Chapter 23: Battle In the JENOVA Lifestream
(This part will focus on Cloud as the speaker) I met up with Sephiroth very early in the morning, before sunrise began, in the Forgotten City. Kadaj and her Brothers were still sleeping at the time, and Seffi was also asleep. But since Sephiroth knew I was coming, he was awake and waiting for me. I talked to him about everything last night that JENOVA had told me about the fight that was now just around the corner, and that was when we agreed to meet here at this time. I learned how to control my level 2 Geostigma after the mission at JENOVA Foundation HQ, and that allowed me to fly here instead of having to go by foot. Sephiroth noticed me immediately when I landed, and I then returned to my human form. He approached me with a firm expression on his face “You finally ready for this?” I felt myself become nervous about what was ahead and replied “As ready as I’ll ever be… I’ve fought some very nasty stuff, but that thing in the sky is on a completely different level…” Sephiroth agreed “It is true… But, Cloud… I’m the reason its even here to begin with. If I’d just resisted the control of Shinra’s machinery last year, then none of this would be happening right now. I… I’m sorry.” I realized that was the first time he apologized for anything but decided not to point it out “No, don’t blame yourself. You and me both know very well that Shinra makes some very ugly machines and electronics. I probably wouldn’t have done any better with electronics designed to put someone under extreme stress… especially coming from Shinra themselves. But there’s no time to worry about the past right now. We’ve gotta destroy that thing or it’s over for everyone!” He nodded and bolted his black wing, then picked me up and began flying upwards at high speed. When we hit the sky, I realized that sunrise had begun “Sephiroth, the sun…” Sephiroth answered “I know. Just hang on, Cloud. We wont be too late this time. But the minute the Divine Vortex reveals itself, you must enter cetra form or you will die from the radiation.” I agreed “Got it! I know you probably don’t feel like friends with me, but I’m not letting this world get pulled into oblivion!” Sephiroth replied “Maybe so, but we aren’t enemies anymore, either. We’re both focused on the same thing right now: the fate of Mother’s kingdom and the legacy. If the vortex swallows this Planet, there’s no telling what might happen. If that were to occur, it would literally make this the point of no return. We cant hold anything back.” I triggered my level 2 stigma and went into my cetra form within seconds. We were high above the kingdom now, and I realized the JENOVA Lifestream just ahead. Sephiroth suddenly said “I hear it… hang on, Brother! This blast is going to be a tough one!” I felt confused “Blast?” Sephiroth ordered firmly “Just do it! Shapeshift and block with the silver JENOVA wings!” Sephiroth released me and I obeyed, changing shape to replicate JENOVA’s metallic wings. I heard a loud noise that sounded like an explosion, and the Divine Vortex appeared some ways ahead of us. Sephiroth shouted “Right there! Now!” I obeyed and shielded myself by shifting my silver wings to block the blast. The energy wave it released was so powerful, the entire area seemed to be shaking even though there was no ground. It even hurt just trying to breathe. Sephiroth ordered “Brother, counter it!” I panicked “How?!” Sephiroth answered “Just release the block and send the wave back!” I returned my metal wings to their neutral position, then pulled my sword out; I held it up high, powerfully charging it with my energy, then released my attack and hit the wave the vortex sent at us. When I attacked, I realized my sword expanded its length in response to my willpower and energy, and then returned to normal after I completed my move. I realized I was gasping for air, but managed to stay awake “Such… power!” Sephiroth came to my side and nodded “Good work. I know that was very difficult, but hang on. This is only the beginning of the fight!” I turned firm and nodded “That’s right. I’m just getting started! Sephiroth, can you bring me closer to it without getting hurt? We cant let it disappear!” Sephiroth agreed and took me back into his arms, then began closing in on the vortex. By the time it appeared to be just inches away, Sephiroth stopped and let me go “We cant go any closer than this. If we’re too close in proximity, it will swallow us both.” I felt a rush of fear “Ugh, great… any ideas on how to keep that from happening?” Sephiroth placed a hand on the side of his head “I may be able to summon meteor to finish it off, but I want you to break that black armor covering the core first. By using meteor, I’m sacrificing nearly all of my JENOVA cells. If I do it too soon and it fails, you wont make it out of here. Remember what Mother