Chapter 8: The Cell Vortex
(This section will focus on YUROVA as the speaker) I was flying about, barely below the JENOVA Lifestream, hurrying to investigate what I sensed as some kind of abnormality somewhere along its infinite reach. I tried to reach my Big Sister and cried "JENOVA! Do you read me?" She sounded shocked when she answered "YUROVA..? But... how are you here?" I replied "I don't know, Big Sister, but there's not time to talk about it! Something is wrong with your lifestream! This huge hole opened up somewhere, and it was directly inside of it. I can't say what's happening exactly, but it seems like its making something!" JENOVA grew serious "Can you make it on time to do something?" I moaned "Uggh..! I can't accelerate any higher or my wings will burn up! This is my maximum speed! Can anyone else make it on time?" She answered "Hmm... I'll send my husband JENBU there, then. He's the fastest flyer in the kingdom--faster than even me and Sephiroth. He may be able to make it. I'll ask Cloud to cover a ground approach... and we'll see how he acts. I'll send in orders to the foundation to monitor the hole's data, hopefully before it's too late... if it locks up, then it's no good. Even I cannot reopen that thing; it's too powerful." I asked "What happens if we run out of time?" JENOVA answered "Whatever process it's working will be complete, or whatever it's making as you described, will take physical form. Most likely, it will be irreversible." I worried "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She sighed, then paused in silence "I don't know, my Sister... we'll just have to hope for the best, and hope that hole doesn't create an abomination of any kind that would threaten my kingdom and legacy. I had Rufus, the former President of my foundation, do work on studying and gathering intel on that mysterious hole, but a war cropped up and prevented any crucial advancements on the job. And since he didn't make it, Hojo is the current head in his place.... and not a very pleasant one, either. He only thinks of making a name for himself, disregarding the lives of others and even sacrificing them for his selfish gain or even profit. He simply doesn't care... but he's the only one intelligent enough to take on this task and perform effectively with it. If he takes it seriously enough, that is." I sighed "Yeah... Sephiroth told me that when he rescued me from that sealed chamber underneath the HQ. Something about him being reckless and all of that... But anyway, what should I do to help?" JENOVA answered "Just get out of there! When that hole seals back up, it releases a powerful energy wave that can destroy nearly anything. If you're caught in that, there's no telling what it will do to you. The intense spike it releases does seem to consist of a high concentration of my cells, but this only theory based on the composition of my lifestream. We lack recon on this thing, so I suggest you pull out or use your power to shield yourself. Hopefully it won't break through your barrier when it locks up and releases this..." I complained "And... what happens if isn't pure JENOVA cells, if it's something else?" She warned "Just run! Fly away and return to the kingdom! If it's made of anything alien to us, you and anything around it will be obliterated! There's no time to speculate--just be smart and pull out!" I groaned, reluctantly changing my course and flying downward to land back on our Planet. I grumbled "What the heck is going on?! I didn't know it was this bad! Goddarn it all!"
Meanwhile, Cloud was running about, somewhere in the kingdom...
