Chapter 9: Legends of the Weapon Class
(This section will focus on Kadaj as the speaker) We managed to reach Mako Reactor without running into any trouble from the JENOVA Foundation staff, as they were now under Hojo's authority since he is the current President there. Even if he's not a good one, the position still allows him to order the others around at the HQ. Loz and our newborn Little Brother also seemed unscathed when we stopped here, which was also good. Cloud was also still with us. All of us were now inside Mako Reactor, and locked the entrance to keep any threats outside. We stood across each other, prepared to discuss the events that only just happened, and I was the first to speak "So, Cloud.... can you refresh our memories on what you saw happening above the kingdom?" He shook his head "I don't know what it was, or how it got there... but there was a giant hole that opened in the sky, a huge vortex of black and green... and then this beam hit the Planet, and I ran to it and found that boy... other than what Hojo explained on the phone, I know nothing else about it. It all happened so fast, I just couldn't learn anything."
Not so long ago, in the high skies of JENOVA Kingdom...
(This part will focus on JENBU as the speaker) I was nearly there, closing in on the hole JENOVA told me to seal up. When it was directly in front of me, I focused hard on the inside. I saw a massive black core, and what looked like a child just like Sephiroth being formed inside of it. But I couldn't make out many features other than shape; the being was so buried within, it hurt just trying to look at it. I saw two red lights shine brightly towards me viciously, and covered my face "Ugh..! What in the world is this thing?! I can't leave it here... if I do, whatever that thing is inside will be set loose." I bolted two red tendrils from my back, aiming them directly at the core; then I started absorbing the JENOVA cells in hopes of draining the strange hole dry before the life form inside could be born. I expected it to run dry within seconds, but instead it became stronger and started vibrating heavily; so heavily my grip was loosening on the core. I struggled to hang on tightly, continuing to drain it. However, it didn't weaken at all; almost as if it was indestructible "Impossible! This isn't a hole... this thing is a cell vortex! These are near invincible! I can't possibly stop it...!" Before I had a chance to try something else, the vortex released a powerful blast and sent me flying far away from it "Agggh..! It's no use... they're indestructible!" I shapeshifted my silver wings and used them to shield myself, which kept the explosion from pushing me any further. However, the pulse was so thick, it's power kept on bursting through the sky. While I struggled to block, JENOVA contacted me "JENBU! Are you alright?" I answered "Never... better...! JENOVA, the hole you told me about, it's not a hole...! That thing was a cell vortex! I couldn't drain it, and it swept me away before I could do anything else... the blast isn't even completely through! If it persists like this, my wings will break..." She sounded shocked "What..? It was a vortex when you found it?" I replied "Yes! Those are impossible to destroy! Even for me, I can't do a thing...!" JENOVA seemed to change her mood quickly "JENBU, get out of there! If you stay any longer, you'll lose your wings!" I obeyed without hesitation, descending to the Planet as quickly as I could fly. However, my wings began to deteriorate before I got far, and I felt a burning at the base of my wings "Ahh, shoot..! I won't make it on time..!" I heard loud static that grew deafening, and my vision flickered following it "Ugh..! I can't make it... My auto shutdown has been triggered...!" I shouted in pain once more, then blacked out "JENOVA... I'm so sorry..."
Back at the Mako Reactor, current time...
(This part will return to Kadaj as the speaker) I stopped to think, trying to sum up what might have happened based on Cloud's explanation, but nothing came to light. Yazoo also seemed in deep thought "If it gave birth to Little Brother, then it was no mere hole. The only thing powerful enough to create a new life, in this case... would be a JENOVA cell vortex." Loz reacted in shock "A vortex?! But, those are only heard of in ancient legacy myth... no one has ever seen a real one before. Those are real?" I agreed with Loz "You're correct, Brother. None have been sighted in reality, at least not in this world. But regardless, Yazoo is right. That's the only possibility we can assume might be correct. With Shinra overthrown and destroyed however, I don't understand what could have created such a formidable force. A cell vortex is said to be created by excess hatred, hurt, and all forms of suffering among the cetra. It's formed as a result of great suffering over time, and according to legacy myth, it is designed to birth cetra so powerful they become capable of even destroying the kingdom itself. Other than this, very little is known or spoken about these dangerous things." Yazoo worried "Oh no... that means if it isn't destroyed or sealed somehow, JENOVA Kingdom will be flooded with evolution class cetra! We can't let that happen!" Loz moaned "Unngh... that's horrible! Isn't there some way to get rid of it?" I shook my head "No, worse than excess evolution class... that vortex will flood our Planet with weapon class cetra." Yazoo sighed but didn't speak. Loz complained "Any other bad news about this thing?" My expression tightened, and I forced myself not to cry "I can't say if this is true, but... they're indestructible. Or the rumor says, anyway. Hopefully that part isn't true." Loz added "Uh, yeah! If that's true, we can't do anything to stop it!" I glanced at Cloud briefly, who seemed concerned by all of this. I remembered Loz was still holding the boy, and I turned to look at him. I approached Loz, and looked at Little Brother, who moaned and shook his head. I gently placed my hand on the boy's face "Hang in there... you'll be ok, Brother." He immediately opened his eyes and looked at me. Strangely, only one of his eyes was green like ours; the other one was red and more like Mother's, but didn't shine as much. I asked "You ok, Little Brother?" He stared up at me, and spoke "I'm not your Brother... you are either my wielder, or my foe." Shocked at his response, I cried "What..?! No way is he one of us! Mother's children never talk like that!" Yazoo shook his head "So this is the behavior of the weapon class... I should've known. We can't accept him; he must be annihilated!" Loz cried "What?! Are you insane?! We have to kill this kid?!" Yazoo slapped him, and he dropped the boy "We either kill him, or one of us agrees to let him kill the rest of us and everything in the kingdom. Which would you rather have?" I drew my souba, and revealed my black wing, preparing to fight him "Mother, forgive me... but I can't let him go! He will hurt my Brothers or make me hurt them!" The boy stood up and began to speak as if something was controlling him "You choose to be my foe... foolish move. I am Sephiroth, a weapon class cetra. I am equipped to take down even the greatest obstacles in my path." I attacked him first "You are not Sephiroth! Sephiroth would never act like you, big fake!" However, he grabbed my forehead before I could get him, and I felt a heavy