Greetings to you all! This is the first time I venture headlong into the world of fanfics of Final Fantasy VII as a writer, and as this was one of the games that marked me a lot in the past, now I come here to leave a tribute in its honor.

IMPORTANT POINTS BEFORE READING THIS STORY: 1) - I'm really going to screw some parts of the game's original plot, so if you are a diehard canon fan that doesn't accept changes, maybe you will not like to read this. 2) – If you are a Hojo fan this story is not for you, and Sephiroth will be portrayed as Vincent's son. 3) – To comprehend this story you will need some knowledge of the following titles: Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core, The Last Order, Advent Children and Dirge of Cerberus. 4) I'm not a native English speaker so forgive any misspelling it may be in here. 5) This will be a very long project, and since I'm currently into college and work, I cannot promise quickly updates, but I will not stop until I finish it. 6) - And for last as usual, Final Fantasy VII or any of its characters doesn't belong to me, this is for my own and others fans entertainment.

Now for those who have stayed, welcome and make yourselves comfortable to accompany me on this long journey. I hope you like it!

Sincerely,

Lyon Heitor ~ Altheryon

The Price of Freedom

"Soul wrought of terra corrupt, quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth an ultimate fate.

Behold mighty Chaos, Omega's squire to the lofty heavens."

Dr. Lucrecia Crescent - FFVII: Dirge of Cerberus

†

Prologue

The world was made of darkness and silence, stretching around him in the direction of infinity in a vastness where nothing seemed to exist beyond that imperturbable serenity. Time itself seemed to have stopped hurrying, as in an hourglass where the constant falling from the sand suddenly is interrupted for no apparent reason, and merging with the black immensity, the seconds, minutes and hours were transformed by the Lifestream and joined the universe with the promise of eternity.

Or was it only the prelude to death that after so many years had finally reached him?

Vincent Valentine didn't know.

"He narrowly escaped..."

Lying at the mercy of that surreal scenery, he felt his body float as if supported by the energies that ruled everything. He couldn't open his eyes or even move his body, but for the first time in a long, long time he felt at peace with a great sense of comfort filling his tortured spirit. It was as if he were naked with his soul fully exposed without the weigh of the scars that had marked his body or even the gauntlet that long ago had replaced his mutilated arm.

"The planet cannot bear it anymore... We do not have time..."

In that deep stillness, frowning, the man tried to remember the last events of his life and the facts that brought him to that strange and intriguing place, and at first his mind was not able to conjure anything to give him the answers he was looking for, but then slowly fragments of memories began to come back to him.

"Do you think he can do it...? He doesn't even know the truth about himself..."

"I believe in him..."

He remembered the war against Deepground... The shadows of Shinra's dark secret... Weiss... Hojo... The Omega's awakening and the destruction of Midgar... He remembered his friends fighting against enemies to soon after, one by one they began to fall... He remembered the power of Chaos awakening violently within himself and his body transforming at the same time it seemed to be being torn apart, then by the next instant, all become the deepest darkness.

"We have only one chance to send them... The last forces that still remains pure..."

"We cannot waste it with wrong choices..."

"He is the center of everything, always has been... How do you want the world and people to change if he doesn't have the opportunity to know and live the destiny that he was born to fulfill...?"

The silence that filled the mysterious darkness curiously began to manifest the voices of men and women who mingled with each other, speaking an unknown language that reached his ears in the form of an incomprehensible whisper.

"He needs to know..."

"Talk to him then... If he agrees... Don't take long... We do not have much time left..."

What was happening? He tried to move again, but his body did not obey him, and the man felt his spirit restless and worried. It was at this moment that strangely disjointed whispers stopped completely and he clearly felt a presence at his side. Two hands touched his face gently, caressing him tenderly.

"Vincent..."

He stood completely still, his heart filled with surprise as he heard that soft, melodious voice calling his name, so familiar and unmistakable, for it had always been marked in his memories. And as if realizing that inwardly he had recognized her, the woman's voice spoke to him again and her words seemed to be endowed with a sad smile.

