Previously...
After a thorough discussion of how to deal with JENBU, JENOVA decided WEAPON's plan to defeat him was the best route despite the risky stakes. Before she could reach out to SAKUI, Sulbio and SAKUI himself ambushed JENBU and forced the collar onto him. Before long, the device already overtook JENBU and he was seconds away from going wild without any thought. Sephiroth, unable to believe everything that had just happened, was determined to clean up the mess and finish JENBU once and for all.
Chapter 22: The Fate of JENOVA Kingdom
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) I couldn't believe this situation at all. I didn't want to believe it, but the reality was right before our eyes nonetheless. Sephieroth and the rest of her gang were also furious about this traitor, but i was more frustrated than words can describe. JENBU literally lied since the beginning of Mother's Aeon: long before she even came this Planet. Yazoo was right on target when he called this man a rat for lying to our beloved Mother. I can't think of many other ways to word how disgusting he is. It was time to pull the plug and bring this monster down at last. JENBU levitated right before us, infected by the collar SAKUI forced on him and snarling like some kind of angry wolf with an evil smile on his face. I didn't even bother speaking and neither did everyone else; we knew reasoning with an infected like this was impossible. We all just lashed out and clashed with him, starting the fight with haste and everything we had. As i fought him with my sword, i never left my gaze off of him. As i fought i began "You won't get away with this, JENBU!" He flashed me a sick smile and snickered; his voice was very distorted. I continued "You won't be so happy when I'm done with you." Even though we heavily outnumbered him, he effortlessly managed to ward us off by matching strengths. I couldn't believe his amazing potential to fend off each of us with little effort; it reminded me of my early years as part of SOLDIER when everyone turned against me for trying to save Mother and get her what she wants. It almost hurt to remember that, but this fight made it seem like it was yesterday. He started to cackle as he relentlessly continued to fend us off like some lunatic out for nothing but blood. This seemed to go on forever; he wasn't tiring out at all. I couldn't believe it! He warded us off once again, and we retreated to the Mako Reactor Peak where we originally were. We were all gasping for breath, almost as though we had the life knocked out of us. Loz cried "Gah! Its no good! He's too tough..!" Tifa added "What does it take to hit this guy?!" Yazoo began "There must be some way we can land a hit... there has to be. We need a plan." Sephieroth added "There's always a way, everyone. Don't give up; the fate of JENOVA Kingdom is on the line here! We have to keep trying!" Sulbio asked "How are we supposed to bring him down? Its like that collar multiplied his reaction time!" SAKUI stepped in front of us all and began "Sulbio, what you just said is in fact correct. The device i stuck on him contains the core formula for the Crimstigma virus." Mother added "Crimstigma? Is that the opposite of Geostigma, that virus that infiltrated my lifestream recently?" SAKUI nodded and continued "Correct. However, it has its own unique differences regarding effects on the victim. As you all know, it induces homicidal behavior within minimal time, causing the individual to attack anything and everything that comes its way without any thought; this includes their own kind. However, the more he lashes out and fights, the more Crimstigma eats away at his JENOVA cells. When JENBU is fully consumed by the virus, he will enter a deep coma that will likely precede death, falling down regardless of where he is. You have no choice but to hold out until that happens." Suddenly, my anger faded. I had the strangest emotion sweep over me, like something didn't feel right about this. I tried to force it away, but it was useless. I glanced down and landed in front of Mother's throne, and felt tears fall from my face. For some reason, i didn't think sealing him with Reverse Reunion was right. Part of me wanted to do that since he lied about everything, and a different part of me said that he was still our Father even though he was an awful person; that helping him was the right choice, not sealing him away forever. My tears continued but i kept silent. Mother took notice and asked "What's wrong, Sephiroth?" I answered "Mother, I.... I know you ordered us to seal JENBU with Reverse Reunion, but... if we do that, he wont learn what he did wrong. He won't even exist anymore. I know he's a terrible, dirty man for causing