told you at Mako Peak?” I had a flashback, and saw JENOVA telling me I would be vaporized if I get separated from Sephiroth “Right… but wait a second. Are you saying this thing can counter meteor?!” Sephiroth sounded frustrated “I don’t know… but as formidable as it already is, we have to make that a last resort or finishing blow. We cant gamble on that too early or we’re both going to die.” I asked “And if getting too close is unsafe, how am I supposed to damage it?” Sephiroth answered “You have to make a direct energy competition against it. Anything that gets too close to the Divine Vortex is swallowed up and sent to another world at random. You must keep your distance at all costs or we’re both done for.” I nodded and began focusing my JENOVA cells on it as powerfully as I could. I heard a loud noise that sounded half alien and half machine, and the entire area seemed to begin vibrating. I groaned “Gaah..! What in the world is this thing?! Look at all of this… and those noises! Divine Vortex my behind! There’s nothing holy about this… this monster!” I heard Sephiroth moan behind me, and realized he was experiencing the same things I was. It released another energy wave, and I used my silver wings to block. I returned them to their neutral position, and asked “Sephiroth, are you alright?!” Sephiroth answered “I’m fine! Don’t worry over me, Cloud—this about saving the rest of the cetra and Mother’s legacy! This isn’t about me!” I replied “I know what you’re saying, but I’m getting you out of here too when this is over! I promised!” Sephiroth spoke in disbelief “You… fool…” I resumed focusing my energy on the vortex’s black shell in the center, and noticed it was beginning to crack. It stopped before long, but I knew I was doing damage at the very least. For some reason though, even with my relentless exertion against the vortex, I wasn’t feeling any exhaustion. It was almost as if I somehow obtained boundless strength. I heard the same loud noise that I did before, followed by a heavy vibration shaking the entire area again, but this time it seemed to be saying something that I couldn’t make out. Sephiroth grew fearful “That voice… I feel like I remember it, but I don’t know where… This vortex… what is it?” I heard a loud static noise in my head that went away in seconds, and a rush of pain went through my head “Ugh..! Oww!” I winced, holding my head, but forced myself to get focused on continuing the fight. The black shell cracked some more, and I shifted my metal wings to block yet another powerful energy surge the vortex released. I felt a sharp pain in one of my wings after I returned them to the normal position “Oh no… I cant keep blocking like this or my wings will break! And the Divine Vortex seems to release a massive energy burst every time it suffers sufficient damage!” Sephiroth ordered “But you must or we will both be obliterated! You don’t have a choice, Cloud!” I shook my head and grew defiant “No! I made it this far..! I’m not going down like this! And JENOVA’s, no… Mother’s world definitely isn’t!” Sephiroth seemed impressed “Brother… that’s the first time you’ve called her Mother…” I continued “If my death will save Sephiroth and Mother’s world, then I am ready to sacrifice myself. I may have lost my world, but I’m not letting another one get swallowed by such a monster!” I continued exerting my energy on it, and the same thing repeated itself: I heard a loud noise that sounded half alien and half machine, and a strong vibration caused the area around us to vibrate heavily. But this time, I made out some words of the distorted sound “FOr tHE RUIneD…” I couldn’t make out the rest of the words, but I had a strange emotion sweep through me after that. What I heard wasn’t just a noise; it sounded like a person trying to say something. Whatever was talking seemed very angry and hurt; almost like someone was calling for help. Out of nowhere, I remembered JENOVA’s explanation to me about how her home planet was destroyed by an unnamed enemy race, and how she had lost everything and her kind nearly went extinct from the attack. Sephiroth also seemed to be suffering from whatever was crying out “This monster… I know youre in there..! Show yourself!” I turned around to see Sephiroth staring angrily at the damaged vortex core, and I followed his glance “Wait a minute… there’s a person in there?! No way!” Sephiroth replied “I cant see him, but I know there’s someone inside of this thing! You heard it too, didn’t you?” I answered “Yeah, but what are you talking about? Mother said the Divine Vortex has a mind of its own. It could be playing tricks on us, Sephiroth! What if its only deception designed to stop us from fighting?!” Sephiroth sounded like he was on the verge of tears “Cloud, you have to trust me on this! Forget about everything else we said about it! Whatever is in