Chapter Eighty-Five: The Parting
Vincent was the first to enter the clearing in the Forgotten City, closely followed by Vega and Yazoo. All were struck by how silent it was. They could see Sephiroth, who was still bent in the waters, his head bowed over Aralyn's body. It was a solemn, mournful occasion.
Sephiroth didn't turn even though the party was sure that he heard their approaching footsteps. When Vega tentatively placed a hand on his shoulder, he flinched away, rejecting the offered comfort.
Vincent motioned for Vega to leave him be. Still, she chose to sink to her knees beside him. He turned his face away, hiding his silent tears behind the silver veil of his hair.
"There is nothing to be ashamed of," Vega whispered. "Tears don't make you weak, Sephiroth."
Sephiroth shuddered. Vega looked and sounded so much like his beloved Aralyn. It was a cruel trick to see and hear such a similar likeness of his wife when he knew that in reality she was in his arms, lifeless. The illusion savagely twisted a barb in his already aching heart.
Vincent, emboldened by Vega's timid words, spoke next. "It's time to let her go."
Sephiroth visibly tensed, and gasped a small but sharp intake of breath. "I can't," he whispered in a strained and weak voice.
"You must, Sephiroth," Vega reassured him gently. "Return her to the planet, release her spirit."
The General did not move, and still held Aralyn protectively.
"Would you rather that we did it?" Vincent asked.
"…No." Sephiroth admitted.
Vega took his hands. "Then let's do it together."
Slowly, with a lot of coaxing from Vincent, Yazoo, and Vega, Sephiroth rose to his feet. Moving slowly, he walked deeper into the waters until the level was just above his waist. He gently laid his wife on the surface of the water, her golden hair swaying gently with the waves, her eyes forever closed and her skin a deathly hue, but her face was serene, and a faint smile adorned her lips.
Three more pairs of hands joined Sephiroth's in supporting the limp woman, the waves lapping over her body though her face remained dry, facing the heavens. Slowly, Sephiroth withdrew his left hand and eased it out of the black glove, revealing a golden wedding band. He gently entwined his fingers with Aralyn's, their wedding rings touching. Tears fell anew down his cheeks as he used his other hand to feel the rainbow pendant that still, to this day, hung around her neck.
There was another necklace that his fingers encountered; one that he had never seen before.
On a simple silver chain hung a pendant in the shape of a single, black wing. Only a single silver line that divided the wing in two flawed the workmanship.
"A broken wing…" Sephiroth whispered.
"She had me fix it before she died," Vincent added. "It was the last thing she ever asked of me."
With a trembling hand, Sephiroth reached up and touched her face. "Aralyn," he breathed. "Forgive me."
Everyone stepped away so that Sephiroth alone was holding Aralyn. It was many long moments before he too, fell back, releasing her and surrendering her to the same waters that had claimed Aerith all those years ago.
When her body had disappeared, Vega rushed forward to comfort him, but Sephiroth spread his wing and disappeared, black feathers showering the trio and falling to the surface of the clear waters.
"Will he be all right?" Vega asked, taking a single soft feather in her fingers. "Maybe we should go after him…"
"No," Yazoo answered. "Let him grieve alone."
Kadaj headed for the chapel from the east while Verian had made his way from the west. Both had stealthily crept through the inky night. Only when they had entered the chapel did they dare to speak.
"Where is Aralyn?" Verian demanded. "You promised her to me!"
"Did you find Sephiroth?" Kadaj asked coolly.
Verian grit his teeth, infuriated by the remnant's calm composure, as if their plans hadn't been shattered. "He wasn't at Faramir. Now where is she?"
Kadaj scoffed. "Sleeping with the fishes in the Forgotten City, I do believe. Sephiroth saw to that."
"But I need her!" Verian yelled at Kadaj. His face was a beet red.
"And I needed Sephiroth dead," the silver haired man shot back. "But I must wait a little longer for that as well." Before Verian could protest, he explained. "You'll have those powers that Aralyn had, but unless you are particularly keen about fishing a corpse from freezing waters, I have another way to satisfy you."
"And in return?"
"I want the job done. Sephiroth will not fight you; you have nothing to fear from him. He's beyond shattered."
"How can I know that you'll get me Gloria Dawn's powers?"
Kadaj grinned. "The one you want is not Gloria Dawn. Her blood runs in the veins of her young children, and they will suit your purposes perfectly. An old…friend…has them in his possession even as we speak. He will prove to be a valuable ally for both of our purposes."