all of this, but he's still the rightful Father to your children... we can't just kill him like that. If we don't do something to help him, no one else will." Loz lashed out "Have you lost your mind?!!" Mother approached me from behind and gently turned me around to face her. She wasn't angry though; she was calm and seemed in deep thought. Mother added "Sephiroth... That took a big heart to admit. I'm very proud of you for stopping to think like that." Then she smiled at me. Yazoo drew closer also, and added "Brother is right... he might be awful, but he still is our Father." Sulbio began "I'm frustrated too, Loz: more than i can even say. But Big Brother is right. We can't just kill our own Father without giving him a chance to try again." Loz glanced at Tifa with a sad expression, and she put a hand on his shoulder. Tifa added "I know you're hurt, Loz. But listen to everyone else.... even Sephiroth knows sealing Father isn't all right. If even he can see that, you should too." Loz replied "Now that you mention it.... was that even his true self, or was he infected from traveling the cosmos with SAKUI for so long?" SAKUI answered "It's very possible, but we don't have time to investigate that now. We have to fight him or he wont calm down." Sephieroth added "You're right. We have to take him down without killing him. SAKUI, how much time does he have left before he dies in the Crimstigma coma?" SAKUI seemed grim and answered "Not much... he won't last long, even if i remove the device containing the virus. He can recover if i do that, but it will be very weak from long-term infection." I turned my expression hard and said "It doesn't matter; this is our only chance to save him and we have to take that risk!" Everyone shouted in agreement, and we got back to fighting him and focused on wearing him out. The fight seemed to go on for hours which quickly turned into a whole day, or what appeared to be. I couldn't believe he had survived a whole day of nonstop fighting and still wasn't heavily consumed by Crimstigma. Blood fell from his eye as he began to slow down. He suddenly seemed totally exhausted, floating right before me and Mother, who were the only ones fighting at the time. Everyone else was too exhausted to continue and resting near Mother's throne. His reduced reaction time quickly turned into a complete standstill, and he was gasping for breath, his gaze locked on us both. His gasping sounded more like weak growling. Suddenly, his shadowy appearance vanished and he returned to his natural form, a male copy of Mother with two black wings. His red eye had a very weak glow, as though he were on the verge of death. He lost his balance and began to fall as his eye lost its glow and closed. I cried "Father!" Me and Mother flew to help him, and Mother safely caught him before he could get far. She flew back to me with JENBU in her arms. I gazed at him hopefully, gently reaching a hand towards his face. I barely made out my words "Father...." I couldn't even finish my sentence. My hand was barely away from my poor Father's face. I also noticed the collar SAKUI put on him was missing, and left a scar on his neck. He coughed and opened his eye to look at me, the red glow still weak. I could tell he was desperately trying to stay awake. He started "Sephiroth, JENOVA.... I'm.. sorry..." I wanted to cry but forced myself not to. Mother said "Hang in there, JENBU. I'll get some help." Mother glanced at me and flew out of sight, most likely rushing him to JENOVA Foundation before his time was up. I knew what my job was now: make sure the guard is ok and help them recover. Flying back to Mother's throne, i could only think about our weakened Father and hope that he could survive to be the Father he really was to Mother's Family and her kingdom. I noticed the darkened JENOVA Lifestream regained its natural brilliant glow and daylight returned to the Planet. I smiled at the sight, knowing that was a very positive sign everything is back in order and the Crimstigma invasion also gone. All that was left now was to hope JENBU would survive despite his critical condition. I stopped just before the landing spot, and glanced up at Mother's lifestream and said "Hold on, Father.... its not too late. And Mother.... please hear my final wish... please, save JENBU's life. For me, and for the future of your legacy--dont let him die." Her lifestream flashed a healthy white in response, and i carried on with the final task of taking Little Sister's gang and Sister Tifa to safety. I knew they werent dead, but they were deeply asleep and trying to recover from this most grueling battle to save our Father. Without another word, I went to help them as Mother wanted.
To be continued....
