Post by Sephiroth X on Dec 3, 2007 2:11:17 GMT -5
(Merger of Chapters 01 and 03)
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*It was the first peaceful night of sleep Sephiroth X had in a long time. His head hit the pillow and there were no nightmares, no visions, no screams, and no haunting feelings of a slain enemy. The only thing he could feel was the warmth of Catrina against his chest as they both slept. As he slept a small smirk crept onto his face… he had won his war, he no longer was bogged by the responsibility of vengeance.
KABOOOOOOOM!
*X’s eyes opened slightly as he heard progressively fading echoes of a loud crack of thunder rattle Midgar. Seph turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder towards the room’s window. The thunder that woke him up was something you’d expect from some epic perfect storm and yet there wasn’t even rain or wind… the moon was even still lighting up everything outside. Seph slid out of bed and slipped on a pair of his black pants as he stepped over to the window and got a better look at everything outside. The ground wasn’t even wet from any rain… so a storm couldn’t have just passed. There was no breeze in the city either, everything was calmer then an eye of a hurricane… It was almost too calm…
*A very thin light of fog was the only thing even slightly out of the ordinary outside, it was so thin enough were you could easily see shapes and light fixtures through it yet still thick enough to conceal someone who was trying to hide. Something wasn’t right about this, an uneasy feeling sank into X’s gut as a gentle cold wind then ran down the street pushing the fog down the road a slight ways almost like a ghostly entity. As the fog crept further down the road the calm breeze vanished, and as it did Seph could hear something echo from down the road in the direction the fog went… the sound of a couple soft footsteps. Seph’s eyes darted down the road towards the remaining fog and the source of the footsteps, promptly he grabbed his black overcoat and strapped it on while fastening the sheathed Masamune to his side. As Seph turned around to walk out of the room and outside he stopped and gazed at Catrina who was still lying asleep in bed. He turned slightly and looked over his shoulder back outside, through the moonlight he could see a couple of crows perched atop a street lamp.
Sephiroth X- Surely that thunder should have scared away those birds, and probably wake Catrina as well if it could wake me.
*Seph felt his gut sink a little deeper, something just wasn’t right here. He took a few more steps toward the door before looking at his love once again and softly kissing her on her forehead. Quietly Seph then left the room, and just as he stepped out the sleeping Catrina moved slightly within her sleep almost as if reacting to her lover’s departure.
*Sephiroth X stepped out of the gymnasium’s side exit and onto the sidewalk of the road he was watching from his room. His eye’s slowly panned up and down the roadway looking for anything out of the ordinary, and after a few moments another gentle cold breeze ran down the road. X’s silver hair flared a little bit in the breeze almost like the wind was making it point to the direction Seph needed to go. As the warrior of prosperity turned to look down the road in the direction the wind was seemingly urging him to, the crows on the light fixture near him cawed and flew off into the nighttime sky. Down the road Seph could see the thin cloud of fog that lurked outside the window to his room, and the breeze stopped almost simultaneously with his eyes meeting the fog. Towards the center of the road Seph stepped before moving towards the eerie fog, after a few steps the sound of a faint breath of satisfaction came from down the road ahead of him… it chilled Seph down to the bone almost, sounding almost like the sound a vampire would make before placing its fangs in its victim’s neck. Another familiar breeze ran past X, this time instead of going down the street it felt more like a left to right motion. The fog ahead of him dissipated a little but then crept from the street down into an adjacent alley.
*X stopped for a few moments watching the fog creep again almost as if it was leading him someplace. Slowly X began his pace again before noticing one more thing that was definitely counteracting his attempts to keep himself even keel… the street seemed far too empty as well. Midgar wasn’t nearly as active as the Super City but Midgar was a major city none the less, there were no late night people lurking the streets, no bums on the curb, no lights were even coming on from within any buildings linked to this road… it was like everything was dead and lifeless. As Seph walked down the road his eyes kept check of his surroundings looking for anything out of the ordinary, little did he know of what was going on around him and the significance it carried to him. The occasional streetlight flickered behind him in an unusual manner, and as X paced down the street one building he walked past was one consisting of mostly a glass paneled side that reflected what was out on the street. Seph walked past it casting his own reflection on it, which he didn’t pay attention to as he kept going down the road. However as he walked passed reflective panel after reflective panel, on one panel specifically Seph’s reflection was not there… it was momentarily replaced with an entirely different figure who’s face was gazing directly at Seph in the road with a determined yet confident look.
