Chapter 24: The Legacy’s Master
(This section will focus on Cloud as the speaker) I was still in unspeakable shock that this creature standing before us was the true master of JENOVA’s legacy and everything connected to it. JENOVA was kind and gentle when treated with respect; this monster called Lord JUNI made it loud and clear that all he cared about was what he wanted, and himself altogether. Me and Sephiroth were standing before what was apparently the most powerful being of the entire cetra race, and the creator of it. Sephiroth said “I don’t want to do this, Lord JUNI. But if you really are serious about killing Mother and everyone else on the Planet, I have no choice!” JUNI sneered “Hmph! Do what you wish. But stopping me will be pointless. I can drain you both of all your JENOVA cells, and absorb any of them you attempt to focus on me within a matter of seconds. Neither of you stand a chance.” Sephiroth turned to me “Cloud, listen to me… I can help you take him down, but the only thing that will hurt him is your life energy—it’s the only thing JUNI is weak to!” I nodded silently. JUNI laughed “Foolishly persistent, arent you? I have never seen greater idiots than you two. But very well… I will initiate the Reunion’s self-destruct sequence… on your Mother’s precious Planet! If you fail to defeat me before its phase 3 is initiated, I win no matter what!” Sephiroth worried “Oh no… JUNI, arent you forgetting something when you say that? If you force the Reunion process itself to self-destruct, you’re not only killing my Mother and the rest of us… you will be obliterated too! Even if you are the cetra god, you’re bound by the Reunion clause too! That’s suicide!” JUNI’s expression hardened, and I saw some tears fall from his red eye “It doesn’t matter if I die or not… the legacy is already in shambles because of that incident thousands of years back… But I will not allow JENOVA to water it down any further than she already has! Even if I must die to fix that, then that’s how it is!” JUNI’s bladework wings shifted, poking into the JENOVA Lifestream surrounding us, and countless small streams of JENOVA cells flowed through them and into the JENOVA Lifestream. My expression hardened, and I went at him as quickly as I could, quickly cutting off his bladework wings from the JENOVA Lifestream. I succeeded, catching him off guard, and I spoke firmly at him “You monster! Killing yourself and everyone else wont solve anything! If you destroy what little is left of your people, JUNI, the cetra wont even exist anymore! We can work this out another way! Stop!” He roared, and I was swept away by the heavy vibrations, and recovered beside Sephiroth. Sephiroth caught me and helped me regain my balance so I wouldn’t fall. I shook my head in disbelief “I cant believe the creator of the cetra… is a monster like him… Unbelievable.” Sephiroth grew serious and shook his head at me “There’s no reasoning with him… he’s not even listening to us. Lord JUNI is just mad, and he’s not all here anymore. He seems like he’s in some serious pain, and he wont calm down.” I asked “So what should we do? Do we still kill him?” Sephiroth sighed “I don’t wanna kill him at all, but the only way he’ll calm down is if he is weakened to a great extent. And since JUNI is the Cetra Tree, his recovery potential is near infinite. Especially here in the JENOVA Lifestream, where it’s a lot stronger for him. The only way to defeat JUNI is by pulling his bladework system from his body. Otherwise, he is virtually undefeatable.” I asked “Do you think your masamune can cut through the base of them and finish him off? If you can, then I’ll keep him busy as long as possible so you can defeat him for me.” Sephiroth answered “I can, but he can regrow countless new ones if we don’t act quickly enough. Hojo and Seffi are nothing concerning the bladework wings compared to JUNI’s stamina. Luckily for us, we have that special power that can cut through bladework wings. We cant beat him without that ability.” I nodded, and went at JUNI, cutting through his blades as quickly as I could. He threw several parts of his bladework wings at me, and I just kept cutting through them in hopes of getting closer. However, the rounds seemed endless; almost as if he regenerated each of them within seconds. JUNI said “Hmm, not bad… but its fruitless. Your energy is nothing next to mine.” I began to gasp for air after sometime of fighting them off, but there were still too many; it almost seemed like a forest of black and green now. I noticed his