Sephiroth and Cloud had barely left when a series of explosions rang from outside, rocking the little room and all those inside. Vincent and the others were taken by surprise at the blast that shook the ground and the walls. Unprepared and unready they were thrown about, ending up on the floor and covered in a fine coating of plaster and dust.
"What the hell is he playing at now! " roared Cid, ducking as another blast exploded nearby, the sound of it reverberating in the confined space of the small room.
"We have to get out of here. Quickly!" Vincent ordered, taking charge as he saw the large cracks that had begun to appear in the walls. He knew that the room they were in would not take another blast, and that they would all be buried beneath the rubble if they stayed there much longer. He led the way to the door, bending to offer a helping hand to Tifa, who accepted it gratefully. Cid gathered Yuffie up into his arms and the group stumbled outside together.
The explosions continued all around them, and they watched dumb-struck as Ancient City was systematically destroyed. Building after building, and one by one the beautiful shelled houses and towers were cruelly blasted apart, their fragile structures holding no defence against the bolts of energy that were directed at them with lightening speed, causing them to collapse and tumble into ash before the alarmed little group of friends.
Vincent turned his concerned eyes to Cid, who was still cradling the unconscious Yuffie protectively in his arms. "Take her out of here," he shouted, urgently. "Get her to safety".
Cid hesitated, looking around him at the destruction that continued to go on around them. "I can't just leave you guys here, to fight on your own" he answered, hesitantly.
"You must," Vincent pressed. "She needs you….and there isn't anything any of us can do to stop Eva anyway," he reasoned.
Almost unwillingly, Cid backed down. With a nod of his head towards his friends, he quickly departed the devastation of the city, hugging the unconscious body of his wife tightly to his chest, only turning to look back once as the majestic towers of the city toppled and fell into swirling clouds of dust.
The others began to run towards the centre of the city, watching aghast as it was slowly destroyed, their eyes large and disbelieving as parapets, pinnacles and turrets were incinerated and reduced to nothingness.
Tifa felt a heaviness in the pit of her stomach at the wanton destruction of the beautiful city. She wondered how Cloud was taking it, and was fearful of what his reaction was going to be. She knew his attachment to this scared place, knew why he had never wanted to return here. And she felt guilty for the release the ruination of Ancient City was giving her. A final farewell to Aeris. Would he see it that way too, or would he sink further into himself, and away from her? The little group were pulled up sharply from their running and their thoughts at the sight that waited for them as they reached the centre of what was left of Ancient City.
In amongst all the swirling dust and debris, Sephiroth and Cloud were stood together side by side, one tall and menacing, the other smaller and ghost-like. Tifas heart caught in her throat. Cloud looked so frail, so vulnerable standing next to the great general like that. She watched him silently, letting her gaze travel up and down his face, looking for signs of how he was taking the decimation of the place that meant so much to him. She would have run to him, but Vincent put out a hand to stop her, and she obeyed. He was right, now was not the time. Cloud appeared to be looking for something, his head turning from side to side, as Sephiroth stood calmly beside him, his evil blade unsheathed and ready, his long silver hair flowing loosely down his back, hardly moving, even with all the commotion going on around him. Suddenly, Cloud raised an arm and pointed.
Tifa followed the direction of his arm and stared, seeing nothing at first and then…..amazed as a young girl, her long dark hair billowing out behind her, slowly materialised. As naked as the day she was born, she was standing atop one the tallest towers that still remained left undamaged. Her thin pale arms were raised high into the air, and her balled fists glowed with an eerie blue hue.
Sephiroth had seen her too, and he rushed towards the tower at full pelt. In one fluid motion, he reached the building and brought his Masamude blade around him in a deadly arch, spinning and swinging it into the base of the shell structure causing it to topple and crumble before him. With a scream, the girl Eva toppled and fell within the wreckage, the lightening spell that she had been about to cast aborted.
As the dust settled, Sephiroth slowly made his way through the pile of debris, using the tip of his sword to push a path forward, his eyes scanning for some trace of the girl. He found her lying on her back, eyes closed, and with blood oozing from a deep cut above one eye. So, she still lived… he was glad, he wanted to be the one to finish her off, it would whet his appetite for what was to follow. He let his gaze roam over her body…and felt an emotion within that wasn't his own, a feeling of wanting, of desire. He turned his head, and his eyes narrowed even as his lips pursed into a tight smile. Cloud. The boy was stood slightly behind him, his eyes fixed on the inert form before them. Sephiroth was slightly pleased that he could still feel the boys emotions…it would make her death so much more pleasurable. Shifting the large blade in his hand and taking a firmer hold of the hilt, Sephiroth turned his attention once again to the girl.
Eva's eyes flashed open, and she stared unafraid and unconcerned as the tall silver haired man approached. She painfully pushed herself up to a sitting position, her violet eyes narrowing in a copy of Sephiroth's as she registered the blade held threateningly in front of him, watching as he swung his arm upwards high above his head, holding it there for a moment, before swinging it back down towards her head with a mighty swoosh, and a smile of anticipation on his face.
Eva was too quick though, and she rolled effortlessly away from the advancing blade, its sharp cutting edge missing her by scant inches. She scrambled away from the man who would see her dead, jumping to her feet and dashing off, knowing she had to put distance between them, so that she could re-charge her magic. Sephiroth was not happy, not when he had thought himself to be so close. Uttering a loud curse he raced after her. Cloud followed behind.
"Isn't there anything we can do?" Tifa cried.
"Pray!" was the only answer Vincent could give.