The familiar landscape of Midgar Academy opened up before Sherry Barnett, as stately and impressive as she remembered. The stone walls, intricately carved by craftsmen of old, were silent witnesses to the ambition and trials of Midgar's young elite, all aspiring to become esteemed Dark Knights. Shadows played along the grand corridor, their forms shifting and morphing in sync with each step Sherry took.
She was still dressed in the school's traditional uniform—a navy blue blazer jacket with white and gold accents, a matching skirt, black stockings, and pristine white high heels—designed to ensure she'd blend in flawlessly. Yet, despite the familiar attire, a peculiar sensation tickled at the back of her mind, a subtle reminder of the passage of time. After all, Sherry hadn't expected to walk these halls again so soon.
And why was she here?
Sherry grappled with the fragments of her memory, straining to recall the sequence of events that had led her to this point. Was it true that she had attempted to ensnare herself in the clutches of bandits just a short while ago? The notion seemed absurd, almost fantastical, in the sober reality of the here and now. As she shook her head, trying to dispel her wayward thoughts, a bell cut sharply through the corridor, bringing her back to the present. The surrounding students moved in a choreographed rush, propelling her into action. Right, she had a class to attend!
With renewed purpose, Sherry quickened her pace. The academy's familiar corridors, despite their labyrinthine design, were a path she had walked many times before. Yet, they seemed to draw her deeper into a maze of memories, a tangible echo of her past.
"Sherry?"
A voice, familiar and comforting, cut through her introspection. Sherry spun around, her heart lifting at the sound. It was a face she knew well, a face that stirred warmth within her heart.
"Cid! Cid, I'm so relieved to see you!" Relief flooded Sherry's features as she spotted him in the bustling crowd. She ran towards him, her every step radiating a sense of urgency. But as she lunged for an embrace, Cid skillfully sidestepped. When she regained her balance, Cid shoved a piece of chocolate right in her face with a dramatic thrust, his youthful grin beaming like a lighthouse amidst the chaos.
"Oh, Cid, that's Mitsugoshi... We can't support them anymore, okay?" Sherry replied, a bitter mix of concern and resignation tinging her voice. The knowledge of Mitsugoshi, the ones who brought chocolate into this world, actually being Shadow Garden had cast a shadow over her fond memories. Yet, even with this disconcerting reminder, Cid's smile held its purity, untouched by the grim reality. Sherry wavered momentarily. "Well, just this once...if it's from you," she conceded, opening her mouth and leaning in...
"Have you finished your mother's research?" Suddenly, out of nowhere, Cid's pupils dilated, swallowing the light in his eyes, creating an abyss of darkness.
Sherry stood still, taken aback. "What?" That wasn't Cid's voice, but it was a voice she recognized nonetheless. Sherry's gaze drifted downward. "I'm... I'm almost there. I just need a little more time..."
Lifting her gaze, Sherry found herself in the assistant principal's office. Behind the desk, framed by the austere surroundings, sat Lutheran, his mustache meticulously groomed, glasses reflecting the harsh light. He coughed lightly before smiling, though it seemed strained. "We're running out of time, Sherry. You're not dawdling on your mother's research, are you?"
Taken aback, Sherry instinctively responded. "No, of course not, father!" After a moment, her eyebrows knitted in confusion. "Wait, father? But you're...how are you–?"
"Do complete my research, sweetheart." A tender hand landed on Sherry's shoulder, causing her to spin around. It was her mother.
"Mother?! You're alive!" Sherry couldn't help but exclaim, a rush of complex emotions bubbling up within her. In reflex, she reached out, arms pulling her mother into an embrace. "But why...why do you sound like him?"
As Sherry clung to her mother, the comforting heat of their hug abruptly twisted into a scalding burn. Flames waltzed around them, consuming the office in a blaze. Sherry's gaze darted around, her eyes ballooning in terror. The once familiar room was now a gruesome stage, walls dripping in crimson, the air thick with the stench of char.
"If you do not complete your mother's research..." Lutheran's ominous words dissolved into violent coughs, his frame convulsing, shifting in grotesque ways.
"Luther! Not again!" Sherry cried out, her voice cracking.
