Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:07 pm
Chapter 17: Rebirth of the Shadows
His mouth was dry and muscles weak from the nonstop journey his body had taken him on from the Veldt. The wild boy was no longer in control of his body. By will alone, somebody else?s will, he had made his way across treacherous terrain and fought countless enemies. But why? What had made him give into the twisted demands of his unknown instigators? They had driven him relentlessly and stolen his freedom long ago. His every independent thought erased as soon as he touched that shining mysterious rock. Gau, for lack of a better word, had become a slave. A slave to the powers that bound him, a slave to the stone he carried . . .
"Head . . . hurt less," he whimpered to himself as he pushed on, stumbling over the uneven earth, "almost there . . ."
His destination had been the southern tip of the middle continent, far below the remnants of the old Kekfa Tower and even farther below Neo Vector. This area had been desolate since the beginning of time . . . a small mountain range and ageless piles of rock stood as the only landmarks of the barren wasteland. Black clouds hung ominously around the peaks of the mountain, never letting a ray of sunshine touch the ground, never letting life sustain itself . . . Even the muddy tributaries of a once great river were still virgins to the Sun. Sightless fish and scraggily animals were the only thing that existed here, and even sparsely at that. It was the perfect place . . . the perfect incubator of evil . . . all that was needed was a catalyst.
"You're close now, the voice that had commanded Gau earlier on the battlefield injected into the boy's susceptible mind, "Bring me what you carry and I will rid you of your pain . . ."
"NO, COME TO ME! I must be awoken first!?"the other entity screamed inside Gau's shattered psyche.
"Ooowaooo! STOP IT! I can't take anymore!" Gau pleaded with them, grabbing his head and tearing clumps of green hair from their roots. His eyes were dark and sunken and his hair disheveled . . . Gau was a mere shadow of the once lively boy that used to live off of nature. He figured that physical pain to his own self was the only way to cure himself of these voices, and he had continually destroyed his own body in the process. It was only a matter of time before his body ceased to work . . . and then he would die and be rid of this suffering.
"Hmph," the first voice chuckled to himself, amused at the boy's agony, "Hurry to me. I will end your misery soon, and then it will be all over. You will rest forever."
Gau fought against his dying body and dragged himself forwards, sometimes on two feet, sometimes on all fours. After a few minutes he reached a deep scar on the planet?s surface. A deep, solitary skid-mark stretched for thousands of feet from where he was. He curiously looked down the tear in the horizon and was suddenly struck with am awesome pain that shook his entire body. He hopelessly careened down into the ravine and slammed into cool, glass-like rocks that marked only this path. This evil road was created when a giant metallic object screamed through the planets atmosphere and became super heated. The mere touch of the rock and metal against this landscape melted the rocks with the sand to create the almost nightmarish landscape.
As Gau continued, he noticed thousands of similar silver spots where smaller asteroids had crashed down from the sky. The dark sky beckoned him to continue on, and he did. Cold wind blew and the grey clouds stirred tumultuously up above as Gau?s heart pounded with every increasing anxiety. Some of the bigger asteroids had shattered when they hit the bedrock and had split into millions of smaller shards. The shards had embedded themselves haphazardly around the environment and shone repeatedly with lightning strikes far off in the distance . . . Rotten and bloody, with intestines and other body parts spilled over the ground, Gau caught the sight of an unlucky animal that had been caught in the carnage. Flies buzzed around the remains and he turned his sight away from it to keep his stomach from being turned inside out.
He closed his eye now and prayed. He prayed that he be taken from this world and that mercy be taken on his soul. Even if he couldn?t express these feelings, he felt it. The wild boy had learned much from his friends, and had come very far from the feral instincts he once relied upon day in and day out. But he didn?t need to pray anymore. He was at his destination. Before the diminutive teenager from the Veldt was a boulder encased in absolute darkness. Its face was shrouded in the shadow of the mountains and from the rolling black clouds. Gau?s eyes strained to see anything, anything at all. But it was all in vain. He walked around as though he were sleeping, surrounded by total silence and darkness. Wind seemed to stop altogether and time slowed when Gau put his hand onto the cold stone in front of his body.
Dare he wake the darkness and what it held? His heart raced as he thought of the ramifications of what he was about to do. But without making a conscious decision the events transpired on their own, out of his control. Breathing slowly, Gau took his precious orb out of his leather pouch and held it in front of his chest. A violet glow began to beat along with his heart quickening in pace as he grew ever more anxious. As this dark ceremony continued, he raised the ball upwards to the sky, presenting it to the obsidian figure masked by the shadows. The dark light inside the orb suddenly flared up, wildly kicking around but casting no light whatsoever against the unholy monolith that had landed on their planet.
?Release it and I will release your pain,? the voice commanded, almost soothingly. The Black Materia suddenly rose away from Gau?s hand and floated towards the rock. He watched it with unadulterated wonder as the pain he had grown accustomed to was lifted from his heavy spirit. The purple and blue light twirled and meshed inside the ball and grew more violent, seeming like it was about to explode as it met with the boulder . . .
?You have done well,? the voice was actually SAYING this now. No longer just floating words in Gau?s head. What was happening? Both of cold objects finally collided sent the world into chaos. The light that had been imprisoned inside the black materia exploded outwards and illuminated the entire boulder, changing the asteroid in essence into one large emulator. The energy screamed and popped all around the boy as a dark figure suddenly became apparent inside the rock. It was just rock, but metal and glass that incased this extraterrestrial being. The blinding light layered itself all over the mountains and rocks, and all the boy could do to shield his eyes was curl up into a ball and bury his face in the rocks. But even that didn?t seem to work . . .
The light inside had escaped all at once, and now all that remained was a glowing asteroid. For the first time in days, the wild boy willfully looked up. As his pupils dilated in fear, he suddenly wished he hadn?t. The materia had bored its way through the minerals and settled mere centimeters from the figure locked inside. Buried within the rock was a man. Only his right arm and upper torso remained, the rest had been destroyed in an epic battle from a Meteor that he had summoned himself. During the fall into this planet, his head remained in a permanent slump looking towards the ground, and his arms were locked in a pose of crucifixion. Very unfitting for a man that more closely resembled a demon god. The black stone had started to fuse with his body, and Gau had helped make it all possible.
