Chapter 1 - Phoenix Downs and Perilous Prophecies
[I'm rewriting this of course and I'm changing quite a few things so the story will be longer and make more sense ^^ Enjoy! Oh, and I played more of ff7 and I somewhat know how Vincent acts and stuff. I took down the later chapters so I can get those done properly] As he lay on the icy granite floor, he groaned painfully as he felt most of the bruises and gashes all over his body sting at once. He slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the broken rock ceiling, only twelve feet above his body. The man struggled to get up slowly, wincing as he could feel the wounds bleed more and he rested his sore back on a large rock behind him. His long silver hair hung loosely over his shoulders, blanketing across his back as if it were a layer of proof that he was surely alive. The pain and sights were real. The ends of his long beautiful hair were soaked in blood... perhaps his own, perhaps someone else's. He closed his eyes again and sighed slowly, trying to clear his head properly.
'Who am I...' He asked himself in almost a silent plea. 'I am... The great Sephiroth... but... I thought I was dead... I'm still in North Crater...?'
He snapped his eyes open, upon hearing the sound of footsteps lightly walking across the ground, but it still echoed in the empty cave. He feared for the worst, seeing that he was basically defenseless within the state he was currently stuck as. He immediately reached for his grand and powerful blade at his side... only to find that it was not there at all. He looked around frantically, painfully seeing the Masamune ten feet beyond his reach. Sephiroth winced immensely and tried to stand up, only abling himself to fall back down to the floor in burning agony.
"Sit back and stay still..." Growled a voice from the shadows; echoing along the walls.
Sephiroth scowled... what did this person take him for? He wouldn't be able to stand up for barely a minute without falling back down from the bruises and wounds. He looked harder into the shadows that lay bleak in front of him; a curtain of darkness and death. As a completely black robbed figure stepped into the pool of light that he himself was sitting in, emitted from a hole in the cracked ceiling. The mysterious person, or even creature, walked up to him, holding a single bowl of some sort with both hands. The being stopped right in front of Sephiroth, lowering the bright emerald green gaze towards his facial features. Sephiroth glared back, ignoring how injured he looked as he tried to make the being back off.
The individual knelt down to his level and held the bowl in front of him, as an offering and spoke in a softer voice; Sephiroth automatically catching that it was a female. "Drink this and stay quiet..."
Sephiroth looked at the bowl and found its contents to only be water. He accepted it and started to drink some of it slowly, trying to steal a glance at the unknown person's facial features. She slowly pulled back one of the sleeves on one arm, revealing the very lightly tanned skin on her arm as she reached into one of the hidden compartments of her robes. Sephiroth took that idle moment to cleanse his face of the drying blood and to freshen himself up a bit; using the remaining water he had saved. He sighed slowly, enjoying the feeling of the cold water on his face. He glanced down as one of his hands were lightly grasped and pulled forward by the hand of the mysterious girl. A single multi-colored materia was set gracefully in the palm of his hand, and then his hand was eased closed around the dim colorful orb.
"The humans you have destroyed and slaughtered will now be released from death's hold." Started off the girl, setting one hand on her knee and the other on Sephiroth's fist. "The ruined and smoldered places will return to their once whole state, no explanation for the life around it. You are living and as will everything else mentioned... I am not a goddess, an immortal or any sort of spiritual guide... I am one in the same as are you one in the same. You are given a second chance to live your life, whether it is to destroy it once again or to live with it peacefully. I release you from the blackened orb and it shall remain with me, as will your weapon of death until the time is ripe for returning...."
She released her hand from Sephiroth's and held it out, the palm facing the ceiling as a small circle of light glowed dimly then the Black Materia sat in its place, reflecting the sunlight onto the walls in an extravagant fashion. She closed her hand, hiding the materia and the Masamune came shooting from the ground, straight towards the two. The girl shot her hand out with lightning reflexes and caught the mighty sword by the hilt, holding it completely still and horizontal.
"... That's not possible! No one can control or use the sword but me." Growled Sephiroth.
"That is true. I cannot wield the sword as expertly as the owner but I may stow it away for safe keeping... remember your chance, Great Sephiroth... for it is your only one..."
She stood up and backed off into the shadows, not tripping nor stumbling. It was as if she were one with the shadows as the sleeve slid smoothly back down her arm and she vanished completely into the darkness.
"Wait a moment... where are you going? What is your name?" Called out Sephiroth, only to bitterly get his own voice echoing throughout the cave in a mocking fashion.