After a thorough discussion of how to deal with JENBU, JENOVA decided WEAPON's plan to defeat him was the best route despite the risky stakes. Before she could reach out to SAKUI, Sulbio and SAKUI himself ambushed JENBU and forced the collar onto him. Before long, the device already overtook JENBU and he was seconds away from going wild without any thought. Sephiroth, unable to believe everything that had just happened, was determined to clean up the mess and finish JENBU once and for all.
Chapter 22: The Fate of JENOVA Kingdom
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) I couldn't believe this situation at all. I didn't want to believe it, but the reality was right before our eyes nonetheless. Sephieroth and the rest of her gang were also furious about this traitor, but i was more frustrated than words can describe. JENBU literally lied since the beginning of Mother's Aeon: long before she even came this Planet. Yazoo was right on target when he called this man a rat for lying to our beloved Mother. I can't think of many other ways to word how disgusting he is. It was time to pull the plug and bring this monster down at last. JENBU levitated right before us, infected by the collar SAKUI forced on him and snarling like some kind of angry wolf with an evil smile on his face. I didn't even bother speaking and neither did everyone else; we knew reasoning with an infected like this was impossible. We all just lashed out and clashed with him, starting the fight with haste and everything we had. As i fought him with my sword, i never left my gaze off of him. As i fought i began "You won't get away with this, JENBU!" He flashed me a sick smile and snickered; his voice was very distorted. I continued "You won't be so happy when I'm done with you." Even though we heavily outnumbered him, he effortlessly managed to ward us off by matching strengths. I couldn't believe his amazing potential to fend off each of us with little effort; it reminded me of my early years as part of SOLDIER when everyone turned against me for trying to save Mother and get her what she wants. It almost hurt to remember that, but this fight made it seem like it was yesterday. He started to cackle as he relentlessly continued to fend us off like some lunatic out for nothing but blood. This seemed to go on forever; he wasn't tiring out at all. I couldn't believe it! He warded us off once again, and we retreated to the Mako Reactor Peak where we originally were. We were all gasping for breath, almost as though we had the life knocked out of us. Loz cried "Gah! Its no good! He's too tough..!" Tifa added "What does it take to hit this guy?!" Yazoo began "There must be some way we can land a hit... there has to be. We need a plan." Sephieroth added "There's always a way, everyone. Don't give up; the fate of JENOVA Kingdom is on the line here! We have to keep trying!" Sulbio asked "How are we supposed to bring him down? Its like that collar multiplied his reaction time!" SAKUI stepped in front of us all and began "Sulbio, what you just said is in fact correct. The device i stuck on him contains the core formula for the Crimstigma virus." Mother added "Crimstigma? Is that the opposite of Geostigma, that virus that infiltrated my lifestream recently?" SAKUI nodded and continued "Correct. However, it has its own unique differences regarding effects on the victim. As you all know, it induces homicidal behavior within minimal time, causing the individual to attack anything and everything that comes its way without any thought; this includes their own kind. However, the more he lashes out and fights, the more Crimstigma eats away at his JENOVA cells. When JENBU is fully consumed by the virus, he will enter a deep coma that will likely precede death, falling down regardless of where he is. You have no choice but to hold out until that happens." Suddenly, my anger faded. I had the strangest emotion sweep over me, like something didn't feel right about this. I tried to force it away, but it was useless. I glanced down and landed in front of Mother's throne, and felt tears fall from my face. For some reason, i didn't think sealing him with Reverse Reunion was right. Part of me wanted to do that since he lied about everything, and a different part of me said that he was still our Father even though he was an awful person; that helping him was the right choice, not sealing him away forever. My tears continued but i kept silent. Mother took notice and asked "What's wrong, Sephiroth?" I answered "Mother, I.... I know you ordered us to seal JENBU with Reverse Reunion, but... if we do that, he wont learn what he did wrong. He won't even exist anymore. I know he's a terrible, dirty man for causing all of