(This part will focus on Cloud as the speaker) The sky was dark, it was very cloudy and it was raining a fluid that seemed half black and green, a mix of the two. When the strange stuff touched my skin, it sank into me and I would feel a slight energy surge each time. I got a call from JENOVA telling me to look for a big hole in the sky and stand guard below it. I didn't quite understand what was happening, but it was certainly a strange phenomena I had never seen until now. This wasn't Sephiroth's black JENOVA cell rain; it seemed like something else. There wasn't any thunder or lightning, either. And everyone around me seemed fine; not scared or even anxious. Was this a common occurrence in this world? I kept my eyes on the sky above, and saw a massive beam of bright green burst through the cloud cover, and the ground shook shortly thereafter. I lost my balance and was knocked down by the tremor, but quickly got back up and hurried in the direction it seemed to impact. I came to a wide open area, and there was lots of rubble all around. However, the ground itself seemed unscathed "What in the world...? How..?" I heard a kid moan somewhere close by, and turned in the direction it came from. When the dust cleared, I saw a young boy who looked like Sephiroth when he was a child; he wore all black, his shirt with long sleeves, and long black pants, but he didn't have any shoes on. He also wasn't holding a weapon. His entire body had a strange green light outlining him, and he revealed a single black wing that seemed as though it had just grown in. He coughed, and shook his head, then he looked up at me. I felt a surge of fear, and tried to hide it "Kid... who are you? Where did you come from?" He got to his feet and answered "My name is Sephiroth... I came from my Mother, JENOVA... why are you asking?" I staggered back and dropped my sword, my body trembling in fear "You're... you're what?!! No way!" I began pacing back and forth in panic "This is impossible! I just saw Sephiroth days ago! Did he die again... and return again?! There can't be two Sephiroths!" My vision flickered, and I felt dizzy. I fell to my knees, moaning from discomfort "Unngh... what is this madness? What's going on..? There can't be two... of him... there just can't be..!" The sky cleared up, and I heard a loud noise that sounded like an explosion shortly thereafter. I wanted to yell at this kid and demand him to tell the truth, but I just couldn't do it. The real Sephiroth would understand more than this kid ever would. This one didn't even seem like a teenager yet; more like only ten years old. On the other hand, i was never someone who could yell at a kid, JENOVA's or not. It just didn't feel right to me. When the discomfort stopped, I got back up and pulled my phone from my pocket and called a President Hojo, in hopes he might know what just happened. He answered quickly "Cloud, what do you want? I'm busy monitoring that huge hole that just blew up in the sky! The readings are already dropping! I can't talk right now!" I grew firm "Hojo, would you just listen instead of rambling before I get a chance to start? What hole are you talking about?" Hojo seemed interested, and explained "I don't know much about what happened outside, but I can tell you a massive vortex appeared right above your location--in the form of gap in the thick cloud cover that only just cleared. Something.... or it ejected a powerful beam that made contact with your current location. I know little about the energy source, but I can tell you it was heavily charged with JENOVA cells. I imagine where you are, the area is quite unstable. How are you standing in the middle of the site unaffected?" I shrugged "I don't know, but I don't feel anything bad right now... or unusual. I saw the beam you mentioned, but it hit the ground before I got here. Then I heard something explode that sounded like it was high up. And somehow, there's a boy here who says his name is Sephiroth... and he looks a lot like him. Black wing and everything.... but no weapons. Were you able to tap into the inside of whatever was in the sky to see what was happening in there?" Hojo replied "Hmm... If that really is him, something is amiss... Sephiroth just came here to issue me new orders not that long ago. I didn't have enough time to study the strange vortex thoroughly enough, but I did get a glimpse of something being born towards its core. The cameras fried out before I could do any scanning... I have a hunch the energy, no... the JENOVA cell concentration inside of this thing was too great and disintegrated all of my monitoring equipment since I got too close. It all went too quickly for me to get enough recon on this hole to know precisely what it was. My equipment broke before I could get complete results. I'll have to order replacements.... more stable ones. In short, I know little more than you do about what just happened. However, I ask you bring that newborn Sephiroth to my headquarters for examination. If this specimen is a legitimate being and not a fake, my lab testing will show it." I was confused "A fake..? How can he be a fake? This doesn't make sense..." Hojo shouted "Just do it! If JENOVA finds out about him first, there's no telling what she'll do!" He hung up on me after that. I shook my head and shoved my phone in my pocket "What a mess... But nevermind him. This kid is more important." I turned back to the boy and gasped: he was unconscious on the ground, his wing also motionless. I approached the boy, and bent down to pick him up. I held him in my arms, and