*Another cold chill ran down Seph’s spine as he stopped and slowly turned his head towards the reflective window. As he looked towards the window he simply saw his own reflection gazing at him… X expected something else for whatever weird reason. Then Seph heard another spine chilling hiss come from the fog leading into the alley. X’s head darted back towards the source of the sound and he saw the remnants of the fog suddenly suck into the alley, and as the very last bits of it crept away Seph heard the sounds of footsteps once again and then with the last bits of fog… Seph saw what looked like feet walking into the alley, and the tail end of a black cape.
*X stared at the alley for a split second completely motionless, a train of dark horrid thoughts running through his mind that led to a realization he did not want to accept. Then, like a bullet shot from a gun, X darted down the street and sharply turned into dark alley. The concrete in the alley was coated with a very thin layer of fog, almost like a breadcrumb trail. Sephiroth X hustled down the trail making haste as he hurdled garbage cans and various debris that littered the alley. X leapt towards one of the walls in the alley and kicked off of it to change his direction into another adjacent alley that continued the fog trail without losing a bit of speed. X sprinted down the new alley but promptly saw the trail of fog turn another direction, Seph went into a baseball slide and quickly planted his extended leg and his momentum shot him back up to a standing position as he redirected down the new alley. Faster and faster X ran, chasing down the very fear that he essentially was running from. As he kept going the trail lead him down more dreary alleys, never crossing any major street. The fog trail got thinner and thinner, X wondered if he was somehow getting further away from his destination or in fact was getting closer. The fog trail X was chasing ended at a crossroads of alleys… X faced three paths and therefore three potential destinations, he stood ready as his eyes looked to his left, his right, and then dead ahead looking for a sign of which way to go.
Caw!
*A distant crow from X’s left was the only sign he had and he acted upon it. X chose the alley to his left and continued his sprint, this alley had no further crossroads as it simply altered directions a couple of times while nervous tension in Seph’s stomach continued to build with every gallop he took.
*The alley took one final turn to the left and X stopped in place immediately upon making the turn. Before him was a large opening and from what X could tell it was the remnants of an old park. He could see a couple of broken wood fences outlining this opening along with the base of a swing-set and bench… everything else X could not see because a dense cloud of fog hovered within the opening. With his eyes slowly panning the area X slowly took a few steps forward into the fog, there was a reaction that was near instant as he walked in as well, the sound of crows cawing echoed off the building walls surrounding the area. X stopped in place as the birds ending making their noise and then the bone chilling sound he heard before returned for a moment almost as if it was satisfied knowing X was there. In the distance Sephiroth X could hear the echo of footsteps that slowly grew closer, X’s eyes focused on one spot in the distance as his ears pinpointed the source of the footsteps through the fog. A chilling wind slowly blew through the opening towards X as the fog also crept towards and around him while at the same time beginning to lift. Seph could hear the crows caw one more time before hearing their wings flap and fly away. The footsteps grew closer and as the fog lifted X slowly could begin seeing the source of them in the distance… Whether he wanted to see the source was another matter however.
*Parts of the figure could be seen while others couldn’t, it was like the figure was phasing in and out of the visual spectrum while at the same time gliding through the lifting fog. More and more of the figure became visible revealing a figure in a hooded cloak clad in black. The hood was over the person’s head and covering a head that was looking downwards. As the figure walked closer to X it slowly began raising its head, the face of the figure could not be seen over the darkness the hood cast upon it. But X could sense eyes looking at him and as X had that feeling one final gust of cold win blew through the opening that pushed all of the fog away from the dark figure and was to force out the fog entirely. Then from underneath the dark hood of the figure a gold eye lit up with life that gazed directly at Sephiroth X while continuing to walk closer to X.
