Final Fantasy VII

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Thirty

All Cloud could see was flames. There were flames everywhere. Wherever Cloud looked he could see the burning red-orange colour of flames, flickering over every part of the town. Every building, every house, and every structure, even the well in the middle of the town was alive with fire.

Cloud could feel the heat of the flames, even as he stood in the doorway of the Shinra Mansion. More than that, he was horrified to see his beloved hometown, where all his family and friends were, go up in flames.

He broke from his horrified trance and ran out of the doorway towards the gate. The gate had been burst open from its hinges, and there was no sign of the men that had been guarding it. When Cloud ran out of the perimeter of the mansion he ran straight through the wall of smoke that was beginning to clog up the town, and Cloud coughed as the dry heat of the smoke burned at his throat.

"Hey, it's you! You're still sane, right?"

Cloud looked over towards the local shop, and to his surprise he saw Zangan standing outside. He was kneeling beside the young boy that lived in the shop with his parents – the same boy that had wanted to take a picture of Sephiroth before they left for the reactor. The boy was badly burned, and from the looks of things it didn't look like he would make it. Even so Cloud ran over, still unable to believe what was happening around him. He looked around and saw that the Shinra soldier was also nearby, lying on the ground seeming to be unconscious from the smoke.

"I'll check this house," he said, motioning to the shop behind him, which was also on fire. "You check that one over there!"

With that the martial arts master turned and braced himself before running into the burning shop. Cloud snapped around and faced the house that Zangan had designated him, and Cloud's eyes opened wide – it was his house. The house was alive with fire. Flames were pouring from the windows and burning through the wooden roof, along with a long trail of thick, black smoke.

Without a single hesitation Cloud ran through the open door and into his house. The heat of the flames hit him instantly, and Cloud cried out. He called out inside the house, but the flames had burned through the ceiling and caused the long wooden beams that held it up to crumble and fall, blocking his path. Eventually Cloud was forced to withdraw from the house – the heat was too much.

He emerged from the smoking doorway coughing and spluttering. His eyes were watering heavily and each intake of breath was dry and hoarse. He fell down to his knees until his breathing calmed a little, when he looked up at the rest of Nibelheim.

The inn was completely enveloped in flames, and there was no sign of Zangan or anyone else alive in the whole town. Judging from the amount of flames pushing out of the windows and chimney, it didn't look like the old couple that lived there would have survived, and Cloud highly doubted that Zangan would survive, either.

"Terrible…" Cloud said, his voice dry and hoarse as he looked around at the burning devastation. "Sephiroth… This is too terrible…"

He turned as the sound of angry shouting hit his ears. He turned back towards the mansion, and gasped as he saw Sephiroth standing there, along with two other men that had previously been guarding the gate. They were shouting at Sephiroth right then, but as Cloud watched Sephiroth suddenly drew his masamune and struck the two men. They were killed instantly by Sephiroth's expert touch, and fell to the floor. Cloud stared in horror, his hand still poised over his mouth.

Sephiroth then looked up across the flames, and his gaze caught Cloud's. Looking into Sephiroth's eyes right then, Cloud could see that Sephiroth had completely changed. There wasn't a single flicker of the old, silent Sephiroth within him, replaced by something much darker than Cloud had ever seen. Sephiroth stared at him for just a few seconds more, before he turned and walked off through the wall of flames rising behind him, and disappeared.

Once he was gone Cloud climbed shakily to his feet and staggered over to the Shinra soldier lying near to his home. The soldier was moving slightly – he was still alive, for now. Cloud then looked up over the flames where Sephiroth had disappeared – he knew where Sephiroth was heading.

The Mt. Nibel Mako Reactor was still intact when Cloud finally reached it, much to his surprise. He had no doubt in his mind that Sephiroth was somewhere inside the building, and Cloud prayed that he was alone. He didn't really know what he was going to do when he finally caught up to Sephiroth. All he knew was that his hometown was up in flames and everyone he knew was gone. He was seething in anger, and all he could think of was finding Sephiroth.

