Chapter 13

Darkness. Nothing but darkness. Those were in the eyes of Cloud’s. Cloud, feeling like he was floating lightly in the air, he glided in the dark, not knowing where he was going.

Little by little, a streak of light can be seen in front of him. Cloud stared at it and saw it turning into an image. He then found himself standing under a star lit night, with familiar buildings around him. There was a voice, a very familiar voice speaking to him…

“Let’s get going. Destination, the Ancient City.”

Cloud felt a surge of familiarity when he heard that voice, like he heard that before, many, many times. Suddenly, the surroundings changed in a flash and he can see his wife, Aeris in front of him, inside a small room with walls made of crystal and glow lightly.

“Will you marry me?”

Cloud felt words coming out from him, even though he did nothing. He saw Aeris staring at him, smiling, with tears in her eyes, then…the surrounding became dark. Aeris’s expression changed and the happy look was replaced with a sorrow look. Puzzled, Cloud reach out to her but he couldn’t. For some reason which he don’t know why.

“I guess it’s goodbye then.”

Aeris disappeared after she said those words. Cloud lunged forward to ask what had happened but he caught only thin air. Before he realize, again the surroundings changed. This time, it was darkness again. Nothing but pitch black darkness.

“I am your father…”

Cloud heard those familiar voices again. Then it was mixed with another familiar voice. A female’s voice this time. She was saying…

“You should find someone older than you, to take care of you…”

Suddenly Cloud was hearing his mother’s voice. Cloud had no idea why. He looked around and see himself in Nibelhelm, walking towards his house. He felt a very tense feeling, which he doesn’t know what it was. It was a feeling like something was coming his way, something like danger.

Cloud’s blood pumped faster. He breath faster and faster. Cloud suddenly shouted out, struggled with all his might and then everything come back clear to him. Cloud forced his eyes to open and then he came back.

He came back to his bed.

In just a short moment, Cloud saw a flash of light in front of him and immediately he knew what to do. He pushed himself to the side and rolled over the bed, falling onto the crystal like floor. A soft ‘woosh’ sound was heard and Cloud saw the flash of light struck right into his mattress, leaving some of the cotton in mattress to flying around.

Cloud, without any delay, reached for his Ultima Weapon that was only next to his bed and then jumped towards a window. Cloud skilfully glided out of the window and then he grab hold of a cliff like terrain made of crystal not far below from the window with one hand and held his sword with another hand. He pushed himself up and looked back. He saw a shadow pursuing him, charging towards him in top speed. Cloud readied his stance, pointed the sword at the shadow that was moving very quickly, and waited.

The shadow headed right towards Cloud kept the shadow on target by still aiming the sword at the shadow. When the shadow was only around two yards away, the sword suddenly emitted a bright fire red glow and the a fire ball started to form on the tip of the sword. Almost instantly, the fireball grew to the size of a melon and Cloud fired the fireball towards the shadow that was charging towards him. Amazingly, the shadow managed to duck the fireball and prepared for an attack. Cloud readied himself too and a close combat was about to begin.

As expected, clashes of swords were heard and bright lights of clashing and sword swinging was seen. Cloud, with his sword still glowing with a bright fire red glow, seem to be very sure of his attacks and every attack was a furious, strong but strategic one. It is as if he knew his opponent very well. The shadow on the other hand, was armed with two short blades and his moves were perfect in the sense of timing, strength and dexterity. The two fought very well and it doesn’t seem like the battle will end soon.

After about a hundred exchanges of clashes, the two figures jumped away from each other and landed in opposite directions. Cloud, with the color of his sword changed into transparent sky blue color, started to gather small particles from the surrounding, forming small needle like object that float in the air around Cloud.

With a short cry from Cloud, the object that float around him flashed, then suddenly became hundreds of pointy ice particles and sped towards the shadow at a very high speed. The shadow cast a defensive spell and a barrier formed around him, melting the ice particles that might cause great injuries to him.

Cloud immediately charged his sword with another force, this time with the color of earth like green, and then he pointed his sword into the air, and the crystal floor around the shadow shattered and broke into pieces. The shadow jumped high up and the crystal floor below collapsed, swallowing everything under the shadow. The shadow hovered in the air and Cloud jumped towards it. Cloud readied his sword for close combat again and started slashing again and again at the shadow.

The two figures at first engaged combat in air but then they started to head to the ground. The shadow block each and every attack with full confidence and then occasionally counterattack. Cloud, knowing what will come, defended those counters well and still manage to keep his calm even in the heat of such a battle.

“You did well, but prepare for this!”

The shadow shouted out when the two almost reach the ground. Cloud withdrew from the close combat fight and landed on the ground, preparing for what that was coming next. The shadow, before landing onto the ground, suddenly disappeared and Cloud use all his senses to track it. But before Cloud notice anything, the shadow suddenly split into two image shortly after it reappear and Cloud got the shock of his life. Never did he see this coming.

“What the…”

Before Cloud realized anything, the two images attacked Cloud from opposite directions and Cloud had no idea where to defend. Cloud was helpless and he was knocked down by the two images fiercely, making him crash onto the solid crystal floor, with his sword flying away from his grip. Cloud was stunned to see this. The two images the combined and then formed one image again. The shadow that attacked him stood in front of him and stared at him. The shadow shook his head and then walked towards Cloud and lend him a hand. Cloud nodded to acknowledge that he was defeated again and slowly got up, massaging his injured area. Guess he was defeated once again, during a sudden surprise midnight assault… training.

