Square Wars: The Return of the Paladin Chapter 5
Redemption and Final Resolution
By WarChild
Sephiroth looked at Cecil very gravely. That boy wasn't going to give in.
Now that boy will pay dearly for his mistake.
"So, you dare defy my will, will you? If you will not be my puppet, you shall
be destroyed!" Sephiroth declared. He grabbed his sword, the Masamune, and
pointed at Cecil. Electrical shocks came from the sword, striking Cecil.
Despite the MBarrier that Cecil had placed, the shocks were still to
overwhelming. Cecil fell in pain. The Dark Knight, struggling with a damaged
air pump, stood up by his master. Sephiroth walked to the boy. "You have
made the greatest mistake, and you will suffer for it." More shocks were
emitted from Sephiroth's sword with great intensity.
Cecil cried for help. "Brother, don't let him win. Please help me." The Dark
Knight looked at his brother in pain, and his master in anger. Sephiroth
then briefly paused.
"Now young Darkheart, you will die. Vengeance is mine!" Now summoning all
his energy, he concentrated on the one thing that kept him from total victory,
Cecil. "You are the reason. You have defied my dreams. I WILL BE A GOD! I
WILL BE THE ULTIMATE SENTIENT BEING! AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT!
I SHALL REIGN OVER THE UNIVERSE FOREVER!" Has his master gone mad? The Dark
Knight faced his master.
"Master, have you gone mad? What are you doing?" Sephiroth kept shouting.
"NO ONE EVER DEFIES ME AND LIVES! I shall be one with the lifestream, and
become master of the ENTIRE UNIVERSE! WHY DO THINK I HAVE THIS STATION BUILT?
It's not to strike fear, but it's to release great mana energy from many
planets. I have sought to be master of the universe, ever since the Magi
Wars. But you people, your kind, kept interfering. Now, YOU MUST DIE!" The
Dark Knight looked at his master's eyes. He didn't look human anymore. In
a bold move he stepped in between his master and his brother. "WHAT ARE YOU
DOING, PUPPET? YOU ALSO DARE DEFY ME?"
"When you had these things built you never spoke of this madness. You never
said you wanted to be a god. These things has gone too far." the weakened
warrior retorted,
"You think, I gone too far. How's this for too far?" The enraged Sephiroth
stabbed the Dark Knight in the chest, damaging his artificial respirator
more. "Puny fool, not even you can beat me!" Electrical shocks flowed from
the sword into the Dark Knight's body. In a surprise move the Dark Knight
got the sword out of his chest, and lifted the evil emperor by it. "This
can't be!" Then he tossed the wicked ruler by the sword over the railings
and into a deep chasm. The greatest tyrant ever known in this universe's
history, a mad man who now admitted he really want to be a god, has been
defeated. Cecil, wounded by the electrical attacks, struggled to his brother,
a man who rescinded on his evil ways. Both weakened, both barely alive.
After dodging many turbolasers on the Meteor of Doom's surface, the Highwind, escorted by Wedge's Epoch, and several other rebel fighters, flew into the superstructure of the Meteor. Still in pursuit, a few ISFs followed them, trying to shoot down the rebel ships. It would be a matter of time when they find the main reactor.
Outside the battle still raged between the two space fleets. But it seemed
the rebel fleet got the upper hand. Mana Fortress after Mana Fortress was
being knocked out of space. In the rebel's command ship Barret over looked
the battle. Then he transmitted a message to all rebel starfighters.
"Dam' foo. Give dam fightr' more time! Destroy that stupid Black Omen." he
announced.
With that, a flurry of starfighters attacked the Black Omen. Its massive
volley of lasers blasted the ship's bridge deflector shields. Inside, Rufus
was getting nervous.
"Can't you people do anything right? Keep those rebels from destroying the
bridge! Counterattack, for goodness sakes." Rufus shouted to Zeal. It wouldn't
have mattered, for a out of control FF8 jet was about to crash into the bridge,
right where Rufus was standing. "OH NO! NOT AGAIN!" he screamed, as the FF8
jet crashed in. The bridge exploded into flames. The Black Omen lost control,
and rammed into the side of Meteor, making a spectacular explosion.
Inside the Meteor of Doom, it was time to evacuate. They knew it would be
a matter of time when the rebels would destroy this station. For explosion
and explosion echoed the hallways. In the midst of the scurrying SOLDIERs,
commanders, and high officials, Cecil struggled to carry his brother to safety.
But in vain, he had to get both of them out of everybody else's way. Cecil
looked at his brother. Golbez, still struggling to breathe requested, "Cecil,
remove my helmet please." Cecil refused.