bladework wings were getting thicker and thicker as he continued regeneration. I cried “Gaah..! Stop… healing so much!” I deliberately pulled out and backed away from him, and was gasping for air, glancing up at JUNI and his enlarged bladework wings “No way… he’s too strong..!” JUNI explained “The more damage I take, the stronger and bigger my bladework system becomes. I warned you, but you chose to ignore me. These are not bladework wings… this is the bladework system. The bladework system is exclusive to me only—none other than myself can wield this Great Weapon. With it, I am immortal.” I forced myself to stay strong “I cant give up… I’m not letting it end like this!” I glanced around to find Sephiroth, but he was nowhere in sight. I heard a loud crack, and saw JUNI with his eye widened. I realized Sephiroth had attacked him from behind and happily cried “Yes! It worked!” JUNI’s bladework system began to crack all over, and it shattered within seconds. JUNI’s red eye closed, and he floated motionless seconds later. Sephiroth removed his masamune from JUNI’s body and flew back to my side. I smiled at him “Nice on, Sephiroth! He didn’t even know you were there.” Sephiroth nodded “Right… but did we kill him..?” We both glanced at JUNI, and he opened his eye slowly, the red glow gradually returning to it. A strange noise came from behind him, and I gasped in disbelief as a new bladework system grew from him. JUNI focused his attention on us, and the red glow had fully returned to his eye. He laughed “Did you really think defeating me would be so easy?” When his new bladework system had finished growing, green streams of light flowed through them at a faster pace and were shining much brighter. I couldn’t believe what had happened “No way! He resurrected himself?!” Sephiroth shook his head “That’s one part… I didn’t know about. But, we have to beat him… somehow..!” JUNI smiled sinisterly at us “See? I am invincible with these. Even attacking the core deep within my body is useless. So fight on, and keep resisting… until you are both dead.” Sephiroth cried “Impossible! Your bladework’s core took a direct hit from my katana! How are you still standing?!” JUNI sneered but kept silent. I asked “What are we gonna do? If that doesn’t kill him, then what does?” Sephiroth’s expression turned hard “Mother, if you can hear me… I need you to send help. The entire family is in danger as I speak… and the enemy is too powerful.” I realized what he was trying to do “Sephiroth?” He looked at me and nodded, but didn’t speak. Out of nowhere, a dark hole opened up some ways ahead of us, and a young woman who resembled JENOVA appeared from it “Stop this madness, JUNI!” I cried “YUROVA?! No, get out of here! He’s too dangerous!” She attacked JUNI from behind, and the wormhole closed behind her. Her metallic wings shifted into several small and pointy streams that poked through JUNI’s bladework system, and they seemed to impair it. She grabbed JUNI by the neck and gripped him tightly “Cloud, don’t worry about me. Go back home with Sephiroth! I’ll handle this murderous deity!” Sephiroth seemed ready to cry again, and shook his head “No! Don’t die, YUROVA… What about Mother, your Sister?! You and her finally got back together… and youre gonna end it like this? By sacrificing yourself?” YUROVA turned firm “I must! I’m the only one who can seal JUNI away! He’s invincible otherwise!” I asked her “What are you saying when you say seal him away?” YUROVA explained “There is only one way to truly defeat this man. It’s a special ability that involves unlocking the Forbidden Realm, the only place in the universe that is impossible to escape—a world of unrelenting darkness and despair. It cant be entered by normal dimensional travel techniques; even JENOVA herself cant open it. I’m the only one of us left who knows exactly how to do it!” Sephiroth protested “But if you go there, you..! You cant come back either! Once you enter the Forbidden Realm… nothing can return! You’ll get sealed in there, too!” YUROVA seemed sad “I know, Sephiroth… but if you guys keep fighting, you’ll waste your strength. I have no choice; if he escapes from here, he’ll target JENOVA, JENBU… he’ll hurt everyone I care for without discrimination! I’ll sacrifice myself—to protect my Sister and everyone else!” YUROVA’s body began shining a bright white, and a small red hole appeared behind JUNI, glowing brightly. Sephiroth began crying silently. I also felt a wave of sadness, but I knew we had to let her do this. I didn’t want anyone to have