Another step done.
Using not one, but two tongs, Sephiroth lowered the gigantic flat sheet he had pounded out of the initial lump of metal back into the flames once again. It easily spanned a few yards long and wide, and it nearly floated on top of the liquid as he placed it back in. However, he managed to lower it back into the lava, and then released it. Afterward, he stepped back from the edge of the magma and waited.
He would pound it even flatter before he started the next steps…the folding. The true technique of making a blade powerful enough to cut through anything was not in the edge, but in the folding of steel. The people of Wutai had rediscovered that technique long ago…and supposedly great Leviathan and Ogopogo had first discovered it when they crafted his own weapon.
Sephiroth smiled as he leaned back to wait. He could sense it now. The message was coming clear. Aleron would appear just as soon as he was finished making the weapon. The warrior would be just in time to claim it. And after that…the final countdown would begin. He would still obtain all the power of a god from this scorched, ruined world. And then he would no longer need to ride this planet as his chariot. The power to make and break worlds would be in his own veins.
Descendants of the Cetra…wait a bit longer.
I want to look in your eyes as you watch your world die.
Ragnar dropped his pen and paused in the middle of his signature.
He had just heard something without hearing it…felt something without feeling it… Thanks to his new abilities, it was much clearer this time. He had experienced it before…but now he could feel the voice echoing throughout him. He could hear the world traveling through every fiber of his being. The female's words that he had heard so many times before called out in his mind, and this time it was unmistakable and loud.
The Planet was talking to him.
Once again, it was feeling fear.
Ragnar forgot his pen and turned to the phone. He didn't care that it was night now, and that most of the household was probably getting ready to turn in. He didn't even care that Cloud might answer, and that he might be hung up on again or thrown into an argument. He seized it, opened it up, quickly autodialed the Seventh Heaven, and then put the receiver to his head.
The moment he did, however…he heard the sound of beeping. It sounded like someone else was dialing a number on the other end.
Ragnar frowned and called into it. "Hello?"
Immediately the dialing stopped, and the phone shifted. "Hello? Ragnar?"
The youth's eyes widened. "Aerith? Is that you?"
"I was trying to call you."
Ragnar hesitated a moment. She didn't know the truth about him yet, that he could feel the same things that she felt because they were the same species. He tried to go ahead and cover it up. He didn't want to spend time explaining now."Yeah, me too. I guess I got to the phone first. What's up?"
" I heard the Planet cry out again." Aerith explained. "It's something big. It hasn't reacted like this in a while…not since he came back."
Ragnar swallowed a bit at this. After this afternoon, he knew he most certainly wasn't ready yet. He needed to work on sharpening his senses first. He stiffened a moment, but then spoke up again.
"…Is he trying something?"
"I…I don't think so. I didn't hear anything about him. I only heard one word. It was-"
"…Aleron?"
Aerith went silent for a moment on the other end. "…How did you know that?"
Ragnar didn't answer right away. He didn't even recognize the fact that he had said something he wasn't supposed to know aloud. He focused only on 'Aleron'. That word had sparked something inside him…in particular Bahamut. He recognized hearing that before. It was the last thought he managed to catch from Sephiroth before he left. He couldn't associate any meaning to it, but he knew what it was. It had something to do with him. That meant that it couldn't be good, especially if he had been trying to hide it from Bahamut. Whatever Sephiroth was planning next, Aleron was part of it. And it was something that the Planet was afraid of too. That was more than ample reason to find out what that word meant.
At last, Ragnar spoke again into his end of the receiver. "…Listen, Aerith…I'm going to come home early tonight. I want to ask the others if they ever heard that word before. In the meantime…do you think you could try and ask the Planet what it meant by that?"
The Cetra hesitated, no doubt still thinking about how Ragnar knew that word. However, Ragnar's tone was urgent, and after a moment she spoke again."…All right, but-"
"Good. I'll be there as soon as I can."
Ragnar was very glad that Aerith didn't seem to dwell on how Ragnar had known that name. When he arrived back at the Seventh Heaven, explaining it would have meant having to involve Tifa and possibly Cloud. But Cloud was gone still, the kids were in bed, and Aerith was more concerned with finding out what was so bad that the Planet itself quaked in terror of it. Currently, she was still trying to find things out. She had retreated to the upstairs bedroom, which was the quietest place she could find at the moment, and attempted to contact the Planet again.
Ragnar supposed he should have been trying too, but he hardly knew where to begin. Until now he had just let the Planet talk to him, not actually asked it something. Bahamut might have had some pointers, but he didn't want to spend time on that right now. Aerith was supposed to be better than him anyway. Instead, he focused on utilizing other sources.
The youth was in the living room right now, sitting on his "bed". Tifa was there too. Initially, he had asked her if there was any time or place where they had ever heard the word "Aleron" on their past journey. Tifa ruefully said they hadn't. By now, she had overheard the same bad news as Ragnar, having actually been in the same house as Aerith when it happened. Now, she was trying to help out by consulting their dictionary. She wasn't having much success, based on the look on her face.
As for Ragnar, he was consulting the one other source he could rely on.
"Aleron, you say?" The voice of Red XIII responded from the earpiece on Ragnar's phone. "Hmm…it sounds familiar…"
Ragnar brightened up at this. "So you guys heard about it on your journey?"
"I didn't say that. I just said it sounds familiar."
The youth stayed optimistic. "So…you know what it means?"
"I didn't say that either. I simply said it sounds familiar. If it is something, it's from a volume I have back at Cosmo Canyon. An old book with a collection of words and phrases from various ancient tribes. I think I may have read it there…but I could be mistaken. A lot of those words sound the same, and it was a long time ago when I looked at it. I was a pup expecting a fairy tale and read boring jargon instead."