there, we cant let him roam free when the vortex is destroyed! You don’t know what he might do if he is set free!” I decided to continue my energy exertion instead of responding, and the black shell cracked again, but more heavily this time, and the area shook from an unseen power source. It was now damaged enough that I began to see some blue that looked like it might be the inside. I heard a deafening alien roar, and covered my ears “This thing is mindless! What else is it hiding from us?! First a noise, and now a person?!” I kept one eye opened, and saw the black shell break more by itself. I realized something inside was trying to break free. I lowered my arms and hurried to Sephiroth “Sephiroth, its getting out! Go back home and fly away while you still can!” He kept his eyes fixed on the black shell that continuously broke on its own, little by little. Sephiroth replied “No, I’m not leaving you here. You cant do this alone. And I have a feeling this is only the beginning of the battle…” The black shell shattered, and a man who resembled JENOVA’s appearance came into view when the blue light cleared. However, unlike her, he had a massive version of the black bladework wings attached to his back, and he also had a thick vortex of JENOVA cells that enveloped him. Sephiroth gasped in brokenhearted disbelief at him, and slowly drew closer “No…! The Divine Vortex… it was Lord JUNI..?” I asked “Lord JUNI? Who’s that?” Sephiroth explained “Lord JUNI was the god of the cetra race, and also the family boss of Mother’s home planet… he was the greatest protector of Mother’s kind to ever exist… I cant believe this…” Sephiroth was crying now “Why..? Why, Great Father..?” I turned to face Lord JUNI, who gazed at us with fierce anger and hatred. I approached him carefully, holding my sword in case he lashed out. He snarled at me, and his eye flashed, and I was swept away by an unseen force “Ugh! What the..?!” I flew back up, recovering quickly. I demanded “Say something! Why are you doing this?! Why would you destroy what little is left of your own race?! JENOVA, JENBU, and YUROVA survived that accident—they’re the only ones left besides us, the lesser parts of the cetra race! Why would you want to destroy everyone like that?!” JUNI answered “I must reclaim what is rightfully mine. JENOVA had no business dispersing the power of our species into such inferior remnants the way that she has. Our kind was to be born pure, and remain pure for endless generations. But that explosion that destroyed so many of us, and too few of us survived… and the legacy was thus broken. Her attempts to revive the legacy… are futile! It is fruitless! Our race cannot be reborn, as the Reunion itself has been horribly weakened as a result of everything she has done. We were to become the master race… but not like this! Not by being dispersed into such inferior parts! That is destroying us, not restoring us!” Sephiroth couldn’t believe what he was hearing “Your Majesty, I’m begging you… please don’t hurt JENOVA! If taking me to wherever you plan to go will spare her, then you may do that. But please… please don’t hurt my Mother! Do anything but that!” He was crying again. JUNI approached us, his fierce anger remained unchanged “Silence! I will take no requests from such a pitiful existence!” I attacked him with my sword, and he matched my strength with his bladework “Stop it! Leave him alone! He didn’t do anything to you, you monster! Whether legends say it or not, you’re no god! You’re a mindless killing machine, JUNI! How could you be so cruel?!” I had cut through his bladework, and he laughed “Fight on, if you desire… but it is pointless.” The severed blade grew back, but it was much thicker. I gasped “No way! Sephiroth, run! He’s too strong!” Sephiroth refused “No! If I go back, he’ll follow me to the Planet and kill everyone… and he’ll keep going until he gets Mother and her Sister and Father JENBU! If I even try going back, I’ll endanger everyone and everything else! I cant do it..!” I realized he was right “Fine, then… I guess we’ll just have to stop him ourselves!” Sephiroth cried “What?! Are you insane?! We don’t stand a chance against a god like him!” I turned to Sephiroth and explained “Sephiroth, we have no choice. If we let him go, he will find the Planet and annihilate everything on it. Just as you said yourself. We have to stop him or everyone else will die! We cant let him win!” Sephiroth drew his masamune, and appeared slightly shaky as he got into his fighting stance. I got into my fighting stance, and returned my black wing, shifting back to my natural cetra form “You’re not going to hurt a single soul, JUNI! If we cant reason with you, then we have no choice but to take you out.” JUNI flew back to gain distance, and me and Sephiroth got ready for our biggest battle yet. Suddenly, this was all far from over.
