A/N: This is a Sephiroth redemption fic, but it’s different from the other ones out there (I think). Please do not be turned off by the original character that appears in this chapter, for she is a very minor character and I have absolutely no intention of turning this into another Mary Sue fic.
Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, its characters and ideas are the property of Squaresoft Inc.
Hell, Plane Unknown:
The cold metal chains bit into his exposed flesh and his muscles screamed for relief. An invisible, intangible lash descended upon his already tattered flesh again and again, flaying apart the skin that was still unbroken. Once his lustrous silver hair had shone like the bright, full moon, but was now soaked with sweat, blood and grime and plastered to his body and face.
Such a pitiful sight. He was once a great warrior – respected and revered by all. And now what was he?
Just another damned soul rotting in the unfathomable pits of deepest, darkest Hell. It was a place that had never known sunlight. A place that had never known warmth.
Sephiroth shivered again as his desperate attempts to block out the cold proved futile. He opened his eyes slowly, painfully, and stared into the impossible darkness. Here, even the mako glow of his emerald eyes was absorbed by the shadows so that he could see nothing. Just endless black.
It was so cold. So bitterly cold.
A searing pain exploded near the region where his heart
was supposed to be. Do I even have a
heart, he wondered through the red haze of agony. Perhaps I’ve never had one.
For how could
such a monster possess an organ that’s supposedly the center of love?
The suffering increased until all thoughts were forced to cease. It was funny how even burning sensations which should have caused him to break out in sweat managed to feel icy as death in this godforsaken place.
Gods, what he wouldn’t give to have the torture end! To feel the warmth of the sun upon his face, to breathe just one moment without having to experience such torment – he would have done anything.
Anything.
But I don’t
deserve anything else. I’m a monster.
How many died in
cold blood by my hands? Hundreds? Thousands?
And so I am
punished. A punishment fitting the crime. The chains and lashes, the cold and
darkness imprison my body, as my mind is slowly destroyed by my own guilt.
* * *
Heaven, 7th Plane:
“Sephiroth. Sephiroth.”
Charissialla paced the length of the glorious main hall. The flawless white crystal of the floor scattered the bright light that came from no obvious source, but was present all the same. Majestic white columns lined the edges of the great chamber, but otherwise the room was entirely empty except for the troubled Goddess within.
She brought her slender arm up before her and snapped her fingers. An image of the man who had terrorized an entire Planet in his insane pursuit of divinity appeared before her and she studied it with a critical eye.
Did he truly deserve damnation, she wondered? Granted, he had committed a frightening number of heinous crimes, but…Did that mean he was irredeemable?
Beneath the surface of the cold hearted General, there was something far more, she was certain. There was a tortured soul hidden within that just needed to be uncovered, to be drawn out. He was not merely a soulless killer.
There was so much more…
In an instant she made up her mind. After all, she was Charissialla, Goddess of Mercy. It was her duty to ensure that souls that were usually overlooked without a second glance were given the opportunity to find their own salvation. That is, if she felt that they deserved it.
She would go to Redemption, she decided. And perhaps in another merciful Goddess she would find the sympathy she needed to gain his release from Hell.
* * *
Hell, Unknown Plane:
Sephiroth clutched at his battered chest, vainly trying to relieve the pain that tormented him relentlessly.
It was always centered around the left side of upper torso, always at his heart.
That damnable piece of blood and flesh! It’s not like love was actually caused by the heart anyways. Emotions occurred in the brain. So why did they always target that area?
But he knew the answer. It was a constant reminder. He would never be allowed to forget the reason why he had been sent to rot for all eternity in a pit of blackness and despair.
Because he didn’t have a heart. And so he had killed so many.
I have chosen my
path, and now I have reached the end.
But if he had no heart, then why in Heaven’s name did it throb so painfully with regret and longing?
A/N: I know this chapter was short, but as the story progresses the chapters will become longer. Once again, let me reiterate that The Goddess of Mercy is not a main character in any way. THIS IS NOT A MARY SUE FIC. I wrote this story so I could defy fanfiction norms. I won’t explain any further. Perhaps you’ll understand what I mean if you continue to read the fic.
Tell me what you think. Pretty please? I love reviews. We all do, so be please be nice and give generously. ^_^
~LS~