Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Final Fantasy Seven or Eight, I am just
making use of Square's characters and worlds.
A Word from the Author: For the benefit of my readers, I shall attempt to produce a summary of the story so far every ten chapters. Sephiroth was killed by Cloud, but the Planet resurrected him and transported him on Gaia, the FF8 world, to help the heroes chosen by destiny to fight the new threat, namely Jenova, who had landed on Gaia after her defeat. She had teamed up with the President of Galbadia, whose quest was total global control. These events take place twenty years after the Second Sorceress War. Sephiroth joined SeeD and so far he has made it into the ranks of the cadets after being tested by the instructors. Squall and Rinoa are staying in the newly rebuilt orphanage, Quistis is in Esthar Garden, Irvine and Selphie in Trabia. Zell is in instructor in Balamb. The Leonhearts and Kinneases are married with children. Sephiroth has just left his sword class victorious after a duel with Paine and is now in magic class.
OCs so far: Arne Leonheart, Angus Feder (bad guy), Avine Swifter, Daniel Roheiz, Edigier Deling (bad guy), Elenor Rynee, Ian Kinneas, Keire Wulcan, Kenji Miaren (bad guy), Krien Istarl (bad guy), Lisa Kinneas, Mel Flintein, Paine Falkern, Quinn Leonheart, Tierna Telemont (bad guy...uh...girl), and lastly, Tycho Assanio (bad guy)
Note: These are all the OCs that will appear in this fic, aside from some minor, less important characters I won't bother to mention above.
Canon characters: Cid Kramer (minor), Edea Kramer (minor), Irvine Kinneas (minor), Laguna Loire (minor), Quistis Trepe (major), Rinoa Heartilly (minor), Squall Leonheart (minor), Seifer Almasy (major), Selphie Tilmitt (minor), Xu Fraden (major), and Zell Dincht (major)
Note: Roles in story are bracketed.
As a special favor to Dark Feruil and Quela, who have requested for this chapter, I'm going to write about Seph's next class: studying and using magic. Apologies for the delay in getting to the story. Enjoy!
Chapter Ten: Into the Mists of Magic
The metal doors slid open and a blur of silver flashed through, boots thudding on the floor, cutting off the voice of the instructor as she wrote on the whiteboard with a marker. Heads turned as the students turned to stare at the interrupter with raised eyebrows and curiosity, glad to find something besides the lesson to interest themselves in.
Sephiroth straightened his clothes and smoothed back his messy hair, then suddenly realized that he was the center of attention of the whole class. Big deal. Used to it, he ignored them and turned to the instructor. For some reason, she looked extremely familiar, with fair blond hair and warm hazel eyes. Oh, right. An image of his roommate flashed into his mind as he recognized her features.
The young woman put her book down and placed her hands on her hips. "What excuse can you give for your lateness?" she asked bluntly.
"One of my classmates was injured during training, so I had to escort her to her dormitory," he stated.
While he spoke, she pulled put a sheaf of papers from her book and flipped through them until she came to the page she wanted. "You must be the new student. Se...Sephi...rorf?" she asked, pronouncing his name with some difficulty and totally mangling it in the process.
When he nodded his head in admission and corrected her mistake, the instructor just grunted in disinterest. "Your lack of punctuality is excused this time. Just don't do that again in the future. I am Instructor Erin Roheiz. Take a seat. A desk computer shall be assigned to you later."
Daniel's 'stubborn' sister? Sephiroth wondered as he did as the instructor had ordered. Aside from her obvious resemblance to the martial artist, there was absolutely no similarity between them. Erin was cold, efficient and curt. Her brother was talkative, active and outgoing. Sephiroth could not help but be amused by the major differences between the two siblings.
Sephiroth slid into the only vacant seat beside a scrawny, geeky-looking youth with a serious case of acne. Instructor Roheiz waited a second or two for the restless class to settle down again before beginning to speak. "As I was saying before the intrusion, I believe that some of you have progressed far enough in your studies that you can handle drawing and casting low level spells now. Such as the basic elements, Fire, Ice, Thunder, Quake, etcetera. Once you have mastered the simple spells, we shall move on to higher levels. Those who have managed junctioning of Guardian Forces please come to the front of the class. As you are aware, magic cannot be cast without their assistance. Those who have not, practice with Shiva. Who has her now?"
The girl beside Sephiroth raised her hand. Erin nodded at her. "Patricia, right? Good. You are in charge of your study group. As for you, Sephiroth, do you have any experience with the usage of magic? Anything?"
