The group just ran, and they refused to stop until the chocobos refused to go any further. Ferrah falls to the ground, with Tifa narrowly jumping off of the over sized bird in enough time so she wouldn't topple over as well. Tifa isn't surprised that Ferrah's body completely gave out. The poor bird has been through a lot. Tifa winces as she rubs Ferrah's head to soothe her. Ramuh, Sephiroth, and Yuffie all got off of Jester and Chaos and decides to also let them take a break.
"I'm so sorry girl." Tifa sorrowfully coos. "I didn't mean to push you so hard."
Ferrah replies with a soft cry as her eyes slowly close shut.
"Tifa, let me see your wounds."
Tifa stands up to let Yuffie take a closer look of her.
"I'll make a small camp." Sephiroth speaks as he takes in their surroundings. They're on track, just as he planned.
He's more than certain the group has evaded Edge's knights. Not to brag, but Sephiroth trained his men well, but Sephiroth is always one step ahead of everyone, including his men. Sephiroth always feared the day he would have to defend Vincent to the point where it could cost him his head. A man going against his king is a dead man, but Sephiroth have always stated that his loyalty is always with Vincent, and that's why he prepared his plan carefully. He didn't expect Grimoire to make such a drastic move though he shouldn't be too surprised. Grimoire has been on a rampage these last few years.
There's a specific path Vincent and Sephiroth have trained Chaos and Jester to learn over the years, without Grimoire's knowledge. Not even Sephiroth's men knew about the trail. Should the day ever arrive when Sephiroth's or Vincent's hand is forced, they would take the path, and follow every movement to the letter to avoid being caught. Failure wasn't an option.
The start of the trail was very obvious. It was alongside a group of trees that were few feet away from the city. Twenty minutes into the trail, the path broke into three individual paths, at least to the naked eye. Sephiroth guided the group to a path that was covered by boulders, moss, and trees on the very far end of the right. It was dark, but Sephiroth didn't need his eyes to guide him; only his ears. The silver-haired man lead the weary group carefully along the path. By his request, and aside from walking, no one or the chocobos made a sound. Another set of trees and open field were revealed by the night sky but barely. The dark blue hue touched the tree's bark, barely illuminating the shadows of the tired group. Sephiroth picked up a rock and tossed it to the right. The rock hits some water, and Sephiroth smiled. They were on track. After an hour of walking through various paths filled with boulders, trees, and a pond here and there, the group finally made it to the specific shelter Sephiroth and Vincent hand picked years ago.
Sephiroth goes into the cave and starts to look for branches to start a fire. Ramuh guides Jester, Chaos, and Ferrah at the entrance of the cave and allows the exhausted birds to flop onto the ground. Yuffie and Tifa walks over to a tree that's a few feet from the cave. She leans against the tree while Yuffie tends to her minor leg wound.
"Grimoire's power...it was phenomenal...so powerful."
"That's fueled by hatred." Yuffie hears Tifa's tone. Tifa is beginning to doubt herself and now's not the time. If she loses faith now, Vincent is good as dead. "It can and will be defeated in due time. Focus on Vincent."
Tifa sighs heavily as Yuffie tore a piece of her clothing and wraps Tifa's wound. "I can only imagine what he's going through."
"Best not." Yuffie gets up from the ground. "Vincent is strong. Believe in him like he's believing in you."
Tifa gives her friend a half smile and the duo walks inside the cave. The chocobos are eating some food from some bowls while Ramuh is heating up what appears to be stew in a big pot. He shifts his focus between stirring the pot and casting Fira. Sephiroth comes back with a few blankets and pillows. Yuffie gladly accepts the blanket and pillow while Tifa just stares at the silver-haired commander. Just how long was Sephiroth planning this day? Deciding to remain silent, Tifa places her pillow on the ground and wraps herself in her blanket. The warmth feels amazing against her skin.
With no words exchanged between the weary group, Sephiroth hands a bowl over to Ramuh so he can pour some stew into it. Everyone is served a bowl of stew, with a warm blanket wrapping their tired bodies comfortably and a pillow that's not far from their reach.
"How long was this planned?"
The question was burning her throat so much that she had to ask. For people who are on the run from one of the most powerful nations in Gaia, they sure are comfortable. Even the chocobos are comfortable. She's of course happy that leaving Edge went smoother than she anticipated, but she still feels a little uneasy. Was Grimoire always this terrible, and if so, why wasn't he forced to step down?