to die in order to defeat JUNI. I wanted everyone to make it through this fight. For some reason, JUNI appeared to be immobilized, and I decided to ask “Why cant he move?” Sephiroth answered “The power she is using casts a paralysis affliction on the target. In this case, JUNI. More than that, it takes an exceptional amount of JENOVA cells to be able to fully execute due to the lengthy time required to completely open the wormhole to Abandoned Space, commonly described as the Forbidden Realm otherwise. Abandoned Space is the reverse side of the entire universe, and once you enter it, there is no going back. You’re stuck there forever.” I moaned, feeling both sad and scared at the very thought of what Abandoned Space was like. I didn’t want YUROVA to be punished for trying to save everyone else, only to wind up locked away in Abandoned Space—and unable to come back. The shining red hole was bigger now, and YUROVA was booming with shining silver light. A silver halo appeared above her head, and several rays of silver light that seemed to replicate the shape of JENOVA’s metal wings appeared behind her. The red hole grew some more, and YUROVA turned her gaze to me “Cloud, no… Spike, promise me that you will work with Sephiroth, and with Kadaj’s gang—and protect my Sister JENOVA. This might be the end for me, but it’s a new beginning for her legacy and the rest of you; a fresh and peaceful start. So don’t be sad; embrace the eternal happiness that JENOVA and the rest of you have spent years trying to achieve. Because this time, it will finally be a reality.” Her expression hardened and she cried out in defiance “You’re coming with, JUNI! And this time, nothing can save you!” I shouted “Wait!” But before I could finish, YUROVA was pulled into the red hole, JUNI going in before her. And without warning, the shining red hole disappeared, and a shower of silver dust followed. All I could do was shake my head and stare in disbelief “I cant believe it, she’s gone…” Sephiroth also seemed speechless “I know… she sacrificed herself just to protect Mother… and this silver stardust raining around us, is all that’s left of her… YUROVA…” Sephiroth shook his head silently. I asked “Sephiroth, do you mean…?” He nodded “She destroyed herself in the process to avoid the misery lying in Abandoned Space. She only intended for JUNI to get locked away in there to protect us…” I reluctantly said “Cant say I blame her… I certainly don’t wanna see whats there.” Sephiroth sighed “It is unfortunate that she died, but we cant let her sacrifice be in vain. Let’s go back home and fulfill the wishes of her final words. You remember what she said before she disappeared, right?” I nodded “Of course… I wont forget what she said… I promise. For JENOVA, and for everyone else, too…” I had a sudden flashback of her smiling at me as she spoke her dying wish, and I turned to Sephiroth “Right, let’s go back home… But when JENOVA finds out what she did, she’ll be so hurt…” Sephiroth nodded “I think she already knows about it as we speak… She sent YUROVA out here to aid us. We wouldn’t have defeated JUNI ourselves, and I have a feeling Mother was aware of that. He was just too strong, even for SOLDIER 1st class like you and myself… there was no way we wouldve beaten that thing.” I sighed “Ohh, you’re right… it really sucks, but that’s true… Let’s fly back together, alright?” Sephiroth nodded, and we both began flying back to the Planet. As we flew, Sephiroth began to speak “Cloud, thank you so much, for everything you’ve done for Mother, and for me. It’s weird, but… I’m not sad anymore. I finally feel happy… the scars that kept me back, I cant explain it, but they’re gone now. Maybe YUROVA couldn’t live to see this moment, but she did it to save the legacy and protect Mother… and that means more to me than I can say. Cloud, I don’t hate you anymore… I’m actually greatful. We never wouldve gotten close to Divine Vortex that had sealed JUNI without your help. I know I wasn’t very cooperative, but you persisted even still. Thank you, for not giving up even when I did…” I was surprised but calm “Sephiroth?” I looked at him, and saw him smile warmly at me. I never saw him smile like that; I never knew he could. I smiled back and nodded “No problem. I said I’d save JENOVA and the rest of you right? And I did, with your help. You helped too with all the information you had and the things you knew… things I never couldve found out on my own, too.” We both laughed, and I realized I was still in my cetra form, and my choker was still