electrical surge that filled my entire head; it was so nasty, I was screaming from pain. Yazoo shouted "Leave my Sister alone!" The boy lost his grip, and I fell down, my vision blurry for a brief moment. Loz rushed to help me, and Yazoo focused on distracting the kid. He helped me up "Are you ok?" I nodded "Yes, I'm fine... but what did he do....?" Cloud joined in, drawing his sword "Don't bicker about what happened. Just focus on taking him out, Kadaj! Like you said, if we let him go, he will kill anyone in his path. Maybe you don't trust me or think I care, but I'm not going to let him do that!" Cloud rushed at the boy, aiding Yazoo in the fight. I was impressed with his motivation "Cloud..." The boy was flying, fending them off with what looked like small missiles that seem to come from his back. They were powerful enough that they prevented Cloud from closing in enough to hit him, and even Yazoo couldn't touch him with his gun. Yazoo seemed mildly frustrated "It's no good... his powers are too strong! I can't get him!" Cloud remained firm and strong "Whatever, but I'm not giving up! I can't let him hurt everyone else!" I turned to Loz "Yazoo needs our help! Let's help Brother defeat the kid!" He nodded, following Cloud to aid him and fight the boy. I decided to help Yazoo and ran to him "If your gun can't reach him, what about that other power you have that might give him trouble?" Yazoo added "You mean my cell drain ability? The tendrils I use for that aren't exactly stable, but even the slightest touch from them can cause intense hurt. Even for a weapon class. It's no guarantee, but I'll give it a shot. I need you to work with Brother and Cloud to keep him busy! I will try to surprise him from behind, so lure him over my way without him spotting me!" I agreed "Affirmative, Brother! I can't signal them about the plan though; a weapon class can easily detect even that kind of secrecy. We'll have to hope for the best this time!" I rushed to the boy, joining the clash alongside Loz and Cloud. The kid had some strange black structure that came from his back, and he was using it to keep us from landing any hits on him. Every time I attacked, he used it to counter and it hit my souba so hard, it almost hurt just trying to attack. Loz was very frustrated "Gahh! What does it take to hurt to this thing?! First the missiles, and now this black heavy stuff thats harder the rocks!" Cloud seemed to be getting tired "We have to keep fighting..! We can't let him win..!" He cackled "You weaklings! You think your trashy swords and guns can work on me? You're too funny!" Cloud stepped out of the scuffle as though preparing to try something else "I have no choice... time for my omnislash!" I also withdrew and changed form, elevating to my winged angel state, now wielding a masamune "I'll help too! I'll close in on him with octoslash! If this doesn't weaken him, we're in big trouble." Cloud unleashed his attack first, and I went in for mine when it was safe. Luckily, Cloud's attack had him pinned to the ground, and he was busy trying to pull himself loose while I went in to attack. However, he was still able to fend me off with his black blades that were free. I managed to cut through it enough to reach his body, and Yazoo caught him from behind with his cell draining tendrils that were thick and black. They sank into his skin, and the boy's body began wracking with pain "Aggggh!! No..! Impossible..!!" His green eye dimmed until it was a blank gray, and then his red eye went completely black; he was now laying motionless, in a pool of his own blood. Yazoo released him, and Cloud and Loz came to my side. Loz groaned "What a pain in the neck! And this was only a little one!" Cloud was gasping for breath "This child... I've never seen anything so powerful... what is he?" Yazoo sighed "Well, we managed to finish him, at least. He was a tough customer. A master of both ranged and close quarters combat... I've never seen such skill. He fought us like it was nothing at all." I returned to my larval form, and felt myself beginning to cry. I dropped my souba and fell to my knees "What have I done... Mother, I'm so sorry..! I had to do it..!" I felt horrible; I killed my own Brother. Even if it was out of a sense of protection, I still felt awful for doing it. Yazoo approached me, and knelt down to me "I know why you feel bad, Kadaj. But he had a one-track mind. If we didn't fight back, he could've killed many of our family members--even kill us. I didn't want to do that either... but we saved many lives by defeating him, and that's what Mother wants us to do: protect the kingdom, and the legacy... and sometimes that means we have to make painful choices." I replied "I know, but still... I did something that can't undone... I killed my own Brother...!" Yazoo seemed worried and sat down, then hugged me "Kadaj... I'm sorry..." He calmed me down, and helped me up after several minutes. I turned back to the fallen boy, and carefully picked him up, holding him in my arms, I gently brushed his hair which had now turned black as though it were dead, tears falling from my face "What went wrong when you were born..? I don't understand..." The black blades that he bolted from his back also fell out, in pieces on the floor, leaving small open seams in his skin where they originally were. Loz came to my side, curiously glancing at the boy's body "Those eyes... and his hair turned black when he died... is he really a cetra? I never saw anyone die the way he did..." Yazoo replied "His eyes are like that because I pulled his entire concentration of JENOVA cells from him. However, I can't explain anything about the hair... unless it was somehow connected to his JENOVA cells in a different way than ours." Cloud came beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder "Kadaj, I know it doesn't fix anything, but... I'm very sorry about him..." I shook my head, holding the child's head over my shoulder, against mine "Nngh... Seffi..." Loz cried out in shock, and warned "Sister, watch out! He's recovering!" The boy coughed, and I felt a rush of fear and hope at the same time. Half of me wanted to drop him and hit him with my souba, but something kept me from doing that. The boy moved, pushing against my chest, and then he looked at me "Thank you... Big Sister." I felt happy and asked "Huh..? Seffi, how are you...?" His eyes returned to their previous state, and his hair went from its dead black to a brilliant silver that floated slightly behind him. He was crying with a smile on his face. I smiled at him "You're ok! You aren't hostile anymore either!" He shook his head, and explained "I... shortly after my birth, I had a strong surge of JENOVA cells well up in my body... and I couldn't control myself. I couldn't think, I couldn't control my actions... I just entered some kind of berserk mode where I wasn't even there anymore... but you and my Big Brothers stood up to me, even in my uncontrollable rage... and you saved me. Thank you, Big Sister." Loz was bewildered "Uhhh... what just happened? Did the weapon class go from bad guy to good guy... or whatever they call that?" Yazoo replied "Hmm... I suppose. That's one way to put it. By defeating him in his dark and feral state, it seems we helped him come to his senses. I never imagined that would happen. At the very least, we won't have the burden of killing