He mulled over his reply before saying, "...a little." He smiled inwardly to himself at the lie. Definitely more than 'a little'. Meteor, terrible and monstrous, hanging in the sky like a harbinger of doom, like a Damocles' Sword, over everyone's heads...Realizing that he was lapsing into old memories again, something he was doing frequently nowadays, he snapped himself out of it and looked inquiringly at Erin.
"Then you must have prior knowledge of junctioning and drawing." The instructor cocked her head to one side, looking stern. "Junction a Guardian to yourself. Show me. Then draw and cast any kind of magic from me."
If this was an anime flick, there would have been question marks dancing around Sephiroth's head now as he struggled to understand the strange ways of this new world. Fortunately the Planet assisted, its voice like cool, soothing water, calming his questions.
—Open your mind...reach out, like how you did when you use materia...when you swim in the Lifestream—
Sephiroth let himself relax and his mind, so naturally, left his body and, freed of mortal constraints, searched for the source of this world's magic. He located a higher plane, so near yet so far, from this material dimension where his body sat. He was barely conscious of time stretching, passing, but here it was of no consequence. His spiritual eyes saw a whirling myriad of colors so dizzying and mystifying that he saw no colors at all at the same time. He felt heat and he felt ice, buffeting winds and a silent, deafening stillness.
Somehow, he knew that this was the world of the Guardians, where they lived, watching over the mortals they had chosen to protect and defend, lending them their power, even manifesting on the humans' own plane to fight for them at their summons. He cast about, seeing large, humanoid, serpentine shapes approaching him, silent, stealthy, oddly graceful and fluid. Yet he felt no fear.
A mind touched his; roaring, fiery with all the rash warmth of a fiercely passionate, impatient nature. /Who are you that intrudes into our realm?/
/Hush, Ifrit./ This was a cool, female voice, filled with enigma and logic, icy and composed in comparison with the voice of the being that had preceded her. Sephiroth, or rather, his soul, felt the female's attention turned on him. /But how were you able to enter our world unscathed?/ she mused, in a tone filled with wonder. /No one has been able to do that, not since...since/
Her voice trailed away. A new voice broke in, this one deep, smooth, filled with unutterable darkness.
/Afraid what this means, Shiva, my dear?/
Sephiroth could sense the building tension. For the first time, Shiva showed her form, a perfect, beautiful goddess with blue skin and a frigid aura. She hovered to his right, and even though his physical body was far away he could feel the cold air surrounding her. /Hyne is away, Diablos. It is our duty to protect his creation. Naturally I fear./
/The sorceress is accounted for. Who is this? No ordinary being can do what he has dared done./ Ifrit repeated again, his voice a low growl.
Sephiroth was fascinated as he faced the Guardians for the first time. Shiva and Ifrit he recognized from his own world. Either they were the same or the Planet and Gaia were some kind of alternative/parallel universes, which explained why some of the Guardians were similar to the Summon Monsters from the Planet. Diablos he did not know; he had no doubt that he would meet many old 'friends' and strangers as well once he got to know all the Guardians.
/Bahamut must know of this./ a masculine, harsh voice declared. Sephiroth glanced behind him to see a knight in blackened armor astride a horse with burning eyes from the depths of nightmares. A face with rough features looking as though they had been carved out of rock with a blunt chisel and an odd yellowish tint peered out from beneath the helm with dark, intelligent, intense eyes.
(Odin, the Defender...)
/What are you doing here?/ Diablos demanded sharply. /Remember Hyne's charge, Sir Knight?/ he sneered with thick sarcasm, making no effort to hide his contempt for the knight. /Hyne would not be pleased of you had abandoned your duty.../
/We do not need your cutting remarks, Diablos, at this time of instability and unease/ Odin replied just as coldly. /An anomaly in the natural flow of things has called me here. I shall be gone soon./ His black eyes searched Sephiroth out, smoldering with an unseen fire. /It is he. Can you not sense it?/
/Yes/ Shiva breathed. /The power.../
/Why do you not say anything?/ Ifrit demanded, his bestial form solidifying and appearing next to Shiva. Coal red eyes glared with dark suspicion at the unexpected intruder in their midst.
/I shall call the rest/ Odin said quietly before slipping away, his ominous silhouette fading from view.
(What do you wish to know?) Sephiroth asked of the Guardians silently.
/Who are you?/ Shiva asked.
(I am Sephiroth.)
/You do not come from this world/ she accused, blue eyes flaring white with power. A blast of wintry air lashed at him suddenly, and instinctively he flinched at the biting cold.
(Yes...) he acknowledged.
