Chapter 16: Live for More
"Concentrate," Sephiroth spoke as he pressed inside him. Cloud moaned as that cock pressed deeper inside of him, groaning at the pleasure that came with the other speaking into his ear. He moaned as he lifted his hips, seated on the other's lap with his legs wrapped around his back. His hands fisted into the long silver hair, dragging Sephiroth's glowing eyes up to his own, leaning in to kiss him.
Sephiroth humored him for a few moments, before pulling back and digging his nails into Cloud's hips. "I said concentrate...this isn't about pleasure."
Cloud raised an eyebrow in suspicion at his Alpha, rolling his hips and watching the way Sephiroth's eyes lidded in pleasure. "It's not?" he teased breathlessly, throwing his head back as he stared up at the beautiful blue sky.
They were in the middle of a field of wildflowers with white marble buildings surrounding them on all sides. It was beautiful. Sephiroth had called it the promised land before proceeding to strip off all of his clothes.
His heat had lasted a week... a week of not being able to be parted from Sephiroth. A week of needing him in his very soul. They were connected on a level he had never thought possible, and it hadn't taken Sephiroth long to realize what was going on.
The first time when they had mated he had seen into Sephiroth's head, and the other had seen into his. He had seen memories he didn't even have anymore. With enough practice, the SOLDIER was convinced they could retrieve what he had lost. Always the over achiever, his alpha.
"Cloud," Sephiroth spoke reproachfully, dragging his attention back to him as he couldn't help but surge forward to kiss him again. He smiled at the disapproving growl that came from the other, before Sephiroth grabbed for the back of his spikes to kiss him deeper. Cloud moaned as he felt that connection again.
As Sephiroth pressed deeper inside of him, he felt the other's consciousness scrape against his own. He knew this was what Sephiroth wanted, so he didn't fight it. He let Sephiroth's soul slide against his own as they kissed, and cried out as the pleasure that overwhelmed him when he crashed with his mate's consciousness.
Sephiroth's soul tasted like mako.
It felt like the other was rooting around in his mind, opening up doors as memories began to pour out. He saw himself on a lab table with Hojo standing over him. It switched to him climbing up a mountain as he glanced upwards at a reactor. He pulled back from Sephiroth's mouth, bending backwards as his palm pressed against the flowers to support himself as he moved his hips quicker.
He felt the familiar shuttering of his sanity as they were connected in such a deep way. It had been getting easier the more they practiced, but Sephiroth was relentless. He kept pushing more and more, scraping up against his soul in such a way that he didn't know where his ended and Sephiroth's began.
Cloud saw Sephiroth going through training. He saw him in the war. He saw him laughing as Zack sat across from him. Pain lanced through their bond like spikes as he saw Zack. The connection turned to fire as memory after memory of them together swept between them.
Guilt and pain rushed through their connection as Cloud pulled at it, trying to get away from the memories. Sephiroth was growling to try to get him under control, but he rebelled against the command, breaking their connection and coming back to his own consciousness as the memories stopped and they were back in the field.
His cheeks were wet with tears and his stomach was horrifyingly coated in his own cum, feeling warmth inside of him as well as he pulled off of Sephiroth like he was burned. Cloud crawled across the grass as he grabbed for his pants, pulling them on over his sticky thighs.
Cloud wiped at his face, pants still not zipped up as his hand slammed down onto the terminal. The illusion of the Ancient City faded in the training room as he chanced a glance down to Sephiroth who was laying back on the panels, hand on his stomach as he worked to catch his breath.
"Why did you make me do that!?" Cloud yelled at him, knowing full well he had agreed to it. Knowing full well he had come to be addicted to the connection. It had been easy during his heat to pretend like he wasn't doing anything wrong. Like they hadn't broken every rule when Sephiroth had taken it upon himself to bite him.
It was easy to drown in the pleasure and ignore the fact that Zack was due home in a few days. Sephiroth hadn't moved yet, looking up towards the ceiling. "Are you under the impression that I wanted your mind to go to him?" He finally sat up, unfazed by his nudity as he glared up at Cloud. "I just felt what you feel for him. I felt the way you long for him. I saw how happy he makes you. So don't you dare yell at me," he hissed venomously, causing Cloud to flinch as he had angered his alpha.
