Chapter 17: Scars of Overclock
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) After I visited JENOVA Foundation to check on our Father, JENBU, I received an emergency call from Mother. I was on my way to report to her that JENBU was going to be fine since I helped him regain his wings, but her call interrupted me “Sephiroth, I need you to come to Mako Peak immediately. Cloud is in bad shape.” I agreed “If I must… but, what happened to him?” Mother explained “He got too overwhelmed emotionally from a series of flashbacks followed by old fears and extreme stress, which caused the timer of his level 2 stigma choker to overclock. I couldn’t risk cancelling its reunion burst command, and the surge of JENOVA cells hurt him badly when his overclock when off… and since he’s in his human form…” I understood without her going further “He cant last much longer. I’m on my way, just hang on, Mother.” I flew the rest of my way in silence to help with whatever had happened.
Sometime later, at Mako Peak…
I arrived at Mother’s throne, and saw her holding Cloud’s body, sitting on the ground. I also saw a young boy who appeared to be a family member, he was crying “Will he make it, Mother?” She looked at him uncertainly “I cant lie to you, but I hope so…” Mother noticed me and turned serious “Ah, Sephiroth… excellent timing. Can you rush him to JENOVA Foundation and have him cared for?” I paused, then answered “Normally I would say yes, Mother, but… the foundation doesn’t have any preventative treatment for level 2 Geostigma. Since only you and myself know of its existence, besides Cloud himself, I cant promise how effective their machinery will be for this one.” Mother said “Youre right, but the only one who can slow the deterioration it does after it triggers reunion burst is… your Sister, Kadaj…” I had a flashback, and saw Kadaj in the Forgotten City, watching her turn the water black, and remembered how the original larva used that same power to control others. After seeing what Mother was talking about, I replied “You really think that power of hers is strong enough to keep him alive?” Mother picked up Cloud’s body and stood up “It’s the only possible alternative to rushing him to the foundation. Kadaj is the only one strong enough to interfere with level 2 stigma’s deterioration process that comes after its reunion burst. If she could use her JENOVA cells to control the minds of others, then I know she can do this. Even if the difficulty is increased by an obvious amount.” I nodded and took Cloud from her “Very well. I will locate her as quickly as possible. I wont disappoint you, Mother…” I kneeled to her out of respect, then flew off to the Forgotten City, in hopes of Kadaj and her two Brothers she is always with being there.
Sometime later, in the Forgotten City…
I landed at my destination, and found the three siblings I was looking for. Kadaj smiled, and was the first to notice me “Hey, Big Brother! Good to see you!” I couldn’t help smiling back at her; she was always very pleasant. I approached her, and Yazoo and Loz noticed me when I got close. Loz was curious “Huh? What are you doing here?” Yazoo seemed to agree “I cant argue with that… its not often we see each other in person like this. So, what brings you here, Sephiroth?” Remembering what I was ordered to do, I carefully laid Cloud’s body on the ground between us. Kadaj looked at him and gasped “Huh? What the heck happened to him? He looks horrible!” Yazoo grew suspicious and asked “Did you two fight each other again?” I shook my head “No, my Brother. It’s a long story, but I got a call from Mother about it, and I think you three should hear what I found out…” I explained what happened to them after that, and told them everything I knew. When I finished, Kadaj seemed very interested “There’s a new stigma..? I wanna know more.” I shook my head “I just explained to you what it is, and everything it does. There’s nothing more for me to tell you about it, young Sister, except that it isn’t new. Level 2 Geostigma existed since the very beginning of Mother’s legacy, but only myself and our beloved Mother knew it existed. I ask the three of you to keep absolute silence about it, as its existence is highly confidential.” They all replied in agreement, and I went on “Well, with that out of the way, as you all can see, the worst of level 2 stigma has struck Cloud, and he doesn’t have much time left. Kadaj, I am here to ask you to slow the deterioration process and keep him alive as long as you can. While youre doing that, I will go to JENOVA foundation to get something very important to help him.” Kadaj seemed worried “I will try, but the reunion burst is too powerful… I cant stop the process completely.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her “I know it might seem impossible, Kadaj… but I know you can do it. If you saved the whole legacy and protected the cetra race, I know you can save a human being too. Even if it does seem far-fetched. Youre the reason we’re all standing here and living—you can do this.” She nodded and understood “Right, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.” I turned my attention to Yazoo and Loz after Kadaj took Cloud’s body and got to work in the black water “I expect the two of you will do what you can to aid her and back her up with this. Should the man be on the verge of death, contact me immediately and do your best until I arrive.” Yazoo agreed “Don’t worry, we’ve done this before. Plenty of times, to tell the truth…” Loz nodded “Yeah… she almost died so many times during that big battle… I lost count after a while…” Yazoo seemed to drift off, staring blankly ahead “That may be so, but look at her now… so many new powers, such endless potential… perhaps her recklessness may have served her well, after all.” I noticed a deep sense of protection in Yazoo’s demeanor, even though he was very blank in expression. I decided to end the meeting in silence, and flew away after that.