felt an overwhelming surge of power inside myself. It was so intense, my throat began to tighten up "Ungh..! What the..?" My muscles tensed up all over my body, until the tension became unbearable pain; it was so great, I began to scream. I fell down, unable to move; and my vision started fading again. The boy fell from my arms, laying just ahead of me; still unconscious. When the pain stopped and I could see again, I was confused "This Sephiroth... what is he..? What happened when I picked him up..?" I realized the green that seemed to highlight his entire being was still on him, and I slowly worked my way to his body to get a closer look. It wasn't just light; it was an eerie substance smeared on his clothing in some places "What is that stuff?" I remembered Hojo's explanation about the hole in the sky being a vortex of JENOVA cells, and this boy being born deep inside of it. Was the residue from that blast really powerful enough to cause me that intense pain when I tried to help the boy? I shook the fear away and tried lifting the kid again, hoping the wracking pain I felt before wouldn't return. I carefully retrieved my sword and sheathed it, trying not to hit the boy in the process, and focused on going to JENOVA Foundation HQ. I didn't understand this strange world I woke up in; and now I really didn't understand it. Two Sephiroths, storms that just didn't make sense and launched a beam directly into the Planet... it was just one mystery after another. I began wondering again if that was supposed to be normal in this new world, for a vortex of JENOVA cells to form in the sky, and give birth to a new life before exploding and clearing the green and black rain it had created. Was that what a thunderstorm was in JENOVA Kingdom? Or did something actually go wrong? On my way to meet Hojo, I glanced at the young boy resting in my arms, and wondered if bringing him to Hojo was really right. I stopped walking, and an image of someone who resembled JENOVA appeared in my mind, standing before me in a stormy sea of JENOVA cells; there was swirling black with hints of green lines in it, and silent lightning all around: the woman standing at the heart of it all. She kept her stare on me, but she wasn't angry; she seemed like she was in need of help, like something worried her. The woman pleaded "Cloud... don't bring that child to him. Bring that boy to JENOVA--to my older Sister. She can give you answers without the child being sacrificed. Don't bring him to destruction... bring him to joy and healing." Then it all faded, and I felt a shockwave in my head that caused me to wince. I remembered where I was, and decided to go to the peak of Mako Reactor, where JENOVA's throne was said to be. It made sense to me that she would reside there under most circumstances: that place was had the highest peak in the world I remember, besides Meteor Monument, which seemed a lot bigger to me in this new world than I remembered. She could probably see nearly everything up there. And the energy of the place was a perfect feeding ground for her too, making it an excellent home for her. I suddenly began running, hoping to outsmart Hojo if he knew I wasn't coming. I doubted he would go to Mako Reactor though if he knew JENOVA was there. Maybe his workers were there earlier, but something told me they got spooked off after Hojo got caught trying to start another big mess. After I rescued Kadaj, I brought her to the Forgotten City where her other two remnant siblings were, Yazoo and Loz. After I'd done that, I knew it was only a matter of time before Hojo would be in trouble for breaking what I guess was a the law in this world. Kadaj, Yazoo and Lox were apparently the chief remnants in the kingdom, which meant if any of them knew you broke the rules, JENOVA would be the next to know what you did. I imagined it was even more serious if you got found out by Sephiroth, and he got angry at you. They both thanked me before I left to find more work, but didn't show much expression when they did. Not too long after that, I got into the mess i am in right now: that hole in the sky made this boy, who is supposedly a second Sephiroth. Life in this world was perpetually hectic. I barely got any chances to really relax. Not only was I surrounded by enemies, but weird things just continued happening and seemed to become gradually worse. I didn't know what was happening anymore; I wasn't even sure of who I am at this point. Who am I? Why am I helping JENOVA and her people instead of going down my own road? Well, I had one easy answer to that: because they kept nagging me. I got dragged into this mess, which I hadn't even wanted from the start. I didn't want any of them; all I wanted now was my peace and quiet so I could relax again. All of the endless noise and chaos was just too much for me. That was the best answer I had, but somehow I didn't think I was right... in fact, I had a feeling there was a lot more to all of this than I knew. Something told me that JENOVA was suffering, that she was in pain and needed my help. What was hurting her? Did it have anything to do with Hojo and the events where it all began? I stopped again, and gently stroked the boy's hair, and the strands I had stroked seemed to shine as if they were glowing. Startled, I pulled my hand away from his hair "This boy... something is different about him--certainly different than the Sephiroth I know... what is he?" I noticed he was breathing normally, and sleeping rather than being unconscious. I felt relieved "Phew... he isn't hurt... how did he go