To Be Continued…
(This part will focus on Cloud as the speaker) I met up with Sephiroth very early in the morning, before sunrise began, in the Forgotten City. Kadaj and her Brothers were still sleeping at the time, and Seffi was also asleep. But since Sephiroth knew I was coming, he was awake and waiting for me. I talked to him about everything last night that JENOVA had told me about the fight that was now just around the corner, and that was when we agreed to meet here at this time. I learned how to control my level 2 Geostigma after the mission at JENOVA Foundation HQ, and that allowed me to fly here instead of having to go by foot. Sephiroth noticed me immediately when I landed, and I then returned to my human form. He approached me with a firm expression on his face “You finally ready for this?” I felt myself become nervous about what was ahead and replied “As ready as I’ll ever be… I’ve fought some very nasty stuff, but that thing in the sky is on a completely different level…” Sephiroth agreed “It is true… But, Cloud… I’m the reason its even here to begin with. If I’d just resisted the control of Shinra’s machinery last year, then none of this would be happening right now. I… I’m sorry.” I realized that was the first time he apologized for anything but decided not to point it out “No, don’t blame yourself. You and me both know very well that Shinra makes some very ugly machines and electronics. I probably wouldn’t have done any better with electronics designed to put someone under extreme stress… especially coming from Shinra themselves. But there’s no time to worry about the past right now. We’ve gotta destroy that thing or it’s over for everyone!” He nodded and bolted his black wing, then picked me up and began flying upwards at high speed. When we hit the sky, I realized that sunrise had begun “Sephiroth, the sun…” Sephiroth answered “I know. Just hang on, Cloud. We wont be too late this time. But the minute the Divine Vortex reveals itself, you must enter cetra form or you will die from the radiation.” I agreed “Got it! I know you probably don’t feel like friends with me, but I’m not letting this world get pulled into oblivion!” Sephiroth replied “Maybe so, but we aren’t enemies anymore, either. We’re both focused on the same thing right now: the fate of Mother’s kingdom and the legacy. If the vortex swallows this Planet, there’s no telling what might happen. If that were to occur, it would literally make this the point of no return. We cant hold anything back.” I triggered my level 2 stigma and went into my cetra form within seconds. We were high above the kingdom now, and I realized the JENOVA Lifestream just ahead. Sephiroth suddenly said “I hear it… hang on, Brother! This blast is going to be a tough one!” I felt confused “Blast?” Sephiroth ordered firmly “Just do it! Shapeshift and block with the silver JENOVA wings!” Sephiroth released me and I obeyed, changing shape to replicate JENOVA’s metallic wings. I heard a loud noise that sounded like an explosion, and the Divine Vortex appeared some ways ahead of us. Sephiroth shouted “Right there! Now!” I obeyed and shielded myself by shifting my silver wings to block the blast. The energy wave it released was so powerful, the entire area seemed to be shaking even though there was no ground. It even hurt just trying to breathe. Sephiroth ordered “Brother, counter it!” I panicked “How?!” Sephiroth answered “Just release the block and send the wave back!” I returned my metal wings to their neutral position, then pulled my sword out; I held it up high, powerfully charging it with my energy, then released my attack and hit the wave the vortex sent at us. When I attacked, I realized my sword expanded its length in response to my willpower and energy, and then returned to normal after I completed my move. I realized I was gasping for air, but managed to stay awake “Such… power!” Sephiroth came to my side and nodded “Good work. I know that was very difficult, but hang on. This is only the beginning of the fight!” I turned firm and nodded “That’s right. I’m just getting started! Sephiroth, can you bring me closer to it without getting hurt? We cant let it disappear!” Sephiroth agreed and took me back into his arms, then began closing in on the vortex. By the time it appeared to be just inches away, Sephiroth stopped and let me go “We cant go any closer than this. If we’re too close in proximity, it will swallow us both.” I felt a rush of fear “Ugh, great… any ideas on how to keep that from happening?” Sephiroth placed a hand on the side of his head “I may be able to summon meteor to finish it off, but I want you to break that black armor covering the core first. By using meteor, I’m sacrificing nearly all of my JENOVA cells. If I do it too soon and it fails, you wont make it out of here. Remember what Mother told you at Mako