/And yet you do. You belong here, yet something about you is.../ Shiva paused to tilt her head to one side in puzzlement, her long fall of sapphire hair brushing against one shapely thigh. /alien. Not of Gaia./
The Planet was silent, giving him no clue as to what to respond. Sephiroth decided to take the plunge. (Do you know of Adele—)
Shiva's eyes flashed with anger. /DO NOT SPEAK HER NAME!/ She cried out in rage, whipping out with a blast of raw energy. Ifrit was similarly affected, and his eyes flamed red and orange, his fur bristling, steam leaking out of his nostrils and mouth. Diablos snorted bitterly, bat wings folding close around his demonic body, his crimson eyes filling with pure obsidian.
/Do not utter the Fallen One's name again. Ever. Not in our realm/ Shiva stated, her tone terrible to hear in its absolute emptiness and hatred. /Not if you value her life./ She was serious, and she meant it.
(I apologize for my mistake) Sephiroth said sincerely. Having understood from his research that Adele had brought about the downfall of Hyne's first children, it was not surprising the Guardians would resent her so deeply. Hyne had trusted her, and she had broken that trust in a single, irreparable act of betrayal. (But you see, the Fallen One did not die.)
/Hyne was afraid of that/ a new, sad, resonant voice whispered. /But we dared to hope. We hoped that we were free./
A dragon materialized out of the crazily swirling mists that formed the Guardians' home. Its scales were a shiny, metallic blue, its eyes liquid gold, filled with the sorrow and wisdom of a very old man. Wings the span of the Planet were tucked in close at its sides.
Following it were more Guardians, some manlike, some fantastic beyond all comprehension, some monstrous and awe inspiring. Odin was among them. He caught Bahamut's eye, and something like silent understanding passed between knight and dragon. Odin vanished again, and this time Sephiroth understood that he was not coming back.
Bahamut's amber eyes swept over the lone man standing silently within the ring of Guardians, and widened, almost in shock. /Could it be?/ he murmured softly, and the Guardians stirred in response to their king's unease. /A shadow of a past best forgotten/ he continued regretfully. /You were discussing the Fallen One?/
Sephiroth turned to the Planet for guidance. An overwhelming grief, the Planet's current, strongest emotion, swept through him. There was a brief image of blood and darkness, then it was gone, and in its place, simply —Tell them—
And so he did. The Guardians listened, rapt, as he told them of Nibelheim, of Meteor, of the Fallen One who now called herself Jenova, and her return. Bahamut sighed wearily as Sephiroth reached the end of his tale.
/We feared as much/ he mumbled miserably. /You have been of great help, child, and we shall not forget what you have done for us. Call in battle if danger threatens, and we will come./ The dragon stretched out his long, scaled neck, golden eyes grave. /We had sensed a disturbance in the flow of magic two weeks ago, and we hoped so fervently that we were wrong. We are sad to know that we are not, but/ His eyes gleamed fiercely. /She is here. At her most vulnerable, where we can get her! At last, after the years of uncertainty, of endless waiting. She shall not escape us this time./
He shook himself out of his battle lust and gazed at Sephiroth evenly.
/The Fallen One was a sorceress. The blood of Hyne runs in your veins. You may not know your ultimate destiny yet, Son of Hyne, but you will know soon. The winds of change blow, blowing away the footsteps in the sand.../ Bahamut dipped his massive head in a bow of respect. /We will meet again in the future. For now, farewell./
One by one, the Guardians departed, until only the god of gravity was left, floating in the air before Sephiroth. Emerald met ruby eyes in an unspoken challenge. Diablos smiled, thin lips parting to reveal a mouthful of thin, pointed teeth that added to his demonic countenance.
/Your darkness calls to my darkness. We are both representatives of night serving the light. I would be your junction. But remember the cost. The exchange of memories for power/
Sephiroth nodded in consent after a moment of consideration. (So be it. I never had such good memories to begin with.)
Diablos dissolved in a spray of dark mist that extended black tendrils into Sephiroth's 'head'. The world went black as Diablos' consciousness slipped firmly into his, taking up residence in a spot at the back of his head.
/comfortable/
(Nice to know that, Diablos)
A dark snicker sounded within his head. Sephiroth ignored it and focused on his discarded body, sitting slumped in the chair back in the classroom at Balamb. His spirit was pulled out of the other dimension, speeding through the barriers between worlds and landing eagerly in his mortal shell, slipping on the body like a well tailored glove.
