Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Getting cold feet, Yamski?”

“Feet, hands, nose, other things… this wind is brutal , Holzoff!”

“We can’t give up now! We’re so close; just a little further and we’ll be the first to have challenged Gaea's Cliff! We’d be heroes back home - no, on the whole Planet!”

“Don’t be too hasty, Holzoff. The last thing we need now is for either of us to lose our fingers and toes. We have to climb back down , remember?”

Holzoff hesitated, looking back at his friend. “I suppose-”

The ground suddenly trembled with enormous force, splitting the ice beneath the two men’s feet. 

“Look out!”

Holzoff looked up to see a wave of white descending from above. “Avalanche! Get inside, quick!”

Holzoff and Yamski rushed towards the cave entrance. Holzoff heard Yamski yelp from behind him as he dove into the cave entrance. No sooner had he rolled inside than the cloud of snow hit the platform outside the cave.

“Holzoff! Holz-”

“Yamski? Yamski!” Holzoff’s stomach caught in his throat as he realized the yell came from the cascading cloud of white outside. “Yamski!”

There was no response.

“Don’t overdo it,” Holzoff warned as the young traveler left his cabin. He reminds me so much of myself. Safe travels, friend.

He returned to the fireplace and opened the ledger, writing down the name of the man who had left. He stroked the pages gently. So many young adventurers, hoping to achieve the same feat I once dared to try.

He flipped back to the first page and ran his finger over the name written at the top of the page. Yamski…

A knock at the door snapped Holzoff out of his thoughts. “Another traveler at this hour?” He stood and quickly opened the door. “Now this is a surprise! What brings you here… traveler…?” He trailed off as he laid eyes on the man’s face. It… it couldn’t be…

“Quite the surprise, isn’t it?” Yamski smiled cheekily. “Mind if I come in?”

“Y-yes, of course!” Holzoff shook his head, barely believing his eyes. “Yamski… how can you be..”

“Alive? Come, sit down and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

Yamski placed a hand on Holzoff’s shoulder, and Holzoff shivered. Something’s not right here. The two men sat across from the fireplace.

Yamski stared, dead-eyed, into the flames. “We wanted to be heroes, didn’t we?”

“Yes,” Holzoff chuckled nervously. “What a childish dream, eh?”

“A childish dream…” Yamski turned to face Holzoff, unnaturally slowly, eyes wide and accusing. “A childish dream that left my blood on your hands.”

Holzoff sprang to his feet, backing away from Yamski. “What are you saying?”

Yamski stood slowly from his chair, still staring at Holzoff. “You heard me cry out, but you didn’t help me. The snow hit me at full force, knocking me down miles of sheer… icy… cliff.” He stepped slowly forward, his gaze boring into Holzoff, as if seeing into his very soul. “The pieces of me lie buried beneath the snow, the bitter cold freezing the moment of my death for eternity.”

“Who are you?” Holzoff screamed, his voice cracking. “ What are you?”

Yamski didn’t respond, instead trundling closer, his lips slowly curling into a horrifying grin. 

This can’t be real. It’s a horrible nightmare. Holzoff squeezed his eyes shut. Wake up! Wake up, damn it!

Something cold and wet trickled down the back of his neck, and Holzoff froze, paralyzed by fear.

“No nightmare could match the horror of what you did to your friend,” a voice snarled from behind him. The cold feeling snaked up his neck; it felt as if it was soaking into his head, bleeding into his very thoughts. “What you do to every naive young man you send up the cliff. Every name you so lovingly write in that book. Remembering the dead.”

Holzoff cried out in terror and tried to wrench free of whatever was pressing against his neck, but his body wouldn’t respond to his commands. What the hell is this monster?

Tendrils of cold blackness snaked through Holzoff’s mind, probing his memories about the cliff.

“Two thousand years…” Yamski laughed coldly.

Suddenly the cold feeling disappeared, and Holzoff collapsed to his knees, sobbing as he rubbed the back of his neck. His body quivered as he continued to cry, and he choked, coughing profusely as tears streamed down his face.

Taking a shuddering breath, Holzoff despairingly wiped the snot from his nose. Something dark smeared across his hand. Blood? He glanced at his hand and screamed.

His hand was covered in a dark, viscous liquid, which dripped from his fingers as he gazed in horror. Something wet trickled down his face, and he quickly wiped it away - it was the same substance, thick and congealed like clotted blood. 

“What’s happening!?” Am I going to die?

He coughed into his hand, expelling more of the black substance. It continued to trickle out of his nose, out of his ears…

I’m going to die, he thought, and then everything went dark.

Chapter Text

“...which then implies the existence of such a Protomateria…”

“Lucrecia! Dinner’s ready!”

“Coming!” Lucrecia finished scribbling the last of her notes, then threw her pen against the binding and shut the notebook.

“I hope you don’t mind pasta.” Hojo stirred a pot on the stove while Lucrecia began to set the table. “The next shipment of meat and eggs doesn’t arrive until the day after tomorrow.”

“So many supply issues lately…” Lucrecia shook her head before turning to a toddler wriggling happily in a high chair. “How’s my little man this evening? Helping your father cook?”

Lucrecia tickled him under his chin, and the boy shrieked with glee.

“I worry about him, darling. All the books I’ve read say he should have said his first word by now.”

“Not to worry. I was the same when I was his age.” Hojo shakily tipped the pot over a strainer, and steam billowed up from the sink. “I didn’t speak until the age of five, and my first sentence was a recitation of the Ancient’s verse on the Promised Land.” Hojo wiped the steam from his glasses and ruffled the dark fuzz atop his son’s head. “It’s the mark of a genius!”

The child gurgled in apparent agreement.

Hojo set the bowls of pasta on the table, then curtly sat in his chair. “Lucrecia, you need to take care of Sephiroth tomorrow.”

“But I’ve just about finished my report-”

“You’ve had three days! Gast is on the brink of a major breakthrough, and I’m frittering away my time babysitting.”

“Babysitting? He’s your son-”

“Is he?” Hojo pushed his glasses up his nose and peered sullenly at Lucrecia.

“I don’t know what you’re implying.” Lucrecia’s voice wavered.

“I’m not an idiot, woman. You were in love with that Turk, only scurrying back to me after you betrayed his trust. It’s not so hard to believe you did something irreversible and simply turned to me to cover for it, to save what’s left of your miserable reputation as a scientist.”

Tears streamed down Lucrecia’s face. “You’re lying! You’re lying, you’re lying!”

“Take responsibility for your own failures! Whether or not I’m truly the boy’s father, he is your son.”

Hojo,

Hope things are well in Nibelheim. I received the lovely card from Lucrecia; Sephiroth sure has grown since I last saw him! 

As for me, my travels have taken me to Cosmo Canyon, and at long last I’ve found the love of my life. Her name is Ifalna, and she has so many wondrous stories to share about her past and her people.

I’m sure by now you’ve heard word of the stigma spreading through the northern continent. The cold and isolation seems to slow its spread, but Ifalna says she’s heard of a disease like this before. We plan to head north in the next few weeks to study it; my hope is to find a cure before it reaches Modeoheim. Despite the dire consequences, I’m looking forward to the trip - they say the bathhouse in Modeoheim has water so pure and clear that its healing powers are equivalent to Shinra’s most powerful healing Materia!

I wish you the best, and I hope to see you in Midgar come fall.

Your friend and colleague,

Gast Faremis

“Ifalna…” Hojo shook his head. “You’re such a sentimental fool, Gast.” He crumpled the letter and threw it in the trash. “You left our research unfinished; while you fritter away on your little side project, Hollander has won the bid for Department Head.”

He glanced at Lucrecia’s notebook, and he burned with anger. Even if her theories prove correct, they’re not actionable. Meanwhile Banora receives the funding, equipment, and benefits for Hollander to continue farming grunts for the army while our important work flounders from lack of funding!

He was tempted to tear the notebook apart, to destroy every piece of his wife’s work. He took a deep breath and leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

“All I need is a project so grand, so profitable, that Hollander could only weep at such majesty. Something to secure funding for my own designs…” He glanced at Lucrecia’s notebook again, then walked to the desk and opened to the last page.

“A vessel for Chaos, controlled by Protomateria… hmm…” Hojo’s lips curled into a devious grin. “And I know just the test subject…”

I’m so sorry.

Lucrecia’s words echoed in Vincent’s head as gazed out at the mountainous terrain below. 

Lucrecia killed my father. My heart should be hardened against her, and yet…

He thought back to the breezy summer day when he had dozed off during his watch, the sandwiches and wine shared beneath that tree, her cheerful smile, the laugh that never failed to bring a smile to his face. Even the memory of that laugh made him grin slightly.

I wonder why Hojo requested me here again. I thought the man despised me. Vincent shook his head. Hojo is a man of reason. I’m here on business, nothing more, nothing less.

“Rumor has it Hojo’s finally cracked after the shame of losing to Hollander,” the pilot shouted over the sound of the helicopter.

“Hmph. Who wouldn’t, after losing out to a man like that?”

“Some say the President chose the drunkard to purposely spite Hojo, that he knows Hojo’s the right pick but doesn’t have anything to prove it to the other department heads.”

“He’s the president. What Palmer and Heidegger think is inconsequential. Besides, Hollander’s been training a new generation of SOLDIER.”

“Child soldiers, huh? That’s a new low, even for Shinra.”

“They won’t see combat until they’re of age.”

“So says Hollander. But mark my words, there’ll be an ‘emergency’ that requires these new SOLDIERs to be sent to the field early.” The pilot turned his attention back to the mountains ahead. “We’ll be arriving shortly.”

Sephiroth murmured quietly, carefully lining up his cereal pieces on the tray in front of him. “Ba-ba-ba-ba!” he suddenly exclaimed, smashing the pieces with the side of his fist, then licking the resulting dust from the side of his hand.

Lucrecia rubbed her cheek, hoping that the color had faded from the night before. She watched Sephiroth line up more pieces of cereal before pulverizing them. Could he be picking up habits from his father? 

She pressed against her cheek a bit too hard, and instinctively cried out. Sephiroth paused his pounding and stared at his mother with wide brown eyes.

“Ma..?”

Lucrecia gasped and leaned closer to the child. “Yes, yes! ‘Ma-ma.’ Can you say that, Sephiroth? ‘Ma-ma?’”

Sephiroth stared blankly at her for a long moment, then silently turned back to his cereal. 

“Take him outside, Lucrecia. Let him run around a bit.”

Lucrecia glared at Hojo, who stared back at her with his usual scowl. “I assume this means I’m still on leave?”

“Not for much longer. Help should be arriving shortly.”

“You hired a nanny? You’d rather a stranger raise him than yourself?”

“The help is for my own experiments. Once I’ve finished my work, you’ll find I will have expedited your research.”

“Taking credit for my achievements again? Perhaps I should have put my hat in the ring for Department Head!”

“Ha!” Hojo cackled. “A woman as Department Head? Perish the thought! The only way your research will ever be taken seriously is if it’s under my name as well.”

Lucrecia opened her mouth to respond, but the bruise on her cheek burned. She glanced at Sephiroth, who was now attempting to stack his cereal pieces atop each other, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Fine. Do what you want.” Lucrecia turned her back to Hojo and lifted Sephiroth out of his chair and onto the floor. The moment she released him, he sped off, his feet clumsily smacking the tiles with each step. She couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“Hmph. The boy may possess my brilliant mind, but he possesses your impulsiveness.” 

Lucrecia glared at Hojo, then ran after Sephiroth. “Come here, you little rascal! Let’s get you dressed.” She scooped up the child in her arms and tickled his belly, and he shrieked in delight.

Sephiroth squirmed uncomfortably as Lucrecia struggled to buckle his overalls. “Patience, Sephiroth. We’re almost done.”

She felt a tiny hand brush her cheek, and looked up to see Sephiroth staring at her with wide eyes. She patted his hand gently.

“I’m all right,” she lied. “Your father is just… passionate, that’s all.” She buckled the last strap on the overalls. “Sometimes people get so wrapped up in one dream, they forget about the others. Your father loves us both very much, but he loves his work too. Now come on!” She handed Sephiroth the tiny wooden sword Gast had given him during his last visit. “I heard there’s monsters to be slain!”

Sephiroth broke into a wide, toothy grin and held his sword aloft.

“Look at my brave little man! Are you going to protect your mother from the monsters?”

Sephiroth nodded furiously, and Lucrecia laughed cheerfully. “Then let’s go!”

“Not much has changed in the last five years,” Vincent muttered as he walked through Nibelheim’s front gate. 

His stomach twisted at the sight of the buildings that once brought him such joy and comfort. For all the pain the stigma has caused, at least it gave me an excuse to get away from this place.

“Sephiroth!”

Something smacked the back of Vincent’s left calf, sending a sharp wave of pain up his leg. He looked down to see a young boy, no older than four years old, grinning up at him from behind, holding a long wooden sword.

“Sephiroth, no!” The boy’s mother lifted him into her arms. “I’m so sorry, once his mind is set on something there’s no stopping-” The woman met Vincent’s gaze and staggered back in shock. “Vincent?”

“Lucrecia.” Vincent fought to keep his expression and his voice neutral. It seems there’s no escaping the past.

“Vincent…” Lucrecia’s eyes widened, then she coughed and shook her head. “You… you were sent back to Midgar… something to do with the stigma, right?”

“It spreads unlike any virus we’ve ever seen. There’s no predicting where it will appear next.”

“You think… it’s coming here?” Lucrecia’s face grew pale.

“That’s not why I’m here. Hojo sent for me.”

“Hojo…? You’re helping him with his experiments?”

“The nature of my presence here is classified.” Experiments? Is that why he requested my presence? What experiment could need a Turk’s protection?

“Keeping secrets from his own family…” Lucrecia huffed. “I might as well walk you to the house.”

The two of them walked silently. Sephiroth swung his sword at anything within his tiny reach - brick walls, low-hanging tree branches, even thin air.

“How old is he?”

“Four.”

Could he be-? Vincent glanced nervously at the child. “When was he…?”

“He’s not yours, Vincent.”

Vincent sighed in relief. “So, four years old. He must be entering school soon.”

Lucrecia shook her head. “We plan to homeschool him. Hojo is convinced he’s gifted and doesn’t want other kids to taint that brilliance.”

“He’s definitely curious.” Vincent glanced over at the boy, who had not stopped staring at him. He chuckled darkly. “If he doesn’t socialize properly, he might grow up to view people the same way his father does.”

“And just what do you mean by that?” Lucrecia stopped in a huff.

“Look at him, Lucrecia. He’s clearly curious about people. If he doesn’t interact with them, make some friends, he’s only ever going to know them from afar.”

“Maybe that’s not such a bad thing,” Lucrecia muttered softly.

“Lucrecia-” Vincent reached out, but Lucrecia had already turned and walked away with Sephiroth. “Lucrecia…”

“You’re late.”

Vincent begrudgingly turned to face Hojo.

“Still distracted by my wife, are you? We’ll soon fix that. Come, to the mansion.”

Chapter Text

Hojo,

The stigma has reached Modeoheim.

The virus matches the descriptions in the ancient texts of the Cetra, and this corroborates the reports of hallucinations. I theorize the source of the disease is the same as the calamity that led to the genocide of the Cetra. That being said, it’s proven difficult to separate fact from fantasy; according to legend, the calamity is a shapeshifter, able to read minds and take on the form of lost loved ones.

Unfortunately, there is nothing in the texts about a possible cure, only the containment of the calamity in the Northern Crater. I’ve been collecting samples from the victims, in an attempt to develop a vaccine.

Ifalna’s at eight months now. She’s been eager to help with my research, but with so little knowledge about the stigma, I’ve sent her to stay with a friend in Cosmo Canyon. I only hope that I can return to her before the baby arrives.

Gast Faremis

“A friend of mine heard the stigma reached Kalm.” Lucrecia rinsed the dirt off the last batch of potatoes. “People in Midgar are worried. They’re stocking up on any supplies they can get their hands on.”

“More importantly,” Hojo rubbed his chin, “what do you think of this Ifalna?”

“She sounds like a lovely woman.”

“She sounds like a Cetra. It’s rather careless for Gast to reveal where she’s hiding, knowing how fervently Shinra is looking for the Promised Land.”

“Mako energy isn’t going to fix the threat of the calamity.”

“Or could it? Gast is researching vaccination, not elimination. Perhaps this virus is simply a part of life now.”

Hojo’s mind wandered to the basement of Shinra Manor, where his test subject lay dormant in preparation for his next experiment. If injecting Mako is essential for the creation of SOLDIER, what would the blood of an Ancient do? Or perhaps… could there be a way to harness the power of the virus to our advantage?  

“How are your experiments coming along?”

Hojo blinked in surprise. Almost as if she read my mind. “We’re not making as much progress as I’d hoped. But I may have a few ideas in mind.”

“It’s been almost a year since I’ve had meaningful time to work on my research into Omega and Chaos.”

“You’ll get more time soon.”

“I will.” Lucrecia held her head high, staring coldly at her husband. “I’m enrolling Sephiroth in school.”

“What!?” Hojo leapt to his feet.

“He’s a smart boy, Hojo.”

“This isn’t about him, and you know it! You’re just using this as an excuse to work on your own silly project instead of caring for the boy!”

“Mother.”

Both Hojo and Lucrecia froze, staring at Sephiroth. 

“Mother, I don’t want to go to school.”

Lucrecia burst into tears while Hojo stared agape at his son.

“I want to help Father with his experiments.”

Hojo broke into a wide smile. “Ha! Didn’t I tell you he takes after his father?” He pulled the boy into a tight hug, and Sephiroth wriggled desperately, trying to get free. 

“No… No!” 

“Sephiroth, you have to go to school. You’ll learn everything you need to know to help your father, and you’ll make friends, too!”

Sephiroth didn’t respond - he was too preoccupied with squirming free from his father’s embrace. “No, no, no!”

“You don’t want to make friends?”

“No!”

“But you-”

“No!”

“He’s made it clear, Lucrecia. He wants to help me with-”

“No!”

“No?” Hojo quickly released Sephiroth and stepped backwards. “You just said you wanted to help!”

Sephiroth whined, rubbing his shoulder where Hojo had been holding him, but didn’t say a word.

Lucrecia knelt down so she was eye-level with Sephiroth. “Sephiroth, what do you want to do?”

Sephiroth looked down and didn’t respond.

“Now look what you’ve done,” Hojo spat. “You’ve broken him.”

“Hojo,” Lucrecia hissed. “He’s overwhelmed.”

“He’s weak,” Hojo scoffed. “Just like his mother.”

Sephiroth suddenly shoved past Lucrecia and ran out of the kitchen.

“Sephiroth?” The boy’s footsteps echoed down the hall, but instead of thudding up the stairs, they continued towards the front of the house. “Sephiroth!” Lucrecia ran after him. “Sephiroth, come back here!”

The front door was ajar, and Sephiroth was gone.

I’m so sorry.

Vincent groggily opened his eyes. He was suspended in glowing green liquid, and his arms and legs felt heavy, as if they were made of lead. 

“Mmph…” He tried to speak, but something was clasped around his face, covering his mouth and nose, pushing air in and out of his lungs. “Mmph…?”

“No, no, no, no…”

Is that a child’s voice? Vincent fought to turn towards the source of the noise.

“No, no, no…”

A small child was curled in a ball underneath Hojo’s desk, his face buried in his knees as he rocked back and forth. 

“Mmph…” Vincent tried to call out to the child. The boy looked up and made eye contact with Vincent, then shrieked and tried to stand, smacking his head on the underside of the desk. He burst into noisy tears. 

I’m not going to hurt you, Vincent wanted to say. Instead he watched helplessly as the child pushed himself further into the dark corner beneath the desk, trying to hide himself from the strange man in the tank. 

“Mother,” he whimpered, tears streaming down his face. “Mother…”

The child sobbed under the desk for several minutes, and Vincent watched as he eventually fell asleep still curled in a ball under the desk. What is he doing here? Where’s his mother?

Vincent watched silently while the young boy dozed beneath the desk, soundly asleep even as the rusted hinges creaked open and Hojo entered the lab, muttering under his breath.

“...and now our son is missing, all because of her reckless foolishness!” Hojo yanked open a drawer and pulled out a large syringe. “What does it matter to me? Let them fall down the cliffs of Mt. Nibel, then they’d no longer get between me and the pursuit of science.”

He glanced up at Vincent and cackled. “Well! That’s a good sign, at least. You’re developing resistance to the sedative, which proves my hypothesis. Now,” Hojo used a mortar and pestle to crush a glowing blue crystal into dust, “if Mako alone is proven to have strengthening properties, let’s test some natural Materia.”

He poured the Materia dust into the syringe, then poured in a glowing green liquid. He swirled the contents together until it glowed a bright cyan. Vincent watched helplessly as Hojo injected the mixture into a nearby tank. A colorful cloud billowed in an adjacent chamber, wafting through a long rubber tube that snaked into the tank Vincent was suspended in. He tried to hold his breath, but the mask forced the glowing fumes into Vincent’s lungs. He writhed, trying and failing to cough.

“Interesting reaction.” Hojo plopped down into his desk chair and wheeled it under the desk. “Now we-”

“Ow!”

“What the-?” Hojo pushed the chair back, and the child crawled out from underneath, clutching his side.

“Sephiroth! What are you doing in here? This is no place for a child!” Hojo grabbed Sephiroth by the back of his neck, hoisting him upright. The child cried out in pain. “Go crawl back to your mother and apologize for frightening her!” He pushed Sephiroth roughly towards the door, and the child stumbled slightly before running out of the room.

Hojo turned back to look at Vincent. “Hmph. Not enough of a reaction. Dispersion through the lungs is proving not to be as efficient as…”

Vincent’s vision swam and darkened as the mask affixed to his face continued to push more of the toxic fumes into his lungs. Lucrecia…

Lucrecia gently stroked sleeping Sephiroth’s hair. The child murmured softly and rolled onto his side, before wincing and turning to his opposite side. 

Hojo, what did you do to him? Lucrecia gently brushed Sephiroth’s side, and the boy whimpered softly. How long will I stand by and let this continue? “I’m just glad you’re safe,” she whispered.

“Mother…”

The single word warmed Lucrecia’s heart. “I’m here, Sephiroth. I’ll always be here to protect you.”

The phone rang from downstairs. Lucrecia stole one last look at her slumbering son before shutting the door softly and making her way to the living room.

“Lucrecia Crescent speaking.”

“Lucrecia, is Hojo available? This is Verdot, of the Turks.”

“No, he’s not available at the moment. Can I leave him a message?”

“Have you had recent contact with Vincent Valentine?”

Lucrecia’s heart dropped in her chest. “I haven’t seen him in months, at least. Why?”

“We’ve…” Verdot hesitated. “We’ve lost contact with him. It’s been almost a year since he last gave us a status update. We can’t seem to contact Hojo, either.”

“I’ll… call you back.” Lucrecia hung up the phone, her hands trembling. She took a deep breath and reached for the door - and it swung open, revealing a disheveled Hojo.

“Hojo!”

“Is he still here?”

“Who?”

“Our goddamn son!”

“Sephiroth’s asleep!” Lucrecia scolded. “What did you do to him? His side?”

“The little devil was hiding under my desk. I didn’t see him.”

“Hojo, I just got a call from Verdot.”

Hojo stopped dead in his tracks.

“About… Vincent.”

“What about him?” Hojo glared over his shoulder at Lucrecia.

“They haven’t heard from him in ages. The Turks are getting worried.”

“You think I know what happened to him?”

“You hired him to help with your experiments. What are you-”

“Silence, woman!” Hojo raised his palm, and Lucrecia instinctively winced.

“Father?”

Sephiroth stood at the top of the stairs, rubbing his eyes groggily. 

“Sephiroth.” Hojo quickly lowered his hand. “Good to see you safe at home.”

“Father, why is there a monster in the basement?”

“A monster? Don’t be ridiculous, boy. There’s no such thing as monsters. Now get back to bed.”

“Mm.” Sephiroth nodded and trudged back into his room.

“Hojo,” Lucrecia hissed. “What exactly are you doing in that mansion?”

Hojo broke into a wicked grin. “I’ll show you.”

“Vincent!”

Lucrecia fell to her knees at the sight of the Turk lying lifeless on the operating table. 

“Lu… cre… cia…” The voice sounded like a monstrous growl.

“What did you do to him?”

“I imbued him with special powers, abilities that may prove useful to one destined to control Chaos.”

“You’re wrong!” Lucrecia stood, shaking her head fervently. “You’re wrong, you’re wrong! This was all for revenge,” she gasped. “You tortured him for being close to me!”

“Lu… crecia…” Vincent slowly rose, zombie-like, from the table, his eyes glazed and sightless.

“Vincent, Vincent! Tell me you’re in there. Vincent!”

Vincent staggered forward, clutching his head in his hands. His body began to glow and he let out a guttural groan, which crescendoed into a beastly roar as his body writhed and morphed, sprouting hair and talons and a spiked tail.

Lucrecia screamed.

Chapter Text

“Vincent, I’m so sorry…”

Lucrecia gently pushed a lock of black hair away from Vincent’s face. 

“You’ll be safe here. The experiments are over.”

Why did I cover for Hojo? Lucrecia stared at Vincent’s sleeping form. Look what he did to Vincent. Can this possibly be cured?

Vincent shuffled slightly in bed and groaned. “Lu… cre… cia…”

“Rest, Vincent. You’re safe. The Turks are on their way to take you to Midgar. They’ll fix you there.”

Hojo was waiting at the dining room table, arms crossed, tapping one finger impatiently against his bicep.

“I hope you’re happy,” Lucrecia snapped. “Verdot knows nothing of your involvement in his condition.”

“You could have kept your damn mouth shut,” Hojo growled.

The two of them glared silently at each other. Someone knocked at the front door, but both of them ignored it, staring daggers at each other.

The stranger knocked again. 

“Open it,” Hojo ordered.

Lucrecia stiffened her posture and strode to the front door. “Verdot, I pre-” She gasped suddenly. “Gast!?”

Hojo leapt to his feet. “Gast!” 

“Hello, old friend.” Gast smiled warmly. “Long time, no see. Mind if I come in?”

“Of course, of course! Welcome.” Hojo graciously waved his friend inside. 

“Lucrecia.” Gast’s smile didn’t quite meet his eyes. “How’s the child?”

“He’s upstairs taking a nap. I’m sure he’ll be overjoyed to know you’re here!”

Gast stared blankly at Lucrecia for a long moment, and she felt a shiver go down her spine. “He’ll be entering school soon, yes?”

“Y-yes. This fall, hopefully.”

Hojo chuckled nervously. “Well, I advised Lucrecia against it, but you know how she gets about these sorts of things. Would you care for some tea?”

Vincent’s head swam as he stood from the bed. Lucrecia…

He steadied himself against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut to block out the pounding headache.

“...vaccination efforts…”

Vincent stumbled closer to the door, trying to keep his footsteps quiet as his head continued to pound. He pressed his ear to the door.

“...unsuccessful, I’m afraid. There’s no stopping the calamity; my goal now is to find Ifalna and our child and take them somewhere… safe.”

A chill went down Vincent’s spine at the way the voice said “safe.” Whoever Ifalna is, this man is a danger to her and her child. He slowly, quietly cracked the door open and peeked outside.

“Should we evacuate as well? How long do we have before it reaches Nibelheim?”

“Hojo,” a man Vincent didn’t recognize addressed the scientist, “let’s take this outside, shall we?”

Every bone in Vincent’s body screamed at him to warn Hojo not to find himself alone with this man. His body stiffened, recalling the agonizing paralysis of being suspended in Mako, unable to resist the experiments that turned him into a monster.

So Vincent held his tongue and simply watched as Hojo walked outside with the stranger.

“Lucrecia!” he hissed, whispering loudly enough so she could hear him from downstairs.

“Vincent?”

A scream echoed from outside. 

“What was that?” Lucrecia rushed to the window and peered outside. 

“Lucrecia, wait-”

“Hojo? Hojo!” She threw open the door and rushed outside.

“Lucrecia!” 

Lucrecia screamed, an anguished cry of despair. Vincent could only imagine the mangled scene that caused her such grief.

The child! Vincent rushed into the other bedroom, where the boy slept, blissfully unaware of the chaos outside. He clumsily lifted Sephiroth into his arms, and the child tossed and turned slightly before drifting off to sleep again.

“You’re not Gast. You’re-” Lucrecia’s accusation was cut short as she screamed in agony. Lucrecia… Vincent covered Sephiroth’s ears as he bit back tears. He rushed downstairs, throwing open the back door and running through the backyard. He nimbly leapt the fence, but he landed roughly on his feet, and Sephiroth stirred in his arms.

The town was a mass of confusion and chaos. Couples argued with each other, and accusations of imposters and fakes were thrown at anyone who would listen. Bodies oozing black goo littered the ground, surrounded by grieving relatives and friends. Some had the same idea as Vincent, huddling with their families and pushing through the crowds to the outskirts of town. 

Vincent held the sleeping Sephiroth close to his chest. “We’ll barricade ourselves in the mansion.”

“Mo…ther…” Sephiroth tossed and turned, clearly uncomfortable in the unfamiliar bed, but mercifully he didn’t wake.

“No mother… no father… no home…” Vincent regarded the child with immense sadness. “What kind of life has fate cursed this boy with?”