"...then Shadow is going to murder me– Arghhh!" From the engulfing shadows, a figure leapt forth, driving a blade into Lutheran's heart. His body went limp, life extinguished in an instant. The figure, draped in darkness, turned its back on the horrific scene, walking past Sherry as if nothing had happened.
"Nooo!" Sherry screamed amidst the flames, her voice echoing throughout the room. She ran up to her father's body, tears streaming down her face. "Father! I just needed a little more time, but I did it! I swear to you, I finished it!"
A metallic gleam caught her eye. It was the Eye and its four-pronged control unit grafted into Lutheran's chest. Without hesitation, Sherry tore it free and hastily reassembled the pieces. It was clear what she needed to do next.
"Shadow!" The name tore from her throat, issuing a challenge that was laden with raw determination. She rotated the control unit around the Eye, watching magic circles oscillate in size around it, their luminescent red-white energy steadily increasing. The magical aura quickly expanded into a sphere that engulfed the area. She squared her shoulders, determination hardening her features as she stared down her perpetual nemesis.
In response, Shadow flashed a smug grin of dark arrogance. With a swift move and glowing red eyes, he summoned a vortex of bluish-purple magical energy into his dark blade. The haunting hum of his power filled the room, creating an opposing sphere of energy that cast an ominous shadow over the fiery chaos.
A standoff ensued, the merging of their energy spheres forming a boundary, an invisible line of control dividing two opposing worlds, one bathed in red and the other cloaked in bluish-purple.
Magic surged on both sides, the tension escalating to an almost unbearable level. Their impending clash promised a cataclysmic conclusion. Sherry was unwavering in her resolve to wipe that arrogant smirk off Shadow's face.
As the energies reached their zenith, both spheres collapsed inward at the same instant, condensing their power at the tips of their respective mediums and muting all other sounds. Sherry lunged toward Shadow, brandishing the radiant Eye. In retaliation, Shadow swung his blade to meet the attack. A dual explosion rocked the room, alternating blinding flashes of red and purple. In time, an overwhelming white light consumed everything. Their voices, entwined in an eerie echo, announced their final declaration...
"I AM..."
"I AM..."
–––
"Recruit!"
With an unceremonious thud, Sherry found herself face down in the earth, the acrid taste of dirt and frayed fabric assaulting her senses.
"Pftoo," she spat, grimacing. "Hey!" she groaned, her head throbbing from the impact. She lifted her head, her vision blurry. A pair of imposing black boots stood in front of her, their owner looming over her.
"Oh, that's right," she mumbled. With the dreaminess of sleep fading away, Sherry activated Chameleon to elongate her nose once more, doing so discreetly underneath her makeshift scarf. She felt a sense of relief that Epsilon had allowed her to keep some remnants of her old cloak.
Sherry's head was then yanked up by her hair, her eyes meeting the left eye of a dark elf. Her other eye remained closed for some reason. "Sleep is a privilege here, not a right. Understood?"
"Sure."
"The correct response is 'Yes, ma'am,' recruit."
"Yes, ma'am."
The grip on Sherry's hair loosened, letting her head hit the ground with another thud. The impact sent a jolt through her elongated nose, as if it were being pushed back into her face. "Ow!"
"On your feet."
Caressing her reddened nose, Sherry rose and dusted herself off. She surveyed her surroundings: she stood on the edge of a city, a sprawling forest on one side, an imposing stone wall on the other. Ebony-suited trainees— their suits made of the malleable, morphing slime— were engaged in aerial combat around her. Their slime blades clashed mid-air, producing showers of sparks.
The training grounds were a whirl of activity: Dark figures weaved amongst the towering, shadow-drenched trees of the nearby forest. Sherry struggled to follow the constant motion. The city beyond the wall exuded an unnerving mixture of silence and distant clamor. The air was filled with the sounds of grunts, commands, and the whistle of blades cutting through the air.
Yet, what struck Sherry most were the abundant statues of Shadow dispersed throughout the city. They were all identical, their faces veiled by the shadows of their hoods. Sherry suppressed the urge to vomit.
"Welcome to Shadow Garden, recruit."