To Sephiroth, eternity had passed since he had left his body and found the Guardians, but a glance at his chrono and Instructor Roheiz's oblivious expression told him that in this world, only about five seconds had passed. Smirking, he called upon Diablos' dark power. He didn't need it, of course; Jenova's power still lurked, waiting to be unleashed, burning keenly beneath his skin. But these were SeeDs, trained to defeat insane sorceresses, and they might recognize a sorcerer's power...
His Jenova enhanced senses explored Erin's mind, and found fire, harmless until she chose to speak the incantation, burning his probe with power just raging to be released. It was there, within his reach...Sephiroth smiled and drew the power within himself, and glowing green light—the form the fire magic took as it traveled between minds—connected instructor and student for a few seconds. Sephiroth felt an instant of pain during the transaction—almost as if the fire the spell had the potential to set free was scorching his brain. Then the pain was gone, and the fire was burning merrily within him now.
"Immolatus infernato incantem," he began, reeling the rest of the spell with ease, the words just popping up in his head and rolling off his tongue smoothly as he concentrated on the spell. With a sound like s match being struck, a spherical mass of orange and blue flame bursting into existence right above his palm, hovering close enough to warm the skin but not burn it. Erin raised an eyebrow, but despite her affected imperturbability he could tell that she was impressed with his performance.
"Which GF is that?" she asked casually.
"Diablos."
His answer disturbed her. One line marred the smooth skin of her forehead, her full lips turning down at some worrying thought. Without deigning to reply she just walked away, indicating that he should follow her.
/Darkness to darkness/ Diablos reminded him snidely as he rose from his seat. He closed his hand over the small ball of fire, merely feeling a slight discomfort as the fire licked at his skin for a short moment, without leaving any trace, extinguishing the fire. /The Guardian chooses the host/
(Ah, I see.)
/It was that obvious/
Diablos' insults did not faze Sephiroth. He had heard worse. He thrust aside the winged demon's words and listened carefully to Erin's instructions to the students. Ten minutes later he was drawing Firas and Firagas from Erin with deceptive effortlessness. He heard the words 'show- off' muttered under the breaths of others more than once, but again, he was used to it from his youth. When the class bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson and the beginning of lunch period, Erin condescended to utter a short, "Good work" to the silver haired youth. Judging from the looks he had got from the other cadets, some jealous, some admiring, some calculative, it was not common of Erin to hand out praise to her students. Especially a new one.
Sephiroth headed for the cafeteria feeling distinctly pleased with his morning. Only one thing confused him, a fact he kept carefully hidden from the sarcastic demon in the corner of his brain.
What had Bahamut meant by 'his ultimate destiny'...? Wasn't the purpose of his presence here to help the Children of Fate fight Jenova?
For this, he had no answer.
....................................................................................................
Author's Ending Note: Okay, after I read this, I thought it sounded lame. Sephiroth goes to magic class, and ends up talking to the King of the Guardians when he tries to junction a GF for the first time?! Sure...right. However, I had absolutely no other ideas, and somehow the story just turned out like this. (Shrugs) I understand that some parts sound...weird?...and in case you want to ask something, well, just go ahead. I'll answer any questions you may have readily.
Travithian Axile signing out
(Great! 9 reviews again!!!...eyes goes dreamy)
Thanks to:
Omega Paladin: Paine is, personally, my favorite OC. However, in case people have the wrong ideas about Paine's and Sephiroth's relationship, I'll say it again—There will be NO Seph/OC if I can help it. Not in a million, zillion years. I'm glad to know I was able to meet your expectations. Keep reviewing! I love hearing opinions from my readers.
Noacat: (bows) I'm happy that people think my fight scene was great even though I had a pretty low opinion of my writing. Nice to be proved wrong for once. Well, Patricia the OC is a pretty meaningless one though, just put there for fun. Cheerio!
aer-seph4eva: Sure! You know, you could just put me on Author Alert and FF.net will just notify you the next time my work is updated. As always, I appreciate the praise.
Daishi Mk2: Actually, that was a mistake. I meant to spell her name as 'Payne' but somehow I accidentally wrote 'Paine' instead. So, no, she's not the same as the FFX-2 character, though I intend for her (the TIAL Paine) to inherit some 'attitude' from her namesake.
Dark Feruil: (muses) I wonder if I should have Paine kick Sephiroth's butt one day?...nah, that would be too heartless. (smiles evilly)
kronos: Welcome to the circle of TIAL reviewers. Hope to see more of you in the future.
T.A.Skywalker: Hello! Long time no see. Did you ever finish reading up to Chapter Nine: Black Wolf? Your review is of Chapter Seven...
Quela: Why would I be upset? I'd be so honored! When you're done, please send some pictures to me. I would love to see them! Thank you for caring.
