The Man In The Stone

By
DarkBeauty

Please Feel Free to mail any comments about this story to DarkBeauty: [email protected]

Part 1:

Diamond droplets in the dark sky. No moon was out tonight. Funny how it seems that I'm so tranquil right now.

This wasn't my plan or my destiny. The way I'm living my life right now. It used to be normal...as any other normal girl's life can be.

.... Untill that day....

That day it was a settle, pale afternoon. I was on the outskirts near a crater-ish mountain. My class was there. We were all ordered to stay away from the mountain, and to stay within the excavation site and not to go near the icy peaks. I forgot what we were all there for. My eyes and my mind was wandering...

Deep in the late reddish glow of the after noon, when no one was looking, not caring of my existence, I walked up to the forbidden mountain. Deep, but no too far from the unseen eye, I could slightly see the circle of morbid darkness that crusted up slightly to the top.

The breath of the sky made my long black strands dance to try and convince me to clime those icy peaks. My body felt light, as if I was about to fly. Hmm-funny. At first I was spell bound. Well, I thought...But no. It's too dangerous. I was warned not to...but the wind was persistent in playing with my curiosity.

One silk boot in front of the other, I walked the path-the forbidden path-that was going to lead me to the winds' secret. Every blood vessel in my body was pounding to it's ultimate high and my eyes gazed up at the sky. Gray, White bastard, where are you taking me, my mind pondered.

I was scared. The wind dared me to go. Snow fell and lightly landed on my hair, which looked like small stars embedded into my hairs' velvet complexion. The winds' challenge to satisfy my curiosity was stronger than my own will. But somehow...somehow...I wondered what I'd find.

Deep in the winding trail, climbing every one of the basin's steps, I wondered if the others knew I was gone already. It felt like ages for me to get this far. It was a lot harder than it seemed. The wind pushed even harder, sending my hair in to a flying frenzy and making my hair turn soft and floating it in a liquid motion.

Climbing with an unfocused mind, but not wondering; I was thinking about my life really. I'd never usually think about such things, only when I'm timid. And I guess-right then-I felt that way.

My life was an enigma in it's self. I never had a mother and my father.... Well... the father I've ever known adopted me when I was still very small. My mother... the only thing I thought I knew about her was her name. But my father told me...my father told me the name was not lie, but it was the wrong name of my mother. He honestly told me he didn't know who my real mother was, and that the people who had legal custody of me at the time weren't telling me things...Things that I needed to know.

I was glad when he took me out of that hellhole. Even though I was still very young, I didn't like it there, though I was used to it. I remembered how it felt.... It felt like I was being watched all the time. They didn't care for me. To them they thought of me as just some worthless piece of trash. Especially those who called themselves "doctors". They scared me. I was always in that lab...being watched... but he... he put an end to all that. My father, the man they call Vincent, adopted me.

He since then he cared for me and raised me as his own. Later as I got older, he told me he had adopted me from an agency within a demolished and semi-functional company called the Shinra. He said they never used to be the way they were now. Back then he said they had great control. Until one day a grave incident happened that involved the whole plant's existence.

The rest then, was a total blur to me. Except one thing. The crater. My father told me about the crater. And this was what ignited the winds' morbid encouragement. I was curious about only one thing. What lied within the enclosed cavity. This inquisitiveness never stuck me until I saw the crater that day, or what was left of it. I laughed in a dazedly fashion, realizing the possibility that my father really was there and all those "stories" he told me were in fact accurate.

Deepened and immersed within these thoughts, I didn't realize where I was nor did I recognize the trail I was leaving behind.... I was lost. I scolded myself for letting my mind to wonder off.

A few moments later I was finally at the top, but not within the heart yet. It was not too far off. I could see the unperfected lined circle from a soft distance.

Suddenly.... I heard voices. What I heard was a name being chanted within the soft murmurs of the wind. "Sephiroth," it cooed in my ears. The name...it sounded vaguely familiar. I wondered where I heard it before?

It sounded really familiar, but, at the time, I didn't care... But it turned out that I was going to.