The materia burrowed deeper and deeper inside the figure, diffusing its power to the man. White light poured from his arms and waist, forming an outline for the orbs power to fill as his physical form regenerated. Bones to linked themselves together and muscle was sewn onto his frame before a thin layer of skin finally enclosed it all. The glass-like coffin that had formed from the asteroid entering the atmosphere rock exploded off his form violently. Smoldering cinders fells from Sephiroth?s skin as he slid from the molded surface of the rock. He collapsed onto one knee, looking at his naked and glowing body knowing now that he was the one and only true heir to the Black Materia that had liquefied and now flowed through his veins. After staring at the renewed magnificence of his reformed body for a few moments he finally lifted his head, looking at the person who had resurrected him with a cold, ruthless hate.
?What . . . I do?? Gau mouthed as he slowly recoiled in fear, falling to his back as the man stood over him.
?They rejected me. At every turn they fought to deny my very existence. But now it?s my turn to deny their existence.?
?Who? What you talking about?? the boy continued to whimper, cowering before the grandiose figure of Sephiroth standing before him.
His silver hair flowed with the dark wind, an evil smirk formed at his lips, ?Cloud . . . I can feel you here. This will be your end. It will be the end for all of you . . .?
Mobliz
?Why are you here?? Vincent wondered to himself, not wholly knowing if he was thinking it or saying it aloud.
?You called me, remember?? Lucrecia responded to him, almost in a daze. She walked up to the hunched man and softly caressed his jawline.
?I did? Why??
?Because I had something . . . to tell you,? Lucrecia stopped moving around the room as she began her next sentence, her white flowing dress moving ever so slightly, ? I . . .?
The room suddenly flooded with an odd light, temporarily blinding Vincent. When his eyes readjusted, Hojo stood defiantly before him. He held a gun shakily in both hands and pointed the barrel between the Turk?s eyes.
?What are you doing!? Vincent shouted, grabbing for the gun. Hojo didn?t hesitate and squeezed the trigger when his victim swung for him. The bullet hit the Turk straight on and instantly zapped all strength from his body. The force of the bullet jolted him backwards and knocked him off his feet. Unable to control his bodily functions, he let the ground take him even though he was willing his hands to brace for the impact. His head was busted wide open and blood dripped from the multiple head wounds caused by his murderer. Hojo dropped the gun on the ground. He seemed to be a man of contradictions. Both confident and afraid of what he had done, he started to walk away, seeing his woman?s eyes watching him from the doorway. She had a look of accomplishment on her face, but what had she done?
?Let?s go,? she said, placing her arm around the scrawny scientists? shoulder. As they left the room, Lucrecia endeared these last words to Vincent, ? Its over my love, time to move on . . .?
Before all life had left him, the room flashed violently again and Vincent found himself standing up. He was alone in a vast wasteland with nothing but gravel as bedfellows. Like a bolt of lightning, his name rung out from the fog that enclosed him and he spun around just in time to miss the arc of a five foot blade sailing towards his head. It came back towards him as he jumped away to escape, but he was too slow to avoid it. It met his flesh with the searing pain and fire seemed to tear through his body from his shoulder vertically down to his stomach. He fell lifelessly to the ground below, a cruel joke played by the fates as Sephiroth, the offspring of his murderers appeared to him and smiled . . .
?AHHHH!!? Vincent screamed, throwing off his blanket. Children scampered all over the room, startled at both this man?s appearance and actions. He was still disoriented and dripping from a cold sweat. After a few moments he felt the warmth of the fireplace nearby, the warm soothing breeze through an open window and then the children?s faces . . . which were all around him. Once he had gotten his wits about him again, he started asking questions, ?Where am I??
?Mobliz,? a cute little blond haired girl with pigtails told him from behind a bedpost. She still seemed a little frightened, especially of this strangers foreboding metallic arm.
?W, where?? He stuttered.
?Mobliz!? a boy replied more happily, rushing to open up the door and go outside. Vincent was about to raise his voice to speak again when a green haired woman came through the door, being pulled by the kid.
?Oh, you?re finally up. Don?t talk right now. Try to save your strength,? Terra told him, ?I?ll explain everything to you once your other friends wake up . . .?
Depths of Wasteland
?It?s not fair! Who said you get to return before me??
Sephiroth squinted in anger, and his aura of hate translated into a roaring scream for other bothersome, almost loathsome entity.
?No need to have a hissy fit! I?m just a little bored, that?s all,? the other voice retorted, ?If you only knew, maybe then you?d be a little more understanding . . .?
Sephiroth sneered, ?She is of no importance to me, and neither are you. I could care less about your ambitions. You power pales in comparison to mine now . . .?
?Ha ha ha! You think? That might be true . . . but let me tell you a little background about this girl and her powers, well,? the other spirit rambled on, both in Gau?s head and the former general?s whether they wanted to hear it or not, ?The girl I seek is the essence of life itself. She is the fourth goddess of this world, born before existence itself . . . ?
Sephiroth was not amused or impressed, but Gau seemed enthralled by the story, and the voice in his head which seemed uncannily familiar to him.
?Before all this happened and I ended up here, I had been in command of the Empire?s forces. However, I grew tired of that position, and soon I delved into the history and lore of this world. Scouring through the ancient texts ?borrowed? from Vector?s Imperial Library, I one day came across the legend of the Three Goddesses. At the beginning of time, the world was in violent chaos. The three goddesses lent their powers to the planet in hope that it would calm its troubled spirit, and sure enough, it did. But the world?s calm came at a high price. In order for the world to remain peaceful and full of life, they could never move again. Accepting their fate, each of these entities turned themselves into gold statues and hid their ethereal bodies from the eyes of the world. I traveled the world, hoping to come across them in their purest state. You see as statues they were naked, and to steal their power would be child?s play.?
Gau swallowed hard, listening to the story with amazement, even though the impossibility of it all seemed like no more than a fantasy. Sephiroth?s interest had been piqued however, much to the delight of his companion, ?Continue,? he said to the storyteller.
