the first soldier

[sefirot]

Who: Sephiroth and you
Which: Dream (open)
What: A much younger Sephiroth that should have been long forgotten
Warnings: Death, blood, some monsters

A - Among the Dead

[Those who enter will find themselves on an island riddled with ruins once belonging to a people forgotten to time. Currently it seems to have become a battlefield with the remnants of bullets, broken machinery and explosive weapons.

Along one of the ruins is a group of bodies, dressed in ragged cloaks and some sort of armor with swords and guns scattered about them. Upon closer inspection these look less like the bodies of soldiers, but more like children and the elderly. Though they were clearly prepared to fight.

And in the middle of that carnage is Sephiroth though he appears much much younger than before. His height, his hair, even the katana in his hand all much tinier.

He's looking down at the blood pooled in his gloved hand, though it's hard to say if that blood is from the bodies or himself.]

I'm not a cyborg ... I'm not.

[It's almost as though he's saying that to someone, but those people are not here.]

B - Monsters

[Another part of the island is very beautiful with cherry blossoms all around, but also holds great danger. Roaring sounds and a terrible creature who wants nothing more than to eat anyone who's decided to wander through.

But don't worry before it even thinks about getting the chance, the creature gets blown away in an explosion of fire ... that might also scorch the land around it. But hey, at least the thing is gone. Or at least one of them, there are probably more.

Meanwhile the source of the fire magic is younger Sephiroth who looks a little smug at his show of power.]

I'm glad I made it in time.

C - Wildcard

[Don't like either of those? Feel free to make up another reason to run into him here.]

Comments

B

[crystalized_hope]

[The sounds of terrifying creatures were -- unfortunately -- not uncommon for him. So the moment its piercing shrieks cut the silence for him, he hurried to the scene. If someone was in danger, he needed to find them in time. He was just about there and ready to defend when the explosion kept him from stepping forward. What power... Glancing to who it seemed to come from, he cocked his head to the side.]

Is aught alright? What happened? [And then a moment to realize.] Wicked white... Was there a bystander?

[Are they going to be okay after that blast?]

[OOC: By the way, the last link (?) HTML isn't working.]

thank you! I fixed it

[sefirot]

[Sephiroth seems rather unbothered by the explosion and the general destruction. Sure it was a little overkill, but hey, it got the job done.]

Other than the few remaining Rhadorans, this island is mostly empty.

[He glances over at what remains of the fire.]

Except for the monsters.

[A slight shrug before turning to face the man who's come over.]

Are you all right?

Np!

[crystalized_hope]

[That was one way to put it, but what if some innocent bystander got caught up in the explosion...?]

I see... Well, as long as everyone is alright. I'm perfectly fine. I was just worried that there was someone in danger. These creatures... They sort of remind me of ones I've dealt with back home.

Though, I should be asking you that. I would be happy to lend a helping hand if need be.

[He seemed to be okay, but it didn't hurt to be safe and ask anyway.]

A

[beshackled]

[Erichthonios has been dreaming for some time, and after so long, it seems a matter of course that he would eventually cross over into the dream of another.

The scenery is... confusing; the machinery, the weapons, the bullets unknown to him. Yet though this first leads him to proceed with bewildered caution, that changes as soon as he sees the people.

Steps hastening, the towering man rushes towards the prone forms, to see if any are yet alive.]

What has happened here...?!

[Unaware of the nature of the altercation, Erichthonios looks upon all with equal concern.

Only one seems to have survived -- the boy standing in the middle of it all; a boy that, though he cannot place him, seems oddly familiar.]

[sefirot]

They were trying to leave. It was a diversion to pull out those not fit for fighting.

[It was an explanation given almost automatically, spoken like a statement of facts.]

But --

[He looks down at the bodies, only barely registering the one checking to see if the others are alive.]

They were trained in combat. Even the kids. They knew where to strike.

[beshackled]

...How hard a life they must have had, to have picked up such a skill...

[He drops his gaze again to the children upon the ground.]

...at so tender an age...

[His expression for the span of those few seconds is both distant and pained; a man contemplating lives he does not know and cannot know, for none are alive to ask -- their souls already departed.

He returns his attention to the one who lives.]

You were injured?

A

[noblegarnet]

[It's a hard thing to look at. And if Ferran is honest, the singular figure standing in the midst of it... it's hard to not make an assumption of who's responsible.

He doesn't quite recognize Sephiroth, only having that brief meeting once before, but his response probably wouldn't have been much different. His hands in his pockets, he stands a safe distance away, both for himself when it comes to that blade, and for the sake of the young man not feeling threatened by an approach. His posture almost seems casual, but there's a wariness in his gaze, and his tone isn't entirely soft, either.]

This doesn't seem like a good place to ponder your humanity.