"Back when Vincent began to question his father." Sephiroth finally answers. "He noticed his father's odd behavior when he was in his early teens. Of course things worsened when he found out you would be his bride."
"What do you mean?"
Sephiroth shoves a spoonful of stew before responding. "That is a conversation you will have with him privately.
Tifa, feeling defeated, remains silent and picks away at her stew.
"I can only imagine what you're going through, Princess." Ramuh speaks as he finishes the rest of his stew. "You're constantly told to have faith, yet you don't have all the pieces. I can assure you, you will have all the pieces when we reunite with Vincent."
An uncomfortable silence falls between the group. All that's heard is the clashing of spoons and chocobos making cooing noises as they softly lull to sleep. Ramuh gathers the empty bowls and walks to the back of the cave. Yuffie and Sephiroth begins to work on starting the fire, with Yuffie focusing on Fira spells, and Sephiroth slowly adding wood. A few minutes later, Ramuh returns with a few bottles of water in his hands. Sephiroth and Yuffie happily accepts, but Tifa spaces out, staring at nothing in particular with a dead look on her face. Ramuh frowns at her odd behavior and before he could say anything, the princess is up on her feet and quickly leaves.
"Don't." Yuffie stops both Sephiroth and Ramuh. "She's overwhelmed with her emotions. Let her be. She'll return on her own accord."
The men reluctantly agrees and sits on their blankets. After a few minutes have passed by, Yuffie gets up with a pillow, blanket, and water in tow. She goes over to the tree where Tifa is slumped on with her back against it. Her zombie-like expression never falters, even when Yuffie kneels beside her, and placing the items next her. Yuffie sees the blood-red eyes and multiple tear streaks on her face. Without saying a word to Tifa, Yuffie tosses the pillow on the opposite side of Tifa, and unfolds the blanket for both of them to share. The duo stares out to the darkness. Crickets are heard very faintly. Aside from the cave, there's little to no light. The moon illuminates a very dull light, lighting a few sets of trees off to the distance. A few minutes later goes by, and Yuffie hears Tifa's light snores. Knocked out cold from nothing but pure exhaustion. Knowing Tifa is out for the night, and Ramuh and Sephiroth are more than likely discussing a plan for Vincent's rescue, Yuffie decides to take the first shift in keeping watch.
There's no stale smell that greets Vincent's nose when he wakes up from his injury. He lazily looks around the unfamiliar room. There are no windows and there are several beakers scattered about on the tables that are in front of him. His back is completely cold. He tries to move, but soon discovers that he's strapped down to a cold, metal slab. Of course. This can only get worse. He tries to relax as much as he can, but the circumstances doesn't allow him. There are a set of needles and scalpels on a metal table to his right. He swallows hard at the sight as he hears a door opens. He turns his head to see Hojo and Lucrecia approaching him with malevolent grins on their faces.
"How's our guest doing this evening?"
The sound of Hojo's voice makes Vincent blood boils immediately. "I could use a blanket."
"Oh, this one has a sense of humor." Hojo cackles as he begins to draw invisible lines on Vincent's chest.
Lucrecia begins to rub Vincent's body as well, starting from his hip and slowly going down to his cock. She laughs when Vincent feebly tries to pull away from their touches.
"My, aren't we feisty? Show me how feisty you can be." Lucrecia purrs.
"Not even in your dreams." Vincent glares at the princess as she continues her touches on his cock.
The nerve of these two. He doesn't want their tainted hands on his body, but there's nothing he could do but lie there and accept his circumstances. Lucrecia stops on her ministrations and walks over to the small metal table next to Vincent.
"Is everything in order, Father?"
"Hmmm, everything is near completion, however..." Hojo's voice trails off as he reviews his notes on several pieces of parchment in his hands. His frowns deepens the more he shuffles the parchment. "It seems my calculations for the injection may be off a few milliliters."
"Well, we can't use it on him until it's perfected." Lucrecia grumbles, practically slamming the syringe down on the table.
"Mind your tongue, child. I'll have this sorted out soon." Hojo snaps and turns to Vincent. "And when I do, I do hope you enjoy the fun."
