Final Fantasy VII [3rd Instalment]
Emerald Princess of Vernea
Chapter Forty-Two
The light faded. When it did it released its hold on Cloud dropped him down onto a floating podium of rock. A second later the Buster Sword clattered down beside him. Cloud opened his eyes slowly, and winced as a bright light hit them. He shut them again and shook his head. He reached out and closed his fingers around the hilt of his sword, pulling it towards him. A series of thumps and thuds sounded around him.
"Oww…" said a disgruntled voice. "Damn, man!"
Cloud's head snapped up. He looked to his right. To his surprise he saw Barret on another floating podium just a little ways above him. As Cloud watched the big man pushed himself up onto his knees and rubbed dirt from his eyes.
"Barret!" said Cloud, blinking in disbelief.
Barret stopped rubbing his eyes and looked over at Cloud. He, too, blinked. "What…?" he asked in confusion. For a moment he thought he was dreaming. Just a few seconds ago he had been above the mako pit, backed up against the wall as he tried to fend off attacks from one of the Armoured Golems that had managed to break through their defences. Then a bright light appeared and before he knew it, he had landed here, on this floating rock.
He looked around. They had landed at the bottom of a large, cavernous pit, the true bottom of the Northern Cave deep beneath the Lifestream. Tall, rocky walls surrounded them on all sides, rising so high up above them they could not see where they led. Dozens of floating platforms of rock were dotted about the cavern, some close together, while others were further apart. Cloud and Barret were on two of the podiums closest to the bottom of the cavern.
They were not alone. The others were here too, on more of the floating rocks. Tifa was on the rock between him and Cloud. Yuffie and Cait were to his right. On Cloud's left there was Cid, Vincent and Red XIII, just standing up. Everyone was accounted for, brought here by that strange light.
"So everyone's together again…?" he asked, climbing to his feet.
Before anybody could reply a flash of light lit the cavern, as bright as lightning. An unseen force grabbed hold of the group and lifted them up off the rocks. The companions wriggled, trying to break free of the unseen hands that held them, but their efforts were in vain. They hung suspended over the rocks, fighting against an unknown assailant with no idea how to break free.
Before them, at the very centre of the mako pit, was a large globe of white light trapped in a prison of rock. A hole in the side of the rock allowed the light to shine through, but a powerful magic spell held it in thrall and kept it from escaping. It was from this globe that the force that held them now had come from.
The globe pulsed with intense brilliance and a ring of white light burst out of its centre. It hit the companions, who cried out as their bodies were wracked with a pain so intense that it drove the breath from their lungs and made them writhe about in agony. Never before had they felt something as agonizing as this. It felt as though every single part of them was being ripped apart, stabbed through, and electrified all at once. The pain continued to torture their bodies even after the light passed through them, unrelenting. They thrashed about in pain, unable to break free.
As he writhed, Cloud's eyes turned towards the globe. Through the haze of pain he saw the shadow of a man appear in its centre. The shadow moved closer, growing larger, and stepped out of the globe. The globe's light settled on the figure's back, shining brightly upon him. Cloud's eyes widened as he recognised the man floating before him. The silver hair and the cruel face, currently relaxed as though in sleep.
"…Sephiroth!"
Upon hearing his name, Sephiroth slowly opened his eyes. He raised his head and settled his gaze on Cloud. His glowing eyes hardened, and his lips twisted into a cold, callous smile. That smile… he had seen that smile before, in Nibelheim. When Cloud had been lying on the ground outside the burning ruins of his home, he had caught a glimpse of Sephiroth's face through the flames. A smile filled with malevolence and hate, seeking to destroy everything.
Sephiroth turned his gaze away from Cloud and looked around at the others who had come to challenge him. His eyes passed calmly over each one, assessing them. He was unimpressed with what he saw. The former SOLDIER spread his palms and another ring of light burst out from the globe behind him. It hit the companions and pushed them back, wracking their bodies with another wave of pain.
"Ugh…!" grunted Barret. "Is this… the true power of Sephiroth?"
Cid writhed, struggling to move against the unseen force. He tried to raise his spear, but his arms refused to cooperate. "My… my body…" the pilot said. His hand opened, and the spear fell down onto the rocks below. Cid gritted his teeth and writhed. "I can't control my body… Uuugh!"