The young general rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well…could you get it? If Aerith heard this, it must be important."
"To 'get it' I would have to schedule a trip to Cosmo Canyon, and with all of our aircraft sequestered it would take a week round trip."
Ragnar groaned.
"I wasn't finished." The beast responded. "It just so happens that we're now creating an online archive of all the texts we have collected. There's a good chance that this book, being one of the older ones, was one of the first to be transcribed into electronic format."
On hearing this, Ragnar brightened up again. That was only for a moment, however, before he looked puzzled.
"You're actually putting all of the texts in Cosmo Canyon online?"
"Why not? It's better than having to run there and back all the time." The beast answered. "Besides, we don't need to keep transcribing them forever. That's impractical and it compounds mistakes…and youngsters nowadays are too lazy to have the patience to handwrite all of these pages down again. I'll see if I can remember that devil web address and try to find that book. I'll get back to you as soon as I find something."
Ragnar smiled. "Thanks, Colonel. What would I do without you?"
"Obviously a lot more independent research."
The youth snickered, but then pulled the phone away from his ear and hung up. As he replaced it toward his side, he turned and looked over to Tifa. She was sitting now in the armchair, but frowned as she slammed the dictionary shut.
Ragnar's smile faded. "Nothing?"
Tifa shook her head. "Not a thing. Sorry we don't have online. Then I might be able to look it up…"
Ragnar gave a shrug. "That's alright. Nanaki's checking that out."
A clicking sound was heard upstairs as a door opened. Ragnar and Tifa both turned to the stairway. A moment later, they saw Aerith's boots beginning to walk down, followed by the woman herself.
Before Ragnar even asked, she sighed and shook her head at both of them. "I can't find anything else out. I can't even hear the name again." She said as she stepped off the last stair and hit the bottom. Her brow furrowed into confusion. "It's strange. It's almost like…something's blocking it. Like there's some sort of wall between me and the Planet that I can't get through…"
As Aerith said this, however, realization began to come over her face. Tifa herself began to react as well. Ragnar had only heard the story of the first trip secondhand, but he too began to realize what this meant.
"So he's blocking contact…" He spoke aloud. He turned fully to Aerith after thinking of this. "Is there any way you can get around it?"
Aerith frowned and slowly shook her head. "The only place would be somewhere where I could focus my ability or where the Planet flowed freely. Both of those places are on the Northern Continent…"
Ragnar, however, brightened at this. "Not necessarily. What about the Baptismal Fountain?"
Aerith looked up a bit at this, and thought for a moment. Slowly, she began to look enthusiastic again. "Yes…yes. That might actually work. The Lifestream isn't coming from it anymore, but its unusually strong with the Planet's energy. I should be able to get some-"
The sound of a door opening cut Aerith off. This time, it came from the back, toward the area with the Seventh Heaven. Aerith and the others turned and looked to it. The sound of boots clicking on the ground drew near, coming up on the inner door. A moment later, and the second door was opened and swung wide. The man on the other side walked in.
Ragnar was a bit taken aback at what he saw. He had not talked with Cloud in a while, and as such didn't know what he had been up to. As the ex-mercenary walked in, however, he saw that he must have been doing something exerting. He only had a sleeveless shirt and pants on. His jacket was rolled up in one arm, and he didn't seem to want it in spite of the weather. His body was soaked with sweat. Even his spiky blond hair hung down a little from being wet. His shirt was almost drenched. He was still huffing from what was obviously a large amount of work.
Aerith likewise was amazed at seeing how sweat covered the man was. "…Are you alright, Cloud?" She finally ventured. "You look tired…"
Cloud came to a halt and cracked his neck in response. "It's nothing." He answered. "I've just been working out again is all." He turned his head over to Tifa next. "Hey." He greeted, still a bit tired to offer anymore enthusiasm than that. "How was your session this morning after I left?"
Tifa gave a shrug in response. "Alright, I guess. I had this one rookie I had to mop the floor with to teach him a little respect, but nothing much else."
"How are the kids?"
The woman frowned a bit here, and let out an uneasy exhale. "…Denzel was pounding away at one of the punching bags. He didn't notice how he was tearing up his knuckles doing it. I doctored them. I don't see why he didn't stop punching when he first felt something…"
Cloud's look shrank a bit at this, turning into some worry. Tifa's own face became worried looking, and both of them exchanged glances for a moment. However, neither of them said anything else. Cloud turned away and looked to the third person in the room after this: Ragnar himself.
Ragnar paused for a moment under Cloud's look…which quickly turned from worry into a glare. He felt himself sweat a bit. He still hadn't said anything to him since that exchange over the phone. He nervously balled his hands into fists, and then opened his mouth to speak.
He didn't get any farther. Cloud pointed a finger at him, cutting him off.
"Sparring ground. Tomorrow. 1000 hours."
Without another word, Cloud turned and walked back the way he came. Within a few moments, he had passed through the door again into the Seventh Heaven, and yanked it shut behind him none too gently. It sent a rather loud echo through the living room on shutting, making all three people wince a bit. After that, they heard him moving around and going for the kitchen. The faucet turned on a moment later. Obviously, he was getting water and/or washing up.
Both Tifa and Aerith turned curiously to Ragnar at this. Neither of them, Ragnar immediately picked up, knew what this was about. He must not have told them. However, Ragnar didn't reply. He swallowed back again himself, closing his mouth as he did so. He had a feeling that whatever was going to come out tomorrow wasn't good.