[sefirot]

I'm not. This is a battlefield. It's kill or be killed. They were trained in combat. A SOLDIER needs to strike without hesitation, and not be controlled by emotion.

[After staring at the ground for what feels to be an eternity, he looks up.]

It had to be done.

[There's less certainty in his voice than there should be. But that gets shoved aside as he stares at Ferran.]

What are you doing here? You're not one of them.

[noblegarnet]

[Ferran can't imagine what war's like, even after everything he's been through. That's for the better, he thinks, or he'd be in a lot worse shape than he is now. This guy is clearly struggling with it, and no wonder, given the circumstances; the weapons and makeshift armor the dead wear don't mask the fact that these aren't the sorts a nation would want to recruit for an army. This was desperate.

But this guy's just a kid, too.

He shakes his head dismissively at the question, lifting his shoulders in a faint shrug.]

It's a long story, but I'm not here to fight.

[He pulls his hands out of his pockets, palms out as a display of his lack of weaponry. Sephiroth doesn't need to know he can make one, if he needs it.]

Do you trust who told you to come here and do this?

A

[soughtrevenge]

[ The scene is jarring, reminding Estinien of many a scene that he bore witness to as he navigates the Final Days, the death and destruction across Etheirys. The images are still fresh in his mind, much like the young man standing amidst the bodies, and his reaction is just as it would be were he back in Thavnair or Garlemald. He has no plans to stand by and let a child - one who may be hurt if the blood in his hand is any indication - deal with this own his own.

He approaches cautiously, not wanting to alarm the boy, for he knows that things can quickly go awry in a tense situation like this. ]

Are you hurt?

[sefirot]

[He turns sharply at the voice, aiming his katana blade in the direction of the newcomer. Almost as a warning, but after a moment he lowers it and looks to his other hand.]

Yes. They managed to injure me. The children were trained in combat. They knew what they were doing.

[Spoke as though that somehow makes it all better.]

[soughtrevenge]

[ As the katana was aimed in his direction, Estinien's hand moves immediately to the lance strapped to his back, only stopping short of pulling it free and aiming it at the young man because the blade was lowered. He's cautious, not knowing if he should fully trust the boy, making sure he has ample room to leap out of the way were things to take a turn.

For now, though, the dragoon takes a step closer to the young man, reaching down to take his injured hand. From the pack hanging from his belt, he pulls a bandage and begins to wrap it. ]

I'm no healer, but this should serve to stop the bleeding.

[ Once he's satisfied, he takes a step back again, looking at the bodies of the children at his feet, stomach turning as it's a sight that he has seen far more than he wishes. Countless children across Etheirys take up arms, training to fight at the age of those around them. ]

Were you defending yourself, then?

a

[oathkeeper]

[Sora has done his fair share of dreaming walking these days. But waking up to one that feels ... eerily familiar? Is always the weirdest. Seeing the destruction, and the carnage all puts a bad vibe up Sora's shoulders.

When he sees the colour of silver-white hair Sora does freeze up for a second. He stares in disbelief because it looks like riku jk because what he sees before him is a much smaller looking...]

... Sephiroth?!

[No way? Why is he so short? And what happened here?]

[sefirot]

Huh?

[Sephiroth was still staring at his own carnage when the voice snaps him back to 'reality.']

They were attempting to leave. The mission dictates that all Rhadorans be wiped out. They weren't innocent, they were trained. A proper SOLDIER acts without hesitation. I --

[Did what he was supposed to do. Right?]

[oathkeeper]

Whoa, whoa!

[Sora hesitates a moment longer before he starts towards Sephiroth. But he's being cautious here because he doesn't want a Masamune in his guts.]

Why was the mission saying you had to wipe them out? ... Who told you that?

A

[10billionpercent]

[ Nothing here is familiar, but there is someone who looks young, covered in blood and looking traumatized.

Man, Senku is not good at this, but he can't unsee it.

Senku moves over to his side, offering a bit of a frown. ]

Are you alright?

[sefirot]

I -- ... yes.

[He's fine. He's fine. This is what was supposed to happen. It's what he's trained to do. SOLDIERs have hardened hearts and don't show emotions over this sort of thing.

He's got this.

Maybe.]

Who are you?

[That's the more important question. Not the bodies or what's going on with him ...]

[10billionpercent]

My name is Senku.

[ It's easy enough to remember and the sights around him are pretty horrific by his standards, but he keeps his focus on Sephiroth. ]

Are you hurt in any way? [ Start with the easy, expected parts, then maybe try and break the dream. It's not good to stay in the nightmarescape. ]

A

[amnesiadragon]

[The scene in front of him is... well, like from a nightmare. Machines he doesn't recognize, weapons he doesn't recognize. He looks up at the young man and then back at the children. The children. T̴̮̳̕ĥ̵̦̊͠e̶̅͂͜ ̴͖͉̌c̶̭̣̦͌̑̾h̵͉̖̏i̸͎͎̞̊̅l̴̢̟̚ḏ̷͋͐̊ṙ̴̬͑̄é̵̘̜̲͆ṇ̴̡̟̆...]

