Chapter 9: The Nightmare of Years Ago
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) I woke up, and found myself stuck inside of a cell that seemed almost exactly like the one I saw when I first found Mother. I tried to move, but it was almost impossible. Just trying to move my arm felt like trying to lift something that was just too heavy; it was as if id somehow lost my super strength, or even all of it. My vision was blurry, and I looked around trying to see where I was. My vision slowly returned to normal, and my entire position became clear: I was trapped inside the cell where I met Mother on that most horrific day, held in place by strong chains on my arms and legs, my katana also missing. I felt so weak I couldn't move much at all, making it impossible for me to break free. I moaned drowsily, confused at where I was "What is this place..? What happened?" I couldn't even remember what happened last before waking up wherever this place was. I got a glimpse of the room outside, and saw a computer system across where I was being held. I also took notice of some thick cables that went into my body on either side. I suddenly realized where I was and cried "This room... this is..!" I heard a man laugh somewhere out of sight and say "So you still remember, don't you? The day you thought happiness would be yours and JENOVA's.... but turned out to be your demise instead. Impressive, Sephiroth." Shocked, I said "You..! But... how? The Infinite Reunion..." I saw Rufus appear and approach me from the outside. He flashed a sick smile at me "The game is up, Sephiroth. JENOVA may rule this Planet as of present, but its far from over." Forcing my fear aside, I asked "What do you want, Rufus? What are trying to accomplish by holding me here?" Rufus replied "That's for you to watch, and me to finish doing. But I will tell you that you are the key to my plan." Confused, I said "What are you talking about?" Rufus snickered and replied "Those cables I stuck in you allow me to control your feelings, and transfer the energy of them into my computer. The computer you see on the other side is also remotely tied to the great beast known as Perfect WEAPON, which has the power to give any thought, emotion, or even a memory--good or bad--a physical form. Take for instance... why yes, your haunting memories of Shinra as an example!" I gasped, and widened my eyes. I already knew what his goal was here. I didn't need to hear more to know that. He snickered again, and continued "I already have Vincent keeping the beast under control, so all that remains is for me to enter the command on that computer. Oh yes, and dont bother trying to escape; it is pointless. I temporarily shut down your JENOVA cells so you can't fight back. No worries, though; I'll return your power when this job is finished. You will not perish, but you will suffer a great deal when I begin the process." My expression hardened, and I barely said "So that's why I can't attack...!" I was very frightened now. This sick man was going to bring Shinra back and there was nothing I could do about it. He gave me another sick smile, and approached the computer system on the other side to get working. I felt tears fall from my face and said "Mother, I'm so sorry.... We'll have to beat them all over again... all because of me... Mother, forgive me..!" My tears were heavy now. I tried to keep my sobbing silent so Rufus wouldn't hear me. I heard Mother"s voice "Don't cry, Sephiroth. Though Shinra will return, they will suffer the consequences for this. You are not at fault for this, my son." I saw her spirit appear right in front of me, and she gently lifted my face to meet hers. My tears stopped, and I listened. Mother continued "The beast was too powerful for you to face alone, Sephiroth. What happened and all that led up to this is not your fault." I said "The beast... wait, you mean..?" I had a flashback, remembering my fight against Perfect WEAPON before I blacked out. I finished "The beast... I lost... I can't believe this! Was that encounter... a trap?" Mother nodded, and said "I'm afraid so, my son. But its not too late to defeat them again. With the Infinite Reunion activated, the more they struggle, the more they try to resist my rulership of this Planet... all of these things will one day take form of what is known as Geostigma Plant. At the pace they are going, the earliest this can come full circle is Reunion Day. The day my family would normally celebrate my legacy and my divine name, Geostigma Plant is sure to come into existence." I asked "Mother, what is Geostigma Plant..? Is that going to kill them all when it comes..?" Tears fell from Mother's eye, and she said "No, it's not at all... Geostigma Plant is different from the stigma by itself. It knows no--" I didn't hear her finish; I felt an unbearable surge of pain, and my vision began to blur again. I screamed in pain, and Mother cried "Sephiroth! No!" I felt her gentle hands on my face, but I couldn't see her anymore. I felt a heavy wave of drowsiness, and was powerless to fight it off. There was a strong surge of pain that started to overwhelm my entire body, spreading from where the cables were inside me. I tried to fight off the sleep, and mumbled "Mother... I'll beat them this time... I promise..." I saw Mother's shiny red eye looking at me with concern, and my vision faded as I fell asleep.