"That's right! Bring it over! Bring it over right here!"
To further accentuate her directions, Maritza held up her hands and gestured backward. In front of her, chugging away at its diesel engine, was a new truck. But this time it wasn't loaded up for cargo like normal. This time it had a large oversized load on it, draped over with canvas and tied down with elastic cords. Whatever was beneath it was rather large and misshapen, but it was tied down so much that it was obvious that it wasn't meant to be public, and that Maritza wanted it concealed.
The driver of the truck grimaced, but then sighed as he began to turn the truck's steering wheel. The fact of the matter was that Maritza was trying to load it into one of the bays for normal semi trucks, and this thing looked too big. The workmen around her were likewise skeptical looking, and dreading as to how they were going to get this giant thing off of the back of the truck and into the warehouse without disassembling it and/or bringing in heavy machinery like cranes. However, Maritza had already taken care of part of that problem. She had spent her first day or so in the PPA building a conveyor system to carry this in. All she would have to do was extend it once it was in position.
The truck was in position at last, but after that it idled. Maritza waited a moment, but then frowned.
"Well?" She called out to the driver.
The man looked out the window and sighed. "You really want me to bring it back?"
"No, it's fine sitting in the middle of the street blocking traffic." Maritza sourly answered. "Of course back it up! You think it's going to get absorbed into the building via osmosis or something?"
"What the hell is this sh't?"
Maritza's face, which was becoming cranky before now, suddenly softened. She turned behind her to see who had spoken. She was just in time to see none other than Captain Cid of the PPA coughing up a storm. He looked rather grumpy and unhappy to be there, despite having been at the meeting earlier and seeing the favor Maritza had done for them. Also present was Commander Mack, along with two other high level officers for the wings of the PPA. Because you didn't usually hang around long enough to be a high officer unless you were a good pilot, this meant that the four people in front of her were the best in the army. Although Cid looked rather indifferent to being there…the other three officers were glaring at her.
The woman fully turned around and smiled, clapping her hands. "Ah! You boys got my message!"
"Yeah, yeah…" Cid groused. "Only 'cause the general told us to head out here when you call us an hour before midnight… I'd just as soon leave a message saying, 'screw you'. If you don't want a cranky ol' son of a bitch on your hands, you better have some coffee in there…"
Maritza kept her smile. "Hazelnut roast, my good man."
This only made Cid say a louder obscenity under his breath as he dug his toe into the snow. "…I hate that foo-foo crap…"
"Lieutenant Maritza? Former Colonel Maritza for the NSA?" Mack suddenly addressed.
This made the woman change directions to the younger man. She gave him her wide smile too. "Commander Mack of the PPA. Ace pilot, from what I hear." She extended her hand out to him.
Mack gave her an icy glare.
"…I lost a lot of good pilots to your Harbingers."
Maritza paused a moment, but then simply leaned her head in a bit closer.
"Well I lost a lot of good soldiers to your Bismarks and Phoenixes, so I guess that makes us square. You certainly didn't think twice about how many people you left fatherless, motherless, and childless when you sank all those transports, did you?"
Mack stiffened at this, as did the two men on her side. Maritza kept her smile for a moment, seeming to enjoy the moment of doubt that she had given the officer. But after that, she changed and brightened up again as she stood up.
"But that's all in past! Now we're all friends! So, if you'll come this way, we'll get started. By the way, do any of you know a pizza place that delivers this late?"
Ragnar wasn't sure what to expect this morning.
The youth woke up first, like he normally did now. Realizing what was coming, he didn't feel much like eating. Instead, he went right out to his office to do some early work. There were a few ideas Maritza had presented that were potentially useful, after all, and he had to get some of them squared away. He also contacted Cid and Mack about their meeting with her last night. They ruefully admitted that they were impressed with her ideas. Mack didn't personally like assigning himself or his best pilots to her plan, but he recommended another set who would make a good crew for her ship. After that, there wasn't much else to do…except wait for 1000 hours to come around. He had a few other tasks, but nothing that was demanding enough of his time to postpone their meeting. Even if there was…he felt that wouldn't be a good idea.
And so…here he was.
The sparring ground seemed unusually dark and cold that morning. The snow had blow off, revealing the blank, stone ground beneath. It was another cloudy day, and the sun wasn't coming out anytime soon. It was quiet. The only sound that stood out was the wind, and it was blowing rather hard that morning. Despite his improved physiology and his innate ability to withstand cold…Ragnar felt himself shudder a bit in the wind. Perhaps it wasn't all cold, however…
The youth looked down to his wrist. He was in his battle uniform. He had changed into that this morning. He pushed aside his sleeve and looked at the time. It was 0959 hours. At this point, he was officially in the realm of "any time now". He was alone for the moment, but Cloud would be showing up anytime. Letting out a slow exhale, he put his hand down and looked to the pavement. Swallowing a bit, he started to pace. His boots clicked hard against the ground as he did so, and the echoing sound was almost unsettling. In the silence, it was like he was the only person in the world.
Why am I even scared? He asked himself. Well…that's obvious…he sure looked mad enough to kick my ass… I can't say I blame him… But so what? There's no way he can beat me in a fight. That is…unless he decided to use that…
…But who am I kidding. Even if he doesn't, there's more than one way to make things worse. Maybe I should have come out and told him the truth the day it happened. It would have made this easier. The fact is…I wish he wouldn't fight. I know he wants to…that he thinks this is his responsibility… But I know who he's fighting now. I know how bad he is… If even Bahamut couldn't beat him, he certainly can't…especially if he wasn't even fighting at full power… I don't want to see him tortured and beaten like I was. I wish he'd just let me handle Sephiroth…
…Heh…what do you know. I'm the second Cetra that wanted Cloud to let him or her handle this monster…
But what am I supposed to do or say? Even if I did tell him…would he even care? He might actually try to keep me from fighting… Or maybe he'd think I didn't respect him enough… Damnit, Cloud…if I was still just plain old Ragnar I'd agree to you coming in a heartbeat. How can I say to you that you'd just get in the way?