Peak?” I had a flashback, and saw JENOVA telling me I would be vaporized if I get separated from Sephiroth “Right… but wait a second. Are you saying this thing can counter meteor?!” Sephiroth sounded frustrated “I don’t know… but as formidable as it already is, we have to make that a last resort or finishing blow. We cant gamble on that too early or we’re both going to die.” I asked “And if getting too close is unsafe, how am I supposed to damage it?” Sephiroth answered “You have to make a direct energy competition against it. Anything that gets too close to the Divine Vortex is swallowed up and sent to another world at random. You must keep your distance at all costs or we’re both done for.” I nodded and began focusing my JENOVA cells on it as powerfully as I could. I heard a loud noise that sounded half alien and half machine, and the entire area seemed to begin vibrating. I groaned “Gaah..! What in the world is this thing?! Look at all of this… and those noises! Divine Vortex my behind! There’s nothing holy about this… this monster!” I heard Sephiroth moan behind me, and realized he was experiencing the same things I was. It released another energy wave, and I used my silver wings to block. I returned them to their neutral position, and asked “Sephiroth, are you alright?!” Sephiroth answered “I’m fine! Don’t worry over me, Cloud—this about saving the rest of the cetra and Mother’s legacy! This isn’t about me!” I replied “I know what you’re saying, but I’m getting you out of here too when this is over! I promised!” Sephiroth spoke in disbelief “You… fool…” I resumed focusing my energy on the vortex’s black shell in the center, and noticed it was beginning to crack. It stopped before long, but I knew I was doing damage at the very least. For some reason though, even with my relentless exertion against the vortex, I wasn’t feeling any exhaustion. It was almost as if I somehow obtained boundless strength. I heard the same loud noise that I did before, followed by a heavy vibration shaking the entire area again, but this time it seemed to be saying something that I couldn’t make out. Sephiroth grew fearful “That voice… I feel like I remember it, but I don’t know where… This vortex… what is it?” I heard a loud static noise in my head that went away in seconds, and a rush of pain went through my head “Ugh..! Oww!” I winced, holding my head, but forced myself to get focused on continuing the fight. The black shell cracked some more, and I shifted my metal wings to block yet another powerful energy surge the vortex released. I felt a sharp pain in one of my wings after I returned them to the normal position “Oh no… I cant keep blocking like this or my wings will break! And the Divine Vortex seems to release a massive energy burst every time it suffers sufficient damage!” Sephiroth ordered “But you must or we will both be obliterated! You don’t have a choice, Cloud!” I shook my head and grew defiant “No! I made it this far..! I’m not going down like this! And JENOVA’s, no… Mother’s world definitely isn’t!” Sephiroth seemed impressed “Brother… that’s the first time you’ve called her Mother…” I continued “If my death will save Sephiroth and Mother’s world, then I am ready to sacrifice myself. I may have lost my world, but I’m not letting another one get swallowed by such a monster!” I continued exerting my energy on it, and the same thing repeated itself: I heard a loud noise that sounded half alien and half machine, and a strong vibration caused the area around us to vibrate heavily. But this time, I made out some words of the distorted sound “FOr tHE RUIneD…” I couldn’t make out the rest of the words, but I had a strange emotion sweep through me after that. What I heard wasn’t just a noise; it sounded like a person trying to say something. Whatever was talking seemed very angry and hurt; almost like someone was calling for help. Out of nowhere, I remembered JENOVA’s explanation to me about how her home planet was destroyed by an unnamed enemy race, and how she had lost everything and her kind nearly went extinct from the attack. Sephiroth also seemed to be suffering from whatever was crying out “This monster… I know youre in there..! Show yourself!” I turned around to see Sephiroth staring angrily at the damaged vortex core, and I followed his glance “Wait a minute… there’s a person in there?! No way!” Sephiroth replied “I cant see him, but I know there’s someone inside of this thing! You heard it too, didn’t you?” I answered “Yeah, but what are you talking about? Mother said the Divine Vortex has a mind of its own. It could be playing tricks on us, Sephiroth! What if its only deception designed to stop us from fighting?!” Sephiroth sounded like he was on the verge of tears “Cloud, you have to trust me on this! Forget about everything else we said about it! Whatever is in there, we cant let him