unharmed when that beam hit the ground though? What's the deal with his powers?" When the strands of his hair stopped glowing, it released a small energy burst that seemed to cut my skin "Ow!" I started bleeding after that. I felt very frustrated right now "What's going on with this kid?! And why does he do all of these weird things without even moving?!" He moaned in his sleep, and all of his hair was shining now. I hastily set him down and backed away, barely avoiding the hit: his glowing hair slashed towards me, attempting to cut me up yet again before returning to its natural state. I couldn't believe this "What the..?! It's like... his hair itself is alive! This isn't Sephiroth at all! Sephiroth didn't have crazy hair!" I forced myself to calm down "I can't... there's no way I can get him to JENOVA like this. His hair will mutilate me if this continues, and then he won't get there at all. But maybe if Kadaj's gang held onto him..." I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Kadaj, hoping she would answer me. Luckily, she answered quickly "Princess Kadaj, Mother's future successor speaking... Cloud, what's going on?" I replied "I don't even know the answer to that... but, there's this kid saying he's Sephiroth, and he's got this hair that seems to have a mind of its own... and he looks just like him too..." I explained everything to her, and she said "Wow, that's an earful... I don't think his hair will go crazy on me and my Brothers, though, so we'll help you out for Mother's sake, and also the boy's. As for the hole in the sky and the rest of that story, I don't really know anything about it, Brother. Mother might have answers for us, though. But forget the hole, we have to keep our Little Brother from Hojo's reach until we can trust him enough. Even if he isn't Sephiroth, he's still a family member. We have to help each other." I agreed "Right, uh... how far are you three?" Before I could get an answer, I thought I heard Loz making his sound effects somewhere behind, and several gunshots at the same time. I got down immediately, hurrying to avoid being hit, and he slammed the brakes, barely avoiding collision with me. He got off and laughed "Now that was fun!" I got up and scolded him "What was that for?! I'm helping you guys, and this is how you thank me? You almost ran me over!" He smiled, and laughed a bit nervously "Ohh, oops... Uh, haha... sorry." I protested "Sorry? That's it?!" Yazoo and Kadaj parked in the distance, and Yazoo said "Don't mind him, Brother. Loz can be a little careless sometimes. But more than that, I think that was his way of saying hello." I said "You're not helping, Yazoo. He almost hit me! Gunshots, and then he barely stops on time to avoid colliding!" Kadaj interrupted "Just stop it. We don't have time to complain. We have to focus on what matters more here: our new Brother you found after that explosion. If we want to beat Hojo here, arguing is out of bounds. Accept Loz's greeting and grin, got it? You should know by now he wasn't trying to get you." After the countless times you three tried to kill me, that's what I'm supposed to expect? I thought. That really didn't make sense. Loz shook his head "Hey, uh... look. You saved Little Sister from that bad experiment they were gonna try... she told us. And that's why we gotta do something to help you.... right..?" Yazoo added "I think what he means, Brother, is that we want to return the favor for you protecting our boss. So if something like this comes up, we'll agree to work with you--but only under Mother's direct authority as in this situation. However, unusual circumstances as these leave us no choice. When a new life is created, even if by rather bizarre means as with the strange JENOVA cell flurry that appeared up there... it's our duty to protect the new sibling. Especially as the group known as JENOVA SOLDIER, we are expected to protect our Brothers and Sisters without direct authorization from Mother. Likewise, we are here to help this Little Brother calling himself Sephiroth." Kadaj nodded, then turned to Loz and approached him "Loz, I want you to carry him. You're the fastest of us." Loz nodded "Uhh, right... got it. So why can't this punk behind me carry him?" I felt angry when he said that, but forced myself to keep silent. Kadaj answered "I didn't get it either, but he said Little Brother's hair shined and swung at him like it was alive." Yazoo sighed "Just do it... do you have to question everything when something important is at stake?" He hurried to the child's body, picking him up and then taking off somewhere. I asked "Do you really think he will make it by himself, even if he gets attacked?" Yazoo nodded "He's no tactician, but I think he will manage fine. The foundation employees lack potential to restrain him due to his high physical strength--especially in close combat. He can even defy bullets with that dual hound of his, so firing on him is virtually useless as well. I don't think they can give any nasty ranged blows that would do him in. But, we will follow to serve as backup if he should get in a tight spot. Would you like to fight alongside us for this? Surely you're strong enough for that." I paused in silence, then nodded. Yazoo said "Good, borrow Loz's motorbike for this one. I hope you didn't lose your sword in that blast back there. We need your help for this one." I drew my sword and got on Loz's motorbike, and Yazoo and Kadaj boarded theirs. We all took off and kept together, Kadaj leading the way. Something felt strangely familiar about this.
To be Continued...
