melodiesoflife | Event || Revelations

Entry tags:

Event || Revelations

Characters: All the Heroes of Light and their Moogles.
Where: Order's Sanctuary, The Interdimensional Rift and their Homeworlds.
When: August 03rd - August 30th

Summary: Following the battle against Palitutu, all the Heroes of Light were transported into the Interdimensional Rift. They were told by Palitutu they would have to find her to prove they can break the cycle-- But before they could reach their destination, a malevolent entity from the Rift stripped them from their immortality...

And now, they woke up in a decaying and dying world, most specifically in a place called Order's Sanctuary. From there they are ready to jump... Into their homeworlds! Feel free to use this post for the Mingle at Order's Sanctuary and should your homeworld be the stage for the Heroes of Lights' next adventures, feel free to make a thread for it and as many sub-thread as necessary! Please refer to the OOC Post for questions and plotting.

Warning: Whatever you come up with.

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Reno watched from a distance, at least for now. It was hard to see Cloud so hopeful. Of course the town looked "normal," as if nothing had happened -- that was the whole idea of the Shinra cover-up. They hadn't really expected any of Nibelheim's original denizens to still exist... or to come back.

Cloud deserved the truth, but he needed to see it with his own eyes. So for the moment, Reno waited, watching and listening.

Young Cloud Strife's 'truth' that he was searching for, the sense of closure that he wanted to find before leaving it all behind again... Was this what he had in mind as a lone figure departed from the front gates of Nibelheim? Blond, spiky hair, clothing that betrayed any idea of his dream of becoming a part of SOLDIER, yet...the sword sheathed from the back of his waist held a sense of nostalgia to it. It had all started as a simple week, running a longer delivery down to Junon when the rumours of an odd group were within earshot. The man with a black coat, long silver hair, an enigmatic man with a red cape, a moogle, a member of the Turks, the blond himself passing through as he heard the odd appearances. This was no reunion, but Cloud felt himself compelled to find an answer.

There was no closure for him, knowing full well he'd committed Sephiroth to his memories and (he'd hoped) put an end to his mission of despair. A group of lookalikes, perhaps? Coincidence? What really had him wondering, however, was the appearance of someone who supposedly looked just like him. Having thought he would find his answer in the facade of a town called Nibelheim of all places, nothing came of it however. Only the same 'townspeople' who aggressively gave him the cold shoulder. Even when he returned to the Shinra Mansion, it felt as if he was merely wasting his time. He'd finished his job, having dropped off his client's package a few towns back already.

Seven years... Was it really that long ago that this whole town became nothing more than an illusion?

Another small rise off in the distance from Nibelheim, a unique motorcycle was parked, waiting for its rider to come back. The young Cloud Strife's questions...maybe he'd find them in the form of the older blond as he stepped over the hill. The wind caught the flow of fabric draping the side of his leg as his hair was brushed by the breeze, soft mako-infused eyes looking down at a place he hoped he would never have to go back to. This wasn't home anymore. Home was back with his family and friends, back in Edge where Tifa would be waiting with a smile. It took a while, but any time he thought of coming home, it made him feel that much lighter.

Maybe after this was over, he'd take an extended leave from work to spend time with her and the kids...

"...?"

...and that was when he saw him. Their eyes matched, met and set on one another, the older Strife couldn't help but stare somewhat in disbelief. But he said no words, the chocobo and moogle by his side but fleeting thoughts right now.

Ever since he heard about this group of travellers and he'd been compelled to try and find them while he was out, this all felt like it was leading to him waking up from a dream. And yet...the chill that came down from the mountains felt so real on his skin. It was him, a mirror with different clothes, but... He said nothing at first, waiting for some form of an answer. He didn't even need to speak. No longer did Cloud have to question himself anymore or say 'Who am I?'

With certainty in those focused sapphire eyes of his, the silent question that reached out to the young man was as simple as 'Who are you?'

In the back of his mind, Cloud knew this moment was coming the moment that he and the other Heroes wound up on Gaia. There were some close scrapes along the way, but he knew himself enough to know that if he heard about them then he'd have to show up. It's not really surprise that washed over Cloud's face as he came face to face with himself, but it wasn't a moment he could take calmly either.