(this part will focus on Kadaj as the speaker) I was using the black water and the power of my JENOVA cells to slow Cloud’s level 2 stigma as much as I could. I had decided to aim for stopping the deterioration process completely, but knew it was impossible to guarantee. Loz came in next to me and asked “How strong is the new stigma, Sister?” I answered “It’s incredibly hard… Sephiroth wasn’t kidding when he said ‘level 2’. I sure hope Mother’s not hiding a level 3 from us.” Loz sighed “I know, but… we cant just demand answers from Mother like that. Its not nice.” I replied “Youre right. Its ok, though. Confidentiality is kind of a thing in the legacy, so I’m pretty used to it now. Mother always has her reasons for things like that. Anyway, Cloud isn’t looking very good… I think I have to use a more powerful cell exertion to slow this one down. This stigma is too powerful.” I focused on exerting my JENOVA cells more strongly, and Loz gently shook me “Uhh, Kadaj… if you use them too much…” I replied “I know, Brother, but this was a direct order from Mother. I cant cancel the job without her authorization.” I began to hear static inside my head, which gradually grew louder. I kept my focus strong, and a wave of dizziness came over me; I did my best to hang on “Almost there, just a little… harder…” The marks and wounds on Cloud’s body began to vanish, each one disappearing at a faster and faster rate. I heard him moan, and he looked like he was trying to wake up and pull out of his coma. I was sweating, and the static noise in my head became deafening. Focusing started to become difficult for me, and I felt like I would black out from overexerting my JENOVA cells. My vision faded in and out once, and I realized Cloud was sitting up and looking at me. He seemed to be trying to tell me something, but the static noise was too loud for me to hear him. I moaned, and stopped exerting my JENOVA cells, and I put my heads on both sides of my head, trying to shake the deafening noise away. All I could hear now was static; I couldn’t hear anyone or myself talk. I saw Yazoo and Loz rush to help me, and Cloud gestured to them to stand back. They seemed to be talking to each other, but I couldn’t hear them. Cloud approached me and placed his hand on my forehead, and his other hand reached for mine and he took it gently. I lowered my free hand, and waited, hoping to return to normal. The static noise quickly came to a stop, and I felt a strong surge of Mother’s cells inside myself; somehow, Cloud had returned me to normal health. Feeling speechless, I said “Cloud… how did you do it? How did you recharge me so easily?” He answered “I don’t really get it either, but I think the level 2 stigma JENOVA left me with… I think it gave me some new powers. I don’t know how I did it, I guess I just did.” Yazoo approached him and said “Brother, thank you for protecting her… she got reckless again when she helped you, but I cant say I don’t understand her reasons… thank you.” Cloud nodded in understanding and turned back to me “Hey Kadaj, you dummy… why’d you just throw in the towel like that? I said I would help JENOVA and the rest of you, so I would’ve made it no matter what.” I giggled and shook my head “I was just uh, you know… following orders. I only did what I was told to do, and… maybe even what I had to do.” Cloud smiled at me and put a hand on my shoulder “I said to take it easy, remember? No need to risk suicide over me.” Loz laughed, and I managed to smile too. Yazoo remained blank for a while, but I thought I made out a brief, faint laugh that seemed to be his. Cloud immediately turned his attention to him, as though noticing the same “Yazoo, did you just… smile?” He didn’t answer. Cloud seemed very shocked, and persisted “I’ve never seen you smile or laugh… but why?” Yazoo hesitated “Well, you get it right? You don’t smile yourself very often, so you know its just like that, don’t you, Brother?” I put my hand on Cloud’s arm to stop him “Whoa, down, Cloud. Just let him be himself, ok?” Cloud nodded in understanding and apologized “Right, sorry, Kadaj…” I decided to change the subject in an attempt to comfort Yazoo “How about we get back on focus of the mission and train you to face the cell vortex, Cloud? Since you’re back to normal and all, I thought this would be a good chance.” Cloud nodded in agreement “Sounds good.” Yazoo interrupted us “Um, Kadaj… are we forgetting someone?” I stopped to think, then cried “Oh, no! Cloud, what happened to the Reunion Prince?! We cant let him roam free with Hojo causing trouble. If he got his hands on that boy, it could mean crisis for everyone!” Cloud turned