Ragnar stopped walking and clenched his hands into fists. How did he get into this mess? And how was he supposed to get out of it?
He soon realized he didn't have much time to answer those questions…for the clicking against the pavement continued after he stopped. The youth turned and looked over to the sidewalk to see the source.
There he was.
He was moving much quieter and smoother than Ragnar had been, but in the silence of the winter's morning it echoed just the same. As he turned the corner and came into view, Ragnar looked to his face and saw that it immediately greeted him with a cold, emotionless stare. His eyes, already powerful from the look of mako, seemed to have increased in intensity. His jaw was set hard as flint. Ragnar felt himself grow cold just looking at him. As he continued to walk, Ragnar saw that he wasn't wearing his combat uniform. Instead…he was wearing the same loose getup that he had worn the day they had met. Only the coat had been thrown aside, leaving just the sleeveless shirt and pants. Event Horizon dangled behind him in its loose sheath. He was already sweating from having been working out that morning, and as such he wasn't cold.
Ragnar didn't react. His own look was expressionless as he stood still and waited for him to come. Slowly, the ex-mercenary turned onto the pavement and began to walk toward him. His feet seemed to echo louder as he came. His clothing flapped in the wind, and his spiked hair shifted. Ragnar inhaled and exhaled, feeling a cool ripple through his spine as he did so. Despite knowing he was faster and stronger, he began to feel anxiety turn within him. He struggled to hold back his own cold sweat as the man approached him.
At last…Cloud halted. He stood about seven feet from Ragnar. The youth heard his feet dig against the pavement as he came to a stop. There he stood…glaring at Ragnar with his cold, hard look. Ragnar looked back at him and showed nothing, neither hesitation nor fear nor confidence. The two stared a long while. The wind blew by once again.
Then, moving so that Ragnar could easily see him, Cloud reached behind himself, grasped the handle of Event Horizon, and yanked it out. He brought it in front of his body and went into ready position.
Ragnar inhaled deeply and exhaled. He really didn't want to do this. Beating Cloud wouldn't solve anything. It would just widen the enemity between them. Yet he wasn't going to back down either. That would be a greater insult. And so…he reached behind himself, grasped the handle of Ragnarok, and pulled it out. Even in the dim light, it sparkled like a living flame as it always did. He began to go into his own ready stance.
"Don't patronize me kid…and don't insult me by lying to my face." Cloud flatly stated. "You think you have me beat. You think I'm not a challenge any longer. Even if you hadn't slipped up on the phone the other day, I can see it. Behind this façade of male superiority, you're just humoring me. It really doesn't matter to you what the score is between us. It's not a challenge for you any longer."
Ragnar said nothing. It was the only way he could do what Cloud said without offending him.
The ex-mercenary waited for an answer none the less. However, none came. So in the end, Cloud narrowed his gaze.
"Prove to me just how great you think you are. Beat me today…if you can."
Without another moment's hesitation…Cloud sprung at Ragnar and began to attack.
Ragnar was able to see him coming, and brought up his blade and guarded the moment the attack came. He intercepted it easily, and his new strength enabled him to hold it. However…it wasn't an effortless movement this time. Cloud was trying with renewed strength and vigor…the like of which he had never seen before. He actually had to put forth some effort to block it.
Yet Cloud wasn't finished. Wild and powerful, he advanced on Ragnar, striking down again and again on him. To the youth's surprise, he actually had to back up in order to stay with it. The power was still not enough to beat him or even challenge him that much…but it was strong enough to make him actually go through the motions of a fight. Cloud didn't tire soon either. Again and again he struck down on Ragnar, smashing his blade so hard against his that sparks flew out. Sweat flew from Cloud's brow as he advanced with armor-shattering blows. Ragnar felt it splash against him as he blocked against it.
Cloud eventually brought his sword down on another overhead chop. Ragnar brought his own blade up and intercepted. The ex-mercenary, with still surprising speed, swung back down and around and aimed for Ragnar's side next. The youth blocked this as well. He then pulled his blade back up, looking to cross slash against Ragnar's front. The youth brought up his blade quickly, almost giving off some surprise, to intercept it before it cut into him. Then, gritting his teeth, he swung his blade back out with a bit more power. His own sword pushed away Event Horizon with surprising force, and Cloud was thrown back and away from him in a move that normally would have ended one of their duels.
And yet, Cloud merely grunted as he was thrown off. He managed to tuck his legs down and underneath him, and actually managed to catch himself. His legs squatted and absorbed the impact, keeping him from moving back anymore. Then…to Ragnar's shock, he launched himself back at him. To his surprise, his blade soon had to be brought up to block against Cloud's attack again. Not only that, but the man seemed to increase his speed even more, and attacked with more ferocity as he slashed again and again at the young general. Had he been in his old body, the barrage of blows from various sides would have defeated him in seconds.
