Chapter 1 - Pain Reborn

A pain that haunts for decades on end

A pain that pierces the depths untold

A decade meliorates a devastated heart

A Return that awakens the fearful heart

Wiping away my tears, I did a perfectly executed back-flip and landed on one of the remaining poles of an electrical tower. The devastation that was Midgar was horrible. The skies rained columns and heavy blocks which then exploded into bits of debris upon contact with the ground.

Time was running out.

Bracing myself, I held both my hands out and prepared myself. As a familiar figure with golden spiky hair was hoisted towards me, I lowered my arms and waited until the perfect moment to give him another energizing boost towards where Vincent was waiting on a horizontal stone beam to do his part of the job.

It felt good to be working together once again.

Cloud gained momentum as each and every of our old teammates joined forces to elevate him to face our biggest nemesis.

Finally, Cloud was heaved into the thick clouds where I could see him no more. Soon after which, there came the sound of swords clashing.

The masamune.

I gasped in horror. Nothing in this world could ever annihilate the memory of the horrendously fatal sword thrust at me from above.

It was a decade ago.

Most of all, it was the sound the masamune made that etched itself deep into my mind.

Do you believe that every sword speaks?

They, like us…have emotions.

The masamune shrieks with pleasure as its shiny edge comes into proximity with a target. I hear Cloud summoning his ultimate sword attack and directing his nine swords at our enemy.

Sinister squeals of excitement emanating from the cursed sword danced around me with glee, encircling me and imprisoning me. Petrified, I raised my hands to cover my ears in an attempt to suppress the pandemonium that had managed to find its way into my mind.

Stop.

Somebody please.

Stop this.

Feeling a little unsteady, I suddenly felt myself lunge headfirst into the ruins below as I lost footing on the narrow space I was on.

"Tifa!" Yuffie cried out in alarm as I plummeted past her, making a beeline for the Central Tower where Bahamut was earlier chained.

I know all my other teammates looked down terror stricken when they heard Yuffie's high-pitched scream and saw her miss catching me.

The view I last had of Yuffie was her frightened face and her right arm outstretched to grab me. It suddenly turned dark and I realized that there was a metal beam above me that was slashing through the winds, falling to the ground at incredible speed.

Oh my god.

Too tired from exhaustion, I let my eyes close. If I was to die at the hands or bottom of a beam for that matter…then let it be such.

And God came.

Suddenly, I felt strong arms grabbing me from mid-air and whisking me away!

Seconds later, the deafening crash of the metal beam nearly burst my ear-drums as it landed a few meters away from me onto the Central Tower which then collapsed under the tremendous beam like a house of cards.

My eyes widened in absolute shock as I let my gaze roam over the shattered pieces of metal and glass.

Such was the magnitude of my horrified fascination that I did not even think to look at who my rescuer was. Why, I might have been added to that collection of wreakage, I mused.

My hero let me down on the ground safely and swift as the gales, disappeared as quickly as he had appeared.

"Wait!" I finally turned around to acknowledge my benefactor but only caught a glimpse of what was to rattle the very depths of my soul.

Those emerald green seas of menace and oblivion.

Where the moon of humanity is eclipsed.

Where the chains of insanity proliferates.

Where pain is reborn.