Previously....
For several days, possibly a couple weeks, my elder brothers, Yazoo and Loz, along with myself, had noticed some rough activity that appeared to come from the upper levels of our gang territory, here at the Mako Reactor. We later learned that this supposedly violent activity was our precious Mother, JENOVA, fighting my husband Orochimaru. Whatever her reason was, i had soon discovered why. The final day of their intense skirmishing, i found Orochimaru coming towards me, apparently on the verge of death. He was very bloody and it was clear to me he had taken a noticeably fatal blow given his condition. His eyes were barely open, he was walking as though he barely had any life left in him at all; his overall condition clearly told me that he was not going to make it. He had fallen into my arms, coughing up bits of blood, shortly before biting my neck and dying right there in my arms. His last words to me were "Sorry, Sephie.... but thats all ive got left... for now..." After he had barely made out those exact words, he had fallen dead and i noticed him completely motionless and was no longer breathing. I was so hurt by his death emotionally i couldn't take my eyes off my fallen spouse despite the unignorable pain id felt after he had bitten me which continued for what was probably several minutes, but seemed more like forever given my unbearable sadness. I hadnt even noticed how uneasy my brothers were beside me until Yazoo had gotten my attention by speaking to me and said "Sister... whats that on your neck..?" I had turned to him and suddenly felt quite confused about what had happened, then said "what is it? Did something--" then Loz had signalled me by pointing to the mirror on the wall behind me, and i had of course turned to follow his gaze and gasped in disbelief: i saw what Yazoo had noticed--Orochimaru had used his last bit of strength and left a curse seal of heaven where he had bitten me. I rubbed my eyes to make sure this was all real and i wasnt daydreaming; i did it once, twice.... i still couldn't believe he had done this to me. This was bad, VERY bad. I had suddenly realized id just had a clock put on my life--literally. There wasnt time to stand here and panic and i knew it; i had to tell Mother of this right away. If anyone knows what to do, its our Mother.
Thus begins Chapter 1: The Ancient Treasure
Immediately after learning that Orochimaru had fallen dead and my brothers and i became aware of the curse mark he had left on me, i had told them myself just before they could make out any questions that there wasnt time to explain it right here and Mother has to be notified at all costs. They both nodded in agreement, and i had led us to the upper floors of our territory to meet up with Mother. Once we found her, i had noticed that despite how intense her fight with him was, she was completely unharmed. Even knowing that Orochimaru was gone, this was a relief for me and probably my brothers too. She even seemed quite happy and perky based on how she was smiling at us, which was also soothing. I had decided to start the discussion since i had battled alongside Orochimaru during much of my battle training with him, i knew his tricks and his strategies as well as his so called "backup plans" or what some might call reinforcements for lacka better words, so i knew it was my job to fill Mother in on the problem at hand both as the gang leader of my trio, and also as his so called apprentice. So i began talking by starting from the beginning "Mother, something bad has happened. Very bad." She immediately went from smiles and her expression became quite serious, her radiant red eye and attention focused on me. This was her way of saying she's listening without words. Being aware she was listening, i continued on. "You did defeat Orochimaru, but before he died he bit me with a nasty seal known as the cursed seal of heaven. I have seen him use this on many, and the end result was never good. The victim often dies or he exploits this to pull off his reincarnation jutsu. Whatever comes first, i presume. In other words, with Orochimaru dead, even though its very possible he still has the seal on others out there... Theres no telling what might happen to me. More than likely, im the strongest of his chosen victims. Im sure you know what that means if anyone does, Mother..." I immediately saw Mother's eye flare with fury, followed by pure intent. I then finished by saying "The only problem is he never taught me how to undo or reverse it. So... do you know any way we can save my life here? If anyone knows, i thought you would, Mother..." Stopping for a bit, Mother seemed to mentally drift briefly, then she responded to me "There is one way... Before my original defeat during the war in Shinra, i knew what was to come for our side of the fight... I knew i would not make it, nor would my firstborn son Sephiroth survive... I didn't want to believe that, it was heartbreaking, but i had no way to deny it either. Cloud Strife and his friends were critically aware of what your oldest brother Sephiroth wanted, along with my legacy and will.... and of course, they made haste working to defeat him and me as well. The situation got too thick, and i knew there was no way out of this one. During my final battle in that era, i had been guarding my most precious belonging, which the group known as SOLDIER had named the JENOVA Stone Tablet. Knowing my son and i were to fall short here, i immediately made haste to protect it to my fullest extent. SOLDIER had not only been targeting me and