A Word from the Author: For the benefit of my readers, I shall attempt to produce a summary of the story so far every ten chapters. Sephiroth was killed by Cloud, but the Planet resurrected him and transported him on Gaia, the FF8 world, to help the heroes chosen by destiny to fight the new threat, namely Jenova, who had landed on Gaia after her defeat. She had teamed up with the President of Galbadia, whose quest was total global control. These events take place twenty years after the Second Sorceress War. Sephiroth joined SeeD and so far he has made it into the ranks of the cadets after being tested by the instructors. Squall and Rinoa are staying in the newly rebuilt orphanage, Quistis is in Esthar Garden, Irvine and Selphie in Trabia. Zell is in instructor in Balamb. The Leonhearts and Kinneases are married with children. Sephiroth has just left his sword class victorious after a duel with Paine and is now in magic class.
OCs so far: Arne Leonheart, Angus Feder (bad guy), Avine Swifter, Daniel Roheiz, Edigier Deling (bad guy), Elenor Rynee, Ian Kinneas, Keire Wulcan, Kenji Miaren (bad guy), Krien Istarl (bad guy), Lisa Kinneas, Mel Flintein, Paine Falkern, Quinn Leonheart, Tierna Telemont (bad guy...uh...girl), and lastly, Tycho Assanio (bad guy)
Note: These are all the OCs that will appear in this fic, aside from some minor, less important characters I won't bother to mention above.
Canon characters: Cid Kramer (minor), Edea Kramer (minor), Irvine Kinneas (minor), Laguna Loire (minor), Quistis Trepe (major), Rinoa Heartilly (minor), Squall Leonheart (minor), Seifer Almasy (major), Selphie Tilmitt (minor), Xu Fraden (major), and Zell Dincht (major)
Note: Roles in story are bracketed.
As a special favor to Dark Feruil and Quela, who have requested for this chapter, I'm going to write about Seph's next class: studying and using magic. Apologies for the delay in getting to the story. Enjoy!
Chapter Ten: Into the Mists of Magic
The metal doors slid open and a blur of silver flashed through, boots thudding on the floor, cutting off the voice of the instructor as she wrote on the whiteboard with a marker. Heads turned as the students turned to stare at the interrupter with raised eyebrows and curiosity, glad to find something besides the lesson to interest themselves in.
Sephiroth straightened his clothes and smoothed back his messy hair, then suddenly realized that he was the center of attention of the whole class. Big deal. Used to it, he ignored them and turned to the instructor. For some reason, she looked extremely familiar, with fair blond hair and warm hazel eyes. Oh, right. An image of his roommate flashed into his mind as he recognized her features.
The young woman put her book down and placed her hands on her hips. "What excuse can you give for your lateness?" she asked bluntly.
"One of my classmates was injured during training, so I had to escort her to her dormitory," he stated.
While he spoke, she pulled put a sheaf of papers from her book and flipped through them until she came to the page she wanted. "You must be the new student. Se...Sephi...rorf?" she asked, pronouncing his name with some difficulty and totally mangling it in the process.
When he nodded his head in admission and corrected her mistake, the instructor just grunted in disinterest. "Your lack of punctuality is excused this time. Just don't do that again in the future. I am Instructor Erin Roheiz. Take a seat. A desk computer shall be assigned to you later."
Daniel's 'stubborn' sister? Sephiroth wondered as he did as the instructor had ordered. Aside from her obvious resemblance to the martial artist, there was absolutely no similarity between them. Erin was cold, efficient and curt. Her brother was talkative, active and outgoing. Sephiroth could not help but be amused by the major differences between the two siblings.
Sephiroth slid into the only vacant seat beside a scrawny, geeky-looking youth with a serious case of acne. Instructor Roheiz waited a second or two for the restless class to settle down again before beginning to speak. "As I was saying before the intrusion, I believe that some of you have progressed far enough in your studies that you can handle drawing and casting low level spells now. Such as the basic elements, Fire, Ice, Thunder, Quake, etcetera. Once you have mastered the simple spells, we shall move on to higher levels. Those who have managed junctioning of Guardian Forces please come to the front of the class. As you are aware, magic cannot be cast without their assistance. Those who have not, practice with Shiva. Who has her now?"
The girl beside Sephiroth raised her hand. Erin nodded at her. "Patricia, right? Good. You are in charge of your study group. As for you, Sephiroth, do you have any experience with the usage of magic? Anything?"