He knew the outfit, he knew this Cloud, or at least the one who had wound up in Crystallis in that other cycle. He'd sat backseat in his mind, watching as everything fell apart, watching as he gave his life to kill his Sephiroth once and for all. It had left Cloud in an odd spot of witnessing his future without experiencing it. And the others he knew on Crystallis, the other Heroes, had assured him that he didn't have to be that future self if he didn't want to be. It was even something he'd come to vow, to be himself rather than what fate or destiny or Gaia demanded of him.

But now, faced with the Other Him, a not much older man who was doing a good job of holding back how worn he felt. It was almost entirely unlike looking in a mirror. The younger Cloud stood there, wavering on his feet in his modified ShinRa uniform. His hand twitched, his grip on his helmet loosening and falling to the ground with a thunk. Zack gave a soft trill but even the chocobo could feel how heavy this moment was.

"I..." Cloud's voice caught in his throat. This was a conversation he'd had in his mind, in his dreams, several times over and over again, endlessly when he had nowhere else to direct his thoughts. This was someone he wanted to confront, to question, perhaps even blame for everything he was going through. He swallowed, mindful of how dry his mouth felt. He tried again. Of all answers to all questions, he knew this one. He'd been repeating it to himself for months.

"I'm you. A different you. I'm from a different world. I got brought there two years ago and now...you and I are different." Two years. So much had happened in that time. He was turning 18 this month. A birthday the other Cloud had celebrated in a tube in a basement not far from here.

Shit. This could be bad. This could do weird things to time, to their world...

But nothing bad was happening. At least, not yet.

Reno approached quietly and lay a hand on young Cloud's shoulder to steady him, giving him an encouraging squeeze. It was already happening -- he wasn't about to stop anything now. Faced with a similar situation, Reno knew he'd be just as driven by his own curiosity. Looking up at the older man -- the Cloud he was familiar with -- Reno nodded, confirming everything that had been said.

This was real.

Ophelia looked between the two for a moment, before hesitantly fluttering closer to the older version of the familiar Hero of Light she knew. Paws in her red scarf so she hopefully wouldn't screw up anything by touch. Was this why Vincent hadn't wanted to come? She knew her own Hero had already experienced enough trouble in his life--and blamed himself.

Maybe the moogle should've stayed behind too--but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. Which is why she was now studying the older version of Cloud. Fluttering around him close enough to look at him better, but not invade his space too much. At least she hoped so, before she headed back over and moved to settle on Reno's shoulder if he'd let her.

The semblance of a Shinra uniform that the younger blond man wore was something that Cloud could never miss. In this time, Shinra was but a shadow of its former self. There was no ground force to speak of, SOLDIER was but a fleeting thought, left to carry on through the man standing before the group. But that uniform...he'd seen himself in the mirror before, hoping that one of these days he'd trade the gun for a sword, to become the hero that he'd set out to be. Not just for himself, for his own strength and purpose, but to be someone that she could count on.

"Embrace your dreams. And whatever happens, protect your honor as SOLDIER."

The man that the young Cloud Strife was looking at however, did not reach that goal. What stood before him was the culmination of all the broken pieces being picked back up. When it was all put back together, and he opened his eyes after realizing everything he worked towards wasn't how he planned,

"Alright, well, you never made SOLDIER. But it's what's in here that counts."

Another door opened. A door opened that lead Cloud down a path that he admittedly, wouldn't wish upon anybody else. If it wasn't for his friends, his newfound family, there might not have been the same acerbic man standing before them today. And yet...he could tell that there was something different about this one. He was looking into a mirror, and yet his path couldn't be any more different...

He said nothing, even as he struggled to find the words to tell him what happened and what they were doing here. He knew how to listen when he needed to, and right now he didn't have any words for this man. His eyes spoke volumes enough for him, patience overriding confusion as he wanted to understand before jumping to conclusions. The look in Cloud's eyes told his younger self that it was okay. Suspicious as he was, something in his heart told him that as surreal as this was...

"I'm you."

As Reno came into view, resting his hand on the shoulder of the young man as he explained something that would have made anyone else call for the loony bin, the nod from the Turk was the second piece of confirmation. The rumours were true... Whatever they were doing here, that must have meant that the man in a black coat...was he here too? Instead of dread however, instead of fear of his memories coming back to haunt him yet again, all he felt was a sense of wonder. If this Cloud before him had changed...what about him? What of Reno? Or who he assumed had to be Vincent? Two years had passed for this one... If they were similar enough, that must have meant that he was turning 18 soon... So this is what it might have been like if he'd lived beyond that basement for five years.

