Chapter Sixty-Nine: Convergence
Cloud answered the door, ushering in Verian, who was drenched from the rain. Tifa draped a blanket over his shoulders and handed him a hot drink; he nodded his appreciation.
"So, have you heard?" Verian asked after sipping silently for quite a while. "About…you know…Sephiroth?"
Vincent's lethal look only intensified, everyone else's attention snapped to him. "You have word?" Tifa asked.
He took his sweet time answering. "Seems he's intercepted Aralyn."
Vincent glared at him, trying to gauge if this was the truth.
"What does he want with her?" Tifa asked worriedly.
"What did he want with Nibelheim?" Cid interrupted harshly. "Does he need a reason to kill?"
"I don't know, but he's keeping her in the Forgotten City. I came as soon as I could but the rumors I heard weren't good…" He took another long, slow sip.
Vincent knew that Verian was hiding something. There was glint in his eye that gave him away.
But what if even half of what he said was the truth?
The decision was made without speaking. Now that they had a location, Cloud was armed in an instant, eager to face his old rival.
Vincent could have sworn he saw Verian's face light up in a smirk.
Kadaj walked away from the Seventh Heaven, smiling. Verian had done well. He had known that mention of Aralyn would fan the flame, but he still hadn't expected them to fall so quickly.
And with any luck, Sephiroth was headed toward the Forgotten City as they spoke.
He had been easy to sway as well. Yazoo's death seemed to have struck him, though it only showed faintly in his eyes in the dead of night, when he thought no one saw.
He wished Sephiroth hadn't become so superstitious and wary as of late. He wouldn't have fallen for the bait if it had happened differently. All it took was one glance at Yazoo's lifeless body to convince him otherwise.
Avalanche would meet Sephiroth in the Forgotten City, both teams' blood running hot with anger.
There was only himself, Verian, and a certain blonde-haired girl who needed to attend to make it all complete.
Aralyn would come of her own accord.
Her veil would fall, and Avalanche would see her for exactly who she was.