He paced the floor restlessly. “Verdot should be arriving soon. If we time it right, we can evade the stigma and escape with our lives. But what then?” He stared forlornly out the window, watching as distant figures stumbled and collapsed in the town square. “How do we stop this thing?”

He glanced back at Sephiroth. Now isn’t the time to fight.

“Mother?”

Vincent swallowed as Sephiroth sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. One look at Vincent and the frightened boy practically threw himself under the sheets.

“Relax. You’re safe here.”

Sephiroth peeked over the top of the sheets, his brown eyes wide.

“My name is Vincent Valentine.”

“The monster…” Sephiroth gasped softly.

Vincent smiled gently. “Monster or not, I’m here to protect you.” He sat gingerly at the end of the bed. “Your name is Sephiroth, right?”

Sephiroth nodded. “Wh-where’s Mother?”

“Your mother…” Vincent’s throat tightened. “She… She’s become one with the Planet.”

“One with the Planet?”

Vincent nodded. “It means… you won’t see her for a while. And when she returns, she’ll be… different than how you remember her.”

Sephiroth tilted his head curiously. “And Father?”

“He’s gone with your mother.”

Sephiroth squirmed uncomfortably. “Will Mother be safe with Father there?”

“Nothing will be able to hurt them again.”

The boy sighed in relief and pulled the sheets away from his face. “Are we going to be one with the Planet too?”

“One day. But not today.”

Someone pounded on the door to the mansion, the sound echoing through the empty foyer. Sephiroth dove under the sheets again.

“Stay here.” Vincent snuck out of the room and peered over the balcony.

Something continued to pound at the door, each bang getting louder and more frantic. Vincent drew his shotgun and crept along the upper balcony. He took aim at the lock on the door and fired.

The door flew open and a young woman staggered inside, slamming the door shut behind her.

“Don’t move!” Vincent reloaded and aimed the shotgun at the woman’s head.

“I’m clean!” The woman held up her hands in surrender. “It didn’t touch me. I don’t have the stigma.”

“What do you mean, ‘it’ didn’t touch you?”

“The shapeshifter. The one spreading the virus.”

Vincent lowered his weapon. “You’re very informed.”

“My in-laws lived in Modeoheim. They told me everything they knew about the stigma, but they couldn’t escape before the calamity appeared to them as their son.”

“Did anyone else here escape?”

“It’s too soon to tell. The calamity’s still here, and I doubt it’ll move on until it’s eliminated all of us.”

Vincent leapt from the balcony, landing almost weightlessly on the ground floor. “Can I trust you to watch the child?”

“Child?”

“His name is Sephiroth. He’s in the master bedroom.”

“Y-yes, I can do that.”

Without another word, Vincent rushed out the door, shotgun at the ready. A shapeshifter, hm? A physical form means it can be destroyed.

Nibelheim was like a ghost town. Bodies littered the square, and not a soul had emerged to mourn those who remained. Vincent scanned the area, looking for the slightest sign of life.

A door creaked open behind him, and Vincent spun around and raised his shotgun - and found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun himself.

“Move and I’ll shoot,” the man growled through his bushy mustache. A young brunette woman cowered behind him inside the house.

“Stigma?”

“No. And that monster turned tail and left. Unless…” The man aimed his shotgun between Vincent’s eyes.

“I’m not the calamity. Are you the only ones left?”

“If there are others, I’m sure as hell not telling you.”

“There are other survivors in the mansion. And a helicopter should be arriving at any moment.”

The man slowly lowered his gun, and Vincent lowered his in return. 

“Brian Lockheart. This is my wife, Thea.”

“Vincent Valentine.”

Vincent led Brian and Thea into the manor. “What do you know of this stigma? What did you witness?”

“It was human,” Brian recounted. “And then it wasn’t. It was like a ripple in a pond, and suddenly a man in a lab coat and glasses became the innkeeper’s childhood friend. When it got close to its victims, it would seize them by the neck, by the arm, by the chest, and would send this black goo through their veins before dropping them like ragdolls and changing into the next imposter.”

“How long does it take for the illness to run its course?”

“Hard to say. People were scared; they murdered their own loved ones before we could tell whether the stigma is contagious or not.”

“Hmph.” And Shinra’s best scientist is among the dead. Our only hope is… “Hollander.”

“Hm?”

“The head of Shinra’s Science Department. It’s a long shot, but if we’re going to find any way of stopping this thing, he’s the best person to start with.”

“How will we get to Midgar without running into that… thing?”

The familiar sound of a descending helicopter answered Thea’s question. “I’ll brief them on the situation. You two, gather the others.” He opened the front door, and the wind from the helicopter blew through Vincent’s black hair. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

Claudia Strife stared at the mesmerizing display of glittering city lights from the window of the medical bay. She heard sharp footprints behind her.

“I never knew such a nature-less place could still be so… beautiful.” She turned to face Vincent Valentine. “Tell me, Vincent. Would it be worthwhile to build our home here?”

Vincent shrugged. “Until we find a way to stop the calamity, this place is as good as any.”

“At least my husband is safe,” she sighed. “He’s been traveling south of here, well away from the sightings. He plans to arrive within the next week or so.”

“The president has arranged for room and board for any refugees, at least for the time being.”

“That’s generous of him. But despite what happened there, what I want most… is to go home.”

Vincent put a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll get there. One day.”

Claudia smiled at Vincent. “I know I will.”

Chapter Text

“And what of the orphan?”

President Shinra puffed on his cigar. “What of it?”

“Reasonable compensation has been allocated for those who wish to remain in Midgar, and liability waivers have been drafted for those who wish to return to the affected areas.” Heidegger harrumphed. “But this child, by your laws, sir, is too young to consent to any agreement we offer him.”

The president blew a cloud of smoke, watching the wisps dissolve in the air before him. “The son of Hojo and Lucrecia, correct?”

“Correct, sir.”

“Send him to Banora.” President Shinra waved his hand flippantly. “Hollander can do with the child as he sees fit.”

“Unfortunately, we’re not the only interested party when it comes to custody arrangements.”

President Shinra groaned. “Administrative Research, I presume?”

“Sir.” Heidegger bowed his head sheepishly.

President Shinra stared thoughtfully at the ceiling of the conference room. “Raising him here would set the precedent that we can provide childcare options for our employees, and that’s a privilege that is too easily exploited. But to send him away would mean blatantly defying our own procedures. That would lose us the trust of our subordinates.” He took another long drag on his cigar. “What do you suppose is the most powerful weapon?”

“Sir?”

President Shinra leaned forward in his seat. “The most powerful weapon in our arsenal… is incompetence.” He leaned back in his seat again. “Keep the refugees in Midgar. Reject all requests for relocation on procedural grounds, lose key documents, fail to communicate requirements to those involved.”

“And the custody arrangement?”

“The same. Require that the child consent to be trained as a Turk before approval to transfer custody.”

“But he’s a child, he can’t - ohh…” Heidegger stroked his beard. “Brilliant, sir.”

“This meeting is adjourned.”

Sephiroth wandered the stark, empty halls of the Shinra building, idly swinging his wooden sword and humming a tune.

Quick, heavy footsteps thundered from down the hall, and Sephiroth froze as a boy with striking red hair came barrelling down the hall.

“Out of my way!” The kid shoved Sephiroth aside, and Sephiroth stumbled and fell. 

“Genesis, wait!” A stocky young boy trotted after the redhead, then noticed Sephiroth sprawled on the ground. “Hey, are you okay?”

Sephiroth stood and brushed himself off, then turned and continued to walk down the hall.

“Hey, wait!” The boy moved to block Sephiroth’s path. “Do you live here?”

Sephiroth moved around the boy and continued.

“An-ge-e-al!” The first boy rushed back up the hallway, tackling the other boy from behind. “Who’s this weird kid?”

“I dunno.” Angeal shoved Genesis off him. “Hey, kid!”

Sephiroth ignored them.

“Hey! Are you deaf?” Genesis grabbed Sephiroth’s arm, and Sephiroth smacked the boy’s head with his sword. Genesis began to wail loudly.

“Boys? What’s going on here?” A tall woman with dark hair like Angeal rushed towards the commotion.

“He hit me!” Genesis whined, pointing at Sephiroth.

“It’s not nice to hit people. Do you understand?”

“Hmph.”

“Where are your parents?”

“One with the Planet.”

The woman’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, no… oh, dear. Do you have someone taking care of you?”

Sephiroth shrugged.

“Here, I’ll take you to the information desk.” The woman gently grasped Sephiroth’s hand. “They’ll know what to do with a lost- ow!”

Sephiroth had smacked the woman’s arm with his sword, and she instinctively released the boy’s hand.

“Mom!”

Something shoved Sephiroth from behind, and he fell face-first on the floor.

“Get him!” Blows started coming from all sides as the two boys attacked, throwing punches at any part of Sephiroth they could reach.

“Boys! Boys, stop it!” The woman pulled the two children off Sephiroth. “No! That was very naughty, you two!”

“He deserved it!”

“He hurt you, Mom!”

“And you sunk to his level, Angeal. Where is your honor?”

“I’m sorry, Mom…”

“Don’t apologize to me.” Angeal’s mother nodded towards Sephiroth, who stood shakily and glared at Angeal.

“I’m sorry, kid…”

Sephiroth spat blood in Angeal’s face. Genesis screamed and lunged at Sephiroth, but Angeal’s mother held him back.

“Boys, go find Mrs. Rhapsodos. I’ll be with you shortly.” She gently pushed the boys away, and they ran off.

“As for you,” Angeal’s mother gently grabbed Sephiroth’s left hand. He writhed, trying to free himself from her grasp. “You are not to attack those boys again. You hear me?” Sephiroth ignored her, clawing at her hand, trying to pry his sword arm free.

“Are you listening to me?”

“Let me go!”

“Hey!”  

Sephiroth and Angeal’s mother looked up to see Vincent approaching.

“Let him go.”

“This boy has no parents. He’s a danger to the other children.”

“Let. Him. Go.”

The woman let Sephiroth go, and the boy shuffled to the side, positioning himself behind Vincent.

“Is he under your care?”

“He’s currently in the company’s custody.”

“Hmph.” The woman turned and walked off.

“Sephiroth.” Vincent crouched down, and Sephiroth averted his gaze. “Did you attack those children?”

“He tried to grab me.”

“Where did he try to grab you?”

Sephiroth held up his hand and spread his fingers wide.

Vincent sighed. “It’s normal for people to hold hands.”

“Well, I don’t like it,” Sephiroth pouted. “They always pull me places I don’t want to go.”

“Then you can pull them right back.” Vincent held out his hand. “Go on, try it.”

Sephiroth stared at Vincent curiously, then slowly reached out and wrapped his fingers around Vincent’s palm. 

“There you go. Now, where will you take me?”

Sephiroth didn’t answer, but his grip tightened around Vincent’s hand. Vincent wiggled his hand slightly, but Sephiroth held firm.

“You got me,” Vincent smiled. 

“I got you.” Sephiroth grabbed Vincent’s hand with his other hand, pulling it closer to him. “I got you!” He grinned and began to shake Vincent’s hand violently. “I got you, I got you!”

Vincent laughed, and Sephiroth laughed with him. “Yes, you got me. Now let me go.”

Sephiroth ignored him, instead playing with Vincent’s fingers.

“Sephiroth, did you hear me?”

“Yeah.” He began to bend Vincent’s pointer finger back and forth.

“Let go of my hand, please.” Sephiroth instead started squeezing the meat of Vincent’s palm. “Sephiroth.”

“I don’t wanna.”

“If you don’t, I’ll hit you with my sword.”

“You don’t have a sword. You have a gun.”

“You’re missing the point, Sephiroth. I don’t want you to hold my hand anymore.”

Sephiroth looked up at Vincent with wide, sad eyes. “Are you going to hit me?”

“You don’t want me to hit you?”

Sephiroth shook his head.

“Do you think the boy who grabbed you wanted you to hit him?”

Sephiroth shook his head.

“So what do you do if I ask you to let me go?”

Sephiroth pouted and dropped Vincent’s hand. 

“That’s a good boy. Next time, use your words first before you hit someone.”

“Hmph.” Sephiroth stuck out his lower lip.

Vincent tilted his head. “Do you want to hold my hand again?”

Sephiroth grinned and wrapped his arms around Vincent’s wrist, nestling his hand against the little boy’s chest.

Vincent laughed. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Any word yet on returning to Nibelheim?”

Brian Lockheart massaged the bridge of his nose. “Don’t even get me started on that. They sent us the wrong subform, didn’t tell us until after we submitted it. This whole process is a massive headache.”

“At least the calamity appears to have passed us by.” Thea rubbed Brian’s shoulder blades, and he relaxed. “Word is the stigma was last reported in Cosmo Canyon.”

“Cosmo Canyon?” Claudia shook her head. “I hope it didn’t affect them too badly. There’s a wealth of knowledge of planet life that would die with the people there.”

“Maybe that’s the goal of this monster. Could the study of the Ancients and the Lifestream hold the key to defeating this thing?”

“Who knows.” Thea shook her head. “It won’t do us any good to worry ourselves sick over it while we’re stuck here.”

“I know just the news that will lift everyone’s spirits.” Claudia leaned forward, grinning widely. “I’ve got a little present on the way!”

“A present?”

Claudia nodded furiously. “It’ll arrive in nine months, give or take.”

“Nine mo- oh! Congratulations, Claudia!” Thea shrieked.

“Huh? What?”

“I’m pregnant!”

“She’s pregnant, Brian!”

“Oh - oh!” Brian’s eyebrows shot upwards. “That is good news! Wow!”

“I know!” Claudia rubbed her belly excitedly. “It’s so exciting but I’m still so nervous! Nine months is such a long time, who knows what will happen between now and then?”

“You’ve nothing to worry about there, Claudia. You’ve got us if you ever need help taking care of the kiddo!”

“We survived the calamity once. We know how to face it again if it shows up here.”

“And you’re in a good place to have a baby. From what I’ve heard, Shinra medical technology is cutting-edge!”

“Any ideas for baby names yet?”

Claudia giggled. “It’s a bit too soon for that. I don’t even know if it’s a boy or girl! But,” she rubbed her belly thoughtfully, “I want the baby’s name to symbolize freedom. So it knows even if the world is a terrible place full of terrible struggles, to never give up on his - or her - dreams.”

Claudia narrowed her eyes slightly. “And it might be good for that little boy to have a little brother or sister to take care of.”

“‘Little boy?’ You mean Hojo’s son?” Thea scratched her forehead awkwardly. “That boy is… strange. He seems both too young and too old for his age.”

“Everyone knows Professor Hojo is a little…” Brian twirled his finger in a circle beside his head. “Wouldn’t surprise me if that kookiness is genetic.”

“Don’t be mean, Brian. He’s still a child, after all.”

“A child who apparently attacked the other children here. The wife of one of the department heads told everyone the kid spat at her son and hit her son’s friend unprovoked.”

“He’s five years old with no parents. And even before the calamity appeared, their home life was…” Claudia grimaced. 

“Then the kid needs some serious therapy. He’s owned by the company now; they’re more than capable of giving him some psychological counseling. He’s not our responsibility.”

“In the meantime, don’t worry about that charity case. Take care of yourself; you’ll have your hands full with your own child when he or she arrives.”

Chapter Text

Snow swirled around Ifalna as she trudged through the Sector 5 slums. She shivered and pulled Aerith closer to her chest, wrapping her more tightly in her tattered robes.

“Mom?”

“We’re almost there, Aerith. Don’t worry.”

Something crashed within the heap of scrap to Ifalna’s right, and she froze. If Shinra’s found us…

A thin, mangy cat leapt out of the rubble. It hissed at Ifalna before running off.

“Ifalna?”

“Who’s there?”

An older woman with dark curly hair stepped out from behind another pile of rubble, accompanied by a young girl who looked only a few years older than Aerith. “Bugenhagen told us to expect you.”

“Bugenhagen…” Ifalna bit back tears.

The woman gently placed her hand on Ifalna’s arm. “We know. Refugees from Cosmo Canyon have been trickling in the past few days. You and your daughter will be safe at the Leaf House, don’t worry.”

“Thank you.”

“Our recruits are so young now,” Vincent remarked as he watched three young boys in ill-fitting Turk uniforms. One boy with striking red hair had removed his shoes and was shuffling his socked feet across a decorative rug in the corner of the office.

“They’re willing participants,” Verdot shrugged. “And they’re in the custody of Shinra.”

Another way of saying the calamity orphaned them. Vincent watched as the redhead poked a boy with his hair tied back in a tight ponytail. The static charge from his socks jumped from his finger to the other boy’s shoulder. The dark-haired boy wordlessly grabbed the redhead’s wrist and wrenched it into a sharp angle behind the boy’s back.

“Ow-ow-ow! Lemme go, Tseng; it was just a prank!”

Tseng pushed the redhead forward, who stumbled slightly as he regained his balance. He rubbed his wrist gingerly, and when Tseng’s back was turned he stuck out his tongue before returning to shuffling his feet on the rug again. The redhead poked the third child, but the boy stood stoically and didn’t react to the static shock.

“Ten years.” Verdot buried his head in his hands. “It’s been ten years since this stigma appeared.”

“You can tell you’ve been in this fight the whole time, sir. You still call it ‘stigma’ instead of ‘Jenova.’”

“Jenova,” Verdot scoffed. “Humanizing a disease that’s trying to exterminate us.” He thrust his hand at the map on his desk. “This thing has acclimated to every climate on the Planet. Heat, cold, humid, arid, it spreads equally well in all of them. Our only lead is that it’s always from a single vector, a ‘Patient 0,’ if you will. Except this patient has an uncanny ability to elude us. We don’t know how it travels, and we can’t predict where it plans to strike next.”

“You say we shouldn’t humanize Jenova, sir. But you say a virus can plan?”

“There’s no other explanation. I pray that I’m wrong, but more and more evidence points to this thing being intelligent.”

“Do you suppose it could be reasoned with?”

“Even if it can, you see how much damage this thing has done to the Planet. We have to fight back, but it’s taking out those most eligible to fight, forcing us to train children to fill the holes left by the dead.” Verdot’s face sagged, allowing the weight of the world to finally show in his body language. He sighed and stared out at the city below. “The only place the calamity hasn’t reached is here.”

“The last bastion of hope.”

“No.” Verdot folded his hands behind his back, lowered his head, and closed his eyes. “If thing is as intelligent as I presume, then collecting the survivors in Midgar may be exactly what it’s been planning.”

Vincent’s eyes widened. “It’s a trap.”

“And for the past ten years, we’ve been doing exactly what it’s wanted.”

“Then we need to send the refugees back-”

“And who would agree to leave a fortified city while the thing that killed their family and friends is still out there?” Verdot shook his head. “The only thing we can do is prepare. The calamity will come to Midgar. Here, we make our last stand.”

“Sir, my contract clearly states my role is to support the Banora Project by educating Hollander’s protegees. There’s nothing in the terms about teaching refugee orphans.” Gina Malnatti slid a thick manilla envelope across the desk to President Shinra. “I was hired as a tutor, not a teacher, and adding more students to the class is causing socialization to take precedence over their schooling. Genesis in particular can’t focus on classwork because he’s too distracted by the new children, particularly Sephiroth.”

President Shinra flipped through the papers in the envelope. “Here.” He slid one page back across the desk towards Gina. “I’d say this clearly falls under ‘extenuating circumstances’ listed in this section.”

“These children aren’t part of the SOLDIER program. Genesis and Angeal have particular educational needs to support their grooming for combat scenarios. Unless you plan to make these children part of SOLDIER-”

President Shinra raised one hand.

“You will be adequately compensated for the added workload. A twenty percent increase in salary, improved accommodations, and an extended summer and winter break.”

“Increase the budget for classroom supplies, and we have a deal.”

“Uncle Vincent! Can we play now?”

“Not right now, Sephiroth. Why don’t you head to the training room and practice shooting some more targets?”

“The mean kids are in the training room,” Sephiroth pouted. 

“Then why don’t you ask them to play with you?”

“They hate me.”

“People change, Sephiroth. It couldn’t hurt to ask. Now, I really must be going.”

Sephiroth watched forlornly as Vincent walked away. He wandered down the hallway until he found a familiar woman softly reciting from a book in her hand, gently running her fingers through her child’s hair as he slumbered in her lap.

“What’s that?” Sephiroth stared wide-eyed at the baby.

“This is Cloud.”

Sephiroth squinted. “Cloud?”

Cloud yawned and opened his eyes. “Look, Cloud,” Claudia cooed, “there’s a new friend who wants to meet you.”

Sephiroth eagerly stuck his face right up to Cloud’s. “Hi, Cloud!”

“Sephiroth, give him some space. You’ll scare him.”

“Sorry.” Sephiroth backed up, and Cloud’s wide blue eyes followed him. “Hi, Cloud.”

Cloud simply stared at Sephiroth.

“I said ‘hi, Cloud!’” Sephiroth waved frantically, leaning forward. “Hi! Hello!”

“He’s too young to speak, Sephiroth.”

“That’s boring.”

“He’s a baby. He’ll learn to speak, and walk, and play, but right now he just needs to be cared for.”

“Ohh.” Sephiroth nodded. “He needs to be protected from the monsters.” He looked up at Claudia. “Can I hold his hand?”

“Just be gentle.”

Sephiroth slowly reached towards Cloud, who wrapped his tiny hand around Sephiroth’s index finger.

“Whoa! He’s strong!” Sephiroth tugged gently at his finger, and Cloud grabbed his pinky finger with his other hand. He opened his mouth wide and pulled Sephiroth’s hand to his face.

“Gross! He ate my hand!” Sephiroth yanked his hand free from Cloud’s grasp, and Cloud began to cry.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. Mommy’s here. It’s okay.” Claudia bounced baby Cloud on her lap as he continued to bawl.

“You’re really annoying, Cloud!” Sephiroth shouted. “You should be quiet!”

“Sephiroth!” Claudia scolded. “Be nice!”

“He’s crying too loudly,” Sephiroth complained, covering his ears with his hands.

“That’s what babies do. They can’t speak, so they cry to communicate.”

“I don’t like babies.”

Claudia sighed. “Sephiroth, why don’t you go find your friends?”

“I don’t want to play with them right now.”

“How about Vincent?” Cloud wailed louder, so Claudia tried bouncing him more rapidly.

“He’s gone.”

“Then, I don’t know… go to the library or something! Just please leave me be!”

Sephiroth’s face dropped. “Oh. Okay.” He trudged grumpily to the training room.

Genesis spotted Sephiroth as soon as he walked in the room. “Hey, Angeal! It’s that weird kid!”

“You’re right! Hey, weird kid!” Angeal started waving furiously.

“I’m not weird!” Sephiroth shouted.

“Yeah, you are! You’re weird!”

“Really weird!” Angeal agreed. “We can still be friends, though!”

“I’m Genesis. I’m the leader, which means I’m the smartest, kindest, strongest, funniest, best-est, and the greatest at everything!”

“I’m Angeal. My dad’s a scientist!”

“My dad’s a scientist too! He made a monster once.”

“If your dad makes monsters, that means he’s a bad guy.” Angeal folded his arms and stuck his nose in the air.

“But the monster is Uncle Vincent, and Uncle Vincent is nice. So my dad’s a good guy.”

“Are you a bad guy?” Genesis pointed accusingly at Sephiroth.

“I’m Sephiroth, and I’m a good guy.”

“Not good-er than me!” Genesis puffed out his chest.

“Oh yeah?” Angeal put his hands on his hips. “Name one good thing you’ve done.”

Genesis draped his arm around Sephiroth’s shoulder. “I became best-est friends with the weird kid. Doesn’t get any good-er than that!”

Genesis and Angeal started laughing. Sephiroth felt strange inside, a queasy feeling he didn’t have the words to describe.

“It’s official! You’re my best-est friend now!”

“I thought I was your best-est friend!” Angeal pouted.

“You’re my best-est- est -est friend.”

“You’re both stupid.”

For some reason, that made Genesis and Angeal laugh. What’s so funny?

“But I’m the stupid-est!” Genesis giggled.

Genesis and Angeal burst out laughing again. Feeling a bit left out, Sephiroth forced a smile and pretended to laugh with them. 

“Genesis! Angeal! Time to go!”

“Aww…” Genesis groaned. “Well, I’ll see you later, best-est friend!”

“Yeah, see you…” Sephiroth waved awkwardly as Genesis and Angeal rushed out of the training room.

Ifalna rolled the milky white Materia in her fingers. No. Not yet. Things are looking bleak, but there’s still hope.

“What’s that, Mom?”

“This is Materia.” Ifalna held up the orb so Aerith could see. “The magic it contains is known as Holy.”

“What does it do?”

Ifalna stared at the sphere for a long moment. “It’s not so much what it does as what it represents. This Materia is the burden and the gift our people have had to bear for generations.”

Aerith leaned on Ifalna’s lap, her elbows digging into Ifalna’s thigh. “What do you mean?”

Ifalna leaned down close to Aerith. “If you use this to pray to the Planet, you give the Planet control to decide everyone’s fate.”

“Including mine?”

“Yes, and mine too.”

“That’s kind of… scary. Why would anyone let the Planet control them?”

Ifalna smiled. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Aerith dramatically stuck out her lower lip.

“Look, Aerith.” Ifalna pointed to a small patch of earth next to the Leaf House, where a tiny brown shoot peeked out from the soil. “Want to help me out for a bit?”

“What are we doing?”

“This little plant is suffering. It’s our job to help any living thing that suffers.”

Aerith crouched next to the plant and gently prodded it with her finger. “It’s all dried up!”

“It won’t have enough strength to last through the winter.” Ifalna grabbed a dented metal bucket from nearby. “Fill this with the freshest, healthiest soil you can find! Just like back home.”

“Yeah!” Aerith grabbed the bucket and began to scoop up dirt with her bare hands, dropping it into the bucket.

“Don’t pack it too tightly, remember. Its roots need to breathe.” Ifalna bent down and dug her fingers into the soil, feeling around until her fingers reached underneath the plant’s roots.

Aerith dragged the bucket back to her mother, staggering under its weight. “Here! Is this enough?”

“Perfect, Aerith! Thank you!” Ifalna gently lifted the plant from the dirt and brushed the soil from its roots. “Look at this, Aerith!”

“It’s still alive!” Aerith cheered. 

“See? Just because something looks hopeless at first glance doesn’t mean it doesn’t deserve a chance to thrive.” Ifalna placed the plant in the bucket and sprinkled more dirt around its roots until it rested securely.

“I’ll water it!” Aerith ran into the Leaf House, leaving Ifalna alone with the tiny sprout.

“You’ll need a little extra help,” Ifalna whispered to the plant before sprinkling a bit of fertilizer over the dirt. “But I can sense that you’re very strong. You just need a chance to prove that strength.”

Aerith waddled out carrying an adult-sized watering can. Water sloshed out of the top and the spout as she struggled to hold it upright.

“Let me take that!” Ifalna laughed and took the heavy watering can from Aerith. She gently poured water into the bucket until the soil was dark and moist. “That should do for now.”

“Can I take care of it?”

“Hmm, do you think you’re grown-up enough to raise a flower?”

“Yeah! I’m grown-up enough! I can do it!”

Ifalna giggled and ruffled her daughter’s hair. “I believe in you, Aerith. And I think you’re going to grow the biggest, prettiest flower ever!”

Chapter Text

“An alliance with Wutai!?” Heidegger boomed. “Have you completely lost your mind!?”

“I agree!” Hollander slammed his hands on the desk as he stood. “I’ve been raising the next generation of SOLDIER for the sole purpose of pitting them against Wutai! And now you tell me all that work is for nothing?”

“Gentlemen.” President Shinra glared at the two men. “If you would let me continue.”

The two reluctantly sat back down.

“Expanding Mako operations to Wutai is still a priority for this company. But as we are all… painfully aware, there is a more prescient threat that must first be dealt with.”

“Jenova.” Hollander scoffed. “That damn piece of space junk has derailed enough of our plans. We’ve been chasing its shadow for almost two decades and just what do we have to show for it?”

“There have been so few reports of the sickness, and there hasn’t been a sighting of this monster in months!” Heidegger slammed his fists on the desk. “All the while we’re hemorrhaging funds for Public Security by housing refugees. And they’re multiplying like rats, leeching from the system while we sit on our asses!”

“You are correct, Heidegger. This has gone on for far too long.” President Shinra stood and strode to the door. “That’s why I’m pleased to announce the creation of the Advanced Weaponry Department and the newest department head, the lovely Miss Scarlet.”

A tall, thin woman in a bright red dress that highlighted her voluptuous curves strutted through the conference room door. “Please,” she chuckled, “just call me Scarlet.”

“A woman!” Hollander spat. “What has this company come to?”

“Scarlet is extremely qualified for the role.” President Shinra returned to his seat and lit the end of his cigar. “Her specialization has been in the development of mechanized drones for reconnaissance and surveillance. It is due to her contributions that we have been able to track the movements of this calamity.”

“If I may add, I’m also a master of contingency. It always helps to be prepared for anything.” She crossed her legs and ran her long fingernails gently along the seam of her dress. “For example, in the event the SOLDIER program fails, I commissioned a batch of elite warriors whose training is, shall we say, unconventional.” Scarlet flashed a wicked smile.

“You seek to undermine SOLDIER?”