The impulsive whispers of the name woke me from my daze of transition. Out of instinct, I stopped. It seemed as if though I'd been walking in a trance of some kind and I realized that maybe I wasn't letting my mind wander. Somehow I was closer to the winds' destination and I saw a deep rubble rock path that lead to the uneven circle. The wind's persuasive blow seemed to enchant me, pushing me to walk the dingy, dark road. Along with its plea for me to go and with my mild case of inquiry infused into me...I went.

Few hours passed, and I was now in the seemingly endless spiral to the wind's destination. Darkness flowed around me. Everything seemed dead and I was not surprised. Even the rocks themselves looked ancient. The smell was dead. Everything was unlavished; no life. I was cautious, making sure that my step was safe and secure in order not to fall within the deep, dark abyss I so clearly saw.

Possibly, a couple of more hours passed and I ended up within a dark hall filled will more rocks and somehow what appeared to be molten materia. This hall lead to a cavern, unknown to some of its existence; and even though it was deep, it seemed to show some light of it's own, with the help of the materias' settle glow.

At this point, I had changed my mind. I started to fight with the wind-telling it within my soul that I wanted to turn--go back. But it didn't. It wouldn't... Of course it wouldn't. It had succeeded in taking me this far, and it would not stop now.

Little girl, come, oh come, see what lies beyond this, it said caressively.

Strange-when I heard the voice of the wind, it sounded...almost... feminine; human, and seeing how there was no point to stay and try and argue, I proceeded.

The taste in my mouth grew to be strictly bitter. I gently caressed my stomach, in order to calm my nerves. It was very unsettling, but the wind... The wind kept pushing me. It felt as if it had hands that kept stroking my back and pushing me to go deeper into the cavern within the light that the mako emitted.

There, she whispered close to my ear.
Where? I stated, why did you bring me here for?

The pearls on your feet, she whispered.
Pearls on my feet? At first I didn't understand what the wind was telling me at first; until it hit me. Was she talking about my anklet? It was made out of pure materia. It was once, at one time, a full piece; but my father had it made into jewelry. It was a gift from him to me when we first met. Some have said that all materia is useful. I didn't know if that was true or not, but I'd never paid any mind to that theory. All that mattered to me was that it was a gift of my fathers, and to me; personally, it symbolized a new beginning, a new life.

It seemed to me that wind's ambitions were slightly different than my own. For the reasons she brought me her were possibly for her own will. Or so I thought.

Right then, it felt like I had no control over my body anymore.
Where are you taking me?

You'll see, she lightly blew into my ear.
My body felt numb. My thoughts were diminished.
That answer she gave me was not gratifying enough. My lips were dry, and I was getting anxious; but the answer that wasn't gratifying to bear, gave me more of a vivid illusion.
No.... visions.
The visions were of blood, wind, ash, fire, and a blade. The flames within the vision seemed to dance wildly into several dimensions. I could feel the heat, the wind and... the blood, and the fire, and my hands wiping the bloody ashes clean from a long sword.

Stop it! I screamed Get away form me.... What's going on?

You're almost there, she said calmly, but to pleasantly; and that scared me. Just a few more steps.

I frantically wondered what I had gotten myself into, and why I let her, the wind, this thing, which came out of nowhere let me get into this type of disarray. I also thought what were those visions about. They were so real and felt real. Then suddenly, with out even knowing....

We stopped.

I prayed.
I cursed.
I was all too sudden. I'd wished I could plea to spare just a few more minutes...just to think. Just to gather my timid thoughts.

We're here; she spoke with a cool breeze, would you like to go closer, Alana?

My name...
How did she know my name?
That, I could have only imagined.

I've been watching you, for a very long time, she breathed. She did not give time to speak, just to walk; and where she was about to lead me would change my life.

The ground was cold. The chanting moans of the name stopped. As I took a few steps closer I only could think of why they stopped. In the area, in which she led me, there was snow and ash. The big canopy was slightly lighted by the ambers of the afternoon and the radiant light of the mako. The fog reveled the snow, ash, and the mako; but that was not the only thing there.

Do you see it? Her voice was heard again.

I tried to focus my eyes in the direction. A diamond-green glow scorned my blue-violet eyes. As I recovered, my sight seemed to revel a mako-rock. It was embedded between the wall of the cavern and the floor of it. It was immersed in snow and dirt and was remarkably huge.

Go closer, she said: and I hesitated...the ultimate intrusion. It was the ultimate intrusion and I didn't dare go.