The pilot cried out as he was suddenly yanked forward along with Cloud and the others. Sephiroth drew them close, and then at his command another ring of light burst from the globe and pushed them back out again. They screamed in pain as their bodies were flung back like dolls, and then stopped just as suddenly as the unseen force gripped them again and held them.
Red XIII threw back his head and howled. "My front legs… my hind legs…" The hound squirmed and twisted his body. "My tail's about to tear off!"
"This is definitely not good…" said Cait Sith. "He's way outta our league…" The cat struggled to keep a hold of his Mog, which was being steadily ripped apart.
"I, I don't know if I can… go on…" said Yuffie beside him, her voice strained.
Another ring of light passed through them, and once more the companions flinched as pain shot through their bodies.
Tifa coughed and gasped for breath. Her lungs felt as though they were being crushed from the inside. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her blood was pumping loudly in her ears. There was not a single part of her that did not ache with pain. She tried to look at Cloud, floating next to her. She could only just see him through the corner of her eye. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes. She closed her lids, and tears spilled down her cheeks.
"Cloud…" she whispered voicelessly. "Cloud…"
"Ugh… ugh…" Cloud groaned. Another ring of light hit him, and the swordsman gritted his teeth tightly against the pain. He coughed and raised his head, looking over at Sephiroth. "…There…" he said. "It's… there…"
"Cloud…?" Tifa forced her head to the side, looking at him.
Cloud took a few deep, shaky breaths. He swallowed and then gritted his teeth. Through willpower alone he pushed the pain aside and forced his wracked body to move. He raised his right arm first, lifting up the Buster Sword. Then he raised his left arm and closed his left hand around its hilt. He then held the sword out in front of him. He breathed heavily. He could feel it… there, in front of him.
"…Holy… Holy… is there… The Holy is shining… Aeris's prayer is shining…!"
Tifa followed his gaze. Behind Sephiroth, the large orb of light shone brightly. Cloud was right. Holy was there. She could feel it. Its presence was small, dwarfed by Sephiroth's presence. But its light was bright, shining. Holy was struggling on, even as Sephiroth threatened to shut off its light with darkness. Now she saw from where Cloud had drawn this strength. If Holy could continue to fight even in the presence of Sephiroth, then so could they!
The fighter closed her eyes and brought Aeris's image to her mind. She could feel Aeris's presence with them, even in death. She was praying for their victory, praying for Holy to move. "Holy… Aeris…" Tifa said. She breathed in deeply, let it out slowly. Yes… the more she thought about Aeris and Holy, the stronger she became.
"It's not over yet…" said Cloud. He raised his sword higher and looked over at Sephiroth. Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and his smile grew wider. Cloud gripped the sword tighter. "This isn't the end yet!" he shouted defiantly.
Sephiroth spread his palms. The companions lurched forward as they were drawn in once more and then thrown back out by another ring of Holy's bright light. However, instead of succumbing and screaming in pain, the companions began to fight back. Holy's presence gave them the strength that they needed to break free of the bonds that held them, releasing them from Sephiroth's grip. They rose up and surrounded Sephiroth and Holy.
"Hoo-ok…!" Cid said, pushing back his sleeves. "I can't be foolin' around in the bottom of this hellhole… I still have lots of stuff to do with my life!"
Vincent rose up to float beside him. "Damn…!" he cursed. "I was frozen in time… But now I feel as though my time is finally about to begin…!" The gunman drew his gun from its holster. "Sephiroth, now it's your time to sleep between the ages!"
"Maybe we were a little late in noticing the trouble that we were getting into…" Cait said regretfully. He clutched his megaphone close to his chest, remembering all the lives that had been lost due to Shinra's selfish greed. "But, there's still time… We should still be able to get out of it! Even if we can't get EVERYTHING back to normal!" The cat held out his weapon. "We should be able to protect what's most important!" he cried, and his Mog raised its arms in agreement.
Yuffie, meanwhile, looked torn. "Maybe… Maybe I shouldn't have come…" she said hesitantly. "I don't need… materia… any…" She paused, shook her head, and her eyes flared up. "Nope, I still want it!" she announced proudly, unhooking her shuriken. "This an' that an' everything… MINE! And I'm never gonna give any up!"
