There were burning embers all around him, flying in crazy directions as flames from fire surrounded the area, lighting up Nibelheim in the worst way possible.
It was horrible; a man that Cloud thought he could trust, and how he got so excited when he mentioned his hometown, now burning it into a million ashes before his very eyes.
The buildings: houses, stores, monuments, everything, were all on fire, and Cloud could do nothing.
He looked up, though he couldn’t see much through the smoke, rising flames, and his shaggy, raggedy hair, and saw the person responsible for his recent “troubles”.
To his dismay, in front of him, stood the man that started this reckless fire.
A menace. He looked down at his companion and glared sharply, letting out a small, nearly silent hum of satisfaction as he could see his work in his peripherals. His intent on torturing the poor soul known as Cloud Strife was off to a good start.
His long hair blew in the wind that stimulated the fires even more, the extensive strands flying crazy as they were almost the length down to his feet, the silver hue and healthiness of his hair making it shine as the fire reflected off of it.
His piercing green eyes seemed to glow lowly as the flames illuminated them, his already thin pupils contracted into sharp lines as he squinted at the male below.
He gripped his katana harshly, keeping in mind the eight-foot-long blade near the ground as he shifted it a bit in his firmly grasped hand. The reflective metal shined brightly in the fire, revealing the detailing on the blade, and making the Masemune look brand new even though he had had it for years.
He wasn’t like Angeal; didn’t care about the wear, tear, and rust of things over time and with use.
His unnecessary tenfolds of belts had their buckles shining along with everything else, along with the many that accompanied it on his long overcoat. You wouldn’t even be able to tell they were all worn in and covered in grime from his several years as a proper member of SOLDIER.
He didn’t say anything and didn’t need to. He just stared, on and on, with his intimidating and frightful glare, smiling like a one-winged devil in the fire. It was an absolutely terrifying sight to see, especially since Cloud knew he could be slaughtered at any given moment.
He tried to stand up, managing barely, and couldn’t even grasp his heavy sword without the help of the ground stabilizing it. He knew there was no use trying to fight Sephiroth in the condition he was in.
He was tired, burnt, bloody, sad, mad; everything you can possibly imagine watching someone you trust burn your hometown down to the ground and having absolutely no clue how to help the people, along with dealing with a, now, sociopathic killer who has not one drop of pity left in his body.
Cloud stood, petrified as Sephiroth looked down at him. Even with the distance between the two, you can tell the silver-haired male towered over him.
Sephiroth smiled. He didn’t know exactly why, but this scene he started reminded him of the many times himself and Genesis would train.
It was always near the Mako reactors, it seemed. He thought perhaps Genesis liked having a session in a more dangerously located place, even if it was only all simulated to help on-coming First Class SOLDIERs.
Though he loved the thought of being a hero, Genesis always seemed to be getting injured more than better at fighting, especially when he went against the only person better than him; Sephiroth.
He would preach about the thought of being a savior, and recite lines from the LOVELESS acts continuously, as if he was fueled by them.
Those were the better times in Sephiroth’s life. He thought about how Genesis, nearly, insisted that they were monsters. The Jenova cells and countless experiments and how they made them “inhuman”.
It all made sense now, as Sephiroth brought himself back to the surface, looking on into the fire as if there was something past it besides burning buildings. The entire rant about them being monsters was right, and if this town was indeed burning, he had not one thing wrong in his analysis.