Sephiroth glided down the spiral staircase. His old powers were returning. He was getting stronger... now...it was different. Now his thoughts were his own, and he had all the abilities that Jenova gave him. The ability to fly... the ability to psychically control those with Jenova cells that were weaker than himself.
If he had to journey farther, the time would be significantly reduced. He no longer needed boats to travel over the oceans. He was a god among men. Everything he ever learned from Jenova had returned to him. It was amazing. Whatever caused the reaction... it was in his favor, at least.
The library... the lights were still on, as if he had been here yesterday. They were always on... the books that he had read were still thrown across the room. The answers he seeked were there. He was so close. Professor Ghast's book would tell him where to go next.
And yet, once again, he felt called away from this mission. His personal mission had to be set aside once again for a yearning of curiosity, a weakness that could not be overlooked. What is it... damnit... he just couldn't ignore it. A green light emitted from inside. Curiosity... he couldn't just turn his back.
One step at a time, he walked to the door. Flash. The last time he was here, this door was locked. Perhaps it was destiny that Sephiroth had arrived here now. Perhaps it was meant to be. Yet he no longer was a strong believer in faith... so many times the world turned its back on him... and it saved his life too... life is funny like that, sometimes.
Sephiroth's hand was on the hilt of the Masamune, ready to fight at any given moment. He entered the room with a great anxiety. His eyes were open with preparation. He would never be taken offguard again.
"Remember my words." Sephiroth took a few steps back. This could not be. Here, a man that was one of his most powerful enemies... was dead. The blood had dried across his face. He wore a red cloak over a black attire. This man tried to kill him. Vincent.
"No... this... is my heritage?" Sephiroth was shocked for a moment, but then his expression changed. "Hah, hah, hah. You make me laugh, ghost. I know well that my father abandoned me at my birth. He was a pathetic coward. My mother... I suspect Shinra had something to do with that. Do not feed me things that I do not care about. This man holds no sentimental value."
"Your father is a true heir to the Planet. He has attempted to save it many, many times... and as a result, he lost his own life. His responsibilities are now yours. You cannot begin to understand that responsibility until you wake up and realize his deeds to you, Sephiroth. He died..." A finger came out of the eery green light. "Because of you."
"How could I have possibly killed him? It was the other way around, just in case you weren't there, idiot." Sephiroth slashed his sword through the air. "Answer me, ghost. Who was my mother? I don't care about my father."
"You should. You wouldn't be here if it were not for him."
"You fool... did I not just tell you that he abandoned me? He does not matter to me. He is not a part of my life. It was because of him that I am... this monster! I only want to know who my mother was! Tell me, or I swear this whole mansion is going to go up in smoke."
"You cannot begin to comprehend your mother until you understand the significance of your father's life, child. Grow up." The green light disappeared from view, and Sephiroth was left alone with his father.
The nerve... telling him to grow up... his maturity was beyond any mans... he understood the Planet. He knew how everything worked. How could he be told to grow up? It made no sense. But... it did seem childish... he was given new life for what purpose? Revenge? The Planet was not that stupid... there had to be another reason.... urgh!
"Stop running away form me you stupid BITCH! What the hell is all this significance you speak of? Tell me something... fucking hell...." Sephiroth dropped to his knees. Useless. She was gone. He still knew nothing. Those silly books couldn't tell him anything. He was doomed to ignorance.
Sephiroth closed his eyes and thought about her words for a long time. Grow up... no one had ever told him to grow up before. He was still a child... she was right. He hadn't moved on. Sephiroth was right now the same as he was when he was six years old. Grow up...
For the first time Sephiroth began to see it. He was so foolish... he'd wasted his past life... and this one was to be wasted too. On revenge... finding out who his mother was? What difference did it make, really? What would he do after that... why was he reborn? Why didn't he just die? Right about then, he wished he hadn't come back.
Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes, looking at the body once more. That was his father. Not like he cared, right? But maybe he did... maybe... maybe he felt more than he truly knew. It didn't really matter. Vincent was dead too, now. The only thought left for him was... why didn't he die?
"No!" Sephiroth stood up in anger, not sure whether he was the one who said no or someone else. No, it was definitely him. Talking to himself again... childish. Who really cared, though.
"So this is my father, a victim of suicide." Sephiroth looked at the body coldly, yet with strange new sensations. This was his father. The one he never knew...? What did the spirit know? How could he trust her?
Because you know she's right.
Sephiroth felt the scar of loss. The loss of a father he never knew, the loss of a mother he never knew, the loss of a life that he never knew. Everything felt so empty now that he had come to Nibelheim. He thought he could read the books to understand what Jenova really was, and perhaps find out who his parents were. But now he knew the answers were not in Nibelheim nor anywhere else.
"Father... what is my destiny? Where are the answers I seek!? What... WHAT AM I? A sin? A scourge upon the Planet? Or am I something more than that? What am I? Why was I... created? Why did the Planet save me... why does anyone care enough to save me, a scourge of destruction... what am I... who... what is this place!?" Sephiroth was breaking down, his gauntlet smashed into the cold concrete below. His entire bodied was shaken as he barely held it above the ground.
