Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Ice ❯ Shattered ( Chapter 39 )

 

THIS IS CHAOS TALKING.

(An internal thought)

`An internal conversation'

 

Chapter 39: Shattered

 

Cloud was the first to awaken. He looked around and saw that all his friends were lying on the ground around him and that they were in a darkened flat space probably deep in the interior of the crater. They began to stir, groaning with the pain of falling to wherever it was they were.

 

The swordsman looked up, mako eyes scanning the area. They settled on a pulsating glowing egg-like object about fifty feet away, nestled in a basket of reddish string-like stone. It was blue and semi-translucent. Cloud could barely make out the form of Sephiroth deep within the frozen-like substance.

 

He heard the skittering of stone and knew that his friends were slowly rising to their feet, dusting themselves off.

 

“What's going on?” asked Aeris.

 

“That must be Sephiroth,” hissed Nanaki, noting the egg-like object not too far from them.

 

There was a muffled groan and the sound of many footsteps. The friends turned to the darkness behind them. Many pairs of yellow eyes stared back as bodies slowly came into light. It was an army of sorts, of monsters: Behemoths, Allegmanges, Gighee, a Tonberry or two, Parasites, Gargoyles, and Dark Dragons. Sephiroth had not been unguarded.

 

Reeve sucked in a breath. “Perhaps he is controlling the monsters.”

 

The friends began to prepare for battle, still not taking their eyes off of either enemy.

 

“Reeve, Yuffie, Vincent, Cid, I leave you four to watch our backs,” called out Cloud as he turned to stare at the odd form of Sephiroth. The swordsman nodded his head at the other three: Reno, Aeris, and Nanaki.

 

Suddenly, the monsters stopped moving, all looking towards Sephiroth expectantly. The frozen liquid shattered, releasing the form of the former General.

 

Sephiroth stepped from the rocky and icy shards, a smirk present on his face. He still held much of his human form, Masamune held out in his arms. Except two horns sprouted from his forehead, his eyes glowed even brighter, and six tentacles sprouted from his back as if they were wings, nearly three times his extended height. He wore the black leather and still had the long silver hair. The greenish aura of mako surrounded his form. He smirked as he beheld his opponents.

 

“If it isn't the ex-SOLDIER,” hissed Sephiroth, staring openly at Cloud. “I hoped you would come and let me kill you.”

 

The swordsman gritted his teeth. “I will not be the one to die today.”

 

Sephiroth laughed low and mocking. He raised his free hand and crooked a finger at Cloud. “Let my minions handle your friends. Let's see if you can truly be the bane of Sephiroth.”

 

Cloud raised his sword and nodded at Sephiroth. The silver-haired former General smirked.

 

Seconds later the two were dueling, a furious match that exchanged sword for sword. It was both beautiful and terrifying to watch. However, the friends were unable to because it was in that very same moment that the great horde of beasts choose to attack. There was more than enough to keep the seven remaining friends occupied.

 

Vincent pulled out the Death Penalty and started shooting into the crowd of creatures as fast as he could load. The monsters fell left and right but still it seemed like more and more were coming.

 

Yuffie bounded around, throwing her Conformer and occasionally sneaking in to steal items off of fallen enemies. Blood was quickly covering the hard-packed earthen floor.

 

Reeve was casting spells faster than he was bothering to throw his knives. Bolt 3 and Aero were ripping through the ranks of monsters, destroying them as quickly as they appeared. It seemed the hordes were endless. Reno was by his side, shocking away any monsters that got too close. They were a formidable team.

 

Cid was throwing dynamite into the crowds until he ran out, blowing up monsters into many pieces and not feeling the least bit sorry. The Venus Gospel defended him when any got too close and the occasional shotgun burst near him helped him feel a bit safer. Aeris was standing at his back, using her staff to fend off enemies as well and occasionally throwing the powerful spell or two.

 

Nanaki was tossing Fire Fangs, Vampire Fangs, and Swift Bolts from his hair as fast as he was slashing his way through the attacking monsters.

 

The area literally looked like the middle of some gruesome war.

 

The clanging of swords only added to the melee of noises being produced by the battle. Cloud viciously slashed at Sephiroth, but the General easily blocked, pulling back swiftly to aim at the blond's left side. The blond sensed this and parried, trying to use his strength to push the silver-haired man aside.

 

“I grow tired of this duel,” Sephiroth growled, eyes flashing. “You cannot beat me!”

 

Cloud growled angrily. “You talk too much!” He swung at Sephiroth one-handed then followed with a vicious punch. The General easily evaded the sword but wasn't prepared for the fist that followed.

