Chapter 14: JENOVA's Eye
(this section will focus on Suufi as the speaker) I ended up landing at the abandoned Nibelheim area to focus on learning more about the enemy's plan and their goals. With Shinra already back from the dead, the whole kingdom was in danger. I knew Big Brother Sephiroth was right about them being dangerous, and that was exactly why I accepted the this mission. I glanced around to study the surroundings, and everything looked all black and greyish like someone bombed the area years ago. The place literally looked like an old wasteland... a very old one, too. I wondered "What in the world happened here..? It's so lifeless..." I paced around a bit and continued "Why would the enemy mark territory in a place this dead? I don't get it..." Suddenly, I felt some pain in my left eye that was like a minor electric zap, and my vision changed. I looked around some more, and saw bits of green and black scattered all over in midair. I said "JENOVA cells? In the air? Something's off... there aren't any family members around, so something else must have left them behind... but what..?" I heard a man cry "Oh, something's off alright. Why not try telling me about those stigma plants that won't stop growing?" I got into a fighting stance and saw a man in crimson robes with brown hair appear from a ball of shadows that formed after he spoke. Wary, I cried "You..! What are you up to?!" Vincent replied "Do I really have to say it again? Tell me how to kill the stigma plants--for good. I've destroyed three of them, only to find them growing back in other places. Your stupid stigma is killing our people. Maybe I'm not working for Rufus, but I am working to set things straight and return this world to its original state." He pulled a gun as though preparing to fight. I said "Huh? The stigma plant..? I don't know how to get rid of it! And even if I did, why would I tell you?!" Vincent scoffed "Tch, here we go again. Trying to play dumb, puppet?" I angrily cried "Who are you calling a puppet?!" Vincent replied "Heh, another obvious answer... if JENOVA says fight, you fight; she tells you to go after us, you do it. Pretty satisfying existence... for her." I groaned angrily, and my vision changed again; everything was more clear and I couldn't see the suspended JENOVA cells anymore. Snapped out of whatever it was, I calmed down and looked around "Wait... how did I...?" Vincent seemed shocked, and said "That eye... she's in you, isnt she?" Confused, I protested "What?! What the heck are you talking about?! Of course Mother isn't me--" Realizing how engrossed in my emotions I was, I suddenly noticed someone had chained my hands together behind me. Off guard, I said "Oops..." Vincent seemed pleased and said "Heh, all too easy. Just say something you pawns dont like, and the rest is simple." I cried "Huh? What are you..?!" I heard two men laugh behind me, and one of them walked around and looked at me. He wore a weird blue suit i didn't recognize and had red hair. I didn't see a weapon and guessed he had sheathed it expecting to go unharmed. He smiled at me and said "You really are as dumb as Loz. Or close to it... at least he put up a fight." The other guy behind me tied me up, and I saw Rufus appear from somewhere, holding a syringe with a weird blue liquid inside. He approached me, and injected the stuff in me. Oh no, Big Brother is not gonna be happy about this, I worried. I was sent on a mission to investigate and learn more about the enemy's plan, but I completely screwed up the whole thing; this wasn't supposed to happen at all. Another man in a blue suit came beside the other one, but this guy was bald and wore sunglasses. He smiled and said "Didn't wanna make it hard, huh?" Rufus pulled the syringe from my body and stood up without a word, then turned to the others and said "Take him to HQ and lock him up. He'll fall asleep shortly, so it will be easy to do." The men in the blue suits responded in agreement, and I felt my consciousnesses begin to slip. I couldn't move; i lost my physical strength and couldn't break free. My vision also began to blur. I tried to speak "No, stay awake... I can still do this..!" But my words barely came out. I couldn't see anything now; it was too blurry to know what was where. I felt someone grab me before I blacked out.
Meanwhile, in the Forgotten City...