He burst through the door and stopped as he heard the sound of a familiar voice within the reactor – but it wasn't Sephiroth's voice. It was a girl's voice, and it sounded like she was crying. Cloud stayed still and listened to the voice, until it finally hit him who it was.

He looked over the top of the pipe and saw her there, sobbing on the ground. It was Tifa. She was kneeling beside her father, who was lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Sephiroth's long sword was lying on the ground next to them, stained with her father's blood.

Cloud headed slowly down the pipes towards where Tifa kneeling, but he didn't get too close to her. He stopped on the bridge and looked at her tearful face, which was red and streaked. As he watched she wiped her hair out of her face, and gently touched her father's head.

"Papa…" she whispered, her voice choking. "Sephiroth!? Sephiroth did this to you, didn't he!? Sephiroth… SOLDIER… Mako Reactors… Shinra… Everything!" She sat up and shouted at the sky. "I hate them all!"

Once she had calmed her rage, she looked down at the ground again. Her gaze fell on the long and thin silver sword that was lying on the ground beside her dead father. Slowly she reached out and took hold of the handle. Her expression changed to a fearless determinism, and she got up and ran through the door. Cloud followed her, hoping he would get to her on time.

Sephiroth was already in the capsule chamber when Tifa entered. He stood in front of the Jenova door, his arms spread wide. There was a strange, happy grin on his face as he stood in front of the door, like a lost boy returning home.

"Mother, I'm here to see you," he said, speaking up to the door where his mother's nameplate was positioned. "Please open this door."

A loud thud made Sephiroth lower his arms and turn towards the entrance to the chamber. Tifa charged into the room and began to bolt up the stairs towards him, his own sword positioned ready in her hands. The sword seemed bulky and awkward in her hands, but that didn't stop her from running up to him.

"How could you do that to Papa and all the townspeople?" she demanded angrily.

She ran to the very top step where Sephiroth stood and swung the sword down, her rage out of control as she tried to strike off Sephiroth's head. As she brought the sword down Sephiroth reached out and grabbed hold of her arms, stopping her from swinging the sword any further. He gripped harshly at her wrist as he pushed her, and Tifa struggled hard to keep the sword in her hands. Eventually the pain around her wrists was unbearable and she had no choice but to release the sword. Sephiroth grabbed the sword instantly and let go of her. Tifa staggered and looked up, her eyes opening wide as she saw the flash of the blade coming down towards her.

She never even had a chance to cry out as the blade hit her hard. As the blade cut down she fell back away from the platform, almost flying through the air towards the stairs. Through her half-closed eyes she could see the trail of blood in the air that was seeping from her neck and shoulder where Sephiroth had cut her.

She landed with a thud on the stairs, her head banging on the edge and stunning her so she could no longer feel the pain of the wound. She seemed to bounce of the step and flew once more, before she landed again just as heavily and slid quickly towards the bottom platform. She laid there, her eyes blurred and heavy, gasping quietly under her breath as she felt the cold trail of blood run down her arm.

Cloud ran in just in time to see Tifa land on the final steps, and stared as she lay motionless. His jaw fell open – he could not believe what was happening. Outside the door Sephiroth lowered his sword, now stained with Tifa's blood, and looked back at Cloud with a smug expression.

The sword struck her hard, and Sephiroth let go of her. Tifa closed her eyes and fell back away from the platform, almost flying through the air with a trail of blood seeping from her neck and shoulder where Sephiroth had struck her. She landed on the stairs and almost seemed to bounce right off, before she landed again. She then slid down the stairs towards the bottom where she stopped, just as Cloud ran in. He gasped as he saw her lying there, with Sephiroth at the top with a smug expression. He then turned away, and the door to the inner chambers opened. Sephiroth walked through, leaving Cloud behind.