our own Brother because of his mindlessness." Cloud nodded "That's good. It's never fun being forced to kill a kid.... I couldn't do it." I asked "But, does that change his abilities any? Or does he retain that?" Yazoo answered "No, I don't think that's likely. His powers should be the same. His hair glowed when he woke up, so that may be safe to assume in this case." Loz was still confused "But what made him go all kill everyone crazy in the first place?" I gently put Seffi down, and began explaining "I think I may be able to answer that, Brother. It really just goes back to basics with stability and JENOVA cell mass. As you know, every living cetra, or member of our race, has a certain amount of JENOVA cells we can safely withstand. If we exceed our max safety capacity, this affects the mind of the afflicted cetra. And if we drop too much in quantity, the consequences can range from forced sleep to even death. The reverse goes for being overfed due to powerful, large scale reunions taking place in any way. If a cetra's body is too overcharged, this affects the being's mind and the reaction often manifests in a forced berserk state such as what Seffi displayed. The other possibility is less common, but is insanity. If you become overcharged, controlling your thoughts, feelings, actions and so forth... is virtually impossible. The only known cetra who can effectively handle a large to full-scale reunion is our Big Brother, Sephiroth. I may be able to in my perfect form, but I can't say for certain. In short, what happened tonight isn't his doing, but that of the cell vortex that birthed him. If it's power skyrocketed during his birth or went out of control, that is to blame for his behavior. Even if he was normal at the moment of birth, Cloud, that doesn't mean this couldn't take effect thereafter. Most likely, it took the time we needed to get here for the vortex's intense reunion potential to begin affecting him. Even if it sounds like a strange coincidence, I am not lying about any of this." Loz said "Ohh... so that's why he went crazy. But what a waste of a game! We didn't even want that!" Yazoo firmly gazed at Loz "This isn't the time for jokes, Brother. What we're dealing with might be very serious business. If all the weapon class cetra are born overcharged, that's a serious threat to the kingdom." I nodded "I agree completely. But if they're supposed to be born overcharged, that would explain little Seffi's incredible combat abilities. He was born way stronger than even I was. Hopefully they only enter a berserk state upon birth, and don't phase in and out of that. If they do, that makes the problem even worse. While we can't blame the newborn for such a problem, it would be smart to take some sort of precautions to keep them from wrecking havoc across the kingdom. Though I really hate to quarantine a little boy like Seffi, even for safety reasons..." Cloud seemed concerned, and approached Seffi "We can't do that, Kadaj... isn't there a better way? This wasn't his fault. And I don't like leaving a kid who has barely lived with Hojo. I don't care if he's the foundation President. Leaving a child with that monster is a no-go. We don't know what he might do, and I don't like taking chances. We can't trust Hojo. He already kidnapped you and tried to start another dangerous project. I know I don't trust him." Yazoo sighed "Brother, I see what you're saying, and as embarrassed as I may be to admit it, you're right. None of us trust him completely. And yes, he might put our Little Brother in a dangerous spot with his risky experiments.... unless we put him under serious pressure. I know how to keep him out of trouble for this one, and it won't take much." Loz happily interrupted "Oh yeah! I can do that, send me! I'll beat him up so he doesn't do it again!" I couldn't help laughing at that "Umm, Brother... if you tried to beat him up, you'd probably kill him. You're too brutal." Yazoo added "Right, and besides... I hadn't even finished yet. A man like him may enjoy acting all high and mighty, he thinks he's better than everyone... unless he's being threatened firsthand. If I threatened to attack him when he wants to try something reckless that he's forbidden to do, he wouldn't act so tough. All it takes to set these types straight is to target their weakness. We all know he can't fight well, even against mere remnants like us, he is powerless without drugging us so we pass out. Little Sister, I imagine you know what I'm talking about." I nodded "Yeah, I remember... he sent that crew to capture me, and from what I discovered during a late night sneaking in the JENOVA Foundation HQ, apparently they relied on some new materia he mass produced in secrecy. The new materia's powers allowed them to go unseen--completely. I imagine it's only for brief intervals and would wear out his workers if used too much, but it granted them enough time to ambush me without me seeing a thing. The only reason he did that was because he knows I'm unstoppable in combat." Yazoo agreed "Exactly. I would like to propose a confiscation order to Mother herself on these... but that doesn't mean she would approve and allow us to go in and take all of it. Normally, she only approves that sort of job if said materia is a major threat to the kingdom, as with the black materia we stole and had Big Brother lock away to prevent the enemy from using its deadly powers against the kingdom itself... that was during the previous war. Compared to that, the threat these pose is obviously minor. Regardless, I don't like someone like Hojo having possession of a materia like that. There's simply no predicting what that sneak will think of." Loz laughed "Oh yeah, about them... where did he hide those? I want one of them!" Yazoo shook his head "No, Loz... I don't like to say this to my own Brother, but you're not trained enough to safely wield its powers. You would likely get careless midbattle and make a mess that could take years to clean up. We've had enough cleaning up to do the past several years... I really don't like the idea of mopping up a mess made by carelessly trying to use meteor. Sephiroth is trained enough to effectively control that move, so he can use the power without turning the kingdom inside out. You, on the other hand... You'd take it way too lightly. If you don't know what you're doing, you could get all of us killed. It doesn't take much with that." Loz complained "Aww, what? No fair!" Cloud seemed interested "Sephiroth is strong enough to keep meteor from destroying the whole kingdom?!" I giggled and nodded "Yep! It probably took him years of training to do it, though... that's extremely difficult to control with such ease that he can. So, Mother keeps those hidden so they don't fall into the wrong hands. While we have a whole chest full of black materia, it's only entrusted to the greatest of warriors. Meteor is a dangerous move that requires exceptional control if you don't want to kill every living being in the world... I'm amazed Big Brother lived long enough to do it. Most don't make it long enough to successfully gain full control of that power." Cloud gazed at me in disbelief "Unbelievable... I thought it was impossible..." I agreed "For most, yes. Remnants like us would die just trying to use the move, due to the large excess of JENOVA cells required to use meteor without dying. When we