(This section will focus on YUROVA as the speaker) I was flying about, barely below the JENOVA Lifestream, hurrying to investigate what I sensed as some kind of abnormality somewhere along its infinite reach. I tried to reach my Big Sister and cried "JENOVA! Do you read me?" She sounded shocked when she answered "YUROVA..? But... how are you here?" I replied "I don't know, Big Sister, but there's not time to talk about it! Something is wrong with your lifestream! This huge hole opened up somewhere, and it was directly inside of it. I can't say what's happening exactly, but it seems like its making something!" JENOVA grew serious "Can you make it on time to do something?" I moaned "Uggh..! I can't accelerate any higher or my wings will burn up! This is my maximum speed! Can anyone else make it on time?" She answered "Hmm... I'll send my husband JENBU there, then. He's the fastest flyer in the kingdom--faster than even me and Sephiroth. He may be able to make it. I'll ask Cloud to cover a ground approach... and we'll see how he acts. I'll send in orders to the foundation to monitor the hole's data, hopefully before it's too late... if it locks up, then it's no good. Even I cannot reopen that thing; it's too powerful." I asked "What happens if we run out of time?" JENOVA answered "Whatever process it's working will be complete, or whatever it's making as you described, will take physical form. Most likely, it will be irreversible." I worried "Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" She sighed, then paused in silence "I don't know, my Sister... we'll just have to hope for the best, and hope that hole doesn't create an abomination of any kind that would threaten my kingdom and legacy. I had Rufus, the former President of my foundation, do work on studying and gathering intel on that mysterious hole, but a war cropped up and prevented any crucial advancements on the job. And since he didn't make it, Hojo is the current head in his place.... and not a very pleasant one, either. He only thinks of making a name for himself, disregarding the lives of others and even sacrificing them for his selfish gain or even profit. He simply doesn't care... but he's the only one intelligent enough to take on this task and perform effectively with it. If he takes it seriously enough, that is." I sighed "Yeah... Sephiroth told me that when he rescued me from that sealed chamber underneath the HQ. Something about him being reckless and all of that... But anyway, what should I do to help?" JENOVA answered "Just get out of there! When that hole seals back up, it releases a powerful energy wave that can destroy nearly anything. If you're caught in that, there's no telling what it will do to you. The intense spike it releases does seem to consist of a high concentration of my cells, but this only theory based on the composition of my lifestream. We lack recon on this thing, so I suggest you pull out or use your power to shield yourself. Hopefully it won't break through your barrier when it locks up and releases this..." I complained "And... what happens if isn't pure JENOVA cells, if it's something else?" She warned "Just run! Fly away and return to the kingdom! If it's made of anything alien to us, you and anything around it will be obliterated! There's no time to speculate--just be smart and pull out!" I groaned, reluctantly changing my course and flying downward to land back on our Planet. I grumbled "What the heck is going on?! I didn't know it was this bad! Goddarn it all!"
Meanwhile, Cloud was running about, somewhere in the kingdom...