GO, she said wildly blowing in all different directions; and my hair went wiping around me as I slowly approached the warm glow of the massive rock that shimmered with the jade of its reflection. It shined on my face and it made everything turn into a green translucent gleam.

My hand cautiously and slowly caressed over the encased mako-rock and it felt warm.
It felt alive-its vibrant warmth rushed through me.
It was so pleasant, so...wanting. Is this some sort of treasure? I questionably thought; and I certainly hoped it was.

The mixed snow and ash was still covering it. I cleaned it away to get a better look at the green stone, only to find something that startled me.

A hand.

Someone was in there. This stone must have been big enough to contain someone or something of extraordinary size. I took a closer look. The hand looked human and as I looked even farther, it seemed to have a number... the number one on it. I wiped the stone to get a better look at who was trapped within this grave of green gems. To my shock it was human.

But that "it" was a man, entrapped in the mako stone. He seemed to have been dead for a long time.

I studied the figure of the man. His hair was long, a very grayish dimmed sliver, and was ratted because of death; but I suppose that at one time it was youthful as mine; rich in its beauty. His physique seemed to be stature; he quite possibly was strong when he was alive. His facial features were life-like, even in death. They looked serious and were a little appealing.

As I was locked onto the presence to this man, I could only have wondered how did he get himself into this entrapment of enclosed materia.

Right there and then, everything seemed to be clam. Why did she bring me here? I asked under my breath. Then...

All of a sudden, something disturbed my thoughts.

The visions that I had previously, came rushing back madly along with the voices that seemed to chant the name.
The visions.
Fire, wind, blood, and a blade.
The ashes, ashes of....people?
My hands were to my ears, and I pressed against them; trying to block out the chant; but the chant....
The chant went on and it turned into a song.
A song I did not have words for.
"Sephiroth," they spoke, "Sors immanis, et inanis," they sang.

They kept repeating the name and song, as the vision became more and more vivid ...and real. It was then when I saw a man in the flames. That man.... the man in the stone. Was that him? And that name. It came clear to me now. My father used that name once, quite possibly when he was telling me his experiences.

I wanted it all to stop; but before I could lavish my yell, she came back...

ONE-WINGED ANGEL, AWAKEN! she blew in a mighty roar. That was when everything went into utter madness. She blew around me, around the cavern, and quite possibly, the mountain itself; and I saw what was suppose to be a green-white band, fortress-like barrier that was forming around the top of the crater.

The chant began to get even louder and more severe in volume. The vision kept repeating and coming. The blood, and his blade. He was wiping the blade clean, the ashes of those who met with its fate. His eyes-a green spark, deepened in rage. I was shaken in fear. I heard screams of rage, hatred, anger, and pain. And as I looked down to block out the volume and the visions, to my astonishment, my anklet began to react in a response that was a glow.

And then...

Out nowhere...

Something grabbed me...

A scream burst out of my throat, but it was to muffled out by the wild wiping of the wind's laughter. I tried to pull away, but the grip, the hand; his hand... had me. I was frozen in fear, unable to move from what I'd seen next.

Slowly, the man, in my visions, and the same one within the mako grave, ever so slowly...started to awaken. I screamed at the wind and at the voices that were chanting to take me away from that place, but it didn't suffice.

He appeared with out effort at all; and still with a strong grip on my hand, he pulled himself halfway out; enough for me to see his face and half of this body.

It was a horrid site. It was like he was still dead, but just alive in some ways. Slowly, his eyes opened, to revel a bright green. Those eyes-they were staring at me.

I froze. All I could do was quiver. The chants started to say the name.
"Sephiroth"
His grayish-sliver hair wrapped and wiped around me as the wind's wrath raged.
His green eyes became narrowed and his other hand that was free began to touch the side of my face.
His hand felt cold and drab.

I gasped and with that I shuddered, as he got closer to me. It looked as if though he was examining me; trying to see who awoken him form his slumber.

Then his hands started to close around and over the back of my head, and he brought me closer to his face. So close that I was near to his dried, crackled lips. His eyes became less intense now. He was looking at me longingly and with the other hand that was still hooked on to mine, he slowly, with his finger, started to caress my face. His blue crackled lips slightly curved into a sinister grin.

And just when he and I were about to get closer.

