They say the Devil's Water, it ain't so sweet - You don't have to drink right now.
Who: Elena, Sephiroth, Vega, Kira, & the Remnants
When:A day after Sephiroth trains with Vega
Location: Mines, North Corel
Rating: PG-13 (possibly worse with language?)
Summary: The people of Corel are ripe for the picking, so Sephiroth and his entourage intend to start collecting some additional recruits for their purpose. And what better way to ( Read more... )
When:A day after Sephiroth trains with Vega
Location: Mines, North Corel
Rating: PG-13 (possibly worse with language?)
Summary: The people of Corel are ripe for the picking, so Sephiroth and his entourage intend to start collecting some additional recruits for their purpose. And what better way to ( Read more... )
Eyes widened slighty, words dangerously lethal. The calm before the storm, so to speak, and Elena knew it for what it was. Every muscle in her body tenses, hairs rising on the back of her neck at the sight of the shimmering blue flames that coated the whole of his hand. Her mind was several steps ahead, already trying to anticipate the type of pain that was going to come her way. Was the flame actually going to burn her? Would it put a new mark on her already scarred skin? Or would it do worse....? Elena gave an audible noise of surprise when he moved fast - too fast for her eyes - and was standing in front of her, gripping her upper arm.
A moment passed, and Elena wasn't sure if he was going to actually hurt her or if he was merely going to threaten to hurt her. But the heatless flame that flicker against her arm was soon gone and, sue was sure, burning through every fibering of her being. The registration of the pain was clearly painted across her features, eyes frozen and locked on his, watching what looked like enjoyment as she was burned from the inside out.
Unable to escape either eyes or grip, Elena's body spasmed and trembled beneath his grip until she could no longer stand on her own, knees giving to the weight above them. Held up soley by his hold on her arm, tears stained gray lefts tracks against pale and blackened skin. The inky black areas grew hot and swollen, threatening to ooze the thick black substance that congealed beneath her skin. Pained cries and groans bubbled from the deepest corners of her body, memories of people she'd killed, of Northern Crater, the thought of Tseng being dead at the Temple, her angry thoughts at Reno, every little bit of darkness that had inflitrated her heart and soul were laid ut in front of her, were paraded out for her one afer another after another. The hand of her free arm, despite its violent spasams, reached out and clasped weakly around the offending wrist holding her upright.
"Please..." Desperation was thick in each syllable, tear-filled eyes upturned at him, begging for relief, to be released, for forgiveness for the pain to stop. Behind it, despite herself, was a clear understanding. He was the one in control. He was the one who could break her, if she gave him reason to. He was her world now. Was he? "No more..."
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Sephiroth had to raise his arm a little further into the air when Elena's legs gave out from underneath her, holding her hanging from his grip for a few moments before he allowed the couple inches needed for her to rest rather than crash to her knees. Each cry, every little sigh of physical and mental anguish became like a step towards Sephiroth's success. He watched her all the time with not so much enjoyment but achievement; calculating, pondering perhaps how far he could take this. Could he break her like Hojo had broken Cloud for him? Would she become such a mindless drone under all of this that he'd have to eventually put her out of her misery? Misery that she would be in, or was it more like misery in his knowledge of what she was like previously.
Would there be very much point, without a challenge like this one?
Thoughts were pulled back to the here-and-now at a hand at his wrist, brought crashing back into hazel eyes tinted darker by an inky sheen of tears. They'd tracked lines like bad mascara down her cheeks, seemed to sizzle at the edges of the just-weeping sore on her face. Sephiroth didn't need to take this further even if her desperate begging tempted him to attempt to will the flames deeper just to teach her a lesson of all lessons. She deserves it. does she?
Just as she may have thought her desperation was ignored, he clasped the opposite hand around her hand clutching at his wrist and steadily withdrew all the anger, pain, fear and darker emotions back into his hand from whence it came. A small mercy he wouldn't rip it all back out of her the way he had invaded with it. Harmless blue flame tickled it's way up from Elena's core back to Sephiroth's hands and remained there, seemingly empowered further by it's little trick.
Sephiroth then released Elena and flexed both of his hands inside these magical fires. Balls of white, seemingly more solid cores of power flared and stoked the fires with each push Sephiroth made at this energy he held within his fists. Stepping back and looking over Corel once more, Sephiroth knew there could be two ways to dissipate this magic; absorb it himself or use it to further some other end. Despite the hunger for power that Sephiroth lived with he found himself glutted already and threw off the power in the direction of the small buildings below in the town. It was time to tip the balance, and that meant all of the balances that mattered.
"Watch." Was simply one word of instruction behind him at Elena as the two flares descended on the shanty town. They danced in the air a few feet from what could be the centre of their territory and then both shot directly upwards. Soundless fireworks which expanded their sparks in a great charged dome and spilled invisible rain with every sigh of it's creation. It stretched out,above them and beyond, from inside it seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon.
Sephiroth took a deep breath heavily laced with satisfaction and this apparent emotion seemed to spill out into the very air, to be breathed all by all susceptible to it.
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Though her eyes remained open, seemingly staring up at him, all awareness was gone and replaced with a glossy sheen of dullness, the only life being the flickering of green specks that continued their pulsations. Darkness crept like shadows from a falling sun, stretching its grubby hands across all aspects of her mental landscape, their source from the deep cellular level activated by the flames injected into her, coursing through every fiber of her being. If she succumbed to the darkness, would the pain stop? Would everything melt away? Mother...help me....
