Vincent, Red XIII and Barrett returned to the underground entrance. They were nervous and edgy, all the while listening out for the treacherous low humming sound that Eva produced, aware of what it could do and waiting to feel it's sharp, barbed-like attack on their minds; whereas Sephiroth strode arrogantly alongside them, impervious and unafraid.
Upon reaching the opening, Vincent paused, turning to face Red XIII and Barrett. His sharp ears had picked up on their quickened breathing, and his ruby eyes saw just how restless and uneasy they really were. Understandable, he thought.
Sephiroth, seeing Vincent's concern, looked at them in wry amusement. "Does something down there scare you?" he asked them, derisively. Barrett shot him a look of pure loathing, and opened his mouth to answer back.
"This way," Vincent interjected, leading the way down into the darkened passageway.
Sephiroth followed, walking confidently into the tunnel after him, but he stopped when he realized that the other two had remained waiting outside. "Something wrong?" he enquired, staring back at their anxious faces.
Barrett and Red XIII hesitated. Already able to detect the faint sound of the hum, and fearful of the pain it could cause them, they knew that they could go no further. When he realized that they intended to remain where they were, Sephiroth gave a scornful laugh and turned from them, leaving them behind and going deeper down into the twisting tunnels, quickening his pace a little in order to catch up with Vincent.
"Cowards!" he ejected forcefully, as Vincent came into view.
Vincent stopped, waiting for Sephiroth to catch up, before reprimanding him. "No! They are not cowards," he said, his red eyes flashing. "We are just luckier than they".
"Luckier? How so?"
"Because you appear to be immune to the harmful effects that the noise produces, while I …………I seem to be spared its malicious pain," Vincent said, his voice dropping off quietly.
Sephiroth frowned. Noise? What noise? He tilted his head to one side and listened intensely. Then he heard it, a very faint, pulsing beat, that went on and on. The sound, to him, was no louder than that of a ticking clock in a quiet room…..annoying, but ignorable. He cast it from his mind. "Your brave friends are afraid of a little noise?" he taunted.
Vincent refused to rise to the bait, choosing instead to ignore Sephiroths snide comment. He continued walking towards the middle chamber. Towards Eva.
"Will you tell me a little about our common foe, and why it is that such big, strong men should be frightened of her?" Sephiroth pressed. "After all, a man should always know something about his enemy"
"Her name is Eva," Vincent began, "And, like you, scientists created her by using Jenova cells……………………."
"So….. I have a sibling," Sephiroth interjected. "Is it just the one, or did these scientists create a whole family of them?"
"There is just her," Vincent admitted, stealing a glance at the man walking beside him, trying hard to see if he shared any resemblance with Eva. With Lucrecia. There was none.
"You have brought me back to slay a girl, a single girl? How pitiful you all are!"
"Do not underestimate her, Sephiroth," Vincent said, his voice rising slightly. "I know her strength, and she is strong, far too strong for me and the others to tackle alone. That is why we needed to have you back, because you share the same blood.…………but, I have to wonder, if even you will be able to defeat her"
"Is that a challenge?"
"No, simply a statement of fact" Vincent replied.
Sephiroth laughed, confident in both himself and his own abilities. "I'm sure it's nothing that seven feet of tempered steel can't take care of," he said.
"She will not fight you with weapons," Vincent informed him sharply. "She uses mind control and magic"
"Well…………..I don't believe in magic," Sephiroth answered.