The madman's laugh is going to haunt Vincent for many weeks, possibly months, to come. Hojo leaves the room, leaving the vulnerable prince alone with his equally malevolent daughter. Vincent's skin crawls at the slightest touch from Lucrecia. Why? Why him? Sure, she mentioned earlier why she wanted to do this, but it doesn't make any sense. Are people in royalty this corrupted by their greed and power?
"What is this really about, Lucrecia?" There has to be more than she's letting on. "What is it about me that you want?"
"From the moment Katherine and Grimoire said I would be your wife, I knew we were going to create something great." She pauses for a moment, like she's trying to control her emotions. Vincent couldn't be sure. "But all of that ended when Grimoire sided with Midgar in that cursed peace treaty."
She goes quiet and removes her hand away from Vincent, which the young prince is grateful for, yet, he's nervous. Her sudden quietness has him on edge. The fact that she's standing so close to him with such rage is a bit unnerving.
"But that doesn't explain why you want me to be a part of your scheme."
"It's not a scheme!" Lucrecia snaps. "This is my destiny! We are meant to rule together! Not you and that slut!"
Vincent's head snaps to the right as the sting from Lucrecia's palm hits him at full force. He tried. He really did. He wanted to understand why Lucrecia is the way she is, to better understand her. Maybe even sympathize, but no. It's over. He has nothing for her, and he never will. She's far too delusional and completely irrational. She's so far down the abyss of despair that he can't even get a straight answer from her. Any small comment that insults her precious fantasy is a blow below the waist. It's sickening, but could be taken advantage of. For now, he wants her away from him, and he knows the perfect way to get her away.
"That slut," Vincent glares fiercely at the deranged princess. "will paint this room with your blood."
He bites into his bottom lip when the scalpel moves swiftly across his chest. He should be used to pain, considering the amount of damage he had received from his father over the years. A hand firmly grasps his neck. Lucrecia's hazel eyes burns an invisible hole into Vincent's retinas.
"I would love to see her try."
She slams his head back onto the metal slab and rushes out of the room. A tired but wry smile slowly graces his lips. He may be strapped to a cold, metal slab, completely naked, vulnerable, and at the mercy of his captors, but he's not completely weak. He has his deranged father to thank for experience in playing mind games. His mind races for multiple solutions to stay alive until Tifa comes back for him.
Tifa painfully stretches as she gets up from the ground. She prefers her bed back at home. Wait, could she even call it a home? Midgar was her home, her fake home to be more specific. Everything she had known there was a complete lie. Edge is the home she was forced into. In the condition it's in, Edge isn't her home, but she will make it her own. Feeling a little more motivated and less overwhelmed, Tifa walks to the entrance and is greeted with a bowl of eggs and potatoes.
"You need your strength, Princess."
Tifa smiles at Ramuh as her way of saying thanks as she happily accepts the bowl. "Where's Sephiroth and Yuffie?" She shoves a small portion of food into her mouth.
"Sephiroth is practicing with his sword, and Yuffie is taking a bath at the pond with the small waterfall."
Waterfall? She must've been really out of it last night to have missed that. She loves waterfalls. When she was younger, her and Yuffie would always dive insides ponds and mindlessly stare at waterfalls, and allow the sound to lull them into an intangible trance with no worries about their roles in the castle. Listening closely for the distinct sound, she hears the water cascading in a small body of water nearby by. She again happily thanks Ramuh and takes off to look for Yuffie, petting Ferrah on her head as she walks by.
It's a seven minute walk but she makes it the pond and see her friend floating and her eyes are closed. Tifa places the empty bowl on the ground carefully and removes her clothing. Yuffie, still not aware of Tifa's presence, inhales heavily as the sound of the water pulls her deeper into a blissful state. Her eyes suddenly shoots open and raises her body quickly to observe her surroundings when the temperature abruptly shifts.
"It's a good thing I love you because otherwise, you'll be a popsicle." Tifa giggles as Yuffie flings two handfuls of water at her.
"I'm grateful for being on your good side."
The two women bathe, exchanging filler conversation here in there. Once they were done, they get out of the pond and put their clothes back on. Tifa grabs the empty bowl and proceeds back to the camp with Yuffie by her side.
"On a more serious note, the water had gotten colder than usual."
"Hm?" Tifa frowns a little as she turns to Yuffie.
"Your Blizzara spell back at the pond." Yuffie clarifies. "I don't think it was a Blizzara spell. It may have been a Blizzaga spell."
