her resurrection, Jubileus would obliterate everyone. He knew in his heart that killing a few unimportant humans was barely a price to be paid to prevent that.
Grunting, he looked higher and found the final elevator doorway at the top of the shaft. Another teleport brought him up and then he was facing the final doorway.
Everything he wished for had to lie ahead. Balder would tell him the secret to restoring his human self. And then he would finally have his final piece of vengeance.
As he approached the door, he heard raised voices belonging to both Luka and Bayonetta seeping out. Smirking, he gestured and blasted it open. The voices fell silent as both turned to him, expressions turning ashen and fearful.
He did not care.
"I see you started the formalities without me." His voice sounded strange to his own ears, but he did not care. "But I am here."
"So you are," Balder's voice answered him, a smile in his tone. "And so, you are."
And here we go. Everything is now coming to a close.
There's only five chapters left, and then an epilogue to close things off. This rewrite has been one hell of a journey, and I do truly want to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for sticking along with the ride. But, I am not done yet! Any tears or acknowledgements will come later, possibly in the Index chapter at the end for any explanations that I might have missed.
Speaking of, the floor is now all yours! A part of this index will be questions answered from you, the reader, about anything and anything pertaining to the lore of this specific story. If you want to ask, just simply comment anything or shoot me a DM and I will make sure I answer it in there.
As always, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter and addition to Eclipse.