You could almost feel the confidence in his voice as the man continued now with his listener?s full attention, ?Their power was legendary, and I was eager to obtain it . . . I stopped at nothing to obtain it. Looking back on what I possessed, It was unfathomable and unequaled in this universe. Only after the statues had moved and I absorbed this WONDEROUS power did I realize it only to be partial. I became a god, and the beautiful world shifted from balance to ruin. The world became filled with sorrow and despair . . . I erected marvelous monuments in my honor and scattered hope to the winds! Oh, I wish you had been there to witness my greatness!?
?But you lost it all. And that is why you are here now,? Sephiroth teased him, stifling a rare ?hmph? of amusement.
?BE PATIENT!? Gau cringed as the voice?s scream rang through his head, ?I was just getting to the point! You must first understand the history of my world to grasp the immensity of this power!? The voice waited a couple seconds and let the noise settle between them before starting up again. ?So now I continue . . . When I was basking in this new power given to me by those goddesses, I learned much about this planet?s ancient history. Originally, there were four gods, guardians actually. They represented Power, Magic, Life, and Death. Each existed in a delicate balance with one another and created the world in their image. Gaia or Terra, or whatever this planet it is called, could not exist without Power/Magic and Life/Death sitting in opposition to each other.?
?The last time I checked you were still dead and had taken the three goddesses to the grave with you. Shouldn?t everything cease to exist?? Sephiroth asked, trying to trap him in his own contradiction.
?Hmph, you aren?t as smart as I thought you were, ? the voice shot back, insulting Sephiroth.
?What!? The demi-god yelled, shaking the ground with a physical outflow of anger.
?Calm down . . . I?ll explain a bit more to you. The planet is still here thanks to the wondrous cycle of life. It was my plan all along to die and take the goddesses with me. During my reign I feverishly sought the fourth and final deity, only with all four would this unmentionable power be complete. But this was impossible, and I knew it to be so. As long as the others still lived inside me, the goddess would never show herself. I had to draw it out. So . . . once I was dead and gone, the last guardian would appear on this world to revive her companions. In the process, she would revive me as well. The final goddess will arrive in the form of that innocent girl, and I will rise again to the level of a god. This time however, I will steal her powers and become one with the planet . . . literally.?
?So you are more of a brother to me than I thought,? Sephiroth mused, alluding to his own delusions.
?More like a distant cousin, ? the voice arrogantly replied, ? I will become a god and nobody will rival my power . . . not even you.?
Sephiroth responded to him in silent contempt as he began to feel the presence of another coming close to his location, ?Your princess is here.?
Everyone?s focus shifted to a woman in her early twenties walking unfazed through the same terrain that Gau had so difficultly traveled less than less than an hour before. Taking off the hood of her robe, as she continued to walk and her rare beauty seemed to shine on this dark, unholy place. Since she had left the tower and her father, her hair had faded to white blonde color and her skin had become a perfect tone of beige. She was almost an exact copy of her mom except for the immeasurable power that lay dormant inside. Phoebe?s silver colored eyes searched the area for anyone before calling out bravely, ?Mom??
The purity and clarity of her voice pained Sephiroth to listen to, but he would keep his promise to his ?friend?, ?Phoebe is it??? he asked, almost politely.
?Yeah, how did you know?? Phoebe said, reluctantly taking the hand of this naked man. But for some reason she saw him as pure and almost angelic in features, not unlike herself. It would make sense that her mother be guarded by other angels. She followed closely, walking not three steps behind him as he led her deeper into the wasteland. She noticed Gau as they walked over the loose dirt and gave the wild boy the sweetest and warmest smile he had ever received. Gau lifted his head to return the gesture, but he caught Sephiroth eyeing him coldly in mid gesture. He instead shied away and bowed his head.
?I was told me to bring you in when you arrived,? Sephiroth continued, sticking with the ruse, ?we are almost there.?
Sephiroth led her to a small cave that was actually pockets of debris from the old Kefka?s Tower. Buried beneath it lay the master of that dreadful tower, waiting for his turn to live again. The depth of the cave stretched no more than ten feet underground, but light was scarce in the wastelands, giving the effect that was in reality MUCH deeper. In order to light the way, Sephiroth used his new powers and effortlessly formed a small fireball in his free hand. It hovered inches from his palm and looked as thought it would fade out at any second, but it continued to flicker just enough to light the pathway and the room where Phoebe would meet her ?mother?.
?Mother? You here?? Phoebe cried out when she reached the tomb of Kefka. She had waited so long, and listened to her mom?s beckoning ever since she was born . . . finally being able to meet now was a dream come true for the child of angels.
?Yes,? Kefka said inside her thoughts, ?But I?ve been hurt! I?m underneath you, can you help me up?? In her mind she saw her wounded mother, buried alive underneath all the rubble.
?Of course!? She happily answered her mom. Phoebe crouched and began pulling away loose rock and pieces of mangled metal until she located a shoulder sticking out of the ground. A white aura formed around her hands and she placed them on the back of the person who was just beneath the surface of rubble. The life giving power spread all over the flesh of her ?mother? and took only a few seconds to take effect.
Ripping away the stones and other material off his head and legs, Kefka emerged from his ephemeral grave. He wasn?t much to look at in his human form. Pale in complexion without any of his usual makeup or decoration adorning his slender frame, he instinctually ran his hand through the dull blonde hair that covered his head. Looks can be deceiving though . . .
?No,? Phoebe said in a shocked tone, stepping backwards and shaking her head in disbelief, ?you?re not mom . . .?
?You?re right . . .? Kefka gleefully conceded to her, baring his moldy teeth. In one swift motion he lunged forward and seized Phoebe?s neck. She gurgled and fought for air as Kefka lifted her body above his, punching his arm as hard as she could while kicking his chest. Even with all the power she had inside her, not knowing how to use it was meaningless. The gentle and caring child could feel her life slowly slipping away slowly, knowing that not even her magic would be of any use. Compared to the other three goddesses, Phoebe?s power was infinitesimal. Kefka?s power alone easily outmatched her own. Gabe?s daughter could only stare at Kefka and hope he sympathized with her pleading gaze. He smiled back to her, but only to let her know that he didn?t care. She spat at him, trying to suck in air to fill her lungs . . . but it was pointless.