"No, I can't. You will die. You can't leave me!"
"Nothing will change that matter. Soon, I'll see our father's people. And
I cannot return to a world in which I destroyed the lives of millions. No
one would forgive me. For now, I want to see you without this thing." he
pleaded. Cecil thought deeply. It would be true. His brother was going to
die. But he hasn't seen his face. With difficulty, he managed to remove the
helmet. Underneath it was his brother's face, almost like an aged version
of his own. "Please Cecil, save yourself. Leave this place." he coughed weakly.
Cecil was still in denial. "I can't. I won't let you here. I must save you."
"You have saved me, in more ways than one. Just let me go, let me see our
father. One other thing Cecil."
"Yes?"
"Tell our sister that you were right all along." Golbez finally slipped into
death. The Dark Knight and his evil have been banished. What soul that has
remained is now gone too. Cecil started to weep. His brother is now truly
gone.
Cloud looked through the cockpit window. There it was, the station's main
reactor, using a Mana based energy source.
"Wedge, take out the power regulation tower, then head out of here!" he called
out to Wedge on the radio.
"Roger, General Cloud." Wedge fired on the tower. With it gone, great amounts
of Mana energy gathered at the center of the station. Cloud looked at his
co-pilot Zack. Zack looked back. It was going to be hell getting out of this
place. Without a second thought, the Holy bomb was launched towards the Mana
energy. As the Highwind started towards the exit, the bomb ignited, and Holy
was released.
The main hanger of the Meteor of Doom was falling apart. But with no trouble, Cecil piloted an escape chopper out of the station. Within seconds of his escape the hanger blew.
Wedge's Epoch finally exited out of the station, as the rebel fleet retreated.
As for the ISFs, they were consumed by Holy. Then there was the Highwind.
Holy energy almost surrounded them. It was time for desperate measures. Cloud
got up from his pilot seat.
"Cloud, what do you think you're doing?" Zack asked.
"Look, just stay with the controls. I'm gonna to get us outta here." Cloud
instructed. Cloud search around the cockpit room till he found it.
"I'm not definitely gonna say @#%@#% for this scene like Cid." he added.
It was the emergency lever. Without doubt, he pulled hard on it. The Highwind's
back blew, as its engines were blown of to uncover more powerful ones. The
blast gave the Highwind enough speed to shoot out of the Meteor. With Holy
surrounding Meteor at all sides, Meteor exploded.
On the forest of Mua everybody saw the spectacular explosion. The moogles,
the rebel strike team, the two droids, and of course, Cid, Aeris, Tifa, Umaro,
and Red XIII. Aeris, still tending a wounded knee, looked up to the sky.
Cid looked up and remarked, "Well, I hope Cloud, Zack, and Cecil have escaped
from that deathtrap."
"Cloud..." Tifa murmured. Aeris looked at the two.
"Don't worry. I felt them. They are alive. Of those three I feel Cecil the
most." Aeris responded. Cid look at Aeris funny.
"You say you could feel Cecil the most? Huh. Do you two have anything between
each other?"
Aeris laughed. "It nothing like that. I actually like Zack. It's just that,
well, I'm really Cecil's twin sister."
Cid and Tifa's jaw dropped. "WHAT?"
Red XIII shook his head. "Actually, that would have made a lot of sense."
Cecil looked at the lake. It was cool, fresh, clean. He has taken the robotic suit off his brother's body, and wrapped him in robes. He waded in, lying his brother on the water. With sorrow in his face, he let his brother Golbez, sink into the lake floor.
In the sky fireworks lit with glorious colors, thanks in part to Taban. News has spread all over the universe that the Shinra has been defeated. The wall market in Kapio instantly held a big sale, since the taxes the Shinra gets has now been eliminated. At Cloud's City, it was the grand reopening. It became more glamorous than the first one. Then at Midgar, the capital of the now departed Shinra, it citizens reveled into their newfound freedom.
It was night on the planet of Mua. In a joyous celebration the Returner/Avalanche alliance gathered at the Moogle village. There were great bursts of happiness when its members saw each other again. Cloud instantly came to Tifa. Zack headed for Aeris. Cecil walked over to Cid and shook hands. Then Cecil gave a great hug to his sister. Other people came in. Barret, Marle, and Celes. They all congratulated the generals on the jobs well done. During this Cecil saw them. FuSoYa, Bugenhagen, and his brother Golbez. He saw their spirits, smiling. Aeris then brought Cecil to real life, as the moogle danced around. It was truly a good day to do a victory dance.
Fanfic Completed on August 28, 1998
Revised on March 9, 1999
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