"…No way we're gonna lose!" shouted Red XIII. The hound shook himself free of his bonds and floated up to join Vincent and Cid. "I'm going to see it through to the end! For the future… And that of the planet…" The hound turned his gaze upwards, to the darkness that hovered over them. "I understand now, Grandpa," he said. "This is my mission! I won't let the Lifestream… or the life of the Planet, wither away!"
Tifa rose up. She joined Cloud on his left-hand side, floating beside him. She pulled her gloves taught and clenched her fists tight. "We're not gonna lose!" she said to Sephiroth, her dark eyes blazing. "Aeris is here… everyone is here… Cloud is here with us! There's still so many things for us to do… I'm not giving up!"
Barret rose up and joined Cloud on his other side. "Urrrrrrgh! Not only Aeris… Holy is the prayer of AVALANCHE… of Marlene and Dyne… And everyone on the planet!"
That left only Cloud. The swordsman floated forward, the Buster Sword firmly in his hands. The sword's scarred, worn surface shone dully in Holy's light, but it remained as strong as ever. After all, it carried in it the hopes, dreams and memories of those who had held it before him. Like Zack. Cloud would be the last to hold his sword, the last in a short legacy of brave swordsman who put all their hopes into this one sword. Now it was time for the Buster Sword to fulfil its fate. Cloud held the sword firmly and looked into Sephiroth's cold eyes.
"Aeris's memories…" Cloud began. "Our memories… We came… to tell you… our memories…" He turned his gaze to Holy, shining brightly behind Sephiroth. "Come Planet! Show us your answer! And Sephiroth! To the settling of everything!"
Sephiroth raised his eyes and looked at him. His gaze hardened, trying to pierce through his heart and will, but Cloud held firm and did not waver. Sephiroth looked around once more at Cloud's companions. They were the same. Their will did not waver before him. In fact, it had increased. Each one of them stood firm, set in their determination to bring this to an end and save the planet from his wrath.
If this was the fate they chose… then so be it.
He spread his arms wide, and the air around him became heavy with unimaginable energy. The air began to ripple like water, extending outwards from his being. It hit the companions, who surged forward to meet him.
Holy flashed once, and a brighter, stronger ring of light burst out from its centre and flung the companions harshly back away from Sephiroth. They slammed into the floating rocks scattered throughout the mako pit, separated from each other.
"So be it!" Sephiroth shouted, and with that he rose swiftly upward, disappearing into the darkness that hung like a dark cloud over the mako pit.
When he descended, his form had changed. The human being they knew as Sephiroth was gone, and in his place was the monster known only as Bizarro Sephiroth. He stood taller than a building, with monstrous shoulders and arms that ended not with hands but with powerful wings. He had two heads, one rising out of the other, both with eyes that were ice-cold blue and devoid of the warmth of life. At his waist there was a brightly glowing yellow orb, pulsing with power.
Sephiroth spread his wing-like arms and floated down the pit to where the companions were just rising to their feet. When they saw Sephiroth's new form they hesitated, startled, but then gripped their weapons with fresh determination. It did not matter what form Sephiroth took. They would still beat him down!
Sephiroth's heads turned and their gaze settled upon Cloud. He raised one large winged arm and brought it crashing down onto the rocky podium where the swordsman stood.
Cloud jumped back out of the way of the feather fingers as they slammed into the rock. The strength of the blow cleaved the podium in two, sending chunks of rock tumbling towards the pit below them. These chunks of rock fell and then suddenly stopped and floated in midair, held up by the power of the Lifestream. Cloud glanced down at them before returning his attention to the monster before him. Sephiroth was raising his hand again, preparing another strike. The swordsman braced himself.
A light flashed overhead, and Tifa's voice called out to him. "Cloud! Up here!"
Cloud looked up and even Sephiroth halted his attack long enough to see Leviathan emerge from the light overhead and dive into the pit. Sitting on the serpent's back were Tifa and Yuffie, riding the dragon as it dived down to the broken podium.
Sephiroth scowled and brought his hand down on the podium. Cloud turned and dived off just as Sephiroth's hand smashed into it, breaking it apart. The swordsman meanwhile landed on the floating rocks and jumped rapidly from one to another, using them as stepping stones. Leviathan flew alongside and Tifa held out her hand to Cloud. He took it, and she pulled him up onto Leviathan's back just as Sephiroth's hand swiped again. Leviathan screeched and soared back up to the sky, out of reach of Sephiroth.