Sephiroth, but also my precious treasure which they also intended to steal and destroy." Then i saw Yazoo walk towards my side and face Mother, seeming quite interested and he responded "But... Why did they want your stone tablet, Mother? And what would they gain from destroying it other than sick and depraved satisfaction?" Then Mother had continued explaining and spoke further "Yazoo, my son... That stone tablet is extremely important for the existence of all of you as my children along with myself. Its no ordinary treasure; that stone tablet connects my power with all of my children--you, Sephieroth, Loz--including your sister's male doppelganger as some might say, Sephiroth. It bonds all of you and me together as one. In other words, it has the potential to make my legacy eternal and permanent. SOLDIER knew of this, though i did not have time to investigate how they discovered its secret i speak of since our situation was too critical... So if they were to destroy it, that means none of us can exist--if it was destroyed, you three would never have been born--the destruction of my treasure completely erases the reunion theory, which would mean all of us here would be no more. I also would be completely removed from existence if such a tragedy happened." All three of us cried out in shock. I then spoke up and responded to Mother "Thats horrible! I dont even want to think about that being destroyed... But i know it wasnt since we're still here, so... where is your treasure, Mother?" Her expression went from thoughtful to slight concern and she continued "Well, just before i had been defeated all those years ago, i used my little remaining strength to send my treasure elsewhere knowing SOLDIER nor Shinra conpany would ever manage to locate or destroy it--to a heavily fortified location on the outskirts of Shinra... A place only Sephiroth and i knew of, the Shadow Land. It was one of the few places that only we knew about, also that only our kind could possibly enter." Then Loz also seemed curious and said "What is the Shadow Land? Theres clearly something quite unique about it if only we can enter it." Mother continued again and responded "The Shadow Land isnt an ordinary dungeon as humans might call it. It can only be accessed by those with a sufficient amount of my cells. Without the presence of my cells in a high enough amount, it is completely inaccessible. It remains unseen otherwise, only becoming visible by reacting to the a high presence of my cells. Knowing of this, i immediately sent my treasure to this place. Even though it was sealed and Sephiroth nor myself were within its vicinities, this was still possible for me to do successfully. I had succeded immediately before i was finished and defeated. Following my defeat here, the members of SOLDIER who had faced me in battle had quickly discovered my stone tablet was not in the area. As you three probably know, this put Cloud Strife at much unease for quite an excess of time. SOLDIER as a whole knew what i had done and went elsewhere across Shinra in search of my treasure. Months had passed, followed by a few years... until they had finally given up and cancelled the search. Even though i faded into the lifestream, i knew i had won this time simply by protecting my treasure, which was the embodiment of my legacy's existence and always will be." Then i suddenly remembered what i asked Mother and felt confused about what she was getting at, and said "Mother... where are you going with this?" Then she smiled and said "That stone tablet can make miracles for my offspring. In other words, its power can eliminate the seal Orochimaru left on you and completely reverse any of its negative effects. So if we locate and recover it, you will not die, my child. However, even though all three of you can cause the Shadow Land to react to my cells and appear, only you can enter and navigate it, Sephieroth..." The three of us shouted in shock. Yazoo then said "But why, Mother? I dont get it..." Mother responded to his question and spoke further "Even though it will react to any one of you and physically manifest itself, it has no grounds. Its a very dark time-space dimension that can only be explored by someone who has the ability to fly. In other words, your sister will have to enter alone, im afraid.... There are many nasty creatures there too, which she can definitely deal with effectively, but its also quite loaded with very real-looking illusions... This is what will make getting through it quite a challenge... However, i can communicate with her telepathically to help her find her way to my treasure and get her out of there afterwards. This is why i knew SOLDIER and Shinra Company would be unable to reach it, because in order to get through that place, you need the power to fly!" Mother giggled a bit and my brothers and i joined her, all of us laughing as a family--even Mother had extended her laughter with us.
And that was the story of Mother's ancient treasure, the JENOVA Stone Tablet. Mother had assigned us our next mission: locate and recover it to break the curse left on me by Orochimaru. Since my brothers would be unable to enter the Shadow Land, Mother had told them to distract her enemies for their role in the mission in order to reduce the possibility of me being attacked or discovered in any way. Given the gravity of the seal's effect, we had all agreed there was no time to goof around and bicker. We scheduled our mission for tomorrow, when we set out and return Mother's precious treasure to her, and heal me as well.
To be continued...