“Not in the slightest!” Scarlet waved her manicured hand flippantly. “My weaponry and my soldiers are solely to support Shinra and its efforts.”

“There should be no problem so long as SOLDIER continues to meet and exceed standards,” President Shinra added.

“But what about funding? We’re already at a deficit with our reactor bases becoming ghost towns, and now we have to split the pot four ways!”

“Yes, about that…” President Shinra puffed on his cigar. “I’m sure you all have noticed that Palmer has been absent from these meetings. We’ve redirected funding for the space program to Advanced Weaponry. Once the calamity has been defeated and we return to normal operations, the department with the least contribution will be disbanded and their funds reallocated back to Space and Aeronautics. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“‘Unto her promised land shall we one day return. By her loving grace and providence may we take our place in paradise.’” Sephiroth copied the verse into his notebook. “‘The Promised Land,’ hm? I wonder if that’s a real place, or just a metaphor?”

“Whatcha working on?” A boy from one of the lower grades leaned eagerly over Sephiroth’s desk.

“Homework.”

“What kind of homework?”

“The kind of homework I need to focus on. Please leave me alone.”

“When you’re done with your homework, do you wanna play with me?”

“I won’t finish my homework if you keep bugging me.”

“I’m not bugging you; I’m asking if you’ll play with me and Cloud when you’re done!”

“Are you done with your homework?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh, really? Let me check it over then.” Sephiroth shut his notebook and raised his eyebrow.

“Okay!” The little boy rushed back to his desk and pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his bag. “Here it is! Arrhythmia!”

“Arithmetic,” Sephiroth corrected. He uncrumpled the paper, then sighed. “You’re certainly right about it being done. But half of these are - Zack! Did you really put down that 2 + 2 is 8!?”

“Huh?” Zack peered over the top of the paper.

“You also wrote 2 + 3 as 8, 3 + 7 as 8… did you just put 8 for all the answers before even attempting them?”

“Math is boring,” Zack pouted.

Sephiroth groaned and handed the wrinkled paper back to the child. “Once every answer on that page is correct, then I’ll play with you. Let me know if you need help.”

“Yippee!” Zack rushed back to his desk and pulled out a pencil, roughly erasing all the 8’s from the page before squinting and leaning so close that his nose nearly touched the paper, counting on his fingers.

“That was very kind of you, helping the younger kids with their homework.”

Sephiroth just shrugged.

“How’s your essay coming along?”

Sephiroth handed the teacher his notebook. She opened it and paged through it until she reached the last page. 

“My! You’re certainly doing your research. Unfortunately, you’re getting a bit ahead of yourself.” She handed the notebook back to Sephiroth. “This isn’t a philosophy assignment, it’s creative writing. You and I both know that whether the Promised Land is real isn’t confirmed, but we’re not proving or disproving that here. You need to write a descriptive piece describing what you think the Promised Land looks like if it were real.”

“So I have to start all over?” Sephiroth’s heart dropped to his stomach.

“I’m afraid so. But, since you worked so hard, I’ll add fifty points extra credit.”

“How many points is this essay worth?”

“You can’t use your extra credit points to get out of redoing your essay, Sephiroth.”

“But,” Sephiroth suddenly had an idea, “I was going to play with the younger kids when I was done with my homework! I won’t be able to play with them now.”

“Playing with your friends can wait. School is most important.”

“But why?” Sephiroth shouted. “I’m already the smartest one here!”

The room suddenly grew quiet, and Sephiroth felt the eyes of every student on him, including the kids in the upper grades. He gulped.

“I think you will find there is plenty for you to learn in my office after class.”

“But-”

“Detention, Sephiroth. And if you say another word, this will go on your permanent record.”

The older kids burst out laughing. Sephiroth shrank down in his seat and bit his tongue to prevent himself from retorting. Instead he buried his nose in his textbook.

“I wish I could be smart like you,” a tiny voice squeaked from behind Sephiroth.

“Yeah, and be the laughingstock of the whole class?”

“At least people notice you.”

“You want to be noticed?” Sephiroth snorted. “By who?”

“Sephiroth! Stop distracting Cloud.”

“But I - but he - Mmph!” Sephiroth slunk down in his seat.

“Sit up straight.”

Sephiroth wriggled back into a normal sitting position, grumbling the whole time. “Can I work in the library?”

“You’re perfectly capable of working quietly here. Now get back to work.”

“Man, what a bitch!”

“Genesis!” Angeal gasped. “Don’t say such a naughty word!”

“Well, she is! She gave Sephiroth detention again! And he wasn’t even doing anything wrong!” Genesis bounced on the balls of his feet, then swung his sword at the fencing dummy. “It’s so dumb that Sephiroth can’t be in the same class as us.”

“I know, but Sephiroth isn’t a SOLDIER.”

“Well, why not? Just because he doesn’t have Mako in him, and he’s kind of a crybaby?”

“Hey!” Sephiroth punched Genesis’s shoulder playfully.

“And he punches like a girl.” Genesis pulled Sephiroth into a headlock and ruffled his hair.

“Genesis! Stop it! Let me go!”

“Wait, Genesis! Hold him there for a moment!” Angeal grinned and grabbed his camera.

“No, Angeal! Please don’t take a picture of this!”

“But you look so silly! It’s for the memories!”

Sephiroth struggled to pull free, but Genesis was much stronger than Sephiroth. “Please don’t! This is so embarrassing!”

Angeal held the camera up to his face and snapped a photo. Sephiroth felt his ears grow warm.

“Okay, you got your stupid picture. Now let me go!”

“Or what? You gonna cry?”

“Come on, Genesis! Let me go!” Sephiroth writhed helplessly against Genesis’s grasp.

“Let him go, Genesis. You’re being mean,” Angeal scolded.

“Ugh, fine.” Genesis relinquished his hold on Sephiroth’s neck. “You’re such a nerd, Sephiroth.”

“And you’re a bully,” Sephiroth muttered.

“We were just having a little fun,” Genesis rolled his eyes. “You have to learn to take a joke.”

“I’m going to the library. I have to finish this stupid essay.”

“Nerd,” Genesis coughed as Sephiroth turned and sped out of the training room.

He reached the door of the library, but instead of opening it, he slammed his fist on its surface.

“I hate my life!” he cried. “I hate my parents for leaving me, I hate Vincent for taking me to this horrible place! I hate my teachers, I hate Genesis, I hate all the stupid kids in my class! I. Hate. Them. All!” He slammed his fist into the door, accentuating every word. He burst into tears.

“Sephiroth.”

Sephiroth recognized the deep, gruff voice behind him. He whirled around, tears streaming down his face, and stared Vincent in the eyes. “I hate you!”

“Sephiroth-”

Sephiroth pushed past Vincent and ran down the stairs.

“And these ones are chrysanthemums.” Aerith handed a flower to an older boy in a red headband. “They symbolize a long and happy life.”

“Did you grow all these?”

“Yeah! Me and my mom, and Elmyra.”

“Okay. Thanks for the flowers!”

“Anytime!” Aerith waved enthusiastically as the boy ran off.

The wind rustled the flowers, snaking a trail over the flower beds like a serpent gliding through a river.

“Mom?” Aerith ran over to Ifalna, who was busy planting some Tantal seeds. “What’s that?”

Ifalna looked at the swirling flower petals. “That’s the voice of the Planet. What do you think it’s trying to tell us?”

“It’s the wind,” Elmyra shook her head, pulling on her gardening gloves. “It’s helping spread the pollen from the flowers. I pity those with allergies.”

Aerith watched as the wind carried the flower petals over the creek, whistling through a crevasse in the rocks. “Mom, I think it wants us to follow it.”

“Then why don’t you go see where it leads?”

“Don’t stray too far outside town!” Elmyra called out. “And whatever you do, don’t go to Sector 6!”

“I won’t! I promise!” Aerith waved cheerfully at the two women, then ran after the wind.

She ran her hand along the rock wall as another gust of wind pushed her forward, encouraging her to continue.

“Hey, Aerith!”

“Where are you off to, kiddo?”

“Aerith!”

The residents of Sector 5 called out to Aerith as she ran past, and she waved to each of them as she passed. Her journey took her to the station, and she halted for a brief moment, overwhelmed by the number of people bustling about.

“If it isn’t the flower lady’s daughter!” 

“Got any new flowers to show us, Aerith?”

“Not right now, sorry. I’m following the wind!” Aerith ran past the platform where upper-city folks disembarked from the train and followed the swirling dust and stray leaves to a thin alley.

“The church?” 

Ifalna and Aerith had stumbled across the dilapidated church when they first settled into Sector 5.

“This is a sacred place,” Ifalna had told her. “The Planet speaks to us most strongly in places like these, so the Cetra and anyone who studied Planet life built structures like these to gather and pray.”

“Why is it broken?” Aerith had asked.

“I guess people stopped speaking to the Planet. They stopped coming here. They stopped taking care of this place.”

The wind stopped in front of the church’s large front doors. To her surprise, one of the doors was slightly ajar. Using all her strength, she pushed the heavy door open all the way. 

“Hello?”

A small patch of lilies had sprouted in the center of the chapel. Something dark and heavy lay curled in the center of the patch, bending the flowers aside. Is it some kind of dog? Aerith approached cautiously. A monster?

It was a boy. He looked to be several years older than Aerith, with long dark hair and clean, modern clothes that indicated that he was from the upper plate. 

“Hell-oo?”

The boy groaned and rolled over so he was facing the ceiling.

“Hell-ooo!” Aerith leaned over the boy’s face.

The boy’s eyes fluttered open.

“Hello!” Aerith waved. The boy awkwardly waved back. She tilted her head. “Are you… an angel?”

“Huh?”

Aerith gestured to the church around them. “The Planet speaks to people here. And angels are the Planet’s messengers, right?” She skipped closer to the boy as he slowly rose to his feet. “So you must be an angel!”

“No, I’m just… Sephiroth.”

“Sephiroth? Hmm. That sounds like an angelic name.”

“I’m not an angel, okay!?”

Aerith staggered backwards. The boy’s sudden anger was rather frightening. “I’m sorry.”

Sephiroth sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just… having a really bad day.”

“Did someone you love return to the Planet?”

Sephiroth looked at Aerith in a mix of wonder and sadness. “How did you know?”

Aerith shrugged. “I dunno. I just sort of… feel when hearts are connected, and when those connections are broken.”

“It doesn’t matter. They died a long time ago.”

“How old were you?”

Sephiroth hesitated. “I was five.”

“How old are you now?”

“Twelve.”

Aerith did some quick math in her head. “So your parents died the same time my dad did.”

Sephiroth softened slightly. “Your dad died too?”

Aerith nodded. “I never met him, but my mom said he was really smart. He used to be a scientist.”

Sephiroth chuckled. “Small world. My dad was a scientist, too. Maybe they worked together.”

“Maybe!” 

“I just realized I never asked your name.”

“Aerith. It’s Aerith.”

“Aerith…” Sephiroth repeated. “That sounds like the word ‘earth.’ Did you know that in certain Ancient texts, they called the Planet ‘Earth’ before they named it Gaia?”

“Yep! But ‘Earth’ is the physical planet. The soil, the rocks, the dirt.” Aerith bounced up and down to emphasize her point. “Gaia is the Planet as a whole, the soil, the Lifestream, and everything that makes up the Planet.”

“You’re a pretty smart kid,” Sephiroth smiled. “Where did you learn about the Ancients?”

“My mother. She’s one of the Cetra, you know.”

“No way! For real?”

“Yep! We’re the last Cetra on the Planet.” Aerith’s smile faltered, and she stared at her feet.

“The last ones, huh? That must be pretty lonely.”

“Not really. We’ve made a lot of friends here, and…” Aerith shuffled her feet. “And… I play with the ghosts.”

“Like imaginary friends? I have those too.”

“No… the children whose souls have returned to the Planet.”

“Oh.”

Aerith forced a smile. “So tell me about your imaginary friends!”

Sephiroth’s face turned bright red. “No, you’ll just think I’m weird.”

Aerith put her hands on her hips. “Tell me!”

“Okay, um… well…” Sephiroth scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “When I moved to Midgar, I had a Tonberry friend named CJ who would stab anyone who got too close to me.”

“That’s so cute! A Tonberry friend to protect you.”

“Well, I don’t need CJ anymore. I can protect myself now.”

“So grown-up,” Aerith gasped. “Is that why you’re in the slums by yourself?”

Sephiroth shuffled awkwardly. “Well, I… actually ran away.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t like Midgar. I…” Sephiroth sniffed. “I want to go home. I want… my mother…” His shoulders trembled as he began to cry.

Aerith wrapped the older boy in a warm hug, and Sephiroth sobbed harder. “P-please don’t. Please… don’t touch me…”

Aerith quickly let Sephiroth go. “You don’t like hugs?”

Sephiroth shook his head. “I don’t like the feeling of being held back.”

Aerith smiled. “Free like the wind, right?”

Sephiroth sniffed and wiped the tears from his face. “I guess…”

“Hey. You know what kind of flowers those are?” Aerith pointed to the flowers that Sephiroth had been cradled in earlier. “They’re lilies. They symbolize reunion.”

“Reunion…”

“It means you’ll always return to the people you love.”

Sephiroth gave Aerith a weak smile. “I should probably go. Unc- I mean, Vincent will be wondering where I am.”

“Vincent?”

“He’s like CJ,” Sephiroth smiled. “Except Vincent’s not imaginary.”

“And Vincent has been listening to this whole conversation.” Vincent slowly stepped out of the shadows, arms crossed. “You ran away again.”

“I’m sorry.”

Vincent looked at Aerith. “You made a new friend.”

Sephiroth looked down at Aerith as well. “Yeah. Her name is Aerith. She’s a Cetra.”

Vincent’s eyes grew wide. “A Cetra?”

“Yeah, and her mom is, too-”

Vincent swept forward and covered Sephiroth’s mouth with his hand. “Quiet!”

“Mmph-mph!” Sephiroth squirmed, trying to pry Vincent’s hand off his face.

“He doesn’t like being touched!” Aerith protested, stomping her foot.

“Don’t speak so callously.” Vincent released Sephiroth. “Sharing that information would put your new friend in danger.”

“Why?”

“As a Turk, I’d be obligated to bring Aerith to the president, by force if necessary.”

“No!” Sephiroth moved to stand between Aerith and Vincent. “You won’t do that!”

“The Turks are obligated to share this information with the company.” Vincent crouched down and put his hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “But as your friend and guardian, I promise to keep this a secret.” He stood again. “But if anyone else learns Aerith is a Cetra, they won’t be so lenient. Understand?”

“Why does Shinra want Aerith? What’s so special about the Cetra?”

“I’ll explain later. Now come on, let’s get you home.”

“Bye, Sephiroth!” Aerith waved as the Turk and her new friend left the church. “Hope to see you again!”

The air swirled as the church doors closed, whispering as it passed through the flowers. 

What do you mean, that boy is ‘too normal?’

Chapter Text

“Come on, you know you want to!”

Genesis poked Sephiroth in the rear with the tip of his sword, and Sephiroth staggered forward. 

“Stop it, Genesis! You know I can’t beat you!” Sephiroth rubbed his backside tenderly, fighting to maintain his composure.

“I’ll go easy on you this time, promise!”

“What part of ‘no’ don’t you understand?”

Genesis leapt forward and before Sephiroth could react, Genesis had him trapped in a headlock.

“This again?” Sephiroth struggled to pull free. “Come on, Genesis, let me go! I told you I don’t want to fight!”

“What a baby!” Genesis squeezed, and Sephiroth gasped for breath.

“Genesis - no - stop! I can’t - breathe!”

“Promise to fight me and I’ll let you go!”

Sephiroth’s face grew warm as Genesis continued to apply pressure around his neck. “Fine-” he choked. “I’ll - do it-”

Genesis let Sephiroth go, and Sephiroth collapsed to the floor, coughing and gasping for breath. 

“Now stand and fight!” Genesis kicked Sephiroth in the side. “Coward! Fight me!”

“Genesis! That’s enough!”Angeal rushed into the training room, straight to Sephiroth’s side. He healed Sephiroth with Cura. “Genesis, what were you thinking? Sephiroth isn’t enhanced; he can’t take those kinds of blows!”

“For the smartest kid in school, he’s pretty dumb,” Genesis sneered. “He can’t even fight like a man!”

Sephiroth saw red. He stood shakily, glaring at Genesis. “You’re not a man.”

“I’m twice the man you are! Didn’t you hear?” Genesis stood proudly. “Angeal and I are being sent to a real fight soon! We’re going to destroy the thing that killed your parents. And you’re just going to lie here, all sad and weak and-”

Sephiroth cut Genesis short with a punch in the jaw.

“Don’t bring my parents into this!” he screamed. 

Genesis wiped the blood off his chin with a smile. He opened his mouth to say something, but Sephiroth had had enough. He leapt at Genesis, kicking and punching and hitting every inch of the boy.

“I hope Jenova kills you! I hope it makes you suffer the way it made me suffer, so you know how it feels!”

“Sephiroth! Sephiroth, stop it!” Sephiroth felt Angeal wrap his arms around Sephiroth’s midsection, trying to pull him away from Genesis. Sephiroth grabbed a tuft of Genesis’s hair and pulled, so hard that Genesis started crying.

“Boys.” Vincent didn’t shout, didn’t raise his voice, but the tone was so cold the three boys quickly stepped away from each other and stood sheepishly.

“Genesis.” Vincent stared coldly. “You know not to engage combat until ordered. Look at you; with your recovery time, I’m afraid we’re going to have to delay your deployment.”

Genesis didn’t say anything, but Sephiroth saw his lower lip tremble and his eyes start to water.

“Angeal. The best way to de-escalate conflict is to prevent it. Remember that.”

Angeal nodded.

“Sephiroth.” He gestured Sephiroth forward. “Come with me.”

Sephiroth followed Vincent, his head held in shame.

When they were out of the training room, Vincent turned and crouched down in front of Sephiroth. His expression softened. “What happened?”

Sephiroth motioned to his neck. “Genesis wanted to fight me, and I refused. So he… he attacked me.”

“Then why did I walk in on you attacking him?”

“He said… he said he was going to kill Jenova. He said I’m too weak to destroy the thing that killed my parents.”

“Strength comes in many forms. And… Jenova is unlike anything we’ve fought before. There’s no guarantee physical strength will stop it.” Vincent gently put his hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “We need strategists, too. People who can think like Jenova, anticipate its plans and movements. Maybe you can do that, once you’re old enough.”

“Why can’t I do that now? ”

Vincent shook his head. “You’re too reactive, Sephiroth. That impulsiveness and passion are things our enemy will exploit. And you’re still a child-”

“I’m the same age as Genesis!”

Vincent stared at Sephiroth sadly. “I know.” He put a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “Sephiroth… how would you like to become a Turk?”

Sephiroth’s eyes lit up. “For real!?”

“Yes. For real.” The corner of Vincent’s lips twitched upwards slightly. “We could use more brilliant minds like yours.”

Sephiroth bounced on the balls of his feet happily. “Will I get to do secret missions? Will I get to use a gun like you?”

Vincent laughed. “You can pick whatever weapon you want. But,” he put a finger to his lips, “you can’t tell anyone. Got it?”

Sephiroth put a finger to his lips and nodded. He broke into a wide smile and leapt forward excitedly. “So when do I start?”

“Thea. Are you all right?”

Brian put his hand in his wife’s, and she grasped it weakly.

“I’ve been… tired. More than usual, lately.” Thea smiled weakly. “It’s probably just stress.”

“It’s this disgusting, smoggy air,” Brian huffed. “The sooner we can get back into the mountains, the sooner you’ll feel better.”

Thea quickly shook her head. “No. We can’t return to Nibelheim. Not yet. Not while that… thing is still out there.”

Jenova… Could it be…? Brian shivered. This can’t be… the stigma? Could it have lain dormant all this time, only to awaken now?

Thea placed her other hand atop Brian’s. “This isn’t from the calamity, I’m sure of it. It must be…” she trailed off, her voice shaking. “My… my mother died the same way. I was hoping… I wouldn’t go the same way…”

“Don’t talk like that!” Brian grasped his wife’s hands firmly. “We’ll take you to a doctor; they say the medical treatment in Midgar is the very best! They’ll fix this. They’ll make you better.”

“Mama!” A young girl with shoulder-length black hair came rushing into the room. “Mama, Mama!”

“What is it, Tifa?”

“Look! Look!” Tifa held up a piece of paper roughly cut into the shape of a flower. “Look what a boy in my class made for me!”

“Oh, that’s lovely! Who gave it to you?”

“I don’t know his name. It’s the weird kid, the one who doesn’t talk.”

“Maybe he’s just shy. You should try talking to him!”

“I’ve tried, but he doesn’t say anything back.”

“When did he give you this?” Thea pointed to the flower.

“Today.”

“I think that means he still wants to be your friend. Words aren’t the only way to tell people what you’re thinking.”

Tifa looked down at the flower, then back up at Thea. “Okay.” She skipped away without another word.

“Kids,” Brian chuckled. “I miss when life was that simple.”

Thea smiled weakly. “Yeah. Me too.”

Aerith watched as the strangely-dressed passengers disembarked from the train. 

“Who are they?”

“They’re soldiers from Wutai,” Ifalna explained, holding Aerith’s hand gently.

“Soldiers? Why are they here?”

“I don’t know.” Ifalna’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Stay close to me, Aerith.”

“Are they dangerous?”

Ifalna shook her head. “See those men, with the stacks of boxes? Or those men, with the big, heavy knapsacks? They’re creating a camp. But these men are here to do a job, and they won’t be happy if you or I get in the way of that job. Understand?”

Aerith nodded.

“It would be best if we just kept out of their way and let them do what they need to. But be on your best behavior if you see them around town. They’re Midgar’s guests.”

A young, bespectacled man with a round face stepped off the train. Instead of armor, this man was wearing colorful ornamental robes, and he had a bag slung across his back. He waved cheerfully at the crowd.

“Hello there, and thank you, citizens of Midgar, for inviting us to your home! Might I offer a gift of my own?” He reached into his bag and pulled out several bottles, handing them out to any adult who would accept them.

“Try a sample of authentic Wutai liquor, courtesy of the Happy Turtle! You there!” He pointed jovially at Aerith. “Have you ever heard of Da-Chao beans?”

Aerith shook her head, and Ifalna pulled her back slightly.

“Oh-ho, then you’re in luck!” With a wave of his hand, the man pulled out a small brown bean and held it in the palm of his hand. “Every kid in Wutai eats these beans as often as chocobo bean popcorn! Only the toughest can penetrate the bean’s tough shell. Think you’re up to the task?”

Aerith reached out, but Ifalna took the bean instead. “I’ll try it first.” She bit into the bean with a loud crack, and Aerith gasped. 

“Hmm.” Ifalna slowly chewed the bean. “Not bad.”

“Madam!” The man bowed. “Might I ask if you’ve been to Wutai in the past?”

Ifalna shook her head. “I had a friend who visited regularly. But…”

The man nodded. “The calamity. I’m so sorry for your loss. Here - take a few more beans, on the house!” He poured several beans into Ifalna’s hand, then gave a cheerful wave and walked off, following the soldiers.

Chapter Text

She needs you, Cloud. 

Cloud clenched and unclenched his fists nervously, peering across the classroom at Tifa, who had her head buried in her arms, hunched over her desk in very clear despair.

Go talk to her. She needs you. 

His heart ached to see her in so much pain, but it felt almost like he was glued to his seat, unable to find the strength to stand and walk over to her.

The school bell rang, and everyone else in the room began to shuffle out the door.

Now’s your chance! Go tell her you’re sorry about what happened to her mom. Tell her if she needs a shoulder to cry on - no, even just someone to talk to…

“Tifa.”

Cloud snapped out of his thoughts to see one of the older kids standing by Tifa’s desk. Cloud recognized the dark-haired teen instantly.

“I heard what happened.” Sephiroth gently put his hand on Tifa’s shoulder. “I know what it’s like to lose your mother. If you… ever need someone to talk to, know that I’m here. Okay?”

Sephiroth! Cloud’s blood boiled. How dare he!? 

Tifa smiled weakly. “Um… thanks.” She buried her head in her hands again. Sephiroth patted her shoulder one last time before walking out of class. He didn’t even glance in Cloud’s direction - which somehow made Cloud even angrier.

For a while, Cloud and Tifa sat alone in the classroom in complete silence. The only proof time wasn’t standing still was the faint ticking of the clock on the wall. Tick, tick, tick, tick…

Tifa slowly sat upright in her seat, wiping tears from her eyes. “You’re… Cloud, right?” She asked while staring straight ahead, gazing into the middle distance.

“Uh… yeah.”

“Do you remember the stories they told us back in Nibelheim, about Mt. Nibel?”

Cloud sat, dumbfounded that Tifa was actually talking to him. 

“They say the souls of people who have passed go to the other side of the mountain.” Tifa continued despite no response from Cloud. “Even though we’re so far away… do you think her soul went there?”

Cloud realized his mouth had been hanging open slightly. He quickly closed it and swallowed. “Dunno.”

“I wish… we could go home. If we were back in Nibelheim… I’d climb Mt. Nibel and find her.”

“You’d climb Mt. Nibel?”

Tifa nodded. She stared at her desk for a long while, then suddenly swung around to face Cloud. “Come with me.”

“What?”

“Come with me back to Nibelheim.”

“To Nibelheim?”

“Yeah!” Tifa grabbed Cloud’s hands and pulled him from his desk. Cloud felt his face grow warm. “Let’s go home!”

“I-I don’t think that’s… such a good idea, Tifa…”

Tifa dropped Cloud’s hands slightly, then stared at the ground. “Yeah… I guess you’re right…” She dropped Cloud’s hands and scratched at her head absentmindedly. “Sorry.”

It’s okay, Cloud wanted to say. Instead he stared silently as Tifa gathered her things and walked to the door.

“Well… I’ll see you around, Cloud.”

“Y-yeah. See ya.”

Cloud watched as Tifa left. He stood for a long moment, his hands still tingling slightly, his face still warm. 

Tell her you’re here for her. That you can be a shoulder to cry on.

“Tifa!” 

Cloud ran out of the room after his friend.

“Nice grouping.” Vincent strode over to the target, making note of the bullet holes piercing its surface. “Your aim is improving.”

Sephiroth gave the pistol a small twirl before holstering it. “I find it’s easier when I picture Genesis’s stupid face instead of the target.”

“What did I tell you about spinning a weapon so carelessly?” Vincent scolded Sephiroth.

“But you do it with your shotgun!”

“Well, I’m older than you, and I’ve used that shotgun longer than you’ve been alive.” Vincent pulled the shotgun out from its holster. “The goal is that the gun is an extension of yourself, like an extra arm. This,” he spun the gun flamboyantly before holstering it, “is like making a rude gesture with your hand.”

Sephiroth nodded.

“And another thing. Don’t picture the faces of your enemies on your targets. Rely too much on fantasy and you’ll lose sight of the reality in front of you. Besides,” Vincent shook his head, “even in the worst circumstances I would hope that you would never find yourself facing Genesis down with such a weapon.”

Sephiroth blushed and fidgeted. “I… sorry. That makes me sound like a monster, doesn’t it?”

“You sound like a teenager.” Vincent smiled. Sephiroth mustered a small smile back.

“What were you like?” Sephiroth took aim at the target and fired off another shot. “When you were my age?”

“Me? Well, I, um…” The question caught Vincent off guard. “When I was your age, Midgar didn’t even exist. It was just this massive steel skeleton reaching into the sky. Our parents warned us never to go near it.”

“Why?”

“It was a construction site. One wrong move and you could be crushed under a steel beam, or run over by a careless worker, or some other horrible fate. Our folks never told us as much, though. So we would come up with ghost stories to explain why the adults didn’t want us going there.”

Vincent smirked. “Which leads me back to your original question. I was one of those kids who wanted to challenge those ghost stories. I can’t remember whether it was to face the ghosts or prove they didn’t exist, but…” Vincent laughed. “It was a reckless form of bravery.”

Vincent closed his eyes. “I can still smell it… the first time I smelled Mako, climbing through all the construction supplies in the dirt.”

“So what happened?”

“There weren’t any ghosts. Just some very angry foremen who were furious a kid like me had snuck onto the site.”

“But one of them saw your potential and asked you to join the Turks, right?”

Vincent laughed. “No, no. In fact, I’m lucky that incident never made it into any records before I worked for Shinra. It was my father who got me this job. He was a researcher at Shinra before-” 

Sephiroth looked at Vincent curiously. “Before what?”

Before your mother killed him. “Before he died.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.” 

A long moment stretched between the two of them, neither saying anything. 

A knock at the training room door broke the silence. Vincent’s blood ran cold when he saw a distinctive large silhouette in the translucent glass.

“Vincent!” Heidegger boomed. “I know you’re in there. And the boy too. Open this door!”

Vincent snatched Sephiroth’s gun from his hands and gently pushed Sephiroth away from the shooting range to the other side of the room. “Sit down, act natural,” he muttered.

To Vincent’s surprise, Heidegger was beaming when he walked into the training room. “Today’s a momentous day!” he boomed, smacking a hand heavily on Vincent’s shoulder. “Sephiroth!”

Sephiroth quickly sprung to attention.

“The President’s officially approved your induction into SOLDIER!”