Sephiroth turned his heads upwards and watched as Leviathan rose to a safe distance and circled the pit, watching him. Both heads smiled with evil intent and he raised his arms. Flames gathered around the tips of his feathery fingers. They formed into fireballs and he fired them off, one by one, up towards Leviathan. The serpent dodged and weaved through the fireballs as they soared past. One skimmed Leviathan's tail, and the serpent roared in agony. He writhed and lashed his tail.
"Wow, that was close!" said Yuffie, looking back. Leviathan was not hurt badly—the flames had only skimmed it. The ninja sighed and turned to Sephiroth. "Watch where you're throwing those things!" she shouted angrily.
Her words were met by another series of fireballs. Once more Leviathan was forced to weave his way through as the air became hot with fire. This time he avoided being hit, but kept on moving to avoid being a still target.
Sephiroth watched as Leviathan circled the pit, amused by their attempts to avoid his fire strikes. Once more he spread his hands and flames began to form, larger and more condensed, intent on bringing the serpent and his riders crashing down.
A series of sharp, painful shots struck Sephiroth in his right shoulder. Sephiroth lowered his arms, the flames dissipating, and turned to look at the new attacker.
Barret was standing on one of the lower platforms, gun-arm raised and firing a continuous stream of bullets at the monster before him. Sephiroth raised his wing to shield himself from the bullets, and then without warning lunged and swiped his arm across the podium. His fingers swept over the rock and sent it spinning across the pit with Barret still on it. The resistance leader dropped down and clung to the rock as it spiralled wildly out of control. His world pun and then stopped with a great shudder as the rock slammed into the wall of the pit. Barret lost his grip on the rock and slid down towards the edge. He reaffirmed his hold just in time and held on tight.
The rock remained in place, stuck in a crack along the wall of the pit. Barret tried to pull himself back up the rock, but lost his grip again and slid down and over the edge. For a brief moment he fell, before he landed heavily on an outcrop of rock almost directly beneath the podium. The man groaned and rolled onto his back. He breathed heavily, amazed. He was still alive.
On the other side of the mako pit, Vincent sat behind Odin as Sleipnir galloped across a winding path that circled the outer edge of the pit. Odin tugged on the reins and Sleipnir obediently turned and leaped off the path and onto one of the nearby platforms. Six heavy hooves thudded into the dirt, churning up rock, but the horse ploughed on regardless, leaping to the next platform and then the next. The horse followed the platforms as they moved across the pit, heading towards Sephiroth.
Pausing briefly on one platform, Odin raised his spear and threw it at Sephiroth. The monster saw it coming and swiftly dodged to one side. The spear sailed past and struck the wall behind him.
Sephiroth moved back and turned to face Vincent and Odin. He closed his wings over his torso, and the yellow orb at his waist began to glow. The air around it wavered, and sparks of light formed and were drawn into the orb. A beam of light suddenly burst out of the orb. Sleipnir jumped out of the way of the beam as it ripped through the rocky podium. It did not destroy the rock but obliterated it entirely, leaving not even a single trace of it behind. Sleipnir missed the beam only by a hair's breadth—signified by the steam rising from his rear hooves.
After destroying the podium the beam carried on and hit the far wall of the pit. It tore through the rock, incinerating it. The blast caused the pit to shake violently. The beam ended, and as the steam and smoke faded away the damage to the inner wall became clear. There was a massive hole nearly ten metres wide burned into the wall, and delving metres deep.
Overhead, Cloud leaned over Leviathan's side and looked down at the hole.
"Did you see that!" cried Yuffie, her eyes wide. "There's no way we can fight against something like that. He's way stronger than us. This is just crazy!"
"It might be crazy, but we have no other choice," said Cloud. He leaned over Leviathan's side again, surveying the battlefield. Sephiroth had turned his attention away from them and was following Odin's horse as it darted around the pit, leaping from platform to platform, trying to find an opening. When Sephiroth turned his back, Cloud grasped Yuffie's shoulder. "Dive, Yuffie."
Yuffie sighed. "If you say so." She placed her hand on the serpent's long neck, stroking it. "Leviathan, dive!" she commanded.