(This part will focus on Loz as the speaker) I was relaxing in the black water with Big Brother. We had been sitting in silence and letting the water recharge us for at least a few hours now. Remembering Suufi was on a mission at the enemy territory, I asked "Any word from Little Brother?" Sephiroth replied "Not yet... How about you contact him to see if he's learned anything?" I nodded and tried to reach Suufi "Little Brother, it's Loz. Any Intel on the enemy's planning?" I heard nothing but static. I tried again, and cried "Brother, it's Loz! Do you copy?!" More static. I hurried to my feet and armed my dual hound. I felt a rush of panic, and cried "He's not responding! Something went wrong! I'm sorry Big Brother, but I have to go after him. He could be killed!" Sephiroth said "Don't be sorry. I think I can defend myself now, so long as I'm not too overwhelmed with numbers. I appreciate you standing guard so I can recover, but Suufi is still inexperienced and needs you more than I do. Just make sure you get him before they can hurt him! That's all that matters now. I've done my part in Mother's legacy. This little one didn't get that chance; help him first." I replied "Of course, Brother!" Then I raced out of the area as fast as I could, and quickly boarded my motorbike. I slammed the gas, and set a course for Nibelheim, where the enemy had set up their new territory along with a new Shinra Headquarters. I was so fed up with panic and worry for our new son's life, all I could think about was getting him back before they have a chance to kill him. I worried "I have a bad feeling about this!" I remembered my promise to Mother and said "Mother, forgive me... I have to help our son too. If something happens to Sephiroth, I know it's my fault... I'm sorry..."
At Shinra Headquarters...
(This section will focus on Suufi as the speaker) I woke up, and my vision was blurry. I moaned "Ungh... what happened..? Where am I..?" My vision slowly came back, and I could see my surroundings. I sat up, and realized my hands were still chained together. I had to rely on my legs just to sit. I looked around, and realized I was imprisoned in what I thought was Shinra territory. I moaned "Oh no... I really messed up... What about my Dad..? And Big Brother..? What are they gonna do..? They'll be so heartbroken..." I tried to break my chains, but it felt impossible. I tried a second time; no results. I wondered "And why can't I use my super strength? It's like I can't even get it to budge!" I glanced around, searching for my katana, but it was nowhere. I cried "Gah..! My sword too?! What the heck is this?! I can't do anything at all! It's like my powers were drained!" I had a flashback, and saw Rufus injecting that blue stuff in me before I had blacked out. I cried "So that was it..! The blue stuff he used on me did this!" I felt some static in my left eye and my vision got weird again; the same way it had before I was captured. Forcing myself to calm down, I said "This eye... my vision changed again. There must be another way out of here, even if I can't fight." I carefully studied the area, and saw oddly shaped shadows guarding the entrances. They had pairs of glowing blue dots that seemed like eyes. I wondered "What are those things? They look like they guarding something... probably me?" I stopped in silence to think. Whatever this eye was, it had some kind of special power that let me see things most people probably wouldn't. It was like I could see almost everything with it, possibly with zero blindspots when well-trained enough of course. If I still had this power, then that meant my powers weren't all drained. Maybe my strength was, but the magic of this eye remained. I heard a door open not so far away, and felt fear well up inside. I turned to see where the noise came from, and saw a blonde guy with a big sword enter the area. I had no clue who he was, but for some reason I felt unbearably fearful around him. My eyes widened and my vision returned to normal. I panicked "Who are you..?!" He looked at me but seemed disinterested and ignored me. Silently, he continued walking, stopping in front of my jail cell. He didn't even talk. I demanded "Uh, hello! I asked a question, answer me, stupid old man!" He quickly turned to me, shocked by my outburst. He replied "I'm only here to keep you out of trouble." Again, he refused to answer my question. I was just angrier now. I managed to scoot closer to the bars, and kicked him. His expression changed, like he was slightly concerned or felt strange. I looked up at him angrily, and we stared in silence at each other for a while. He asked "What do you want?" I replied "What do you want? To keep me away from my Daddy and let him suffer?" I was so scared I felt myself crying now. For no apparent reason, I cried "You monster! You took my Mother, killed my Brothers, stole everything from me.... and now you have to take my Dad too? Who are you?!" My tears were heavy. I couldn't even look him in the eye now; my eyes were shut tight, tears flooding out of them. The man sheathed his sword, and knelt down to me "Hey, kid... listen to me. I don't know your name, or even who you are, but... I know how it feels to lose everything you love. Because... I did too. Why did they take you and