 

His head snapped backwards as the punch hit him square on the jaw. Angrily, Sephiroth's tentacles whipped forward. Two grabbed Cloud's sword, yanking it from his grip and throwing it far away. Two more shoved into the blond's body, easily sending him several feet away from the battle and far out of reach of his sword.

 

“Cloud!” exclaimed Yuffie, seeing her leader thrown by the tentacle.

 

She bounded forward, tossing her Conformer as she ran. Sephiroth laughed as he easily smacked the shuriken away. It careened off into the dark wildly and Yuffie was left without her weapon. Unfazed, the little ninja grabbed a dagger out of her left boot and stood in front of Cloud, determined to protect him. She heard pounding footsteps and seconds later Nanaki joined her.

 

The two stared down Sephiroth as he smirked at them. The General sheathed his sword and crossed his arms, as if to say that he didn't even need it to take care of such minor nuisances.

 

“Your most powerful leader couldn't defeat me,” taunted Sephiroth, noting Cloud's struggle to get up. It felt as if the tentacles had shattered his ribs. “What makes you think you can?”

 

“It doesn't matter whether we actually can or not,” Nanaki snapped, growling angrily. “It only matters that we have to.”

 

“Today is the day you die, Sephiroth. Die in the same way you took the lives of all those in Wutai!” the little ninja added in, her grey eyes flashing angrily.

 

There was a rush of air as Cid summoned Pandemona. The wind beast blew away many of the attacking creatures but also kicked up a steady stream of rushing air through the area.

 

Cloud scrambled to his feet and searched the ground for his sword. It was lying well over thirty feet away. Yuffie and Nanaki were still standing in front of him.

 

“Good lord, you'd think you could come up with something better to retort,” mocked Sephiroth. He waved his hand nonchalantly.

 

Yuffie rose in the air about five feet before she was thrown against a side wall. She struck the stone with a defining thud that did not sound at all good.

 

“Yuffie!” Nanaki exclaimed in surprise. His golden eyes narrowed as he growled at Sephiroth. He rushed the former General, determined to kill him for hurting the ninja.

 

Something flashed by him. It was the pilot. Cid darted in front of Nanaki and attacked Sephiroth spear first. The former general smirked as he grabbed onto Cid's Venus Gospel with one hand, aiming a punch for the pilot's face. Cid easily dodged and lashed out at the silver-haired man with a leg.

 

Nanaki bounded up to his side and went at the former general with his claw. Two tentacles threw themselves at the demi-human. He slashed at one angrily, leaping to avoid the second. Cloud dove for his sword.

 

Aeris and Reeve now stood back to back facing the tremendous horde of monsters. The ex-executive was tiring from casting so many spells so quickly. She was trying to support him with energy, while defending his back from approaching monsters. Still the vast numbers were slowly pushing them backwards.

 

Reno was standing back to back with Vincent, throwing spells and defending the gunman's back. The ex-Turk was speedily shooting and reloading in smooth motions, taking out as many of the hordes as he was able.

 

“Black Cauldron!” Vincent summoned again, relying on the Status demon's attack.

 

Darkness fell over the battlefield and four small fires sprang to life around the circumference of a circle in the middle of the ground. It began to spin and a suspiciously patterned stone disc rose from the floor. It was followed by four surrounding columns that formed a stage in front of the metal monster. A gothic chandelier was suspended in midair above the platform, casting an eerie light over the darkened battlefield.

 

A pillar of light summoned Hades who appeared standing over a smoking cauldron. The cloaked skeleton cast a spell, causing the cauldron to erupt and send a tide of red and blue smoke over part of the horde of monsters. Immediately the creatures fell screaming as acid began to eat away at their skin. Some fell due to darkness and poison, still others stopped in their tracks. Hades chuckled ominously before disappearing.

 

Cloud kicked at a tentacle as it tried to stop him from reaching his sword, casting Bolt 3 as he ran. Its electric energy surrounded the tentacle and traced the appendage back towards Sephiroth hitting the main body. The former general only grunted in pain before pushing back against the spear in his hand and kicking out violently at the pilot.

 

He caught the blond in the knee, and Cid dropped to the ground, his knee buckling under his weight. Sephiroth grinned maliciously and made to make the final kill. He pulled out the Masamune and swung it down only to be stopped by a shuriken. Yuffie stood before him, grinning without fear.

 

Sephiroth returned her smile and pushed her back with his superior strength. A tentacle whipped out and flung her across the cavern yet again. There was a pounding of footsteps, and suddenly, Cloud was there, attacking the former General. Cid healed his knee and was at the swordsman's side. The two worked to battle against Sephiroth.