[Anger rises in the back of his throat and he darts forward, grabbing at Sephiroth's shoulder to try to make the man face him. He can't - the children - he can't -]

What did you do?!

[It's hard to make Ryu angry. It's even harder to make him take action on that anger. But this - this he cannot abide. Children, the elderly... they're not soldiers!]

[sefirot]

[Well, that's not something Sephiroth expected. To be grabbed. He looks at the obviously angry man for a moment really feeling the urge to move away, but also finding himself unable to.]

I -- they're the enemy. This is a battlefield. They were combat trained. You can't assume someone is weaker because of how they look. They ... A proper SOLDIER moves without hesitation. This was the mission ... wipe them all out.

[He says that rather quickly, and it almost sounds rehearsed the way he pushes the words out.]

[amnesiadragon]

[Combat trained? Combat trained? Someone was teaching these children to fight? Not to defend themselves, but to fight? He can feel his anger surge again and he steps back, struggling to contain it.]

Who.

[It comes out in a growl, low and dangerous.]

Who was training them to do this? This isn't something that children should be taught to do. And as for your mission - there's ways other than deadly force! Children, elders... maybe they can fight but that doesn't mean they deserve to die!

B

[empyreancatastrophe]

[He's not well-versed in dreamwalking, yet, so of course Joshua would wind up accidentally stepping into a landscape peppered with creatures ready and willing to kill him. At the sound of the first roar, he readies his own fire magicks. He may not enjoy fighting, and this may be a dream, but he's not about to go down easily.]

[With hand outstretched, he eyes the monster and its gaping maw, lined with teeth ready to rip him apart. He'll have to make this quick--]

[--except not. Surprise flickers across his features as he takes the split second to comprehend that the flames that just dispatched the beast weren't his own.]

[Joshua turns to face the accompanying voice and relaxes, fading tongues of dreamotion fire licking at his forearm until they ebb away.]

I am indebted to you.

[sefirot]

[Sephiroth watches the flames with mild satisfaction at his own skill. He's so used to having to prove himself, sometimes its nice to sit back and enjoy the fact that he can beat things so easily.

Also someone saying 'indebted' that's a nice touch. Not that he does this for that reason or anything.]

You should watch who you say that to, I know some who'd take you up on that. Are you all right? There's a lot of monsters around here, you need to be careful.

[Says the shorter and younger looking kid to the older one.]

a

[spikyheaded]

[Cloud hadn't expected the opportunity to dreamwalk to arise so soon after discussing it with someone. But if he were to truly help people while he was in the dream world, he best understand and learn the intricacies of it.

But what he didn't expect was the carnage he was stepping into. Bodies littered the ground at his feet, strewn in every which way. It causes Cloud to take a step back in surprise, whipping around to survey the area.

For the briefest of moments, he hears the crackling of wood as it is eaten through by fire. Screams are drowned out by the sound of the flames ranging around him, as his foot kicks against the body.

How is he— He can't be here.

With a shake his head, the vision, the memory dissipates as quickly as it had come. Cloud pulls his eyes away from the bodies to find a man donned in black and of stature similar to his.

A gasp escapes his lips.

Even if he looked younger, Cloud knew exactly who it was.

He takes a tentative step forward, then another, then another. His face twists, brows furrowing, mouth pressed thinly together. Once within earshot, he catches the words Sephiroth utter and he stops in his tracks.]

What are you supposed to be then?

[His arms fold in front of him, his tone stern. Despite what he was experiencing, he remained on guard, not wanting to be caught in surprise. It didn't matter if this was a dream or otherwise. At the end of the day, it was still Sephiroth.]

[sefirot]

[The voice snaps Sephiroth away from staring at the ground in contemplation, his hand instantly going to his back where his katana is sheathed. He stares for a moment before finally lowering his hand away. He's supposed to be calmer than this.

And that's right, he was asked a question. Though it makes him a little uncomfortable ...]

I'm ...

[The words seem to stumble away the moment they leave his lips. It's like he's not sure of the answer now. What is he supposed to be? Or more importantly what does he want to be? He recalls someone asking him that, but at the moment he can't place who.]

A SOLDIER. One of Hojo's new type of them to replace the old versions.

[That reply sounded more automated than he'd like. Almost as though he just forced out an explanation to answer the question.]

And you? You're ...

[Sorry Cloud, but that big shinra-belt gives it away.]

With Shinra. What are you doing here? Are you part of my team?