firm “Then I guess we know where we’re going next. My overclock nearly killed me when I met up with JENOVA at her throne, and Seffi was with me when it went off.” Yazoo replied “If Mother was there, he should be ok. However, if he flew away in an attempt to find you, that’s a different story. He doesn’t know about Hojo and his selfish exploits that have harmed and even taken countless lives. Even if he is strong, we cant risk Hojo pulling another cheap stunt on this kid. You know what he did to Kadaj last time he captured someone.” Cloud agreed “Right, we gotta hurry. If we get a head start, we might beat him to it.” I nodded and began running, leading the four of us outside. Loz grumbled “Again? Why is it always one crisis after another for us? It’s not fair!” Yazoo firmly replied “This isn’t the time for complaining, Loz. Just be a man and keep fighting. You know how we work.” Loz protested “But still! Shouldn’t we get to relax for once?” Cloud added “I understand how you feel, Loz, but Yazoo is right. We have to stay focused and keep moving.” Loz groaned “This is getting so old! I want our peace and quiet back so I can go back to Tifa’s again! I hate this game!” I felt concerned and tried to comfort him with my words “Hang in there, Loz… everything will work out.” I realized Loz was getting tired from all the chaos we’d gone through since the day the cell vortex appeared in the sky. I began to worry for my Brother’s health at that thought. Cloud asked “Loz… likes Tifa?” Loz protested “No, stupid! She’s my Sister! And I get along good with her. End of story, got it?” I warned Cloud “it’s probably best not to bring that up, Brother… he’s very sensitive about that subject.” Cloud understood “Right, sorry…” We arrived outside, and each of us got on our motorbikes to go after Seffi. Cloud used the extra one we got for him, and I lead the way like usual when we took off.
To be Continued…
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) After I visited JENOVA Foundation to check on our Father, JENBU, I received an emergency call from Mother. I was on my way to report to her that JENBU was going to be fine since I helped him regain his wings, but her call interrupted me “Sephiroth, I need you to come to Mako Peak immediately. Cloud is in bad shape.” I agreed “If I must… but, what happened to him?” Mother explained “He got too overwhelmed emotionally from a series of flashbacks followed by old fears and extreme stress, which caused the timer of his level 2 stigma choker to overclock. I couldn’t risk cancelling its reunion burst command, and the surge of JENOVA cells hurt him badly when his overclock when off… and since he’s in his human form…” I understood without her going further “He cant last much longer. I’m on my way, just hang on, Mother.” I flew the rest of my way in silence to help with whatever had happened.
Sometime later, at Mako Peak…
I arrived at Mother’s throne, and saw her holding Cloud’s body, sitting on the ground. I also saw a young boy who appeared to be a family member, he was crying “Will he make it, Mother?” She looked at him uncertainly “I cant lie to you, but I hope so…” Mother noticed me and turned serious “Ah, Sephiroth… excellent timing. Can you rush him to JENOVA Foundation and have him cared for?” I paused, then answered “Normally I would say yes, Mother, but… the foundation doesn’t have any preventative treatment for level 2 Geostigma. Since only you and myself know of its existence, besides Cloud himself, I cant promise how effective their machinery will be for this one.” Mother said “Youre right, but the only one who can slow the deterioration it does after it triggers reunion burst is… your Sister, Kadaj…” I had a flashback, and saw Kadaj in the Forgotten City, watching her turn the water black, and remembered how the original larva used that same power to control others. After seeing what Mother was talking about, I replied “You really think that power of hers is strong enough to keep him alive?” Mother picked up Cloud’s body and stood up “It’s the only possible alternative to rushing him to the foundation. Kadaj is the only one strong enough to interfere with level 2 stigma’s deterioration process that comes after its reunion burst. If she could use her JENOVA cells to control the minds of others, then I know she can do this. Even if the difficulty is increased by an obvious amount.” I nodded and took Cloud from her “Very well. I will locate her as quickly as possible. I wont disappoint you, Mother…” I kneeled to her out of respect, then flew off to the Forgotten City, in hopes of Kadaj and her two Brothers she is always with being there.