“SOLDIER…?” Vincent saw Sephiroth’s shoulders droop slightly. 

“Heidegger. Let’s take this outside.” Vincent stared Heidegger down coldly.

“Take what outside, hm? The Turks have no business with this orphan. Your request for custody has been denied.”

“On what grounds?”

“Custody?” Sephiroth looked at Vincent with wide eyes.

“Yes, Vincent here has been trying to skirt the system. Took advantage of a public relations loophole to keep you close. But the plan was always to give you to Hollander for training.”

“But I don’t want to be a SOLDIER! I want to be a Turk, like Vincent!” 

“Don’t whine, boy! The President is doing what’s best.”

“For me or for himself?”

“Sephiroth!” Vincent chided. 

Heidegger chortled. “Gya-ha-ha! I see you’ve inherited your father’s arrogance. How ironic that it is once again Hollander who will have to deflate that ego.”

“I’m not going to be a SOLDIER!”

“A word of advice. Accept this invitation willingly. Give your consent to the program, and it’ll be much easier for you and me.”

“And if I don’t?”

Heidegger laughed again. “Gya-ha-ha! Then Hollander will have his way. Gya-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

“You don’t have to make a decision now, Sephiroth.” Vincent turned to Heidegger. “He’ll give you his answer by tomorrow evening.”

“I await your response.” Heidegger gave Sephiroth a slight bow and left the room.

Sephiroth whirled to face Vincent. “I don’t need time to decide! I know my answer is no! Why-”

“Sephiroth.” Vincent bent down and grasped Sephiroth’s shoulders. “Listen to me very carefully. You do not want to get on the President’s bad side.”

“So you want me to just obey?” Sephiroth wrenched free from Vincent’s grasp. “What about this?” He grabbed Vincent’s hand. “You told me if people pull me where I don’t want to go, that I have to pull them right back. Remember?”

“Sephiroth, you’re not going to be able to-”

“I don’t care! I don’t care if I’m not strong like Genesis! I’m not just going to give in and let my life be taken away from me again! ” Sephiroth shoved Vincent’s hand away and rushed off. 

Aerith bolted upright in bed. 

It’s here. It’s in the city.

“Mom!” Aerith pulled her blankets closer to her. “ Mom!”

Ifalna rushed into the room. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”

“It’s… it’s here,” Aerith sniffed. “The thing that killed everyone in Cosmo Canyon. It’s inside the city.”

Ifalna quietly climbed into Aerith’s bed, wrapping her in a hug. Aerith clung to her mother tightly. “What did you see?”

“Jenova… Something’s not right about it. The Planet doesn’t like it.”

“I know, sweetie. That’s why our people sealed it away all those years ago.”

Aerith shook her head. “No, no! Not like that. It’s like… the Planet expects Jenova to be different. But it’s the same as it was all those years ago.”

“Frozen in time for 2,000 years. Perhaps it’s not what the Planet was expecting, but you know what?” Ifalna pulled Aerith closer. “This means we know what to do again.”

But we barely contained it the last time. And now, with Mako draining the Planet… Ifalna absently ran her fingers over the milky white Holy Materia. Is it time to let the Planet decide?

Sephiroth ran.

He didn’t care where he ended up; all that mattered was that his feet kept him moving away from the Shinra building. 

“Hey! Watch where you’re going, kid!”

Sephiroth pushed past people waiting for the train and slipped between two people stepping aboard. He squeezed his way past sullen, suited adults until he reached the end of the last carriage. 

He leaned against the railing and sighed, staring at the tracks whizzing past in front of him. 

Is this my life? Stuck on one set of tracks, like this train? He looked out at the tunnel, where the tracks receded into the shadows. Do I have any control over anything?

“Sephiroth?”

Sephiroth bolted upright and spun around to see Tifa and Cloud cautiously approaching.

“What are you doing here?” Tifa tilted her head curiously.

“I could ask the same of you.”

“We’re heading to Nibelheim.” Cloud glared at Sephiroth. He’s always glaring at me. Why is he always so mad at me?

“Nibelheim…? Wait, you’re leaving the city?” Sephiroth’s eyes widened. “But what about Jenova?”

“I don’t think Jenova’s there anymore.” Tifa crossed her arms and pouted. “But my mom’s there. We’re going to see her.”

Sephiroth shook his head. “Tifa, your mother’s-”

“Tifa wants to go to Nibelheim, so we’re going to Nibelheim.” 

They’re going to end up killing themselves! “Then I’m coming too.”

“No!” Cloud shouted. “We don’t need you!”

Sephiroth stepped right up next to Cloud, staring down the younger boy with fire in his eyes. “I don’t care what you do once we get there, but Nibelheim’s my home too! If you’re going, I’m coming with you!”

Chapter Text

“Where are you off to today, Miss Aerith?”

Aerith skipped past the pharmacy, a basket full of flowers draped over one arm.

“The church, like usual.”

“Say, why don’t you share a couple of those flowers at the station? It’s right on the way!”

Aerith looked down at the flowers in the basket, then back up at the doctor. “I’ll see what the flowers tell me.”

She continued forward.

The station sure is busy today.

She nodded at two Wutaian soldiers stationed in the square beside the station. One nodded back, while the other simply glared at her. For a moment, Aerith’s blood ran cold. Could that man be…?

The soldier pulled out a cigarette and turned to face his comrade, and the feeling passed. No. That’s not Jenova. I’d know if it was.

“This way.”

I recognize that voice. Aerith turned to find a familiar boy leading two younger kids off the train. 

“Sephiroth!” Aerith waved enthusiastically, almost spilling the basket of flowers. “Remember me?”

Sephiroth’s eyes grew wide. “Aerith?”

“You know her?” The boy behind Sephiroth with wild blond hair looked at Sephiroth incredulously.

Aerith grasped the basket behind her back with both hands, leaning forward. “Sephiroth’s my guardian angel.”

Sephiroth’s face turned bright pink. “No, she- I-”

“I think that’s sweet,” Tifa chimed in. “So he protected you?”

Aerith shook her head. “No, we just talked. The Planet brought me to him, like he delivered its message. That’s why he’s an angel.”

“The Planet speaks to you?” The blond boy looked skeptical.

Aerith nodded. “It’s sometimes hard to hear in a place as noisy as this. Follow me! I can show you!”

“Sorry, but we’re on an urgent mission.” Sephiroth turned to leave. “We-”

“Can you hear people who have returned to the Planet?”

Aerith hesitated before nodding. 

Tifa stepped forward, hands clasped nervously in front of her, as if she was praying. “Do you… hear my mom?”

Aerith reached out and gently took Tifa’s hand. “Come on. Follow me.”

“Hollander, is such force really necessary?”

Professor Hollander took another swig of Banora White juice. “Did Verdot not fill you in? Jenova’s been sighted in Kalm.”

“Kalm?” Vincent shuddered and stepped back slightly.

“Don’t misjudge me, Vincent Valentine. I care about that boy-” Hollander belched loudly. “I care about him like he’s my own son. Do you think you could forgive yourself if the monster that took his parents got him too?”

“Then let me search for him. I could-”

Hollander’s phone rang, interrupting Vincent. Hollander took a smaller sip of juice before answering.

“Hm? What’s that? You found him?” Hollander took another sip. “Heading towards a church in the Sector 5 slums? Three children?”

Vincent stepped forward slightly. The church? Do they suspect…

“Forget about the others. Just - well, how am I supposed to know that? Send in A unit. They should be able to handle such a simple task.”

Hollander hung up. Vincent stared at him, waiting for clarification.

“My boys found yours. Don’t worry.” Hollander chuckled. “They’ll bring him home.”

I can’t hear her voice. Tifa squeezed her eyes shut tighter, leaning over the flowers as she tried to pray.

“Tifa?” 

Tifa peeked one eye open to see Cloud leaning forward, trying to see her face more clearly. Sephiroth was further back, arms crossed as he leaned against the stone wall.

“I can’t hear her.” Tifa slowly stood, brushing the dirt off her knees. 

“Do you… still want to go to Nibelheim?”

“I…”

Before Tifa could answer, the doors to the church burst open, the bang echoing through the empty chapel. 

“Don’t move!” Two young men in SOLDIER armor burst through the door, one armed with a rapier and the other with a large broadsword. 

Cloud immediately ran to stand between Tifa and the strange men, ignoring their orders. 

“I said don’t move!” The SOLDIER with the rapier pointed his blade at Cloud, who stared him down coldly. 

“At ease, Genesis. We’re not here to attack.” The other SOLDIER sheathed his blade and stepped forward, arms outstretched in a gesture of peace. “We’re here to get you home safe.”

Genesis sheathed his sword as well and begrudgingly strode towards Cloud and Tifa. “Our bark is worse than our bite, don’t worry.”

Cloud stepped closer to Tifa, still shielding her. She couldn’t help but smile. 

With Genesis and Angeal both focused on Cloud and Tifa, Sephiroth slowly began to back towards the back door of the chapel. He caught Aerith’s eye and gestured for her to do the same. She nodded and immediately ran through the door, slamming it open.

“Huh?” Genesis looked up to see Aerith running away. “Who’s that kid?” He headed for the door, but Sephiroth blocked the exit.

“She’s a local. Leave her alone.”

“Oh, playing the hero now, are we?” Genesis reached out and grabbed Sephiroth’s arm, yanking it painfully behind Sephiroth’s back. “Bet you can’t even save yourself!”

Sephiroth stomped down hard on Genesis’s foot, and Genesis cried out, momentarily loosening his grip enough for Sephiroth to pull free. He ran after Aerith, bolting up the rotting wooden stairs of the church.

“Hey!” 

Sephiroth didn’t look back. He pounded up the stairs until he reached the top floor.

“Angeal! I’ll take care of these two, you go after him!” 

Sephiroth almost laughed. Angeal’s not going to catch me. He’s far less nimble than you, Genesis. He spotted a ladder stretching up to the attic and changed course.

“Sephiroth!” 

Sephiroth turned back briefly to see if Angeal had followed him up the ladder. Suddenly he ran headfirst into something large and solid, and he looked forward again to see a large wardrobe wobble precariously in front of him. He cried out and scrambled backwards.

A stack of boxes fell from the top of the wardrobe, dumping a large canvas atop Sephiroth. The weight of the fabric pushed Sephiroth to the ground, and he blindly tried to pull the sheet off of him. 

“There you are!”

Sephiroth heard heavy footsteps thud across the floor behind him, and he scrambled to free himself from the tangle of fabric. 

He managed to find the edge of the cloth, but as he crawled out something heavy landed on top of him, pinning him to the ground and knocking the wind out of him.

“Gotcha!” Angeal leaned forward, further pressing his weight on Sephiroth’s back. Sephiroth squirmed, but Angeal had him pinned.

“This is for your own good, you know.” Angeal pulled Sephiroth’s hands behind his back, and Sephiroth felt something cold and metallic tighten around his wrists.

“Are you arresting me?” he spat.

“You’re not in trouble. These are to keep you from hurting yourself.”

“They’re to prevent me from running away again.” 

“That too.” Angeal pulled Sephiroth roughly to his feet and pulled him back towards the ladder. “Watch your step.”

Sephiroth noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, and looked to see Aerith hiding behind a decaying patch of drywall. He managed a tiny smirk, and she gave him a nervous smile back.

At least she’s safe.

“Well, well! Look what we have here!” 

“Let go of me! Let - go!” Sephiroth struggled against Angeal’s grip on his arm, his hands still handcuffed behind him. Angeal thrust Sephiroth forward, and he stumbled, nearly falling. The cuffs dug into his wrists.

“It took us long enough to find you, you disloyal little rat!” Heidegger boomed. 

“Where are the other two? Cloud and Tifa?”

“Those two are back safely with their parents. They’re lucky you didn’t succeed with your plan to lure them from the safety of the city!”

“I didn’t ‘lure’ them anywhere! They- ow!” Sephiroth collapsed forward from the force of Angeal’s elbow to his back. “What the hell, Angeal? I’m not a criminal!”

“You were supposed to be a SOLDIER, but you fled from your duty. You’re worse than a criminal; you’re a coward.”

“Better than you, being Hollander’s puppet,” Sephiroth spat.

“Enough petty squabbling!” Heidegger slammed his fist on the arm of his chair, and both boys jumped. “Sephiroth, Vincent has let you run off-leash like a mangy mutt for too long! It’s time someone show you how to ‘sit’ and ‘stay!’”

Sephiroth bit back angry tears. “I’m not a dog!”

“Take him back to his quarters. And make sure he doesn’t run off again!”

Sephiroth rubbed his wrists gingerly as he sat on his bed. They were bright pink from the friction, but thankfully it didn’t look like they would bruise.

Damn you, Angeal. What happened to the boy who was so obsessed with honor?

“Honor can be quite a burden at times.” 

Suddenly Sephiroth’s head exploded. He cried out at the sudden excruciating pain, collapsing to the floor as the room swam around him. The walls seemed to melt, morphing into discolored, distorted masses like trees in a moonlit forest.

“My son.”

One of the trees seemed to swell, its sickly green darkening into a deep purple. It pulsated and seemed to grow, like molten lava inching towards Sephiroth’s body as he screamed in pain. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Sephiroth saw himself, curled in a ball on the floor. A man stood above him, a dark figure with striking long silver hair and a long black coat. The silver-haired man reached down and put his hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder…

And the pain disappeared, so quickly Sephiroth almost wondered if the feeling itself was an illusion.

What was that? Sephiroth tried to stand, but his whole body quivered with lingering fear. Who was that man?

Chapter Text

“Team Glenn, together again!”

Glenn cheerfully wrapped his arm around his friend Matt’s shoulder. He reached to his right to try and pull Lucia into his embrace too, but she stepped out of reach. 

“Long time no see.” Matt pulled Glenn’s arm off him and stepped aside, rolling his shoulders. 

“So what’s this about?” Lucia folded her arms solemnly. “After that Jenova thing took out the Rhadore remnants, I thought that was the end of things.”

“Not quite. They spotted Jenova near Midgar, and we’re the oldest SOLDIERs in the area. It’s either us or the kids.”

“Lucky us…” Matt shook his head. “Thankfully, we’ve got good intel on its appearance and abilities. Shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish this mission.”

“Let’s hope so! There’s a massive payday waiting for us if we can pull this off!”

“Good. Then you’ll finally be able to repay your debt.” Matt smirked. “Last I counted, you owe me 700 gil.”

“500,” Glenn insisted. “You told me that last meal didn’t count.”

“Did you forget about the coffee last-”

“Will both of you focus?” Lucia pinched the bridge of her nose. “This enemy is dangerous. We need to get serious!”

“Lighten up, will you? If it’s so dangerous, we’d best make the most of the time we have left together. Am I right?”

“Then let’s make good use of that time and come up with a plan.” Matt reached over to the desk next to him and grabbed a brown folder on it. “Here’s the intel we have on Jenova: it is a singular entity, traveling from place to place. If it makes physical contact with you, it will spread its disease, which we call ‘geostigma.’ Once infected, death is all but guaranteed. If we’re lucky, it’ll spread fast. If not…”

“If not?” Glenn peered at the contents of the folder over Matt’s shoulder. He grimaced at what he read. “Ooh. You basically become a zombie.”

“That’s what’s made it so hard to pin down. Infected people do Jenova’s bidding until they’re no longer of use.”

“Any information on its shapeshifting abilities?”

“Here you go.” Matt handed Lucia a sheet of paper. “It has an uncanny ability to appear like someone you care about.”

“It can read your mind!?” Lucia flipped the page towards the two men to show them. “That’s how it tricks you. It figures out who’s important to you based on your memories, then changes to look like that person to get close to you.”

“And once it touches you…” Glenn playfully poked Matt’s cheek. “You’re dead.”

Matt rolled his eyes and pushed Glenn’s hand away. “Or a puppet to help it find its next victim.”

“So what’s the plan, Professor?”

Matt pursed his lips but didn’t respond.

“Did you hear me?” Glenn waved his hand in front of Matt’s face.

“I told you not to call me ‘Professor.’”

“Okay, Matt. What’s our plan?”

“Kill it before it kills anyone else.” Matt reached over and picked up his gun, holstering it.

“Stick together. Don’t lose sight of each other. And don’t trust anyone else.” Lucia picked up her rifle.

“And don’t turn into a zombie.” Glenn picked up his hammer. “Let’s go!”

Sephiroth tugged at the neck of his SOLDIER turtleneck uncomfortably. It feels like I’m constantly being choked. He desperately wanted to rip the sweater off his body.

“Your treatment is supposed to be tomorrow, right?” Angeal smiled at Sephiroth. “Are you ready?”

Sephiroth shook his head. “I never wanted this. I never chose to be a SOLDIER.”

Angeal frowned. “It’s an honor to fight to protect those you care about. Don’t you think?”

Sephiroth remembered Vincent’s words. “Not everything is solved by fighting. What if…” Sephiroth’s throat tightened. “What if the procedure goes wrong? If I end up with a stronger body, but lose my mind?”

Angeal reached out and put a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “That won’t happen. Hollander’s done this procedure plenty of times. He knows what he’s doing.”

The door to the training room slid open, and Genesis walked in. His nose was buried in a book. 

“What’s that?” Angeal peered over Genesis’s shoulder at what he was reading. “Poetry?” 

Sephiroth took the opportunity to sneak around Genesis. 

“My friend, do you fly away now?” Sephiroth stopped at the door and turned back towards Genesis. “To a world that abhors you and I?” Genesis smirked contemptuously at Sephiroth. “All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow.”

Winds… “I’m going to visit a friend.” 

“The slum dweller?” Genesis grimaced. “You’d rather play in the filth down there than hang out with us up here?”

“Yes.” Sephiroth narrowed his eyes.

To his surprise, Genesis looked disappointed. “Oh.” He turned back to his book. 

Sephiroth simply turned and left the room.

As he walked down the hall, a familiar spiky-haired boy came rushing down the hall. “He-e-y! Sephiroth!”

“Hello, Zack. Need something?”

“Nah, I’m just bored.” Zack started doing squats, bouncing up and down excitedly as he pumped his arms. “Can I play with you?”

“I - um - sure. I’m planning on heading to lower Sector 5, so-”

“Great! I’ll come with you!”

“Um, what about your parents? Are they okay with you-”

“Oh, yeah!” Zack stopped doing squats. “As long as I’m with a friend, and I’m home before dark.”

“Fine. But don’t be annoying.”

“You got it!”

“It… really is here?” Glenn shuffled uncomfortably as the three SOLDIERs disembarked from the train in the Sector 4 slums. “It’s… so close to…”

“Be on your guard, Glenn. Don’t trust anyone, remember?” 

“Yeah, I understand. But…” He scratched his head. “Even if it’s a fake, the thought of killing… my own family…” 

“Then I’ll do it for you. You can just close your eyes.” Matt tightened his grip on his sword.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” 

Sephiroth spotted Aerith waiting for him at the station. He rushed up to his friend, Zack hot on his tail.

“Aerith!”

“Hey, Sephi!” 

“S-Sephi?” Sephiroth grimaced.

“You don’t like it?”

“I-” Zack had started tapping incessantly at Sephiroth’s shoulder. “What?” he hissed.

Zack was strangely pale. He motioned for Sephiroth to step aside with him.

“Who’s your friend?” Aerith leaned over to look at Zack.

Zack was now tugging at Sephiroth’s hand. “Um, one sec. I’ll be right back.” He let Zack pull him a short distance away.

“Are you sure that’s your friend?” Zack whispered. “She seems… weird.”

“She’s not weird!” Sephiroth shouted. 

“I didn’t mean it that way. It’s just… she’s so… old. And she smells weird.”

“Those are just flowers-”

Zack frantically shook his head. “No, not flowers. It smells more like-” Zack gasped suddenly. “Behind you!”

Sephiroth turned to see a woman he didn’t recognize - a tall woman with cascading silver hair. Before he could react, the woman grabbed Sephiroth by the wrist. Her hand was cold, and Sephiroth realized in horror that her skin was a purple-gray hue.

He looked up, panicked, at the figure. Its face flickered for a moment, and Sephiroth’s father grinned down at him, his grip tightening around his wrist. Sephiroth screamed and tried to pull away, but Hojo’s grip was like a vise. 

Zack yelled and leapt at Hojo, kicking and punching every inch of the man. “Let him go!”

Hojo grabbed Zack by the neck. The boy spluttered as he struggled to breathe.

“Zack! No!” Sephiroth reached out to Zack, but the figure holding him yanked him painfully out of reach. “You monster! Let him go!”

“Se… phi… roth…” Zack choked. “Help…!”

Something black oozed from Hojo’s fingers, snaking around Zack’s neck. At that moment, a shot rang out, and Hojo recoiled in pain, releasing Zack. 

“Lucia! Get that kid out of here!” Sephiroth whirled around to see a thin, dark-skinned man in a SOLDIER uniform. The barrel of his gun was still smoking as he aimed it at Hojo’s head. 

Hojo glared at the man, then dissolved into a haze of black smoke. The man’s eyes widened as a second man in a SOLDIER uniform ran up next to him.

“What the hell?” The second man ran his fingers exasperatedly through his blond hair. “Was that in the reports?”

“Guys!” Sephiroth turned back to Zack. A SOLDIER woman was crouched next to Zack, staring sadly at the boy’s neck. It was dark, almost black, and oozing liquid onto his shirt. “He’s got the stigma.”

“Shit…” The blond man rushed to Zack’s side. “What do we do? He’s just a kid. We can’t let him die!”

“Die!?” Sephiroth’s voice cracked. Zack burst into tears.

“Thanks, Glenn.” The woman glared at the blond before turning back to Zack and wrapping him in a hug. “Don’t listen to him. You’re going to be all right.”

“Sephiroth?”

Sephiroth turned to see Aerith running towards him. He instinctively recoiled, and Aerith stopped in her tracks.

“What’s wrong? Is that boy all right?”

She’s not the monster. Sephiroth relaxed. “Aerith, he - he’s got the stigma. Jenova got him.” His hands shook as he pointed towards Zack, who was now being tended to by all three SOLDIERs. “Please… please, is there anything you can do?”

Aerith looked sadly at Zack. Suddenly her face lit up. “Wait! The church!” Aerith rushed forward and grabbed Zack’s hand. “Come with me!”

“Whoa, kid! Careful!” Glenn tried to pull Aerith away from Zack.

“Please, trust me! I know what can heal him!”

“We don’t have any other options,” the dark-skinned SOLDIER remarked. “We don’t know of any other cure.”

“Hurry! Follow me!” Aerith ran up the path towards the church, the three SOLDIERs, Zack, and Sephiroth close behind.

When they got to the church, Aerith took a deep breath, then uprooted a section of lilies. Her heart ached at the blooms laying on the floor, but she didn’t dwell on her grief as she dug into the dirt with her bare hands. 

As her mother had told her, under the soil was a trickle of fresh water. She scooped it into her hands and rushed back towards the spiky-haired boy. “Hold still.” She splashed the water onto the dark part of his neck.

The black patches began to glow a bright green, then almost seemed to dissolve into a wave of greenish steam. When the mist cleared, the boy’s neck looked completely normal. Aerith sighed in relief.

“You’re quite the little healer.” Glenn crouched down to look curiously at Aerith. “How did you know that would work?”

“I didn’t.” Aerith shrugged. “I hoped it would, though.”

“You… you saved my life.” The boy gazed at Aerith with wide blue eyes. “How can I repay you?”

Aerith shook her head. “No, no. I’m happy to help!”

“At least tell me your name?”

“Aerith.”

“Aerith…” She liked the way the boy said her name. “I’m Zack. Thanks again for saving me.”

“Don’t mention it!” Something tickled the back of Aerith’s mind. “Actually… how about one date?”

“Huh?”

The suggestion made sense in her mind, but it felt strange actually saying it aloud. “Sorry, forget it.”

“Maybe when you’re older.” Aerith jumped; she forgot Sephiroth was there.

“How about you, Sephiroth? Are you okay?”

Sephiroth nodded. “It didn’t spread the stigma to me.”

“Guess the thing liked you.” Glenn tapped Sephiroth’s shoulder with his fist. “Lucky you, eh?”

“Let’s not count our chocobos before they hatch. Our first priority is to get these kids back home safely. Then let’s hope we can find Jenova again before it kills anyone.”

Aerith was surprised by what Sephiroth said next.

“Use me.”

The three SOLDIERs were just as surprised.

“That thing killed my parents. It tried to kill Zack. But it didn’t try to kill me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’re lucky to be alive. We can’t risk…” Aerith felt the Lifestream pulse, and it seemed Glenn felt the surge of energy as well. He winced and put a hand to his forehead.

“Glenn…?” Lucia peered at the SOLDIER curiously.

Glenn squinted at Sephiroth. “You… remind me of someone, kid.” He took a deep breath and rolled his shoulders. “Ugh, I have a really bad feeling about this, but my gut is telling me to do what you order… begrudgingly.”

“Stay close to the church, okay?” Aerith piped up. “That way if something goes wrong, the waters here can heal you.”

Sephiroth smiled at Aerith. Aerith could see the fear in his eyes. “Thanks, Aerith.”

Sephiroth’s heart pounded as he waited outside the church. Am I insane? Why am I doing this? 

He rubbed his wrist gingerly where Jenova had held him. Why didn’t it kill me? Why did it attack Zack instead of me?

The hair on the back of his neck prickled, and he looked up to see Lucrecia smiling back at him. Mother… His heart ached at the sight of her.

“Don’t do this to me,” his voice wavered. “I know you’re not my mother. Don’t try to trick me.”

“This… feels right.” Jenova stepped forwards, and Sephiroth stepped back apprehensively. “This form… don’t you feel it?” She reached out a hand towards Sephiroth. “We share a kinship. Something is drawing us together. Destiny, perhaps.”

Sephiroth shook his head. “You killed my parents. I’ll never forgive you for that.”

“I see every human’s mind. Trust me, you’re much better off without them.”

“That’s not your choice to make!” Sephiroth shouted. “You took away my home, my future! In less than a day, I’m going to be a lab rat for the idiot Hollander, and it’s all because of you!”

Jenova reached out. “I can take you away from all that. If you come with me, I can make all your problems go away. I’ll give you a brighter future, one with noble purpose, where you’re not controlled by these stupid humans.”

Sephiroth stared at Jenova’s hand. “What… noble purpose?”

“Come. I’ll show you.”

Sephiroth slowly, hesitantly reached out. 

A loud bang rang out, and Lucrecia stumbled backwards, clutching her chest.

Sephiroth blinked, and in Lucrecia’s place was a massive, tentacled monster with a tusked skull.

“What the hell is that!?”

“Shoot it, whatever it is!”

The creature howled in pain as it was bombarded by shot after shot. Sephiroth’s heart twinged with a moment of pity.

Jenova seemed to sense his emotions. It swiveled its skull-like head to face him, its eye sockets dark and empty. 

<<Become part of me.>>  

The voice echoed through Sephiroth’s mind, but the voice wasn’t his own. He clutched at his head. “Get out of my mind!”

“Kid! Get out of the way!” Someone roughly grabbed Sephiroth by the arm, and he instinctively wrenched himself free - right towards the monster.

Jenova seized the opportunity and wrapped one of its tentacles around the boy’s midsection. Sephiroth cried out as he was lifted into the air, his arms pinned to his sides by the creature’s grip. 

“Kid!” Glenn leapt forward, aiming his hammer at the base of the tentacle ensnaring Sephiroth, but another tentacle slammed into his chest and knocked him out of the way.

Sephiroth squirmed in the monster’s grasp, and for the first time he wished he had the strength of a SOLDIER. He wriggled helplessly as Jenova’s tentacle tightened around his body. “Help! Somebody help me!”

Suddenly a red blur whizzed past Sephiroth, severing the tentacle. Sephiroth fell roughly into Glenn’s arms, and the SOLDIER quickly rushed Sephiroth out of Jenova’s reach. The two watched from the church entrance as the red streak whipped around Jenova, leaving deep lacerations in the monster’s skin, before leaping into the air and unfurling its wings. 

This second monster growled and aimed a large shotgun at Jenova, firing multiple shots at its head. These shots proved more effective than Matt’s and Lucia’s, and Jenova screeched, covering itself with its remaining tentacles. 

“Stun it!” The monster growled. “Incapacitate it!” 

Matt and Lucia nodded and reached into their uniforms, replacing the bullets in their weapons. The two SOLDIERs and the monster aimed at Jenova’s head and fired as one. The creature recoiled, then slumped over, its tentacles dropping limply to the ground.

The winged monster landed nimbly on the ground, then convulsed as it began to glow, so brightly that everyone nearby was forced to shield their eyes.

The light faded, and Sephiroth was the first to open his eyes. 

“Vincent!” He sprinted full speed towards his friend, slamming into Vincent and squeezing him in a tight hug. 

Vincent patted the boy’s back reassuringly, then turned to look at Glenn. “Everyone all right?”

Glenn rolled his eyes and huffed. “Yeah. But this was my mission, capisce? So I get the reward. You don’t get the credit for swooping in last-minute like that.”

“Fair enough. You need the money more than I.”

“What do you mean by that!?” Glenn shook his fist at Vincent.

“Thanks for the help, Mr. Valentine.” Matt strode past Glenn, ignoring his friend’s irritation. “We can take it from here. Come on, Sephiroth. Let’s get you and Zack home.”