For several days, possibly a couple weeks, my elder brothers, Yazoo and Loz, along with myself, had noticed some rough activity that appeared to come from the upper levels of our gang territory, here at the Mako Reactor. We later learned that this supposedly violent activity was our precious Mother, JENOVA, fighting my husband Orochimaru. Whatever her reason was, i had soon discovered why. The final day of their intense skirmishing, i found Orochimaru coming towards me, apparently on the verge of death. He was very bloody and it was clear to me he had taken a noticeably fatal blow given his condition. His eyes were barely open, he was walking as though he barely had any life left in him at all; his overall condition clearly told me that he was not going to make it. He had fallen into my arms, coughing up bits of blood, shortly before biting my neck and dying right there in my arms. His last words to me were "Sorry, Sephie.... but thats all ive got left... for now..." After he had barely made out those exact words, he had fallen dead and i noticed him completely motionless and was no longer breathing. I was so hurt by his death emotionally i couldn't take my eyes off my fallen spouse despite the unignorable pain id felt after he had bitten me which continued for what was probably several minutes, but seemed more like forever given my unbearable sadness. I hadnt even noticed how uneasy my brothers were beside me until Yazoo had gotten my attention by speaking to me and said "Sister... whats that on your neck..?" I had turned to him and suddenly felt quite confused about what had happened, then said "what is it? Did something--" then Loz had signalled me by pointing to the mirror on the wall behind me, and i had of course turned to follow his gaze and gasped in disbelief: i saw what Yazoo had noticed--Orochimaru had used his last bit of strength and left a curse seal of heaven where he had bitten me. I rubbed my eyes to make sure this was all real and i wasnt daydreaming; i did it once, twice.... i still couldn't believe he had done this to me. This was bad, VERY bad. I had suddenly realized id just had a clock put on my life--literally. There wasnt time to stand here and panic and i knew it; i had to tell Mother of this right away. If anyone knows what to do, its our Mother.
Thus begins Chapter 1: The Ancient Treasure
Immediately after learning that Orochimaru had fallen dead and my brothers and i became aware of the curse mark he had left on me, i had told them myself just before they could make out any questions that there wasnt time to explain it right here and Mother has to be notified at all costs. They both nodded in agreement, and i had led us to the upper floors of our territory to meet up with Mother. Once we found her, i had noticed that despite how intense her fight with him was, she was completely unharmed. Even knowing that Orochimaru was gone, this was a relief for me and probably my brothers too. She even seemed quite happy and perky based on how she was smiling at us, which was also soothing. I had decided to start the discussion since i had battled alongside Orochimaru during much of my battle training with him, i knew his tricks and his strategies as well as his so called "backup plans" or what some might call reinforcements for lacka better words, so i knew it was my job to fill Mother in on the problem at hand both as the gang leader of my trio, and also as his so called apprentice. So i began talking by starting from the beginning "Mother, something bad has happened. Very bad." She immediately went from smiles and her expression became quite serious, her radiant red eye and attention focused on me. This was her way of saying she's listening without words. Being aware she was listening, i continued on. "You did defeat Orochimaru, but before he died he bit me with a nasty seal known as the cursed seal of heaven. I have seen him use this on many, and the end result was never good. The victim often dies or he exploits this to pull off his reincarnation jutsu. Whatever comes first, i presume. In other words, with Orochimaru dead, even though its very possible he still has the seal on others out there... Theres no telling what might happen to me. More than likely, im the strongest of his chosen victims. Im sure you know what that means if anyone does, Mother..." I immediately saw Mother's eye flare with fury, followed by pure intent. I then finished by saying "The only problem is he never taught me how to undo or reverse it. So... do you know any way we can save my life here? If anyone knows, i thought you would, Mother..." Stopping for a bit, Mother seemed to mentally drift briefly, then she responded to me "There is one way... Before my original defeat during the war in Shinra, i knew what was to come for our side of the fight... I knew i would not make it, nor would my firstborn son Sephiroth survive... I didn't want to believe that, it was heartbreaking, but i had no way to deny it either. Cloud Strife and his friends were critically aware of what your oldest brother Sephiroth wanted, along with my legacy and will.... and of course, they made haste working to defeat him and me as well. The situation got too thick, and i knew there was no way out of this one. During my final battle in that era, i had been guarding my most precious belonging, which the group known as SOLDIER had named the JENOVA Stone Tablet. Knowing my son and i were to fall short here, i immediately made haste to protect it to my fullest extent. SOLDIER had not only been targeting me and Sephiroth, but