 

“Aero!” yelled Sephiroth, casting one of his spells. It slammed into the four attacking him and sent them off in various directions. Yuffie landed in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded on all sides by monsters. Cid, Cloud and Nanaki skidded across the ground, digging lines in the dirt.

 

The men jumped up, easily throwing off those attacks. However, monsters slipped through the lines, having pushed the four fighters defending against the hordes back towards Sephiroth. Cid stopped his rush to deal with the behemoth making a beeline for them.

Cloud and Nanaki threw themselves at Sephiroth determined to take the former General down.

 

“Suza-!” called out Nanaki. A tentacle whipped through the air even as a wind picked up. It slammed into Nanaki's head, cutting a large gash in his forehead. He couldn't finish what he was saying.

 

`It is time…' came a voice in Vincent's head. The gunman whipped around to see Nanaki lying on the ground, blood pooling from a slash in his forehead. Yuffie breathlessly avoiding a barrage of tentacles as Cloud duelled with Sephiroth. Cid had slightly turned his back on Sephiroth to take care of a Behemoth that had crept through the four's defenses.

 

There was a burning sting on his arm. Cursing to himself, Vincent shot the offending monster then turned back to look at the pilot. His eyes widened as he saw Sephiroth aiming for Cid, intending to take advantage of his inattention.

 

`Make your choice…' came the throaty whisper once more.

 

Yet, the gunman knew what it was going to be before the voice even spoke. He ran, ignoring the pain in his back as Gargoyle lashed at him with his claws. He cast Ice3 without turning around, not bothering to see whether or not if affected the creature or not.

 

Time seemed to slow. It felt as if he were running through mud. His legs seemed hampered.

 

`You have no time…'

 

Sephiroth slashed downwards at Cloud, breaking his sword and cutting through the blond's chest. The swordsman went flying backwards, blood seeping his shirt immediately. He let out a cry of pain.

 

Vincent leapt, the only thing in his eye sky blue eyes and short blond hair. His body jerked, fiery pain ripping through him.

 

Cid turned at the cry of his leader, eyes widening as crimson blood splashed across his face and clothes. It sprinkled his lips, hair, and neck with warm wetness. The smell of copper was on the air and around him so thick he could taste it. His spear hung from limp fingers, barely within his grasp.

 

Blood dripped again to his face and he hardly blinked as he took in whose blood was on him. Vincent was looking at him, something akin to fear and relief in his eyes as blood dribbled from between his lips, collecting at the corner of his mouth and sliding down his chin in a macabre river. Their eyes locked in what could have been romantic, were it not for the blood staining the front of his clothes and his ashen skin.

 

Cid's eyes traveled down the gunman's body. It would have been a tender look if it hadn't been for the four tentacles that had pierced the dark-headed man's abdomen twice, chest and shoulder.

 

The pilot barely felt the rush of magic as Aeris ran forward to heal her friends, touching Nanaki briefly before running to Cloud's side. There was a scream of anger, and Reno rushed the former General, brandishing his Electro Rod. Yet, they weren't strong enough… none of them were.

 

The sounds of the battle faded to near nothing. Yuffie screaming at Sephiroth, Reeve yelling Reno's name as the man flew across the crater towards the horde of monsters, the roaring of the fires caused by the casting of Flare earlier, the clashing of swords, all was silence to his ears.

 

“Cid…” spoke Vincent in a soft voice. His voice cracked and more blood bubbled up. He nearly choked on the thick red substance. His body felt so weak and pained… but his mind… there was something stirring. Something he had been trying to forestall but no longer had the power to.

 

“Vince…” choked the pilot, hardly able to move. He reached for Vincent, intent on removing him from the offensive appendages. It felt as if minutes had passed rather than the few seconds it had actually been.

 

However, the gunman felt it… knew it was coming. The ex-Turk jerked away from Cid even as the tentacles withdrew from his body to do battle with the others. Two lashed out at the pilot, determined to strike their original target.

 

The Captain violently slashed at them, cutting the two smoothly and evenly. The gunman slumped to the ground, falling to his knees as the crimson liquid began to collect around him, glistening on black clothing.

 

Cid rushed to his side but Vincent held out one blood-stained hand to ward him off. He no longer held the Death Penalty. It was lying in a puddle of scarlet fluid off to the far side. The gunman's body began to pulsate and shake as if he was fighting off something.

 

“No…” choked the ex-Turk simply. Crimson eyes met sky blue. “Run…” he whispered, before his eyes rolled back into his head.