"So many questions... never any answers... never any answers at all!" A tear dropped out of his eye, but it only made him angry. At once he used all his strength to hold back the tears. Men must never cry...
"Dammit... how am I supposed to know what to do when all I know is what Jenova told me to do?" Sephiroth stood up again, facing the door. This place held no answers. Where to go next? Midgar was originally the next step... but it didn't really matter. Not now. Whatever the reason for his survival... it was much bigger than Midgar or Nibelheim.
Sephiroth took a few steps to the door, and then looked back at the body again. "Goodbye, Vincent. Your deeds of valor shall be remembered. You were... a good fighter." Sephiroth left the room without looking back this time.
Sephiroth walked towards the library for no reason. He knew there were no answers there... but that is what he came all this way for. Might as well give it a look... He came here to find out who his parent's were. Yet the ghost made him realize that the truth was not here. His father was dead. His mother was not here. What did it matter what Jenova was? He already knew! The second he left the reactor, he knew. He remembered. The Planet spoke to him.
Sephiroth looked at his hands, covered with dusted iron gauntlets. He looked at them oddly with curiosity. "Am I Cetra? Is the Planet speaking to me? ...no. I am not a Cetra. I am an alien. Yet, I've never heard these voices before. I've never been able to fly without Jenova. What's happening to me?" Crack. Huh? Nevermind the Cetra!
"...." Footsteps. Sephiroth at once unsheathed the Masamune. Who would be down here? It was filled with monsters now. No innocent fool would come to this place. Curiosity was high, and Sephiroth walked towards the voices slowly and cautiously.
"Who's there?" Sephiroth said loudly, yet not yelling.
"Seph... Seph... Sephiroth?"
"Sephiroth... is alive?"
"That can't be him. Fuckin' hell! Real funny, dressing up as Sephiroth, kiddo."
Cloud Strife, Barret, and Cid... all there... probably looking for Vincent. Too bad Vincent was dead. Too late... the last thing Sephiroth needed to do now was meet these pricks. "Get out of my way," he said coolly. He already met them... already... why now?
"No. That's him. Look at the tattoo. Number one. The sword. No one but Sephiroth can use that sword." Cloud smirked, wielding his huge blade. It was the thicker than a tree, yet most of it was ethereal. Only the middle of the sword was actually solid. Light weight. It could cut bones and pierce the soul.
"Real slick, Cloud Strife. I see you've become a detective in my absence." Sephiroth laughed half-heartedly and took a few more steps forward. "I really don't care for conflict. Please move."
Cloud looked different than he did a year ago. Real different. Yeah, his hair was still blonde, short, and spiky. Yet... maybe it was his choice of fashion? That was definitely it. He didn't wear that silly purple armor anymore. He seemed to like shiny things quite a bit more. He now wore a shiny metal plate with a black tint to it. Light weight, of course, but still quite a bit heavier than a typical Shinra outfit. "What are you doing here, Sephiroth?"
"I could ask the same of you," Sephiroth snapped back.
"Hah... I'll humor you, then. We came seeking Vincent, since he didn't come when we got here. However, it seems we found the reason that he didn't come right here. What did you do to him?"
Sephiroth's face looked a bit sad, yet he looked straight into Cloud's eyes with death. "I did nothing to him. It seems he committed suicide. Now, I will not ask again. Please move."
"Very convenient. Suicide! I should believe that... you disgrace his memory. Do you know how much he suffered because of you? He spent thirty years in a coffin because he tried to save YOU! All you can do to repay him... is kill him while he is defenseless..." Cloud spit at the ground. "I'm going to cut you into so many pieces that you'll never be able to come back, fateless coward." Cloud quickly switched into a battle position, holding his huge blade in front of him.
"It seems I cannot avoid bloodshed today. Believe what you will, Cloud Strife." Sephiroth pointed his long blade at Cloud. The Masamune was known for its long reach and sharpness. Mostly, however, it was known for being unwieldable... except by Sephiroth.
"Die..." Cloud lunged forth at Sephiroth, only to slice air.
"You've got to be quicker than that, Cloud Strife. You see, I'm new and improved." Sephiroth teleported again right above Cloud, striking downwards for a powerful blow. Cloud dodged to the left just in time, yet another slash came across his chest. Too slow...
Again, Sephiroth flipped and teleported next to Cloud. He smirked, sweeping Cloud off his feet. Cloud couldn't even keep up with him. He had no chance of attacking. Cid and Barret could only watch. The hallway wasn't large enough for a large scale battle. They continued watching, ready to fight only in emergency. It seemed that the emergency was getting closer, though.
Cloud stood up again, slicing his powerful blade at the afterimage of Sephiroth. Again, he was gone. No, he wouldn't let Sephiroth pull that trick again. He was ready.