(This part will focus on Cloud as the speaker) The sky was dark, it was very cloudy and it was raining a fluid that seemed half black and green, a mix of the two. When the strange stuff touched my skin, it sank into me and I would feel a slight energy surge each time. I got a call from JENOVA telling me to look for a big hole in the sky and stand guard below it. I didn't quite understand what was happening, but it was certainly a strange phenomena I had never seen until now. This wasn't Sephiroth's black JENOVA cell rain; it seemed like something else. There wasn't any thunder or lightning, either. And everyone around me seemed fine; not scared or even anxious. Was this a common occurrence in this world? I kept my eyes on the sky above, and saw a massive beam of bright green burst through the cloud cover, and the ground shook shortly thereafter. I lost my balance and was knocked down by the tremor, but quickly got back up and hurried in the direction it seemed to impact. I came to a wide open area, and there was lots of rubble all around. However, the ground itself seemed unscathed "What in the world...? How..?" I heard a kid moan somewhere close by, and turned in the direction it came from. When the dust cleared, I saw a young boy who looked like Sephiroth when he was a child; he wore all black, his shirt with long sleeves, and long black pants, but he didn't have any shoes on. He also wasn't holding a weapon. His entire body had a strange green light outlining him, and he revealed a single black wing that seemed as though it had just grown in. He coughed, and shook his head, then he looked up at me. I felt a surge of fear, and tried to hide it "Kid... who are you? Where did you come from?" He got to his feet and answered "My name is Sephiroth... I came from my Mother, JENOVA... why are you asking?" I staggered back and dropped my sword, my body trembling in fear "You're... you're what?!! No way!" I began pacing back and forth in panic "This is impossible! I just saw Sephiroth days ago! Did he die again... and return again?! There can't be two Sephiroths!" My vision flickered, and I felt dizzy. I fell to my knees, moaning from discomfort "Unngh... what is this madness? What's going on..? There can't be two... of him... there just can't be..!" The sky cleared up, and I heard a loud noise that sounded like an explosion shortly thereafter. I wanted to yell at this kid and demand him to tell the truth, but I just couldn't do it. The real Sephiroth would understand more than this kid ever would. This one didn't even seem like a teenager yet; more like only ten years old. On the other hand, i was never someone who could yell at a kid, JENOVA's or not. It just didn't feel right to me. When the discomfort stopped, I got back up and pulled my phone from my pocket and called a President Hojo, in hopes he might know what just happened. He answered quickly "Cloud, what do you want? I'm busy monitoring that huge hole that just blew up in the sky! The readings are already dropping! I can't talk right now!" I grew firm "Hojo, would you just listen instead of rambling before I get a chance to start? What hole are you talking about?" Hojo seemed interested, and explained "I don't know much about what happened outside, but I can tell you a massive vortex appeared right above your location--in the form of gap in the thick cloud cover that only just cleared. Something.... or it ejected a powerful beam that made contact with your current location. I know little about the energy source, but I can tell you it was heavily charged with JENOVA cells. I imagine where you are, the area is quite unstable. How are you standing in the middle of the site unaffected?" I shrugged "I don't know, but I don't feel anything bad right now... or unusual. I saw the beam you mentioned, but it hit the ground before I got here. Then I heard something explode that sounded like it was high up. And somehow, there's a boy here who says his name is Sephiroth... and he looks a lot like him. Black wing and everything.... but no weapons. Were you able to tap into the inside of whatever was in the sky to see what was happening in there?" Hojo replied "Hmm... If that really is him, something is amiss... Sephiroth just came here to issue me new orders not that long ago. I didn't have enough time to study the strange vortex thoroughly enough, but I did get a glimpse of something being born towards its core. The cameras fried out before I could do any scanning... I have a hunch the energy, no... the JENOVA cell concentration inside of this thing was too great and disintegrated all of my monitoring equipment since I got too close. It all went too quickly for me to get enough recon on this hole to know precisely what it was. My equipment broke before I could get complete results. I'll have to order replacements.... more stable ones. In short, I know little more than you do about what just happened. However, I ask you bring that newborn Sephiroth to my headquarters for examination. If this specimen is a legitimate being and not a fake, my lab testing will show it." I was confused "A fake..? How can he be a fake? This doesn't make sense..." Hojo shouted "Just do it! If JENOVA finds out about him first, there's no telling what she'll do!" He hung up on me after that. I shook my head and shoved my phone in my pocket "What a mess... But nevermind him. This kid is more important." I turned back to the boy and gasped: he was unconscious on the ground, his wing also motionless. I approached the boy, and bent down to pick him up. I held him in my