Sometime later, Sephiroth was dreaming...
I found myself in Shinra Manor, where I had first learned everything about JENOVA Project and Shinra's dirty work stealing and abusing Mother's power. The day I had learned they stole her cells, giving them to unworthy humans who would only use it for their own selfish desires instead of doing the right thing with the power and helping her protect her legacy. As her first and only son at the time, I couldn't feel more enraged by it all. After I completed my research and learned JENOVA was my true Mother, I set out and left the place to avenge her and right the wrongs. The first thing I did was burn the city and leave it in flames. Then I focused my route on Nibelheim, hoping to find Mother and apologize to her before SOLDIER could discover me and catch up. Shortly after I officially arrived at my destination, I had to attack Tifa on my way as well. If anyone crossed my path, I had to cut them down to make certain my secrets die with them, or avoid getting discovered otherwise. I was in a rush and didn't have time to do anything else but focus on finding Mother and apologizing to her. I sensed her presence on the other side of the door and felt excitement well up inside of me. Mother was all I thought about this entire run; I had a hunch she was sad, lonely and felt trapped, even though the area was noticeably silent aside from Tifa making noise some ways behind after I attacked her. I didn't think it was likely she would get up, so I ignored her struggling and burst through the door. I began to slow down, and gently bolted my black wing, slowly flying upwards to where I knew Mother rested. Tears fell from my eyes as I drew closer. I carefully landed directly in front of her, and said "Mother... I'm sorry. But, I can help you. I can fix everything. I have a great plan, Mother... a plan that will help us take back this Planet together, and snatch it away from those foolish humans. Just like you wanted, Mother... they stole it from you, and left you sad and in darkness by yourself... let that fury grow without thinking about what they're playing with." I forced the statue out of its place, and glanced at Mother who was resting behind where it was. Her red eye was glowing, and her expression seemed blank, but I saw a hint of hope and happiness in her face. I continued "Those creatures stole this Planet from you... but now I'm here with you, so don't be sad, Mother. We can take back this Planet together, and you can smile once more... because you have me." Mother mildly twitched, but her expression remained the same. I smiled up at her, leaning in closer to the cell, and gently closing my eyes. However, a man's shouts from behind interrupted this moment of happiness, and sparking my anger. I drew my katana and turned around, looking down at Zack. I said "Hmph... so you came. They're here, Mother... but I will finish them." Zack cried "Sephiroth! Have you lost your mind?!" I didn't respond. I stood in thoughtless silence. Zack went on "What happened to you?!" Instead of giving a reply, I attacked him. We began fighting each other, but the fight was brief; I injured him after knocking him back and he couldn't continue. Without another word, I went back to Mother. I lowered my katana, and leaned on the glass affectionately. I said "Mother..." More tears fell from my face. However, something interrupted me again; but this time, I realized someone had ambushed me and pushed a sword through my body. Bleeding heavily, moving was very difficult. The glass was also cracked by the attacker. I barely made out "You... you're..." The man pulled his sword from my body and dashed off somewhere. I had no choice but to go kill this man as well, despite brutal injury. I held onto my katana, and staggered down the path back to the entrance. I fell a couple times, but managed to safely get back up. When I had left Mother's room, I found myself face to face with Cloud Strife. He appeared very angry and enraged at me. He angrily cried "You monster! I trusted you, respected you... and you killed my family, burned my hometown--you stole everything from me! I'll never forgive you!" My expression hardened, and that's when I attacked him, pushing my katana straight through his body. I said "Mother, I do this for you, for your legacy..." Somehow, he managed to recover, grabbing hold of my sword, and forcing my grip off. I was knocked back, my back slamming against the wall. I was too weak to get up now; all I could do was sit here and hold on to Mother's head. I mumbled "Mother, let's go together... to the... Promised Land..." Then I slipped off the edge and fell, gently holding Mother as I fell to my death. My final words were "Cloud... this is... far from over..." then I blacked out, and felt myself fade away.