use our magical powers, the power of Mother's cells is required in said quantity. In addition, your JENOVA cells must also be optimal health to fight well. If they get weak due to illness or other physical problems such as overexertion, you'd better get some rest so you can let them recharge. Fortunately, cell weakness is usually temporary and just requires resting time to heal. But with a move as powerful as meteor, you need a strong cell domination to do it without sacrificing yourself. If me or my two Brothers here tried to do it, we'd likely die since we aren't strong enough to do it and survive. Oftentimes, powers and abilities that require a large quantity of JENOVA cells are called forbidden powers. This is due to the fact that most of us would die trying to use such strong powers. Sephiroth is one of the few who wouldn't die using abilities like that, but if he pushed himself to a dangerous extreme, he might go unconscious from overexertion." Cloud still seemed amazed "Dang... all that fighting me and the people of Shinra must have made him much stronger. No way I could win against him at that level... Let me guess, he's the Prince of JENOVA Kingdom?" I nodded "Yes, and highly respected among the family and kingdom. I may be second in line after him there, actually. I was a reckless JENOVA SOLDIER, I know I was... but my attitude during the final Shinra-JENOVA war earned me a lot of respect and honor. I was even labelled Legacy Savior for reclaiming the Planet for our beloved Mother... It was a bit much, but I'm proud and happy. And ever since that victory, I've been the head of my gang here, and we were called JENOVA SOLDIER from that day forward. Although, our other two members, Sulbio and Sephiroth aren't here right now... but, me, Yazoo and Loz always travel together. That's how we operated growing up in the shadows of Shinra, so it's simply routine for us. We've always worked that way, unless there's something important we have to find or go after, in which case we separate and organize a setup." Cloud nodded in understanding "Yes, that does sound familiar... But moving on, what are we supposed to do about that vortex, and this kid and the potential births of more weapon class cetra?" I shrugged "I still can't say, especially since destroying a cell vortex is impossible, but reporting to Mother would be the best place to start. The only thing that will help us for sure is to regroup with Mother and figure it out from there. She always knows what to do when we don't." Cloud and my Brothers nodded, and I turned to Seffi "Little Brother, would you like to see Mother?" He jumped in excitement "Yeah! I wanna see Mother!" I laughed and picked him up, and we all began walking together "Ok, Seffi. It's a long way up, but we should be able to avoid trouble in here. Even if Hojo does know you fooled him, Cloud, if he tries to force his way into Mother's roost, he's going to be in big trouble for it. Jail time is the minimum for that one." Yazoo and Loz laughed, and even Cloud managed to smile. It was hard for me to trust Cloud for a long while, but I began to feel he was fairly reliable after he forced his way into the fight to subdue Seffi and protect the kingdom. He was very difficult and uncooperative most of the time, but I could see if something serious enough was at stake, he had no trouble working with us. I thought maybe, things might get better between us after all. If he could get serious that quickly, I felt he may be reliable enough to be entrusted with the work of helping us uncover the mysteries of the JENOVA cell vortex that appeared this morning.
Meanwhile, atop Mako Reactor...
(This part will focus on JENOVA as the speaker) I had been trying to contact JENBU for an entire hour now, and every time I tapped in all I heard was static. There was no reaching him, and I worried something went wrong while he was escaping the explosion caused by the cell vortex that locked up several hours ago. I decided to contact Sephiroth and order a search and rescue, luckily he responded immediately "Hello, Mother. What's happening?" I replied "I'm not sure, but I've lost contact with JENBU. I haven't heard from him since the cell vortex exploded and locked up, and I'm starting to get worried. I haven't seen him flying about, either; even way up here. I need you to scale the kingdom and find him, make sure he's alright. I want you and YUROVA to team up and do your best to find him." Sephiroth agreed "Don't worry, I'm on it. Hopefully he didn't die up there... do you have any guess as to what may have gone wrong?" I answered "He said the blast was too strong for his wings to handle. I imagine he shaped them as a defensive measure since he couldn't escape on time to fully evade the explosion, but the cells released from a vortex are too dense for his wings to fight off for long... I fear his wings broke and he blacked out in response to that. The wings me and JENBU have are unique, and designed for hyper acceleration and to act as both an offensive weapon and great defensive measures. This is why we came shapeshift them so easily: they're made for that. But even for us, a blast released by a cell vortex is too great for our wings to fend off unscathed. If his wings broke before he could get out of there, he's most likely unconscious somewhere on the ground, still recovering from the damage." Sephiroth seemed concerned "That's really bad... if Father's wings are too destroyed, his auto repair won't cut it. He might die! If any of us are born with wings of any kind, they're essential to survival. If you are born with wings and lose them from a brutal skirmish or nasty encounter, you'll die if someone else doesn't help you. Another person is needed to grow new ones... a very close and loved person. Mother, he needs you!" I felt mild panic well up inside myself "You're right... he does need me... I'm the one he loves the most. But.... I can't leave here right now. I'm sorry, my son. I have too much work to tend to, and Hojo's endless list of questions regarding the cell vortex as well..." Sephiroth argued "But Mother... who else does he love enough to grow new wings?" I answered "You, Sephiroth. You mean more to him than you know." He replied "Alright, I'll commence operation search and rescue then. I'll be sure to inform YUROVA as well. She isn't the most confident person, but I know she is strong when she tries very hard." I giggled "Yes, my Sister can fight well, but she needs someone else beside her to give her the motivation. I was the one who did that in the very beginning. YUROVA can be quite fierce when she gets serious enough midbattle." After that, Sephiroth disconnected. I looked up at my lifestream, which returned to its natural color: a gentle green and black. When the cell vortex opened, it was very stormy and restless due to the disturbance it created, almost replicating an actual space storm. It moved abnormally fast and turned thick and distorted; several things that only happen when a cell vortex opens inside of it. It returns to its natural and calm state after the vortex locks up and the explosion is gone, but if the disturbance is too frequent, it can damage my lifestream and interfere with the balance of my legacy. "The weapon class... they're too dangerous to be birthed so lightly. This vortex must be stopped before my kingdom becomes a mess from them."