Chapter Text

Sephiroth took a deep breath, then hopped off the bed of the truck, his boots crunching on the familiar soil of his hometown. He thanked the driver, then walked through the gate.

It looks just like I remember it. How long has it been…?

He expected the town to be quiet. Somber, carrying the weight of all the death and loss all those years ago.

Instead the town was vibrant, townspeople chatting outside their homes, dogs and cats running around the square freely. He spotted a young man with distinctive spiky blond hair.

“Cloud?”

Cloud turned to Sephiroth, and his eyes widened in recognition. He gestured over to a young woman in a cowgirl outfit. “Tifa! Tifa, look who’s here!”

“Sephiroth?” Tifa straightened her hat as she turned to face Sephiroth. “What a surprise!”

Sephiroth couldn’t help but smile. “It’s been a while.”

“That uniform…” Tifa glanced up and down at Sephiroth’s outfit. “Are you with SOLDIER now?”

Sephiroth nodded. “Passive class. Zack and I are the next generation of P-class SOLDIERs. No mako enhancements required.”

“You look good. Far cry from the skinny kid we grew up with in Midgar, eh?”

“He’s still pretty skinny,” Cloud scowled. 

“Don’t be mean, Cloud.” Tifa put her hands on her hips. 

“He’s right,” Sephiroth shrugged. “You should see Zack. He’s almost as tall as me now! Eats like you wouldn’t believe.”

“Is Zack coming to visit?” Cloud’s expression softened slightly. “He’d probably like Mom’s cooking.”

Sephiroth shook his head. “I’m not here for work.”

“Right…” Tifa gasped. “You grew up here. Before you went to Midgar.”

“I did.” Sephiroth glanced at the note in his pocket, then pointed at a nearby house. “Right over there.”

“Whoa…” Tifa looked at the house. “That’s right next to Cloud! You two could have been neighbors, if it weren’t for…” She shook her head. “Anyway. I’ll let you get to it, then.”

Sephiroth nodded in thanks and continued forward. 

At the door of his old house, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key Vincent had given him. His stomach turned suddenly, and he grasped the key tightly to prevent his hands from shaking.

It’s not here anymore. It’s back in Midgar, remember? You’re safe here. Sephiroth took a deep breath. You’re safe here.

He opened the door.

Sephiroth expected to feel something, a surge of emotion, a rush of familiarity. But the house was unremarkable. Nothing triggered any long-forgotten memories. Sephiroth wandered to the kitchen, where a toddler’s high chair sat, caked with dust, next to the dining table.

Sephiroth ran a finger along the top of the chair. This was mine, once. Logically, he knew that to be true. But the chair, like the rest of the house, was nothing more than mundane. Sephiroth almost felt guilty at the lack of emotion. Is there nothing here that I remember? Was I really too young?

He walked upstairs and gently pushed open the door to the master bedroom. 

A chill went down Sephiroth’s spine as he stepped into the room. He glanced back over his shoulder, as if nervous someone would catch him in a place he wasn’t supposed to be. But nobody was there. Obviously. Sephiroth shook away the feeling. 

He walked to the left side of the bed and peered at a pile of papers stacked neatly on the bedside table. He spotted his own name written on the first page. Curious, he picked up the stack and started to read.

While true that I too was late to say my first word, Sephiroth is reaching the age where it would be right to worry about his progress. I don’t wish to worry Lucrecia - she has such a way of overreacting to such things - but the thought that my offspring would fail to inherit my brilliant mind… 

If the boy’s mind ends up being useless, at least he is physically in good health. Gast is currently attempting to create a vaccine to fight this “geostigma…” If he could get me a sample, I could attempt genetic splicing with human DNA. 

I highly doubt the experiment would be successful this late in the child’s development, but it would at least provide useful data. 

Sephiroth swallowed heavily and put the papers back on the table, not wishing to read any further. My own father… was planning to… He shivered, overcome by a strange feeling, like he had lived longer than he was meant to. Like this is borrowed time. He shook his head and turned to his mother’s bedside table.

The only item on Lucrecia’s side of the bed was a dusty book titled Legends and Mysteries of the Cetra. A bright red bookmark stuck out of the top, and Sephiroth carefully opened the book to that page.

Soul wrought of terra corrupt, quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth an ultimate fate. Behold mighty Chaos, Omega's squire to the lofty heavens.

Sephiroth sat gently on the side of the bed, continuing to read. Lucrecia had marked up the text extensively, underlining pieces and scrawling notes in the margins. Sephiroth traced his mother’s handwriting with his finger.

Found “terra corrupt” w/ Dr. Valentine?

Bioplasma refined antimatter

Control Chaos… protomateria?

I’m so sorry…

Sephiroth squinted, trying to make out the words on the page. He rubbed his eyes, then glanced up. To his surprise, the room was dim, the deep purple sky outside casting the room in a bluish tint. What time is it? He glanced at the clock on the wall and started in surprise. Midnight? But how…? 

He took a closer look. The thinnest hand on the clock quivered slightly, bouncing back and forth without progressing across the clock face. How many years has it been, Sephiroth pondered, that you fought to keep up with the passage of time? How long ago did you fail to keep pace? 

Sephiroth placed the book back on the bedside table. 

How wretched… 

Rufus Shinra gazed thoughtfully at the creature inside the tank, gently running his finger along the glass. 

Everything I’ve been told of this creature should elicit fear. And yet… the only thing protecting me from this monster is this glass. Rufus tapped his fingernail to the glass. Thin, thin glass. He glanced back at his father, who was discussing something under his breath with Director Heidegger.

<<And under that bratty exterior? Loneliness.>>

Rufus jerked his finger away from the glass as if it had just been shocked. He took a step back and turned to face his father-

But his father wasn’t there. Nor was the lab containing Jenova. Instead Rufus found himself standing ankle-deep in mud as rain poured around him, plastering his blond hair to his head. 

“Where am I…?”

Rufus trudged through the mud, wincing slightly each time the sludge splashed against his white coat. 

The wind howled, and Rufus could have sworn he heard a woman’s voice whispering as it blew past.

Rufus… Rufus…

Rufus braced himself against the gale, shielding his face until the wind died down. He looked up to see a figure in the distance - a woman with long silver hair, her back turned. 

“Who are you?”

The woman didn’t answer. She didn’t move, save for her hair whipping in the wind. 

“Hello?” Perhaps she can’t hear me. Rufus tried to walk closer, but when he attempted to move his foot, it wouldn’t budge. He glanced down. 

The wind had dried the mud into a thick, gray clay encasing his feet. Oddly, Rufus noticed that his coat was pristinely clean. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled. Something’s not right here. He glanced back up towards the mysterious figure.

The woman was gone.

A primal fear took hold of Rufus, and he began to struggle violently, straining to pull his feet free, to loosen the hardened clay. When that didn’t work, he bent down and began to dig and scratch at it, tearing at it bit by bit with his fingernails. One nail caught on the edge of the dirt and split painfully, and Rufus cried out, cradling his bleeding finger with his other hand. 

What is this place? Where am I?

Rufus steadied his breathing and observed the world around him. Though he appeared to be outdoors, none of the shadows aligned. Everything was bathed in a pinkish glow, and the distant trees appeared to pulse and shimmer whenever Rufus tried to focus on them. 

“Jenova can shift her appearance to match the memories of its victims,” Rufus recalled, muttering aloud. “If she can change herself, perhaps she can change the environment as well.” He tugged at his feet again. “Quite the strong illusion. Simply acknowledging its lies isn’t enough to free myself.”

<<Such a precocious young boy.>>  

Thin, bony tendrils curled around Rufus’s shoulder, and he shuddered, not daring to look at what had grabbed him. He felt long, sharp nails dig into his skin. 

“Let’s cut to the chase. There’s something you want, that you assume I can provide. Something I would be willing to sacrifice to regain my freedom.”

<<Clever boy. A pity you were never one of mine. You so nearly were, once.>>

A vision flashed before Rufus, of a gaunt man draped in white cloth, sitting in a wheelchair. The man’s left hand was marred with an oozing black rash. Geostigma.

“What is it you want?”

Rufus felt the grip on his shoulder loosen, the bony fingers sliding down his arm before resting at his elbow. He stole a glance and gulped at the sight of a skeletal hand, graying skin stretched taut over inhumanly long bones, tipped with sharp purple fingernails. 

<<Same as you.>>

Me? What is it I want? Rufus tore his gaze away from the hand and closed his eyes. What I want… He pictured himself seated in his father’s office chair on the top floor of the Shinra building. He imagined himself descending from a helicopter, greeted by perfect rows of loyal soldiers. 

“Power. Undying loyalty from those under your command.”

Jenova released Rufus’s arm, emitting a low, gurgling chuckle. <<Too blinded by ambition. This simply won’t do.>>

With that, it felt as if a weight in the air lifted, and Rufus was alone. However, the illusory world remained, including the mud trapping his feet. Trapped…  

“You want freedom.” Nothing responded, but something in Rufus’s gut told him Jenova was listening. “Quid pro quo. I release you, you release me. Is that right?”

<<Indeed.>>

“Remain trapped in a world of illusions, or unleash an unworldly terror upon the Planet.” Rufus chuckled darkly. “Well-”

Something smacked Rufus across the face - hard. He stumbled backwards, flailing wildly as he lost his balance and collapsed onto the cold metal floor. 

“Pull yourself together, boy!” 

Rufus rubbed his cheek gingerly, glaring up at Heidegger towering above him.

“Listen to your father! Don’t ignore direct orders from the president!”

Rufus glanced over at his father, who was peering suspiciously at Jenova in the mako tank. He staggered to his feet, trying to ignore the stinging of his face. “Father. That thing needs to be further contained.”

“No.” President Shinra puffed thoughtfully on his cigar, blowing a ring of smoke at the glass. “We have successfully contained it thus far. There is no need for paranoia.”

“Father…” 

President Shinra shot an icy glare at his son, who immediately shut his mouth. Behind the glass, Rufus could swear he saw the tusks of the creature turn up slightly, like a wicked grin.

“Father, it’s going to escape!” 

“Enough!” President Shinra slammed the butt of his cigar on the glass of the mako tank, leaving an ashen smear. “Do not question my authority. Understood!?”

Rufus opened his mouth to retort, but a loud crack echoed through the room. The three men stood in stunned silence as Jenova began to writhe, undulating in its confinement before suddenly slamming a tentacle against the side of the tank.

President Shinra stumbled backwards, and Heidegger moved to stand between the president and Jenova, which was now pounding aggressively at the black smear on the glass. Cracks spiderwebbed from the center of the impact, and thin streams of mako squirted out with a loud hiss.

Rufus didn’t hesitate. He didn’t stop to help his father, he didn’t turn to look at Jenova. He turned on his heel and ran from the room, slamming the metal door behind him just as he heard a crash of broken glass and rushing fluid. 

“Sir-”

“Lock down the building!” Rufus barked orders at the clueless infantrymen standing guard. “Barricade the doors, the windows!

Jenova has escaped!”

Chapter Text

Nanaki gazed up at the stars, squinting to try and make out the form of Bahamut. Instead he saw the image of a quadrupedal creature not unlike Nanaki, its head held high in defiance. Nanaki let out a low growl.

“What’s the matter, Nanaki?” An elderly man in flowing robes floated beside Nanaki, peering at him curiously.

“I keep seeing him in the stars,” Nanaki scowled. “My good-for-nothing father. The coward who abandoned our people in their time of need.” 

“Ho-ho-hoo!” The old man flapped his arms, his sleeves billowing. “Why now, of all times, I wonder…?”

“Grandpa - I mean, Fellow Bugenhagen… would this maybe have something to do with the Gi? I mean, what happened to them once the battles had ended?”

“Ahh, Nanaki. A plausible theory, indeed. You see, their spirits remain trapped on this plane. The Gi were never of the Planet. Thus, they can never return to it.”

“Like that - that thing! ‘Jenova,’ as they called it. The monster that almost took you from us!”

“‘The calamity from the sky,’ yes. Jenova and the Gi share many similarities.” Bugenhagen gazed up at the sky, the stars reflecting off his glasses. “I fear the appearance of Seto bodes ill for the canyon. I sense he’s trying to warn us of something.”

Nanaki scoffed. Bugenhagen turned to face him, then sighed forlornly.

“Come, Nanaki. I was rather hoping this lesson could have been delayed but a bit longer… but the time has come. You must be armed with the truth, to face what’s to come.”

Fifty-seven, fifty-eight, fifty-nine… Sephiroth’s arms quivered as he tapped his chin to the bar before dropping again. Sixty… His whole body shook as he lifted himself up again. Sixty… one… This time he could only bend his elbows halfway before he dropped, panting heavily as he dangled from the pull-up bar. 

He dropped gingerly to the floor, shaking out his arms as he walked over to the mirror. He flexed his biceps, frowning at how skinny they remained. His mind flashed back to the tentacle wrapped around his midsection, lifting him helplessly into the air. If I can’t strengthen my arms… He remembered how helplessly he squirmed, his arms pinned to his sides. He took a deep breath.

“Let’s try again…” He reached down and picked up the belt dangling over the back of the chair beside the mirror, carefully looping it around his body, pinning his arms at the elbows.

“What are you doing?”

Sephiroth yanked the belt in surprise, cursing under his breath as the buckle pierced the farthest hole. He turned toward the source of the voice, and his cheeks immediately flushed.

“T-Tifa? Wh-what are you doing here?” Sephiroth struggled to reach the buckle, but his elbows refused to bend under the pressure of the leather. He wriggled violently, trying to wriggle out of his self-made vise. 

“Seriously.” Tifa grimaced as she watched Sephiroth struggle. “What are you doing?”

Sephiroth gave up trying to undo the belt. “I… want to be able to break free of Jenova’s grasp, should it ever find me again.” He wriggled helplessly, fighting back tears. “But look at me. I’m too weak.”

Tifa’s expression softened. “Need some help?”

Sephiroth shook his head vigorously. “No, no, absolutely not. I can’t expect your help if that monster ever gets me again.”

“And why not?” Tifa put her hands on her hip, pouting angrily. “Do you think you’re the only one who’s training to fight?”

“You?”

“All of us. Cloud’s learning to hunt from the neighborhood watch, and I’m training in martial arts under Zangan.” Tifa dropped into a fighting stance, letting out a yell as she leapt into a spinning kick. The tip of her toe flipped the belt buckle, and Sephiroth winced at the temporary increase in pressure before the belt came undone, dropping to the floor and freeing Sephiroth’s arms. 

“Impressive.” He rubbed his arms gingerly.

“Trust me, if that beast steps within fifty yards of this town, I’m going to kick its slimy ass!” Tifa gave Sephiroth a playful punch on the arm. “And I’ll save your hide while I’m at it! After all, that’s what heroes do. They save those trapped or in trouble.”

Sephiroth shook his head. “That’s just it, Tifa. I don’t want to be the one trapped and in trouble. It’s embarrassing. Humiliating. It feels…” Sephiroth held up his hands, staring at his palms, “like it’s not what I’m supposed to be. It feels wrong, somehow.” 

“Nobody likes feeling trapped, Sephiroth. You’re not the only one who’s afraid of that thing.”

Sephiroth nodded. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Tifa placed a hand on Sephiroth’s shoulder. “Talk to Zangan. He has a bunch of tricks for escaping grabs and grapples. Maybe he has something that can help you. Just… don’t do whatever this is.” Tifa gestured to the belt lying on the floor.

Sephiroth blushed. “Understood. Thank you, Tifa.”

The entrance to the cave had been reduced to rubble. Chunks of stone littered the courtyard, and a cold wind emerged from the cave in gusts, ruffling Nanaki’s fur and carrying a familiar, rancid stench.

“It was here.” Nanaki couldn’t stop his voice from shaking. “Jenova opened the Cave of the Gi.”

Bugenhagen shook his head. “This is worse than I feared. Should Jenova reach the inner chamber…”

A shriek echoed from deep within, chilling Nanaki to the bone.

“We’re too late! Nanaki! Escort as many as you can to the airstrip!”

“We can’t abandon our home!” Nanaki barked. “We have to fight!”

“I’m afraid there’s nothing that can be done now. We must preserve what remains, protect those still alive!”

A chorus of shrill cries emerged from the cave, significantly louder this time. 

“Go, Nanaki!”

Nanaki reluctantly turned tail and ran.

“Everyone! We have to leave! The Gi are coming!” Nanaki rushed from seminar to seminar, alerting everyone in town. The students of planetology moved agonizingly slowly, peacefully gathering their things and chatting amicably as they descended down the vale. 

“Go! Go! We have to move!”

“Patience, Nanaki. The Planet is our-”

The man’s platitude was cut short by a spear emerging from his chest. A spindly, humanoid lancer materialized behind the spluttering man before yanking the spear from his body. 

The thud of the man’s body seemed to flip a switch in the crowd. Two women immediately screamed, while three others fled at full speed towards the entrance, one flinging his satchel at the specter as he fled. The group’s panic spread, infecting other groups until it was a cacophony of screams and frenzied running, pierced with the sound of metal slashing at flesh as more and more Gi specters appeared.

Nanaki did his best to herd the crowds towards the entrance, slashing at any spirits within reach with his claws. 

“Come! This way!” Bugenhagen waved the crowds ahead of him. “To the airstrip! Quickly now!”

Nanaki peered around the vale, eyes peeled for survivors. Stone bodies littered the courtyards, victims of the Gi’s poisoned arrows. A flood of skeletal figures streamed from the entrance of the cave.

“There’s too many of them…!”

Nanaki’s heart pounded in his chest as he stared at the cave’s entrance. He felt a strange pull, an instinct telling him to stand at the mouth of the cave to stem the flow of Gi. 

“Nanaki!”

A leonine figure leapt from the rafters above, landing nimbly beside Nanaki.

“Deneh! What are you doing here? You have to get out!”

“Someone has to stop these fiends!” Deneh rushed ahead, barrelling headfirst into a swarm of specters. 

“Deneh, no! Wait! Stop!”

Deneh roared, engulfing her body in elemental fire before rushing forward, scattering more ghouls. 

A sharp pain shot through Nanaki’s head, and he winced, squinting through the agony to spot a humanoid figure walking calmly from the mouth of the cave. 

“Deneh!” Nanaki cried out. “Get back! It’s the calamity!”

Deneh ignored Nanaki and rushed towards Jenova, growling defiantly. Jenova calmly lifted a hand and summoned a burst of energy. 

When the smoke cleared, Jenova and the Gi were gone, and a stone figure stood where Deneh had been moments before.

“No!!” Nanaki screamed, rushing to the figure’s side. “No, Deneh… please, don’t be…”

The stone figure was Deneh. Shafts of the Gi’s arrows stuck out of her sides, and her stone eyes glimmered with her last moments of defiance. 

“Deneh…” Nanaki bit back tears, then tilted his head back and howled, his sorrowful wail echoing through the canyon.

Chapter Text

“Barret, dear, mind giving me a hand?”

Barret strode to his wife’s side. “Sure thing, hun. Let me take care of this.” He bent down and picked up a handful of wet sheets, cradling the bundle with one hand and a handful of clothespins in the other.

Myrna plucked two pins from her husband’s hand and planted a kiss on his cheek before grabbing a sheet off the top of the pile. “You’re a dear, Barret. What would I do without you?”

“Break your back hanging sheets, probably,” Barret chuckled.

“Word is, in Midgar they have machines that dry your sheets for you. They tumble ‘em around, and it dries them in minutes rather than hours!”

“Well, I’ll be. Think Shinra would spare a few, once the reactor’s finished?”

“I don’t see why not. Though I’m sure a few folks would need a bit more convincing to switch to a machine that uses that much energy.” Myrna glanced at a house down the street. “Speaking of, you speak to Dyne of late?”

“Yeah,” Barret scratched his head. “He still thinks we’re moving too fast on this Mako stuff. Says his gut tells him it’s too early for them to build here.”

“I suppose that’s an improvement from not wanting one at all.” Myrna patted down the sheet she had hung, then adjusted the pins so it hung more taut. “They say one of the department heads at Shinra will be coming down to check progress on construction.”

“Hmph,” Barret furrowed his brow. “That could be trouble. Lotta folks are turning against Shinra of late.”

Myrna shook out a pillowcase, her face contorted with worry. “You don’t think it’s true, do you? The news says the president and head of Public Security fell ill, but young Rufus acts like he’s going to be in charge a while. Could it be true that President Shinra is dead?”

“What reason would Shinra have to lie about something like that?”

“Well… Eleanor told me, that a friend told her, that she had heard from a man in Kalm that the Shinra building went on lockdown for a few days. That Hollander had been working on a secret experiment that escaped.”

“Secret experiment?” Barret laughed. “You know I’ve never been one for conspiracy theories.” Something tickled the back of Barret’s mind, a feeling that what he had just said was somehow a lie. “I mean… if that were true, there’d be clues, right?”

“They say it’s the source of the stigma.”

“What, the experiment that escaped? Come on, Shinra wouldn’t be so stupid as to let something that dangerous break free!” The strange feeling returned to his mind. “Though… it’s possible they cut corners. It is a big company. Something could have slipped through…” 

“We should change the subject.” Myrna hung the last of the sheets. “I can see the weight on your mind. But don’t worry, honey. Even if-”

An explosion interrupted Myrna’s thought, and she screamed.

“The hell!?”

Barret rushed into the middle of town to get a better view. A cloud of smoke and fire rose from the mountains to the north.

“Barret!” A grizzled man burst out of a nearby home, a gun strapped to his back. “That came from the reactor!”

“But…” Barret stammered, “the reactor’s not done yet! It couldn’t have exploded.”

The man clapped Barret on the back. “Let’s check it out. Look for survivors.”

Barret nodded. “Right. I’ll meet you at the gate, Dyne.”

Zack sprawled out on his bed, letting out a large sigh of relief. “Ahh, it’s good to be home.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a note, scrawled on the back of a receipt to a coffee shop in the Sector 5 slums.

I enjoyed our date! Next time, let’s go shopping like you promised! 

Zack gently ran his thumb over the doodle of a lily beside the note. “Only a few more days, Aerith. Then I’ll be back in Midgar.” 

 Suddenly, a loud boom sounded from the jungle. The furniture began to shake, and Zack clutched the bedpost to prevent himself from being shaken off. A vase fell from the dresser by the door and shattered on the floor.

“Zack!” The door sprang open, and Zack’s mother rushed into the room, stumbling slightly. The shaking had stopped by the time she reached Zack’s bed, but she wrapped her son in a tight embrace. “Are you all right?”

“Ack! Mom! Get off!” Zack squirmed free from his mother’s embrace. “I’m all right, Mom.”

“Are you sure? No cuts? Scrapes? Bruises?”

“Mom! Seriously. I’m okay.” Zack smiled reassuringly. “But I’d better check out what that was.” He shimmied past his mom, grabbed his sword, and rushed out of the house.

Smoke rose from the direction of the reactor, fire and debris raining in the distance. Zack scratched his head worriedly. “Damn…”

Zack’s phone rang, and he flipped it open. “Zack speaking.”

“Zack. The reactor at Corel just exploded. We need you to report to-”

“Uh, funny you should say that, Director. The reactor here in Gongaga just exploded, too.”

Zack heard Director Lazard curse under his breath. “This is worse than I thought. Change of plans. Investigate the Gongaga reactor. Reinforcements will be en route shortly. Be careful!”

“Bring me the Black Materia.”

Cloud’s eyes sprang open, and he shot upright in bed. He blinked, breathing heavily, as he glanced around the room, looking for the source of the voice. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary.

“Just a dream…” 

He turned over in bed and closed his eyes, trying to drift back to sleep. But his heart refused to stop pounding, as if his body was sensing danger his conscious mind hadn’t noticed yet. He sat up and looked around again, peering into the shadows. Eventually he sighed exasperatedly, walked to the light switch, and flipped it on, bathing his room in a warm glow.

He paced the room restlessly, his stomach still twisted in knots. What am I feeling…?

Pacing seemed to make his anxiety worse, so he picked up the shotgun leaning against the wall and headed outside.

He noticed a pair of boots kicking idly above him, and he looked up. Tifa was sitting atop the water tower, staring up at the stars. She wasn’t in her pajamas, instead dressed in a cowgirl outfit, complete with a brimmed hat and brown boots. 

Cloud climbed the tower, sitting a good distance away from Tifa. “Hey.”

“Hey, Cloud.” Tifa turned and smiled at him. “You can’t sleep either?”

“Nah.”

Tifa turned back to looking at the stars. “Did you… have any strange dreams?”

Cloud blinked in surprise. “Uh… I guess. Why?”

Tifa stopped kicking her legs, staring down at her knees. “I dreamed about Midgar. That I was all grown up, living in the slums. I think I was… a bartender.”

“That’s a pretty grown-up type job.” Cloud tugged idly at his ponytail. “It would suit you.”

“I don’t know. In the dream, I felt… scared. My chest hurt, like I was wounded. Or maybe my heart was wounded?”

“Wounded? By whom?” Cloud stiffened slightly, sitting up a little straighter.

“Sometimes, in my dreams, I see a man. With long, silver hair, and eyes like a snake’s.” Tifa shivered. “He’d loom over me and whisper in my ear, but when I wake up I can never remember what he said. But his face… he looked like-”

A boom echoed from Mt. Nibel, a low rumbling sound that shook the glass of the windows slightly. 

“What was that?”

“That came from the reactor.” Tifa stood, pointing at a plume of smoke rising from halfway up the mountain. “C’mon, Cloud!” Tifa lept nimbly off the water tower.

“Where are you going, Tifa?”

“We have to tell Mayor Zander! Hurry!”

Barret and Dyne barely made it halfway up Mt. Corel before they were accosted by skeletal, floating creatures. They barred the path ahead, spears aimed at the two men.

“You shall not pass,” they murmured.

“Like hell!” Dyne stepped forward. “What happened to the reactor? We gave up our livelihoods for that hunk of junk, so if you were responsible for this-”

One of the Gi specters aimed its spear at Dyne’s throat, and he gulped.

“Hold up! Dyne didn’t mean nothing by it!” Barret reached out and pulled his friend out of range of the spears. “What happened to the reactor?”

“A quest… given us by our emancipator.”

“Huh?”

“Weaken those who oppose us, and thus shall we be given what is ours.”

“Look, we don’t know who - or what - you monsters are!” Dyne growled. “So why in the hell do you think we’re your enemies?”

“You are the forebears of those who stole our materia away.”

“‘Sins of the father,’ eh?” Dyne snarled. “Why punish us for something we’re not responsible for?”

“Soon all will be right. Our materia shall be returned to us, and we shall know peace.”

Flames engulfed Sephiroth as Nibelheim burned. 

Is this the night Jenova came? Despite the fear and chaos surrounding him, Sephiroth was calm. He trudged through the center of town, flames licking his feet but not burning him.

He turned the corner and froze in his tracks.

Him again.

The man from Sephiroth’s nightmares stood mere feet away, his back turned as he faced Mt. Nibel. “Wait for me,” he murmured towards the mountain, “I’m coming.” He turned, his long silver hair cascading behind him, and started up the mountain.

Sephiroth didn’t want to follow. But even without moving his feet, the scenery changed, the silver-haired man constantly in view, always with his back to Sephiroth. Sephiroth drew closer, and closer, until his nose practically touched the man’s silver hair. 

The surroundings shifted, and the silver hair morphed into the silver rapids of a raging river. A katana stuck out of the water’s surface, parting the waters around it. Bright orange koi swam around, untouched by the blade.

A purple mist enveloped the sword, disintegrating it. As the sword disappeared, the koi split into pieces, cleanly-cut chunks, the fishes’ eyes frozen wide in terror. 

“No!” Sephiroth reached into the water and pulled out the head of one of the fish. He cradled it in his hands as its mouth opened and closed rapidly, its eyes flitting around fearfully. 

“Such a cruel loss of life,” a voice cooed from behind him. Before Sephiroth could react, a gloved hand grasped his shoulder, a gesture both comforting and terrifying. “Indiscriminate, sparing neither innocent nor guilty.”

Sephiroth bolted upright-

-and tumbled out of bed onto the wooden floor.

He scrambled to his feet, panting heavily as he regained his bearings. “Just a dream… it was just a dream…” He ran a hand nervously through his hair. “He’s not real.”

A light flickered outside, and Sephiroth peered through the window. Mayor Zander was walking through town, a flashlight aimed ahead of him. Cloud and Tifa followed closely behind, and Tifa pointed up towards the mountain.

Sephiroth grabbed a jacket from a chair nearby and headed outside.

“Cloud? Tifa? What are you doing out here?”

“Something happened to the reactor,” Tifa explained. “See the smoke?”

Sephiroth looked up towards the mountain, where a thick black cloud hung in the air. He squinted. 

“Are you sure that’s smoke?”

“That’s what I said,” Mayor Zander piped up. “I’ve never seen a cloud of smoke move quite like that.”

“It’s… writhing,” Sephiroth noted. “Like a flock of birds.” He traced the path of the smoke with his gaze, and his eyes widened.

“Whatever it is, it’s heading down the mountain.”

“So you imbued all that hate into materia, huh.” Zack leaned back on the rock he was sitting upon, pondering what the skeletal figure had told him. “So what does it do?”

“It will summon the manifestation of our ire. From across the stars, it will impact the planet, returning all to its embrace, and freeing us from our torment.”