Sephiroth pushed himself to standing then, and Cloud couldn't help but gaze at that perfect body that was now covered in his scent. Long silver hair fell down to his bare hips as he walked over, and Cloud resisted the urge to step back as the alpha grabbed for his chin.
"Do you have any idea how dangerous what you just did was? There's no precedent for what we've been doing. We have to be careful."
Cloud frowned at the admonishment, shaking his head at the other. "I couldn't share him with you."
"But you want me to share you, is that it?" Sephiroth questioned.
"I don't know," Cloud answered honestly. "I didn't plan for any of this. I didn't plan to be an Omega soul bonded to someone different than the person I fell in love with." It was a circle without an answer. It was the same fight over and over again. He yanked his face away from Sephiroth's hand as he turned his back to him. "We haven't even told him yet."
He sighed as arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him backwards against a strong chest as lips pressed apologetically to his mating mark. "I know this is hard for you," Sephiroth whispered into his skin. "I know you're hurting, and that it's my fault. I don't want you to feel like you're with me out of a sense of obligation...instead of the one you love."
Cloud leaned back into those arms, tilting his neck to give Sephiroth more access. "You're not an obligation. I knew what I was doing when I followed you. I just don't know what to do...He's going to hate us."
"You're hard to hate," Sephiroth argued, hands rubbing along his stomach. "What did you see?"
"The lab...the reactor...I still haven't gone inside. I saw you training to get into SOLDIER...I saw Wutai." They had attempted this four different times now, and every time they had connected they had seen different things. Cloud hadn't seen that monster in Sephiroth's mind since they had mated. He suspected Sephiroth was responsible for that. "What did you see?"
He felt a small smile come to his face as lips pressed to his shoulder, and he felt so comforted even after what had happened. "I don't know that I should tell you what I saw."
Cloud knitted his eyebrows at that, turning in Sephiroth's arms as he looked up suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because it'll make you angry," Sephiroth answered easily.
"Sephiroth." Cloud prodded, frowning up at him.
"Cloud," Sephiroth mocked back, leaning down to kiss him. He pulled back when Cloud didn't kiss back, sighing as he realized he was waiting for an answer. "Genesis. I saw Genesis."
He didn't understand. "So? We both have spent a lot of time with…"
"From before you left Nibelheim. He knew you." Sephiroth frowned down at him before saying the next part. "He was helping Hojo."
Cloud felt like cold water had been poured down his spine. "What?" he bit out. "I'm going to kill him." He pulled away, scrambling in the training simulator to grab for his shirt and shoes. "I don't know that I can kill a SOLDIER, but I'm going to try." He angrily pulled on his shirt. "I know...I'm going to make him punch himself in the dick."
Sephiroth picked up his clothes as well, slipping on his leather pants. "I suspect Hojo forced him to, however, I have a few choice words for him as well. I don't like being deceived."
Cloud's entire life was built on deception, but it didn't make it hurt any less whenever he found out about another layer of it. At this point he didn't even feel surprised. "All to get an Omega? What about if you are in danger?" Cloud questioned. "What about if Hojo was telling the truth and Alphas are dying?" Was Zack in danger?
"He rarely tells the truth," Sephiroth reminded him. "Which is why we're doing the testing."
"It's not enough!" Cloud snapped. "We should have been pushing harder...you can have all the blood you need."
"We're doing what we can. Obviously your heat was not the opportune moment for research," Sephiroth argued.
"Why?" Cloud shot back sarcastically. "Was I not there to give you enough samples?"
Sephiroth grinned sardonically at that. "Oh, you gave me plenty of samples," he teased darkly. "It was just a little hard to pry you away with you wanting my cock in you every two hours for a week."
Cloud flushed a deep scarlet, turning his face away as Sephiroth laughed. He turned back to him to glower. "Don't laugh at me."
"You're blushing," Sephiroth mused, walking over and fisting a hand through his spikes to pull him close. "I've practically lived inside you for the past two weeks. I've heard every noise you make during sex. I've licked every inch of you. I've buried myself inside your soul...and still you blush."
The heat didn't fade as Cloud's eyes became lidded at the purr at which Sephiroth talked to him. It spread to the tips of his toes as he didn't know how it was possible to already want him again. His arms went around the SOLDIER's neck as he pulled him down to his mouth, sighing into the kiss as the rage and guilt he had been feeling started to ebb and he could drown in the need and comfort that came from kissing the person who owned every part of him.