He sighed once again, hanging his head down. He was getting no where and it looked like he would be stuck in North Crater for a long time. He opened his hand and lifted it to his eye level, balancing the fragile color changing orb on the palm of his hand. He raised an eyebrow slowly as the colors started getting brighter, and the material was warming up by every passing moment. Sephiroth dropped the materia on the cold floor and shielded his eyes with his forearm as the bright light got to an unbearable level. After the brief moment of silence, Sephiroth's sharp hearing could pick up the happy chirping of the morning birds. He eased his eyes open carefully, letting them slowly adjust to the brightness of the morning sun, which also warmed his bare back, and felt the soft grass along with the morning dew tickling his bare chest.
"... What's going on?" He asked himself out loud; sitting up carefully.
He looked down, seeing no flesh wounds, bruises or any more blood spilling from his insides. Thankfully to his relief, he still wore his long black pants and boots so he would not have to walk around nude. He glanced around where he was and his mako green eyes widened. He was sitting in the center of the yard of the Shinra Mansion. He glanced through the gates, at the still standing town. He stood up, and stretched slightly as he felt his back crack from his long death rest. He walked up to the mansion's front door and reached for the doorknob, pausing for a moment.
'... What the hell am I waiting for... I've been to this place before. I basically OWN this place.. sort of. Shouldn't be any different really... Come on, Sephiroth, stop acting like a wuss.' He scolded himself.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside the dark place. The floorboards creaked and groaned with each stride he took. The mansion looked somewhat in order... a little less dusty, but normal nonetheless. As he pushed the bookcase to the side and walked down the older rotting wood steps to the basement, Sephiroth could feel this chill down his spine. Half of it being that the temperature was dropping, and that something was bothering him at the back of his mind.
'... Someone else must be here...' He thought to himself.
He stopped at the center of the staircase and jumped down, allowing his mako-induced airborne powers to ease him to the floor safely. He walked down the corridor, glancing around the darkness and finally reached the old hidden lab and library. He pushed the heavy door open and heard a click, right behind his head. He shifted his bright gaze and looked behind him, his eyes narrowing into cat-like slits as he saw Vincent Valentine, holding his Death Penalty directly at his head. Vincent was certainly ready to kill Sephiroth right there and now, as he narrowed his red piercing eyes at him.
"How in hells name are you still living..." He growled deeply, feeling every band of hatred rise up to the surface. "No matter... you won't be after I'm through with you..."
[Annnnd, that's the redone chapter one ^^ I personally like this one better... so.. how was it, readers?]
[I'm rewriting this of course and I'm changing quite a few things so the story will be longer and make more sense ^^ Enjoy! Oh, and I played more of ff7 and I somewhat know how Vincent acts and stuff. I took down the later chapters so I can get those done properly] As he lay on the icy granite floor, he groaned painfully as he felt most of the bruises and gashes all over his body sting at once. He slowly opened his eyes, glancing at the broken rock ceiling, only twelve feet above his body. The man struggled to get up slowly, wincing as he could feel the wounds bleed more and he rested his sore back on a large rock behind him. His long silver hair hung loosely over his shoulders, blanketing across his back as if it were a layer of proof that he was surely alive. The pain and sights were real. The ends of his long beautiful hair were soaked in blood... perhaps his own, perhaps someone else's. He closed his eyes again and sighed slowly, trying to clear his head properly.
'Who am I...' He asked himself in almost a silent plea. 'I am... The great Sephiroth... but... I thought I was dead... I'm still in North Crater...?'
He snapped his eyes open, upon hearing the sound of footsteps lightly walking across the ground, but it still echoed in the empty cave. He feared for the worst, seeing that he was basically defenseless within the state he was currently stuck as. He immediately reached for his grand and powerful blade at his side... only to find that it was not there at all. He looked around frantically, painfully seeing the Masamune ten feet beyond his reach. Sephiroth winced immensely and tried to stand up, only abling himself to fall back down to the floor in burning agony.
"Sit back and stay still..." Growled a voice from the shadows; echoing along the walls.
Sephiroth scowled... what did this person take him for? He wouldn't be able to stand up for barely a minute without falling back down from the bruises and wounds. He looked harder into the shadows that lay bleak in front of him; a curtain of darkness and death. As a completely black robbed figure stepped into the pool of light that he himself was sitting in, emitted from a hole in the cracked ceiling. The mysterious person, or even creature, walked up to him, holding a single bowl of some sort with both hands. The being stopped right in front of Sephiroth, lowering the bright emerald green gaze towards his facial features. Sephiroth glared back, ignoring how injured he looked as he tried to make the being back off.
The individual knelt down to his level and held the bowl in front of him, as an offering and spoke in a softer voice; Sephiroth automatically catching that it was a female. "Drink this and stay quiet..."