As it was…Ragnar was getting annoyed. As Cloud drove his blade forward in a stabbing motion, Ragnar intercepted it and then wrenched it to one side. Cloud's sword was thrown away, giving Ragnar enough time to put a bit more force forward and attack. Now, Ragnar advanced on Cloud quickly and strongly. Ragnarok flashed like a dancing flame as he came forward and struck at Cloud from various angles…first at the head…then the hip…then the hand…then the foot… More sweat soon flew from Cloud's brow as he struggled to withstand this onslaught. His breath puffed out white and potent. As for Ragnar…he wasn't even sweating yet. But his face had become steely and cool as he kept advancing on Cloud…
Ragnar had nearly pushed his opponent to the side of ring…when suddenly Cloud's teeth clenched. A light went off in his eyes, and suddenly his strength surged again. Giving a yell, Cloud put all his strength forward and shoved Ragnar's blade to one side. He only succeeded because Ragnar was still going easy and his latest blow was off center…but it gave some breathing room. And now…Cloud suddenly dove forward and attacked again. This time…Event Horizon was blazing as he cut into the air, and a ripple of energy seemed to come around Cloud as he slashed at Ragnar deep and powerfully. The youth quickly had to move Ragnarok to block these blazing blows, and he actually felt himself use closer to normal strength to stop them…
He's using his Cross-Slash technique…
It took Ragnar a moment to fend off this assault…but in the end, as Cloud dove in for the finishing blow…he put Ragnarok in front of him and intercepted. For a moment, the two held. It only happened because Ragnar had been distracted by this attack…and as such was unprepared to give up more power. But though Cloud put all of his strength against him, in the end it still wasn't enough. Giving a bit of a grunt himself, Ragnar threw Cloud off of him again. The man flew back…but not as far this time. It didn't matter. As soon as Cloud was on his feet again, he soon saw Ragnar coming at him again. This time, he brought Ragnarok down with his own overhead chop. Quickly, Cloud braced himself and put Event Horizon overhead. He spread his other arm out, utilizing the flat side of the blade, and intercepted. The two weapons let out a massive clang, and sparks again soon began to come from it. But Ragnar was far stronger now, and he quickly began to push through Cloud's remaining reserves…
Yet just as he was about to bring enough to break the ex-mercenary…Cloud abruptly ducked and dived out of the way. As soon as he did, he went into a side cartwheel, and engaged in an acrobatic maneuver to put himself farther away from Ragnar. The youth himself let his sword come down to the pavement…instantly slicing a deep cut into it. However, his eyes stayed on Cloud as he saw him move away, and quickly he yanked up his sword and prepared to go after him.
However, he was too slow. Before he even took a step, Cloud was on his feet again and bringing his sword behind him. When he did…the air around him rippled again. Green light seemed to condense around his sword. A charging crackle of energy began to move through the air. Crying out again, Cloud swung his blade at Ragnar with all his force. The moment he did…a wave of energy ripped forth from the Event Horizon. It was so potent and concentrated that it took the form of a wave or beam…and it began to tear up the pavement in its wake as it sailed right for the youth.
Ragnar froze in midstep. Gritting his own teeth, and preparing to exert even more force, he brought Ragnarok behind him. He waited until the beam was just about to strike him…and then gave out a mild call as he swung Ragnarok forward with even greater power. The flaming sword struck the green wave…and at the price of giving Ragnar a mild jolt to his limbs, a bursting sound went out as the beam obliterated against the force of the weapon. The waves that came from it ripped out to the sides, tearing more lines into the sparring arena and ruining more of it. The sizzling charged sound began to die down, and Ragnar pulled his blade back.
A single drop of sweat rolled down the side of his head.
Ragnar now felt his temper beginning to rise. He tightened his grip on his sword, and then decided to end this now. He summoned forth his full battle strength now…and then attacked. He began by leaping from where he was and right for Cloud. Not only did his body easily sail through the air…but it did so with alarming speed. Cloud's own eyes widened a moment before he leapt back…barely clearing the area before Ragnar landed. On impacting the ground…the pavement swelled and cracked beneath Ragnar's feet. He brought his blade down a moment later…but stopped when he saw it was hitting nothing. Even so…the shockwave force broke a blade-indentation into the ground.
The young general snapped his head up and looked to Cloud. Again…he leapt after him. He was closer now, and the ex-mercenary came even closer to being hit. As for Ragnar…it didn't even seem as if his foot touched the ground. It was more like he brought his leg down again with such force that he leapt off on the air itself, and took off again after Cloud. This time…Cloud didn't get away before feeling the flames of Ragnarok sear a cut through his pant leg and dip into his skin…
This made Ragnar hesitate. He felt as he drew blood with that last strike…and it made him halt. He feared that he was losing control. However, the pause was all that Cloud needed. He kept watching him, and saw him land a short distance away. Even before touching down, his sword was behind his head again. Again, the air began to ripple around him. But this time, all of it began to turn green and wavy, and energy began to crackle all around him and not just his sword…
Ragnar saw this…and realized.
He's never used this technique on me before…
The wind picked up around Cloud, casting up rocks and debris around him. Ragnar saw it start to circle. He broke out of his hesitation to move…but again he was too late. Cloud swung his arm forward. Immediately…the cloud of green energy around him morphed into a giant twister. The winds immediately became gale force and began to blast around Ragnar before it even hit him. The debris knocked loose was ripped from the ground and cast into the sky…along with even larger, manhole sized pieces. Ragnar winced in the face of this oncoming wind, and did all that he could do. He twisted Ragnarok around and plunged it into the ground as an anchor, bit down, closed his eyes, and hunched.
The full hurricane hit him a moment later. His clothing was soon flung violently around him. He heard it tear and rip in the wake of this storm. Even his hair seemed to nearly be yanked from his scalp. His loose skin was blasted around him, exposing his clenched teeth. This wasn't painful…but it was straining. He did actually have to exert force to keep himself in place. The rest of the pavement around him splintered and was sucked up into the air. And impression was made around him. But he still weathered the attack.