on me. Sephiroth and myself both looked ahead, focusing on our route back to JENOVA Kingdom. Sephiroth went on “You know, even though I made it hard for you, I’ve enjoyed our travels and the missions we did together, Cloud… even if they were brief and small in number. I don’t want them to end here. But, I cant just force you into stuff, either… Brother, how do you feel about joining JENOVA SOLDIER?” I paused, then said “Hmm… It would give me something to do, even with the war being over, at least.” Sephiroth explained “Don’t worry, it’s not like the SOLDIER that Shinra organized and created. We arent a rogue group; we fight to protect Mother and defend the legacy.” I nodded in understanding “Alright, I guess I’m in then. But Sephiroth, what about you? Where do you plan to go?” Sephiroth laughed “I’m part of JENOVA SOLDIER, Cloud. Don’t make me laugh.” I laughed, then replied “Ok, then… so you wanna be partners, huh?” Sephiroth glanced at me and smiled “You said it. You know how to fight, Brother; that you have proven. You stood up to JUNI so bravely… having the fear I did of the bladework wings, and the bladework system that JUNI wields… I couldn’t do it. Not alone, anyway. That’s why I was trembling when I drew my masamune like that… I’m afraid of those things. They can kill anything with such horrific ease, it’s hard not to fear them… But with you right there like that, I was able to face those fears because of your bravery. Thank you, Cloud… really.” I had a flashback of JUNI getting sucked into the red wormhole, and asked “Do you really think JUNI wont be able to escape the Forbidden Realm? Is it truly impossible?” Sephiroth replied “Who knows? Having not been there myself, there could even be monsters stronger than even he is there. No one has ever found a way to escape, because going in means no turning back. Literally. It’s the only place we know about that is a sealed dimension. Even if he does escape, it doesn’t mean he will be back in this same universe if he succeeds. He could even end up in a completely foreign universe on a separate axis for that matter. Especially since he’s in a sealed dimension.” I smiled “Well if that happens, he’ll never find his way back here.” We both laughed at that and continued our flight home in silence.
The End
(This section will focus on Cloud as the speaker) I was still in unspeakable shock that this creature standing before us was the true master of JENOVA’s legacy and everything connected to it. JENOVA was kind and gentle when treated with respect; this monster called Lord JUNI made it loud and clear that all he cared about was what he wanted, and himself altogether. Me and Sephiroth were standing before what was apparently the most powerful being of the entire cetra race, and the creator of it. Sephiroth said “I don’t want to do this, Lord JUNI. But if you really are serious about killing Mother and everyone else on the Planet, I have no choice!” JUNI sneered “Hmph! Do what you wish. But stopping me will be pointless. I can drain you both of all your JENOVA cells, and absorb any of them you attempt to focus on me within a matter of seconds. Neither of you stand a chance.” Sephiroth turned to me “Cloud, listen to me… I can help you take him down, but the only thing that will hurt him is your life energy—it’s the only thing JUNI is weak to!” I nodded silently. JUNI laughed “Foolishly persistent, arent you? I have never seen greater idiots than you two. But very well… I will initiate the Reunion’s self-destruct sequence… on your Mother’s precious Planet! If you fail to defeat me before its phase 3 is initiated, I win no matter what!” Sephiroth worried “Oh no… JUNI, arent you forgetting something when you say that? If you force the Reunion process itself to self-destruct, you’re not only killing my Mother and the rest of us… you will be obliterated too! Even if you are the cetra god, you’re bound by the Reunion clause too! That’s suicide!” JUNI’s expression hardened, and I saw some tears fall from his red eye “It doesn’t matter if I die or not… the legacy is already in shambles because of that incident thousands of years back… But I will not allow JENOVA to water it down any further than she already has! Even if I must die to fix that, then that’s how it is!” JUNI’s bladework wings shifted, poking into the JENOVA Lifestream surrounding us, and countless small streams of JENOVA cells flowed through them and into the JENOVA Lifestream. My expression hardened, and I went at him as quickly as I could, quickly cutting off his bladework