Leviathan obediently did as she bade and dropped into a steep dive. Yuffie, Cloud and Tifa held tightly onto the serpent's scales as he dived. Air rushed past their faces, drowning out all other sounds. Sephiroth's monstrous blue form zoomed in to meet them, and at the last moment Cloud drew up his knees and pushed himself away from Leviathan. Tifa cried out to him but Cloud was already moving, his sword in hand, falling down towards Sephiroth.
The uppermost head heard Tifa's cry and looked upwards. He saw Cloud descending, his blade crackling with powerful electric light. Sephiroth scowled and pushed his palms into the cranium of the lower head. The long lengths of blue hair that framed its face rose up like antennae. Electrified energy began to crackle around them. Cloud brought down his sword and crashed headfirst into the energy.
A loud and deafening explosion filled the air and the pit was filled with a wave of bright light. Yuffie and Tifa covered their eyes as a wave of electrified light swept over them, making the hairs on their arms and necks stand on end. Leviathan quickly pulled back and curled his tail around his body, protecting his riders.
Cloud opened his eyes. The light was blinding. His blade pushed down on the two antennae-like bangs, trying to break through the shield of energy that separated him from Sephiroth. Electricity swept over his blade and over his hands, tightening the muscles, but Cloud gritted his teeth and kept on pushing. He would break through.
Through the light he could see Sephiroth. The upper head glared back at him with eyes that were cold and empty and full of hatred, narrowed into thin slits. Cloud put all of his strength into his arms, pushing down on the shield of crackling light. It was a battle of wills between him and Sephiroth, and Cloud was not about to lose.
The shield wavered. Cloud could feel it weakening. His will, his desire to protect his friends, gave him the strength that he needed. His blade cut through the shield and the light disappeared. With no barrier to separate them, Cloud dived forward. Seeing him approach, Sephiroth's eyes widened with interest. Was this the same puppet?
Before he could finish that thought, Cloud was suddenly in front of him. Sephiroth met his gaze and grinned as Cloud landed in front of him, drew back his blade and then, with a cry, thrust it out with all his strength.
The blade sliced through Sephiroth's neck, almost completely severing the head from its body. Cloud raised his sword and slashed again, and this time cut the head from the body. The rest of the companions stared in wide-eyed amazement as the bodiless head rolled down Sephiroth's broad back. Those in range caught a glimpse of the face as it fell—it was still grinning. The head plunged down and landed with a splash into the Lifestream. It sank out of sight, disappearing beneath the surface.
Sephiroth spread his wings and flapped them gently. He did not seem at all fazed by the loss of his upper head. Instead he just beat his wings harder and sent a powerful gust of swing sweeping throughout the mako pit.
Cait Sith clung to his Mog as the podium he was standing on was caught up in the breeze and lurched suddenly upwards. It smashed into the wall and hung there, suspended at an angle. The collision made Cait lose his grip on the Mog and he fell through the air. Red XIII, running nearby, leaped and snatched the cat up in his jaws. The hound landed on the winding path surrounding the pit. He dropped Cait, who clambered onto his back. Then the hound set off with his new rider, running along the path to rejoin the others.
The upper body sagged backwards, lifeless. With his job done Cloud jumped back out of the way. As he descended he caught a glimpse of movement and turned to see Ifrit slam into one of the lower platforms and then leap up towards Sephiroth. Sephiroth turned and swiped one of his large wings, brushing the fiery demon aside. Yet as soon as he did he realised his mistake as Vincent, astride Sleipnir, leaped at him. Sephiroth opened his mouth and unleashed a stream of fire, but Sleipnir smoothly dodged to one side, missing the flames.
Vincent stood up and pushed himself away from the horse. He raised his gun and fired two shots. Both shots struck Sephiroth in his round shoulder. The gunman landed on Sephiroth's shoulder and quickly jumped again, firing two more rounds into Sephiroth's other shoulder. They did little damage, but were enough to draw Sephiroth's attention long enough for Red XIII, with Cat on his back, to leap onto a nearby podium and call upon Titan. The summon appeared before him and charged forward, his footsteps causing the platform to shake. Before Sephiroth could turn Titan jumped, his fist clenched, and struck the glowing globe at Sephiroth's waist.