At last, it faded down again. The pieces of debris slowly rained down around him, and it was only through sheer luck that none of them hit him. It wouldn't have mattered that much, but it still would have been painful. As the sounds of smacking against the ground began to die, Ragnar opened his eyes. His teeth were still clenched, and he quickly yanked Ragnarok from the ground. His battle uniform was now in tatters from the force of the wind. He was sweating a bit now, because weathering that attack had taken actually effort even for his new and improved body. Cloud wasn't pulling any punches this time…
Ragnar quickly looked up, and prepared to attack again. However…he saw nothing. Cloud wasn't where he had been a moment ago. However, his hearing soon picked up on the movement he was making…and he realized that he had moved behind him during the attack. In a flash, he snapped around and looked behind him, bringing his sword up to bear.
As he looked around…he saw Cloud standing there. His body was tense with fury and power…and the air around him was rippling once again. Once more, it seemed as if energy was gathering around him. But it was much more this time. It was turning from green to red. He was tired and soaked with sweat…but he wasn't done yet. Event Horizon was already behind his head, and his eyes blazed as he seemed to focus himself again for one more move. The air around him darkened from the power…a thing that Ragnar had never seen before from him. He didn't even think it was possible…but the already gray day seemed to almost turn to night in his wake…
Giving out one final yell…nearly a roar, Cloud swung Event Horizon down.
As he swung it at Ragnar…something happened. Abruptly, Event Horizon seemed to shatter. Ragnar had never witnessed this before…and so was shocked as it broke. It wasn't just splitting into two parts, but eight. Ragnar dug his feet in and braced himself, and watched as seven of the swords danced gracefully through the air like shattered shards of glass for him. He prepared to defend himself, wondering what the heck the meant…when he realized he didn't have to. The swords flew out to the sides, and rather than attack him seemed to shoot around him. Some of them traveled faster than the others from being naturally bigger or smaller…and so they spread out all around him, creating almost a surrounding of swords. Ragnar's peripheral vision darted to the sides as time seemed to slow down around him…and the blades almost seemed to hover as they came into their positions…
What the heck…?
Ragnar looked back to Cloud here…and saw something new. He couldn't sense power like Bahamut, but he could still feel Cloud's own power increasing dramatically. The one remaining sword was now in front of him, and his eyes blazed like jewels as the red flame seemed to turn white, gathering around his blade. He heard the sky begin to screech as some new power tore into it. He felt Cloud's full focus adjusted on him…
…And he realized it.
Ragnar's eyes widened in shock and fear.
He's actually going to do it…
That was all Ragnar had time to thing…before Cloud turned into a blaze of light and rushed at him.
Every last bit of power that Ragnar had obtained from Bahamut was brought to bear as he struggled madly to survive the sudden onslaught. Cloud seemed to break into eight different beings, slashing at him from all angles, each swipe with enough power to turn an armored tank into a pile of wreckage. Even with his senses and reflexes…Ragnar had barely managed to block one attack before another one came from behind…then his side…then his opposite side… The sounds of their swords colliding was not distinct…but rather in one continuous chime as the power was vented against the youth. Cloud cast up his own flame as one sword after another dodged around him.
Ragnar was wreathed in flame as he stretched every fiber in his being into surviving this onslaught. It was not a spar…but a genuine, firm attempt to cut into his flesh. And it kept coming… It was like trying to fight off a tsunami…or a swarm. It didn't ease up in intensity or quit after a few seconds, but kept blazing forth. The part that was Bahamut in Ragnar would have marveled and known exactly how it was possible for someone like Cloud to beat Sephiroth…but he had no time. He was struggling to survive the blows. He was now fully strained. Each strike sapped more of his strength. The pace at which he kept up made him break out into sweat, and his own drops were now flying around and evaporating against his blade. He had no time to worry about a counterattack. He didn't have any time to think about anything else other than trying to withstand this onslaught. The slightest mess up meant death…
Unbelievably…Ragnar felt his limbs begin to burn. His legs started to tire from twisting around so much. He went past his normal strength and started dragging out more…and as a result his own body felt like it was on fire. He had never dreamed such a horrible attack existed…and now he was barely holding his own against it. Still…he kept fighting. Had he been conscious…he would have kept doing it simply to prove that he could stand up against Sephiroth by beating the attack that beat him. But he didn't think of that. He thought simply of trying to survive… His brain was going on fire. He could feel his blood overheating and pounding in his veins. Ragnarok became heavy…and he was barely able to hold onto it anymore… He was breaking down…
Then…it finally happened. One of them broke.
Ragnar abruptly arched his back and cried out as Cloud gave him a slash across it. With that…he dropped his guard. He couldn't combat it any longer. And so…nothing was left to keep Cloud from giving him another slash across his front. He saw his blood fly out, but moreover he felt the force rip him off of his feet and fling him out and away from the torturous dance he had been performing. His body, seeming to be charged with red energy from Cloud's din, sailed away for forty feet before smashing against the ground so hard that he dug into it, actually fracturing it beneath him. This only made him go into more pain…although he was still just crying out from the first hit.
Ragnar forced his eyes to open…but couldn't get up. As he did…he saw it. Cloud had been nearly finished with his attack. That was why he hadn't been sliced up more than twice. But now…he saw the man soaring into the air overhead, leaping up on top of him. The sky was black around him, and it almost seemed as if the clouds were swirling. His sword…somehow having become complete again in the course of that attack…was now behind him and poised for the last strike. It was too fast…and Ragnar found, unbelievably enough, that he was too tired. He couldn't fight back. He couldn't get up. He could only watch as this blow fell…and realize that his skull was about to be split in two.