The look of visible surprise slowly faded away however. If they told this to anyone else, they might have called him crazy. But truly, for everything that Cloud experienced since his time in Midgar and understanding the planet and understanding himself... He didn't have to accept this. If this was a fleeting moment, he'd let it be just that. If they were different, let it be different. His reality was his alone. But he was here, before his younger self. Just what changed from the time he'd been drawn away to another 'world' of sorts?

"Never thought I'd actually find you guys," he finally answered, his bright gaze curiously watching Ophelia as she fluttered around him. Since the rumours of this strange group spread as he was out working, he couldn't help but scratch that itch. It was just as he'd thought before. This was no reunion, but he couldn't explain what drew him out here until now. It was true, after all. Calmly approaching the group, but keeping a few steps distance between them, his gaze shifted amongst them before settling back on 'himself'. "I heard rumours, but..." It was still a little surreal.

Cloud glanced at Reno. He wasn't sure whether or not he was happy the redhead, his friend, was here or not. This was a moment he wanted to have alone, or with himself as it were, but at the same time it was a bit comforting to know that someone else would be able to later confirm it would happen. He turned back to the older Cloud, listening to him, trying to figure out how he wanted to respond. It was funny how in this moment all of his words were fleeing him. All those careful plans and scripts falling to the wayside as the moment finally became real.

"It's not just us. We have a few more in our group. S-" he paused momentarially and the s sound rolled into another word. "Some others not from Gaia too. We've been trying to track down someone. Someone that wants to kill us for what we're trying to do back in Crystallis. But that's not why I came here."

He stepped away from Reno, closing the distance between himself and the Other Cloud. "I've thought about this a lot. What I'd do if I met you. Some of us...some of the other Heroes have gone into Crystal Stasis, and when they emerge they're sometimes older or have new memories. To be honest, I've been terrified every day of waking up and being closer to who you are now."

He sighed and shook his head. "You're me. But I'm not you. I know what happens, what should have happened to me. I know what he did. But I didn't live through it, and the him that's traveling with us hasn't either. And maybe I'm foolish, but I'm hoping I can help keep it that way." He veered off and turned towards the town in the distance. He took a long slow breath, taking in that familiar mountain air.

"There have been a few people from this world who wound up in Crystallis. Yuffie, Barret, Zack, Angeal, Genesis, Lucrecia, Cait Sith. Some I knew. More of them knew me. There are even people from other worlds entirely who already knew my name and my face when we met..." He glanced over his shoulder, "Or maybe they knew yours. Tifa was there too, and I can't...I can't help but feel like when she saw me, she wished I was you instead. She even told me to forget about the promise."

Hauling back, he kicked a rock as hard as he could, watching it roll down the hill through the grass and scrub before vanishing off a small drop. "No matter what I do, I keep finding myself back under your shadow. There are people who assured me I could be who I wanted, and to just try to be myself, but it's hard when you know that there's another you that you're being compared to even just a little. I guess I've even come to hate you, just a bit."

Reno let Cloud go and pocketed his hands, keeping a wary eye on... well, both of them. Not that he really expected much to happen at this point. The world hadn't collapsed yet. And Cloud -- both of them -- was generally open-minded. Even when there was no way he would rejoin Shinra, Cloud still showed up when Reno called. So if anyone was going to listen to this to the end, withholding immediate judgment, it would be Cloud.

And even after he undoubtedly heard all the horrible things about Shinra, young Cloud still kept Reno around. Maybe Cloud had always been like that. It gave Reno confidence that, if anyone could support Sephiroth, he was in good hands with Cloud.

Hearing about the shadow, the weight of others' expectations and memories, the "hate" that Cloud felt toward his future self made Reno look away. He'd been guilty of that, too. Not that Cloud remembered all of it (thankfully)... There had been memories he'd had of a Cloud on Atia that no one else had, and no one else would ever have -- and it wasn't fair to subject the blonde youth to them. He frowned, watching the stone bump and roll and finally disappear.

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