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

[sefirot]

[That question takes him a bit off guard and for a moment he stares because he doesn't know how to answer it. The idea of trust or distrust never really occurred to him. He just did as he was taught or told.]

... Not really. They've lied about other things.

[But they hadn't really lied about this. Not really. It was pretty straight forward. Shinra wanted this land and the Rhadorans don't want to give it up.]

[noblegarnet]

[For such a powerful guy, he's way too easy to order around, apparently. He can't imagine what background lies there.]

Then don't listen to them when they tell you you're not supposed to feel.

[Ferran wouldn't have thought he'd ever be the one suggesting someone go against whatever rules they've been given, but... not questioning certain authorities was what got him into his own mess, wasn't it? At least partly. Maybe Kain would be proud...

His hands return to his sides, and he only briefly glances at a few of the bodies before he focuses on some distant spot in the foliage.]

In a war, or whatever this is... I get that you have to do what you need to survive. But before you go so far as to take lives, ask yourself if that really needs to happen.

[sefirot]

You make it sound easy. It's not. This is all there is.

[He gestures around. The fighting. He wishes it weren't this way. But he doesn't have a normal life. This is what he has.]

If I don't wipe them out, I won't be completing the mission. What will I have then?

[noblegarnet]

[To be so strong but have no fight in him just feels wrong. He makes the perfect soldier, Ferran imagines.]

I don't know your situation, but... maybe this feels like all you can have just because you haven't ever had anything else.

[And if that's the case, Ferran has a great deal of sympathy. But there's also the difficulty of change, even if it's the right decision... and that much is on the guy himself.]

But if you can do this much, who's stopping you from finding something new? I know it's not easy—I had to start over from nothing, once. But there are lives better than this.

[sefirot]

I can't. I could probably leave, I know no one could stop me. They'd have a hard time.

[Considering just how strong he is. He's always been having to prove himself in that. But he is strong.]

But understand, I can't. If I do I'll never be able to find anything about her.

[noblegarnet]

[For most people, they'd probably instinctively ask who? But for Ferran, as someone who's done his own share of questionable things to find information, the who isn't important. What matters is that this her is someone the young man is willing to kill to learn about.

There's a grim expression on his face as he folds his arms.]

... and how do you plan to find out about this person, doing what you're doing now?

[sefirot]

Someone who works there is bound to recognize her. So far I haven't been able to learn anything, but --

[He trails off before reaching inside his jacket to pull out a picture he shows to Farren.]

I have this. Her name is Jenova. She's my mother. But that's all I have. A name and a photo. I know there has to be more out there. The information is somewhere in Shinra. Someone has the answers. And I'll find it.

[He has to. He has nothing else.]

[noblegarnet]

[Well. Again—it's not as if Ferran doesn't understand the desperation that can come with seeking information about one's parents. He lets out a slow breath through his nose, eyes on the picture of the woman. He can almost feel the yearning in Sephiroth as if it were his own, even if he's just projecting.]

So. You stay with Shinra... and you look for these people. [He... gets that, he supposes.] But what would they do, if you didn't finish your "mission"?

[What, would they just throw out their supersoldier? Seems unlikely, but Ferran genuinely doesn't know what sort of discipline they've displayed in response to failure, if this guy has even failed any of his objectives before...]