Cloud landed…and an instant later the blade came down full force. Ragnar's face turned into genuine fear…but he didn't blink. He watched as Event Horizon came down and around…right for between his eyes…
And halted just as it rested on his forehead.
Both men stopped there. There Ragnar was…bleeding and lying on the ground, sprawled out flat, and heaving and sweaty. And there Cloud was…panting and sweating as well…with Event Horizon poised for the kill. The sky turned back to gray again. The cold wind blew by. It was obvious now that Cloud had given everything he had in that last push. Ragnar was tired…but if he had only a moment he could get up and fight again. Yet that didn't matter…as Cloud was right there over him. He felt the burning feeling from the cuts across his back and front, and heard a few drops of blood drip against the ground. Still, neither said anything.
At last, Cloud swallowed and caught his breath enough to speak.
"…I'm back in the lead."
With that, he yanked Event Horizon away from Ragnar's head. Somewhat tiredly, he began to put it back behind him. He continued to stand over Ragnar, but didn't pin him anymore.
The youth was stunned. So…that had been the infamous Omnislash… It had been a nightmare to withstand. What more…it had been too much for him in the end. He had nearly outdone it…but not the last three strikes. And those would have been enough. Had this been a real fight…Ragnar realized Cloud would have killed him. He couldn't get up from that right away. He could only let that knowledge sink in as he lay against the cold ground, catching his own breath and realizing that he had been beaten.
Cloud finished replacing his sword and adjusting his straps. Once that was done, he glared down at Ragnar again.
"…Now that you've finished eating that slice of humble pie…" He said in a none-too-gentle voice. "You're going to come straight with me. Why is beating Sephiroth suddenly your responsibility? Somehow I don't think it's just revenge. And why are you as strong as you are now? No bull. I think I just proved to you that I have a right to know, and don't act like you have no idea what I'm talking about."
Ragnar stared back up to Cloud, calming down in his own breathing. Bahamut's nature of fast healing had already clotted the two cuts on his chest and back. He was beginning to feel the burn die down in his muscles. Cloud stood patiently waiting, but also obviously not going away until he got his answer. His look was still cold and demanding in that regard.
The young general swallowed. At last, he released Ragnarok so that he could put both arms underneath him. He pushed up into a seated position soon after. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, steadying himself again. Then, after looking down to the ground once again, he began to speak.
"…It started the night I came back from the Dome."
An hour later, and Ragnar had told Cloud everything. Everything that Bahamut had shown him. He made sure to talk about the main parts…his discovery that he was a Cetra, what was going on with Aerith, how he had obtained his new power, and what the grim future had held if he failed. He also told him the story of the last few hours of life for his father, the battle between Bahamut and Sephiroth, and even why he didn't remember anything from that night. Cloud's coldness gradually vanished as he heard the tale. As he calmed down, he eventually sat down across from Ragnar and listened more earnestly. Ragnar finally came to the end, describing how he had emerged as something new when Aerith found him in the ruined hospital room.
There were a few moments of silence between the two men after it was done. Cloud himself showed nothing. He simply stared at Ragnar for a long while. The youth stared back, waiting to hear his verdict. Finally, the ex-mercenary put his elbow up on his knee and propped up his head.
"Why did he send us away in the hospital?" He asked.
Ragnar paused a moment, and then shrugged. "…He figured it was easier if he just went around. Most people don't even believe things like this are possible anymore. He didn't want to have to explain it to everyone on the floor."
"Alright then, how about this one." Cloud responded. "Why didn't you tell me this the night it happened?"
The youth hesitated here. He swallowed again.
"…A lot of things were on my mind." He answered. "If I started talking about this…there was the chance I would have let it slip that I knew what would happen to Aerith. I didn't want her to know about that. I figured that if I did, we'd all be watching her like a hawk, and we'd be jumping on her every time she raised her voice. She already was holding her anger back too much. Then there's if other people found out… They'd think I was crazy. They'd think a lunatic was running the army…or some monster. I do have Bahamut running around inside me now. I know even among you and the group…they only half believe me at most… A part of me didn't want it to go around that I was a Cetra either. I like that I am…but I'm not proud of how I became one. I was an experiment. Some people would even say I was a mistake. And things haven't gone well with being Cetra either. Then there's the whole fact that this story would take so long to explain and so much to swallow…and…"
Ragnar trailed off a moment here, but then frowned and sighed.
"…And I was also trying to avoid what happened today." He finally said. "I know that Sephiroth is strong. He never even went up to half power against Bahamut. I knew that if I junctioned with Bahamut that I'd have the best chance of beating him, but I didn't want to risk him killing you. I also knew that if I told you that it'd be an insult…almost a slap in the face."
"You're wrong."
Ragnar looked up here and to Cloud, looking surprised.
"Would I be upset? Yes. Would I think you were underestimating me? Yeah." Cloud answered. "But would I understand why you were doing this? I would. You're not the first person I've ever run into that's tried to look out for me by taking a responsibility on himself or herself. I'd be lying if I said that doesn't make me mad. I see myself as a protector, not someone to be protected. At least…I did for years. It's taken me a long time to forgive myself for being human. I still have some problems that stem from it. The real insult was when you didn't tell me this, and let me think that you were just on some sort of ego or power trip."