this, but he's still the rightful Father to your children... we can't just kill him like that. If we don't do something to help him, no one else will." Loz lashed out "Have you lost your mind?!!" Mother approached me from behind and gently turned me around to face her. She wasn't angry though; she was calm and seemed in deep thought. Mother added "Sephiroth... That took a big heart to admit. I'm very proud of you for stopping to think like that." Then she smiled at me. Yazoo drew closer also, and added "Brother is right... he might be awful, but he still is our Father." Sulbio began "I'm frustrated too, Loz: more than i can even say. But Big Brother is right. We can't just kill our own Father without giving him a chance to try again." Loz glanced at Tifa with a sad expression, and she put a hand on his shoulder. Tifa added "I know you're hurt, Loz. But listen to everyone else.... even Sephiroth knows sealing Father isn't all right. If even he can see that, you should too." Loz replied "Now that you mention it.... was that even his true self, or was he infected from traveling the cosmos with SAKUI for so long?" SAKUI answered "It's very possible, but we don't have time to investigate that now. We have to fight him or he wont calm down." Sephieroth added "You're right. We have to take him down without killing him. SAKUI, how much time does he have left before he dies in the Crimstigma coma?" SAKUI seemed grim and answered "Not much... he won't last long, even if i remove the device containing the virus. He can recover if i do that, but it will be very weak from long-term infection." I turned my expression hard and said "It doesn't matter; this is our only chance to save him and we have to take that risk!" Everyone shouted in agreement, and we got back to fighting him and focused on wearing him out. The fight seemed to go on for hours which quickly turned into a whole day, or what appeared to be. I couldn't believe he had survived a whole day of nonstop fighting and still wasn't heavily consumed by Crimstigma. Blood fell from his eye as he began to slow down. He suddenly seemed totally exhausted, floating right before me and Mother, who were the only ones fighting at the time. Everyone else was too exhausted to continue and resting near Mother's throne. His reduced reaction time quickly turned into a complete standstill, and he was gasping for breath, his gaze locked on us both. His gasping sounded more like weak growling. Suddenly, his shadowy appearance vanished and he returned to his natural form, a male copy of Mother with two black wings. His red eye had a very weak glow, as though he were on the verge of death. He lost his balance and began to fall as his eye lost its glow and closed. I cried "Father!" Me and Mother flew to help him, and Mother safely caught him before he could get far. She flew back to me with JENBU in her arms. I gazed at him hopefully, gently reaching a hand towards his face. I barely made out my words "Father...." I couldn't even finish my sentence. My hand was barely away from my poor Father's face. I also noticed the collar SAKUI put on him was missing, and left a scar on his neck. He coughed and opened his eye to look at me, the red glow still weak. I could tell he was desperately trying to stay awake. He started "Sephiroth, JENOVA.... I'm.. sorry..." I wanted to cry but forced myself not to. Mother said "Hang in there, JENBU. I'll get some help." Mother glanced at me and flew out of sight, most likely rushing him to JENOVA Foundation before his time was up. I knew what my job was now: make sure the guard is ok and help them recover. Flying back to Mother's throne, i could only think about our weakened Father and hope that he could survive to be the Father he really was to Mother's Family and her kingdom. I noticed the darkened JENOVA Lifestream regained its natural brilliant glow and daylight returned to the Planet. I smiled at the sight, knowing that was a very positive sign everything is back in order and the Crimstigma invasion also gone. All that was left now was to hope JENBU would survive despite his critical condition. I stopped just before the landing spot, and glanced up at Mother's lifestream and said "Hold on, Father.... its not too late. And Mother.... please hear my final wish... please, save JENBU's life. For me, and for the future of your legacy--dont let him die." Her lifestream flashed a healthy white in response, and i carried on with the final task of taking Little Sister's gang and Sister Tifa to safety. I knew they werent dead, but they were deeply asleep and trying to recover from this most grueling battle to save our Father. Without another word, I went to help them as Mother wanted.
To be continued....