“Through death,” Zack realized. He leapt to his feet. “I can’t let you have that materia!”

“It is not yours to provide,” the specter responded. “The calamity will return it to us.”

“Where is it? Tell me!” Zack put his hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw it. 

“Our precious materia was stolen eons ago, by the Cetra.”

“Cetra…” Zack felt his face go white.

He raced away from the Gi specter, running through the jungle as fast as his legs would carry him. He whipped open his phone and called the first person he could think of.

“Sephiroth! Bad news!”

“Yours too?”

“Huh?”

“Did your reactor explode as well?”

“Yeah. It’s these guys calling themselves the Gi. They’re working with Jenova!”

There was silence on the other end of the call.

“Did you hear me?”

“Y-yeah. But… that can’t be. Jenova’s contained in-”

“In Midgar! Where Aerith is!”

Aerith crouched down and patted the dirt around the lilies. “There you go. Nice, fresh soil to feed your roots.” She gently ran her hand along one flower’s petals. “You’re certainly very hardy, to grow here.”

She stood and brushed the dirt off her dress, turning to leave the church. 

At that moment, the door opened, and a familiar young man entered.

“Sephiroth!” Aerith clapped her hands together. “Oh, how good it is to see you! It’s been such a long…”

Something about the man in front of her didn’t seem right. His gait was too stiff, his smile too forced. 

“Sephiroth…?”

“It’s been a while.” There was no emotion in Sephiroth’s voice. “We’ll have plenty of time to catch up later, but right now I have a favor to ask.”

“What do you need?” Aerith fought to keep her voice cheerful, but it wavered slightly.

Sephiroth grinned. “Come here.” He waggled his finger, gesturing for her to come closer. 

“Why…?” Aerith took a nervous step back. 

“I need you to help me find something, but it’ll help me if you come closer.”

Aerith tried to take another step back, but she bumped into the door. She fumbled for the knob, not daring to take her eyes off Sephiroth as he approached.

“You’re a Cetra, correct? You’ll be perfect.” Sephiroth reached towards Aerith, his arm extending and morphing into a slimy purple tentacle, his face hollowing into a gray skull. 

Aerith screamed.

Chapter Text

“We’ve located the Ancient.”

“Where!?” Zack nearly tipped over Director Lazard’s desk as he leaned on top of it. “Tell me, where is she?”

“Zack,” Sephiroth scolded. “Calm down.”

“How can you tell me to ‘calm down!?’ How can you be calm right now?” Zack threw up his hands in exasperation. “Aerith has been in the clutches of Jenova for months now! Who knows what it’s done to her?”

“Physically, Aerith appears to be unharmed.” Tseng folded his hands behind his back, standing stiffly. “As to her mind, I’m afraid we won’t be able to ascertain the damage until she is back in our custody.”

“Your custody?” Sephiroth pouted. “No. Just because you helped us find her doesn’t make her yours.”

“We shall see. It’s likely we will be able to kill two birds with one stone. In which case, she’ll be returned to her home swiftly.”

Sephiroth folded his arms. “How so?”

“Jenova is holding her at the Temple of the Ancients. It seems Jenova is seeking the Promised Land as well, and she can only reach it with Aerith.” Tseng tapped the keyboard in front of him, pulling up the display. “And with this.”

The screen displayed an image of a round, gray stone on a pedestal.

“The keystone. You cannot enter the temple without it. The good news is, it is stored in the heart of the Gold Saucer. When the Gi destroyed the modular reactor, it shut down the power and sent the place into full lockdown. Nobody can leave or enter,” Tseng clicked to a new slide, showing a gilded white structure covered in thick green goo, “and the Planet is helping make certain of that.”

“There’s no getting in for the Gi,” Sephiroth remarked.

“Or for us. Which brings us to the bad news.” 

The next slide was a shaky, grainy video showing a group of Gi hacking at the green globs with their spears.

“Hardened Cactuar nectar is strong, but it won’t hold forever. We need you two to infiltrate the Saucer, retrieve the keystone, and return it to us before the Gi get to it.”

“Hold on,” Sephiroth unfolded his arms, “how are we supposed to get in if all the entrances are sealed?”

“According to the park owner, there is a secret entrance only he knows about. And he insists that nothing would prevent him from using it. He will meet you both in the Dustbowl, and you’ll go from there.”

“Understood.”

A cool breeze kicked up the sand around Zack’s feet as he and Sephiroth walked through the streets of the Dustbowl. 

“Lucky we’re meeting this guy at sundown,” he remarked, his hands casually behind his head. “Could you imagine the heat of this place at midday?”

“You’re pretty cheerful, given the circumstances.”

“Hey, it’s better than what we had a month ago. Anything that gets me closer to saving Aerith is a win in my book!”

A clang of falling metal echoed from around the corner, and Sephiroth stopped, his hand resting inches from his holster. “Who’s there? Show yourself!”

A cat scampered out from around the corner, and Sephiroth visibly relaxed - before the cat suddenly rose to stand on its hind legs, raising its gloved paws in surrender. 

“Dinnae mean to startle ye!”

“Huh!?” Zack leapt back in surprise. “A talking cat?”

“Aye! Pleasure to meet ya! The name’s Cait Sith, and I will be your humble guide this evening. This way!” Cait Sith waved them forward, then returned to all fours, bounding ahead.

“This mission just got really weird…”

Cait Sith led Sephiroth and Zack to a small warehouse at the edge of town, then stood aside, gesturing for them to enter. Couldn’t be any stranger than it’s already been… Sephiroth pushed open the door.

“Welcome!”

Sephiroth was nearly smacked in the face by a golden cape as the man inside twirled around to face him and Zack. The man flexed his biceps in an exaggerated pose before placing his hands on his hips.

“Welcome, one and all, to the Gold Saucer! I am Dio.” The man held out a burly, muscular hand. 

“Sephiroth. And this is Zack.” Sephiroth made no move to take Dio’s hand.

Dio grabbed Sephiroth’s hand anyway, squeezing it in a confident handshake. “Pleasure to meet you! I take it you’re here to explore the Saucer?”

Sephiroth tugged at his hand, but it wouldn’t budge under Dio’s firm grip. “We’re here for the keystone.” Sephiroth struggled to pull his hand free.

Dio barely seemed to notice Sephiroth’s struggle. “Ah, is Shinra interested in my collection now?” He released Sephiroth’s hand and instead wrapped his arm around Sephiroth’s shoulders, pinning him against Dio’s side. “I’d normally part with it for a price, but time has not been kind to the old park.” He gesticulated dramatically. “Surviving the dangers within is price enough, wouldn’t you say?”

Sephiroth glanced at Zack, silently pleading for help. Zack was covering his face with his hand, clearly holding back a laugh. Some help you are… Sephiroth wriggled slightly, but Dio held him fast.

“Now, as your gracious host, I have provided you with tools to assist your journey.” Still holding Sephiroth with one arm, Dio gestured to Cait Sith with the other. Cait Sith leapt into the air, spawning a fluffy white Moogle beneath him. The Moogle held out two grappling guns, which Dio gently picked up and handed to Zack.

“And with that, I shall leave you to it. Fare thee well, friends.” Dio finally released Sephiroth, ducking back in a dramatic bow.

Sephiroth rubbed his arm gingerly. “All right. Let’s move.”

Cait Sith led the two SOLDIERs down a narrow tunnel. It shrank as it sloped downwards, until both Sephiroth and Zack were crouched almost at a crawl. 

“Here we go! The Gold Saucer awaits!” Cait Sith gestured at a small metal vent.

“A ventilation shaft?” Zack burst out laughing. “Just like in the movies!”

Sephiroth wasn’t particularly claustrophobic, but the sight of the narrow opening made Sephiroth’s skin crawl. “No turning back.” He took the lead, heading into the metal duct.

Thankfully, the entrance was narrower than the vent itself, and Sephiroth had room to breathe as he crawled. Certain sections buckled slightly under his weight, and Sephiroth prayed it wouldn’t collapse before they found the exit.

He spotted a grate ahead, the screws bright orange with rust. 

“Zack! This way,” he ordered, then crawled up to the grate and slammed his fist against it.

The rusted screws practically disintegrated, so Sephiroth grabbed hold of the corners and pulled. The grate popped off with a loud clang, and Sephiroth set it beside him, crawling out into the open area ahead.

“Hey, look!” Zack pointed ahead. “A map!”

Sure enough, a map of the park peeled from a dusty wooden podium. Sephiroth observed it carefully, glancing around the area they were standing in. Several of the squares listed on the map had collapsed, either crashed sideways into the lobby or missing entirely - Sephiroth guessed they must have crumbled to the desert below.

“If it hasn’t collapsed, Battle Square would be… that direction.” Sephiroth pointed to the right, past a massive pile of rubble. “Follow me.”

Sephiroth set off, confidently striding in the direction he’d indicated.

Without warning, the tile cracked beneath his feet. He dropped into a sprint as the cracks spread, spiderwebbing beneath him. 

He’d only taken two steps before the floor collapsed beneath him, and Sephiroth plummeted into the darkness below.

Chapter Text

“Sephiroth! Are you all right?”

Sephiroth coughed, his whole body bouncing as his cough shook whatever had caught his fall. 

“Y-yeah,” he gasped. 

“Hold on! I’ll jump down after you!”

“Wait! Give me a moment to get out of the way.” 

“Sure thing! Let me know when you’re ready!”

Sephiroth wriggled, pushing at the net beneath him to push himself out of the way. The net stretched and bent, but Sephiroth remained in the same place. What the…?

“Ready yet?”

“No! I can’t-” Sephiroth squirmed, trying to roll himself over. To his horror, he realized his arms were stuck to the threads that caught him. He writhed, his legs and back stuck as well. This is no net… this is-

“Zack! Whatever you do, don’t jump down!” Sephiroth called up. “It’s a Grashtrike nest. The whole place is covered in webs!” 

“Are you stuck!?”

Sephiroth wriggled futilely. “Afraid so.” 

“Lucky you have me here!”

“Lucky you waited when I told you to,” Sephiroth smirked. “Otherwise we’d both be stuck here.”

“I’ll find another way down. Stick tight!”

“Ha, ha.” Sephiroth rolled his eyes. “See if you can find the Keystone while you’re at it.”

“Will do!”

Zack climbed slowly through the wreckage of the Saucer, carefully testing his weight on each patch of floor before proceeding. 

“Look at what happened to this place…”

A stone castle loomed sideways over him, its pointed towers aimed towards a broken section of metal track that looked like it once belonged to a roller coaster. 

“All this from a loss of power?” Zack shook his head. “It couldn’t be… how much Mako could they have really needed, just to prevent this level of decay?”

Zack pulled himself over a chunk of stone - then gasped at the sight before him.

The floor was littered with bones - rib cages and beaked skulls, clawed toes and thick femurs. 

Zack had been a SOLDIER long enough that he was desensitized to death. He had seen hundreds of corpses, human and monster alike, littering the battlefield. But this was different. He clenched his jaw, biting back tears.

They abandoned the Chocobos. Left them here to die, all alone in the dark.

Zack couldn’t hold back. He dropped to his knees and sobbed. 

Sephiroth angled his wrist, then fired the grappling gun. The hook thudded satisfyingly into the stone wall, and Sephiroth smiled as he clicked the switch, reeling the hook back in. 

The cable squealed as it tugged Sephiroth closer to the hook embedded in the wall, straining against the Grashtrike threads. The web pulled taut, and the grappling gun began to smoke slightly. 

Something’s gotta give. Sephiroth smiled, proud of his clever plan. 

Part of the wall crumbled and the hook lost its hold, snapping back into the gun. The force launched Sephiroth in the opposite direction, and the threads finally gave way, snapping off the walls. 

Sephiroth fell - then bounced off something soft and wet, tumbling to the floor, the loose threads wrapping around him as he rolled to a stop. 

Not so clever after all… Sephiroth scowled, wriggling into a sitting position. 

He was completely bound, from his neck to his ankles, in the sticky thread. “I look like I belong in Ghost Square,” he muttered, “amongst the mummies.” 

He glanced over at what had cushioned his fall, and he felt his blood run cold. 

Grashtrike eggs. The bulbous masses pulsed slightly. Whatever was inside them was clearly alive. He racked his brain, trying to remember what he’d learned about the Grashtrike life cycle in his training. If the eggs are purple, does that mean they’re about to hatch? Or was it pink? 

He didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out.

“There you are!” Zack pushed aside the fallen statue, revealing a small gray orb covered in cobwebs. Zack gingerly picked it up, brushing off the dust. 

“All this trouble, for a little-”

Something hissed behind Zack, and he spun around, drawing his sword with one hand while he held the Keystone in the other.

A glowing blue creature loomed over him, a Grashtrike bigger than one he’d ever seen. 

“This must be the queen!” Zack leapt back, pocketing the Keystone and holding his sword at the ready. “All right, big guy - er, gal - come and get it!”

The Queen Grashtrike slithered closer, jabbing at Zack with her jagged arms. Zack dodged nimbly out of the way, slashing at the beast’s side. 

The Queen slithered away, putting distance between herself and Zack. 

“Yeah, that’s it! Stay out of my way!” Zack shouted, shouldering his sword and running away. 

Something long and sticky looped around Zack’s midsection, quickly entangling his torso and arms. Zack writhed uselessly as whatever had ensnared him started dragging him backwards.

He glanced over his shoulder to see the Queen Grashtrike dutifully winding webbing around its arms, pulling Zack closer… and closer… and closer…

Zack wriggled his shoulders, scraping the edge of the sword on his back against the threads. A few snapped, but not nearly enough. The Grashtrike hissed, its barbed tail twitching. One jab from that stinger and I’m toast!

But Zack could only watch helplessly as the Queen Grashtrike successfully caught her prey. It nimbly wove its gathered threads around Zack, undoing his meager attempt at escape and binding his arms uselessly to his sides. It raised its tail-

An arrow pierced the side of the Grashtrike’s tail, and it squealed in pain, writhing violently as more arrows struck. The tail turned gray as each arrow found its mark, until the Grashtrike slammed it against the wall, and it shattered into dust. 

“The Gi…!”

Just as Zack spotted the first spectral warrior, the Grashtrike clutched him beneath her and slithered away from its attackers.

“The Keystone is near. Find it.” 

The Gi made no move to pursue the Queen Grashtrike as it fled, and Zack sighed in relief, the Keystone still safely secured in his pocket.

The Queen Grashtrike slithered rapidly along the smooth tile floor, squeezing between piles of rubble. Zack wasn’t sure where it was taking him. He squirmed again, but the webbing was so thick around him that not even his sword could pierce it. 

“Hopefully Sephiroth is okay…”

Sephiroth poked at the hilt of his sword with his toe, inching it closer to his bound body. Almost there…

A noise echoed from the darkness outside, and Sephiroth gave up on the sword, wriggling violently to push himself away from the noise, his back pressed against the wall.

He suppressed a scream as a massive Grashtrike slithered into the cave. It lifted a tightly-bound figure from its arms and went to work fastening it to the wall of the cave with more webbing. Sephiroth noted that the creature’s tail was missing. 

When it was satisfied, the Queen Grashtrike slithered out of the cave as rapidly as it had entered.

“Heya, Sephiroth!”

Sephiroth glanced up at the prey the Grashtrike had secured to the wall.

“Zack!?”

Zack grinned down at Sephiroth. Though his torso and arms were bound, his legs were not, and he kicked them cheerfully. 

“Together again, eh? And guess what I got?”

Sephiroth sighed in relief. “You found the Keystone?”

“Yup! Right before the Gi did. It’s lucky I got caught by this thing, actually. I don’t think the Gi even noticed me!” 

Sephiroth nodded. “And it’s highly unlikely the Gi will find us, even had they spotted you.” He wriggled somberly. “Unfortunately for us, it’s unlikely anyone else will find us here.” He nodded at the eggs. “Not before they hatch, at least.”

“Oh ye of so little faith!”

Both Zack and Sephiroth turned in surprise to find a familiar black-and-white cat bounding into the cave. 

“Cait Sith! How did you find us!”

“Ah, ‘twas simple, really! Ol’ Dio didn’t want to lose his grappling guns, so he put tracking devices on them!” Cait Sith stood upright and jabbed a gloved thumb against his chest. “An’ there’s nowhere a clever cat like me can’t reach!”

“Great! Can you get us out of this?” Zack strained against the webbing, kicking his legs wildly. 

“Just you watch!” Cait Sith leapt into the air, summoning the fluffy Moogle again. The Moogle plodded over to Sephiroth’s sword and picked it up in its mitten-like paws before turning to Sephiroth.

Sephiroth writhed violently, wriggling away from the Moogle. Though he hated the possibility of being Grashtrike dinner, he also wasn’t thrilled at the possibility of being impaled by his own sword. 

“Hold still! This’ll only take a second.” Cait Sith scampered off the Moogle and on top of Sephiroth, waving the Moogle to come closer. Cait gently grabbed the end of the sword, and with a surgeon’s precision, sliced through the webs securing Sephiroth. 

“There ya go!” Cait Sith leapt back atop the Moogle, and Sephiroth stood, peeling the remaining threads from his body. “As for him…” Cait Sith peered up at Zack. “He’ll be a little trickier to reach.” 

“Of course,” Sephiroth sneered. “The important one.” 

“Important?”

Sephiroth nodded at Zack. “He has the Keystone.”

“Ohh!” Cait Sith suddenly placed a hand to his chin and sized up Sephiroth. “You’re pretty tall, ain’t ye? C’mere!” Cait Sith grabbed Sephiroth’s hand and pulled him over next to the Moogle. “Just stand atop him, an’ you should be able to reach!”

One of the eggs quivered violently, so Sephiroth reluctantly stood precariously on top of the Moogle’s head. Cait Sith carefully handed him his sword.

“Careful now…”

Straining to keep his balance, Sephiroth reached up, stretching the sword out as far as he could. It nicked one of the threads, snapping a handful. He leaned further, trying to get a good angle to slice…

His foot slipped, and several things happened at once: Sephiroth fell off the Moogle, crashing to the ground. The sword in his hand sliced a chunk of web as he fell, and Zack’s weight caused the rest of the threads to snap, sending Zack hurtling to the ground along with chunks of web. At the same time, three eggs cracked open, and tiny Grashtrike larvae scurried out, squealing at the chaos before them.

“Wonderful! Now you’re all right as rain, we’d better get out of here!” Cait Sith panicked at the sight of more and more baby Grashtrikes emerging from their eggs. Sephiroth helped Zack to his feet, and the Moogle disappeared in a poof of magical smoke. 

“This way! Hurry!”

Sephiroth and Zack had to sprint at full speed to keep up with the cat, weaving through chunks of rubble as they fled the Grashtrike nest. A few times, the route Cait had planned led straight to a horde of Gi, so they doubled back, keeping a wide berth. 

Sephiroth didn’t stop to catch his breath until he had finally crawled out of the vent at the Dustbowl. His lungs burned as he panted, watching Zack and Cait Sith crawl out after him.

“Well! That was certainly an adventure!” Cait Sith grinned cheerfully. 

“Come on,” Zack panted, holding up the Keystone. “We have to save Aerith!”

Chapter Text

Aerith had always hated the sky.

“It feels like it’s sucking me in,” she had told her mother. 

Ifalna had gazed up at the sliver of blue sky peeking through the upper plate. “The sky has a lot of significance to our people,” she had calmly explained. “Unfortunately, its significance has never been for positive reasons.”

“Jenova…”

“And the Gi.”

“The Gi?”

“Yes. An ancient tribe, far older than the Planet. They believe the Planet itself stole away their home, so they poured their anger and spite into one of our most precious Materia. They turned the purest essence of the Planet into a vessel for its destruction, so tainted that its surface is black as pitch.”

“What happened to it?”

“Our ancestors hid it away. Secured deep within a hidden temple, fortified with every trap and snare at their disposal. None who enter the temple ever return.”

Aerith traced the design on the pedestal idly with her finger, dipping her hand into its curved basin. 

The tentacle wrapped around her waist twitched, a subtle reminder of its constant presence. She was free to walk about, to occupy her time how she wished, but always with the slimy tendril wrapped around her middle. Always kept on a tight leash, under the watchful eye of the horrid monstrosity. 

Aerith avoided looking at Jenova as much as she could. Its form was grotesque, always shifting into different forms, but always with pulsing, throbbing pustules, always replete with undulating tentacles, always with the ghastly tusked skull. But more than its hideous form was the uncanny feeling it always gave her, like it was probing her thoughts, digging at her mind to try and find a path directly to the Lifestream itself. 

Her mother had told her that one day Aerith would learn to speak to the Planet like her ancestors, to shape its will like the countless Cetra before her. 

She had never been so glad that she was unable to reach it. 

Jenova tugged Aerith away from the pedestal, and she made no move to resist. Months in the creature’s grasp had taught Aerith that Jenova enjoyed toying with its prey - she shuddered at the memory of the last time she had resisted, her arms pinned to her sides, her legs kicking uselessly in the air as what could only be described as a tongue caressed her face, draining her of energy and strengthening the calamity.

So she simply allowed Jenova to pull her away, curling its tendril inwards, pulling her close. 

A whirring sound from above quickly made it apparent why - a fleet of Shinra Relnikhas hovered overhead, sweeping the area. Aerith’s heart soared at the sight - they were looking for her.

“Subject located.”

“Aerith!” Zack cried out, leaping at the window, clawing at it in despair as if hoping to reach right through, to pull Aerith free from the grip of the horrible monster below them. “Aerith…”

“Zack. The Keystone.” Tseng held out a gloved hand.

“What’s the plan?” Zack cradled the orb against his chest. “We’re can’t just give it to Jenova!”

“We’re going to propose a trade. The Keystone for Aerith.”

“And if it refuses?”

“Then we destroy the Keystone. Without entrance to the Temple, Aerith is useless. Our theory is that the calamity will accept giving up part of its goal in order to progress partway.”

“And then it’s going to target Aerith! You failed to contain it last time; what’s going to stop it from catching her again!?”

“The cannon in Junon is primed and aimed at the Temple. The moment Jenova enters…” 

Zack let out a heavy sigh. “I mean… can’t argue with that logic.”

“I’ll take it from here, Zack.” Zack turned to see Sephiroth holding his hand out expectantly.

“Wait, you’re giving the Keystone to Jenova?”

Sephiroth nodded solemnly. “I volunteered.” Despite the confidence in his voice, Sephiroth’s face was ghostly pale.

“I’ll come with you, then.” Some color returned to Sephiroth’s cheeks at Zack’s words. 

Sephiroth’s hand sweated profusely beneath his glove as he clutched the Keystone in his palm. Jenova stood, on four bulbous, pulsating legs, staring him down from afar. 

He felt a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I’m with you, buddy. You got this.”

Sephiroth smiled nervously at Zack, then turned back towards Jenova. It lifted Aerith into the air, waving her around teasingly as she struggled in its grasp. Zack’s hand clenched, gripping Sephiroth’s shoulder painfully tightly. 

“Hey!” Zack stormed forward angrily, heedless of the danger the calamity posed. “Listen up! We’ve got what you want. And we’ll give it to you if you let. Her. Go!”

Jenova tilted its head, looked at Sephiroth, then back down at Zack. Then it slowly lowered Aerith before Zack, its tentacle still secured around her waist.

Sephiroth couldn’t make out what Aerith said to Zack, but Zack nodded. Jenova released Aerith, and she fled into Zack’s arms, holding him in a tight embrace. Sephiroth’s heart twinged slightly at the sight.

His arm draped protectively over Aerith’s shoulder, Zack returned to Sephiroth. “Success,” he sighed. “Its only stipulation is that you approach alone.”

Sephiroth gulped. “A-alone…?”

“I’m right here in case anything happens.” Zack punched Sephiroth’s shoulder playfully. “We’re almost out of the woods.”

Sephiroth nodded solemnly, cradling the Keystone against his chest. “All right. Now or never.”

He strode forward, his knees trembling as he got closer and closer to Jenova. He held out the Keystone.

“The key to the Temple. As promised.”

Jenova gently wrapped a small tendril around the stone, lifting it from Sephiroth’s hands and placing it in the stone basin. The ground rumbled, and Sephiroth staggered, catching himself before he fell. 

Dark, angular stones rose from the ground, glowing green as they assembled themselves into a path leading to the pit beyond. More stones rose from the pit, assembling themselves into a pyramid that thrust into the sky. 

Sephiroth watched in awe as the last of the stones fell into place. The world was perfectly silent as every living thing regarded the temple with awe. Then, all at once, the wildlife fled, cawing and screeching as flocks of birds darkened the sky. 

The whole spectacle was both mesmerizing and terrifying, and Sephiroth gaped in awe, his heart pounding. He nearly forgot about Jenova as he stared, entranced, at the structure.

Something pressed against his back, snapping him back to reality. He looked down - and screamed.

Sephiroth’s scream snapped Zack out of his stupor, and he looked over to see Sephiroth being lifted into the air by Jenova’s tentacle.

“Sephiroth!” He sprinted forward, drawing his sword, as Jenova started towards the Temple. “Let him go, you monster!”

He leapt into the air, swinging his sword down and generating a wave of energy as he crashed down. 

The attack missed; the wave of energy didn't even hit Jenova’s legs as it sprinted away. It was fast, and Zack cursed as he rose to his feet, running after the monster. 

His phone rang, and Zack flipped it open without slowing his pace. 

“Zack! Get back to the Relnikha. The Junon cannon is preparing to fire.”

“Call off the attack! It’s got Sephiroth!” 

“Aerith is safe. Get out of the blast range.”

“Are you listening to me!? We can’t just leave him!” Zack bit back tears. I told him I’d be there for him. I promised…

“It’s too late.” Zack’s heart plummeted at Tseng’s words. “The cannon has fired. You have seven seconds to take cover.”

Tseng ended the call. Zack plodded to a stop, his arms dropping limply to his sides. “Sephiroth…” 

The moment Jenova disappeared through the entrance of the temple, a blinding flash lit up the sky. Zack leapt behind a large boulder and braced himself. A moment later, the ground heaved, a massive boom nearly obliterating Zack’s earbuds. He shielded his ears and face as debris flew past, shards of sharp stone and uprooted plants shooting past from the blast. 

When everything settled, Zack shakily peered over the boulder.

The Temple was completely obliterated. The only evidence it was ever there was a smoldering crater in the center of the pit.

Zack dropped to his knees, tilted his head to the sky, and screamed.

Chapter Text

Nanaki bounded over the rocks, careful not to spill the baskets of food balanced on his shoulders. 

“Nanaki!” Bugenhagen floated over to greet him. “What’s the haul this week?”

“Pretty good!” Nanaki crouched down, sliding out from under the harness. “They had tubers this time. They said boiling them until they’re soft makes them more filling, so you don’t get hungry as often!”

“Ho-ho-hoo! Wonderful!” 

“You’re a lifesaver, Nanaki!” One of the residents of the vale took a firm-looking fruit and bit into it. Its skin burst with a satisfying crunch. “Literally.”

“Yes,” Bugenhagen bobbed up and down in midair. “But I fear this tranquility will not last much longer. I sense the winds have shifted.”

“Literally,” the same resident laughed, pointing up at the sky. “Look!”

A tiny, bright red plane bobbed and weaved through the sky above. At first glance it appeared to be pummeled by fierce winds, but as Nanaki peered closer he realized the pilot was instead riding the wind, surfing its currents with reckless zeal. 

All eyes were on the plane as it looped around and gracefully touched down. The hatch hissed open, and two men emerged.

“What’d I tell ya? You can’t fight it by barreling straight at it, you have to bend it just so,” a blond man in a loose denim jacket was explaining to the other man. 

The other man cracked a smile, but Nanaki could practically feel the rage emanating from him. His fur stood slightly, and he approached warily, ensuring he stayed in full view of both men. 

“Anger is as natural as the Planet,” Bugenhagen had once told him. “Properly honed and focused, it can be a useful tool. But unfocused rage harms all, innocent or guilty.” 

“Can I help you?”

Both men turned in surprise. “It can talk!?” They both shouted in unison. 

Nanaki cleared his throat, dropping to the low pitch he had practiced. “Welcome, travelers. What brings you here?” 

“Uhh…” the second man blinked in a stupor, then shook his head. “Sorry. Name’s Zack. I’m a SOLDIER with… with Shinra.” 

“Shinra?” When Nanaki repeated the word, he caught a whiff of sweat and adrenaline. His fur settled as he realized that Zack’s anger had singular direction. His anger has purpose.

“Yeah. They sent me here to talk to someone in charge here. Someone named ‘Bugenhagen?’”

“Ho-ho-hoo! You called?” Bugenhagen floated up behind Nanaki, peering curiously at Zack. “You say Shinra sent you here? Whatever for?”

“Jenova is dead.”

Both Bugenhagen and Nanaki froze. 

“For real?” Nanaki’s voice cracked, returning to its natural pitch. He cleared his throat, then decided to give up on playing the part of the wise old sage. “That’s great news!”

“Do not be too hasty, Nanaki,” Bugenhagen warned. “After all, what of the Gi?”

“The Black Materia they wanted is likely destroyed along with Jenova. They’ve apparently been after that thing for millenia. With it gone…”

“And what is Shinra’s plan?”

“They’ve deployed everything they’ve got. Destroying the Gi if they can, and driving the rest back here.”