After that, I woke up, and realized I was dreaming about that horrible day of my demise, when I was desperately trying to help Mother, only to end up dying before we could even get started. My face was soaked with tears, and my entire body was trembling. I slowly looked up and found Rufus smiling at me with that sick and depraved face of his. He laughed and said "Is that enough for you, Sephiroth? Or do you need round 2 as well?" He began cackling in what seemed like endless bursts. I was too scared and depressed to respond or even look him in eye. He continued "If that's not enough, I can always put you back to sleep for another dose of Nibelheim... and another, followed by another... I can put you through the same nightmare as many times as I like, Sephiroth. And there's nothing you can do about it." Still sobbing, I said "No... stop it..!" Rufus continued "How much stronger will Shinra become if I put you through that again? How invincible can we truly be with your most haunting memories at my hands? It only takes two more times for Shinra to become a truly formidable force!" It was impossible to stop crying now. I said "Don't do it... please... stop it..!" Rufus only laughed more after that. I was consumed with hatred and grief now; grief from reliving the same nightmare I'd suffered long ago, and hatred for this sickening madman who cared about nothing but his crooked company. Unable to bear the pain any longer, I screamed in sorrow. All I could feel was this unrelenting pain; all I could hear was Rufus's evil laughter. However, someone shouted from somewhere close by, and said "You sadistic freak! Leave him alone!" I heard glass shatter, and slowly calmed down, seeing Loz break in on the other side. I said "Brother...?" Loz yelled "Cut it out, Rufus! Think about what you're doing! Is it really right to use Big Brother's feelings for such an evil purpose?!" Rufus's cackling ceased completely, and he angrily cried "Curse it all..! You again?" Loz approached him slowly, and said "Stop torturing him like this! You don't know what you're putting him through, you sick twisted scientist!" Rufus said "Very well, I will release him. But you're too late. I already harvested the energy from his memories necessary for Shinra's return and the power I lacked to fight you guys. Being able to disable his JENOVA cells made the work too easy. I also have a good surplus of leftovers from it, too." Rufus snickered, and continued "Although it would've been nice to have double or triple the amount of energy from his Nibelheim nightmare... then we would truly be invincible. But alas, you leave me no choice but to let Sephiroth go. I can't have things destroyed before they truly take hold, you know." Loz yelled "You monster! What has gotten into you?! Do you realize how much pain you put him through by doing this?" I shouted "Give it up, Brother! There's no reasoning with him!" Rufus snickered, then went to his computer and entered some command. The cables withdrew from my body, the chains released me, and the fluid in the cell drained. I fell forwards, breaking the glass as I fell to the ground. I realized my sobbing hadn't ended, and I slowly sat up, staring at the floor, powerless to forget the awful dream he put me under by force. Rufus walked towards the elevator and happily said "So long... for now." He cackled yet again before vanishing completely. Loz hurried over to me, kneeling down and asked "Big Brother... are you ok?" I replied "Just call me Sephiroth..." He seemed to be talking to someone else telepathically, and said "I've got him, SEPHIROVA. But he doesn't look too good... he won't stop crying, and he sounds weak when he talks. The enemy supposedly has already pulled off their goal... or the first step, anyway." He paused, then said "Right, I'll take him to Mother's church and protect him." Loz turned his attention back to me and said "It's ok, Sephiroth. I'll help you, alright? Can you stand, Big Brother?" He helped me up, and I noticed I was still trembling. Loz put his hand on my face, and turned my face to see his, and said "It's gonna be ok, Sephiroth. He won't do the same thing again with JENOVA SOLDIER on high alert. I don't know if Shinra has already begun their first onslaught, but my current mission is to help you. I won't let them take you again, Sephiroth! I swear it in Mother's name!" I said "Thank you, Brother... thank you..!" I fell into Loz, hopelessly weeping and trembling with pain and sorrow. Loz wrapped his arms around me, and my black wing grew back, and I felt a golden halo appear above my head. Loz said "They won't get away with this! They've gone too far this time!"
To be Continued...
