Event || The Enemy Within

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All characters who signed-up for the event.
Where: In their heads.
When: January 15th.
Summary: The Heroes of Light have a vision-- They are living through a hypothetical future where the Sage share his knowledge with them, and things went horribly wrong as some Heroes of Light became the villains in this timeline. Maybe they'll revise their thoughts on getting all of that knowledge.
Warning: The apocalypse, deaths, tragedies, overall a lot of very bad things.

Mingle Threads: The Antagonists || The Protagonists || The Others || General
Free Open Threads: The Two Years || Other Events

#01 Attempts at Negotiations || Trano Golsaucia
#02 Tactical Espionage Action || Aqures Ixen
#03 Judgmental Glares || Aerilon
#04 The Fight for the Crystallized Bodies || Aqures Tosf
#05 The Dusk of the Heroes || Mysidia
#06 The Fight for the Moon || Lunar Gate
#07 Conflict Above the Stars || Moon Base
#08 The Birth of a God || Crystal Life Tree
#09 The Death of a World || Moon Base
#10 Where Everything Ends || Pandaemonium

Conclusion || The Sage in Mysidia

Comments

[neverfirstclass]

What Jade might feel in seeing Cloud never crossed the blonde warrior's mind, even as he blithely carried around Sephiroth's sword and Job. He'd become far too narrowly focused in what he was now doing and had closed himself off to the hearts and minds of others in the process.

But he never blamed Jade for what happened to Sephiroth, or to Ace. He'd tried his hardest to save them and there was no way that they could have known that their crystal protection would have failed.

He looked around the lab, the memory of the fateful battle echoing in his mind. He shook his head, refusing to let himself linger on it, a fear itching in the back of his mind that he'd come to regret his decisions.

"It's a shame we couldn't find another way. There was a time I really thought we could have saved this world."

[jadethenecromancer]

It wasn't so long ago that the sight of Masamune, too, had brought up bitter memories. Just another reason to stop caring so much about individual Heroes when such sentimentality hadn't made a difference. Now, it was just another blade.

"We've gone through every alternative and searched everywhere on the planet. There is no other way." Jade gave Cloud a sharp look. "It's too late to look back now."

Even if the remaining resistance of the other Heroes -- amazing, that they could still call themselves that -- continued to cling to their senseless hopes. Jade might not agree with every single person on his own side, but at least they had all faced reality in their own ways. He had no respect for those who refused to make difficult choices, all to spare themselves from a guilty conscience.

Up to you if you want to keep doing this, but as for me no tag left behind

[neverfirstclass]

The disappointment was clear on Cloud's face at the finality of Jade's judgement. While he had wound up siding with the Heroes who were at least coming up with solutions to deal with the Calamity, he couldn't deny that he found some of what they were doing to be unpalatable. But it had reached the point where they had to make a decision, even if it was bitter medicine.

Just hoping for a better future wouldn't bring that about. That hope had died with Sephiroth did. All the hopes he had that day did nothing to save the First Class.

"I don't think the others will agree with you on that. Whatever we try to do they'll probably show up." He sighed and shook his head, "Everything they won't do to stop the Calamity you can probably count on them trying to stop us."

[jadethenecromancer]

"I'd be surprised if they didn't. Apparently heroic last stands are more important than ensuring life will continue after we're gone."

Jade didn't even try to hide his scorn. He would never claim his methods were humane or noble, but at least the end result, should he succeed, would serve the greater good. The opposing Heroes, meanwhile, couldn't see past their inflated egos. Or perhaps it was simple naivete. Some people really did think that "good" actions would inevitably lead to a happy ending, no matter what. Things were nice and easy when you convinced yourself that the other side was the evil one.

Oh well. Jade wasn't really opposed to playing the "evil" part, in all honesty. It got results.