wings from the JENOVA Lifestream. I succeeded, catching him off guard, and I spoke firmly at him “You monster! Killing yourself and everyone else wont solve anything! If you destroy what little is left of your people, JUNI, the cetra wont even exist anymore! We can work this out another way! Stop!” He roared, and I was swept away by the heavy vibrations, and recovered beside Sephiroth. Sephiroth caught me and helped me regain my balance so I wouldn’t fall. I shook my head in disbelief “I cant believe the creator of the cetra… is a monster like him… Unbelievable.” Sephiroth grew serious and shook his head at me “There’s no reasoning with him… he’s not even listening to us. Lord JUNI is just mad, and he’s not all here anymore. He seems like he’s in some serious pain, and he wont calm down.” I asked “So what should we do? Do we still kill him?” Sephiroth sighed “I don’t wanna kill him at all, but the only way he’ll calm down is if he is weakened to a great extent. And since JUNI is the Cetra Tree, his recovery potential is near infinite. Especially here in the JENOVA Lifestream, where it’s a lot stronger for him. The only way to defeat JUNI is by pulling his bladework system from his body. Otherwise, he is virtually undefeatable.” I asked “Do you think your masamune can cut through the base of them and finish him off? If you can, then I’ll keep him busy as long as possible so you can defeat him for me.” Sephiroth answered “I can, but he can regrow countless new ones if we don’t act quickly enough. Hojo and Seffi are nothing concerning the bladework wings compared to JUNI’s stamina. Luckily for us, we have that special power that can cut through bladework wings. We cant beat him without that ability.” I nodded, and went at JUNI, cutting through his blades as quickly as I could. He threw several parts of his bladework wings at me, and I just kept cutting through them in hopes of getting closer. However, the rounds seemed endless; almost as if he regenerated each of them within seconds. JUNI said “Hmm, not bad… but its fruitless. Your energy is nothing next to mine.” I began to gasp for air after sometime of fighting them off, but there were still too many; it almost seemed like a forest of black and green now. I noticed his bladework wings were getting thicker and thicker as he continued regeneration. I cried “Gaah..! Stop… healing so much!” I deliberately pulled out and backed away from him, and was gasping for air, glancing up at JUNI and his enlarged bladework wings “No way… he’s too strong..!” JUNI explained “The more damage I take, the stronger and bigger my bladework system becomes. I warned you, but you chose to ignore me. These are not bladework wings… this is the bladework system. The bladework system is exclusive to me only—none other than myself can wield this Great Weapon. With it, I am immortal.” I forced myself to stay strong “I cant give up… I’m not letting it end like this!” I glanced around to find Sephiroth, but he was nowhere in sight. I heard a loud crack, and saw JUNI with his eye widened. I realized Sephiroth had attacked him from behind and happily cried “Yes! It worked!” JUNI’s bladework system began to crack all over, and it shattered within seconds. JUNI’s red eye closed, and he floated motionless seconds later. Sephiroth removed his masamune from JUNI’s body and flew back to my side. I smiled at him “Nice on, Sephiroth! He didn’t even know you were there.” Sephiroth nodded “Right… but did we kill him..?” We both glanced at JUNI, and he opened his eye slowly, the red glow gradually returning to it. A strange noise came from behind him, and I gasped in disbelief as a new bladework system grew from him. JUNI focused his attention on us, and the red glow had fully returned to his eye. He laughed “Did you really think defeating me would be so easy?” When his new bladework system had finished growing, green streams of light flowed through them at a faster pace and were shining much brighter. I couldn’t believe what had happened “No way! He resurrected himself?!” Sephiroth shook his head “That’s one part… I didn’t know about. But, we have to beat him… somehow..!” JUNI smiled sinisterly at us “See? I am invincible with these. Even attacking the core deep within my body is useless. So fight on, and keep resisting… until you are both dead.” Sephiroth cried “Impossible! Your bladework’s core took a direct hit from my katana! How are you still standing?!” JUNI sneered but kept silent. I asked “What are we gonna do? If that doesn’t kill him, then what does?” Sephiroth’s