Kefka brought his other hand to her throat and pressed his thumbs into her larynx, crushing it. There was a look of immense pain on the girls frightened face and then nothing as the vertebrate in her neck broke. She didn?t punch, she didn?t kick . . . Phoebe just hung there, lifeless in Kefka?s grip of death. He let her fall to the ground in a heap before he began the process of merging with her like he had done with the other deities.
Kefka stood perfectly still and began to pray with his hands together, mumbling the forgotten words of a forgotten civilization in a forgotten tongue. The three goddesses of Magic, Power, and Death left his body in a mist then lazily drifted over to Phoebe?s broken bones. Calling to her soul they transformed her body into vapor, and then, with all four sisters finally reunited . . . they returned to Kefka. One by one he absorbed them, until at last he had them all in his possession.
In the darkness his pupils glowed red and their light flooded the room, ?Such power,? he confessed, almost giggling as he flexed his arms. Like the rest of his body, they were growing in size and endowing him with a power that no human had ever seen before, ?It?s more than I had ever imagined!!?
Feeling his new power, even Sephiroth was startled.
Mobliz
?After your friend Nanaki came out of your ship, we saw that he was pretty banged up. The kids and I brought him back here to help,? Terra explained, ?It?s not much, but luckily our potions worked on him and your friend recovered. You were different though. We found you already knocked out and you?ve been unconscious ever since.?
?He?s a sleepy head!? Thomas accused Vincent, causing the other children and giggle and laugh.
?He he,? Terra chuckled, ?I guess he was . . .? Vincent looked unamused and caused Terra to catch herself quickly. She wasn?t used to being around adults anymore, ?Billy, Thomas . . . why don?t you go over and help Duane with the rest of the people from the ship? It would help mommy a lot.?
The dozen or so kids left the room following the other boys, leaving only Terra, Vincent, and a sleeping Red in the house. Terra was about to continue the rest of the story when her head started to swoon. Grimacing, she fell to her knees and held her head tightly.
?You okay?? Vincent asked, still a bit groggy.
?Y, Yeah,? she said, ?it just suddenly felt as though I had been hit in the head by a blunt object. Anyway, while we were the fixing up Nanaki, he told us about the mission you guys were on, his other friends that hadn?t come, and your planet. It?s a little hard to believe that you came from a different planet, but we didn?t want to push him too hard so I let him rest and said that he could tell us all about it in the morning. The kids liked him . . .?
There was an awkward silence after that. Seeking to break the ice, Terra asked Vincent, ?So I guess that you want to find your friends, right??
?Yeah, as soon Nanaki rested we will leave to find them. Our friend Cid is ? ? Vincent was cut off in the middle of his sentence.
?Let me help!? Terra implored, grabbing his human hand, ?I have many friends around these parts and I?m sure that they?d be happy to help.?
?Alright, ? Flustered at the touch of a woman, Vincent drew his hand away from her and threw the sheets off his legs. He preferred the chill of wooden floorboards to that of a warm bed. While searching for his belongings for a couple minutes, he came to realize that he no longer had his tattered crimson cloak. Almost embarrassed because of his arm of iron and steel, he frantically looked for something as he hid it behind his back, ?Where is my cloak??
Terra looked at him baffled, ?What cloak? We brought everything in here from the ship and there wasn?t one . . . I could get you one if you wanted me to.?
?No that?s alright,? He replied trying to keep his arm hidden from view. When he thought it over though, Vincent knew it to be the best way, ?Well, if it?s not too much of a burden for you . . .?
?No problem Vincent. By the way,? Terra asked as she turned to leave, ?what happened to your arm??
Had she noticed him trying to hide it all that time?
?That isn?t of any concern to you,? Vincent came off rather brash and angry so he quickly reworded his sentence. He didn?t want to offend her and looked away as he said, ?It was an accident . . . from long ago, and I don?t want to talk about it.?
Satisfied with the answer, she started for the door, ?Give me a minute, I?ll be right back with a cloak for you.?
Terra never made it to the door . . .
A wave of pain suddenly swept over her entire body and forced her onto all fours. Vincent lurched towards her but she held out her hand as though motioning him to stay back, ?It?s okay, just a migraine,? It felt like electricity was stimulating all of the nerve endings in her body, causing a debilitating sensory overload in her head. Terra gritted her teeth, trying to suppress this pain, but couldn?t. Defeated, she let the pain run its course and blacked out from its intensity.
Vincent watched intently, half stunned and half worried at what he was saw. Bolts of electricity swarmed around Terra and hit the floor and walls of the already fragile house, splintering wood and shattering glass. Her hair turned pink and flowed wildly behind her head for a moment and then died down. But seconds later it returned with a vengeance and wind blasted out of the ground below her body. Pink flames began to sporadically appear all over her body, burning away the clothes she wore, but more importantly, her humanity.
?What is this . . .? Vincent mumbled, unable to comprehend what was happening.
?NOOOOOO!!!? Terra screamed as her body exploded into an inferno of pink fire. How she managed to survive the raging fire defied nature and the laws of physics. It just remained on her skin, slowly undulating and flickering in a sea of unbridled energy. Terra seemed unharmed and unphased by her current situation. She looked over to the other person in the room, her eyes replaced by a dark void surrounding a pink pupil.
Vincent was shocked. He was viewing the awakening of a new being, a new lifeform . . . and it scared the hell out of him. This luminescent pink figure moved with the wind, standing up with no effort and walking towards him without any look of worry. She was featureless. No mouth or nose to speak of, and only the slight suggestion of the female anatomy indicated it to be a woman . . .
Looking into her eyes, they spoke volumes to Vincent. He saw her sadness, her pain, her compassion . . . she tried to approach him, reaching a hand out to him but he suddenly stepped back in fear, not knowing what had come over him. Without speaking her soul seemed to cry out in pain from the rejection. She was frightened, terrified even. She couldn?t bear the thought of anybody seeing her like this and a feeling of loneliness swelled up deep inside her being. Something told Terra that it wouldn?t be safe in Mobliz anymore, and without any warning she jump up and rocketed through the roof at hundreds of miles per hour, sending wooden boards and rusted nails raining down to the floor below. Where she was going, nobody knew . . . but one thing was certain . . .
Magic was back.
---------
Sorry about all those weird symbols. I think That's James fault for the type of text he has supported on this website. I'll try and get him to fix it. Anyways, new chapter weeee. Wish me luck on the next one . . .