Once he was gone, Cloud slowly walked up the few steps to where Tifa's body lay. He winced as he saw the slashed wound on her body, and the blood that was still seeping slowly out of it. Her chest heaved up and down – she was still alive, but it didn't look like she would make it either.

Slowly Cloud sank to his knees and brushed her hair away from her face. At his touch Tifa slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

"…You promised…" she whispered, her voice quiet. She took a deep breath, straining for each breath. "You promised that you'd come…… when I was in trouble…"

She slowly lifted one small, trembling hand, and Cloud took it in his own. She was still warm to the touch, and the trembling eased as he held her. She coughed slightly and closed her eyes again. Cloud released her hand and gently slipped his hand under her head, pulling her up slowly. With his other hand under her legs he scooped her up in his arms and carried her away from the stairs. He put her down again beside one of the capsules, positioning her in a way that would slow the bleeding a little. By then Tifa was unconscious, and could feel nothing. Then, when she was safe, Cloud ran up the stairs and into the inner chambers.

At that moment Sephiroth was inside the chamber, his arms spread wide in front of a strange structure built into the Mako Reactor. He was standing on a large pipe that rose all the way up to the structure and penetrated it, filling rapidly with a red substance sucked up from the earth.

The structure he was standing in front of was human in shape, but made of a strong metal. Pipes shaped like wings emerged from its side, and more pipes surrounded it. There was an almost loving look in Sephiroth's eyes as he stood there, his sword in one hand, praising the metal figure.

"Mother," he said, a loving tone in his voice as he addressed it. "Let's take this planet back together. I've thought of a great idea. Let's go to the Promised Land."

He received no reply from the statue, but the loving look in his glowing green eyes just increased. as though he didn't need an answer. It was then that Cloud ran into the chamber, a look of pure fury in his blue eyes as he glared up at Sephiroth.

"Sephiroth… My family! My hometown! How could you do this to them!?" he yelled.

A small scowl appeared on Sephiroth's face, and the loving look in his eyes disappeared and became blank. He slowly lowered his arms and looked down at the ground. Cloud panted heavily, his heart beating loudly in his ears, the fierce rush of adrenalin powering his anger. A moment's silence spread between him and Sephiroth, until he heard a small chuckle come from Sephiroth, and he growled.

"Ha, ha, ha……" chuckled Sephiroth, not looking up from the floor. "They've come again, mother." He raised his gaze up towards the metal statue, and the look of love and compassion returned to his eyes again. "With her superior power, knowledge, and magic, Mother was destined to become the ruler of this Planet."

He slowly stepped forward onto the top of the pipe, and his arms slowly began to reach out for the statue. A strange and almost manic grin spread on his face as he reached up to the statue's face.

"But they…" he said, his voice ominous and full of hatred. "Those worthless creatures… are stealing the Planet from Mother." He drew closer to the statue, his face almost level with its own 'face'. "But now I'm here with you," he said to it. "So don't worry."

He suddenly grabbed onto the edges of the metal statue and pulled harshly. His own superior strength caused the metal casing to jerk, and the pipes strained and broke away from the statue. Another final tug from Sephiroth brought the casing away completely and Sephiroth held it up in his arms. The energy that was being pumped into the statue began to pour from the pipes and from its mouth like blood, the statue giving its last breath before Sephiroth threw it callously down towards the ground, where it clattered and rolled to a stop near to where Cloud stood. It wasn't the statue he was interested in.

Cold steam poured from the pipes, but soon began to clear. Sephiroth looked up and peered through the steam, a smile spreading on his face as he saw what he wanted to see.

The steam cleared to reveal a glass panel, sealing off the interior. Inside the panel was a woman, seeming to be only kept alive because of the pipes attached to her body. She had dark blue skin, but one of her eyes was replaced by a mechanical red light. Attached to her head was a large metal helmet, with a copper nameplate nailed onto it. Written on that nameplate was the name 'JENOVA' written on it.