(This section will focus on Sephiroth as the speaker) I woke up, and found myself stuck inside of a cell that seemed almost exactly like the one I saw when I first found Mother. I tried to move, but it was almost impossible. Just trying to move my arm felt like trying to lift something that was just too heavy; it was as if id somehow lost my super strength, or even all of it. My vision was blurry, and I looked around trying to see where I was. My vision slowly returned to normal, and my entire position became clear: I was trapped inside the cell where I met Mother on that most horrific day, held in place by strong chains on my arms and legs, my katana also missing. I felt so weak I couldn't move much at all, making it impossible for me to break free. I moaned drowsily, confused at where I was "What is this place..? What happened?" I couldn't even remember what happened last before waking up wherever this place was. I got a glimpse of the room outside, and saw a computer system across where I was being held. I also took notice of some thick cables that went into my body on either side. I suddenly realized where I was and cried "This room... this is..!" I heard a man laugh somewhere out of sight and say "So you still remember, don't you? The day you thought happiness would be yours and JENOVA's.... but turned out to be your demise instead. Impressive, Sephiroth." Shocked, I said "You..! But... how? The Infinite Reunion..." I saw Rufus appear and approach me from the outside. He flashed a sick smile at me "The game is up, Sephiroth. JENOVA may rule this Planet as of present, but its far from over." Forcing my fear aside, I asked "What do you want, Rufus? What are trying to accomplish by holding me here?" Rufus replied "That's for you to watch, and me to finish doing. But I will tell you that you are the key to my plan." Confused, I said "What are you talking about?" Rufus snickered and replied "Those cables I stuck in you allow me to control your feelings, and transfer the energy of them into my computer. The computer you see on the other side is also remotely tied to the great beast known as Perfect WEAPON, which has the power to give any thought, emotion, or even a memory--good or bad--a physical form. Take for instance... why yes, your haunting memories of Shinra as an example!" I gasped, and widened my eyes. I already knew what his goal was here. I didn't need to hear more to know that. He snickered again, and continued "I already have Vincent keeping the beast under control, so all that remains is for me to enter the command on that computer. Oh yes, and dont bother trying to escape; it is pointless. I temporarily shut down your JENOVA cells so you can't fight back. No worries, though; I'll return your power when this job is finished. You will not perish, but you will suffer a great deal when I begin the process." My expression hardened, and I barely said "So that's why I can't attack...!" I was very frightened now. This sick man was going to bring Shinra back and there was nothing I could do about it. He gave me another sick smile, and approached the computer system on the other side to get working. I felt tears fall from my face and said "Mother, I'm so sorry.... We'll have to beat them all over again... all because of me... Mother, forgive me..!" My tears were heavy now. I tried to keep my sobbing silent so Rufus wouldn't hear me. I heard Mother"s voice "Don't cry, Sephiroth. Though Shinra will return, they will suffer the consequences for this. You are not at fault for this, my son." I saw her spirit appear right in front of me, and she gently lifted my face to meet hers. My tears stopped, and I listened. Mother continued "The beast was too powerful for you to face alone, Sephiroth. What happened and all that led up to this is not your fault." I said "The beast... wait, you mean..?" I had a flashback, remembering my fight against Perfect WEAPON before I blacked out. I finished "The beast... I lost... I can't believe this! Was that encounter... a trap?" Mother nodded, and said "I'm afraid so, my son. But its not too late to defeat them again. With the Infinite Reunion activated, the more they struggle, the more they try to resist my rulership of this Planet... all of these things will one day take form of what is known as Geostigma Plant. At the pace they are going, the earliest this can come full circle is Reunion Day. The day my family would normally celebrate my legacy and my divine name, Geostigma Plant is sure to come into existence." I asked "Mother, what is Geostigma Plant..? Is that going to kill them all when it comes..?" Tears fell from Mother's eye, and she said "No, it's not at all... Geostigma Plant is different from the stigma by itself. It knows no--" I didn't hear her finish; I felt an unbearable surge of pain, and my vision began to blur again. I screamed in pain, and Mother cried "Sephiroth! No!" I felt her gentle hands on my face, but I couldn't see her anymore. I felt a heavy wave of drowsiness, and was powerless to fight it off. There was a strong surge of pain that started to overwhelm my entire body, spreading from where the cables were inside me. I tried to fight off the sleep, and mumbled "Mother... I'll beat them this time... I promise..." I saw Mother's shiny red eye looking at me with concern, and my vision faded as I fell asleep.