His mouth was dry and muscles weak from the nonstop journey his body had taken him on from the Veldt. The wild boy was no longer in control of his body. By will alone, somebody else?s will, he had made his way across treacherous terrain and fought countless enemies. But why? What had made him give into the twisted demands of his unknown instigators? They had driven him relentlessly and stolen his freedom long ago. His every independent thought erased as soon as he touched that shining mysterious rock. Gau, for lack of a better word, had become a slave. A slave to the powers that bound him, a slave to the stone he carried . . .
"Head . . . hurt less," he whimpered to himself as he pushed on, stumbling over the uneven earth, "almost there . . ."
His destination had been the southern tip of the middle continent, far below the remnants of the old Kekfa Tower and even farther below Neo Vector. This area had been desolate since the beginning of time . . . a small mountain range and ageless piles of rock stood as the only landmarks of the barren wasteland. Black clouds hung ominously around the peaks of the mountain, never letting a ray of sunshine touch the ground, never letting life sustain itself . . . Even the muddy tributaries of a once great river were still virgins to the Sun. Sightless fish and scraggily animals were the only thing that existed here, and even sparsely at that. It was the perfect place . . . the perfect incubator of evil . . . all that was needed was a catalyst.
"You're close now, the voice that had commanded Gau earlier on the battlefield injected into the boy's susceptible mind, "Bring me what you carry and I will rid you of your pain . . ."
"NO, COME TO ME! I must be awoken first!?"the other entity screamed inside Gau's shattered psyche.
"Ooowaooo! STOP IT! I can't take anymore!" Gau pleaded with them, grabbing his head and tearing clumps of green hair from their roots. His eyes were dark and sunken and his hair disheveled . . . Gau was a mere shadow of the once lively boy that used to live off of nature. He figured that physical pain to his own self was the only way to cure himself of these voices, and he had continually destroyed his own body in the process. It was only a matter of time before his body ceased to work . . . and then he would die and be rid of this suffering.
"Hmph," the first voice chuckled to himself, amused at the boy's agony, "Hurry to me. I will end your misery soon, and then it will be all over. You will rest forever."
Gau fought against his dying body and dragged himself forwards, sometimes on two feet, sometimes on all fours. After a few minutes he reached a deep scar on the planet?s surface. A deep, solitary skid-mark stretched for thousands of feet from where he was. He curiously looked down the tear in the horizon and was suddenly struck with am awesome pain that shook his entire body. He hopelessly careened down into the ravine and slammed into cool, glass-like rocks that marked only this path. This evil road was created when a giant metallic object screamed through the planets atmosphere and became super heated. The mere touch of the rock and metal against this landscape melted the rocks with the sand to create the almost nightmarish landscape.
As Gau continued, he noticed thousands of similar silver spots where smaller asteroids had crashed down from the sky. The dark sky beckoned him to continue on, and he did. Cold wind blew and the grey clouds stirred tumultuously up above as Gau?s heart pounded with every increasing anxiety. Some of the bigger asteroids had shattered when they hit the bedrock and had split into millions of smaller shards. The shards had embedded themselves haphazardly around the environment and shone repeatedly with lightning strikes far off in the distance . . . Rotten and bloody, with intestines and other body parts spilled over the ground, Gau caught the sight of an unlucky animal that had been caught in the carnage. Flies buzzed around the remains and he turned his sight away from it to keep his stomach from being turned inside out.
He closed his eye now and prayed. He prayed that he be taken from this world and that mercy be taken on his soul. Even if he couldn?t express these feelings, he felt it. The wild boy had learned much from his friends, and had come very far from the feral instincts he once relied upon day in and day out. But he didn?t need to pray anymore. He was at his destination. Before the diminutive teenager from the Veldt was a boulder encased in absolute darkness. Its face was shrouded in the shadow of the mountains and from the rolling black clouds. Gau?s eyes strained to see anything, anything at all. But it was all in vain. He walked around as though he were sleeping, surrounded by total silence and darkness. Wind seemed to stop altogether and time slowed when Gau put his hand onto the cold stone in front of his body.
Dare he wake the darkness and what it held? His heart raced as he thought of the ramifications of what he was about to do. But without making a conscious decision the events transpired on their own, out of his control. Breathing slowly, Gau took his precious orb out of his leather pouch and held it in front of his chest. A violet glow began to beat along with his heart quickening in pace as he grew ever more anxious. As this dark ceremony continued, he raised the ball upwards to the sky, presenting it to the obsidian figure masked by the shadows. The dark light inside the orb suddenly flared up, wildly kicking around but casting no light whatsoever against the unholy monolith that had landed on their planet.
?Release it and I will release your pain,? the voice commanded, almost soothingly. The Black Materia suddenly rose away from Gau?s hand and floated towards the rock. He watched it with unadulterated wonder as the pain he had grown accustomed to was lifted from his heavy spirit. The purple and blue light twirled and meshed inside the ball and grew more violent, seeming like it was about to explode as it met with the boulder . . .
?You have done well,? the voice was actually SAYING this now. No longer just floating words in Gau?s head. What was happening? Both of cold objects finally collided sent the world into chaos. The light that had been imprisoned inside the black materia exploded outwards and illuminated the entire boulder, changing the asteroid in essence into one large emulator. The energy screamed and popped all around the boy as a dark figure suddenly became apparent inside the rock. It was just rock, but metal and glass that incased this extraterrestrial being. The blinding light layered itself all over the mountains and rocks, and all the boy could do to shield his eyes was curl up into a ball and bury his face in the rocks. But even that didn?t seem to work . . .
The light inside had escaped all at once, and now all that remained was a glowing asteroid. For the first time in days, the wild boy willfully looked up. As his pupils dilated in fear, he suddenly wished he hadn?t. The materia had bored its way through the minerals and settled mere centimeters from the figure locked inside. Buried within the rock was a man. Only his right arm and upper torso remained, the rest had been destroyed in an epic battle from a Meteor that he had summoned himself. During the fall into this planet, his head remained in a permanent slump looking towards the ground, and his arms were locked in a pose of crucifixion. Very unfitting for a man that more closely resembled a demon god. The black stone had started to fuse with his body, and Gau had helped make it all possible.