“Here!?” Nanaki barked. “You’re saying swarms of angry Gi are on their way to the vale!?”

“I see.” Bugenhagen remained oddly calm. “Nanaki, you had best get the residents of the canyon to safety. I shall stay and support Shinra, ensuring the cave of the Gi be sealed once all remaining spirits are within.”

“I’ll help with the evacuation,” Zack added. “Scarlet from Weapons Development is en route, she’ll meet Elder Bugenhagen here shortly.”

“So it sounds like my work here is done.” The blond man flicked a spent cigarette to the ground. “Gimme a holler if you need anything!” With that, he hopped inside the plane and revved the engine.

Zack strode beside Nanaki as they headed towards the temporary camp. 

“From the sound of things, Shinra’s really stepping up to do the right thing.” Nanaki peered cautiously over his shoulder at Zack. “But your scent tells me differently. Shinra’s made you angry. Why?”

Zack took a deep breath, his shoulders tensing. “It shouldn’t have ended this way. Sure, Jenova is dead. But they killed my friend to do so.”

“I’m sorry.” Nanaki didn’t know what else to say.

“Lazard wants me to forgive the company. ‘What’s one life compared to the thousands spared from the calamity,’ he says. But…” Zack stared at his feet. “Sephiroth was terrified of Jenova. That thing killed his parents, upended his whole life. He was so brave, taking Aerith’s place in the clutches of that monster. He should have been rewarded for that courage. Instead…” Zack gasped, a tear trickling down his nose, “instead he’s dead .”

“That’s not fair at all,” Nanaki agreed. 

“Aerith doesn’t forgive Shinra either. She knows as well as I do that they would have let her die if Sephiroth hadn’t been able to save her.” Zack huffed angrily. “But what can we do?”

It’s been a long time since I felt anything doing this job. Matt grimaced as another gathering of Gi vanished in a cloud of bullets and tear gas. 

He tried to imagine the last time he’d felt any sort of heroism, a rush of adrenaline, anything besides the bored humdrum of a menial chore. 

Rescuing that kid from Jenova, he remembered. He did some quick math in his head. Five years. Five years now I’ve been going through the motions with SOLDIER.  

A grenade exploded beside him, blasting another horde of Gi. A firm hand clasped his shoulder reassuringly. 

“You in there, space cadet?” Glenn grinned at Matt. How does he always manage to stay so upbeat?

Lucia took out the last few Gi in the area, giving the trio a brief moment of peace.

“What’s the point of all this?”

Matt expected Glenn to immediately launch into a cheerful speech about how their heroism here would earn them glory, accolades, and - most importantly - lots and lots of gil. Instead, Glenn pursed his lips and shook his head.

“You know, Profes- er, Matt…” Glenn scratched his head, “I was wondering the same thing.”

Matt’s eyebrows shot up in surprise at being called by his name instead of his nickname. He’s serious.

“Do you remember our mission five years ago, to capture Jenova?”

“Yeah.” Lucia grimaced. “Four years later, and all that work was undone when it escaped.”

Glenn clenched his fists. “That kid… the one that stood up to the monster, the one we had to rescue?” Glenn grimaced, his teeth clenched as he fought back tears. “Jenova found him again. When Shinra killed it…”

Lucia gasped, covering her mouth with both hands. “No… is he…?”

“Blasted to damn smithereens!” Glenn slammed his weapon into the cliff face beside him, cracking the stone. “We failed. We failed our mission. We failed that kid.”

“A lot can happen in five years. We can’t blame ourselves.”

“You’re right, Matt.” Glenn wiped away tears. “We can’t blame ourselves. But we sure as hell can blame Shinra!”

“Glenn!” Lucia gasped. “You don’t mean…?”

“We have to protect the people here. We’ll finish our mission to contain these Gi. But I’m not getting on that helicopter.”

A tense moment stretched among the three friends.

Matt stepped forward. “I’ll stay with you.”

“Me too.” Lucia stretched out her hand, face-down. “We’ll start our own group to protect the people of the Planet.”

Glenn placed his hand atop Lucia’s. “We won’t answer to Shinra. They’ll pay for their carelessness.”

Matt placed his hand atop theirs. “And we’ll avenge that innocent boy. He won’t have died in vain.”

“We’re not just going to stop the monsters,” Glenn launched into his familiar theatrical tone, and Matt grinned at his friend’s enthusiasm. “We’re going to ensure that every life is protected.”

“For the planet,” Lucia agreed.

“For the planet!” 

The three of them threw their hands into the air.

Sephiroth is dead.

Angeal struggled to remain focused as he sat in the helicopter. He glanced at the canyon below through the window, his stomach turning—not from motion sickness, but from a nagging sense of unease. 

Sephiroth shouldn’t have died. 

It’s my fault.

Angeal shook his head, trying to shake the guilt. 

No. It’s Jenova’s fault. Jenova killed him.

You forced him into SOLDIER. If it weren’t for you, Sephiroth would never have had to face down that thing.

“Angeal?”

Sephiroth enjoyed being a SOLDIER. It was the right thing for him.

Was it, though?

“Angeal!”

“Hm?”

“‘My friend, the fates are cruel. The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.’” Genesis stared blankly out the window. 

“Heh… indeed.” Angeal shook the last anxious thoughts to the back of his mind. “Genesis, do you remember Sephiroth?”

Genesis hung his head. “What about him?”

“I know we never had a chance to really get to know him. But… I get this lingering feeling that we should have.”

“Hmph. Well, I tried to, at least.” Genesis folded his arms smugly, before his composure broke. “I don’t think… he ever liked me all that much.”

“We were too hard on him, I think.”

Genesis clenched his fists, shaking his head angrily. “Well, what does it matter now? He’s dead. We can’t ever be friends with him now!” His voice cracked on the word ‘friend.’

Angeal peered up at Genesis. “You wanted to be his friend? I thought you hated him.”

“Why would you think that?” Genesis pouted.

“You were always teasing him. I can’t count the number of times you put him in a headlock.”

“It was a joke…” Genesis muttered.

“Heads up, boys. We’re due to land shortly.”

Angeal pulled the Buster Sword from his back, pressing his head against it in a silent prayer. Dreams and honor… 

Honor… His stomach twisted again. Am I worthy to wield this…?

The helicopter shuddered as it descended through a swarm of spectral figures. “Shit! Brace yourselves!” The helicopter swayed, tilting dangerously to one side as it started to spin out of control.

“Shit-shit-shit-shit!” The pilot screamed, straining against the joystick as he tried to regain control. “Disembark! Save yourselves!”

“What about you?” Angeal leaned into the cockpit, but Genesis pulled him roughly back.

“There’s no time! We have to jump now!”

“But-”

“You can’t save anyone else if you’re dead. Now go!” 

Ifalna instinctively reached into her pocket, the lack of materia making her uneasy. 

It wouldn’t have been wise to bring such a pure Materia so close to the Gi, she reminded herself. But she couldn’t fight the feeling that leaving the Holy Materia with Aerith was a bad idea.

A vision flickered in her mind, of a man with cascading silver hair, clad in black leather. His glowing eyes remained fixed on the white Materia, his gloved fingers twitching with destructive intent.

She didn’t know who the man was, and something inside her told her she was never meant to know who he was. 

“The Planet is trying to tell me something…” she muttered. “It’s been trying for a very long time. But I can’t piece together what the planet means…”

Motion in the sky caught her eye, and she looked up to see two men parachuting down to the ground. They both landed nimbly, efficiently unhooking their harnesses and fixing their uniforms.

“SOLDIER, I presume?”

“Yes, ma’am.” The man with dark hair looked up at Ifalna and furrowed his brow. “You’re not dressed for combat.”

“I’m not here for combat,” Ifalna admitted. “The Gi and my people have a long history together. I’m here to end this, once and for all.”

Chapter Text

Bugenhagen poured another cup of tea, careful not to spill on his sleeves. 

“That’s perfect, thank you.” Ifalna gently lifted her hand and Bugenhagen stopped pouring. She took a sip.

Bugenhagen noticed the teacup tremble slightly as she lifted it to her lips. “Something is troubling you, my dear.”

Ifalna sighed and lowered her drink. “Look.” She gestured to the other tables. Wutaian soldiers and Shinra infantrymen shared drinks and laughter. “The Gi are nearly contained. Rival nations are at peace. And yet…” Ifalna swirled the tea in her cup. “The Lifestream churns erratically. It’s grown more restless.”

“Ho-ho-hoo! Perhaps there are other factors at play, ones we may not have anticipated.”

Ifalna nodded, rolling the white materia between her fingers. “Fellow Bugenhagen… how will I know if it’s time?”

“Hm?”

Ifalna held up the white materia. “The Planet knows more than us. How will I know if it’s time to let it take control of our fates? How long should we keep fighting?”

Bugenhagen reached out and gently wrapped his hand around Ifalna’s. “Have faith, Ifalna. The Planet-”

The ground rumbled, interrupting Bugenhagen and shaking the walls of the teahouse. A few teacups clattered off their shelves and shattered on the floor.

“Oh dear…” Bugenhagen floated over to the shattered cups, but the ground trembled more forcefully. 

“The Planet is much angrier than we thought.” Ifalna clutched the white materia to her chest. “Let me take the lead.”

Genesis tumbled to the ground, unable to stay on his feet with the ground shaking so violently. 

“Genesis!” 

A pair of hands roughly pulled Genesis upright again - just as the ground split beneath him. Genesis cried out and scrambled backwards as the ground fell away in front of him. 

“Run!” Angeal pushed Genesis ahead of him, and the two men sprinted away from the crevasse.

More cracks rippled through the ground beside them, blocking their paths and forcing them forward. Plumes of mako burst from the cracks, filling the air with toxic gas. Genesis covered his face with his elbow, ducking low to try and avoid the fumes. 

The ground beneath them shook violently before being torn asunder, tipping steeply and sending the two tumbling backwards.

A massive, fleshy hand reached from the crevasse, clutching at the edge of the earth. Genesis and Angeal watched in horror as a ghastly, bulbous form emerged from the Lifestream. It didn’t appear to have eyes, but Genesis felt an otherworldly gaze peering down at the two men as it slowly opened its gaping maw.

“What the…?” Angeal hesitantly unsheathed the Buster Sword. Genesis held out his rapier, imbuing it with elemental magic. 

“Get out of our way!” Genesis leapt at the creature, slicing through one of its spindly wrists. The being shrieked, slowly turning towards its severed hand. Sinewy strands emerged from its arm, entwining with the remnants of its hand and restoring it.

“Genesis! Look out!”

Genesis barely had time to react before the regenerated hand swept across the ground. The tips of its fingers slammed into Genesis, knocking the wind out of him as he was knocked back. The being gurgled angrily, lifting its hands to the sky. Dark clouds materialized, swirling in a glowing vortex as the creature gathered energy.

“Brace yourself!” 

The creature lowered its hands, and a beam of light shot to the earth.

“There!” 

Ifalna hiked up her skirts, running as fast as her legs would carry her towards the beam of light illuminating the canyon. 

She racked her brain, trying to remember the old legends. 

Earth torn asunder

Skies filled with mournful elegy

Overwhelming rancor preceding its requiem of the damned

The wicked face justice through elegy and ode

Before being dragged to hell

By its dreadful grudge

A mournful cry pierced the air, a deep moan that shook Ifalna to her core. 

“What the hell is that?” A young Wutaian soldier gasped from beside her. From the crack in his voice, Ifalna guessed the man couldn’t have been older than fifteen. 

“Buno D’rhad.” 

“What?” 

“A creature of legend. It emerges from the Lifestream in times of great upheaval, inflicting judgement upon those who would disturb the will of the Planet.” Ifalna stumbled over a wayward stone, but quickly recovered, picking up speed as she headed towards the swirling clouds ahead. “If it’s here…”

“Damn it!” Genesis leapt from behind the smoldering rock shielding him and Angeal. “We can’t take this thing by ourselves!”

“There’s nowhere to retreat,” Angeal panted. “Where are the other SOLDIERs? Zack, Glenn, Matt? Lucia?” 

“‘My friend, the fates are cruel,’” Genesis scowled, slicing off Buno D’rhad’s left hand once again. “‘The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.’”

Buno D’rhad paused for a moment, ceasing its attacks. Genesis and Angeal took the opportunity to catch their breaths, panting heavily as the beast slowly peered down at them. 

“‘Pride… is lost…’” Genesis dropped to his knees. Even after Angeal healed him, Genesis stayed on the ground. “‘Wings… stripped away… the end is nigh.’”

Buno D’rhad groaned softly, closing its mouth.

“Genesis,” Angeal panted. “I think… I think it knows… Loveless.” 

“Of course,” Genesis spat. “It’s of the planet, isn’t it?” He glared up at the monster. “It probably knows… how the tale ends. The gift of the goddess…”

Something whizzed through the air, striking Buno D’rhad. It reeled backwards, crying in pain as a spot of its flesh turned to stone. 

“Beast of soul made flesh,” a voice echoed. “Our refuge is no more. Thus shall the Gi strip you of yours.” 

 A small group of Gi materialized, hovering over Genesis and Angeal as they readied their arrows. 

“C’mon, let’s get out of here!” Angeal whispered. Genesis nodded, and the two started to crawl away. A helicopter whirred overhead, aiming first at Buno D’rhad before swiveling to face the last of the Gi.

“Wait, don’t-!” 

The helicopter started firing on the Gi. Green energy pummeled the spirits, and they cried out in agony. The side of the helicopter slid open, and a Wutaian soldier aimed the barrel of a gigantic gun at the writhing spirits. He fired, and a massive glowing net ensnared the Gi, launching them across one of the crevasses and leaving them in a struggling mass on the ground. A group of soldiers immediately rushed over, hauling away the last of the Gi.

But Wutai’s victory was short-lived; Buno D’rhad raised its right hand and grasped the tail of the helicopter. It veered wildly, its rotors slicing into the creature’s arm as it banked and tilted. The soldier who’d shot the magical net fell from the chopper into the abyss, and Buno D’rhad threw the helicopter down after him, smashing it against the sides of the crevasse as tendrils of Lifestream ensnared the mechanical form, pulling it down out of sight.

“We need to-” 

Genesis had barely choked out a few words before a large, sinewy form slammed down between him and Angeal, scraping over the ground as it pushed Genesis away from his friend and towards the looming monster. The fingers of the left hand curled, and Genesis leapt into the air.

He was a fraction of a second too late; one sinewy finger pinched Genesis’s ankle, barely preventing his escape. Genesis shouted and slammed his rapier into the beast’s flesh, and it howled in pain, loosening its grip just enough for Genesis to pull his leg free.

But as Genesis landed, Buno D’rhad slammed its other hand on the ground, narrowly missing Genesis, who dove between its fingers. The beast repeatedly reached for him, and he nimbly wove between its fingers, narrowly dodging its attacks. 

It slammed one hand to the ground in clear frustration, knocking Genesis off-balance. He barely had time to recover before the other hand snapped forward, knocking the rapier out of Genesis’s hand while its fingers curled around his body. 

Buno D’rhad roared, lifting both hands into the air. The Lifestream burst from the crevasses surrounding it, and Genesis watched helplessly as his rapier tipped over the edge, tumbling into the Lifestream below. 

No… Not Genesis, too!

Angeal staggered forward, his arms and legs trembling as he tried and failed to push himself upright. 

“Angeal!” Genesis squirmed in the monster’s grasp. “Help!”

But Angeal could do nothing to help. The Buster Sword weighed heavy on his back, pulling him down to the ground as he struggled to stand.

Sephiroth, ensnared by the alien Jenova.

Genesis, captured by the will of the Planet.

And me. Angeal gritted his teeth, pushing through the pain and exhaustion. Too weak to shoulder my family’s honor. He reached up with a trembling hand to remove the Buster Sword. The burden of honor won’t stop me this time. I will save my friend!

The hilt snagged on his uniform. Supported by only one hand, Angeal tugged at the sword, trying to rip it free. Instead, his strength gave, and he collapsed to the ground. “Genesis… I’m sorry…”

Pinned to the ground by the Buster Sword, Angeal watched helplessly as Buno D’rhad descended into the rift, pulling the captive Genesis down with it as it plunged into the Lifestream.

Chapter Text

Shi-shi-ha! Shu-shu-shu! 

Yuffie Kisaragi pumped her fist, practicing throwing punches and launching invisible throwing stars. She took out all of the invisible bad guys in the room, then threw her arms behind her and rushed into the hall.

“Whoa, there!” A man in a kimono leapt backwards, narrowly avoiding being headbutted by the world’s greatest ninja. “Watch where you’re going, Yuffie!”

“Sorry, Dad!” Yuffie slipped past Godo Kisaragi and ran down the hall. 

Godo laughed and shook his head as he watched his daughter rush around the corner. “What am I going to do with her…?”

“Reminds me of an old acquaintance of mine.” A young man with blond hair smiled blankly at where Yuffie had disappeared. “He has the same endless energy of a twelve-year-old. Unfortunately, he’s closer to my age.” 

“I envy a man like that,” Godo admitted. “What I wouldn’t give for a fraction of the energy of my youth.” He chuckled. “Hopefully you’ll have a good few years before you start to feel the same, young man.”

“Hm.” The young man turned and gazed at a bright orange koi in the pond. “You’re avoiding the topic at hand.” He turned his steely gaze back to Godo.

Godo sighed, scratching his head. “The reactor. Yes. Can’t such discussions wait until after the ceremony? Give the people a bit of peace before announcing a new oppressor?”

“Oppressor?” The man smirked. “What a pessimistic view of the situation. No, view this as Shinra’s humble reward.” He spread his arms wide. “A gift to the people of Wutai to thank them for their assistance in defeating both Jenova and the Gi.”

Godo stroked his beard thoughtfully. “You’ve inherited your father’s silver tongue, Rufus.”

Rufus stiffened slightly. 

“Does Shinra even have the funds to build a new reactor right now?”

Rufus scowled.

“Ahh, and there is the ‘quo’ of the ‘quid pro quo.’ Shinra promises energy, provided Wutai provides the gil.”

“Your people are the last stronghold. We need to unify the planet-”

“By eliminating all who oppose you.” Godo tapped a finger to his head. “Don’t think I don’t know about Rhadore. Those three SOLDIERs who sealed the Gi were assigned to that mission as well, were they not?” 

“Glenn, Matt, and Lucia performed their duties with fierce loyalty and determination. I commend them for their efforts.”

“By sweeping the mission under the rug, away from the eyes of the public.”

“If you don’t believe me, look at Ifalna. She fled from my father’s fantasies for decades. But here she is today, receiving accolades for her work in the vale. She knows I won’t… overextend my welcome.”

“But you still aim to find the Promised Land. I can see it in your eyes. Even a young lad like you has his fantasies.”

“I-oof!” Rufus stumbled forward as a head slammed into the back of his knees. 

“Out of my way!” Yuffie shoved past Rufus as he tried to regain his balance, sending him teetering sideways. Before Godo could catch him, the president of Shinra toppled over the wooden railing and splashed into the koi pond.

“Yuffie!” Godo’s voice was sharp enough to stop Yuffie in her tracks. “Apologize to Mr. Shinra, then return to your room. I will deal with you later.”

Yuffie bowed her head. “Sorry, Mr. Shinra, sir. I won’t do it again.” She threw her hands behind her and ran back down the hall.

“We’d best wrap this up.” Godo gingerly pulled the sopping wet president out of the water. “She’ll stay put for two minutes, tops.”

Rufus shook out his coat, then brushed his wet hair back with one hand. “We’ll discuss this after the ceremony. But I want an answer as soon as the festivities end.”

Zack pressed his body against the cold stone, inching forward just enough to peer at the crowd below. He scanned for the target.

Gotcha!

The man he was looking for was hiding behind a bright red post, a flickering light pinpointing his location, followed by a puff of cigarette smoke. Zack leapt into action, leaping nimbly across the rooftops before jumping to the ground behind one of the shorter buildings. He walked casually up to the man.

“Cid, right?”

“What’s it to ya?” The man flicked some ash off the end of his cigarette without looking at Zack.

Remember the code word. “You’d think in a place like this they’d be able to serve us some goddamn tea.”

Cid shook his head, taking another drag on his cigarette. “You’re a mighty stupid kid, you know that?” He blew out a puff of smoke. “The site’s not far from here. Just over yonder ridge.”

“Perfect for a surprise blast of Mako to woo the crowd,” Zack scowled. “Is it operational?”

“That’s above my pay grade to know. Word on the street is Rufus is waitin’ for the green light from Kisaragi before he switches the thing on.” Cid flicked more ash off the cigarette butt. “But you and I both know the kid ain’t one to sit on his haunches.”

“You’ve been a big help. Thank you.” Zack clutched his hands together and tilted his head.

“Aw, shucks. Don’ gimme those puppy dog eyes. Just promise me you won’t do anything stupid, y’hear?”

“Promise. It’ll be worth it, you’ll see!”

“Today is a new day for Shinra.” 

Rufus held his arms wide, palms facing the crowd. “And for you, the people of Wutai. For the first time in decades, our world knows peace.”

Rufus gazed out at the crowd. As always, every eye was drawn towards him, supporter and detractor alike.

“Jenova and the Gi are no more.”

The crowd erupted in cheers. Rufus lifted his arms higher, and the crowd roared louder. It was a type of magic that Materia could never reproduce. Rufus basked in the sound for a long while before lowering his hands again.

“It is through both the determination of Shinra and the indomitable nature of Wutai’s troops that we were able to contain and eliminate the threat. So, it is my pleasure to bestow Shinra’s honorary medal of honor on those most worthy of accolade.”

Rufus straightened the paper on the podium, fighting to hide his scowl. This was always the most tedious part. He cleared his throat and began to read the list, pausing as each named individual took to the stage, where a masked SOLDIER would place the medal around their necks. Rufus’s heart twinged slightly at the sight. It should have been Heidegger there.

When the last of the medal recipients returned to the crowd, Rufus straightened his posture again. He looked away from the script and instead spoke directly to the crowd.

“Though we have much to celebrate, we also have much to mourn. Though the calamity is no more, there is no denying how much the monster took from us. Family… friends… those we hold dear.” Rufus clutched a fist against his heart, hanging his head solemnly. “My father was one such casualty.” His lips twitched as he tried not to laugh. “His loss leaves a hole that I can only hope to fill, a wound to the company that will be felt for years to come.”

The crowd was dead silent, hanging onto Rufus’s every word.

“But together, we can rise above the pain the calamity has inflicted. Like the noble Phoenix, we are reborn from the ashes.” Rufus smirked at Godo, who furrowed his brow in confusion. “Which is why I am pleased to announce-”

Boom!

A bright orange flash lit up the crowd—instead of looking at Rufus, all eyes were drawn to the mountain ridge behind him. 

“What is that?” 

“What’s happening?”

“The mountain-!”

The crowd murmured in fear and confusion as Rufus turned to see the source of the commotion. His heart dropped to his stomach. The reactor!

A plume of fire and smoke rose from where the reactor once stood. As Rufus stared agape, a second explosion went off, billowing black smoke and launching metal shrapnel into the air. Burning rubble arced gracefully towards the night sky, and the crowd traced the trajectory of the debris with their gaze.

Several women screamed, and the crowd pulsated as the realization set in that the debris was seconds away from raining upon them. The mass writhed and rippled as people questioned the best direction to go-

The first scrap of burning metal landed on the stage beside Rufus, knocking him to the ground and stirring the crowd into a full-blown panic. As masses of people swarmed for any available exit, more and more pieces of debris rained down upon them. Trees burst into flames, the inferno quickly overtaking the wooden buildings and basking the square in a flickering orange glow. 

“Rufus!” Godo pulled Rufus roughly to his feet, wrapping a firm arm around his waist. “We have to get out of here! With me!”

Rufus angrily tried to push away, but he screamed in pain. The whole left side of his coat was burned away, patches of skin blackened from the heat. Rufus bit back tears and reluctantly leaned on Wutai’s leader as the two of them fled the stage.

No… no, this is not what was supposed to happen.

Glenn’s vision swam as he stared at what remained of the burning reactor. He cried out, squeezing out ashy tears as he buried his face in his hands.

Matt placed a comforting arm on Glenn’s shoulder. “This had to be done. We’re doing what’s right for the planet.”

Glenn angrily shoved Matt away. “But look what we’ve done! We were supposed to stop the reactors, not hurt people!”

“It’s not our fault,” Lucia reassured him. “The bomb probably reacted with the Mako. It’s Shinra’s fault for storing up such a large reserve before even getting approval to use it.”

Glenn sobbed into his hands. 

“Glenn, guys.” Zack dropped down from a nearby ledge. “We have to go. Shinra’s already sent SOLDIER to look for the perpetrators. We can’t stay here.” 

He peered at Glenn, then looked up at the burning reactor. “What’s done is done. All we can do now is learn from it and move forward.”

Glenn angrily wiped his tears and rose to his feet. “Fine. What now, leader?”

“Rendezvous at the south shore in twenty minutes. I got us a ride.”

“The hell did you do!?” 

“Listen, Cid, I can explain-”

“It’d best be a damn good explanation! Savin’ the planet is one thing, but I ain’t gonna become an accomplice to a buncha terrorists!”

“If you’re caught talking to us, Shinra will consider you an accomplice, willing or not.” Lucia cocked her rifle, scanning the mountains for signs of motion. “So what’s it gonna be? Get us out of here, or take that risk?”

Cid scratched the back of his neck. “How do I get myself into these messes…? Fine. Get in, quick, and don’t make a fuss.”

“We owe you, Cid.” Zack cheerfully patted Cid on the shoulder before climbing into the tiny plane.

“Hold onto your drawers, and don’t piss in ‘em!” Cid leapt into the cockpit and fired up the engine. With a shuddering jolt, the Tiny Bronco rose into the air, quickly enough that the acceleration glued Zack to his seat. 

The plane rose above the clouds, and when Cid leveled off, he flicked a couple switches then turned to glare at Zack and the others over his shoulder.

“Now, you’d best talk, before I throw all y’all out the back hatch.”

The four friends shuffled awkwardly in their seats, not daring to make eye contact with the pilot.

“Well?”

Zack sighed. “I told you already about how Shinra defeated Jenova. How they killed my friend to do so.”

“Spittin’ on your friend’s grave, turning his noble sacrifice into an excuse for more suffering.”

“But that’s not the only thing,” Lucia piped up. “Zack and the rest of us met in Cosmo Canyon, after sealing the Gi back in their cave. We all knew Sephiroth, and we all felt guilty for what happened to him. We wanted to honor his memory.”

“So we did some research,” Matt added. “After we defeated Jenova the first time, Shinra promised to destroy it back then. But they didn’t. Instead, Scarlet of Weapons Development rallied the department heads to keep it alive, to use it for… experiments.”

Cid frowned. “Experiments? What kind of experiments?”

“A new breed of SOLDIER. Genetically enhanced, through what means we don’t know.” Matt shook his head. “Then locked deep underground and raised for one purpose.”

“To kill.” Glenn growled. “Not all of Jenova’s victims… were Jenova’s victims. Some of the reported attacks weren’t from Jenova at all. But from Shinra, choosing ideal candidates for the next generation of SOLDIER.”

“They call the program Deepground.” Lucia reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, bringing up a hologram of the data they had collected. “Social and genetic engineering into the perfect living weapon.”

“And what’s this gotta do with the reactors?”

“Mako.” Zack folded his arms. “Loads of Mako. They pump hundreds of gallons of the stuff into Deepground.”

“Get rid of Mako, get rid of Deepground.” Lucia tapped her phone and the hologram flickered off. “Prevent what happened to Sephiroth from happening to anyone else.”

“Any word yet?”

“Not yet.” Aerith paced the room anxiously, glancing at the television, then back at her phone, then back to the television. 

“I told her she shouldn’t have gone.” Elmyra wrung the kitchen towel out. “Even if she earned that medal of honor.”

Aerith dropped dejectedly into a chair at the dining table. “I wish she’d told me what was going on…”

“Then you would have headed to the canyon as well. And after what happened with Jenova-”

Aerith gasped, tears streaming down her face. Elmyra softened, placing the towel next to the sink and grasping Aerith’s hands gently.

“It’s all my fault.” Aerith gasped between sobs. “Sephiroth is gone because of me.”

“No, sweetie, no… it’s not your fault. Sephiroth saved you. That’s why your safety is the most important thing right now. Do you understand?” Elmyra brushed a tear from Aerith’s cheek. “How would Sephiroth have felt if you’d gotten yourself killed trying to stop the Gi, after he sacrificed so much to save you?”

Aerith sniffed. “But now Mom’s also-”

“Don’t give up hope. Your mom is a survivor. She’ll come back to us.”

“...Shinra Security Forces have identified the four culprits behind this heinous attack. If you have any information on the whereabouts of these individuals…”

Aerith’s eyes widened in shock. “No… no, that can’t be…”

The news flashed a bright red banner: “WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE. REWARD: 1,000,000 GIL”

Beneath the harsh lettering were four images. Three were of people Aerith didn’t recognize, but the fourth took her breath away, the spiky black hair instantly recognizable.

“Zack…?”

Chapter Text

Sephiroth pulled himself out from under the rubble, a chunk of Jenova’s tentacle still wrapped around his waist, dripping black goo where it had been severed by the debris. 

He clawed at the tendril, trying to pry it off him. It was stiff and unyielding. Rigor mortis. He fought the urge to vomit. 