Sephiroth pulled back slightly. "I know you feel guilty. I know the decision I asked you to make when I took you, but I won't give you back. I've had so little in my life Cloud that matters. You matter to me."
They weren't that different, him and Sephiroth. They had grown up in the same way. They had both been used by Shinra their entire lives with just a glimmer of what love and affection could be like. They had found each other despite all of that. How could he leave him alone again? How could he let Sephiroth ask him for the world, and then tell him no?
"You matter to me," Cloud answered, fingers entwining in that long hair. "He matters too. I won't lose him even if I can't be with him. I bit him."
Sephiroth's chest vibrated in a growl as his eyes began to glow aqua at the reminder. "Yes, you bit him. We don't know what it means, unless you're saying it's like what's between us?"
Nothing was like what was between them. They were soulmates.
"I don't know what it is. I don't want to go to him for help, but we have a lot of questions." He'd rather bite off his own tongue than to go back to Hojo's lab and tell him that everything he had predicted had come true. The bastard would never let him live it down.
"It's a detestable proposition, but I think you're right," Sephiroth murmured. "In any case...he might know how to remove the bite." Cloud's hand instinctively flew up to his own neck in fear, eyes wide as he watched Sephiroth, who merely smiled at him. "Not that bite." Cloud shut his eyes as he was kissed again, head going fuzzy as he practically melted into the other before Sephiroth pulled away to toss on his shirt.
Sephiroth grinned at him as he pressed in the code to open up the training simulator. "I would say training went well though, wouldn't you?"
Cloud rolled his eyes at that. "Well, you really do just take me to the most fascinating places, Seph." He thought back to the massive marble building and beautiful flowers. "Do you think it was really like that? Back when the Ancients existed?"
"I think that Shinra has improved the world in a lot of ways, but the irrevocable damage they've done to the planet in the meantime has made places like that seems like a faerie story." The door opened, and Cloud frowned at the man in a suit waiting for them when they stepped out.
"Sephiroth," the man greeted. He had long black hair tied behind him and mahogany eyes.
"Tseng," Sephiroth replied, voice guarded.
"The President would like to see you," he replied, looking around Sephiroth to catch his eye. "And your...pet."
"What the hell did you call me, asshole?" Cloud bit out, bristling as his cheeks burned.
"Why does the President want to see him?" Sephiroth questioned, voice emotionless, never letting the worry he could feel radiating off his mate show through.
"Because, believe or not, the two of you have been discussed quite frequently. Hojo gave them an update on the progress of his little project." Tseng looked distastefully at Cloud. "All of this fuss over a pretty twink with above average hair." The Turk shook his head in disgust.
"Who the hell are you calling a twink?" Cloud bit out angrily, stepping up to the Turk. "You're a glorified body guard."
"And you're a really expensive sex toy. Though I've had plenty of pieces of plastic I find more desirable than you," Tseng assured him, looking towards Sephiroth. "I'll lead you upstairs." Tseng wiped at his nose as he glanced once more at Cloud in disgust. "You reek."
Sephiroth was frowning at the Turk as he crossed his arms, obviously debating what to do. "Just the President?"
Tseng grinned. "Unfortunately, no. That harpy is in there too...and of course Hojo. He's brimming with pride at his…" Tseng once more glanced at him in disdain, and Cloud felt the need to punch him. "Accomplishments."
The Alpha sighed, motioning towards the elevators. "Lead the way." Cloud glanced over to Sephiroth in nervousness, not really able to feel anything through their bond unless they were touching. Why was he so okay with going to the President's office? Why did this Turk know so much about them?
Cloud trusted Sephiroth to not put them in any harm, and so he followed after him and the Turk. Nervousness flooded his insides as the Turk used his keycard to get to the top floor. He glanced between Tseng and Sephiroth, not able to keep his questions inside anymore as he turned towards the SOLDIER. "What does he want?" Sephiroth didn't look over, just continuing to stare out the glass window as they soared higher up the building. "Sephiroth?" Cloud snapped at him, to which he was again ignored, causing Tseng to scoff.
"He doesn't know," Tseng replied. "But he knows how to listen. Just like you should. I wouldn't bristle quite so much in front of the President unless you want to live to regret it."
"I wasn't asking you," Cloud hissed back.