"Are you sure?"
A part of Tifa is excited to hear that her magic is improving. Magic is a very delicate art that shouldn't be taken lightly. It commands a strong mind and hard work. It cannot be mastered if one of the two skills are lacking.
"Ramuh did mention that Sephiroth was training with his sword." Tifa comments. "Maybe I should try going up against him. After all, he's the commander of the army."
Yuffie nods. "That's a good point. I'll help Ramuh prepare for the departure. I'm sure we can't stay stationary for too long."
Once they were at camp, Yuffie takes Tifa's empty bowl and helps Ramuh clean up the site. They have to be sure that nothing is left behind. Not even a footprint. Remaining invisible to Grimoire's men is in their best interest, especially once they reunite with Vincent. Ramuh tells Tifa where Sephiroth is training and that him and Yuffie will meet them there once they are ready to travel.
Tifa follows Ramuh's instructions and she sees a flash of silver whirl around a tree then appear again only to give it a deadly slash, leaving a nasty mark in the bark. If that tree was an enemy, that person would be dead, possibly even split in half. Sephiroth is definitely a great opponent to spar against.
"Sephiroth." Tifa calls out to him. His long, silver hair is a sweaty mess. He pushes the damp bangs away from his face to get a better view. "I would like to spar with you."
"Really?" Sephiroth is very surprised. Their fighting styles are completely different, and they also need to get back to their journey. The sooner they recover Vincent, the better.
"Yes. When I was in Nibelheim, Lucrecia casted magic. I'm not sure how strong her powers are, or their army, but..." Her voice trails off as she looks down, struggling to find her words. After a moment she looks back up. "...I have to go into to Nibelheim prepared. I think my magic is evolving, and I need the help of a formidable opponent to test my strength."
Sephiroth nods, completely understanding where Tifa is coming from. To be honest, it wouldn't kill him to brush up on his skills as well. They'll be facing all of Nibelheim and Rocket Town. It'll be a difficult fight.
Sephiroth raises his sword and grips the hilt tightly. Tifa gives him a determined smile before raising her hands up.
"I won't actually strike you, Princess."
"You must." Tifa shakes her head. "Nibelheim won't think twice when it comes to cutting off my head. I need you to fight me as if I'm a real enemy."
Sephiroth is merely stunned by Tifa words. Do she realize what she is asking him? Is she not aware that they still have a long trek to go to get to Nibelheim? What would Vincent think if Sephiroth actually does injure Tifa?
The many thoughts clouds his mind so much that he doesn't realize that Tifa has launched herself forward and punches him in the center of his chest, firing a quick Blizzard spell as a follow up. Sephiroth quickly gets up, stunned that Tifa is able to combine physical hits and magical spells in quick chains. With his immediate shock washing over him, Sephiroth tightens his grip on his sword and lunges forward, swinging his massive sword at an upward angle. Tifa dodges the swing effortlessly and quickly does a backflip to widen the distance between herself and Sephiroth. As her feet connects with the ground, she casts Fire and, of course, Sephiroth slashes it away with his sword with no effort.
Sephiroth swings his sword three times in a very swift manner. Tifa is able to dodge the first two swings but the third swing nicks her ankle. She hisses as she takes a moment to compose herself. She conjures a Thundara spell into her fists, and slams it into the ground, causing a minor shake beneath their feet, and the ground splits into two as the lighting races towards Sephiroth. He dodges the split and the lighting but is caught off guard when the lighting splits into two, now intensifying as it travels faster to the commander. He's hit in the leg, and Tifa uses his vulnerability to her advantage. She rushes towards him, ignoring the minor pain she feels in her ankle, and connects her foot with his chest, using the momentum to do a backflip and cast Blizzara. The spell connects and Sephiroth quickly slash himself free from the frozen prison before Tifa lands her feet on the ground.
Both of them takes a brief moment to acknowledge each others strengths. Sephiroth is beyond impressed with Tifa. He has always heard good things about her trainings sessions from Vincent and Ramuh, but getting to experience her abilities first hand was an honor. Sephiroth charges forward, and Tifa does the same. As she predicts, Sephiroth goes for a forward slash, and she preemptively ducks down and does a sweeping motion with her legs. Sephiroth jumps and avoids Tifa's attack then casts Thundara as a follow up while he's in midair. Tifa rolls out of the way just in time and performs a jumping uppercut. Sephiroth parts his legs in enough time and grabs Tifa's hand. She gasps but quickly snaps out of her shock when she grabs Sephiroth's hand and prevents him from hitting her with his sword.