 

Cid stared at his lover, tears welling up in his eyes. He vaguely registered the monsters beginning to advance on the pair, drawn by the smell of the fresh blood. He barely acknowledged the fight with Sephiroth. Nanaki had risen from his wounds well, slashing off one of the Generals limbs. Sephiroth had then cast a spell, throwing them all away from him in one easy move. The former lab experiment was just too strong for them.

 

The blond pilot ignored his lover's warning. The only thing on his mind was to be with Vincent, to heal him, to do something. There was so much blood… he didn't even know the human body could hold that much. It was the change in Vincent's expression that caused the pilot to stop in his tracks.

 

The gunman's body fell forward to the ground as his eyes rolled into the back of his head, even as his hands came out to catch him. With an unearthly guttural scream, a pair of black, webbed wings burst out of his shoulders in a shower of blood and the dark-haired man began to change.

 

Clutching his spear tightly, Cid took a few steps back and stared with a slight bit of fear… he didn't know that form. It had to be Chaos… the one form that Vincent had always feared though he never spoke aloud.

 

A behemoth barreled out of the darkness, slamming into Cid. He flew a few feet backwards with the enormous beast on top of him. The pilot snarled and cursed with anger as he fought to get the huge creature off of him. He bunched the tusked creature in the head but it only growled at him. Another weight collided with that of the behemoth, knocking the monster off of him.

 

Cid sucked in a deep breath. Nanaki had come to his aid, rolling around with the much larger beast and slashing it up with his claw. The pilot moved into the fray, bringing up the Venus Gospel and slicing off the monster's head. Immediately, Cid returned his attentions to Vincent and exhaled sharply.

 

The ex-Turk had completely transformed and had taken to the air, flying through the battle and heading straight towards Sephiroth. It seemed Chaos was not pleased that the former General had nearly destroyed his host and him in the process. There was an almost gleeful look on its demonic face.

 

“It's not even him,” Cid murmured aloud. This form was winged with two large horns in the head and a completely fanged mouth. Claws covered both hands and feet and it was built completely of muscle it seemed. Chaos was the most powerful of the four demons, and the Captain wouldn't be surprised if Sephiroth was a mere nuisance to the demon.

 

“Is… is that?” questioned Nanaki as he stood by the pilot's side. Cid could only nod mutely, feeling as if something had gripped his heart and squeezed.

 

Around them, the cavern began to shake violently, almost succeeding in throwing many of the fighters to the ground. Cid struggled to maintain his balance.

 

Chaos was tearing into Sephiroth with a vengeance now. The members of AVALANCHE could only watch in mute horror as the demon completely took over the battle with a sadistic smile on its face. Even Cloud pulled back, contenting himself with protecting Aeris and grimly killing every monster that had grown brave enough to attack the swordsman and the flower girl.

 

“What the hell is that?” he asked in awe, lopping off the head of a golem. None of them knew what Chaos' form looked like.

 

“The choice,” breathed Aeris with wide eyes.

 

Cloud's own blue eyes widened. “That was the choice? You mean…” He trailed off.

 

“Yes,” nodded the flower girl. “That is Vincent in his final form.”

 

“Final?” questioned Cloud. He didn't like the sound of that. “So that is what he knew… that is why he told me…”

 

Yuffie moved as if to join in the battle but Cloud held out a hand to stop her. He shook his head. The ninja would only get in the way. She huffed then turned her attentions to the monsters that seemed to be finally thinning. Either that or they were alarmed by the violent shaking of the ground.

 

“Cloud!” exclaimed Cid, running up to the swordsman. “Vince is-“

 

The blond nodded. “I know.”

 

“I will not die here!” screeched Sephiroth, all eyes drawing in his direction. He looked haggard, all of his limbs torn off and the Masamune broken into pieces at his feet. His eyes glowed with a mysterious yellow aura rather than the familiar mako green.

 

Chaos smirked. “You have no choice!” With that said, he tore into Sephiroth's body with a lazy claw, killing the General instantly. The friends watched with horrified expressions.

 

Chaos laughed loudly, his tone low and mocking as Sephiroth twitched in his final throes before collapsing to the ground in a pile of blood and limbs. The demon's shoulders twitched and he turned to face the friends, eyes glowing dangerously.

 

“Now it is your turn!” hissed the monster, claws clenching expectantly.

 

The ground began to shake violently, the life stream beneath them beginning to show its presence. The crater was no longer a stable place to be.

 

“Everyone, get out of here!” Cloud ordered. He started pushing people towards what he deemed was the way out. It was the way the monsters had come from, and he assumed it was an exit.

 

Chaos took a step towards them then appeared to hesitate, a confused expression on its face. The ceiling began to cave around them, rocks falling everywhere. It took much effort to avoid the falling debris.

