"Mother, let's take this planet back together."
The metal steps chimed quietly under each footstep of the heavy boots.
"I've thought of a great idea."
The leather gloves gripped the handle of the weighty broadsword even tighter, adrenaline and rage giving Cloud the strength he needed.
"Let's go to the Promised Land."
Cerulean eyes burned with anger, never wavering from their target. His mouth felt dry, but from deeper region of his soul, Cloud felt a single name escape his lips.
"Sephiroth…" The room was smaller than most others within the reactor, overwhelmingly crowded with various mechanical instruments and pipes snaking their way upwards to a single glass tube resting against the far wall. A beautifully crafted metallic figurehead emerged from the front of it, glinting slightly in the eerie light cast around the room. A heavy pulse reverberated around the room, causing the very floor beneath Cloud and the silver-haired general to jolt with rhythmic timing. For a few moments, no sound was heard apart from the heartbeat of the room as Sephiroth continued to disregard Cloud's challenge.
"What are you doing?" Cloud furiously shook his head to clear a few loose strands of blonde hair out of his eyes with continued to stare intently at the back of the black leather jacket. "How could you do that to Zack?" His voice choked on the name, wavering slightly as he blinked back tears which threatened to burn his eyes.
Slowly, with unnerving grace, Sephiroth turned to face the younger man. His eyes seemed to focus not on Cloud, but rather on something within him. It was an awkward and difficult gaze which the blonde struggled to hold, but the fury he felt held his eyes in place. He didn't notice the blood beginning to flow from his lip where he had bitten down on it too hard to keep his nerve.
"With her superior power, knowledge, and magic, Mother was destined to become the ruler of the Planet." The calmness in Sephiroth's voice shocked Cloud. It was as if he wasn't even aware of what he had just done.
"What are you talking about?"
A smile began to grow on the general's face; not one revealing a deeper insanity, but one of belonging. "I did a lot of research during the night… So many fascinating books can be discovered within the Shinra Mansion." Cloud remained silent, unable to force himself into action, nor to stop listening. Their was a longing deep within him to keep faith with his general in the desperate hope that he could offer a viable reason for his actions. "Especially the works of a particularly great man. I will assume that you have never heard of Professor Gast." A nostalgic smile radiated from the general. "He was a truly great scientist. I should know…" Sephiroth turned to look back at the metallic figurehead. "He produced me."
The blood began to pound in Cloud's ears as he struggled to understand what was being said. He shook his head, loosening his grip slightly on the handle of the broadsword.
"Pr… produced?" Cloud stammered, fear and curiosity now gripping him in equal measure. Sephiroth turned back to face him, smiling with a look of pride now evident on his face and in his voice.
"Yes. Professor Gast, leader of the Jenova Project and genius scientist, produced me." The air suddenly became thicker as Sephiroth's tone became more dangerous. "I have been chosen to be the leader of this Planet. I have orders to take this planet back from you stupid people for the Cetra." Cloud noticed with a slight sense of panic Sephiroth beginning to raise his masamune, and immediately tightened his grip on the handle of his weapon once more. He felt the fire once more rage within him as he watched the man who had taken Zack's life for a reason that seemed to hold no sense of truth. Adrenaline and fear held him in place with equal effect, as his mind continued to exchange between a desire for vengeance and an overpowering urge to flee the greater warrior, who was clearly not in a stable state of mind. A bold step forward set his mind in place as he shouted out to the silver haired man.
"You're not the Sephiroth I used to know!" Raising his broadsword, Cloud felt ready for whatever the next few moments held for him. The most likely outcome within his mind was death at the hands of the more experienced general, but his determination held him steady to his cause.
Swinging the large iron blade to build momentum, Cloud lunged forward towards Sephiroth…