This shadow was no one other than the man that was Aeris’s ex, his father and now, his trainer.

The intensive battle that just occurred happened in the deserted City of the Ancients. This place is far from civilization, and was isolated because of the barriers of powerful monsters that keep people away from it. The perfect training ground many would say. This place is isolated, so no outsider would get hurt. It has probably the most solid ground on the planet, that would withstand many crashes and destructive spells. The atmosphere is peaceful and quiet and suitable for meditating. Life here is primitive and even a meal won’t be easy. All these made the Cloud’s trainer choose this place as their training ground.

After that midnight assault training, the two started a fire in front of a lake to keep themselves warm. Cloud, after such a battle, wasn’t able to sleep and he would rather stay up than sleeping and wait for another ambush training. The man, as always, kept quiet, without expression, and stare into the air thinking. No words were passed between these two for sometime. Only the sparkle of the fire was heard.

“So, what was that? That two image thing?”

Cloud finally broke the silence. The man, as usual, waited for a while before he answered.

“That was a reflect spell that was upgraded. It was called hallucination.”

The man said without looking at Cloud. Cloud listened quietly.

“A reflect spell normally only reflect magic. This reflect spell can reflect images too and the image that is created depends on the angle the caster is from the target.”

The man explained and Cloud just stared at him. Cloud was never good in school. This is way too complicated for him.

“It is like a mirror made out of air.”

The man explained in a simpler form, knowing that Cloud won’t understand what he just said. Now Cloud nodded, as he started to understand what the man meant. This is something new. He is going to try out later.

It had been around 3 months since Cloud came to this place with the man. At first he was reluctant to learn, not being very friendly with the man, not taking advices, anything to make him less angry with the man. But eventually, he started to behave and learn from the man, because he know that he will be here for quite a long time and if he continued acting stupid it will be a waste of time for him to come here. So, day by day, he learnt more and more, without him knowing, he was way more powerful than what he used to be.

In the beginning, he learnt and slowly mastered sword fighting skills and magic beyond anyone he knew before could teach. Later, he slowly learned the use of his sword—the Ultima Weapon. Never did he imagined what the Ultima Weapon was so capable of doing so many things.

The Ultima Weapon, transparent when not used, can summon any element the planet has without using materia. Unlike other weapons that cause elemental damage when junction to the right materia, this weapon can do more than that. It can shoot fireballs, become lightning chargeable, summon ice particles to attack or even shake the earth. He had never used this sword for a long period of time. Because of this he never had time to learn what this sword is capable of.

His sword is just the beginning. Cloud himself, as the Destroyer the man would call him, is capable of summoning any element and he could manipulate it with whatever way he wanted. Because Cloud is still not able to master this skill, he still needs the Ultima Weapon to channel magic attacks. But it is only a matter of time Cloud will not rely on his sword…

Enough about fighting and magic and save the world stuff. It is a peaceful and quiet night and Cloud really wanted to relax a little, after about a month of sleepless nights and intensive training. The man so badly wanted to train him to be alert all the time that he launch night strike when Cloud was asleep. At first it wasn’t good because Cloud don’t even knew what hit him when he was asleep. Then he slowly became more and more alert and became used to staying alert in his sleep, though sometimes his will drift off and fall fast asleep like this night.

Cloud looked around the place and this place really bring back memories. The road not far from him leads to the bottom of the city where Aeris was killed by Sephiroth. The lake in front of him is where he buried Aeris. The building behind is where he proposed to Aeris and spent his first night with her. The place where he was sitting is the place he fought Sephiroth the time their bodies were exchanged. He had been to this place so many times and every time something happened. Still, this place remains mysterious, and it forever will.

Cloud looked at the man and saw him still staring away. Cloud had been with this man for 3 months and he started to know this man’s character. This man, though looked like he had no feelings or expression, had felt more than many had. The man is good at hiding his real feelings, not only with that cold look, but also with false expression. Every smile the man made had fakeness in it and every bit of cold look had expression in it. This isn’t an ordinary man. He wasn’t and he might never will.

“Say…”

Cloud spoke and threw a pebble at the man. The man caught the pebble with his hand casually.

“What is your name? I know I asked this a few times but you always shrug me off.”

Cloud asked a question that many are wanting to ask. He remembered people asking that question when the man first appeared but the man never replied. Cloud didn’t know why and now he is going to find out. It’s a long night and the man had no escape.

“Why do you bother to know?”

The man asked, trying to avoid Cloud’s question.

“I am tired of calling you hey.”

Cloud said and waited for a reply. There was a moment of silence, then the man replied reluctantly.

“Well, I have many names, such as hey, howdy, you, man, and many more.”

The man replied but made it sound like a joke. Cloud, not getting the answer he wanted, interrogated further.

“There must be something people call you when you are a kid.”

“I never was a kid. And don’t ask why.”

The man answered and Cloud paused for a moment. Never a kid? What does this guy mean? Was he cloned or had he gone through a memory lost?

“If you are so eager to call me something else, why don’t you try ‘Dad’?”

The man said and reminded Cloud that this man was his father, a father he never had. Cloud got really pissed off and stood up.

“I am going off to hunt some breakfast, and you don’t count on me calling you ‘dad’!”

“You just did.”

The man argued back and Cloud marched down to the outskirts of the city to hunt some monsters for food. The man managed to get away from answering his name again. But at this moment, the man slowly murmured a word again and again, and then floated back into his sweet past…

“Strife…”