*Before Sephiroth X stood the man X had slain a few weeks ago, Dark Crono.
Dark Crono - The failed experiment…
*Sephiroth X stood still, glaring at Crono with a subtle intensity.
Dark Crono - A denomination you, in all probability, feel is unbefitting.
Sephiroth X – You could say that… I’d prefer Warrior of Prosperity over it…
Dark Crono - Fanciful nomenclature created by the weak-minded. A title as counterfactual as it is aged when rested upon your shoulders.
*X could feel the imposing gaze of Crono’s gold eye beating down upon him trying to force him into the helpless state that it had reduced him to many times in the past. But as Seph fought off the gaze he could sense something different about Crono, in a way more imposing and maybe even more powerful. In the skies above them clouds slowly started gathering.
Sephiroth X – So regardless, to you I am your failed experiment.
Dark Crono - Always.
Sephiroth X – Even though you fell to my blade once already.
Dark Crono - Your blade felled a polluted foe, dilute and impure. An impurity that, for now, has been purged.
*In the back of X’s mind the words “Forgive me” rang through once again… those weren’t words X ever naturally linked to Crono, were those words the origin of what Crono was referring to? X felt as if a bit of the picture cleared a little. While this was all occurring the clouds in the sky grew darker.
Sephiroth X – Why are you here, Crono?
Dark Crono – A mortal mind would contemplate my existence in the context of the tangible, while it should be viewed through a much higher level of thinking. However, I will annotate for your rudimentary criteria.
*Dark Crono slowly began pacing around Sephiroth X, similar to a predator stalking prey. X’s eyes kept their lock on Crono, his head slowly turning as well.
Dark Crono – Without the day, there cannot be night. Similarly, one cannot define light without a shadow being cast. I am not satiated with this existence, nor am I allowed to leave it, so long as you inhabit this plain of reality. And because of that, I stand before you now.
Sephiroth X – What you say may be true, but you’re neglecting the truth that I’ve grown far stronger since our battle…
*While Seph spoke Crono circled around and was in front of X again. X unsheathed the Masamune and held it out in front of him with the tip touching the concrete ground, marking a metaphoric line for Crono to cross. The nighttime sky above was no longer covered in darkness and stars, but in the dark looming storm above.
Sephiroth X - …and I will finish what I started.
Dark Crono – A noble statement from a mere mortal…
*Crono faced Sephiroth X directly, ending his circular pacing. Dark Crono held his hands behind him.
Dark Crono – Like night and day we share something in common with the circular nature of life...
*Behind Dark Crono’s back dark matter started to gather and began forming the Mastermune. While he spoke, Crono was thinking about a theory he already knew the answer to.
Dark Crono – …Balance.
*Sephiroth X’s grip on the Masamune tightened, tension rising within him as he rekindled his hate for Crono.
Dark Crono – And because of that, you will always be…
*The Mastermune completed materializing behind Dark Crono while he saw the tightening grip X had on the Masamune.
Dark Crono – …The failed experiment.
*Those words were enough to provoke X into action and he swung the Masamune at his arch foe. As he saw X begin his attacking motions Dark Crono brought the Mastermune around from his back and quickly blocked the incoming attack. Seph pressed his blade against the Mastermune for a second, slightly surprised that Crono had his weapon ready without X knowing. X stepped back and then slashed at Crono again and with a staff-like twirl of the Mastermune Dark Crono deflected the attack and promptly started his own offensive with left and right strikes. Sephiroth X deflected the flurry of attacks while backpedaling and as he blocked another attack X planted his back foot and then ducked under one of Crono’s slashes. From his crouched stance Seph shot upwards at Crono and then back-flipped with one leg extended connecting Crono in the jaw with his attack sending the dark one flying back several feet. Seph finished his flip and landed on one knee looking forward to see Crono regain control of himself in mid air and land in a similar one-knee stance behind a park bench. The hood of Dark Crono fell back revealing his face as he rose his head towards the direction of his silver haired foe.