He mulled over his reply before saying, "...a little." He smiled inwardly to himself at the lie. Definitely more than 'a little'. Meteor, terrible and monstrous, hanging in the sky like a harbinger of doom, like a Damocles' Sword, over everyone's heads...Realizing that he was lapsing into old memories again, something he was doing frequently nowadays, he snapped himself out of it and looked inquiringly at Erin.
"Then you must have prior knowledge of junctioning and drawing." The instructor cocked her head to one side, looking stern. "Junction a Guardian to yourself. Show me. Then draw and cast any kind of magic from me."
If this was an anime flick, there would have been question marks dancing around Sephiroth's head now as he struggled to understand the strange ways of this new world. Fortunately the Planet assisted, its voice like cool, soothing water, calming his questions.
—Open your mind...reach out, like how you did when you use materia...when you swim in the Lifestream—
Sephiroth let himself relax and his mind, so naturally, left his body and, freed of mortal constraints, searched for the source of this world's magic. He located a higher plane, so near yet so far, from this material dimension where his body sat. He was barely conscious of time stretching, passing, but here it was of no consequence. His spiritual eyes saw a whirling myriad of colors so dizzying and mystifying that he saw no colors at all at the same time. He felt heat and he felt ice, buffeting winds and a silent, deafening stillness.
Somehow, he knew that this was the world of the Guardians, where they lived, watching over the mortals they had chosen to protect and defend, lending them their power, even manifesting on the humans' own plane to fight for them at their summons. He cast about, seeing large, humanoid, serpentine shapes approaching him, silent, stealthy, oddly graceful and fluid. Yet he felt no fear.
A mind touched his; roaring, fiery with all the rash warmth of a fiercely passionate, impatient nature. /Who are you that intrudes into our realm?/
/Hush, Ifrit./ This was a cool, female voice, filled with enigma and logic, icy and composed in comparison with the voice of the being that had preceded her. Sephiroth, or rather, his soul, felt the female's attention turned on him. /But how were you able to enter our world unscathed?/ she mused, in a tone filled with wonder. /No one has been able to do that, not since...since/
Her voice trailed away. A new voice broke in, this one deep, smooth, filled with unutterable darkness.
/Afraid what this means, Shiva, my dear?/
Sephiroth could sense the building tension. For the first time, Shiva showed her form, a perfect, beautiful goddess with blue skin and a frigid aura. She hovered to his right, and even though his physical body was far away he could feel the cold air surrounding her. /Hyne is away, Diablos. It is our duty to protect his creation. Naturally I fear./
/The sorceress is accounted for. Who is this? No ordinary being can do what he has dared done./ Ifrit repeated again, his voice a low growl.
Sephiroth was fascinated as he faced the Guardians for the first time. Shiva and Ifrit he recognized from his own world. Either they were the same or the Planet and Gaia were some kind of alternative/parallel universes, which explained why some of the Guardians were similar to the Summon Monsters from the Planet. Diablos he did not know; he had no doubt that he would meet many old 'friends' and strangers as well once he got to know all the Guardians.
/Bahamut must know of this./ a masculine, harsh voice declared. Sephiroth glanced behind him to see a knight in blackened armor astride a horse with burning eyes from the depths of nightmares. A face with rough features looking as though they had been carved out of rock with a blunt chisel and an odd yellowish tint peered out from beneath the helm with dark, intelligent, intense eyes.
(Odin, the Defender...)
/What are you doing here?/ Diablos demanded sharply. /Remember Hyne's charge, Sir Knight?/ he sneered with thick sarcasm, making no effort to hide his contempt for the knight. /Hyne would not be pleased of you had abandoned your duty.../
/We do not need your cutting remarks, Diablos, at this time of instability and unease/ Odin replied just as coldly. /An anomaly in the natural flow of things has called me here. I shall be gone soon./ His black eyes searched Sephiroth out, smoldering with an unseen fire. /It is he. Can you not sense it?/
/Yes/ Shiva breathed. /The power.../
/Why do you not say anything?/ Ifrit demanded, his bestial form solidifying and appearing next to Shiva. Coal red eyes glared with dark suspicion at the unexpected intruder in their midst.
/I shall call the rest/ Odin said quietly before slipping away, his ominous silhouette fading from view.
(What do you wish to know?) Sephiroth asked of the Guardians silently.
/Who are you?/ Shiva asked.
(I am Sephiroth.)
/You do not come from this world/ she accused, blue eyes flaring white with power. A blast of wintry air lashed at him suddenly, and instinctively he flinched at the biting cold.
(Yes...) he acknowledged.