"And he wasn't answering you," Tseng replied. "Guess you don't whip Alphas as much as they say."
"What's your problem with me, exactly?" Cloud asked him, glancing over to see Sephiroth still staring distractedly out the window.
"My problem?" Tseng questioned. "I just had to babysit my newest recruit while he lost his mind just like half of an entire floor. I now owe the Honey Bee Inn half a year of salary for paying for their company to come up here so they didn't tear each other apart."
"Reno?" Cloud asked in concern. "Is he okay?"
Tseng sneered at him. "He's fine, but your concern is touching after leaving everyone to clean up your sloppy mess."
Sephiroth finally looked over at that, glaring at Tseng. "Enough. It's not going to be a problem any longer. He won't have anymore...episodes."
Tseng raised an eyebrow, before looking disdainfully at Cloud as the elevator stopped. "Must be nice to be so certain. I'll remember that the next time I'm cleaning up one of your messes." He looked at Sephiroth scornfully. "He should have never been allowed a second heat."
Embarrassment and shame filled him as they walked off the elevators and headed up the stairs. It didn't seem possible that the entire company would know about his sex life, and yet...here he was going to talk to the President of Shinra about it.
Cloud swallowed down his anxiety as they pushed through the doors, looking down at his haphazard t-shirt and black pants that he had been forced to meet the President in. He winced as there was definitely a cum stain on his thigh. He looked up to see the old man sitting behind the desk, and to each side of his was Hojo and Scarlet. He recognized her as the head of the weapon's department. She was designing cutting edge materia to be used in battles. She was probably the only reason they had an army.
"Mr. President," Sephiroth greeted, eyes fixed upon the man at the desk. "May I introduce a promising new recruit. Cloud Strife."
Cloud realized his training then as he stood at attention, one arm folded behind his back. "Honor to meet you."
The president continued to stare at him, chin resting on the back of his hands. "Promising. So I hear."
"He's delicious," Scarlet breathed out, covering her mouth as she looked him over. "Hojo, I normally think most of your projects are idiotic, but you have really outdone yourself this time."
"A successful specimen," Hojo agreed, and Cloud winced at being referred to as a specimen from the man who had fathered him. "When he's bred, even more successful yet."
Cloud shot a glare towards the man, face hot as his hand came instinctively to his stomach. "When I'm bred?" He tried to remember where he was. He tried to remember that he was in front of the most powerful people in the world, and that he was a grunt who belonged to them.
He wasn't successful.
"I'm not a damn horse!" He shot at the man, going to take a step closer, but was yanked back by Sephiroth. Cloud looked up to see those eyes cold and dangerous and demanding he behave.
The president sighed. "When can he be tested to see if it was successful?"
"Immediately," Hojo answered. "He lost the last one, but there were mitigating stressers. Besides. It wasn't Sephiroth's."
"What?" Cloud asked, feeling incomprehensible loss as both hands went to his stomach and he looked over to Sephiroth for some kind of acknowledgement. ...Some comprehension that he knew. His alpha didn't even bat an eye.
"Do it. Keep it alive this time. If it doesn't kill him I want to move on to the next part of the project." President Shinra watched him. "You are to cease training. There will be no stressers that could possibly cause you to lose this one."
Cloud furiously wiped at his eyes, not aware of when he had begun crying. "I'm not pregnant. Even if I was I…"
"You what?" the president interrupted. "You wouldn't go along with what we said? Let me explain something to you. You belong to us. You're property, just the same as him." He motioned to Sephiroth. "I allowed Hojo to carry on with his experiment, but I just had half of my army lose their minds for two weeks and so I'm no longer concerned with keeping you happy. Sephiroth is of the Ancients. His mother was Jenova, and that baby will be an Ancient."
"Ancients?" Cloud asked, looking towards Sephiroth for confirmation, but his mate's face was a cold mask.
"He's not. There's no test required," Sephiroth spoke up. "As I told Tseng, the heats will no longer be a problem. As I told Hojo, I'm handling it. This intervention wasn't necessary."
"You did what?" Cloud questioned in disgust as Sephiroth wouldn't look at him.