expression turned hard “Mother, if you can hear me… I need you to send help. The entire family is in danger as I speak… and the enemy is too powerful.” I realized what he was trying to do “Sephiroth?” He looked at me and nodded, but didn’t speak. Out of nowhere, a dark hole opened up some ways ahead of us, and a young woman who resembled JENOVA appeared from it “Stop this madness, JUNI!” I cried “YUROVA?! No, get out of here! He’s too dangerous!” She attacked JUNI from behind, and the wormhole closed behind her. Her metallic wings shifted into several small and pointy streams that poked through JUNI’s bladework system, and they seemed to impair it. She grabbed JUNI by the neck and gripped him tightly “Cloud, don’t worry about me. Go back home with Sephiroth! I’ll handle this murderous deity!” Sephiroth seemed ready to cry again, and shook his head “No! Don’t die, YUROVA… What about Mother, your Sister?! You and her finally got back together… and youre gonna end it like this? By sacrificing yourself?” YUROVA turned firm “I must! I’m the only one who can seal JUNI away! He’s invincible otherwise!” I asked her “What are you saying when you say seal him away?” YUROVA explained “There is only one way to truly defeat this man. It’s a special ability that involves unlocking the Forbidden Realm, the only place in the universe that is impossible to escape—a world of unrelenting darkness and despair. It cant be entered by normal dimensional travel techniques; even JENOVA herself cant open it. I’m the only one of us left who knows exactly how to do it!” Sephiroth protested “But if you go there, you..! You cant come back either! Once you enter the Forbidden Realm… nothing can return! You’ll get sealed in there, too!” YUROVA seemed sad “I know, Sephiroth… but if you guys keep fighting, you’ll waste your strength. I have no choice; if he escapes from here, he’ll target JENOVA, JENBU… he’ll hurt everyone I care for without discrimination! I’ll sacrifice myself—to protect my Sister and everyone else!” YUROVA’s body began shining a bright white, and a small red hole appeared behind JUNI, glowing brightly. Sephiroth began crying silently. I also felt a wave of sadness, but I knew we had to let her do this. I didn’t want anyone to have to die in order to defeat JUNI. I wanted everyone to make it through this fight. For some reason, JUNI appeared to be immobilized, and I decided to ask “Why cant he move?” Sephiroth answered “The power she is using casts a paralysis affliction on the target. In this case, JUNI. More than that, it takes an exceptional amount of JENOVA cells to be able to fully execute due to the lengthy time required to completely open the wormhole to Abandoned Space, commonly described as the Forbidden Realm otherwise. Abandoned Space is the reverse side of the entire universe, and once you enter it, there is no going back. You’re stuck there forever.” I moaned, feeling both sad and scared at the very thought of what Abandoned Space was like. I didn’t want YUROVA to be punished for trying to save everyone else, only to wind up locked away in Abandoned Space—and unable to come back. The shining red hole was bigger now, and YUROVA was booming with shining silver light. A silver halo appeared above her head, and several rays of silver light that seemed to replicate the shape of JENOVA’s metal wings appeared behind her. The red hole grew some more, and YUROVA turned her gaze to me “Cloud, no… Spike, promise me that you will work with Sephiroth, and with Kadaj’s gang—and protect my Sister JENOVA. This might be the end for me, but it’s a new beginning for her legacy and the rest of you; a fresh and peaceful start. So don’t be sad; embrace the eternal happiness that JENOVA and the rest of you have spent years trying to achieve. Because this time, it will finally be a reality.” Her expression hardened and she cried out in defiance “You’re coming with, JUNI! And this time, nothing can save you!” I shouted “Wait!” But before I could finish, YUROVA was pulled into the red hole, JUNI going in before her. And without warning, the shining red hole disappeared, and a shower of silver dust followed. All I could do was shake my head and stare in disbelief “I cant believe it, she’s gone…” Sephiroth also seemed speechless “I know… she sacrificed herself just to protect Mother… and this silver stardust raining around us, is all that’s left of her… YUROVA…” Sephiroth shook his head silently. I asked “Sephiroth, do you mean…?” He nodded “She destroyed herself in the process to avoid the misery