arms, and felt an overwhelming surge of power inside myself. It was so intense, my throat began to tighten up "Ungh..! What the..?" My muscles tensed up all over my body, until the tension became unbearable pain; it was so great, I began to scream. I fell down, unable to move; and my vision started fading again. The boy fell from my arms, laying just ahead of me; still unconscious. When the pain stopped and I could see again, I was confused "This Sephiroth... what is he..? What happened when I picked him up..?" I realized the green that seemed to highlight his entire being was still on him, and I slowly worked my way to his body to get a closer look. It wasn't just light; it was an eerie substance smeared on his clothing in some places "What is that stuff?" I remembered Hojo's explanation about the hole in the sky being a vortex of JENOVA cells, and this boy being born deep inside of it. Was the residue from that blast really powerful enough to cause me that intense pain when I tried to help the boy? I shook the fear away and tried lifting the kid again, hoping the wracking pain I felt before wouldn't return. I carefully retrieved my sword and sheathed it, trying not to hit the boy in the process, and focused on going to JENOVA Foundation HQ. I didn't understand this strange world I woke up in; and now I really didn't understand it. Two Sephiroths, storms that just didn't make sense and launched a beam directly into the Planet... it was just one mystery after another. I began wondering again if that was supposed to be normal in this new world, for a vortex of JENOVA cells to form in the sky, and give birth to a new life before exploding and clearing the green and black rain it had created. Was that what a thunderstorm was in JENOVA Kingdom? Or did something actually go wrong? On my way to meet Hojo, I glanced at the young boy resting in my arms, and wondered if bringing him to Hojo was really right. I stopped walking, and an image of someone who resembled JENOVA appeared in my mind, standing before me in a stormy sea of JENOVA cells; there was swirling black with hints of green lines in it, and silent lightning all around: the woman standing at the heart of it all. She kept her stare on me, but she wasn't angry; she seemed like she was in need of help, like something worried her. The woman pleaded "Cloud... don't bring that child to him. Bring that boy to JENOVA--to my older Sister. She can give you answers without the child being sacrificed. Don't bring him to destruction... bring him to joy and healing." Then it all faded, and I felt a shockwave in my head that caused me to wince. I remembered where I was, and decided to go to the peak of Mako Reactor, where JENOVA's throne was said to be. It made sense to me that she would reside there under most circumstances: that place was had the highest peak in the world I remember, besides Meteor Monument, which seemed a lot bigger to me in this new world than I remembered. She could probably see nearly everything up there. And the energy of the place was a perfect feeding ground for her too, making it an excellent home for her. I suddenly began running, hoping to outsmart Hojo if he knew I wasn't coming. I doubted he would go to Mako Reactor though if he knew JENOVA was there. Maybe his workers were there earlier, but something told me they got spooked off after Hojo got caught trying to start another big mess. After I rescued Kadaj, I brought her to the Forgotten City where her other two remnant siblings were, Yazoo and Loz. After I'd done that, I knew it was only a matter of time before Hojo would be in trouble for breaking what I guess was a the law in this world. Kadaj, Yazoo and Lox were apparently the chief remnants in the kingdom, which meant if any of them knew you broke the rules, JENOVA would be the next to know what you did. I imagined it was even more serious if you got found out by Sephiroth, and he got angry at you. They both thanked me before I left to find more work, but didn't show much expression when they did. Not too long after that, I got into the mess i am in right now: that hole in the sky made this boy, who is supposedly a second Sephiroth. Life in this world was perpetually hectic. I barely got any chances to really relax. Not only was I surrounded by enemies, but weird things just continued happening and seemed to become gradually worse. I didn't know what was happening anymore; I wasn't even sure of who I am at this point. Who am I? Why am I helping JENOVA and her people instead of going down my own road? Well, I had one easy answer to that: because they kept nagging me. I got dragged into this mess, which I hadn't even wanted from the start. I didn't want any of them; all I wanted now was my peace and quiet so I could relax again. All of the endless noise and chaos was just too much for me. That was the best answer I had, but somehow I didn't think I was right... in fact, I had a feeling there was a lot more to all of this than I knew. Something told me that JENOVA was suffering, that she was in pain and needed my help. What was hurting her? Did it have anything to do with Hojo and the events where it all began? I stopped again, and gently stroked the boy's hair, and the strands I had stroked seemed to shine as if they were glowing. Startled, I pulled my hand away from his hair "This boy... something is different about him--certainly different than the Sephiroth I know... what is he?" I noticed he was breathing normally, and sleeping rather than being unconscious. I felt relieved "Phew... he isn't hurt... how did he