Ragnar hesitated here…and realized that he was right. It would have been better if he would have told him from the start. Then there would have been a reason and not just suspicion. It took until now for it to finally come out, and that was a pity. It had caused too much trouble between the two.
"…Now you understand though." He maintained. "This is why I have to go it alone. You beat me today…but if I could have gone for another second you wouldn't have. And I know I'm not as strong as he is now…not nearly as strong. I know that you can't beat him, Cloud. I'm sorry…but I know you can't. I know you can't fight him. It's not an insult or a doubt in your ability…I just know you'll die if you try and fight him. And you know that I have a good reason to fight him too. I'm the same race as Aerith. The alien he came from waged war on me and my species for thousands of years. It still wants to get rid of us. We're both the offspring of one race and human. This is my fight too."
Ragnar began to stand after this. He reached out and took up the handle of his sword as he did. Cloud didn't try to stop him. He didn't look up to him either. After hearing what he had just said…he found himself pausing. He stayed motionless in his position on the ground, his eyes on the broken pavement and not showing any change. The youth saw him do this…and felt uneasy inside. He hoped that it was a sign that he was understanding this. But for better or for worse, it didn't really matter. The facts stood. He would have to understand that he couldn't fight in this battle…not fight, at least, and have any hope of surviving… He hoped that knowing this would make him less angry with him…
"…You did show me one thing today." Ragnar said on standing. "I need a lot more work. I'm glad for that. I'm going to have to make some serious changes and improvements…or I won't do much good against Sephiroth myself."
Cloud didn't answer or look up.
The youth swallowed, still feeling the tension between them. However, he was on his feet now. Regretfully, he swallowed and turned away from the ex-mercenary. He began to put his sword back into his sheath. As he did, he turned his head behind him.
"…I'll see you later at the Seventh Heaven, right?"
No response or change.
Ragnar balled his hands into fists uneasily, and then looked away. Having nothing else to say, he began to walk away from the dueling field. Again, it was silent, and as he picked his way along the debris and rocks he only heard the wind. It seemed that no one had watched their fight, remarkably enough… Before the silence had been cold and foreboding enough. But now…it seemed even worse. He wished that Cloud would say something to break it, even an insult. Yet as he slowly walked away, he heard no response or movement from the man on the ground. His own face grew more rueful and uncomfortable as he left. Somehow…he still didn't feel that much better, even after getting all of that off of his chest. He felt like he was still under pressure or singled out…alone…
It seemed to take forever for Ragnar to get off the field, onto the sidewalk, and then turn and get out of eyeshot. As he walked back down the street, he forced himself to bite his feelings back. He couldn't afford them. Upset as he was, there was still a lot at stake. And now, more than ever, he had to prepare himself. Today had just asserted that fact even more. He couldn't use lack of competition as an excuse again. He had to make some for himself.
And for that…he knew he had to make a phone call.
Cloud sat there silently for a long time, even after Ragnar had left. His eyes looked to the pavement as he thought about Ragnar's story and all that he had heard. He gave no indication toward feeling one way or the other. The cold wind continued to blow, but nothing broke the silence as he was left entirely alone with his thoughts. The only thing one could guess is that he was thinking over something very hard, and had to make a difficult choice.
At last…the ex-mercenary moved. Shifting a bit, he seemed to unconsciously raise a hand and dip it into his pocket. His own clothing had stayed mostly intact that fight, and as such so did the items in his pants. On reaching in, his fingers soon found his cellular phone. He pulled it out a moment later, and flipped it open with one hand. Only then did he look away from the ground and to it. He hesitated again for a moment, thinking of this as another chance to turn back. But in the end, his fingers moved and dialed a certain number. Once done, he brought it up to the side of his head.
He heard it ring twice, but then it was picked up. A wild, carefree voice greeted him.
"Lieutenant Maritza's House of Wonders! How may I help you?"
"So can you do this?"
Rufus paused on the other end before replying. "…I suppose we could. I mean, Isuzu Industries doesn't exactly deal in weights… Much less ones like these…"
"It's incredibly important." Ragnar answered. He had made it back to his office at this point. He hadn't stopped to change or wash up or greet anyone else along the way. He had to march back to where there was a phone and call. Unfortunately, his cellular was destroyed in Cloud's Finishing Touch maneuver. He had no choice but to go back to his office. Yet that had given him time to gather his thoughts, and time to make a list of what exactly he needed.
Another pause. "…Well, it wouldn't be that hard. We can reach a company that does make weights for training the recruits. But in this amount? You want the smallest size dumbbell to be…?"
"100 kilos. Yes."
"And the heaviest one you want to be 500 kilos. It's going to take a heavy-duty forklift just to deliver this stuff. And after it's delivered…who will be able to move it around?"
"…Can you make these things or not?"
A sigh on the other end. "…Probably. We'd just have to make the weights out of a heavier alloy. They're still going to be pretty damn bulky. And if you can find a guy who can lift this stuff, it's going to be a hell of a time finding a bar that won't deform. You realize that you're asking me for a bar that can hold about 5,000 kilos all together, right?"
"How soon can you get it to me?"
"…How soon do you need it?"
"I'd want it today if it was possible."
"It's not."
"If you could pull any strings to get it to me within half a week, I'd appreciate it."
"…And you want me to do this all for free, too…"
"Hey…I did get you a new company."
"…That you did. Don't think that I'm at your disposal for favors, however. My dad taught me a bit better than that. That is…unless you're trying to threaten me with making me public."
"Yes or no. That's all I really want to know."
"…Fine. I'll try to get it to you within a week."
"Great. Thanks a lot."
To be continued...
NEXT CHAPTER: Aleron is here!