The materia burrowed deeper and deeper inside the figure, diffusing its power to the man. White light poured from his arms and waist, forming an outline for the orbs power to fill as his physical form regenerated. Bones to linked themselves together and muscle was sewn onto his frame before a thin layer of skin finally enclosed it all. The glass-like coffin that had formed from the asteroid entering the atmosphere rock exploded off his form violently. Smoldering cinders fells from Sephiroth?s skin as he slid from the molded surface of the rock. He collapsed onto one knee, looking at his naked and glowing body knowing now that he was the one and only true heir to the Black Materia that had liquefied and now flowed through his veins. After staring at the renewed magnificence of his reformed body for a few moments he finally lifted his head, looking at the person who had resurrected him with a cold, ruthless hate.
?What . . . I do?? Gau mouthed as he slowly recoiled in fear, falling to his back as the man stood over him.
?They rejected me. At every turn they fought to deny my very existence. But now it?s my turn to deny their existence.?
?Who? What you talking about?? the boy continued to whimper, cowering before the grandiose figure of Sephiroth standing before him.
His silver hair flowed with the dark wind, an evil smirk formed at his lips, ?Cloud . . . I can feel you here. This will be your end. It will be the end for all of you . . .?
Mobliz
?Why are you here?? Vincent wondered to himself, not wholly knowing if he was thinking it or saying it aloud.
?You called me, remember?? Lucrecia responded to him, almost in a daze. She walked up to the hunched man and softly caressed his jawline.
?I did? Why??
?Because I had something . . . to tell you,? Lucrecia stopped moving around the room as she began her next sentence, her white flowing dress moving ever so slightly, ? I . . .?
The room suddenly flooded with an odd light, temporarily blinding Vincent. When his eyes readjusted, Hojo stood defiantly before him. He held a gun shakily in both hands and pointed the barrel between the Turk?s eyes.
?What are you doing!? Vincent shouted, grabbing for the gun. Hojo didn?t hesitate and squeezed the trigger when his victim swung for him. The bullet hit the Turk straight on and instantly zapped all strength from his body. The force of the bullet jolted him backwards and knocked him off his feet. Unable to control his bodily functions, he let the ground take him even though he was willing his hands to brace for the impact. His head was busted wide open and blood dripped from the multiple head wounds caused by his murderer. Hojo dropped the gun on the ground. He seemed to be a man of contradictions. Both confident and afraid of what he had done, he started to walk away, seeing his woman?s eyes watching him from the doorway. She had a look of accomplishment on her face, but what had she done?
?Let?s go,? she said, placing her arm around the scrawny scientists? shoulder. As they left the room, Lucrecia endeared these last words to Vincent, ? Its over my love, time to move on . . .?
Before all life had left him, the room flashed violently again and Vincent found himself standing up. He was alone in a vast wasteland with nothing but gravel as bedfellows. Like a bolt of lightning, his name rung out from the fog that enclosed him and he spun around just in time to miss the arc of a five foot blade sailing towards his head. It came back towards him as he jumped away to escape, but he was too slow to avoid it. It met his flesh with the searing pain and fire seemed to tear through his body from his shoulder vertically down to his stomach. He fell lifelessly to the ground below, a cruel joke played by the fates as Sephiroth, the offspring of his murderers appeared to him and smiled . . .
?AHHHH!!? Vincent screamed, throwing off his blanket. Children scampered all over the room, startled at both this man?s appearance and actions. He was still disoriented and dripping from a cold sweat. After a few moments he felt the warmth of the fireplace nearby, the warm soothing breeze through an open window and then the children?s faces . . . which were all around him. Once he had gotten his wits about him again, he started asking questions, ?Where am I??
?Mobliz,? a cute little blond haired girl with pigtails told him from behind a bedpost. She still seemed a little frightened, especially of this strangers foreboding metallic arm.
?W, where?? He stuttered.
?Mobliz!? a boy replied more happily, rushing to open up the door and go outside. Vincent was about to raise his voice to speak again when a green haired woman came through the door, being pulled by the kid.
?Oh, you?re finally up. Don?t talk right now. Try to save your strength,? Terra told him, ?I?ll explain everything to you once your other friends wake up . . .?
Depths of Wasteland
?It?s not fair! Who said you get to return before me??
Sephiroth squinted in anger, and his aura of hate translated into a roaring scream for other bothersome, almost loathsome entity.
?No need to have a hissy fit! I?m just a little bored, that?s all,? the other voice retorted, ?If you only knew, maybe then you?d be a little more understanding . . .?
Sephiroth sneered, ?She is of no importance to me, and neither are you. I could care less about your ambitions. You power pales in comparison to mine now . . .?
?Ha ha ha! You think? That might be true . . . but let me tell you a little background about this girl and her powers, well,? the other spirit rambled on, both in Gau?s head and the former general?s whether they wanted to hear it or not, ?The girl I seek is the essence of life itself. She is the fourth goddess of this world, born before existence itself . . . ?
Sephiroth was not amused or impressed, but Gau seemed enthralled by the story, and the voice in his head which seemed uncannily familiar to him.
?Before all this happened and I ended up here, I had been in command of the Empire?s forces. However, I grew tired of that position, and soon I delved into the history and lore of this world. Scouring through the ancient texts ?borrowed? from Vector?s Imperial Library, I one day came across the legend of the Three Goddesses. At the beginning of time, the world was in violent chaos. The three goddesses lent their powers to the planet in hope that it would calm its troubled spirit, and sure enough, it did. But the world?s calm came at a high price. In order for the world to remain peaceful and full of life, they could never move again. Accepting their fate, each of these entities turned themselves into gold statues and hid their ethereal bodies from the eyes of the world. I traveled the world, hoping to come across them in their purest state. You see as statues they were naked, and to steal their power would be child?s play.?
Gau swallowed hard, listening to the story with amazement, even though the impossibility of it all seemed like no more than a fantasy. Sephiroth?s interest had been piqued however, much to the delight of his companion, ?Continue,? he said to the storyteller.