also my precious treasure which they also intended to steal and destroy." Then i saw Yazoo walk towards my side and face Mother, seeming quite interested and he responded "But... Why did they want your stone tablet, Mother? And what would they gain from destroying it other than sick and depraved satisfaction?" Then Mother had continued explaining and spoke further "Yazoo, my son... That stone tablet is extremely important for the existence of all of you as my children along with myself. Its no ordinary treasure; that stone tablet connects my power with all of my children--you, Sephieroth, Loz--including your sister's male doppelganger as some might say, Sephiroth. It bonds all of you and me together as one. In other words, it has the potential to make my legacy eternal and permanent. SOLDIER knew of this, though i did not have time to investigate how they discovered its secret i speak of since our situation was too critical... So if they were to destroy it, that means none of us can exist--if it was destroyed, you three would never have been born--the destruction of my treasure completely erases the reunion theory, which would mean all of us here would be no more. I also would be completely removed from existence if such a tragedy happened." All three of us cried out in shock. I then spoke up and responded to Mother "Thats horrible! I dont even want to think about that being destroyed... But i know it wasnt since we're still here, so... where is your treasure, Mother?" Her expression went from thoughtful to slight concern and she continued "Well, just before i had been defeated all those years ago, i used my little remaining strength to send my treasure elsewhere knowing SOLDIER nor Shinra conpany would ever manage to locate or destroy it--to a heavily fortified location on the outskirts of Shinra... A place only Sephiroth and i knew of, the Shadow Land. It was one of the few places that only we knew about, also that only our kind could possibly enter." Then Loz also seemed curious and said "What is the Shadow Land? Theres clearly something quite unique about it if only we can enter it." Mother continued again and responded "The Shadow Land isnt an ordinary dungeon as humans might call it. It can only be accessed by those with a sufficient amount of my cells. Without the presence of my cells in a high enough amount, it is completely inaccessible. It remains unseen otherwise, only becoming visible by reacting to the a high presence of my cells. Knowing of this, i immediately sent my treasure to this place. Even though it was sealed and Sephiroth nor myself were within its vicinities, this was still possible for me to do successfully. I had succeded immediately before i was finished and defeated. Following my defeat here, the members of SOLDIER who had faced me in battle had quickly discovered my stone tablet was not in the area. As you three probably know, this put Cloud Strife at much unease for quite an excess of time. SOLDIER as a whole knew what i had done and went elsewhere across Shinra in search of my treasure. Months had passed, followed by a few years... until they had finally given up and cancelled the search. Even though i faded into the lifestream, i knew i had won this time simply by protecting my treasure, which was the embodiment of my legacy's existence and always will be." Then i suddenly remembered what i asked Mother and felt confused about what she was getting at, and said "Mother... where are you going with this?" Then she smiled and said "That stone tablet can make miracles for my offspring. In other words, its power can eliminate the seal Orochimaru left on you and completely reverse any of its negative effects. So if we locate and recover it, you will not die, my child. However, even though all three of you can cause the Shadow Land to react to my cells and appear, only you can enter and navigate it, Sephieroth..." The three of us shouted in shock. Yazoo then said "But why, Mother? I dont get it..." Mother responded to his question and spoke further "Even though it will react to any one of you and physically manifest itself, it has no grounds. Its a very dark time-space dimension that can only be explored by someone who has the ability to fly. In other words, your sister will have to enter alone, im afraid.... There are many nasty creatures there too, which she can definitely deal with effectively, but its also quite loaded with very real-looking illusions... This is what will make getting through it quite a challenge... However, i can communicate with her telepathically to help her find her way to my treasure and get her out of there afterwards. This is why i knew SOLDIER and Shinra Company would be unable to reach it, because in order to get through that place, you need the power to fly!" Mother giggled a bit and my brothers and i joined her, all of us laughing as a family--even Mother had extended her laughter with us.
And that was the story of Mother's ancient treasure, the JENOVA Stone Tablet. Mother had assigned us our next mission: locate and recover it to break the curse left on me by Orochimaru. Since my brothers would be unable to enter the Shadow Land, Mother had told them to distract her enemies for their role in the mission in order to reduce the possibility of me being attacked or discovered in any way. Given the gravity of the seal's effect, we had all agreed there was no time to goof around and bicker. We scheduled our mission for tomorrow, when we set out and return Mother's precious treasure to her, and heal me as well.
To be continued...