Everything stopped.

A white light flashed and an impact ripped both of us apart.

Since then...

Since then, it wasn't over.

Some how this man became alive again.



****



I found my self the next day in the near by hospital in Icicle Inn. I slowly opened my eyes only to be blinded by the whiteness of the hospital and a nurse injecting a shot into my skin.

"So, you're finally awake, young lady," She said and smiled, "everyone was so worried about you, especially your instructor."

I said nothing. My mind wasn't present and nothing right then could come out of my mouth. I recalled what had happened yesterday. The events that happened came rushing back in a quick utter rush of insanity. The visions, the voices, her, and ...the man.

Maybe it all was a dream, I reasoned. Trying to diminish thought of what happened to comfort my fear. But it all seemed so...

Real.

A sudden knock came at the door, waking me up from my thoughts, and the door slightly opened. It was our instructor. Mr. Wills.

"Is she awake?" he asked as he stepped in and silently closed the door behind him. "Well, come see for your self," the nurse responded in a pleasant tone.

He did so and sat in a chair that was nearest to me.

"Well, I'll think I leave you two alone," the nurse said and Mr. Wills nodded in agreement.

The nurse picked up her equipment and left, leaving the two of us alone in the room.

"So, how are you feeling?" he turned to me. He had an apprehensive but a serious tone to his voice. I knew right then that I was in trouble. Of course I was, it was obvious that what I had done was disobedient.

I forced an answer.

"Alright, I guess."

"Good, I am glad to hear that," he said and then continued, "And your father will be relived when he sees you. I've called him here."

"You have," I said. After what happened, being in trouble with the instructor and with my father was the least of my concern. "When will he be here?"

"Tomorrow morning. He would have come sooner, like today, but all the ships departing for the northern area were backlogged. He'll be here tomorrow. And as for you, Alana, we have something to we need to discuss."

I knew that discussion was going to come soon. And it did. He kept going on how, even though I was of age to be on my own in the school, that there were rules and regulations that were mandatory to follow for everyone's safety.

"You know you could have been killed, and did I not tell everyone in the group not to wander off, especially to the cliffs?" he asked sternly. Although it was a type of question that demanded an answer.

"Yes sir," was all I could manage to say.
"Good it seems like you understand, later we will take about your reprimand, and as of now you are suspended from the remainder of the excavation," then his expression softened, " Get some rest."

"Yes sir." And with that he left me alone in the cold white room. I sat there thinking that I could have explained what had happened at the crater, but what use could that have done me?

I knew with a grim factor in my mind that he wouldn't have believed a word I told him. And then possibly accuse me of lying. And that would have made things a lot worse than they already are.



****


Nightfall came. Along with that... The visions came and at stronger rate.

Dreams of fire flowed and I could see streams of blood pouring down steps of some kind.

He was there. I couldn't see him very well. It was all a blur, a fog scene that I tried to see but to no avail.

I heard the voices again. The chant along with the familiar name. I couldn't sense what was going on until I saw another vision. It was a girl. She had brown hazel nut like hair, about waist length. She had eyes that were of a beautiful blue glimmer and seemed to show a gentle glow.

She looked like she was praying. Her hands were locked and her eyes began to rise up.

I followed the gaze. To find that there was a Dark figure in the gloom. That figure began to bound down to where the girl was praying with an object in hand. A blade. It was he! He was going to...

I tried to warn her, but nothing came out of my mouth. I screamed out as much as I could, but all that came out was wasted breath. For the blade went right though her. I could see the utter surprise that formed her features as she slumped forward. Her blue vibrant eyes began to dim until they were snuffed out.

With no wasted time, the man extracted his massive blade from her limp corpse and raised his head to look towards me. The sinister grin was the same as I saw it in the crater. Everything went to slow motion as he, seemingly, approached me. But before anything could happen the vision changed.

Back to the fire.

The fire began to flow like the waves of an ocean and started to rise up and began to take form of a Typhoon. Suddenly the wall of fiery ocean began to collapse and a deluge covered the entire vision.

I was in the mist of all it.

I felt like I was drowning. I looked up to see the man flying with his blade in hand and he seemed to be pointing to me. I could see the fire in his eyes...burning in a forever green glow of antagonism. Then he flew down in a tremendous speed. His hair flapping wildly in harmony with is black cloak. And with his sword in hand...