To be Continued...
(This section will focus on Kadaj as the speaker) We managed to reach Mako Reactor without running into any trouble from the JENOVA Foundation staff, as they were now under Hojo's authority since he is the current President there. Even if he's not a good one, the position still allows him to order the others around at the HQ. Loz and our newborn Little Brother also seemed unscathed when we stopped here, which was also good. Cloud was also still with us. All of us were now inside Mako Reactor, and locked the entrance to keep any threats outside. We stood across each other, prepared to discuss the events that only just happened, and I was the first to speak "So, Cloud.... can you refresh our memories on what you saw happening above the kingdom?" He shook his head "I don't know what it was, or how it got there... but there was a giant hole that opened in the sky, a huge vortex of black and green... and then this beam hit the Planet, and I ran to it and found that boy... other than what Hojo explained on the phone, I know nothing else about it. It all happened so fast, I just couldn't learn anything."
Not so long ago, in the high skies of JENOVA Kingdom...
(This part will focus on JENBU as the speaker) I was nearly there, closing in on the hole JENOVA told me to seal up. When it was directly in front of me, I focused hard on the inside. I saw a massive black core, and what looked like a child just like Sephiroth being formed inside of it. But I couldn't make out many features other than shape; the being was so buried within, it hurt just trying to look at it. I saw two red lights shine brightly towards me viciously, and covered my face "Ugh..! What in the world is this thing?! I can't leave it here... if I do, whatever that thing is inside will be set loose." I bolted two red tendrils from my back, aiming them directly at the core; then I started absorbing the JENOVA cells in hopes of draining the strange hole dry before the life form inside could be born. I expected it to run dry within seconds, but instead it became stronger and started vibrating heavily; so heavily my grip was loosening on the core. I struggled to hang on tightly, continuing to drain it. However, it didn't weaken at all; almost as if it was indestructible "Impossible! This isn't a hole... this thing is a cell vortex! These are near invincible! I can't possibly stop it...!" Before I had a chance to try something else, the vortex released a powerful blast and sent me flying far away from it "Agggh..! It's no use... they're indestructible!" I shapeshifted my silver wings and used them to shield myself, which kept the explosion from pushing me any further. However, the pulse was so thick, it's power kept on bursting through the sky. While I struggled to block, JENOVA contacted me "JENBU! Are you alright?" I answered "Never... better...! JENOVA, the hole you told me about, it's not a hole...! That thing was a cell vortex! I couldn't drain it, and it swept me away before I could do anything else... the blast isn't even completely through! If it persists like this, my wings will break..." She sounded shocked "What..? It was a vortex when you found it?" I replied "Yes! Those are impossible to destroy! Even for me, I can't do a thing...!" JENOVA seemed to change her mood quickly "JENBU, get out of there! If you stay any longer, you'll lose your wings!" I obeyed without hesitation, descending to the Planet as quickly as I could fly. However, my wings began to deteriorate before I got far, and I felt a burning at the base of my wings "Ahh, shoot..! I won't make it on time..!" I heard loud static that grew deafening, and my vision flickered following it "Ugh..! I can't make it... My auto shutdown has been triggered...!" I shouted in pain once more, then blacked out "JENOVA... I'm so sorry..."
Back at the Mako Reactor, current time...
(This part will return to Kadaj as the speaker) I stopped to think, trying to sum up what might have happened based on Cloud's explanation, but nothing came to light. Yazoo also seemed in deep thought "If it gave birth to Little Brother, then it was no mere hole. The only thing powerful enough to create a new life, in this case... would be a JENOVA cell vortex." Loz reacted in shock "A vortex?! But, those are only heard of in ancient legacy myth... no one has ever seen a real one before. Those are real?" I agreed with Loz "You're correct, Brother. None have been sighted in reality, at least not in this world. But regardless, Yazoo is right. That's the only possibility we can assume might be correct. With Shinra overthrown and destroyed however, I don't understand what could have created such a formidable force. A cell vortex is said to be created by excess hatred, hurt, and all forms of suffering among the cetra. It's formed as a result of great suffering over time, and according to legacy myth, it is designed to birth cetra so powerful they become capable of even destroying the kingdom itself. Other than this, very little is known or spoken about these dangerous things." Yazoo worried "Oh no... that means if it isn't destroyed or sealed somehow, JENOVA Kingdom will be flooded with evolution class cetra! We can't let that happen!" Loz moaned "Unngh... that's horrible! Isn't there some way to get rid of it?" I shook my head "No, worse than excess evolution class... that vortex will flood our Planet with weapon class cetra." Yazoo sighed but didn't speak. Loz complained "Any other bad news about this thing?" My expression tightened, and I forced myself not to cry "I can't say if this is true, but... they're indestructible. Or the rumor says, anyway. Hopefully that part isn't true." Loz added "Uh, yeah! If that's true, we can't do anything to stop it!" I glanced at Cloud briefly, who seemed concerned by all of this. I remembered Loz was still holding the boy, and I turned to look at him. I approached Loz, and looked at Little Brother, who moaned and shook his head. I gently placed my hand on the boy's face "Hang in there... you'll be ok, Brother." He immediately opened his eyes and looked at me. Strangely, only one of his eyes was green like ours; the other one was red and more like Mother's, but didn't shine as much. I asked "You ok, Little Brother?" He stared up at me, and spoke "I'm not your Brother... you are either my wielder, or my foe." Shocked at his response, I cried "What..?! No way is he one of us! Mother's children never talk like that!" Yazoo shook his head "So this is the behavior of the weapon class... I should've known. We can't accept him; he must be annihilated!" Loz cried "What?! Are you insane?! We have to kill this kid?!" Yazoo slapped him, and he dropped the boy "We either kill him, or one of us agrees to let him kill the rest of us and everything in the kingdom. Which would you rather have?" I drew my souba, and revealed my black wing, preparing to fight him "Mother, forgive me... but I can't let him go! He will hurt my Brothers or make me hurt them!" The boy stood up and began to speak as if something was controlling him "You choose to be my foe... foolish move. I am Sephiroth, a weapon class cetra. I am equipped to take down even the greatest obstacles in my path." I attacked him first "You are not Sephiroth! Sephiroth would never act like you, big fake!" However, he grabbed my forehead before I could get him, and I felt a heavy electrical surge