Final Fantasy VII : The Final Pledge

Chapter 5

I received a text from Tifa, "nine of them are safe, one was dead. Cloud, how are you?"

After finding all those files, we also found a map which showed the location of all Hojo's secret labs. "I don't know if he is in one of these places or somewhere else," Kyra said. None of us knew where to go after this, or even the maps were useful at all. We managed to save nine of the people who were potentially Sephiroth's future victims. That was a good start. But we still didn't know where to find him. After we were done, we left the abandoned building, while realising that some of the forces were looking for us in the lobby. We had to knock them out again and run away. Kyra left the two-wheeled board of her there and we used Fenrir to go as far as possible. We took some maps and files with us, just in case.

Later that day, we arrived in Kalm. Kalm's situation was better than Midgar. At least it was not the iron ruins of a fallen huge factory and it had been properly rebuilt after the fall of the meteor. The streets were clean and the houses were small. We could see the marketplace from a distance which was packed with people. Unlike Midgar, more people seemed happy and healthy. I missed seeing that sight in the city. Midgar was never a happy place in my eyes. In whatever left from Midgar, the steel sky was always covering the sun, yet it would not rain. Like a stubborn man who is choked up but doesn't want to let his tears show. But the sun was shining generously in Kalm. It made me even think for a moment, what if Tifa, Denzel and I moved there. We decided to stay the night at an inn and find out where our next destination would be.

"He can be anywhere," I stated as I was bending on the map on the table and was trying to decide. But he really could be anywhere. It was impossible to find him. "Yes, but there is a higher possibility for him to be in some specific places," she looked at the map as well, "maybe the Forgotten City or Temple of the Ancients." these names rang in my head. It was a trigger, it seemed, to what happened next.

My past, everything that I had buried deep in my memories, I saw them all in front of my eyes. Once more, the pain ran in my veins, this time more real, and I could feel his sword passing through my body. At the same time, I could see him stabbing Aerith right in front of my eyes. A rushing pain went to my head and I heard him, "I will never be a memory."

When Kyra's hand touched me, all these feelings vanished. I looked at her reassuring smile, "don't worry," I could read her lips, yet I couldn't hear her voice. I could feel the tears in my eyes so I turned my face. She was not in my head; she didn't know what I saw.

Kyra led me to one of the beds in the room and sat me down. She sat next to me and held my hand. For some reason she was not making me feel awkward, instead, I was feeling calmer and calmer. "Better?" she asked and I nodded. Aerith had the same calming aura but she was a Cetra. She was the last, but could Kyra be one too, I wondered.

"Cloud," she started, "I think you should know that we don't have much time," I looked at her in question and she explained, "every time Sephiroth is back, he is more of Jenova and less of a human. The planet dissolves his human parts but can't do anything about the Jenova cells. With the power of her cells, he tries to come back every time."

"If that is true," I concluded, "then there is no way to kill him." she nodded, "this time, I have a better idea than killing him." she looked away as if remembering something and sighed loudly. "You know," she said after a pause, "Sephiroth was getting injections of Jenova's cells every month when he was a child. None of Hojo's subjects carried that amount of cells. As a kid, he was told that he was sick and needed those injections to survive. You can imagine how painful it could be, especially for a kid." I could imagine him as a kid. He was once even a hero. He could be a good person. "It is his nature now to destroy," she continued, "just like Jenova."

The theory of Sephiroth getting more powerful every time he went through the reunion was bothering me. The thought was making me dizzy. I wanted to get rid of him once and for all, but apparently we couldn't even kill him.

"Is there any way..." I heard myself saying, "is there any way to stop him completely?" I looked up at her. Her smile was still there, which reassured me once more. There was a way and she knew about it. "When Jenova attacked the planet, Cetra didn't know how to fight her," she told me, "Jenova had a destructive nature. She killed many of Cetra and humans until they found a way to imprison her with the lifestream itself. If Shinra's men didn't find her, none of these would have happened in the past few years. Sephiroth is another Jenova, or he is close to becoming one." Her smile faded. "Sephiroth is becoming Jenova?" I repeated. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts. "It's enough for today," she said, "We should rest for now."

We slept that night, without deciding where to go next. 

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