*X immediately air-dashed towards Dark Crono and slashed at him slicing the park bench in two. Crono somersaulted backwards to get just out of the Masamune’s range and then got himself back up to a standing position. X ran in between the park bench halves and slashed once more at Crono, whom met X’s attack with a slash of his own. The force of the impact sent both their weapons backwards and the wielders off balance for a split second as they both stepped back one step to regain control. Seph then came at Crono with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at Crono’s head. Crono leaned backwards to barely avoid the incoming foot of Sephiroth X and as the attack whooshed in front of him Crono began a similar spinning motion and retaliated with a near mirrored style roundhouse kick. X planted his kicking foot just as he saw Crono’s kick coming towards him even faster than X’s own kick. Seph bent backwards and turned his head as he could feel the air around Crono’s boot whoosh by at a dangerously close distance. Sephiroth X shot his body back up and with it held the Masamune above his head slashing down at Crono with all his might. As Crono finished his spin from the roundhouse kick he could sense X’s attack coming down towards him and using the momentum from his own spinning shot the Mastermune at Sephiroth X. Both weapons furiously clashed and the two fighters stood in their stances exerting strength through their weapons at each other.
*Sephiroth X looked into the eyes of his opponent with a profound anger. In his mind however frustration was quickly building. He’s matching everything I’m throwing at him despite defeating Crono already once and growing noticeably stronger through the Element of Prosperity… Dark Crono was fighting at an equal level to Sephiroth X.
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*Catrina stepped out from the door of the Midgar gymnasium dressed in her normal clothes. She was awakened by an empty feeling she had both in her bed and in her mind. It unsettled her when Seph wasn’t in their impromptu home, and after she dressed and stepped outside it unsettled her a little more that he wasn’t nearby. Her eye’s panned around the area hoping to find a sign of her love, but it was to no avail and she wondered where Seph had gone. Catrina stepped out near the edge of the sidewalk and looked up and down the street seeing nobody at all and taking notice of the occasional flickering street light. She looked up in the sky and noticed the clouds were building possibly indicating a storm coming.
*Suddenly a cold feeling ran through her as images suddenly flashed into her mind. She saw images of swords clashing, she saw images of Sephiroth X in an intense fight. Then she saw images of his adversary, flashes of the hooded figure, the golden eye, the pale skin, and the red hair of Dark Crono. A feeling of unimaginable fear overwhelmed her.
Catrina – No… Please no…
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*X and Crono stood with their blades grinding against each other with their eyes focused on each other. A small smirk of confidence was visible on Crono’s face while anger and frustration were creeping onto Seph’s face. The green eyes of Sephiroth X flared up with light as X summoned more of his strength and began pushing the Mastermune backwards a few steps. Seph pulled one of his hands off the handle of the Masamune quickly and then slammed a powerful punch into the face of Dark Crono, as Crono then staggered back X slashed at Crono again. Crono ducked under the blade and then leapt high into the air and landed on a rooftop bordering the urban battleground. Sephiroth sprung up going airborne as well flying directly at Crono. X slashed while still in the air and as Crono blocked the attack Seph flipped over Crono and landed behind him.
*The two fighters exchanged fierce attacks with each person parrying and trying to out-do the other. Sparks flew from the blades with every clash as their weapons began moving so fast that they became blurs. Neither fighter could gain an offensive as they seemed to balance out each other almost perfectly. X and Crono started throwing another barrage of fast pace slashes at each other that cumulated with one powerful clash that sent both of them flying a few yards backwards, both fighters quickly landed on their feet and got into fighting stances.
*Then something happened, something that brought both of them to a complete standstill. Sephiroth X and Dark Crono both suddenly sensed something beyond profound, something that made the air in their lungs go stale while feeling like their hearts skipped a beat... and the strength they both sensed wasn’t coming from either of them.
*It was coming from someone else…
*The expressions on the faces of both X and Crono reflected similar feelings of uncertainty, wonder, and borderline fear. They sensed something stronger than anything in their imagination as total silence befell the area. That silence was interrupted by one thing.