On the ground, Cloud drew his sword and held it firmly in his hands. "What about MY sadness!?" he demanded fiercely. "My family… friends…" He closed his eyes, remembering Tifa lying almost dead in the reactor. "The sadness of having my hometown taken away from me!? It's the same as your sadness!"

"Ha, ha, ha… my sadness?" asked Sephiroth. He turned to Cloud and raised his arms high. "What do I have to be sad about? I am the chosen one. I have been chosen to be the leader of this Planet." He made a single, fleeting glance back to the encased body of Jenova and smiled, before he looked back at Cloud and clasped his sword in both hands. "I have orders to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra. What am I supposed to be sad about?

Cloud lowered his head and looked down at the ground. Tears were stinging in the back of his eyes. His hometown, his friends, and his mother… everyone and everything he knew was gone. He had left Nibelheim to be as strong as Sephiroth. Now all the respect that he had had for Sephiroth was gone, as were his dreams of being like him. Now all he could feel for Sephiroth was anger. A blazing, furious anger that surged through his veins and made him burn inside. He wanted to take revenge for what Sephiroth had done to his town, and that was the only thing on his mind.

"Sephiroth… I trusted you…" he mumbled quietly. He looked up at Sephiroth and raised his sword, ready for battle. "No, you're not the Sephiroth I used to know!"

He continued to glare up at Sephiroth, the ferocious anger burning in his eyes, his body tensed and ready for battle, even if it meant death. Sephiroth did nothing but look back at him, his masamune sword clasped in his hands. Now it was a stalemate between them, waiting to see who would make the first strike, and who would die in trying. Cloud flexed his grip, and prepared to swing his sword.


"……And that's the end of my story," Cloud said suddenly, ending the story. All around him the others jumped in surprise at the sudden end to the long story. They looked around at each other, confused.

"Wait a damn minute!" Barret snapped furiously, jumping up from where he was sat. "Ain't there more?"

Cloud shook his head. "……I don't remember."

"What happened to Sephiroth?" asked Aeris.

"In terms of skill, I couldn't have killed him," replied Cloud.

Tifa looked up from the bed. "Official records state Sephiroth is dead," she said. "I read it in the newspaper."

"Shinra, Inc. owns the paper," Aeris pointed out. "So you can't rely on that information."

"……I want to know the truth," said Cloud, thinking hard as he tried to fill in the gaps in his memory. "I want to know what happened then. I challenged Sephiroth and lived. Why didn't he kill me?"

Tifa raised her hand. "……I'm alive, too," she added.

Cloud looked up at her and nodded, but he looked a little concerned. He couldn't remember anything after the moment when he and Sephiroth were about to fight. He had thought Tifa would have died after a wound like that, but she was also here by his side.

"Seems like a lot of this doesn't make sense," said Aeris. She stood up and went to the window, scratching her head thoughtfully. "What about Jenova?" she asked, looking out of the window at the townspeople. "It was in the Shinra building, right?"

"Shinra shipped it from Nibelheim to Midgar," Cloud informed her.

"Did someone else carry it out after that?" she asked further. "It was missing from the Shinra building."

"Sephiroth……?" Tifa suggested.

"Damn! Don't none of this make sense!" Barret shouted suddenly. He rubbed his scalp madly with his hands until it was sore, for he was completely confused and wanted some relief. "I'm going, going, going, gone! And I'm leavin' the thinkin' to you!" He turned around and plodded over to the top of the stairs. "Yo, Cloud! Let's get a move on!"

"Right," agreed Cloud, nodding.

"Yo, c'mon let's go!" Barret said. Then he turned and thudded down the stairs, deliberately slamming his boots against the wood to make some noise and relieve his frustration. When he was gone Cloud put a hand to his head and shook it pitifully.

"Oh, brother……"

"……Cloud……?" Cloud looked up as Tifa walked over to him. She stood in front of him almost sheepishly, her hands clasped loosely behind her back, and shuffling the floor with her feet nervously. "How bad was I when Sephiroth cut me?" she asked him.