Scarlet laughed at that. "He's adorable. I can't wait to start on my project with him." The woman with the diving chest line walked over to him, and Cloud instinctively took a step back. "You're like a scared kitten." She glanced over to Sephiroth. "Didn't have it in you to complete the job?" She glanced back to Cloud. "I have a strap on with an orb of materia on the end of it. I'm willing to give it a shot...What do you say, Kitten? You want me to show you what it's like to really be bred?"
Cloud's eyes were wide at the assumption, actually stammering he was so embarrassed by the way this woman spoke to him.
Sephiroth gave a deeply annoyed sigh. "If you touch him. You won't like the results." He grabbed Scarlet's wrist, yanking her away.
Scarlet moaned at the treatment, licking her lips. "Oh please, I'm begging you to show me just how much I won't like it. I do miss our little...sessions."
"Enough," President Shinra barked. "Scarlet, do try to contain yourself. The goal is not to stress him out, and this next part will be plenty stressful for him to hear. Boy, do you see how behaved Sephiroth is being even though he's probably imagining me decapitated?" the president got out of his chair, coming closer as Sephiroth let go of Scarlet, standing once more at attention. "That's called power. I am certainly not the smartest or strongest in this room, but I do have all the necessary means to take everything he's ever cared about away from him."
"I'm not property," Cloud argued, mouth a hard line as he watched the president warily.
"Of course you are, boy. His...ours...you wouldn't exist otherwise, would you?" Cloud glanced over to Sephiroth, seeing that his hand was shaking with barely repressed rage. "That baby will lead us to a new world. The others he's creating may help with the army, but you...you're special. We need you."
Cloud swallowed as he slowly shook his head in disgust. "We're not an experiment. I don't love him because of an experiment...and I would never give you our child."
"No?" President Shinra questioned, pulling a remote from his pocket and hitting play on the tv by the wall. Cloud's eyes focused in on the familiar spiky black hair as Zack walked through a village in Wutai. Lasers were pinpointed onto his back from all sides. "How about now?" It didn't take a genius to understand what he was implying.
"Don't!" he shot out. "Please don't. I'll do anything."
President Shinra grinned. "I thought you might be a bit more agreeable. It certainly shortened Sephiroth's leesh when I showed him."
"You knew?" Cloud hissed at the alpha. "You knew they had guns on him? That they were using him as bait and you didn't tell me?"
Sephiroth looked over at him, lip curling in annoyance, before turning back to the president. "Besides ruining my relationship, is there a reason we're here?"
"Yes," The President spoke. "As I said, he will no longer be going to classes. Though, from what I hear he's been kept quite occupied from them as of late anyways. He will stop putting up a fight when it comes to testing with Hojo and Scarlet...or we'll kill one of our most promising SOLDIERs. I don't want to do that. He cost me a fortune." the president motioned with his hand. "You see, they all believe you're better off in the dark. Hojo didn't want me to bring you up here. But I believe you deserve the truth. You were made for our use. I'm going to use you. Now get out, and just so you know, if you try to warn him we'll kill him. Your phones are monitored. You're recorded wherever you go. We'll know."
"Can't wait, Kitten," Scarlet purred to him. "I'll get all my toys ready."
Hojo walked over to them, grabbing for Cloud's arm as a needle was stuck into his veins. "Forgive me if I don't quite believe you," Hojo spoke to Sephiroth. "Remember what we discussed when you leave here today. Remember what's at stake."
"Get out of my sight," the president spoke as Tseng stepped forward to motion them back to the elevator. Cloud was shaking as they were led onto the elevator and stopped on the SOLDIER's floor. He followed Sephiroth out, hands wrapping around himself as they went towards Sephiroth's suite.
The second they were behind the closed doors, Cloud's hand went to his mouth. "I'm going to be sick," he managed, turning to glare at his alpha. "You liar!"
The mask of indifference Sephiroth had been wearing the entire time he had been ignoring him in that office broke, and one of pain covered his face instead. "Cloud, you don't understand."
"I understand perfectly!" Cloud screamed at him, pointing towards the door. "Do you have any idea how humiliating that was? To be talked about like some broodmare!? To be called property!?" His eyes were wild as fury filled him. "And you knew! You knew about Zack and you lied to me!"
"I didn't lie to you," Sephiroth pointed out. "I omitted the truth."
"That's lying!" Cloud snapped. "They all lie to me Seph. You never have. You've always told me whatever truth you knew about my fucked up existence!" He grabbed at his hair. "How could you not tell me about Zack?"