They crash onto the ground with a slightly painful thud. Tifa gracefully performs yet another backflip to gain some distance and immediately casts what appears to be a Blizzaga spell. The spell has way more intensity than her Blizzara and Blizzard spells. Giant glaciers appears at Sephiroth's feet as he quickly side stepped out of the way. Lighting blasts through the glaciers. The intensity from the lightning is more intense than a usual Thundara spell. Pieces of ice shards hits Sephiroth in the face as his chest burned heavily from the lighting Tifa cast towards him. He's now on the ground clutching his now aching chest. He looks up, one eye squinted shut, to see a deadly fireball is coming towards him at a fast pace. He raises his sword in hope to deflect the spell, but the fireball hits a barrier instead. The spell reflects from the barrier and shoots back at Tifa. Tifa didn't expect her spell to be reflected. She quickly tries to dodge, but the flames singes her battle attire at the very bottom. She quickly pats the fire away before it does any real damage to her.
"You have come a long way, Princess."
Tifa looks up to see her mentor standing at a distance between herself and Sephiroth but in the center of them.
"Thank you, Ramuh." She gets up from the ground. "I've been trying my very best to master as many spells."
"You are doing an amazing job." Sephiroth gets up from the ground as well. "Although I held back, your skills are amazing. You've managed to master Blizzaga, Thundaga, and Firaga and managed to cast them back to back, giving me no room to recover."
"I told her her magic is improving quite well." Yuffie joins the group with Jester, Ferrah, and Chaos by her side. "The water was too cold and intense for a Blizzara spell."
"The more disciplined you are, the more effective your spells will be." Ramuh speaks as he walks over to Tifa and places his hands on her shoulders. "Be sure to have a clear mindset. Without it, you will never be able to truly master it."
Tifa nods. "Yes sir. When Vincent is rescued, it would be an absolute honor if you could teach me some defensive spells like that Reflect spell you just cast. A good offense is backed by a great defense."
Ramuh smiles at his pupil. "Indeed it is, but first, we must make haste to Nibelheim. Time is of the essence."
The group gives each a motivational nod and everyone hops on the chocobos and heads towards Nibelheim, with Sephiroth leading the group. Even though they are behind because of their dilly-dallying, they should be able to make it to Nibelheim by sunset. Everything is going according to plan.
"People of Edge, I have gathered you here today to inform you that Prince Vincent, Commander Sephiroth, and Princess Tifa have betrayed you all!"
There are several gasps and whispers among the citizens of Edge. Doubt and confusion is amongst them. Just what Grimoire wants. He's aware that his peasant citizens can't think for themselves. They need someone to guide them, and they are so foolish, they would believe anything Grimoire says, just the way Grimoire needs things to be.
"They have assassinated Queen Katherine. May she rest in peace." More whispers are shared between the citizens until Grimoire raises his hands to cease all conversations. "Make no mistake, these perpetrators will be brought to justice. A hefty reward is in order for anyone who finds Princess Tifa alive. The life of Prince Vincent and Commander Sephiroth doesn't matter."
When no one moves, Grimoire grimaces. Perhaps the citizens aren't as stupid as he makes them out to be. Or, Tifa's and Vincent's influence have poisoned them. This make be an issue. "What are you waiting for?! Find the murderers or there'll be dire consequences."
Everyone begins to quickly disperse before Grimoire could utter another word. Ruby is among the citizens who watched their 'king' make his speech. She knows Vincent's and Tifa's heart. It's pure and they would never do such a thing. She walks towards her home, while simultaneously getting shoved around by folks quickly passing by to get far away from Grimoire as possible. Ruby is glad her and Jim decided to purchase a home that's easily accessed by taking a few side streets that are off from the main road leading to the town center, where Grimoire held the town meeting.
"Jim, we've got to help them."
Jim looks up from his order book. "What did King Grimoire say?"
"A bunch of lies." Ruby frowns as she slowly takes a seat next to Jim. He closes the book and sets it aside to give his wife his undivided attention. "He wants to reward the person who finds Princess Tifa alive. Commander Sephiroth's and Prince Vincent's means nothing to that madman."