that filled my entire head; it was so nasty, I was screaming from pain. Yazoo shouted "Leave my Sister alone!" The boy lost his grip, and I fell down, my vision blurry for a brief moment. Loz rushed to help me, and Yazoo focused on distracting the kid. He helped me up "Are you ok?" I nodded "Yes, I'm fine... but what did he do....?" Cloud joined in, drawing his sword "Don't bicker about what happened. Just focus on taking him out, Kadaj! Like you said, if we let him go, he will kill anyone in his path. Maybe you don't trust me or think I care, but I'm not going to let him do that!" Cloud rushed at the boy, aiding Yazoo in the fight. I was impressed with his motivation "Cloud..." The boy was flying, fending them off with what looked like small missiles that seem to come from his back. They were powerful enough that they prevented Cloud from closing in enough to hit him, and even Yazoo couldn't touch him with his gun. Yazoo seemed mildly frustrated "It's no good... his powers are too strong! I can't get him!" Cloud remained firm and strong "Whatever, but I'm not giving up! I can't let him hurt everyone else!" I turned to Loz "Yazoo needs our help! Let's help Brother defeat the kid!" He nodded, following Cloud to aid him and fight the boy. I decided to help Yazoo and ran to him "If your gun can't reach him, what about that other power you have that might give him trouble?" Yazoo added "You mean my cell drain ability? The tendrils I use for that aren't exactly stable, but even the slightest touch from them can cause intense hurt. Even for a weapon class. It's no guarantee, but I'll give it a shot. I need you to work with Brother and Cloud to keep him busy! I will try to surprise him from behind, so lure him over my way without him spotting me!" I agreed "Affirmative, Brother! I can't signal them about the plan though; a weapon class can easily detect even that kind of secrecy. We'll have to hope for the best this time!" I rushed to the boy, joining the clash alongside Loz and Cloud. The kid had some strange black structure that came from his back, and he was using it to keep us from landing any hits on him. Every time I attacked, he used it to counter and it hit my souba so hard, it almost hurt just trying to attack. Loz was very frustrated "Gahh! What does it take to hurt to this thing?! First the missiles, and now this black heavy stuff thats harder the rocks!" Cloud seemed to be getting tired "We have to keep fighting..! We can't let him win..!" He cackled "You weaklings! You think your trashy swords and guns can work on me? You're too funny!" Cloud stepped out of the scuffle as though preparing to try something else "I have no choice... time for my omnislash!" I also withdrew and changed form, elevating to my winged angel state, now wielding a masamune "I'll help too! I'll close in on him with octoslash! If this doesn't weaken him, we're in big trouble." Cloud unleashed his attack first, and I went in for mine when it was safe. Luckily, Cloud's attack had him pinned to the ground, and he was busy trying to pull himself loose while I went in to attack. However, he was still able to fend me off with his black blades that were free. I managed to cut through it enough to reach his body, and Yazoo caught him from behind with his cell draining tendrils that were thick and black. They sank into his skin, and the boy's body began wracking with pain "Aggggh!! No..! Impossible..!!" His green eye dimmed until it was a blank gray, and then his red eye went completely black; he was now laying motionless, in a pool of his own blood. Yazoo released him, and Cloud and Loz came to my side. Loz groaned "What a pain in the neck! And this was only a little one!" Cloud was gasping for breath "This child... I've never seen anything so powerful... what is he?" Yazoo sighed "Well, we managed to finish him, at least. He was a tough customer. A master of both ranged and close quarters combat... I've never seen such skill. He fought us like it was nothing at all." I returned to my larval form, and felt myself beginning to cry. I dropped my souba and fell to my knees "What have I done... Mother, I'm so sorry..! I had to do it..!" I felt horrible; I killed my own Brother. Even if it was out of a sense of protection, I still felt awful for doing it. Yazoo approached me, and knelt down to me "I know why you feel bad, Kadaj. But he had a one-track mind. If we didn't fight back, he could've killed many of our family members--even kill us. I didn't want to do that either... but we saved many lives by defeating him, and that's what Mother wants us to do: protect the kingdom, and the legacy... and sometimes that means we have to make painful choices." I replied "I know, but still... I did something that can't undone... I killed my own Brother...!" Yazoo seemed worried and sat down, then hugged me "Kadaj... I'm sorry..." He calmed me down, and helped me up after several minutes. I turned back to the fallen boy, and carefully picked him up, holding him in my arms, I gently brushed his hair which had now turned black as though it were dead, tears falling from my face "What went wrong when you were born..? I don't understand..." The black blades that he bolted from his back also fell out, in pieces on the floor, leaving small open seams in his skin where they originally were. Loz came to my side, curiously glancing at the boy's body "Those eyes... and his hair turned black when he died... is he really a cetra? I never saw anyone die the way he did..." Yazoo replied "His eyes are like that because I pulled his entire concentration of JENOVA cells from him. However, I can't explain anything about the hair... unless it was somehow connected to his JENOVA cells in a different way than ours." Cloud came beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder "Kadaj, I know it doesn't fix anything, but... I'm very sorry about him..." I shook my head, holding the child's head over my shoulder, against mine "Nngh... Seffi..." Loz cried out in shock, and warned "Sister, watch out! He's recovering!" The boy coughed, and I felt a rush of fear and hope at the same time. Half of me wanted to drop him and hit him with my souba, but something kept me from doing that. The boy moved, pushing against my chest, and then he looked at me "Thank you... Big Sister." I felt happy and asked "Huh..? Seffi, how are you...?" His eyes returned to their previous state, and his hair went from its dead black to a brilliant silver that floated slightly behind him. He was crying with a smile on his face. I smiled at him "You're ok! You aren't hostile anymore either!" He shook his head, and explained "I... shortly after my birth, I had a strong surge of JENOVA cells well up in my body... and I couldn't control myself. I couldn't think, I couldn't control my actions... I just entered some kind of berserk mode where I wasn't even there anymore... but you and my Big Brothers stood up to me, even in my uncontrollable rage... and you saved me. Thank you, Big Sister." Loz was bewildered "Uhhh... what just happened? Did the weapon class go from bad guy to good guy... or whatever they call that?" Yazoo replied "Hmm... I suppose. That's one way to put it. By defeating him in his dark and feral state, it seems we helped him come to his senses. I never imagined that would happen. At the very least, we won't have the burden of killing our own Brother