You could almost feel the confidence in his voice as the man continued now with his listener?s full attention, ?Their power was legendary, and I was eager to obtain it . . . I stopped at nothing to obtain it. Looking back on what I possessed, It was unfathomable and unequaled in this universe. Only after the statues had moved and I absorbed this WONDEROUS power did I realize it only to be partial. I became a god, and the beautiful world shifted from balance to ruin. The world became filled with sorrow and despair . . . I erected marvelous monuments in my honor and scattered hope to the winds! Oh, I wish you had been there to witness my greatness!?
?But you lost it all. And that is why you are here now,? Sephiroth teased him, stifling a rare ?hmph? of amusement.
?BE PATIENT!? Gau cringed as the voice?s scream rang through his head, ?I was just getting to the point! You must first understand the history of my world to grasp the immensity of this power!? The voice waited a couple seconds and let the noise settle between them before starting up again. ?So now I continue . . . When I was basking in this new power given to me by those goddesses, I learned much about this planet?s ancient history. Originally, there were four gods, guardians actually. They represented Power, Magic, Life, and Death. Each existed in a delicate balance with one another and created the world in their image. Gaia or Terra, or whatever this planet it is called, could not exist without Power/Magic and Life/Death sitting in opposition to each other.?
?The last time I checked you were still dead and had taken the three goddesses to the grave with you. Shouldn?t everything cease to exist?? Sephiroth asked, trying to trap him in his own contradiction.
?Hmph, you aren?t as smart as I thought you were, ? the voice shot back, insulting Sephiroth.
?What!? The demi-god yelled, shaking the ground with a physical outflow of anger.
?Calm down . . . I?ll explain a bit more to you. The planet is still here thanks to the wondrous cycle of life. It was my plan all along to die and take the goddesses with me. During my reign I feverishly sought the fourth and final deity, only with all four would this unmentionable power be complete. But this was impossible, and I knew it to be so. As long as the others still lived inside me, the goddess would never show herself. I had to draw it out. So . . . once I was dead and gone, the last guardian would appear on this world to revive her companions. In the process, she would revive me as well. The final goddess will arrive in the form of that innocent girl, and I will rise again to the level of a god. This time however, I will steal her powers and become one with the planet . . . literally.?
?So you are more of a brother to me than I thought,? Sephiroth mused, alluding to his own delusions.
?More like a distant cousin, ? the voice arrogantly replied, ? I will become a god and nobody will rival my power . . . not even you.?
Sephiroth responded to him in silent contempt as he began to feel the presence of another coming close to his location, ?Your princess is here.?
Everyone?s focus shifted to a woman in her early twenties walking unfazed through the same terrain that Gau had so difficultly traveled less than less than an hour before. Taking off the hood of her robe, as she continued to walk and her rare beauty seemed to shine on this dark, unholy place. Since she had left the tower and her father, her hair had faded to white blonde color and her skin had become a perfect tone of beige. She was almost an exact copy of her mom except for the immeasurable power that lay dormant inside. Phoebe?s silver colored eyes searched the area for anyone before calling out bravely, ?Mom??
The purity and clarity of her voice pained Sephiroth to listen to, but he would keep his promise to his ?friend?, ?Phoebe is it??? he asked, almost politely.
?Yeah, how did you know?? Phoebe said, reluctantly taking the hand of this naked man. But for some reason she saw him as pure and almost angelic in features, not unlike herself. It would make sense that her mother be guarded by other angels. She followed closely, walking not three steps behind him as he led her deeper into the wasteland. She noticed Gau as they walked over the loose dirt and gave the wild boy the sweetest and warmest smile he had ever received. Gau lifted his head to return the gesture, but he caught Sephiroth eyeing him coldly in mid gesture. He instead shied away and bowed his head.
?I was told me to bring you in when you arrived,? Sephiroth continued, sticking with the ruse, ?we are almost there.?
Sephiroth led her to a small cave that was actually pockets of debris from the old Kefka?s Tower. Buried beneath it lay the master of that dreadful tower, waiting for his turn to live again. The depth of the cave stretched no more than ten feet underground, but light was scarce in the wastelands, giving the effect that was in reality MUCH deeper. In order to light the way, Sephiroth used his new powers and effortlessly formed a small fireball in his free hand. It hovered inches from his palm and looked as thought it would fade out at any second, but it continued to flicker just enough to light the pathway and the room where Phoebe would meet her ?mother?.
?Mother? You here?? Phoebe cried out when she reached the tomb of Kefka. She had waited so long, and listened to her mom?s beckoning ever since she was born . . . finally being able to meet now was a dream come true for the child of angels.
?Yes,? Kefka said inside her thoughts, ?But I?ve been hurt! I?m underneath you, can you help me up?? In her mind she saw her wounded mother, buried alive underneath all the rubble.
?Of course!? She happily answered her mom. Phoebe crouched and began pulling away loose rock and pieces of mangled metal until she located a shoulder sticking out of the ground. A white aura formed around her hands and she placed them on the back of the person who was just beneath the surface of rubble. The life giving power spread all over the flesh of her ?mother? and took only a few seconds to take effect.
Ripping away the stones and other material off his head and legs, Kefka emerged from his ephemeral grave. He wasn?t much to look at in his human form. Pale in complexion without any of his usual makeup or decoration adorning his slender frame, he instinctually ran his hand through the dull blonde hair that covered his head. Looks can be deceiving though . . .
?No,? Phoebe said in a shocked tone, stepping backwards and shaking her head in disbelief, ?you?re not mom . . .?
?You?re right . . .? Kefka gleefully conceded to her, baring his moldy teeth. In one swift motion he lunged forward and seized Phoebe?s neck. She gurgled and fought for air as Kefka lifted her body above his, punching his arm as hard as she could while kicking his chest. Even with all the power she had inside her, not knowing how to use it was meaningless. The gentle and caring child could feel her life slowly slipping away slowly, knowing that not even her magic would be of any use. Compared to the other three goddesses, Phoebe?s power was infinitesimal. Kefka?s power alone easily outmatched her own. Gabe?s daughter could only stare at Kefka and hope he sympathized with her pleading gaze. He smiled back to her, but only to let her know that he didn?t care. She spat at him, trying to suck in air to fill her lungs . . . but it was pointless.
Kefka brought his other hand to her throat and pressed his thumbs into her larynx, crushing it. There was a look of immense pain on the girls frightened face and then nothing as the vertebrate in her neck broke. She didn?t punch, she didn?t kick . . . Phoebe just hung there, lifeless in Kefka?s grip of death. He let her fall to the ground in a heap before he began the process of merging with her like he had done with the other deities.