"Because I didn't want to lose another baby," Sephiroth spoke.
Cloud put his hands down to glare. "It wasn't your baby," he hissed, watching Sephiroth flinch.
Sephiroth inhaled shakily, obviously trying to get himself back under control. "No. But this one will be. Forgive me for wanting to selfishly have you for two weeks when I just mated you."
"Bred me," Cloud corrected with venom leaching from his tongue. "You bred me like a bitch in heat for your bosses, and you called it love."
"Love, interesting choice of words. Should we talk about your lies then?" Sephiroth questioned.
"What lies?" Cloud growled, fists balled up at his sides.
"You said you loved me up in that office," Sephiroth reminded him.
"It wasn't a lie," Cloud spoke, voice a bit calmer, but still on the brink of screaming. "I didn't lie." He shook his head. "Of course I love you. Of course I fucking do. I have since you made me pancakes." Cloud motioned around as Sephiroth just stared at him in shock. "Do you honestly think I would have blown up my life like this if it was because of a damn instinct that Hojo forced in me!?"
Sephiroth walked forward then, and Cloud shot him a warning glare that was ignored as he was pushed up against the wall. Cloud beat at the strong chest, trying to push him back as he broke away. "Get off me! I hate you!"
"You don't," Sephiroth argued, grabbing the back of his head to pull him back in for a kiss. Cloud fought at first, the struggle fading as they were finally touching again and he could feel what Sephiroth felt. He was washed underneath the lovedesireneedwantregret. Cloud melted into the kiss, slowly beginning to respond as he felt Sephiroth smile, before pulling away to place his mouth at his ear. "Listen to me," he whispered. "I'm not going to let our child be born in this place, but I can't take you away from it until I know you're safe. Hojo wasn't lying about the baby being dangerous for you. It could kill you. I can't lose you...not when I just got you. So if that makes you hate me...and if it makes you feel like I didn't defend you in that room of monsters, just know that it took every ounce of my self control not to gut every last one of them."
Cloud knew why he was whispering, understood now that they were probably being watched as he kissed along Sephiroth's neck to get to his ear. "We have to help him. Promise."
"I promise," Sephiroth spoke, and Cloud felt the sincerity through their bond, gasping as the other leaned down to heft him up to his hips. He reacted obediently, wrapping his legs around his waist as the other pulled him in for a kiss and carried him towards their bedroom.
Cloud's eyes were heavy lidded as he leaned back against Sephiroth a while later. He felt warm and content in those arms as the blankets were pulled around them. His belly was full of his mate's seed, and the horrifying experience that was that office was beginning to ebb in his brain as Sephiroth washed over him with their bond needlovecomfortforgivenesssafe as he kissed along his neck.
"Are you really an Ancient?" Cloud questioned, smiling lazily as Sephiroth's hand swept over his belly.
"I don't know. They've always told me my mother was Jenova." Sephiroth kissed along his jaw, biting faintly at his ear.
Warning bells went off in Cloud's mind as he remembered that thing inside of Sephiroth's soul. That monster that lived inside him. "Jenova?"
Sephiroth's affection paused, lips pressed against his hair. "Yes, I understand if it changes the way you see me. I have a darkness inside me, Cloud. Just under the surface, and sometimes I think it will come spilling out...but not when I'm with you. You make all the nightmares go away."
Cloud shifted to turn in those arms. He looked up into sincere aqua eyes that were still tinged and glowing from when they had been lost in each other. "What do you want, Seph? More than anything? Has anyone ever even asked you what you dream of?"
Sephiroth didn't answer, reaching out to tuck a stray spike behind his ear as he obviously considered actually speaking. "A family. I want to belong to someone...in a way that wasn't like up in that room. I want someone to see me. Not what has been created. Not what's just scratching underneath the surface. Me."
Cloud smiled at that, leaning in to kiss him, pulling back to give him a smile. "I see you. Every bit of you. No more nightmares Seph...We'll live for our dreams now, and all the nightmares will go away."
,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,
A.N- So I finished the game. ...And for obvious reasons am the happiest person ever with that ending. Hopefully this story isn't getting too convoluted. Poor Zack...I just want him to be happy most of all. Hopefully you enjoyed this chapter and it wasn't too confusing with the bond and soul deep dive situation. Thanks so much for reading and the feedback I've received so far!