because of his mindlessness." Cloud nodded "That's good. It's never fun being forced to kill a kid.... I couldn't do it." I asked "But, does that change his abilities any? Or does he retain that?" Yazoo answered "No, I don't think that's likely. His powers should be the same. His hair glowed when he woke up, so that may be safe to assume in this case." Loz was still confused "But what made him go all kill everyone crazy in the first place?" I gently put Seffi down, and began explaining "I think I may be able to answer that, Brother. It really just goes back to basics with stability and JENOVA cell mass. As you know, every living cetra, or member of our race, has a certain amount of JENOVA cells we can safely withstand. If we exceed our max safety capacity, this affects the mind of the afflicted cetra. And if we drop too much in quantity, the consequences can range from forced sleep to even death. The reverse goes for being overfed due to powerful, large scale reunions taking place in any way. If a cetra's body is too overcharged, this affects the being's mind and the reaction often manifests in a forced berserk state such as what Seffi displayed. The other possibility is less common, but is insanity. If you become overcharged, controlling your thoughts, feelings, actions and so forth... is virtually impossible. The only known cetra who can effectively handle a large to full-scale reunion is our Big Brother, Sephiroth. I may be able to in my perfect form, but I can't say for certain. In short, what happened tonight isn't his doing, but that of the cell vortex that birthed him. If it's power skyrocketed during his birth or went out of control, that is to blame for his behavior. Even if he was normal at the moment of birth, Cloud, that doesn't mean this couldn't take effect thereafter. Most likely, it took the time we needed to get here for the vortex's intense reunion potential to begin affecting him. Even if it sounds like a strange coincidence, I am not lying about any of this." Loz said "Ohh... so that's why he went crazy. But what a waste of a game! We didn't even want that!" Yazoo firmly gazed at Loz "This isn't the time for jokes, Brother. What we're dealing with might be very serious business. If all the weapon class cetra are born overcharged, that's a serious threat to the kingdom." I nodded "I agree completely. But if they're supposed to be born overcharged, that would explain little Seffi's incredible combat abilities. He was born way stronger than even I was. Hopefully they only enter a berserk state upon birth, and don't phase in and out of that. If they do, that makes the problem even worse. While we can't blame the newborn for such a problem, it would be smart to take some sort of precautions to keep them from wrecking havoc across the kingdom. Though I really hate to quarantine a little boy like Seffi, even for safety reasons..." Cloud seemed concerned, and approached Seffi "We can't do that, Kadaj... isn't there a better way? This wasn't his fault. And I don't like leaving a kid who has barely lived with Hojo. I don't care if he's the foundation President. Leaving a child with that monster is a no-go. We don't know what he might do, and I don't like taking chances. We can't trust Hojo. He already kidnapped you and tried to start another dangerous project. I know I don't trust him." Yazoo sighed "Brother, I see what you're saying, and as embarrassed as I may be to admit it, you're right. None of us trust him completely. And yes, he might put our Little Brother in a dangerous spot with his risky experiments.... unless we put him under serious pressure. I know how to keep him out of trouble for this one, and it won't take much." Loz happily interrupted "Oh yeah! I can do that, send me! I'll beat him up so he doesn't do it again!" I couldn't help laughing at that "Umm, Brother... if you tried to beat him up, you'd probably kill him. You're too brutal." Yazoo added "Right, and besides... I hadn't even finished yet. A man like him may enjoy acting all high and mighty, he thinks he's better than everyone... unless he's being threatened firsthand. If I threatened to attack him when he wants to try something reckless that he's forbidden to do, he wouldn't act so tough. All it takes to set these types straight is to target their weakness. We all know he can't fight well, even against mere remnants like us, he is powerless without drugging us so we pass out. Little Sister, I imagine you know what I'm talking about." I nodded "Yeah, I remember... he sent that crew to capture me, and from what I discovered during a late night sneaking in the JENOVA Foundation HQ, apparently they relied on some new materia he mass produced in secrecy. The new materia's powers allowed them to go unseen--completely. I imagine it's only for brief intervals and would wear out his workers if used too much, but it granted them enough time to ambush me without me seeing a thing. The only reason he did that was because he knows I'm unstoppable in combat." Yazoo agreed "Exactly. I would like to propose a confiscation order to Mother herself on these... but that doesn't mean she would approve and allow us to go in and take all of it. Normally, she only approves that sort of job if said materia is a major threat to the kingdom, as with the black materia we stole and had Big Brother lock away to prevent the enemy from using its deadly powers against the kingdom itself... that was during the previous war. Compared to that, the threat these pose is obviously minor. Regardless, I don't like someone like Hojo having possession of a materia like that. There's simply no predicting what that sneak will think of." Loz laughed "Oh yeah, about them... where did he hide those? I want one of them!" Yazoo shook his head "No, Loz... I don't like to say this to my own Brother, but you're not trained enough to safely wield its powers. You would likely get careless midbattle and make a mess that could take years to clean up. We've had enough cleaning up to do the past several years... I really don't like the idea of mopping up a mess made by carelessly trying to use meteor. Sephiroth is trained enough to effectively control that move, so he can use the power without turning the kingdom inside out. You, on the other hand... You'd take it way too lightly. If you don't know what you're doing, you could get all of us killed. It doesn't take much with that." Loz complained "Aww, what? No fair!" Cloud seemed interested "Sephiroth is strong enough to keep meteor from destroying the whole kingdom?!" I giggled and nodded "Yep! It probably took him years of training to do it, though... that's extremely difficult to control with such ease that he can. So, Mother keeps those hidden so they don't fall into the wrong hands. While we have a whole chest full of black materia, it's only entrusted to the greatest of warriors. Meteor is a dangerous move that requires exceptional control if you don't want to kill every living being in the world... I'm amazed Big Brother lived long enough to do it. Most don't make it long enough to successfully gain full control of that power." Cloud gazed at me in disbelief "Unbelievable... I thought it was impossible..." I agreed "For most, yes. Remnants like us would die just trying to use the move, due to the large excess of JENOVA cells required to use meteor without dying. When we use our magical