"Vincent... My dear Vincent... Even after all this time... Even after everything I've done... Here, at the end of everything… I'm happy... I'm glad to see you again..."

The woman's name came to his mind, echoing clearly and sharply, and the man wished he could open his eyes to look at her face.

"The world has undergone so many changes… Things tend to disappear over time, as it does for many of the things that exist in the universe... And yet you never let everything that happened between us disappear completely… You always remembered me, even after my many mistakes, even after I had hurt you so much... Forgive me... I don't know why I did what I did..."

The man felt moved; he wanted to be able to tell her that he no longer cared about the past, that he never blamed her for the things that happened, that he understood her, that the only thing he wanted was for her to be happy, but his lips against his will didn't move, remaining sealed, and he silently inquired of the strange place where they both were.

She gently called him back.

"Vincent... This planet is dying... Everything we have done, our memories... Everything our friends have built together... Omega is withdrawing the Lifestream that flows into the heart of our world to lead it through the ethereal abyss of the universe, to allow a new beginning in a very, very far place beyond the infinite sea of stars... Soon everything we know will cease to exist... You were born to fulfill a great destiny... A destiny which was concealed from you since your childhood... Your naiveté and innocence contributed unintentionally to the condemnation of this world, but this was never your fault... You lived in ignorance of the oblivion that was imposed on you by third parts... It is not your fault..."

He felt one of her hands leave his face and land on his chest, over his heart.

"Your body was never properly prepared for this... You never fully awakened, and the power of Chaos is now destroying you... You too are dying..."

There was sadness in her words that seemed to envelop him in a comforting embrace, as if it wanted to try to soften the impact of that information, and although Vincent was at first surprised, it was not difficult for him to accept. She caressed his face again, and as if she were shaking her head, disagreeing with his easy resignation, the woman went on.

"The Cetras who once denied you wish to offer you a second chance... A chance to know your true past, to learn about your origins and to live this destiny that was wrongly denied from you... A chance to take with you the memories from this reality so you may also change our world... A chance to save this planet and all of us... They wonder if you would accept relive those years... If you would agree to go through all the arduous trials again... If you could live with this knowledge... If you could also forgive them..."

Internally he frowned without being able to fully comprehend her words, although in his heart he already knew that if he had a unique opportunity to truly change everything that had happened in the past he would not hesitate to do so, and as if aware of this decision, she whispered softly.

"Oh Vincent... If I had the same mind of today at that time... I finally realized my true feelings... After so long... And even being selfish on my part, I would like to believe that it's not too late for us yet... Vincent... Do not forget... You will not be alone... And when we meet again... Please... I beg you... Me and Sephiroth... Don't give up on us..."

Suddenly her soft touch disappeared and he immediately missed it; a strange sensation struck him and he began to slowly feel his senses return, as did the movement of his hands, arms, legs, and completely regaining control of himself, he opened his eyes and jumped, sitting on the bed and stretching out his arms in front of him.

"Lucrecia!" He called out in a weak and choked whisper, but couldn't find her.

He was completely alone.

Coughing hard, wondering if it was a dream or some kind of reverie, Vincent looked at his hands and dazed suddenly realized that both were made of flesh and bone and there was no sign of the golden gauntlet, revealing only white skin free of the scars that had so long marked his body.

Impossible...

Watching them better he also noticed that there was something very wrong; they seemed disproportionate, small, and looking around he noticed that he was in a simple white-walled room without any furniture beyond the modest bed where he was sitting, a wardrobe and a small mirror hanging not so far away.

Trembling and confused, Vincent stood up abruptly and staggered awkwardly a few steps, as if completely unfit, and walking slowly he forced himself to move on until he stood in front of the desired object.

"What the..." He murmured in surprise.

In the mirror he saw a boy who appeared to be no more than five years old, with fair skin, short silver hair and deep brown eyes, which reflected on his small shocked face the same horror and astonishment he felt.