Sometime later, Sephiroth was dreaming...
I found myself in Shinra Manor, where I had first learned everything about JENOVA Project and Shinra's dirty work stealing and abusing Mother's power. The day I had learned they stole her cells, giving them to unworthy humans who would only use it for their own selfish desires instead of doing the right thing with the power and helping her protect her legacy. As her first and only son at the time, I couldn't feel more enraged by it all. After I completed my research and learned JENOVA was my true Mother, I set out and left the place to avenge her and right the wrongs. The first thing I did was burn the city and leave it in flames. Then I focused my route on Nibelheim, hoping to find Mother and apologize to her before SOLDIER could discover me and catch up. Shortly after I officially arrived at my destination, I had to attack Tifa on my way as well. If anyone crossed my path, I had to cut them down to make certain my secrets die with them, or avoid getting discovered otherwise. I was in a rush and didn't have time to do anything else but focus on finding Mother and apologizing to her. I sensed her presence on the other side of the door and felt excitement well up inside of me. Mother was all I thought about this entire run; I had a hunch she was sad, lonely and felt trapped, even though the area was noticeably silent aside from Tifa making noise some ways behind after I attacked her. I didn't think it was likely she would get up, so I ignored her struggling and burst through the door. I began to slow down, and gently bolted my black wing, slowly flying upwards to where I knew Mother rested. Tears fell from my eyes as I drew closer. I carefully landed directly in front of her, and said "Mother... I'm sorry. But, I can help you. I can fix everything. I have a great plan, Mother... a plan that will help us take back this Planet together, and snatch it away from those foolish humans. Just like you wanted, Mother... they stole it from you, and left you sad and in darkness by yourself... let that fury grow without thinking about what they're playing with." I forced the statue out of its place, and glanced at Mother who was resting behind where it was. Her red eye was glowing, and her expression seemed blank, but I saw a hint of hope and happiness in her face. I continued "Those creatures stole this Planet from you... but now I'm here with you, so don't be sad, Mother. We can take back this Planet together, and you can smile once more... because you have me." Mother mildly twitched, but her expression remained the same. I smiled up at her, leaning in closer to the cell, and gently closing my eyes. However, a man's shouts from behind interrupted this moment of happiness, and sparking my anger. I drew my katana and turned around, looking down at Zack. I said "Hmph... so you came. They're here, Mother... but I will finish them." Zack cried "Sephiroth! Have you lost your mind?!" I didn't respond. I stood in thoughtless silence. Zack went on "What happened to you?!" Instead of giving a reply, I attacked him. We began fighting each other, but the fight was brief; I injured him after knocking him back and he couldn't continue. Without another word, I went back to Mother. I lowered my katana, and leaned on the glass affectionately. I said "Mother..." More tears fell from my face. However, something interrupted me again; but this time, I realized someone had ambushed me and pushed a sword through my body. Bleeding heavily, moving was very difficult. The glass was also cracked by the attacker. I barely made out "You... you're..." The man pulled his sword from my body and dashed off somewhere. I had no choice but to go kill this man as well, despite brutal injury. I held onto my katana, and staggered down the path back to the entrance. I fell a couple times, but managed to safely get back up. When I had left Mother's room, I found myself face to face with Cloud Strife. He appeared very angry and enraged at me. He angrily cried "You monster! I trusted you, respected you... and you killed my family, burned my hometown--you stole everything from me! I'll never forgive you!" My expression hardened, and that's when I attacked him, pushing my katana straight through his body. I said "Mother, I do this for you, for your legacy..." Somehow, he managed to recover, grabbing hold of my sword, and forcing my grip off. I was knocked back, my back slamming against the wall. I was too weak to get up now; all I could do was sit here and hold on to Mother's head. I mumbled "Mother, let's go together... to the... Promised Land..." Then I slipped off the edge and fell, gently holding Mother as I fell to my death. My final words were "Cloud... this is... far from over..." then I blacked out, and felt myself fade away.