lock you up?" I opened my eyes and managed to look him in the eye "I don't know..! They just started attacking us, killing our Brothers and Sisters like it was nothing, and I was sent here to stop them and learn more about whatever's going on, but they got me... and now I can't do anything about any of this. And my Dad is probably worried sick right now..." The man said "You... are of JENOVA? You talk like you are and definitely look the part." My tears stopped, and I stared at him in silence. He wasn't angry at all; in fact, he seemed very concerned. The man said "So, JENOVA took the Planet, but... it's not in ruins..? I never expected that. And Shinra is just taking life after life without even thinking... something is off here. Can you tell me how things were before any of this?" I tried to think "I heard the kingdom was very peaceful. No one was fighting, we had JENOVA SOLDIER on patrol to keep the peace and prevent crisis... everything was so perfect. But then Shinra did something.... something terrible to Sephiroth... and used the power of his anguish to bring the company back so they could annihilate every last one of us, thinking they could restore order. But what they're doing, its horrible... it's not fixing anything! If they kill all of us, there will be nothing left--a Planet of emptiness and eternal despair. No food, no water... no flowers will bloom, no trees will grow... all life will cease to exist. What they're doing will also leave humans like you with nothing. If they aren't stopped, the Planet will be completely and utterly dead. And Mother... she'll never get over all those losses!" The man said "There was peace..?" I nodded silently. He asked "What's your name, little guy?" I hesitated to answer, and he reassured me "It's ok. I won't hurt you. I have no reason to." I answered "I am Suufi... one of the younger ones in JENOVA SOLDIER. I don't know about my rank since I haven't been here much, though." He replied "Ok, Suufi... I am Cloud--Cloud Strife. I don't think you've heard anything about me, but I won't work for Shinra in any way if what you're telling me is really true. Me and Sephiroth aren't on very good terms, but I'm willing to help you stop them regardless." I asked "Huh..? But why?" Cloud replied "I lost a lot, too... almost everything. I have no family anymore. I have a sword and the power to protect and defend, but the impact of losing your family, let alone your entire people being removed existence.... I can't word the hurt about things like that; it's unspeakable. I wont let you meet the same fate that I did, Suufi. I know how painful it is, and I don't want someone who's barely lived his life to suffer the same loss." Feeling hopeful, I said "Huh..?" Cloud stood up and pulled his sword "I'm getting you out of here. If Shinra is really going to destroy the Planet by eradicating JENOVA's kind, I can't let them do it. If the lifestream is destroyed, then nothing can survive." Cloud got ready to attack, and I screamed, closing my eyes as I heard a loud clash directly in front of me. He rushed down to me, and covered my mouth "Be quiet! If we don't want a lot of trouble, silence is golden. Don't scream." I calmed down and opened my eyes. The door to my cell was shattered. Cloud asked "You must be strong. Can you break free?" I shook my head. Cloud sighed "Just as I thought... they zapped your strength so you can't escape. I'll have to do the fighting for you until we find a way to return your strength..." He reached for my chains, and broke them with a knife. I stood up, and he asked "Can you walk?" I nodded "I should be able to. But without my super strength and my katana, I'm powerless... until my power is restored, I can't fight them off. I have this strange power in my left eye, but I don't know much about it or how to use it well..." Cloud asked "Can you activate it for me?" I tried to, blinking several times. I felt the static in my left eye, and managed to activate it. I asked "Does it look different?" Cloud agreed "It sure does... it's just like JENOVA's eye. It probably has her powers, or some of them at least. Maybe they disabled your physical strength and hid your sword, but you might be able to fight them off with that eye. I don't know anymore than you, but it's still possible." I nodded, and Cloud walked towards an exit. Immediately noticing the strange shadows, I cried "Cloud, don't!" The mysterious forms started to attack him, and he began screaming like he was in great pain. Feeling threatened, I cried "No, stop!!" My eye flashed a bright red, and the shadowy forms released him and withered. I flashed it again, then directed two red lasers at them that burned them away completely. I caught the other two trying to attack me, and used the eye's magic to burn them away with green rays of light. I studied the area to make sure it was clear, and turned back to Cloud. He was impressed "Whoa! Did you see something I couldn't?" I nodded "Are you ok? Those shadows tried to kill you or something." Cloud agreed "I'm fine, thanks to you. I never would've found those myself. We'd better go before the summoner can get reinforcements, though. I wouldn't wait around for something worse." Then we hurried out of the prison area to find a way out--and get my strength back.