 

Behind Chaos, the life stream suddenly gushed upwards, creating a great green fountain. The demon roared angrily, clenching his fists tightly as if carrying on a battle within himself. His eyes shifted from intensities of red. Finally, his whole body stilled and the demon grinned. He had won.

 

Cid however, ignored the swordsman's call for retreat. He didn't want to leave Vincent behind. He knew that the gunman was in there somewhere and that he might be able to coax the ex-Turk out. After all, he had done it before.

 

“Cid, come on!” Cloud ordered impatiently. The pilot shook his head no. The other blond cursed angrily and stormed up to him, beginning to pull on his arm. He was determined to make the pilot leave if he had to.

 

“No!” exclaimed Cid stubbornly. “Vince is still in there!”

 

“That was his choice!” Cloud explained angrily.

 

“Your blood is mine!” Chaos hissed, stretching his wings as he prepared to take flight and slaughter every person that Vincent considered a friend.

 

“You can't expect me to believe that!” Cid tried to throw off Cloud's arm. Another hand joined with the swordsman. It was Nanaki.

 

“I saw those wounds. Even if he has changed, he cannot live through that. Not even with his body,” the demi-human said gently.

 

Cid hesitated, eyes still looking towards the advancing demon. There was hunger in his eyes… hunger for their deaths. The floor shook again as cracks began to form in the soiled crust.

 

Suddenly darkness fell. The air around them became an ominous purple and a horde of bats flew around them. They flew together to form a growing black ball in between Chaos and the startled men. Diablos began to drip from the underside of the ball. He spread his wings and released more bats. He glared down at the death demon, purple eyes flashing.

 

“Leave, Byakko's other. This is no longer your fight,” spoke the demon in a gravelly, rough voice.

 

“You would dare stop me, Baal?” mocked Chaos.

 

“I see you haven't forgotten the old names then,” the summon murmured. He brandished his claws. “Release him.”

 

Chaos shook his head as he laughed. “I fear not the Gravity beast. Just because you and the others locked us away doesn't mean you are the more powerful.”

 

Cloud, Nanaki and Cid exchanged confused looks. Another mako fountain exploded through the earth. The sound of rotors filled the air.

 

The pilot of the Highwind had somehow known they needed him and had flown as deep down into the crater as he was able. With the collapsing of the walls around them, it was easy for the Highwind to reach them.

 

“Get out of here now!” Diablos ordered, intercepting Chaos as he made a dive for the members of AVALANCHE. The two winged demons collided in a great display of strength. The ground beneath them crumbled.

 

“Run!” Chaos screamed suddenly, in a tortured voice that was both Vincent's and the demon's.

 

That was the last encouragement they needed. Everyone ran for the hovering airship as the crew struggled to unroll the ladder and throw it down. Reno and Reeve were the first to scramble up, Yuffie right on their heels.

 

The lifestream exploded again, cracking up the ground as explosive bursts of mako streamed upwards, splashing over both demons.

 

The airship began to pull away, all of the members on board on the deck, looking down at the scene beneath them. Both demons were oblivious to the destruction of the crater around them. There was another violent roar and the ground crumbled beneath them, dropping the winged demons down into the depths of the life stream.

 

“Dammit!” cursed Cid angrily, fist hitting the railing as he sunk to his knees. (Why? Why did he do that?!)

 

The other members of AVALANCHE did not bother the pilot. They watched in mute silence as Diablos and Chaos/Vincent disappeared beneath the surface of the life stream. A rock struck the side of the airship causing it to careen wildly and they struggled to hold on. However, Cid just stared mutely down at where his lover once stood. He held the Death Penalty in his hand, something he had grabbed before running to the airship.

 

Silent tears began to course down his face even as his heart hoped that the gunman could survive. After all, hadn't Cloud… “I didn't get to tell him,” Cid whispered quietly, so that none could hear him. “He doesn't know… that I love him.”

 

Another large boulder strikes the airship, sending it in a crazed spiral and knocking off the balance. It begins to slowly descend again, heading towards the collapsing walls and exploding life stream.

 

The pilot in the bridge made a decision. He screamed, “Hold on!” over the intercom and pulled the Emergency switch.

 

The boosters that Cid had revealed earlier flared to full power. The airship thrust forward so fast that even Cid was surprised. The Highwind shot straight upwards and out of the collapsing crater.

 

The members watched as boulders and such fell in, covering up the bubbling life stream and making it as if there had never been anything at all.

 

The Highwind flew away, completely unharmed with all members safely aboard… all members save one.

 

* * *