lying in Abandoned Space. She only intended for JUNI to get locked away in there to protect us…” I reluctantly said “Cant say I blame her… I certainly don’t wanna see whats there.” Sephiroth sighed “It is unfortunate that she died, but we cant let her sacrifice be in vain. Let’s go back home and fulfill the wishes of her final words. You remember what she said before she disappeared, right?” I nodded “Of course… I wont forget what she said… I promise. For JENOVA, and for everyone else, too…” I had a sudden flashback of her smiling at me as she spoke her dying wish, and I turned to Sephiroth “Right, let’s go back home… But when JENOVA finds out what she did, she’ll be so hurt…” Sephiroth nodded “I think she already knows about it as we speak… She sent YUROVA out here to aid us. We wouldn’t have defeated JUNI ourselves, and I have a feeling Mother was aware of that. He was just too strong, even for SOLDIER 1st class like you and myself… there was no way we wouldve beaten that thing.” I sighed “Ohh, you’re right… it really sucks, but that’s true… Let’s fly back together, alright?” Sephiroth nodded, and we both began flying back to the Planet. As we flew, Sephiroth began to speak “Cloud, thank you so much, for everything you’ve done for Mother, and for me. It’s weird, but… I’m not sad anymore. I finally feel happy… the scars that kept me back, I cant explain it, but they’re gone now. Maybe YUROVA couldn’t live to see this moment, but she did it to save the legacy and protect Mother… and that means more to me than I can say. Cloud, I don’t hate you anymore… I’m actually greatful. We never wouldve gotten close to Divine Vortex that had sealed JUNI without your help. I know I wasn’t very cooperative, but you persisted even still. Thank you, for not giving up even when I did…” I was surprised but calm “Sephiroth?” I looked at him, and saw him smile warmly at me. I never saw him smile like that; I never knew he could. I smiled back and nodded “No problem. I said I’d save JENOVA and the rest of you right? And I did, with your help. You helped too with all the information you had and the things you knew… things I never couldve found out on my own, too.” We both laughed, and I realized I was still in my cetra form, and my choker was still on me. Sephiroth and myself both looked ahead, focusing on our route back to JENOVA Kingdom. Sephiroth went on “You know, even though I made it hard for you, I’ve enjoyed our travels and the missions we did together, Cloud… even if they were brief and small in number. I don’t want them to end here. But, I cant just force you into stuff, either… Brother, how do you feel about joining JENOVA SOLDIER?” I paused, then said “Hmm… It would give me something to do, even with the war being over, at least.” Sephiroth explained “Don’t worry, it’s not like the SOLDIER that Shinra organized and created. We arent a rogue group; we fight to protect Mother and defend the legacy.” I nodded in understanding “Alright, I guess I’m in then. But Sephiroth, what about you? Where do you plan to go?” Sephiroth laughed “I’m part of JENOVA SOLDIER, Cloud. Don’t make me laugh.” I laughed, then replied “Ok, then… so you wanna be partners, huh?” Sephiroth glanced at me and smiled “You said it. You know how to fight, Brother; that you have proven. You stood up to JUNI so bravely… having the fear I did of the bladework wings, and the bladework system that JUNI wields… I couldn’t do it. Not alone, anyway. That’s why I was trembling when I drew my masamune like that… I’m afraid of those things. They can kill anything with such horrific ease, it’s hard not to fear them… But with you right there like that, I was able to face those fears because of your bravery. Thank you, Cloud… really.” I had a flashback of JUNI getting sucked into the red wormhole, and asked “Do you really think JUNI wont be able to escape the Forbidden Realm? Is it truly impossible?” Sephiroth replied “Who knows? Having not been there myself, there could even be monsters stronger than even he is there. No one has ever found a way to escape, because going in means no turning back. Literally. It’s the only place we know about that is a sealed dimension. Even if he does escape, it doesn’t mean he will be back in this same universe if he succeeds. He could even end up in a completely foreign universe on a separate axis for that matter. Especially since he’s in a sealed dimension.” I smiled “Well if that happens, he’ll never find his way back here.” We both laughed at that and continued our flight home in silence.
The End