To be Continued...
(this section will focus on Suufi as the speaker) I ended up landing at the abandoned Nibelheim area to focus on learning more about the enemy's plan and their goals. With Shinra already back from the dead, the whole kingdom was in danger. I knew Big Brother Sephiroth was right about them being dangerous, and that was exactly why I accepted the this mission. I glanced around to study the surroundings, and everything looked all black and greyish like someone bombed the area years ago. The place literally looked like an old wasteland... a very old one, too. I wondered "What in the world happened here..? It's so lifeless..." I paced around a bit and continued "Why would the enemy mark territory in a place this dead? I don't get it..." Suddenly, I felt some pain in my left eye that was like a minor electric zap, and my vision changed. I looked around some more, and saw bits of green and black scattered all over in midair. I said "JENOVA cells? In the air? Something's off... there aren't any family members around, so something else must have left them behind... but what..?" I heard a man cry "Oh, something's off alright. Why not try telling me about those stigma plants that won't stop growing?" I got into a fighting stance and saw a man in crimson robes with brown hair appear from a ball of shadows that formed after he spoke. Wary, I cried "You..! What are you up to?!" Vincent replied "Do I really have to say it again? Tell me how to kill the stigma plants--for good. I've destroyed three of them, only to find them growing back in other places. Your stupid stigma is killing our people. Maybe I'm not working for Rufus, but I am working to set things straight and return this world to its original state." He pulled a gun as though preparing to fight. I said "Huh? The stigma plant..? I don't know how to get rid of it! And even if I did, why would I tell you?!" Vincent scoffed "Tch, here we go again. Trying to play dumb, puppet?" I angrily cried "Who are you calling a puppet?!" Vincent replied "Heh, another obvious answer... if JENOVA says fight, you fight; she tells you to go after us, you do it. Pretty satisfying existence... for her." I groaned angrily, and my vision changed again; everything was more clear and I couldn't see the suspended JENOVA cells anymore. Snapped out of whatever it was, I calmed down and looked around "Wait... how did I...?" Vincent seemed shocked, and said "That eye... she's in you, isnt she?" Confused, I protested "What?! What the heck are you talking about?! Of course Mother isn't me--" Realizing how engrossed in my emotions I was, I suddenly noticed someone had chained my hands together behind me. Off guard, I said "Oops..." Vincent seemed pleased and said "Heh, all too easy. Just say something you pawns dont like, and the rest is simple." I cried "Huh? What are you..?!" I heard two men laugh behind me, and one of them walked around and looked at me. He wore a weird blue suit i didn't recognize and had red hair. I didn't see a weapon and guessed he had sheathed it expecting to go unharmed. He smiled at me and said "You really are as dumb as Loz. Or close to it... at least he put up a fight." The other guy behind me tied me up, and I saw Rufus appear from somewhere, holding a syringe with a weird blue liquid inside. He approached me, and injected the stuff in me. Oh no, Big Brother is not gonna be happy about this, I worried. I was sent on a mission to investigate and learn more about the enemy's plan, but I completely screwed up the whole thing; this wasn't supposed to happen at all. Another man in a blue suit came beside the other one, but this guy was bald and wore sunglasses. He smiled and said "Didn't wanna make it hard, huh?" Rufus pulled the syringe from my body and stood up without a word, then turned to the others and said "Take him to HQ and lock him up. He'll fall asleep shortly, so it will be easy to do." The men in the blue suits responded in agreement, and I felt my consciousnesses begin to slip. I couldn't move; i lost my physical strength and couldn't break free. My vision also began to blur. I tried to speak "No, stay awake... I can still do this..!" But my words barely came out. I couldn't see anything now; it was too blurry to know what was where. I felt someone grab me before I blacked out.
Meanwhile, in the Forgotten City...