The moment Sephiroth teleported near Cloud, he immediately slashed at him. Parried... Disappeared again. Cloud once again tried to focus- too late. The Masamune ripped right through Cloud's worn armor, causing another deep cut in his chest.
"God... that fucking thing can cut through anythin-" Cloud held his chest as Sephiroth stood at the end of the hallway, right next to the library.
"Cloud Strife, you have grown weaker over the past several months. I am growing stronger. Why are you fighting a battle that you cannot win?" Sephiroth chuckled.
Cloud slowly rose and his eyes met Sephiroth's. It was a cold determination. To kill him again. "You took almost everything from me, Sephiroth. Yet you forgot to take my rage, my anger! You forgot it... but that's alright! You can have it!" Cloud's voice had a trembling evil sound to it, much like Sephiroth's did at times.
Cloud ran forward with his blade in favor of cutting Sephiroth into pieces. Too late. He was gone. "Try a new trick, Sephiroth!" Cloud parried the blade that seemed to come out of thin air, and sliced at Sephiroth's face. Sephiroth barely dodged in time as a piece of his beautiful silver hair dropped to the floor.
Cloud thrusted his blade forth at Sephiroth again, only to have it deflected in the opposite direction. Sephiroth anticipated Cloud's weakness and thrusted his long reaching Masamune deep into Cloud's chest. "Haha, do you remember this, Cloud Strife? I died in this position!" Sephiroth grinned as Cloud struggled to breathe. Blood spurted out of his mouth. "There is no pit, this time, boy. What will you do?" Cloud grimaced but continued to glare right back into Sephiroth's eyes seriously.
Cloud thrusted his body backwards with excruciating pain and held a defensive position at once. He had no choice but to completely ignore his pain. He was losing badly, and couldn't give Sephiroth anymore edge than he already had.
Sephiroth ran towards Cloud with great vigor, thrusting his blade to Cloud's chest again. Yet this time, Cloud easily side stepped the attack. He was ready to punish Sephiroth for the clumsy mistake yet he felt a powerful force smash him into the wall. Where did it come from? Ugh...
"Come on, Cloud Strife. I'm only playing games. What are you doing?" Mocking... Sephiroth was mocking him. God... he was... really... really... really strong. He couldn't beat him one-on-one. But he had to try... why was Sephiroth alive again? He didn't... He didn't deserve to live!
"A person's life is a game to you, Sephiroth! But to normal people, a life is everything.... You're not worthy of living! You... why won't you die!?" Rage. Cloud's blade started to glow with power. All his rage, anger, tears, everything went into it. The blade and Cloud became one unique strength.
"I won't let you kill anymore innocent people!" Cloud lunged forward with godlike speed, performing the awe-inspiring Omnislash. Immediately he began slashing at Sephiroth, but....
"Omnislash..." Sephiroth appeared behind Cloud, and with the same godlike speed, he slashed Cloud over and over. Every one of them held the screaming agony of Cloud Strife. More and more, the slashes kept continuing. The Masamune wanted more blood. Slash, slash, slash. Up, down, left, right, side to side, diagnol, slash, slash, they just kept coming. Over and over the blade clashed into Cloud's body, causing excruciating pain. Finally, the tip of the Masamune glowed brightly. A ringing sound could be heard throughout the room. "This would be the finishing blow, Cloud Strife. What will you do now?"
Cloud was lying on his back, unable to move. He could barely feel any blood moving throughout his body. He felt completely numb. This... this was his time to die. "Do your worst, monster."
Monster.... no. I'm not a monster! Yet, yes, he was a monster. Just a menacing beast. Nothing more. No, forget emotions! It was time to concentrate on the battle.
"How does it feel to be on the receiving end of this move?." Sephiroth gazed upon the broken body of Cloud with a calm sensation. His powers were returning... he was becoming stronger than before... but... was he being controlled again? These abilities... were not here... before Jenova... or after Jenova... they were completely new. Since when could he teleport? Or do the Omnislash?
Sephiroth was ready to end Cloud's life, but the huge black man now stood in front of him. He was barring the way. "Hell naw', you fuckin' lunatic. You'll have to get through me to kill him."
"St...op... You can't-"
"You have lost. I have no interest in shedding anymore blood today." Sephiroth disappeared again, leaving the body of Cloud to his friends. It was drenched in blood and deep scars.
Cid immediately ran over to Cloud and Barret. "Damn... Sephiroth... he's alive... and stronger..."
"Damn..."
Cloud was drenched in his own blood. His platemail was torn apart and now tinted with crimson blood. His body... there was not a single part of his body that didn't hold a scar. He lost... without laying a single hit on Sephiroth... he could teleport anywhere... how was Cloud supposed to beat that!?
"I'll take him up to the fuckin' airship, you take Vincent... or what's left of him. I'd bet anything that Sephiroth killed him. While he was sleeping, no doubt... fuckin' coward. What are you waiting for, GO!" Cid and Barret both carried the bodies up the long winding stairs, and Sephiroth was no where to be found.
The scars of the Planet were soon to be felt.