*The ringing, chilling sound of an air raid siren.
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*It was the first peaceful night of sleep Sephiroth X had in a long time. His head hit the pillow and there were no nightmares, no visions, no screams, and no haunting feelings of a slain enemy. The only thing he could feel was the warmth of Catrina against his chest as they both slept. As he slept a small smirk crept onto his face… he had won his war, he no longer was bogged by the responsibility of vengeance.
KABOOOOOOOM!
*X’s eyes opened slightly as he heard progressively fading echoes of a loud crack of thunder rattle Midgar. Seph turned his head slightly to look over his shoulder towards the room’s window. The thunder that woke him up was something you’d expect from some epic perfect storm and yet there wasn’t even rain or wind… the moon was even still lighting up everything outside. Seph slid out of bed and slipped on a pair of his black pants as he stepped over to the window and got a better look at everything outside. The ground wasn’t even wet from any rain… so a storm couldn’t have just passed. There was no breeze in the city either, everything was calmer then an eye of a hurricane… It was almost too calm…
*A very thin light of fog was the only thing even slightly out of the ordinary outside, it was so thin enough were you could easily see shapes and light fixtures through it yet still thick enough to conceal someone who was trying to hide. Something wasn’t right about this, an uneasy feeling sank into X’s gut as a gentle cold wind then ran down the street pushing the fog down the road a slight ways almost like a ghostly entity. As the fog crept further down the road the calm breeze vanished, and as it did Seph could hear something echo from down the road in the direction the fog went… the sound of a couple soft footsteps. Seph’s eyes darted down the road towards the remaining fog and the source of the footsteps, promptly he grabbed his black overcoat and strapped it on while fastening the sheathed Masamune to his side. As Seph turned around to walk out of the room and outside he stopped and gazed at Catrina who was still lying asleep in bed. He turned slightly and looked over his shoulder back outside, through the moonlight he could see a couple of crows perched atop a street lamp.
Sephiroth X- Surely that thunder should have scared away those birds, and probably wake Catrina as well if it could wake me.
*Seph felt his gut sink a little deeper, something just wasn’t right here. He took a few more steps toward the door before looking at his love once again and softly kissing her on her forehead. Quietly Seph then left the room, and just as he stepped out the sleeping Catrina moved slightly within her sleep almost as if reacting to her lover’s departure.
*Sephiroth X stepped out of the gymnasium’s side exit and onto the sidewalk of the road he was watching from his room. His eye’s slowly panned up and down the roadway looking for anything out of the ordinary, and after a few moments another gentle cold breeze ran down the road. X’s silver hair flared a little bit in the breeze almost like the wind was making it point to the direction Seph needed to go. As the warrior of prosperity turned to look down the road in the direction the wind was seemingly urging him to, the crows on the light fixture near him cawed and flew off into the nighttime sky. Down the road Seph could see the thin cloud of fog that lurked outside the window to his room, and the breeze stopped almost simultaneously with his eyes meeting the fog. Towards the center of the road Seph stepped before moving towards the eerie fog, after a few steps the sound of a faint breath of satisfaction came from down the road ahead of him… it chilled Seph down to the bone almost, sounding almost like the sound a vampire would make before placing its fangs in its victim’s neck. Another familiar breeze ran past X, this time instead of going down the street it felt more like a left to right motion. The fog ahead of him dissipated a little but then crept from the street down into an adjacent alley.
*X stopped for a few moments watching the fog creep again almost as if it was leading him someplace. Slowly X began his pace again before noticing one more thing that was definitely counteracting his attempts to keep himself even keel… the street seemed far too empty as well. Midgar wasn’t nearly as active as the Super City but Midgar was a major city none the less, there were no late night people lurking the streets, no bums on the curb, no lights were even coming on from within any buildings linked to this road… it was like everything was dead and lifeless. As Seph walked down the road his eyes kept check of his surroundings looking for anything out of the ordinary, little did he know of what was going on around him and the significance it carried to him. The occasional streetlight flickered behind him in an unusual manner, and as X paced down the street one building he walked past was one consisting of mostly a glass paneled side that reflected what was out on the street. Seph walked past it casting his own reflection on it, which he didn’t pay attention to as he kept going down the road. However as he walked passed reflective panel after reflective panel, on one panel specifically Seph’s reflection was not there… it was momentarily replaced with an entirely different figure who’s face was gazing directly at Seph in the road with a determined yet confident look.