go unharmed when that beam hit the ground though? What's the deal with his powers?" When the strands of his hair stopped glowing, it released a small energy burst that seemed to cut my skin "Ow!" I started bleeding after that. I felt very frustrated right now "What's going on with this kid?! And why does he do all of these weird things without even moving?!" He moaned in his sleep, and all of his hair was shining now. I hastily set him down and backed away, barely avoiding the hit: his glowing hair slashed towards me, attempting to cut me up yet again before returning to its natural state. I couldn't believe this "What the..?! It's like... his hair itself is alive! This isn't Sephiroth at all! Sephiroth didn't have crazy hair!" I forced myself to calm down "I can't... there's no way I can get him to JENOVA like this. His hair will mutilate me if this continues, and then he won't get there at all. But maybe if Kadaj's gang held onto him..." I pulled my phone from my pocket and called Kadaj, hoping she would answer me. Luckily, she answered quickly "Princess Kadaj, Mother's future successor speaking... Cloud, what's going on?" I replied "I don't even know the answer to that... but, there's this kid saying he's Sephiroth, and he's got this hair that seems to have a mind of its own... and he looks just like him too..." I explained everything to her, and she said "Wow, that's an earful... I don't think his hair will go crazy on me and my Brothers, though, so we'll help you out for Mother's sake, and also the boy's. As for the hole in the sky and the rest of that story, I don't really know anything about it, Brother. Mother might have answers for us, though. But forget the hole, we have to keep our Little Brother from Hojo's reach until we can trust him enough. Even if he isn't Sephiroth, he's still a family member. We have to help each other." I agreed "Right, uh... how far are you three?" Before I could get an answer, I thought I heard Loz making his sound effects somewhere behind, and several gunshots at the same time. I got down immediately, hurrying to avoid being hit, and he slammed the brakes, barely avoiding collision with me. He got off and laughed "Now that was fun!" I got up and scolded him "What was that for?! I'm helping you guys, and this is how you thank me? You almost ran me over!" He smiled, and laughed a bit nervously "Ohh, oops... Uh, haha... sorry." I protested "Sorry? That's it?!" Yazoo and Kadaj parked in the distance, and Yazoo said "Don't mind him, Brother. Loz can be a little careless sometimes. But more than that, I think that was his way of saying hello." I said "You're not helping, Yazoo. He almost hit me! Gunshots, and then he barely stops on time to avoid colliding!" Kadaj interrupted "Just stop it. We don't have time to complain. We have to focus on what matters more here: our new Brother you found after that explosion. If we want to beat Hojo here, arguing is out of bounds. Accept Loz's greeting and grin, got it? You should know by now he wasn't trying to get you." After the countless times you three tried to kill me, that's what I'm supposed to expect? I thought. That really didn't make sense. Loz shook his head "Hey, uh... look. You saved Little Sister from that bad experiment they were gonna try... she told us. And that's why we gotta do something to help you.... right..?" Yazoo added "I think what he means, Brother, is that we want to return the favor for you protecting our boss. So if something like this comes up, we'll agree to work with you--but only under Mother's direct authority as in this situation. However, unusual circumstances as these leave us no choice. When a new life is created, even if by rather bizarre means as with the strange JENOVA cell flurry that appeared up there... it's our duty to protect the new sibling. Especially as the group known as JENOVA SOLDIER, we are expected to protect our Brothers and Sisters without direct authorization from Mother. Likewise, we are here to help this Little Brother calling himself Sephiroth." Kadaj nodded, then turned to Loz and approached him "Loz, I want you to carry him. You're the fastest of us." Loz nodded "Uhh, right... got it. So why can't this punk behind me carry him?" I felt angry when he said that, but forced myself to keep silent. Kadaj answered "I didn't get it either, but he said Little Brother's hair shined and swung at him like it was alive." Yazoo sighed "Just do it... do you have to question everything when something important is at stake?" He hurried to the child's body, picking him up and then taking off somewhere. I asked "Do you really think he will make it by himself, even if he gets attacked?" Yazoo nodded "He's no tactician, but I think he will manage fine. The foundation employees lack potential to restrain him due to his high physical strength--especially in close combat. He can even defy bullets with that dual hound of his, so firing on him is virtually useless as well. I don't think they can give any nasty ranged blows that would do him in. But, we will follow to serve as backup if he should get in a tight spot. Would you like to fight alongside us for this? Surely you're strong enough for that." I paused in silence, then nodded. Yazoo said "Good, borrow Loz's motorbike for this one. I hope you didn't lose your sword in that blast back there. We need your help for this one." I drew my sword and got on Loz's motorbike, and Yazoo and Kadaj boarded theirs. We all took off and kept together, Kadaj leading the way. Something felt strangely familiar about this.
To be Continued...