Looking around, Sephiroth realized that he was indoors. Despite the massive pile of rubble and debris blocking the exit, the rest of the room was pristine. Vines climbed the stone walls, and a large oak tree flourished in the middle of the floor.

“What is this place?” Sephiroth carefully navigated the stone steps, approaching the tree. It glowed softly, emitting green wisps that reminded Sephiroth of Mako. 

He gently ran his hand along the tree’s trunk, basking in the strange warm glow before continuing forward.

The room ahead was a cavernous tower, gaping doorways circling a dark, seemingly bottomless pit. The only semblance of a path across was a set of two thin metal planks far beyond Sephiroth’s reach.

“How do I cross…?” Sephiroth muttered. At his words, the pedestal in the middle of the chasm began to shake, dislodging what looked like centuries of dust as a strange round figure bulged from the floor. Its form split open to reveal two rows of pointed teeth in its faceless maw.

“I am the Time Guardian. Ye who seek the knowledge of the Ancients. I control the time, select your path.”

Sephiroth gulped. “I just want to know how to get out of here.”

The planks began to swivel around the central pillar, creaking and groaning as they turned within the chamber. Sephiroth realized that they resembled the hands of a clock. When they slowed to a stop, the hands formed a straight line directly to the other side.

“It is not yet time.” The face sank back into the floor, and Sephiroth gingerly stepped onto the long hand directly in front of him. It held his weight, so he took a deep breath and rushed across to the other side.

Zack… how could you?

Aerith stared into the middle distance as she ran the brush through her hair. The mug shot of Zack from the television felt like it was burned into her retinas; no matter how much she tried to squeeze it out of her mind, his adorable smile swam back to the forefront of her memory, juxtaposed with the bright red WANTED text. 

“It’s not like him,” she whispered, as if arguing with herself. “Zack would never agree to do such a thing. To hurt that many people…” 

A knock at the door broke Aerith out of her musings. She threw on her jacket and hurried downstairs. 

She spotted her guests before they spotted her, and she broke into a wide smile, flinging open the door. “Cloud! Tifa! What a surprise!”

“Aerith!” Tifa blinked in surprise. “You seem to be doing well.”

“I’m just so glad to see you!” Aerith clasped her hands together cheerfully, but the surge of joy at the sight of her friends was quickly fading. “I… could use the company, actually.”

“That’s why we’re here.” Cloud flashed an awkward half-smile at Aerith, and her heart fluttered before she could stop it. “We saw the news.”

“Right…” Aerith hung her head.

Tifa put a hand on Aerith’s shoulder. “We didn’t expect it either. Zack never seemed like the type to do that sort of thing. I’m sure he had a good explanation.”

“He’d better,” Cloud folded his arms. “Because he’s coming here.”

I’m lost.

Sephiroth fought to keep his breathing steady as he passed the same mural for the third time. His pace quickened as he continued forward, keeping his eyes peeled for a branching path. He reached out and brushed his left hand along the wall, breaking into a run.

He passed the same mural again.

I’m going in circles. He spun around, his heart racing. But there was nowhere else to go! 

He ran forward, pushing himself to a full sprint. His path didn’t curve, and he rounded no corners. He passed the familiar mural once… twice… three times… four times… 

The fifth time he saw the mural, Sephiroth slowed to a stop, his legs burning, his eyes watering from both exertion and despair.

“Hark, traveler.”

“Who’s there?” Sephiroth whirled around, trying to find the source of the voice. 

“We are who remain.” A gust of wind ruffled Sephiroth’s hair. “Protectors of the temple and its terrible contents.”

“The Black Materia,” Sephiroth nodded. “I don’t seek it. Jenova did,” Sephiroth gestured to the tentacle still clinging to his waist, “but not me. I was but a hostage, brought here against my will. I only wish to leave.”

“There is no exit from a temple that no longer exists.”

“No longer exists? What do you mean?”

“The temple was destroyed by cannonfire, years ago. Its form is nothing but rubble.”

“But… but I’m still here. How can I be inside a place that doesn’t exist?” Sephiroth furrowed his brow. “Am I… dead? Is this the Lifestream?”

“In the planet’s embrace, all life is as one.”

The voice didn’t come from the temple. I know that voice… It sent a chill down Sephiroth’s spine.

“The temple can only be reopened with a Cetra’s plea.”

“A Cetra? So Aerith can open the way out?” Sephiroth looked down. “But how can I reach her from here…?”

“Creation.” Green wisps swirled around Sephiroth, creating a glowing path forward. “Destruction. They are eternally connected. With one, you will always reach the other.”

With no other options, Sephiroth followed the path.

“Aerith.”

Aerith bolted upright at the sound of her name. “Mom…?”

“Aerith. Are you there? Answer me.”

Aerith rose out of bed and quietly followed the sound of the voice calling her. 

“Aerith…”

That voice… I know that voice. Aerith followed the sound to Ifalna’s bedroom. She slowly pushed open the door.

Her mother’s white Materia was sitting on the bedside table, but to Aerith’s surprise it was glowing brightly enough to illuminate the entire room.

“Please… tell me you’re there.”

The orb pulsed with the voice, almost as if the Materia itself was speaking. Aerith cradled the orb in her hands. It was warm to the touch.

“Hello?”

“Aerith! Is that really you?”

“Yes, it’s me. Who is this? Who are you?” In Aerith’s heart, she knew the answer.

“It’s me. Sephiroth.”

“You’re alive…?” Aerith gasped softly.

“I… think so. I’m inside the temple, and it says you’re the only one who could open it.”

“Sephiroth… I’m so sorry, but Shinra destroyed the temple. It’s nothing but rubble now.”

The materia flickered, and a long moment of silence passed.

“But… maybe I can remake it?” Aerith tried to keep her voice cheerful. “I don’t know how, but I can try.”

“I’ll wait for you.”

The materia’s light slowly faded until it returned to its usual dull shine. Aerith clutched the orb to her chest. Sephiroth… are you… really alive?

Sephiroth stared down at the orb in his hand. It glistened knowingly, and Sephiroth had the sinking feeling that what he had done was irreversible. 

“Do not fret,” the voice of the temple reassured him. “Creation is linked to destruction. And remember, the temple does not exist. So neither do the traps that dissuade those who wish to use the Black Materia.”

“It would be useless to stop someone from escaping a place that has no escape, I suppose.” Sephiroth rolled the Black Materia over in his hand. “But… that means the traps will reappear once Aerith wills the temple back into existence.”

“Yes. Be wary.”

“What kind of traps should I be wary of?”

“Every temple has its own trial.”

“‘Every’ temple? You mean there’s more than one?”

The ground shook, the stone walls quaking. 

“Your friend’s wish is strong.” The temple’s tone darkened. “Return the Black Materia now, or never return whence you came.”

Sephiroth hurriedly placed the Black Materia back on its pedestal. “Does this mean there’s an exit?”

The temple didn’t respond, but the quaking stopped. 

“I’ll assume so.” Sephiroth rushed out of the room.

Aerith’s heart pounded as she watched the tiny plane land at the airstrip on the outskirts of Sector 5.

“Aerith!” Zack’s feet barely touched the ground as he rushed from the plane. In that moment, all of Aerith’s doubts were swept away as Zack swept her off her feet, lifting her into the air and twirling her around before pulling her into a tight hug. 

“Zack,” Aerith sighed lovingly. A thousand words swirled in her mind, countless things to say to the man she loved. “Sephiroth’s alive!”

Zack blinked in surprise. “What?”

“Sephiroth’s alive,” Aerith gasped. “He’s inside the temple.”

“But the temple was destroyed.”

“I can bring it back.” Aerith clasped Zack’s hands in hers. “Zack, we have to save him! Please, bring me to the temple.”

Sephiroth reached the Time Guardian without even the slightest hint of a trial. His heart ping-ponged between relief that he wouldn’t have to fight his way through the temple and worry that Aerith was unable to restore the temple and create the exit. 

“...it is time... You may proceed.”

Sephiroth could have sworn the Time Guardian smiled at him as he rushed out of the chamber. Almost there…

But the next room didn’t contain the glowing tree. Instead of stone steps, its surface was smooth, reflecting the dark purple of the cavernous ceiling. Perhaps I went the wrong way. Sephiroth turned around, but the exit had disappeared. He was standing in the middle of the room, and there were no exits in sight.

Something’s not right… Sephiroth glanced down and realized that the tentacle had disappeared. What’s going on?

A figure flickered into view ahead of him, never fully materializing.

“Those you hate…”

Sephiroth crept forward cautiously.

“Those you fear… those you love.”

Against his better judgement, Sephiroth reached towards the flickering figure. His fingers brushed through the illusion like smoke. 

The smoke suddenly swirled around him, enveloping him in its dark, cool mist. Sephiroth tried to wave it away, but it thickened around his wrists and ankles. When it cleared, Sephiroth was lying on a metal operating table, his wrists and ankles clamped down with metal cuffs. The dark cave was replaced with sterile metal walls and harsh fluorescent lights. 

Sephiroth strained futilely against the metal bonds. Something clattered to the ground just out of sight, and Sephiroth heard a man cuss under his breath.

“Hello? Is someone there?” 

He heard footsteps, and sighed in relief. “You have to help me. I don’t know how I got here, and-”

Professor Hojo stepped into view, holding a set of very long, very sharp forceps. “Ahh, sedative wore off again, did it?” The professor shook his head, grinning. “Proof of your strength, my boy. But I’m afraid that was the last of my stock.” 

Sephiroth writhed against his bonds as Professor Hojo reached towards his side. He was suddenly aware that not only had the tentacle disappeared, but his clothes were missing too. He felt extremely small and vulnerable as his father placed a hand on Sephiroth’s side, stretching his skin taut and poking it with the tip of the forceps.

“Just a small sample this time…”

Sephiroth drew a sharp breath as Professor Hojo plunged the forceps into his side. But the anticipated pain never came, the world instead swirling back into thick black smoke. 

The smoke solidified into letters, swirling as it formed words, then sentences, floating before his eyes.

Y/N leads Sephiroth into the bedroom…

The text morphed into the shape of a four-poster bed, and streams of ink curled seductively around Sephiroth’s face. 

“I love you, Sephiroth. More than I’ve loved anyone else. Do you feel the same?”

“Yes, my dear.” Sephiroth pressed his hands against his mouth. Did I just say that?

“Then let’s make this a night to remember.”

The ink wound itself around Sephiroth’s wrists, pulling him onto the bed. More text morphed into the vague shape of a woman, hovering over Sephiroth as the words bound him to the bed, his arms pinned above his head, his chest exposed. 

Lights flashed, blinding Sephiroth, and he writhed against the text. The woman dissolved, instead forming into the cover of a magazine. Sephiroth’s bound wrists were cropped out of frame, and his hair glistened silver instead of black. 

“I’m so sorry…”

The smoke solidified only for a brief moment, crystallizing around Sephiroth, encasing him in a transparent stone. 

“...wouldn’t let me die…”

With that, the smoke thinned once more. When it settled again, an enormous Behemoth emerged from the ground, huffing and growling as it turned towards Sephiroth. It reared its head, preparing to charge.

“Heads up!”

Angeal dove at Sephiroth, knocking him out of the way as Genesis rushed forward, slashing at the Behemoth with his rapier. Sephiroth watched, dumbfounded, as his old friends attacked the Behemoth in tandem, slaying the monster with a single unified blow.

The two of them turned to smile at Sephiroth before fading into smoke.

“Shinra…”

A black vine burst from the ground, wrapping itself around Sephiroth’s left leg.

“Celebrity…”

A second vine ensnared Sephiroth’s right leg.

“Family…”

A third vine tugged at Sephiroth’s right wrist.

“Friendship…”

A fourth vine wrapped itself around Sephiroth’s left wrist.

“Humanity has always been skilled at binding those it fears. Tying us down with their lies.”

The smoke solidified one final time, into the hideous form of Jenova. Sephiroth struggled against the vines binding him.

“Embrace your destiny, Sephiroth, and you can be freed from the planet’s chains.”

“Only to be ensnared by you!” Sephiroth spat. “I’d never let that happen. Not again!”

A bright light burst through from above, and the Jenova illusion hissed as it dissolved. The vines binding Sephiroth also dissolved, replaced instead with the gripping dead tentacle. Eager to escape the nightmare, Sephiroth ran towards the light.

Aerith? Is that you?

Sephiroth stepped out into the sunlight. A cool breeze blew through his hair, and he sighed contentedly. 

“I’m home.”

A tear ran down his cheek, and he opened his eyes and gazed upwards.

The sky was torn open, split in two with a glowing, colorful wound. Colors shifted like a rainbow within the rift, a sight both beautiful and terrifying. Sephiroth gasped at the sight, his vision swimming as he was suddenly overcome by an overwhelming feeling of despair.

“Mother…” A voice growled from behind Sephiroth. Something clamped around his arm, its grip painfully tight as it yanked Sephiroth closer. Sephiroth yelped in pain as his captor whirled him around to face it.

It was him.

The man from Sephiroth’s nightmares glared down at him, his eyes locked on the tentacle clinging to Sephiroth’s waist. 

“Mother is dead.” The man caressed the tentacle with his left hand, his right continuing to hold Sephiroth’s arm. “And not a speck of her will lives inside you.”

That thing is your mother!? Sephiroth struggled futilely against the man’s grasp. His raw strength was proof enough to Sephiroth that the man wasn’t lying. What of that monster’s other terrible powers do you possess…?

“But I can fix that.” The man reached down and pressed his hand against the tentacle. It almost appeared to melt into a black slime, and Sephiroth realized in horror that it was being absorbed into his body.

“Wh-what are you doing!?”

“I’m giving your meaningless life purpose.” The man chuckled darkly. “You’ll make a fine puppet.”

With that, the man shoved Sephiroth away, finally freeing him from his iron grip. Sephiroth rubbed his arm gingerly. “I’m not a puppet…”

The man simply chuckled and held his hand aloft. Something tightened inside Sephiroth, a cold, oppressive feeling that snaked its way from his waist up his midsection and down his legs, like a trickle of cold water running through his veins. 

“What’s happening…?” Sephiroth writhed, taking several fearful steps backwards as the strange feeling enveloped his whole body. The man clenched his fist, and Sephiroth’s body stopped responding to his commands. His legs moved of their own accord, stepping closer and closer to the nightmare. 

“No, no, please!” Tears streamed down Sephiroth’s cheeks as he fought with all his might to break free of the man’s control. “Let me go!” He walked, completely against his own will, until he was practically nose-to-nose with his captor. The man grinned and brushed a strand of hair out of Sephiroth’s face—a gentle gesture that made Sephiroth tremble in pure terror. 

“Wh-who are you?” Sephiroth desperately tried to move his arms, his legs, anything. “What do you want with me?”

“Oh, it’s a simple favor, really,” the man chuckled. “I want you… to kill the Cetra.”

Aerith. Sephiroth’s blood boiled. “I won’t! And you can’t make me!”

The man burst out laughing. “We’ll see.”

The cold feeling snaked its way up Sephiroth’s neck, and he gasped, completely helpless as it enveloped his head, black goo dripping in front of his eyes…

Sephiroth blinked in the sunlight. He was lying on warm stone, and when he pushed himself upright, something tightened around his middle. He glanced down; Jenova’s tentacle was still wrapped firmly around his waist, the other end pinned beneath a massive stone door blocking the entrance to the temple. 

He glanced up at the sky. The rift was gone, the sky instead an unbroken expanse of bright blue. Was it all just a dream? A nightmare?

“Sephiroth!”

Aerith slammed into Sephiroth, throwing her arms around his shoulders and burying her face in Sephiroth’s chest, soaking his shirt with her tears. “I knew it! You’re alive!”

Zack ascended the steps behind Aerith, scratching his head. “I can’t believe it…” He smiled warmly at Sephiroth. “Good to have you back, buddy.”

“It’s good to be back.” Sephiroth smiled back. “Did you happen to bring your sword?”

“My sword? Why?”

Sephiroth wordlessly gestured to the tentacle.

Cloud and Tifa climbed the stairs to stand beside Zack.

“Is it… dead?” 

“Yes.” The word sounded strange coming out of Sephiroth’s mouth, like it wasn’t him who said it. 

“Hey, if it’s dead, we should be able to pry it off you!” Zack grabbed a section of tentacle and began to tug. It didn’t budge.

“It must have been dead for a while. The thing’s practically petrified.” Cloud tilted his head.

“This thing’s tougher than it looks,” Zack admitted sheepishly. “No wonder you were stuck here all this time. There’s no way you’d be able to get this thing off you by yourself!”

“We can do it, if we all work together! On three!” Aerith grabbed a section of tentacle, and Cloud and Tifa followed suit beside her. “Ready? One, two, three!”

The four friends pulled simultaneously, and with a sound like crinkling cellophane, the tentacle loosened around Sephiroth.

“It’s working!”

“Don’t give up! One, two, three!”

Sephiroth’s friends pulled again, and though he wasn’t quite free yet, Sephiroth’s heart swelled with joy. I’m so blessed to have them all as my friends.

“One, two, three!”

With a disgusting crack , the tentacle crumbled into pieces, snapping off Sephiroth. The five friends cheered.

“Hooray!” Aerith leapt into the air, jumping for joy. “We did it! You’re free!”

Sephiroth laughed cheerfully. “I’m home.”

Chapter Text

It was remarkable to Sephiroth how quickly news of his return spread. In just three days of bed rest at the Shinra Building, he had been visited by Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, Zack, Angeal, and President Rufus Shinra himself.

But the happiest moment for him was when Uncle Vincent came to visit.

“It’s been a while.” Vincent leaned against the door frame, his arms folded.

“Yeah.”

A long yet comfortable silence stretched between the two men. 

“Uncle—I mean, Vincent-”

“You can keep calling me your uncle. I’ve always found it endearing.” 

Sephiroth chuckled. “It’s always been rather childish.”

“Well…” Vincent turned to face Sephiroth. “I think you’ve earned time to be a child. It’s long overdue.”

Sephiroth smiled. “You know, Vincent. The truth is, ‘uncle’ never felt like a good enough title. You were always like a father to me.” He chuckled. “More than my actual father, I suppose.”

“And you, Sephiroth… were like the son I never had.” Vincent smirked. “I suppose that means you expect me to tell you how proud I am of you.”

Sephiroth shook his head. “You don’t have to tell me. I know.”

“What a nightmare…”

Rufus Shinra paced the floor of his office, stopping to peer out the window at the city below. 

The reactor in Wutai is ruined. The company’s finances are in the red. Rufus clenched his fists. We dump hundreds of gallons of Mako into Deepground just to contain those abominations. And now we’re harboring the terrorist who started this mess.

“Sir.”

Rufus turned and smiled at Tseng. He strolled over to his desk and sat regally in his chair. 

“We’ve been monitoring both the Ancient and the terrorist. Say the word, and either one will be taken into custody.”

Rufus steepled his fingers, leaning over the desk. “That won’t be necessary.”

“Sir?”

“Mako… the Promised Land… Jenova…” Rufus leaned back in his chair. “We’ve been played for fools. Something far bigger awaits us. The machinations of a hidden force, the plan of a mysterious mastermind. But what, I wonder…? And by whom…?”

“Heya.”

Sephiroth glanced up from his book to see Aerith peering into the training room. “Hi, Aerith.”

“So this is where you’ve been sneaking off to. Are you hiding from me?” 

Sephiroth laughed nervously, his cheeks turning slightly pink. “No! Of course not. I wouldn’t want to hide from you.”

Aerith plopped down on the ground beside Sephiroth, scooching closer until her arm touched his. Sephiroth bit his lip, averting his gaze as he felt his ears grow warm.

“Do you remember the day we met?”

“As if it were yesterday.” Sephiroth smiled. “You called me an angel.”

“Mm-hm! You know…” Aerith gazed up at the ceiling, “I don’t think I was wrong.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean, when I was captured by Jenova, you came and rescued me.” Aerith turned to look at Sephiroth, her green eyes wide. “You technically died to save my life.”

“It was n-” 

Aerith planted a small kiss on Sephiroth’s cheek. 

“Thank you, Sephiroth. My guardian angel.”

Sephiroth slowly, gently ran his fingers along his cheek where Aerith had kissed him. “Y-yeah…” he gasped, suddenly remembering how to breathe again. He shook his head, blinking back to reality. “Wh-what about Zack?”

“Oh? What about him?” Aerith winked. 

“Aren’t you two…?”

“Yeah.” Aerith folded her hands behind her back. “I get this feeling, sometimes, that he and I are meant to be. That we’ll be together in the end. But…” she shook her head. “Just because you know where the journey ends, doesn’t mean the way to get there should always be the same.”

“So… what does that make us, then?”

“I dunno.” Aerith smiled. “Want to find out?”

“Oh, I think you already know.” A deep voice sneered in the recesses of Sephiroth’s mind.

“No, I don’t,” Sephiroth snapped. 

“You don’t?” Aerith looked hurt.

“No, no, I wasn’t talking about- I didn’t mean-”

“It’s okay.” Aerith’s tone remained light, though Sephiroth could see the pain in her eyes. “Don’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

“Wait!” Sephiroth grabbed Aerith’s hand. “Aerith…” Sephiroth gently pulled Aerith towards him, grasping her shoulders so he could gaze into her eyes. “When we were kids, and you called me an angel…” Sephiroth swallowed. “You were wrong. I’m no angel.”

The dark voice chuckled in Sephiroth’s mind. 

“It’s you, Aerith. You’re the one who saved me. And I think, in my heart, I always knew, but you- after the Temple, I-” Sephiroth stumbled over his words. “Aerith, I know now that I… that I… I…”

Aerith paused, her eyes wide. “You…?”

“You think what you’re feeling is real?”

“I lo…” Sephiroth gulped. “I… I love…”

“You’re nothing but a puppet. My puppet.”

Sephiroth jerked forward, clumsily pressing his lips against Aerith’s. He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing this was probably the least romantic kiss imaginable. Anything to stop the voice.

He pulled back, awkwardly wiping the spit from his mouth. “S-sorry…”

“Sephiroth…” Aerith gently ran a hand over Sephiroth’s cheek, her gentle touch soothing him. 

Laughter echoed in Sephiroth’s mind, a cold, mirthless laughter. Sephiroth squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block it out. When he opened his eyes again, Aerith was once again pressed against him, her lips pressed to his as she shuddered in his arms. 

Something’s wrong.  

Aerith’s eyes were wide, her face pale as she gasped for breath. Sephiroth pulled himself away from the kiss, yanking the sword back as he withdrew.

Sword…?

He glanced down at his left hand, and he felt his heart stop.

He was clutching a katana, its long, thin blade stained with blood. 

“Se…phi…roth…?” Aerith gasped weakly. 

Sephiroth dropped the bloodied sword to the ground with a clatter, catching Aerith as she collapsed into his arms.

“Aerith…” Sephiroth’s hands trembled as he cradled Aerith’s lifeless body in his arms. “No… no, please. Aerith. Wake up. Please, wake up!” He knew from the blood dripping onto his fingers that there was no saving her, but he still shook her shoulders, hoping against hope that she would miraculously open her eyes. “Please don’t leave me…”

“Aerith…?” Sephiroth heard the door to the training room slide open. “You monster!” Fingers dug into Sephiroth’s arms, tearing at him painfully. “Get away from her!” 

Sephiroth’s grip gave way, and he was torn backwards, flung painfully to the floor as Zack instead rushed to Aerith’s side, cradling her in his arms. “Aerith…” his voice cracked as he brushed his hand gently over her cheek. He pulled Aerith’s corpse against him, his shoulders trembling. Then he threw his head back and screamed.

“Zack!?” Cloud, Tifa, and Angeal rushed into the room at the sound of Zack’s cries. Tifa screamed and covered her mouth with her hands, dropping to her knees in shock.

“Aerith!” Cloud rushed towards Aerith and Zack, dropping to his hands and knees. “Aerith, no!”

“What happened?” Angeal’s gaze flitted between the sight of the carnage and Sephiroth sprawled on the ground.

“It was him. It was Sephiroth!” Zack jabbed an accusing finger at Sephiroth. 

“No… no, it wasn’t me!” It was. Her blood is on your hands. “I couldn’t- I wasn’t-”

“Sephiroth…” Angeal’s voice broke. “How could you…?”

“I…” Sephiroth buried his head in his hands. “It wasn’t… I tried to stop it…”

“Good work, my puppet.”

“NO!” Sephiroth clawed at his skull. “Get out of my head! Leave me alone!”

“What are you talking—what the hell!?” 

Sephiroth looked up. The man from his nightmares had returned, towering over Zack, Cloud, and Aerith. A black wing sprouted from his right shoulder, further overshadowing the trio. 

“It’s him,” Sephiroth choked. “He’s the true killer!”

“I am?” The man smirked, his eyes flitting to the blood on Sephiroth’s hands. 

“I’ll kill you!” Sephiroth staggered forwards, picking up his bloodied sword from the ground. He let out a guttural yell, charging forward with the blade pointed squarely at the man’s heart, adrenaline and rage pumping through his veins.

The man held up a hand, and Sephiroth dropped to his hands and knees, groveling against his will before the nightmare. The man casually kicked Sephiroth’s sword out of reach, then turned to face the others.

“Behold.” the man lifted his arms to the sky. “It is I… your savior.” The man lowered his arms, grinning coldly at the group paralyzed with fear before him.

“I am Sephiroth.”

Chapter Text

Sephiroth couldn’t help but grin at the pure shock plastered on all the humans’ faces.

“That’s… not possible,” the young man with long, black hair protested. “You can’t be Sephiroth! Because I’m Sephiroth!”

Sephiroth laughed. “A pale imitation at best.”

The young man quivered as he strained against Sephiroth’s control. Seeing a man who looked so much like himself tremble so pathetically filled Sephiroth with revulsion. He flicked his wrist, throwing the young man back, where he landed in a heap beside the corpse of the Ancient.

“Why are you doing this?” Angeal shouted angrily.

Sephiroth smirked. “As I said before, I am here as your hero.”

“Heroes don’t murder innocent people!” Zack hissed through gritted teeth. 

Sephiroth burst out laughing. “Innocent? You believe the Cetra are innocent?” He laughed harder, pressing a hand to his forehead. “Humans are innocent?”  

He fought to regain his composure. “In spite of humanity’s cruelty… here I am.” Sephiroth raised his arms to the sky. “Your savior. The Planet’s rightful ruler. A forgiving, benevolent god, here to usher you to a bright future.”

“How are you… me…?” The false Sephiroth whimpered. Sephiroth resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

“When the boundaries of fate are breached, new worlds are born.” He lowered his arms. “Worlds such as this.”

“What, like a multiverse?” Cloud spat. “Bullshit!”

Sephiroth sighed. I should’ve known they wouldn’t understand.

A gust of wind rattled the windows. “Such a shame,” Sephiroth shook his head. “There is still much I could have learned from this world.”

“What’s that supposed to-”

Cloud’s protest was interrupted as the roof the Shinra building was ripped away by a gale of Whispers. The whorl of white arbiters threatened to whisk Sephiroth and his audience into the Lifestream, so he reached to the sky and summoned black Whispers of his own, creating a barrier preserving the remains of the training room.

“What’s happening!?” Tifa clung to Cloud, and Sephiroth resisted the urge to laugh. Always the same, in every world.  

“A homecoming,” Sephiroth grinned. “This world is returning to the Planet.”

“No!” The false Sephiroth leapt to his feet, rushing to the place the exit once stood. “What about the others? Uncle Vincent!?”

“Vincent Valentine,” Sehiroth growled. “The selfish fool who allowed lust to cloud his judgement. Who simply stood and watched as Professor Gast and Professor Hojo indulged in their ambitions.”

“Maybe he’s like that in your world, but Vincent would never do such a thing!” 

“Really? He never once stood by and allowed tragedy to unfold?” Sephiroth summoned Masamune to his left hand and slashed at the whirlwind of Whispers, tearing a hole in the Lifestream to view the world’s fading memories. 

Every bone in Vincent’s body screamed at him to warn Hojo not to find himself alone with this man. His body stiffened, recalling the agonizing paralysis of being suspended in Mako, unable to resist the experiments that turned him into a monster.

So Vincent held his tongue and simply watched as Hojo walked outside with the stranger.

“Vincent knew of my mother’s power. And he stood by and allowed your parents to walk straight to their deaths.”

“No… no, that’s not true…” 

“Though the world may fracture, many things remain the same.” Sephiroth tore open more holes to the past. “Vincent Valentine is a coward blinded by selfish emotion. Genesis, consumed by jealousy. Rufus Shinra, a spoiled rich child forever living in his dead father’s shadow.” 

The ground trembled as Sephiroth sliced through more Whispers. “The Black Materia summons Meteor in every world. And in every world, the prayer of a Cetra stops it.” Sephiroth glared at Aerith’s corpse. “In order for the world to be whole, every version of her must die.”

“And then what?”

“My fractured mother, these errant worlds… all will be made whole. Forever.”

With that, he lowered his hand, returning the black Whispers to his side and at last allowing the Planet’s Whispers to consume the world below. The cries of the last souls joined the chorus already circling the planet, and Sephiroth closed his eyes, listening to their rapture. 

It wasn’t a particularly resilient world, Sephiroth mused, but I must admit, it was an enjoyable one.