*Another cold chill ran down Seph’s spine as he stopped and slowly turned his head towards the reflective window. As he looked towards the window he simply saw his own reflection gazing at him… X expected something else for whatever weird reason. Then Seph heard another spine chilling hiss come from the fog leading into the alley. X’s head darted back towards the source of the sound and he saw the remnants of the fog suddenly suck into the alley, and as the very last bits of it crept away Seph heard the sounds of footsteps once again and then with the last bits of fog… Seph saw what looked like feet walking into the alley, and the tail end of a black cape.
*X stared at the alley for a split second completely motionless, a train of dark horrid thoughts running through his mind that led to a realization he did not want to accept. Then, like a bullet shot from a gun, X darted down the street and sharply turned into dark alley. The concrete in the alley was coated with a very thin layer of fog, almost like a breadcrumb trail. Sephiroth X hustled down the trail making haste as he hurdled garbage cans and various debris that littered the alley. X leapt towards one of the walls in the alley and kicked off of it to change his direction into another adjacent alley that continued the fog trail without losing a bit of speed. X sprinted down the new alley but promptly saw the trail of fog turn another direction, Seph went into a baseball slide and quickly planted his extended leg and his momentum shot him back up to a standing position as he redirected down the new alley. Faster and faster X ran, chasing down the very fear that he essentially was running from. As he kept going the trail lead him down more dreary alleys, never crossing any major street. The fog trail got thinner and thinner, X wondered if he was somehow getting further away from his destination or in fact was getting closer. The fog trail X was chasing ended at a crossroads of alleys… X faced three paths and therefore three potential destinations, he stood ready as his eyes looked to his left, his right, and then dead ahead looking for a sign of which way to go.
Caw!
*A distant crow from X’s left was the only sign he had and he acted upon it. X chose the alley to his left and continued his sprint, this alley had no further crossroads as it simply altered directions a couple of times while nervous tension in Seph’s stomach continued to build with every gallop he took.
*The alley took one final turn to the left and X stopped in place immediately upon making the turn. Before him was a large opening and from what X could tell it was the remnants of an old park. He could see a couple of broken wood fences outlining this opening along with the base of a swing-set and bench… everything else X could not see because a dense cloud of fog hovered within the opening. With his eyes slowly panning the area X slowly took a few steps forward into the fog, there was a reaction that was near instant as he walked in as well, the sound of crows cawing echoed off the building walls surrounding the area. X stopped in place as the birds ending making their noise and then the bone chilling sound he heard before returned for a moment almost as if it was satisfied knowing X was there. In the distance Sephiroth X could hear the echo of footsteps that slowly grew closer, X’s eyes focused on one spot in the distance as his ears pinpointed the source of the footsteps through the fog. A chilling wind slowly blew through the opening towards X as the fog also crept towards and around him while at the same time beginning to lift. Seph could hear the crows caw one more time before hearing their wings flap and fly away. The footsteps grew closer and as the fog lifted X slowly could begin seeing the source of them in the distance… Whether he wanted to see the source was another matter however.
*Parts of the figure could be seen while others couldn’t, it was like the figure was phasing in and out of the visual spectrum while at the same time gliding through the lifting fog. More and more of the figure became visible revealing a figure in a hooded cloak clad in black. The hood was over the person’s head and covering a head that was looking downwards. As the figure walked closer to X it slowly began raising its head, the face of the figure could not be seen over the darkness the hood cast upon it. But X could sense eyes looking at him and as X had that feeling one final gust of cold win blew through the opening that pushed all of the fog away from the dark figure and was to force out the fog entirely. Then from underneath the dark hood of the figure a gold eye lit up with life that gazed directly at Sephiroth X while continuing to walk closer to X.