Whether it was because of her call out to Mother or whether he was satisfied enough, there was a slight pull from her core outward, starting off as a slow trickle and growing into a steady pour from her chest to her shoulder, then to her wrist. Memories that played on constant repeat flickered then began to bleed, like a watercolor painting caught in a rainstorm, washing her mind's eye clean. Heath breath, which had been labored and heavy grew lighter, easier, the darkness that threatened to overwhelm her and embrace her in its clutches retreated back into the cells they sprang from. Honey orbs lost their dull sheen, an acute clarity returning with two long, slow blinks that replaced confusion with a look of reverence at the realization that it was his doing - that he had penetrated her very deepest parts that were locked away from all others, pulled them free from their constraints, showed them to her, and the drew them from her.
....her Promise. Mother's....Mother's promise.... He was right...?
Silent and free from his hold, Elena sat back with legs curled awkwardly in front of her, her body limp, sore, and yet lighter than it had felt in months. While she knew - she knew she had seen, done, experienced awful things, it was right there in her mind, telling her it happened - she couldn't remember any of it. Only the physical scars remained. Peering through blonde bangs, she turned her attention outward - to Sephiroth and the power that accumulated in his hands. If there had been any hatred, any anger in his direction, those memories too could not be brought forward. All that was there was an utter and total devotion appreciation.
His word of instruction was not needed, it was impossible for her to not watch his movements. The power that surrounded his hands were no less impressive than the overall power that enveloped his entire being as if it were an invisible field that deflected all that attempted to push through. As impressive as the light show was, and it did draw her attention at more interesting points, it was difficult to focus on the impressive display of his power when question after question tugged at the back of her thoughts. Had his entire purpose been to free her of her inner demons or was it something Mother had ordered? If Mother wasn't involved...then why care so so much - if at all - to bring her that sense of peace unless...
Ignoring all protests from her body, Elena pulled herself upright into a standing position, oblivious to the throbbing and weeping sores that oozed the inky black substance where her geostigma had stained her body. Eyes moved skyward, looking up at the newly formed dome, as she moved forward to stand beside him.
"Amazing..." A little smile formed at the corner of her lips. They'd be fools if they don't recognize his sheer power and strength. "We should have little trouble convincing them to submit and join our cause."
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It was exactly knowing that the same was not the objective here which held him back. Though Sephiroth wasn't entirely sure why instinct told him to be pre-cautious, heck he hadn't even dared been bold enough to venture into the town for the occasionally needed supplies. Vega had always been more than eager to go for them all, should it be necessary. Sephiroth supposed that it was better this way, that the townspeople be aware of some big change of the horizon but not being able to know what it was just yet. He supposed also that there might be a great deal of opposition to his rule which would need to be softened first. With the forcefield in place and the air inside laced with his own influence it would not be long before they all, just like Elena found him impossible to resist.
Sephiroth could have completely forgotten Elena was behind him, his attention was all on the anticipation of what this victory would feel like. What he would do after they had all submitted to him, and the war he would wage on all of those that had even thought to stop him.
Eyes were torn from overlooking his inevitable conquest to Elena as she spoke, she certainly seemed a lot more calm now. In that she wasn't pointing a finger at him or searching with blazing green-tainted hazel eyes for all the answers to questions he could never answer, would never answer for the simple reason that he himself hadn't quite fathomed the reasons yet. Sephiroth nodded at her statement and the last of his firey outrage fizzled away with just one word. 'Our'. Finally Elena had seemingly found within herself the acceptance required for them to continue without any further argument.
"One would think." Sephiroth replied carefully, unwilling to risk shattering the reverie she'd been caught in. Surely as her body would stop fighting and just accept, the marks and apparent stigma she'd obtained would start to fade away. He hoped that she would be gratified accordingly with the promises Mother had no doubt lulled the Turk with in the first place, though it was not for Sephiroth to know what exactly was to come of it. It was a time for destinies to come to fruition after all.
"We must give the air time to settle, and then we will make our move."
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"I know we will," she returned, eyes still forcused on the town that lay at their feet before them. "Even if we have to make them. They won't be difficult to persuade."
Her head tlited back slightly, blonde bangs falling away to show her eyes staring up at him. The reverence she'd first looked at him with after he had released her had not waivered, even though the larger dark marks of the Geostigma remained unchanged. A question lingered on the back of her mind, though went unasked. Surely he would laugh at her if she asked if she could fly. If she would ever grow wings like he had - she felt so weightless she would have to else she could be blown over the cliff's edge. Perhaps it would be a question she would ask once she was clean and pure, when all the stains no longer spotted her frame.
"Mmm.." she sounded with a little nod. "I'll go tell the others to get prepared. We all need to be at our full strength."
"Oh, and Seph-" Turning slowly towards him, Elena's mind was jolted by the ease in which her body moved, cutting his name in half. The lightness of muscles and bone making each motion felt like an overexaggerated display of her new strength. Pausing to reorient herself, Elena took the moment to look him over again. The power he had acquired - (By her? Through her?) - evident as if it were a halo around his head. Whatever comment she was going to say was forgotten, though in the brief moment of silence two unspoken words seemed to reverberate through her head. Thank you.
Continuing her turn, Elena gave a polite nod before headig back towards the cave where she would inform the others of the plan and to rest.
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Unspoken words again left a taste lingering in the air between linked gazes, charged as if the breeze could whisper them. Sephiroth, however didn't care much for what Elena wasn't yet prepared to put into words. Gratitude (or at least thats what it felt like) would undoubtedly only be the beginning of Elena's true acceptance of all of Mother's embraces. Time would indeed tell the fruits of his demonstration.
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