/And yet you do. You belong here, yet something about you is.../ Shiva paused to tilt her head to one side in puzzlement, her long fall of sapphire hair brushing against one shapely thigh. /alien. Not of Gaia./
The Planet was silent, giving him no clue as to what to respond. Sephiroth decided to take the plunge. (Do you know of Adele—)
Shiva's eyes flashed with anger. /DO NOT SPEAK HER NAME!/ She cried out in rage, whipping out with a blast of raw energy. Ifrit was similarly affected, and his eyes flamed red and orange, his fur bristling, steam leaking out of his nostrils and mouth. Diablos snorted bitterly, bat wings folding close around his demonic body, his crimson eyes filling with pure obsidian.
/Do not utter the Fallen One's name again. Ever. Not in our realm/ Shiva stated, her tone terrible to hear in its absolute emptiness and hatred. /Not if you value her life./ She was serious, and she meant it.
(I apologize for my mistake) Sephiroth said sincerely. Having understood from his research that Adele had brought about the downfall of Hyne's first children, it was not surprising the Guardians would resent her so deeply. Hyne had trusted her, and she had broken that trust in a single, irreparable act of betrayal. (But you see, the Fallen One did not die.)
/Hyne was afraid of that/ a new, sad, resonant voice whispered. /But we dared to hope. We hoped that we were free./
A dragon materialized out of the crazily swirling mists that formed the Guardians' home. Its scales were a shiny, metallic blue, its eyes liquid gold, filled with the sorrow and wisdom of a very old man. Wings the span of the Planet were tucked in close at its sides.
Following it were more Guardians, some manlike, some fantastic beyond all comprehension, some monstrous and awe inspiring. Odin was among them. He caught Bahamut's eye, and something like silent understanding passed between knight and dragon. Odin vanished again, and this time Sephiroth understood that he was not coming back.
Bahamut's amber eyes swept over the lone man standing silently within the ring of Guardians, and widened, almost in shock. /Could it be?/ he murmured softly, and the Guardians stirred in response to their king's unease. /A shadow of a past best forgotten/ he continued regretfully. /You were discussing the Fallen One?/
Sephiroth turned to the Planet for guidance. An overwhelming grief, the Planet's current, strongest emotion, swept through him. There was a brief image of blood and darkness, then it was gone, and in its place, simply —Tell them—
And so he did. The Guardians listened, rapt, as he told them of Nibelheim, of Meteor, of the Fallen One who now called herself Jenova, and her return. Bahamut sighed wearily as Sephiroth reached the end of his tale.
/We feared as much/ he mumbled miserably. /You have been of great help, child, and we shall not forget what you have done for us. Call in battle if danger threatens, and we will come./ The dragon stretched out his long, scaled neck, golden eyes grave. /We had sensed a disturbance in the flow of magic two weeks ago, and we hoped so fervently that we were wrong. We are sad to know that we are not, but/ His eyes gleamed fiercely. /She is here. At her most vulnerable, where we can get her! At last, after the years of uncertainty, of endless waiting. She shall not escape us this time./
He shook himself out of his battle lust and gazed at Sephiroth evenly.
/The Fallen One was a sorceress. The blood of Hyne runs in your veins. You may not know your ultimate destiny yet, Son of Hyne, but you will know soon. The winds of change blow, blowing away the footsteps in the sand.../ Bahamut dipped his massive head in a bow of respect. /We will meet again in the future. For now, farewell./
One by one, the Guardians departed, until only the god of gravity was left, floating in the air before Sephiroth. Emerald met ruby eyes in an unspoken challenge. Diablos smiled, thin lips parting to reveal a mouthful of thin, pointed teeth that added to his demonic countenance.
/Your darkness calls to my darkness. We are both representatives of night serving the light. I would be your junction. But remember the cost. The exchange of memories for power/
Sephiroth nodded in consent after a moment of consideration. (So be it. I never had such good memories to begin with.)
Diablos dissolved in a spray of dark mist that extended black tendrils into Sephiroth's 'head'. The world went black as Diablos' consciousness slipped firmly into his, taking up residence in a spot at the back of his head.
/comfortable/
(Nice to know that, Diablos)
A dark snicker sounded within his head. Sephiroth ignored it and focused on his discarded body, sitting slumped in the chair back in the classroom at Balamb. His spirit was pulled out of the other dimension, speeding through the barriers between worlds and landing eagerly in his mortal shell, slipping on the body like a well tailored glove.
To Sephiroth, eternity had passed since he had left his body and found the Guardians, but a glance at his chrono and Instructor Roheiz's oblivious expression told him that in this world, only about five seconds had passed. Smirking, he called upon Diablos' dark power. He didn't need it, of course; Jenova's power still lurked, waiting to be unleashed, burning keenly beneath his skin. But these were SeeDs, trained to defeat insane sorceresses, and they might recognize a sorcerer's power...