(This part will focus on Loz as the speaker) I was relaxing in the black water with Big Brother. We had been sitting in silence and letting the water recharge us for at least a few hours now. Remembering Suufi was on a mission at the enemy territory, I asked "Any word from Little Brother?" Sephiroth replied "Not yet... How about you contact him to see if he's learned anything?" I nodded and tried to reach Suufi "Little Brother, it's Loz. Any Intel on the enemy's planning?" I heard nothing but static. I tried again, and cried "Brother, it's Loz! Do you copy?!" More static. I hurried to my feet and armed my dual hound. I felt a rush of panic, and cried "He's not responding! Something went wrong! I'm sorry Big Brother, but I have to go after him. He could be killed!" Sephiroth said "Don't be sorry. I think I can defend myself now, so long as I'm not too overwhelmed with numbers. I appreciate you standing guard so I can recover, but Suufi is still inexperienced and needs you more than I do. Just make sure you get him before they can hurt him! That's all that matters now. I've done my part in Mother's legacy. This little one didn't get that chance; help him first." I replied "Of course, Brother!" Then I raced out of the area as fast as I could, and quickly boarded my motorbike. I slammed the gas, and set a course for Nibelheim, where the enemy had set up their new territory along with a new Shinra Headquarters. I was so fed up with panic and worry for our new son's life, all I could think about was getting him back before they have a chance to kill him. I worried "I have a bad feeling about this!" I remembered my promise to Mother and said "Mother, forgive me... I have to help our son too. If something happens to Sephiroth, I know it's my fault... I'm sorry..."
At Shinra Headquarters...
(This section will focus on Suufi as the speaker) I woke up, and my vision was blurry. I moaned "Ungh... what happened..? Where am I..?" My vision slowly came back, and I could see my surroundings. I sat up, and realized my hands were still chained together. I had to rely on my legs just to sit. I looked around, and realized I was imprisoned in what I thought was Shinra territory. I moaned "Oh no... I really messed up... What about my Dad..? And Big Brother..? What are they gonna do..? They'll be so heartbroken..." I tried to break my chains, but it felt impossible. I tried a second time; no results. I wondered "And why can't I use my super strength? It's like I can't even get it to budge!" I glanced around, searching for my katana, but it was nowhere. I cried "Gah..! My sword too?! What the heck is this?! I can't do anything at all! It's like my powers were drained!" I had a flashback, and saw Rufus injecting that blue stuff in me before I had blacked out. I cried "So that was it..! The blue stuff he used on me did this!" I felt some static in my left eye and my vision got weird again; the same way it had before I was captured. Forcing myself to calm down, I said "This eye... my vision changed again. There must be another way out of here, even if I can't fight." I carefully studied the area, and saw oddly shaped shadows guarding the entrances. They had pairs of glowing blue dots that seemed like eyes. I wondered "What are those things? They look like they guarding something... probably me?" I stopped in silence to think. Whatever this eye was, it had some kind of special power that let me see things most people probably wouldn't. It was like I could see almost everything with it, possibly with zero blindspots when well-trained enough of course. If I still had this power, then that meant my powers weren't all drained. Maybe my strength was, but the magic of this eye remained. I heard a door open not so far away, and felt fear well up inside. I turned to see where the noise came from, and saw a blonde guy with a big sword enter the area. I had no clue who he was, but for some reason I felt unbearably fearful around him. My eyes widened and my vision returned to normal. I panicked "Who are you..?!" He looked at me but seemed disinterested and ignored me. Silently, he continued walking, stopping in front of my jail cell. He didn't even talk. I demanded "Uh, hello! I asked a question, answer me, stupid old man!" He quickly turned to me, shocked by my outburst. He replied "I'm only here to keep you out of trouble." Again, he refused to answer my question. I was just angrier now. I managed to scoot closer to the bars, and kicked him. His expression changed, like he was slightly concerned or felt strange. I looked up at him angrily, and we stared in silence at each other for a while. He asked "What do you want?" I replied "What do you want? To keep me away from my Daddy and let him suffer?" I was so scared I felt myself crying now. For no apparent reason, I cried "You monster! You took my Mother, killed my Brothers, stole everything from me.... and now you have to take my Dad too? Who are you?!" My tears were heavy. I couldn't even look him in the eye now; my eyes were shut tight, tears flooding out of them. The man sheathed his sword, and knelt down to me "Hey, kid... listen to me. I don't know your name, or even who you are, but... I know how it feels to lose everything you love. Because... I did too. Why did they take you and lock you