After that, I woke up, and realized I was dreaming about that horrible day of my demise, when I was desperately trying to help Mother, only to end up dying before we could even get started. My face was soaked with tears, and my entire body was trembling. I slowly looked up and found Rufus smiling at me with that sick and depraved face of his. He laughed and said "Is that enough for you, Sephiroth? Or do you need round 2 as well?" He began cackling in what seemed like endless bursts. I was too scared and depressed to respond or even look him in eye. He continued "If that's not enough, I can always put you back to sleep for another dose of Nibelheim... and another, followed by another... I can put you through the same nightmare as many times as I like, Sephiroth. And there's nothing you can do about it." Still sobbing, I said "No... stop it..!" Rufus continued "How much stronger will Shinra become if I put you through that again? How invincible can we truly be with your most haunting memories at my hands? It only takes two more times for Shinra to become a truly formidable force!" It was impossible to stop crying now. I said "Don't do it... please... stop it..!" Rufus only laughed more after that. I was consumed with hatred and grief now; grief from reliving the same nightmare I'd suffered long ago, and hatred for this sickening madman who cared about nothing but his crooked company. Unable to bear the pain any longer, I screamed in sorrow. All I could feel was this unrelenting pain; all I could hear was Rufus's evil laughter. However, someone shouted from somewhere close by, and said "You sadistic freak! Leave him alone!" I heard glass shatter, and slowly calmed down, seeing Loz break in on the other side. I said "Brother...?" Loz yelled "Cut it out, Rufus! Think about what you're doing! Is it really right to use Big Brother's feelings for such an evil purpose?!" Rufus's cackling ceased completely, and he angrily cried "Curse it all..! You again?" Loz approached him slowly, and said "Stop torturing him like this! You don't know what you're putting him through, you sick twisted scientist!" Rufus said "Very well, I will release him. But you're too late. I already harvested the energy from his memories necessary for Shinra's return and the power I lacked to fight you guys. Being able to disable his JENOVA cells made the work too easy. I also have a good surplus of leftovers from it, too." Rufus snickered, and continued "Although it would've been nice to have double or triple the amount of energy from his Nibelheim nightmare... then we would truly be invincible. But alas, you leave me no choice but to let Sephiroth go. I can't have things destroyed before they truly take hold, you know." Loz yelled "You monster! What has gotten into you?! Do you realize how much pain you put him through by doing this?" I shouted "Give it up, Brother! There's no reasoning with him!" Rufus snickered, then went to his computer and entered some command. The cables withdrew from my body, the chains released me, and the fluid in the cell drained. I fell forwards, breaking the glass as I fell to the ground. I realized my sobbing hadn't ended, and I slowly sat up, staring at the floor, powerless to forget the awful dream he put me under by force. Rufus walked towards the elevator and happily said "So long... for now." He cackled yet again before vanishing completely. Loz hurried over to me, kneeling down and asked "Big Brother... are you ok?" I replied "Just call me Sephiroth..." He seemed to be talking to someone else telepathically, and said "I've got him, SEPHIROVA. But he doesn't look too good... he won't stop crying, and he sounds weak when he talks. The enemy supposedly has already pulled off their goal... or the first step, anyway." He paused, then said "Right, I'll take him to Mother's church and protect him." Loz turned his attention back to me and said "It's ok, Sephiroth. I'll help you, alright? Can you stand, Big Brother?" He helped me up, and I noticed I was still trembling. Loz put his hand on my face, and turned my face to see his, and said "It's gonna be ok, Sephiroth. He won't do the same thing again with JENOVA SOLDIER on high alert. I don't know if Shinra has already begun their first onslaught, but my current mission is to help you. I won't let them take you again, Sephiroth! I swear it in Mother's name!" I said "Thank you, Brother... thank you..!" I fell into Loz, hopelessly weeping and trembling with pain and sorrow. Loz wrapped his arms around me, and my black wing grew back, and I felt a golden halo appear above my head. Loz said "They won't get away with this! They've gone too far this time!"
To be Continued...