powers, the power of Mother's cells is required in said quantity. In addition, your JENOVA cells must also be optimal health to fight well. If they get weak due to illness or other physical problems such as overexertion, you'd better get some rest so you can let them recharge. Fortunately, cell weakness is usually temporary and just requires resting time to heal. But with a move as powerful as meteor, you need a strong cell domination to do it without sacrificing yourself. If me or my two Brothers here tried to do it, we'd likely die since we aren't strong enough to do it and survive. Oftentimes, powers and abilities that require a large quantity of JENOVA cells are called forbidden powers. This is due to the fact that most of us would die trying to use such strong powers. Sephiroth is one of the few who wouldn't die using abilities like that, but if he pushed himself to a dangerous extreme, he might go unconscious from overexertion." Cloud still seemed amazed "Dang... all that fighting me and the people of Shinra must have made him much stronger. No way I could win against him at that level... Let me guess, he's the Prince of JENOVA Kingdom?" I nodded "Yes, and highly respected among the family and kingdom. I may be second in line after him there, actually. I was a reckless JENOVA SOLDIER, I know I was... but my attitude during the final Shinra-JENOVA war earned me a lot of respect and honor. I was even labelled Legacy Savior for reclaiming the Planet for our beloved Mother... It was a bit much, but I'm proud and happy. And ever since that victory, I've been the head of my gang here, and we were called JENOVA SOLDIER from that day forward. Although, our other two members, Sulbio and Sephiroth aren't here right now... but, me, Yazoo and Loz always travel together. That's how we operated growing up in the shadows of Shinra, so it's simply routine for us. We've always worked that way, unless there's something important we have to find or go after, in which case we separate and organize a setup." Cloud nodded in understanding "Yes, that does sound familiar... But moving on, what are we supposed to do about that vortex, and this kid and the potential births of more weapon class cetra?" I shrugged "I still can't say, especially since destroying a cell vortex is impossible, but reporting to Mother would be the best place to start. The only thing that will help us for sure is to regroup with Mother and figure it out from there. She always knows what to do when we don't." Cloud and my Brothers nodded, and I turned to Seffi "Little Brother, would you like to see Mother?" He jumped in excitement "Yeah! I wanna see Mother!" I laughed and picked him up, and we all began walking together "Ok, Seffi. It's a long way up, but we should be able to avoid trouble in here. Even if Hojo does know you fooled him, Cloud, if he tries to force his way into Mother's roost, he's going to be in big trouble for it. Jail time is the minimum for that one." Yazoo and Loz laughed, and even Cloud managed to smile. It was hard for me to trust Cloud for a long while, but I began to feel he was fairly reliable after he forced his way into the fight to subdue Seffi and protect the kingdom. He was very difficult and uncooperative most of the time, but I could see if something serious enough was at stake, he had no trouble working with us. I thought maybe, things might get better between us after all. If he could get serious that quickly, I felt he may be reliable enough to be entrusted with the work of helping us uncover the mysteries of the JENOVA cell vortex that appeared this morning.
Meanwhile, atop Mako Reactor...
(This part will focus on JENOVA as the speaker) I had been trying to contact JENBU for an entire hour now, and every time I tapped in all I heard was static. There was no reaching him, and I worried something went wrong while he was escaping the explosion caused by the cell vortex that locked up several hours ago. I decided to contact Sephiroth and order a search and rescue, luckily he responded immediately "Hello, Mother. What's happening?" I replied "I'm not sure, but I've lost contact with JENBU. I haven't heard from him since the cell vortex exploded and locked up, and I'm starting to get worried. I haven't seen him flying about, either; even way up here. I need you to scale the kingdom and find him, make sure he's alright. I want you and YUROVA to team up and do your best to find him." Sephiroth agreed "Don't worry, I'm on it. Hopefully he didn't die up there... do you have any guess as to what may have gone wrong?" I answered "He said the blast was too strong for his wings to handle. I imagine he shaped them as a defensive measure since he couldn't escape on time to fully evade the explosion, but the cells released from a vortex are too dense for his wings to fight off for long... I fear his wings broke and he blacked out in response to that. The wings me and JENBU have are unique, and designed for hyper acceleration and to act as both an offensive weapon and great defensive measures. This is why we came shapeshift them so easily: they're made for that. But even for us, a blast released by a cell vortex is too great for our wings to fend off unscathed. If his wings broke before he could get out of there, he's most likely unconscious somewhere on the ground, still recovering from the damage." Sephiroth seemed concerned "That's really bad... if Father's wings are too destroyed, his auto repair won't cut it. He might die! If any of us are born with wings of any kind, they're essential to survival. If you are born with wings and lose them from a brutal skirmish or nasty encounter, you'll die if someone else doesn't help you. Another person is needed to grow new ones... a very close and loved person. Mother, he needs you!" I felt mild panic well up inside myself "You're right... he does need me... I'm the one he loves the most. But.... I can't leave here right now. I'm sorry, my son. I have too much work to tend to, and Hojo's endless list of questions regarding the cell vortex as well..." Sephiroth argued "But Mother... who else does he love enough to grow new wings?" I answered "You, Sephiroth. You mean more to him than you know." He replied "Alright, I'll commence operation search and rescue then. I'll be sure to inform YUROVA as well. She isn't the most confident person, but I know she is strong when she tries very hard." I giggled "Yes, my Sister can fight well, but she needs someone else beside her to give her the motivation. I was the one who did that in the very beginning. YUROVA can be quite fierce when she gets serious enough midbattle." After that, Sephiroth disconnected. I looked up at my lifestream, which returned to its natural color: a gentle green and black. When the cell vortex opened, it was very stormy and restless due to the disturbance it created, almost replicating an actual space storm. It moved abnormally fast and turned thick and distorted; several things that only happen when a cell vortex opens inside of it. It returns to its natural and calm state after the vortex locks up and the explosion is gone, but if the disturbance is too frequent, it can damage my lifestream and interfere with the balance of my legacy. "The weapon class... they're too dangerous to be birthed so lightly. This vortex must be stopped before my kingdom becomes a mess from them."
To be Continued...