roam free when the vortex is destroyed! You don’t know what he might do if he is set free!” I decided to continue my energy exertion instead of responding, and the black shell cracked again, but more heavily this time, and the area shook from an unseen power source. It was now damaged enough that I began to see some blue that looked like it might be the inside. I heard a deafening alien roar, and covered my ears “This thing is mindless! What else is it hiding from us?! First a noise, and now a person?!” I kept one eye opened, and saw the black shell break more by itself. I realized something inside was trying to break free. I lowered my arms and hurried to Sephiroth “Sephiroth, its getting out! Go back home and fly away while you still can!” He kept his eyes fixed on the black shell that continuously broke on its own, little by little. Sephiroth replied “No, I’m not leaving you here. You cant do this alone. And I have a feeling this is only the beginning of the battle…” The black shell shattered, and a man who resembled JENOVA’s appearance came into view when the blue light cleared. However, unlike her, he had a massive version of the black bladework wings attached to his back, and he also had a thick vortex of JENOVA cells that enveloped him. Sephiroth gasped in brokenhearted disbelief at him, and slowly drew closer “No…! The Divine Vortex… it was Lord JUNI..?” I asked “Lord JUNI? Who’s that?” Sephiroth explained “Lord JUNI was the god of the cetra race, and also the family boss of Mother’s home planet… he was the greatest protector of Mother’s kind to ever exist… I cant believe this…” Sephiroth was crying now “Why..? Why, Great Father..?” I turned to face Lord JUNI, who gazed at us with fierce anger and hatred. I approached him carefully, holding my sword in case he lashed out. He snarled at me, and his eye flashed, and I was swept away by an unseen force “Ugh! What the..?!” I flew back up, recovering quickly. I demanded “Say something! Why are you doing this?! Why would you destroy what little is left of your own race?! JENOVA, JENBU, and YUROVA survived that accident—they’re the only ones left besides us, the lesser parts of the cetra race! Why would you want to destroy everyone like that?!” JUNI answered “I must reclaim what is rightfully mine. JENOVA had no business dispersing the power of our species into such inferior remnants the way that she has. Our kind was to be born pure, and remain pure for endless generations. But that explosion that destroyed so many of us, and too few of us survived… and the legacy was thus broken. Her attempts to revive the legacy… are futile! It is fruitless! Our race cannot be reborn, as the Reunion itself has been horribly weakened as a result of everything she has done. We were to become the master race… but not like this! Not by being dispersed into such inferior parts! That is destroying us, not restoring us!” Sephiroth couldn’t believe what he was hearing “Your Majesty, I’m begging you… please don’t hurt JENOVA! If taking me to wherever you plan to go will spare her, then you may do that. But please… please don’t hurt my Mother! Do anything but that!” He was crying again. JUNI approached us, his fierce anger remained unchanged “Silence! I will take no requests from such a pitiful existence!” I attacked him with my sword, and he matched my strength with his bladework “Stop it! Leave him alone! He didn’t do anything to you, you monster! Whether legends say it or not, you’re no god! You’re a mindless killing machine, JUNI! How could you be so cruel?!” I had cut through his bladework, and he laughed “Fight on, if you desire… but it is pointless.” The severed blade grew back, but it was much thicker. I gasped “No way! Sephiroth, run! He’s too strong!” Sephiroth refused “No! If I go back, he’ll follow me to the Planet and kill everyone… and he’ll keep going until he gets Mother and her Sister and Father JENBU! If I even try going back, I’ll endanger everyone and everything else! I cant do it..!” I realized he was right “Fine, then… I guess we’ll just have to stop him ourselves!” Sephiroth cried “What?! Are you insane?! We don’t stand a chance against a god like him!” I turned to Sephiroth and explained “Sephiroth, we have no choice. If we let him go, he will find the Planet and annihilate everything on it. Just as you said yourself. We have to stop him or everyone else will die! We cant let him win!” Sephiroth drew his masamune, and appeared slightly shaky as he got into his fighting stance. I got into my fighting stance, and returned my black wing, shifting back to my natural cetra form “You’re not going to hurt a single soul, JUNI! If we cant reason with you, then we have no choice but to take you out.” JUNI flew back to gain distance, and me and Sephiroth got ready for our biggest battle yet. Suddenly, this was all far from over.
To Be Continued…