He was...
Flying towards...

Me...

"AH!" I screamed and awoken only to find myself covered in sweat. I rubbed my chest to make sure that I was still in existence. I had no idea what was going on or why did those visions came back. This time stronger.

I looked around my surroundings. Every thing was dim and quite. I hope I didn't wake anyone, I thought. I merged out of bed with the wishful thoughts of that it could have possibly been a horrid reverie of some kind.

I stumbled around the darkness of the room. I needed time out from the bed, just to ponder. My thoughts turned back to what happened that day. What was she, the wind trying to accomplish. I shook the thought out of my head, Alana, I t was only a delusion, it wasn't real, I told myself, yeah, that's right a delusion.

How wrong I was...

Somehow this delusion was telling me something, and at that period I didn't know what. I was so confused. I needed something to comfort me. I went to one of the drawers to pull out the only object that can accomplish this. My pearls.

The anklet my father gave me always helped me to remind myself that everything was going to be alright. It always helped me to ease mind and to slacken my tension when ever I felt the way I felt now.

I rummaged though the drawer, ruffling through the possessions that were in there. Only to come up with nothing. Everything of mine was there but my pearls. I stood there in bewilderment on account to wonder where they were. I was baffled, "Where could I've put them!" I exclaimed. While my thoughts were still on this matter, something felt disturbing. I glanced around. I felt like I was being watched.

I didn't like it.

However, my attention was focused back on my ultimate possession, until....

"Are you looking for these?" a voice alleged in the shadows. My head wiped around to the sound by the voice, startled by the sound of it.

"Who's there?" I said while looking around the dimmed room, trying to make out the intruder. Only to be responded back by a soft, grim laughter.

"Silly child," the voice said in a soft tone, "you should know."
"Know what?" I asked, astounded by the resonance, softness, and remote tone of the voice.

"You have had visions haven't you? About who I am. Oh...don't tell me you've forgotten...about that day. The voice. The voice that told you to awaken me. I should thank you...ha ha.... for being so generous in awakening me from my hell. Now that I can accomplish my purpose."

"Purpose?" I questioned. I glared with in the darkness to try and see who was standing in the mist of the shadows. "Who are you really?"

The voice was silent in a brief moment. Then it spoke.

"I am the rightful ruler of this planet. The heir to this inhabitance. My mission was to destroy all those that oppose me and to become a god," then the voice paused, "Would you like me to show myself...Alana?"

"How did you know my na-," before I could converse, a figure approached forward. The form took place lilted by the moon's light that shined through the glass of the window.

My adrenaline started to rush as the forms' features stared to take form. A black trench coat was wrap around a steadily built frame and the patina of a hilt took to sight. Sliver strands seemed flow along with the movement of the figure, with grace and delicateness. It didn't take too long before I could see the face of the interloper...

And the green-blue eyes that glowed of mako.

Breath caught my throat. It couldn't be! It was him.

The man in my visions. The man that my father knew the name to.

"Y-you're," I stuttered in amazement mixed with fear, "him, aren't you...but you were.."

"Dead?" he finished off for me, "So did I. But as I said before, you awoken or should I say.. resurrected me." He paused for a bit and then added, "I think this belong to you."

He pulled out something that shined in the dark besides his eyes. He reached out his arm and opened his hand to revel in his palm...my pearls.

I stood there in awe. I must have dropped them in the crater.
I approached him cautiously, taking my time to walk towards him to retrieve what was my possession. Until he slightly retracted his hand and arm back...

"But, before I give you this," he started, and the tone of his voice changed, "I need to know its power...and it seems," his face plastered an ominous smile, "you have the ability to call upon it. You see I have tried, after a few moments of my resurrection, to call upon this power that is within this materia. Somehow it will not listen to my calling. And ....I felt a power within you that day. Something similar to mine. Yes....
quite," he stopped a moment and approached closer to me.

A little to close.
And I felt gloved hand against my cheek. And gave me a gothic, passionate stare.

"You will definitely prove to be useful to me, ..Alana."

Before it even occurred to me, I was consumed with unconsciousness.
But this isn't the end.
This is the beginning...



~The End Of Part I~

****

The end... For Now.

To be continued...