The globe cracked… and then shattered. A blast of intense energy fired out from inside, surrounding the summon. Titan roared in pain, and then his voice died out.
The burning energy surrounded Sephiroth too, and even his skin was burned by the searing energy. He writhed in pain and folded his arms across his torso. The feathers shimmered and showers of sparkling light began to filter down onto the burned skin. The skin bubbled and began to close, healing itself.
Cloud saw this and turned. "Barret, he's healing himself!" he called. "Stop him!"
"You got it!" replied Barret. He raised his gun-arm and opened fire. His bullets sank into Sephiroth's arm, but Sephiroth ignored the wounds and continued to work on healing himself. Barret cursed and used his Fire materia to add more power to his bullets. The bullets did damage, piercing and burning the flesh of his shoulders. A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him around. Barret stopped firing as Cid snatched the Fire materia from his gun-arm and slotted it into the pole of his spear.
"Let me!" he said. The pilot then hoisted his spear (which he had retrieved from where it had fallen) up onto his shoulder, took aim, and then threw it.
The spear landed in Sephiroth's shoulder. On contact the Fire materia flashed and the spear erupted into flame. The flames spread like wildfire along Sephiroth's shoulders and across his broad torso, damaging the skin faster than his healing magic could fix it. Sephiroth roared and writhed in pain, his wings flailing as he tried to bat out the flames that were spreading quickly along his body.
"Not so fast!"
Sephiroth looked up and had a sudden sense of déjà vu as he saw Tifa falling down towards him. The fighter kicked a devastating blow to Sephiroth's jaw, sending his head reeling backwards. She grasped Sephiroth's head and drove her knee into his face, before drawing back her fist.
"Tifa," she heard Barret call, "get back now!"
Tifa looked down at her feet. A ball of light rose up in front of her, separating her from Sephiroth. It shimmered and began to take form. Tifa stared as the light took on the form of an angel, with small, glowing wings and a cool, calm face. But unlike the angels she had seen in stories, this angel had eyes that were literally made of ice. They glinted as they stared at her, and the angel's calm face split into an evil, heartless smile.
"Tifa!" called Cloud. "Get back!"
This time she heeded his words and jumped back away from Sephiroth, landing on the platform beside Cloud. The angel spread its arms and then raised them over its head. Numerous fireballs filled the air above them, covering the sky in a blanket of fire. The angel then lowered its arms and the balls rained down onto the battlefield.
The companions raised their arms to shield themselves as the fireballs rained down around them. Those that hit the platforms dug deep holes into the rock, incinerating them so that they were black and charred. Cait covered his head with his hands and cried out as Red XIII leaped from podium to podium, dodging the fireballs whilst trying to make his way over to his friends.
Through the falling fire he saw Vincent and Barret standing back to back as they fired shots imbued with ice up at the fireballs that fell around them, freezing them and shattering them. To the other side, Cloud swiped his sword, slicing the balls that came within range. Tifa could only dodge, ducking and rolling around the platform, trying not to be hit.
Then, something pierced through the fire. It struck Sephiroth squarely in his chest and flung him back into the wall of the mako pit, pinning him against it. Sephiroth roared in rage as he looked down at the massive spear that penetrated his torso and pinned him to the wall. He looked up at Cid and Odin, standing together on the outer rim. The pilot rubbed his nose and gave Cloud a thumbs up.
"There ya go! I got him pinned. Now hurry up and finish the job!" he shouted.
Cloud nodded. He turned to Barret. "Barret, over here!" he called.
Barret nodded and leaped down onto the lower platform. He ran alongside Cloud to the edge, where he stopped and stretched out his arm. Cloud jumped and landed on his gun-arm and then, with Barret giving him a push, jumped again and soared up towards Sephiroth.
Sephiroth was pinned and unable to escape. He raised his wings but did it too late. Cloud zoomed in, swung his blade, and thrust the sword. He struck. The blade sank home.
And, in that moment, everyone held their breath.
A NOTE FROM THE AUTHORESS
Gaaaah, this battle was so annoying to write! D: I'm nowhere near completely happy with it. Sephiroth just REFUSED to cooperate with me. DAMN YOU, YOU SON-OF-A-CALAMITY!
Also, this battle was written to Chaos's theme from Dissidia. Just in case you wanted to know.