"How can we help them?" Jim understands why Ruby is displeased, hell, he's displeased as well, and it's not because Tifa and Vincent are great customers. He's grown very fond of the pair over the last few months and he truly believes they will keep this nation safe, but he wants to be alive to see their reign.
"If we aide them in any way, we are as good as dead. Besides, we don't know where they are at."
"But we could estimate where they could go for assistance." Ruby gets up from the couch and walks to the closet. She pulls out some parchment, an ink bottle, and a quill.
"I'm going to put together a small care package for them and send Chloe to Junon." Ruby begins to write the letter, explaining the situation to the receiver.
"You mean...?"
Ruby looks up to see Jim's shocked expression. "The prince is going to need the assistance from his old friend. Wherever he is at, I'm sure he'll seek his aid."
"You're going to need your strength." Lucrecia sways a piece of steak in front of Vincent's face in a teasing manner. Vincent doesn't say anything. He simply opens his mouth and Lucrecia politely puts the piece of meat into his mouth. Vincent chews the meat slowly as Lucrecia cuts another piece. He wants to play along with her games, but he doesn't want to give her any satisfaction beyond that.
His stomach angrily growls, or it may be out of satisfaction. He isn't sure when his last meal was. So much for not giving her much satisfaction.
"My, my, aren't we hungry this evening. You know, I'm a great chef in the kitchen." She gives him another piece and again cuts off another piece. "I'll cook as many meals as you want when we are together."
"Earlier you mentioned about reigning with me is your destiny. What if you don't like the results?"
Lucrecia smiles as she gives Vincent another piece of meat. "Don't worry, Vincent. You won't disappoint me. I have faith in you."
Vincent pauses briefly to eat his steak before speaking. "Have you truly thought this through? What about your father and my allegiance to Edge?"
He doesn't dare speak of Tifa. The longer he can keep Lucrecia in a good mood, the better his chances of survival.
"You're worrying too much, my love." Lucrecia gives Vincent another portion of steak. "We'll cross those bridges when we get there."
Lucrecia places the plate on the metal table next to Vincent. She grabs the cup of water and slowly brings it to Vincent's lips. Against his better judgement, he greedily slurps the water. Lucrecia pulls the cup away when she feels that Vincent has had enough and sets it back on the table. She grabs the plate again, and coat the fork with a generous amount of mashed potatoes.
"So much to accomplish, Lucrecia. We need to plan everything carefully." Dear Gaia, he hates giving into this delusion, but it's his only chance of survival.
"It's okay. Everything is going according to plan. Now that my father has done his part, it's time for him to go away." Lucrecia pulls the fork away from Vincent's mouth, noticing his hesitation. Lucrecia smiles as she cuts another piece of steak and grabs another portion of mashed potatoes.
"Father just wants to torture you until you draw your last breath but I have other plans." This time Vincent doesn't accept the food. He just stares into Lucrecia's eyes. "There's no need for concern. I played along to get you here. You see, Father wanted you here, to kill you to get you out of the way and take over Edge."
Vincent doesn't accept the food when Lucrecia presents it to his lips. "Refusing to eat your food? I was hoping you would finish all of your food. You're gonna need your strength."
Is she serious? Vincent was already skeptical about accepting any food from Lucrecia, but her delusion is so strong that he doubted heavily that she would poison him. Her ultimate goal is to live out her fantasy with him, which he still doesn't fully understand, other than it's her 'destiny' to be with him. She has completely lost her mind.
"I know you still carry a torch for that whore you were forced to marry." Lucrecia's voice makes his eyes shift over to the syringe that she's holding. She taps on the needle three times, and readies the plunger.
"I'll wipe her from your memory, if it's the last thing I do."
Lucrecia swiftly shoves the syringe into Vincent's neck without warning. He stifles a scream as he feels the liquid traveling through his body. He suddenly begin to feel hot with a slight tingly sensation. Lucrecia smiles as she strokes his face and removes the syringe from his neck. She leans into his ear and gives it a small lick.
"I'll be back for your next dose soon. In the meantime, I'm going to have you transported to our bedroom."
She gives his ear another lick before pulling away and walking out of the room. Vincent silently stares up and the cemented ceiling, his vision slowly blurring and swaying from side to side. He can only pray that Tifa is close by.