up?" I opened my eyes and managed to look him in the eye "I don't know..! They just started attacking us, killing our Brothers and Sisters like it was nothing, and I was sent here to stop them and learn more about whatever's going on, but they got me... and now I can't do anything about any of this. And my Dad is probably worried sick right now..." The man said "You... are of JENOVA? You talk like you are and definitely look the part." My tears stopped, and I stared at him in silence. He wasn't angry at all; in fact, he seemed very concerned. The man said "So, JENOVA took the Planet, but... it's not in ruins..? I never expected that. And Shinra is just taking life after life without even thinking... something is off here. Can you tell me how things were before any of this?" I tried to think "I heard the kingdom was very peaceful. No one was fighting, we had JENOVA SOLDIER on patrol to keep the peace and prevent crisis... everything was so perfect. But then Shinra did something.... something terrible to Sephiroth... and used the power of his anguish to bring the company back so they could annihilate every last one of us, thinking they could restore order. But what they're doing, its horrible... it's not fixing anything! If they kill all of us, there will be nothing left--a Planet of emptiness and eternal despair. No food, no water... no flowers will bloom, no trees will grow... all life will cease to exist. What they're doing will also leave humans like you with nothing. If they aren't stopped, the Planet will be completely and utterly dead. And Mother... she'll never get over all those losses!" The man said "There was peace..?" I nodded silently. He asked "What's your name, little guy?" I hesitated to answer, and he reassured me "It's ok. I won't hurt you. I have no reason to." I answered "I am Suufi... one of the younger ones in JENOVA SOLDIER. I don't know about my rank since I haven't been here much, though." He replied "Ok, Suufi... I am Cloud--Cloud Strife. I don't think you've heard anything about me, but I won't work for Shinra in any way if what you're telling me is really true. Me and Sephiroth aren't on very good terms, but I'm willing to help you stop them regardless." I asked "Huh..? But why?" Cloud replied "I lost a lot, too... almost everything. I have no family anymore. I have a sword and the power to protect and defend, but the impact of losing your family, let alone your entire people being removed existence.... I can't word the hurt about things like that; it's unspeakable. I wont let you meet the same fate that I did, Suufi. I know how painful it is, and I don't want someone who's barely lived his life to suffer the same loss." Feeling hopeful, I said "Huh..?" Cloud stood up and pulled his sword "I'm getting you out of here. If Shinra is really going to destroy the Planet by eradicating JENOVA's kind, I can't let them do it. If the lifestream is destroyed, then nothing can survive." Cloud got ready to attack, and I screamed, closing my eyes as I heard a loud clash directly in front of me. He rushed down to me, and covered my mouth "Be quiet! If we don't want a lot of trouble, silence is golden. Don't scream." I calmed down and opened my eyes. The door to my cell was shattered. Cloud asked "You must be strong. Can you break free?" I shook my head. Cloud sighed "Just as I thought... they zapped your strength so you can't escape. I'll have to do the fighting for you until we find a way to return your strength..." He reached for my chains, and broke them with a knife. I stood up, and he asked "Can you walk?" I nodded "I should be able to. But without my super strength and my katana, I'm powerless... until my power is restored, I can't fight them off. I have this strange power in my left eye, but I don't know much about it or how to use it well..." Cloud asked "Can you activate it for me?" I tried to, blinking several times. I felt the static in my left eye, and managed to activate it. I asked "Does it look different?" Cloud agreed "It sure does... it's just like JENOVA's eye. It probably has her powers, or some of them at least. Maybe they disabled your physical strength and hid your sword, but you might be able to fight them off with that eye. I don't know anymore than you, but it's still possible." I nodded, and Cloud walked towards an exit. Immediately noticing the strange shadows, I cried "Cloud, don't!" The mysterious forms started to attack him, and he began screaming like he was in great pain. Feeling threatened, I cried "No, stop!!" My eye flashed a bright red, and the shadowy forms released him and withered. I flashed it again, then directed two red lasers at them that burned them away completely. I caught the other two trying to attack me, and used the eye's magic to burn them away with green rays of light. I studied the area to make sure it was clear, and turned back to Cloud. He was impressed "Whoa! Did you see something I couldn't?" I nodded "Are you ok? Those shadows tried to kill you or something." Cloud agreed "I'm fine, thanks to you. I never would've found those myself. We'd better go before the summoner can get reinforcements, though. I wouldn't wait around for something worse." Then we hurried out of the prison area to find a way out--and get my strength back.
To be Continued...