His Jenova enhanced senses explored Erin's mind, and found fire, harmless until she chose to speak the incantation, burning his probe with power just raging to be released. It was there, within his reach...Sephiroth smiled and drew the power within himself, and glowing green light—the form the fire magic took as it traveled between minds—connected instructor and student for a few seconds. Sephiroth felt an instant of pain during the transaction—almost as if the fire the spell had the potential to set free was scorching his brain. Then the pain was gone, and the fire was burning merrily within him now.
"Immolatus infernato incantem," he began, reeling the rest of the spell with ease, the words just popping up in his head and rolling off his tongue smoothly as he concentrated on the spell. With a sound like s match being struck, a spherical mass of orange and blue flame bursting into existence right above his palm, hovering close enough to warm the skin but not burn it. Erin raised an eyebrow, but despite her affected imperturbability he could tell that she was impressed with his performance.
"Which GF is that?" she asked casually.
"Diablos."
His answer disturbed her. One line marred the smooth skin of her forehead, her full lips turning down at some worrying thought. Without deigning to reply she just walked away, indicating that he should follow her.
/Darkness to darkness/ Diablos reminded him snidely as he rose from his seat. He closed his hand over the small ball of fire, merely feeling a slight discomfort as the fire licked at his skin for a short moment, without leaving any trace, extinguishing the fire. /The Guardian chooses the host/
(Ah, I see.)
/It was that obvious/
Diablos' insults did not faze Sephiroth. He had heard worse. He thrust aside the winged demon's words and listened carefully to Erin's instructions to the students. Ten minutes later he was drawing Firas and Firagas from Erin with deceptive effortlessness. He heard the words 'show- off' muttered under the breaths of others more than once, but again, he was used to it from his youth. When the class bell rang, signaling the end of the lesson and the beginning of lunch period, Erin condescended to utter a short, "Good work" to the silver haired youth. Judging from the looks he had got from the other cadets, some jealous, some admiring, some calculative, it was not common of Erin to hand out praise to her students. Especially a new one.
Sephiroth headed for the cafeteria feeling distinctly pleased with his morning. Only one thing confused him, a fact he kept carefully hidden from the sarcastic demon in the corner of his brain.
What had Bahamut meant by 'his ultimate destiny'...? Wasn't the purpose of his presence here to help the Children of Fate fight Jenova?
For this, he had no answer.
....................................................................................................
Author's Ending Note: Okay, after I read this, I thought it sounded lame. Sephiroth goes to magic class, and ends up talking to the King of the Guardians when he tries to junction a GF for the first time?! Sure...right. However, I had absolutely no other ideas, and somehow the story just turned out like this. (Shrugs) I understand that some parts sound...weird?...and in case you want to ask something, well, just go ahead. I'll answer any questions you may have readily.
Travithian Axile signing out
(Great! 9 reviews again!!!...eyes goes dreamy)
Thanks to:
Omega Paladin: Paine is, personally, my favorite OC. However, in case people have the wrong ideas about Paine's and Sephiroth's relationship, I'll say it again—There will be NO Seph/OC if I can help it. Not in a million, zillion years. I'm glad to know I was able to meet your expectations. Keep reviewing! I love hearing opinions from my readers.
Noacat: (bows) I'm happy that people think my fight scene was great even though I had a pretty low opinion of my writing. Nice to be proved wrong for once. Well, Patricia the OC is a pretty meaningless one though, just put there for fun. Cheerio!
aer-seph4eva: Sure! You know, you could just put me on Author Alert and FF.net will just notify you the next time my work is updated. As always, I appreciate the praise.
Daishi Mk2: Actually, that was a mistake. I meant to spell her name as 'Payne' but somehow I accidentally wrote 'Paine' instead. So, no, she's not the same as the FFX-2 character, though I intend for her (the TIAL Paine) to inherit some 'attitude' from her namesake.
Dark Feruil: (muses) I wonder if I should have Paine kick Sephiroth's butt one day?...nah, that would be too heartless. (smiles evilly)
kronos: Welcome to the circle of TIAL reviewers. Hope to see more of you in the future.
T.A.Skywalker: Hello! Long time no see. Did you ever finish reading up to Chapter Nine: Black Wolf? Your review is of Chapter Seven...
Quela: Why would I be upset? I'd be so honored! When you're done, please send some pictures to me. I would love to see them! Thank you for caring.