Kefka stood perfectly still and began to pray with his hands together, mumbling the forgotten words of a forgotten civilization in a forgotten tongue. The three goddesses of Magic, Power, and Death left his body in a mist then lazily drifted over to Phoebe?s broken bones. Calling to her soul they transformed her body into vapor, and then, with all four sisters finally reunited . . . they returned to Kefka. One by one he absorbed them, until at last he had them all in his possession.
In the darkness his pupils glowed red and their light flooded the room, ?Such power,? he confessed, almost giggling as he flexed his arms. Like the rest of his body, they were growing in size and endowing him with a power that no human had ever seen before, ?It?s more than I had ever imagined!!?
Feeling his new power, even Sephiroth was startled.
Mobliz
?After your friend Nanaki came out of your ship, we saw that he was pretty banged up. The kids and I brought him back here to help,? Terra explained, ?It?s not much, but luckily our potions worked on him and your friend recovered. You were different though. We found you already knocked out and you?ve been unconscious ever since.?
?He?s a sleepy head!? Thomas accused Vincent, causing the other children and giggle and laugh.
?He he,? Terra chuckled, ?I guess he was . . .? Vincent looked unamused and caused Terra to catch herself quickly. She wasn?t used to being around adults anymore, ?Billy, Thomas . . . why don?t you go over and help Duane with the rest of the people from the ship? It would help mommy a lot.?
The dozen or so kids left the room following the other boys, leaving only Terra, Vincent, and a sleeping Red in the house. Terra was about to continue the rest of the story when her head started to swoon. Grimacing, she fell to her knees and held her head tightly.
?You okay?? Vincent asked, still a bit groggy.
?Y, Yeah,? she said, ?it just suddenly felt as though I had been hit in the head by a blunt object. Anyway, while we were the fixing up Nanaki, he told us about the mission you guys were on, his other friends that hadn?t come, and your planet. It?s a little hard to believe that you came from a different planet, but we didn?t want to push him too hard so I let him rest and said that he could tell us all about it in the morning. The kids liked him . . .?
There was an awkward silence after that. Seeking to break the ice, Terra asked Vincent, ?So I guess that you want to find your friends, right??
?Yeah, as soon Nanaki rested we will leave to find them. Our friend Cid is ? ? Vincent was cut off in the middle of his sentence.
?Let me help!? Terra implored, grabbing his human hand, ?I have many friends around these parts and I?m sure that they?d be happy to help.?
?Alright, ? Flustered at the touch of a woman, Vincent drew his hand away from her and threw the sheets off his legs. He preferred the chill of wooden floorboards to that of a warm bed. While searching for his belongings for a couple minutes, he came to realize that he no longer had his tattered crimson cloak. Almost embarrassed because of his arm of iron and steel, he frantically looked for something as he hid it behind his back, ?Where is my cloak??
Terra looked at him baffled, ?What cloak? We brought everything in here from the ship and there wasn?t one . . . I could get you one if you wanted me to.?
?No that?s alright,? He replied trying to keep his arm hidden from view. When he thought it over though, Vincent knew it to be the best way, ?Well, if it?s not too much of a burden for you . . .?
?No problem Vincent. By the way,? Terra asked as she turned to leave, ?what happened to your arm??
Had she noticed him trying to hide it all that time?
?That isn?t of any concern to you,? Vincent came off rather brash and angry so he quickly reworded his sentence. He didn?t want to offend her and looked away as he said, ?It was an accident . . . from long ago, and I don?t want to talk about it.?
Satisfied with the answer, she started for the door, ?Give me a minute, I?ll be right back with a cloak for you.?
Terra never made it to the door . . .
A wave of pain suddenly swept over her entire body and forced her onto all fours. Vincent lurched towards her but she held out her hand as though motioning him to stay back, ?It?s okay, just a migraine,? It felt like electricity was stimulating all of the nerve endings in her body, causing a debilitating sensory overload in her head. Terra gritted her teeth, trying to suppress this pain, but couldn?t. Defeated, she let the pain run its course and blacked out from its intensity.
Vincent watched intently, half stunned and half worried at what he was saw. Bolts of electricity swarmed around Terra and hit the floor and walls of the already fragile house, splintering wood and shattering glass. Her hair turned pink and flowed wildly behind her head for a moment and then died down. But seconds later it returned with a vengeance and wind blasted out of the ground below her body. Pink flames began to sporadically appear all over her body, burning away the clothes she wore, but more importantly, her humanity.
?What is this . . .? Vincent mumbled, unable to comprehend what was happening.
?NOOOOOO!!!? Terra screamed as her body exploded into an inferno of pink fire. How she managed to survive the raging fire defied nature and the laws of physics. It just remained on her skin, slowly undulating and flickering in a sea of unbridled energy. Terra seemed unharmed and unphased by her current situation. She looked over to the other person in the room, her eyes replaced by a dark void surrounding a pink pupil.
Vincent was shocked. He was viewing the awakening of a new being, a new lifeform . . . and it scared the hell out of him. This luminescent pink figure moved with the wind, standing up with no effort and walking towards him without any look of worry. She was featureless. No mouth or nose to speak of, and only the slight suggestion of the female anatomy indicated it to be a woman . . .
Looking into her eyes, they spoke volumes to Vincent. He saw her sadness, her pain, her compassion . . . she tried to approach him, reaching a hand out to him but he suddenly stepped back in fear, not knowing what had come over him. Without speaking her soul seemed to cry out in pain from the rejection. She was frightened, terrified even. She couldn?t bear the thought of anybody seeing her like this and a feeling of loneliness swelled up deep inside her being. Something told Terra that it wouldn?t be safe in Mobliz anymore, and without any warning she jump up and rocketed through the roof at hundreds of miles per hour, sending wooden boards and rusted nails raining down to the floor below. Where she was going, nobody knew . . . but one thing was certain . . .
Magic was back.
---------
Sorry about all those weird symbols. I think That's James fault for the type of text he has supported on this website. I'll try and get him to fix it. Anyways, new chapter weeee. Wish me luck on the next one . . .