Sometime later, in the Forgotten City…
I landed at my destination, and found the three siblings I was looking for. Kadaj smiled, and was the first to notice me “Hey, Big Brother! Good to see you!” I couldn’t help smiling back at her; she was always very pleasant. I approached her, and Yazoo and Loz noticed me when I got close. Loz was curious “Huh? What are you doing here?” Yazoo seemed to agree “I cant argue with that… its not often we see each other in person like this. So, what brings you here, Sephiroth?” Remembering what I was ordered to do, I carefully laid Cloud’s body on the ground between us. Kadaj looked at him and gasped “Huh? What the heck happened to him? He looks horrible!” Yazoo grew suspicious and asked “Did you two fight each other again?” I shook my head “No, my Brother. It’s a long story, but I got a call from Mother about it, and I think you three should hear what I found out…” I explained what happened to them after that, and told them everything I knew. When I finished, Kadaj seemed very interested “There’s a new stigma..? I wanna know more.” I shook my head “I just explained to you what it is, and everything it does. There’s nothing more for me to tell you about it, young Sister, except that it isn’t new. Level 2 Geostigma existed since the very beginning of Mother’s legacy, but only myself and our beloved Mother knew it existed. I ask the three of you to keep absolute silence about it, as its existence is highly confidential.” They all replied in agreement, and I went on “Well, with that out of the way, as you all can see, the worst of level 2 stigma has struck Cloud, and he doesn’t have much time left. Kadaj, I am here to ask you to slow the deterioration process and keep him alive as long as you can. While youre doing that, I will go to JENOVA foundation to get something very important to help him.” Kadaj seemed worried “I will try, but the reunion burst is too powerful… I cant stop the process completely.” I placed my hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her “I know it might seem impossible, Kadaj… but I know you can do it. If you saved the whole legacy and protected the cetra race, I know you can save a human being too. Even if it does seem far-fetched. Youre the reason we’re all standing here and living—you can do this.” She nodded and understood “Right, I’ll give it everything I’ve got.” I turned my attention to Yazoo and Loz after Kadaj took Cloud’s body and got to work in the black water “I expect the two of you will do what you can to aid her and back her up with this. Should the man be on the verge of death, contact me immediately and do your best until I arrive.” Yazoo agreed “Don’t worry, we’ve done this before. Plenty of times, to tell the truth…” Loz nodded “Yeah… she almost died so many times during that big battle… I lost count after a while…” Yazoo seemed to drift off, staring blankly ahead “That may be so, but look at her now… so many new powers, such endless potential… perhaps her recklessness may have served her well, after all.” I noticed a deep sense of protection in Yazoo’s demeanor, even though he was very blank in expression. I decided to end the meeting in silence, and flew away after that.
(this part will focus on Kadaj as the speaker) I was using the black water and the power of my JENOVA cells to slow Cloud’s level 2 stigma as much as I could. I had decided to aim for stopping the deterioration process completely, but knew it was impossible to guarantee. Loz came in next to me and asked “How strong is the new stigma, Sister?” I answered “It’s incredibly hard… Sephiroth wasn’t kidding when he said ‘level 2’. I sure hope Mother’s not hiding a level 3 from us.” Loz sighed “I know, but… we cant just demand answers from Mother like that. Its not nice.” I replied “Youre right. Its ok, though. Confidentiality is kind of a thing in the legacy, so I’m pretty used to it now. Mother always has her reasons for things like that. Anyway, Cloud isn’t looking very good… I think I have to use a more powerful cell exertion to slow this one down. This stigma is too powerful.” I focused on exerting my JENOVA cells more strongly, and Loz gently shook me “Uhh, Kadaj… if you use them too much…” I replied “I know, Brother, but this was a direct order from Mother. I cant cancel the job without her authorization.” I began to hear static inside my head, which gradually grew louder. I kept my focus strong, and a wave of dizziness came over me; I did my best to hang on “Almost there, just a little… harder…” The marks and wounds on Cloud’s body began to vanish, each one disappearing at a faster and faster rate. I heard him moan, and he looked like he was trying to wake up and pull out of his coma. I was sweating, and the static noise in my head became deafening. Focusing started to become difficult for me, and I felt like I would black out from overexerting my JENOVA