Cloud blinked, and the image of Tifa lying on the stairs covered in blood returned to his mind. He cringed. He didn't want to remember that image. "I thought you were a goner," he admitted. He looked down at the ground. "……I was really sad."

Tifa looked down at the ground as well, her face red. "……" was all she could muster.

Aeris was still by the window, looking out at the townspeople. Cloud's story had made her think about an awful lot of things. Up until that point she had always believed that she was the last surviving member of the Cetra. Now she knew that she wasn't – if Sephiroth was indeed still alive. She didn't know much about the Cetra other than what she had already told everyone.

She closed her eyes for a moment and quietened her mind. Since they had left the busy, mechanical streets of Midgar, she had begun to sense and hear a lot more of what the Planet was saying – things she had never been able to sense whilst in the slums of Midgar. It was still very weak, but she knew one thing: the Planet was in chaos.

"I… The Ancients…… Cetra…… Jenova…… Sephiroth and myself……" she whispered.

"Let's go," Tifa announced suddenly. "Barret's waiting."

She and Cloud headed for the stairs and went down to the ground floor. Aeris remained behind for a moment longer, watching the innocent people of Kalm continue with their daily lives, probably unaware of the tragedies that occurred in Midgar. She then turned and followed them down, leaving Red XIII alone in the bedroom. He waited until everyone had gone, where he swished his tail on the floor.

"What a fascinating story," he commented. He then crawled slowly to his feet and headed down after the others.

Barret was waiting for them all when they finally came down from the inn's bedroom. He seemed to have calmed down a little now, although the innkeeper and his assistant both looked a little pale and shell-shocked. They didn't want to even imagine what Barret must have said to them to scare them so much. He was holding a small item in his large hands, and when he looked up and saw Cloud and Tifa head down, followed by Aeris, he stopped tapping his foot and headed over to them.

"Yo, Cloud. Here," he said, and chucked the small item over to Cloud.

Cloud caught the item and looked down at it. He had seen an item like this before. It was a PHS, or Personal Homing System. They were often used in the Shinra for troops to keep in touch with one another, but were only in best use over short distances. It would be very useful for them travelling across the plains.

"PHS will put us in constant contact with each other," Barret explained, completely disregarding the look of recognition in Cloud's face. "Awright then, we're outta here."

He then ran out of the doorway, with Red XIII close behind him, before Cloud could protest. They hadn't even decided on their next destination yet. So he just sighed and walked out of the inn with Aeris and Tifa, and back into the town of Kalm. There were a few more people around now, for the sun was higher in the sky and most of the shops had now opened up.

There was no sign of Barret or Red XIII in the town – they had already left for the Midgar Plains that surrounded the town of Kalm. He wasn't worried about them, though, for they were perfectly capable of handling the monsters that roamed the fields by themselves.

"Listen to me!" came a man's voice. Tifa and Cloud both looked up and saw him nearby with a group of people, speaking very loudly and attracting a lot of interest. "Just now, some guy in a black cloak walked east towards that grassy field. And he's got this killer sword, and is looking REAL scary……"

Cloud and Tifa both stopped in surprise and stared at one another, wondering if what they were hearing was really true. A guy in a black cloak with a killer sword…

"Cloud," said Tifa looking up at Cloud nervously. "Could it be Sephiroth? I mean, could he really still be alive? Really? He isn't dead?"

"You remember what Palmer said, right?" Cloud told her. "Sephiroth was in the Shinra building. He killed the President." He looked out towards the entrance of the town. "So it looks like he's heading away from Midgar." He crossed his arms and tapped his foot thoughtfully against the floor.

"Hey, maybe we should get going," Aeris interrupted suddenly, walking between Cloud and Tifa. "We don't want to fall too far behind Barret and Red XIII. Cloud, maybe you should call them and tell them which way to head."

Cloud looked at her. She sounded a little anxious, but Cloud couldn't make out why. Eventually he nodded and pulled out the PHS.


End of Part Two

Part Three: Chocobos, Parades… And A Ninja