*Before Sephiroth X stood the man X had slain a few weeks ago, Dark Crono.
Dark Crono - The failed experiment…
*Sephiroth X stood still, glaring at Crono with a subtle intensity.
Dark Crono - A denomination you, in all probability, feel is unbefitting.
Sephiroth X – You could say that… I’d prefer Warrior of Prosperity over it…
Dark Crono - Fanciful nomenclature created by the weak-minded. A title as counterfactual as it is aged when rested upon your shoulders.
*X could feel the imposing gaze of Crono’s gold eye beating down upon him trying to force him into the helpless state that it had reduced him to many times in the past. But as Seph fought off the gaze he could sense something different about Crono, in a way more imposing and maybe even more powerful. In the skies above them clouds slowly started gathering.
Sephiroth X – So regardless, to you I am your failed experiment.
Dark Crono - Always.
Sephiroth X – Even though you fell to my blade once already.
Dark Crono - Your blade felled a polluted foe, dilute and impure. An impurity that, for now, has been purged.
*In the back of X’s mind the words “Forgive me” rang through once again… those weren’t words X ever naturally linked to Crono, were those words the origin of what Crono was referring to? X felt as if a bit of the picture cleared a little. While this was all occurring the clouds in the sky grew darker.
Sephiroth X – Why are you here, Crono?
Dark Crono – A mortal mind would contemplate my existence in the context of the tangible, while it should be viewed through a much higher level of thinking. However, I will annotate for your rudimentary criteria.
*Dark Crono slowly began pacing around Sephiroth X, similar to a predator stalking prey. X’s eyes kept their lock on Crono, his head slowly turning as well.
Dark Crono – Without the day, there cannot be night. Similarly, one cannot define light without a shadow being cast. I am not satiated with this existence, nor am I allowed to leave it, so long as you inhabit this plain of reality. And because of that, I stand before you now.
Sephiroth X – What you say may be true, but you’re neglecting the truth that I’ve grown far stronger since our battle…
*While Seph spoke Crono circled around and was in front of X again. X unsheathed the Masamune and held it out in front of him with the tip touching the concrete ground, marking a metaphoric line for Crono to cross. The nighttime sky above was no longer covered in darkness and stars, but in the dark looming storm above.
Sephiroth X - …and I will finish what I started.
Dark Crono – A noble statement from a mere mortal…
*Crono faced Sephiroth X directly, ending his circular pacing. Dark Crono held his hands behind him.
Dark Crono – Like night and day we share something in common with the circular nature of life...
*Behind Dark Crono’s back dark matter started to gather and began forming the Mastermune. While he spoke, Crono was thinking about a theory he already knew the answer to.
Dark Crono – …Balance.
*Sephiroth X’s grip on the Masamune tightened, tension rising within him as he rekindled his hate for Crono.
Dark Crono – And because of that, you will always be…
*The Mastermune completed materializing behind Dark Crono while he saw the tightening grip X had on the Masamune.
Dark Crono – …The failed experiment.
*Those words were enough to provoke X into action and he swung the Masamune at his arch foe. As he saw X begin his attacking motions Dark Crono brought the Mastermune around from his back and quickly blocked the incoming attack. Seph pressed his blade against the Mastermune for a second, slightly surprised that Crono had his weapon ready without X knowing. X stepped back and then slashed at Crono again and with a staff-like twirl of the Mastermune Dark Crono deflected the attack and promptly started his own offensive with left and right strikes. Sephiroth X deflected the flurry of attacks while backpedaling and as he blocked another attack X planted his back foot and then ducked under one of Crono’s slashes. From his crouched stance Seph shot upwards at Crono and then back-flipped with one leg extended connecting Crono in the jaw with his attack sending the dark one flying back several feet. Seph finished his flip and landed on one knee looking forward to see Crono regain control of himself in mid air and land in a similar one-knee stance behind a park bench. The hood of Dark Crono fell back revealing his face as he rose his head towards the direction of his silver haired foe.