cells. My vision faded in and out once, and I realized Cloud was sitting up and looking at me. He seemed to be trying to tell me something, but the static noise was too loud for me to hear him. I moaned, and stopped exerting my JENOVA cells, and I put my heads on both sides of my head, trying to shake the deafening noise away. All I could hear now was static; I couldn’t hear anyone or myself talk. I saw Yazoo and Loz rush to help me, and Cloud gestured to them to stand back. They seemed to be talking to each other, but I couldn’t hear them. Cloud approached me and placed his hand on my forehead, and his other hand reached for mine and he took it gently. I lowered my free hand, and waited, hoping to return to normal. The static noise quickly came to a stop, and I felt a strong surge of Mother’s cells inside myself; somehow, Cloud had returned me to normal health. Feeling speechless, I said “Cloud… how did you do it? How did you recharge me so easily?” He answered “I don’t really get it either, but I think the level 2 stigma JENOVA left me with… I think it gave me some new powers. I don’t know how I did it, I guess I just did.” Yazoo approached him and said “Brother, thank you for protecting her… she got reckless again when she helped you, but I cant say I don’t understand her reasons… thank you.” Cloud nodded in understanding and turned back to me “Hey Kadaj, you dummy… why’d you just throw in the towel like that? I said I would help JENOVA and the rest of you, so I would’ve made it no matter what.” I giggled and shook my head “I was just uh, you know… following orders. I only did what I was told to do, and… maybe even what I had to do.” Cloud smiled at me and put a hand on my shoulder “I said to take it easy, remember? No need to risk suicide over me.” Loz laughed, and I managed to smile too. Yazoo remained blank for a while, but I thought I made out a brief, faint laugh that seemed to be his. Cloud immediately turned his attention to him, as though noticing the same “Yazoo, did you just… smile?” He didn’t answer. Cloud seemed very shocked, and persisted “I’ve never seen you smile or laugh… but why?” Yazoo hesitated “Well, you get it right? You don’t smile yourself very often, so you know its just like that, don’t you, Brother?” I put my hand on Cloud’s arm to stop him “Whoa, down, Cloud. Just let him be himself, ok?” Cloud nodded in understanding and apologized “Right, sorry, Kadaj…” I decided to change the subject in an attempt to comfort Yazoo “How about we get back on focus of the mission and train you to face the cell vortex, Cloud? Since you’re back to normal and all, I thought this would be a good chance.” Cloud nodded in agreement “Sounds good.” Yazoo interrupted us “Um, Kadaj… are we forgetting someone?” I stopped to think, then cried “Oh, no! Cloud, what happened to the Reunion Prince?! We cant let him roam free with Hojo causing trouble. If he got his hands on that boy, it could mean crisis for everyone!” Cloud turned firm “Then I guess we know where we’re going next. My overclock nearly killed me when I met up with JENOVA at her throne, and Seffi was with me when it went off.” Yazoo replied “If Mother was there, he should be ok. However, if he flew away in an attempt to find you, that’s a different story. He doesn’t know about Hojo and his selfish exploits that have harmed and even taken countless lives. Even if he is strong, we cant risk Hojo pulling another cheap stunt on this kid. You know what he did to Kadaj last time he captured someone.” Cloud agreed “Right, we gotta hurry. If we get a head start, we might beat him to it.” I nodded and began running, leading the four of us outside. Loz grumbled “Again? Why is it always one crisis after another for us? It’s not fair!” Yazoo firmly replied “This isn’t the time for complaining, Loz. Just be a man and keep fighting. You know how we work.” Loz protested “But still! Shouldn’t we get to relax for once?” Cloud added “I understand how you feel, Loz, but Yazoo is right. We have to stay focused and keep moving.” Loz groaned “This is getting so old! I want our peace and quiet back so I can go back to Tifa’s again! I hate this game!” I felt concerned and tried to comfort him with my words “Hang in there, Loz… everything will work out.” I realized Loz was getting tired from all the chaos we’d gone through since the day the cell vortex appeared in the sky. I began to worry for my Brother’s health at that thought. Cloud asked “Loz… likes Tifa?” Loz protested “No, stupid! She’s my Sister! And I get along good with her. End of story, got it?” I warned Cloud “it’s probably best not to bring that up, Brother… he’s very sensitive about that subject.” Cloud understood “Right, sorry…” We arrived outside, and each of us got on our motorbikes to go after Seffi. Cloud used the extra one we got for him, and I lead the way like usual when we took off.
To be Continued…