Sephiroth looked at the bowl and found its contents to only be water. He accepted it and started to drink some of it slowly, trying to steal a glance at the unknown person's facial features. She slowly pulled back one of the sleeves on one arm, revealing the very lightly tanned skin on her arm as she reached into one of the hidden compartments of her robes. Sephiroth took that idle moment to cleanse his face of the drying blood and to freshen himself up a bit; using the remaining water he had saved. He sighed slowly, enjoying the feeling of the cold water on his face. He glanced down as one of his hands were lightly grasped and pulled forward by the hand of the mysterious girl. A single multi-colored materia was set gracefully in the palm of his hand, and then his hand was eased closed around the dim colorful orb.
"The humans you have destroyed and slaughtered will now be released from death's hold." Started off the girl, setting one hand on her knee and the other on Sephiroth's fist. "The ruined and smoldered places will return to their once whole state, no explanation for the life around it. You are living and as will everything else mentioned... I am not a goddess, an immortal or any sort of spiritual guide... I am one in the same as are you one in the same. You are given a second chance to live your life, whether it is to destroy it once again or to live with it peacefully. I release you from the blackened orb and it shall remain with me, as will your weapon of death until the time is ripe for returning...."
She released her hand from Sephiroth's and held it out, the palm facing the ceiling as a small circle of light glowed dimly then the Black Materia sat in its place, reflecting the sunlight onto the walls in an extravagant fashion. She closed her hand, hiding the materia and the Masamune came shooting from the ground, straight towards the two. The girl shot her hand out with lightning reflexes and caught the mighty sword by the hilt, holding it completely still and horizontal.
"... That's not possible! No one can control or use the sword but me." Growled Sephiroth.
"That is true. I cannot wield the sword as expertly as the owner but I may stow it away for safe keeping... remember your chance, Great Sephiroth... for it is your only one..."
She stood up and backed off into the shadows, not tripping nor stumbling. It was as if she were one with the shadows as the sleeve slid smoothly back down her arm and she vanished completely into the darkness.
"Wait a moment... where are you going? What is your name?" Called out Sephiroth, only to bitterly get his own voice echoing throughout the cave in a mocking fashion.
He sighed once again, hanging his head down. He was getting no where and it looked like he would be stuck in North Crater for a long time. He opened his hand and lifted it to his eye level, balancing the fragile color changing orb on the palm of his hand. He raised an eyebrow slowly as the colors started getting brighter, and the material was warming up by every passing moment. Sephiroth dropped the materia on the cold floor and shielded his eyes with his forearm as the bright light got to an unbearable level. After the brief moment of silence, Sephiroth's sharp hearing could pick up the happy chirping of the morning birds. He eased his eyes open carefully, letting them slowly adjust to the brightness of the morning sun, which also warmed his bare back, and felt the soft grass along with the morning dew tickling his bare chest.
"... What's going on?" He asked himself out loud; sitting up carefully.
He looked down, seeing no flesh wounds, bruises or any more blood spilling from his insides. Thankfully to his relief, he still wore his long black pants and boots so he would not have to walk around nude. He glanced around where he was and his mako green eyes widened. He was sitting in the center of the yard of the Shinra Mansion. He glanced through the gates, at the still standing town. He stood up, and stretched slightly as he felt his back crack from his long death rest. He walked up to the mansion's front door and reached for the doorknob, pausing for a moment.
'... What the hell am I waiting for... I've been to this place before. I basically OWN this place.. sort of. Shouldn't be any different really... Come on, Sephiroth, stop acting like a wuss.' He scolded himself.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside the dark place. The floorboards creaked and groaned with each stride he took. The mansion looked somewhat in order... a little less dusty, but normal nonetheless. As he pushed the bookcase to the side and walked down the older rotting wood steps to the basement, Sephiroth could feel this chill down his spine. Half of it being that the temperature was dropping, and that something was bothering him at the back of his mind.
'... Someone else must be here...' He thought to himself.
He stopped at the center of the staircase and jumped down, allowing his mako-induced airborne powers to ease him to the floor safely. He walked down the corridor, glancing around the darkness and finally reached the old hidden lab and library. He pushed the heavy door open and heard a click, right behind his head. He shifted his bright gaze and looked behind him, his eyes narrowing into cat-like slits as he saw Vincent Valentine, holding his Death Penalty directly at his head. Vincent was certainly ready to kill Sephiroth right there and now, as he narrowed his red piercing eyes at him.
"How in hells name are you still living..." He growled deeply, feeling every band of hatred rise up to the surface. "No matter... you won't be after I'm through with you..."
[Annnnd, that's the redone chapter one ^^ I personally like this one better... so.. how was it, readers?]