*X immediately air-dashed towards Dark Crono and slashed at him slicing the park bench in two. Crono somersaulted backwards to get just out of the Masamune’s range and then got himself back up to a standing position. X ran in between the park bench halves and slashed once more at Crono, whom met X’s attack with a slash of his own. The force of the impact sent both their weapons backwards and the wielders off balance for a split second as they both stepped back one step to regain control. Seph then came at Crono with a powerful roundhouse kick aimed at Crono’s head. Crono leaned backwards to barely avoid the incoming foot of Sephiroth X and as the attack whooshed in front of him Crono began a similar spinning motion and retaliated with a near mirrored style roundhouse kick. X planted his kicking foot just as he saw Crono’s kick coming towards him even faster than X’s own kick. Seph bent backwards and turned his head as he could feel the air around Crono’s boot whoosh by at a dangerously close distance. Sephiroth X shot his body back up and with it held the Masamune above his head slashing down at Crono with all his might. As Crono finished his spin from the roundhouse kick he could sense X’s attack coming down towards him and using the momentum from his own spinning shot the Mastermune at Sephiroth X. Both weapons furiously clashed and the two fighters stood in their stances exerting strength through their weapons at each other.
*Sephiroth X looked into the eyes of his opponent with a profound anger. In his mind however frustration was quickly building. He’s matching everything I’m throwing at him despite defeating Crono already once and growing noticeably stronger through the Element of Prosperity… Dark Crono was fighting at an equal level to Sephiroth X.
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*Catrina stepped out from the door of the Midgar gymnasium dressed in her normal clothes. She was awakened by an empty feeling she had both in her bed and in her mind. It unsettled her when Seph wasn’t in their impromptu home, and after she dressed and stepped outside it unsettled her a little more that he wasn’t nearby. Her eye’s panned around the area hoping to find a sign of her love, but it was to no avail and she wondered where Seph had gone. Catrina stepped out near the edge of the sidewalk and looked up and down the street seeing nobody at all and taking notice of the occasional flickering street light. She looked up in the sky and noticed the clouds were building possibly indicating a storm coming.
*Suddenly a cold feeling ran through her as images suddenly flashed into her mind. She saw images of swords clashing, she saw images of Sephiroth X in an intense fight. Then she saw images of his adversary, flashes of the hooded figure, the golden eye, the pale skin, and the red hair of Dark Crono. A feeling of unimaginable fear overwhelmed her.
Catrina – No… Please no…
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*X and Crono stood with their blades grinding against each other with their eyes focused on each other. A small smirk of confidence was visible on Crono’s face while anger and frustration were creeping onto Seph’s face. The green eyes of Sephiroth X flared up with light as X summoned more of his strength and began pushing the Mastermune backwards a few steps. Seph pulled one of his hands off the handle of the Masamune quickly and then slammed a powerful punch into the face of Dark Crono, as Crono then staggered back X slashed at Crono again. Crono ducked under the blade and then leapt high into the air and landed on a rooftop bordering the urban battleground. Sephiroth sprung up going airborne as well flying directly at Crono. X slashed while still in the air and as Crono blocked the attack Seph flipped over Crono and landed behind him.
*The two fighters exchanged fierce attacks with each person parrying and trying to out-do the other. Sparks flew from the blades with every clash as their weapons began moving so fast that they became blurs. Neither fighter could gain an offensive as they seemed to balance out each other almost perfectly. X and Crono started throwing another barrage of fast pace slashes at each other that cumulated with one powerful clash that sent both of them flying a few yards backwards, both fighters quickly landed on their feet and got into fighting stances.
*Then something happened, something that brought both of them to a complete standstill. Sephiroth X and Dark Crono both suddenly sensed something beyond profound, something that made the air in their lungs go stale while feeling like their hearts skipped a beat... and the strength they both sensed wasn’t coming from either of them.
*It was coming from someone else…
*The expressions on the faces of both X and Crono reflected similar feelings of uncertainty, wonder, and borderline fear. They sensed something stronger than anything in their imagination as total silence befell the area. That silence was interrupted by one thing.
*The ringing, chilling sound of an air raid siren.
