Welcome to Adventu, your final fantasy rp haven. adventu focuses on both canon and original characters from different worlds and timelines that have all been pulled to the world of zephon: a familiar final fantasy-styled land where all adventurers will fight, explore, and make new personal connections.
at adventu, we believe that colorful story and plots far outweigh the need for a battle system. rp should be about the writing, the fun, and the creativity. you will see that the only system on our site is the encouragement to create amazing adventures with other members. welcome to adventu... how will you arrive?
year 5, quarter 3
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She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness
Ultimecia made her way east from the temple with so few answers. The only thing of value aside from testing the boy was the far too brief information she had found about the gate in the valley. She took no time and moved quickly, quietly across the countryside. Those who encountered her either moved out of the way or were slain. It mattered not to her whether her prey be both human or beast. The carcass of the behemoth an omen of the evil heading its way to the Crystalus Divider like a dark cloud on a beautiful summer's eve.
The landscape changed as she approached the source of myth. From the rocky flat land of the temple's lands, she made her way into a series of lush floral valleys. A sense of calm should could not feel accompanied them as she crushed the flower beneath her feet feeling out for the magic, daring it to call out and speak to her instead of remain a constant ebb growing ever closer. Valley after valley she tainted with her presence as the winds swept with an air of foreboding at her arrival
The the valley of the divider was before her. Ultimecia scowled at the multitude of people lingering about and traveling about the expansive land before her. Her eyes trained on the large wall and gate deep down in the heart of the valley. Ultimecia did not want to be disturbed as she explored, and brought a spell of Stopga to her hand to cast over the valley, but the magic melted from her hand before she could invoke it further. Instead of being angry, she could only smile. Good, there was some magic to understand, to harness, here she thought as she walked toward the gate.
Ultimecia ignored all the calls for fortunes and tours and prayers. She thought it odd that these people did not recoil in fear from her as she solemnly made her way towards the glowing gate. Every step she could feel the magic in the place intensify until she was face to face with the sealed glowing gate. She looked around at the few stragglers who also seemed to be watching and experimenting the large stone structure and gate. She hmpfed before moving closer to the gate, "Leave now." Perhaps some could now feel the malevolence pouring out of her in waves and quickly departed. To those that remained she merely laughed, "Fools," the sparks of dark magic flashed at darts at the remainder causing their yells of surprise and fear.
Finally alone Ultimecia unfurled her wings running her fingers down the intricacies of the completely sealed gate. The magic crackled and creaked as her dark talon traced the long forgotten words and mechanics of the thing. "A mystery," she commented to herself as she tested different magics against it all of them still keeping the thing as silent and cold as when she first approached. It didn't matter, she had time enough to figure it out.
Genesis finally had to conclude that there was nothing to be found in Sonora. It was a bitter realization. It was the place that had reminded him the most of Midgar, so he’d hoped that there would be answers to be found there. But all that he’d found had been pleasant distractions in the form of Bartz and Kuja. And as much as he’d enjoyed himself with them, even Genesis had to admit that he probably shouldn’t spend his second chance burying his problems in men and wine. If he did that, then it likely wouldn’t turn out any differently than his first chance had.
Unfortunately, both of those things were his ultimate vices, so he decided a change of scenery was needed if he truly wanted to do better. Maybe a change of weather as well, so he headed back down south towards where he had originally woken up in Zephon. Along the way, he heard tails of the Crystalus Divider, and his interest was immediately peaked. A sacred place for the gods? What better place to speak with the goddess who had cured his degredation and returned him from the lifestream? He needed to know why he had been given a second chance, but he’d thought that all hope of seeing her again had been lost without access to the statue under Banora.
In a frenzy, Genesis dropped what he had been doing (which admittedly wasn’t much) and flew tirelessly to the Crystalus Divider. What should have been a several days journey was completed in half the time, and by the time he finally arrived at the tall gate, his head was swimming from hunger and sleep deprivation. Still, it was worth it. Everything would be worth it if he could just meet the goddess again.
Pausing at the bottom of the valley, he took a moment to just marvel at the soft glow of the gate that stretched above him. People were milling about in all directions, some offering prayers to the gods and others just loitering about to observe. For once, the large crowd didn’t annoy him. He understood the appeal of this place. He could practically feel the hum of magic coming from every direction, and he was thrilled that the rumors were true. He could understand why people thought this was a sacred place. Surely the goddess would be able to hear his prayers from here.
Finding an isolated corner, Genesis sat with his back to the wall of the valley, considering the clear sky as he offered up the best prayer that he knew.
“When the war of the beasts brings about the world's end The goddess descends from the sky Wings of light and dark spread afar She guides us to bliss, her gift everlasting.”
He hesitated slightly before offering up the missing final fifth act that he had tried to fill in himself.
“Even if the morrow is barren of promises Nothing shall forestall my return To become the dew that quenches the land To spare the sands, the seas, the skies I offer thee this silent sacrifice.”
Finished with Loveless, he leaned his head back against the rock wall of the valley and watched the gate for any sign of change. There wasn’t any, and while he was disappointed, he wasn’t sure what he had expected. He certainly hadn’t lived up to the promise that he had made to her in the fifth act. Perhaps the goddess had abandoned him.
After flying so feverishly for several days, Genesis was exhausted, and he felt his eyes dip closed as he sat there waiting for a sign that might never come. He was just starting to nod off to sleep when there was the scamper of footsteps and screams close to where he was sitting.
Eyes shooting open, he watched in fascination as a woman approached the gate. She looked almost otherworldly with her porcelain skin, bold tattoos, and makeup so extravagant that he could see it even from a distance. At first he thought she might have had horns, but after blinking a few times, he was almost sure that it was just how her long white hair was styled. As he watched, she struck people from her path by waving a careless hand and shooting a wave of dark energy at them. A magic user then. And a talented one at that.
Genesis rose to his feet, hesitating slightly as he debated whether or not to just leave. It was none of his business what the woman wanted. Anyway, it didn’t look like hurting anyone was her goal so much as getting the rabble to move. As soon as the people were out of her way, she laid a hand on the gate and appeared to be examining it. She’d merely wanted privacy then. He could respect that. He hated the masses himself. There was no need to bother her.
Genesis was starting to turn away when a flash of black caught his eye. Wings. He stared in fascination at the pair of black wings that she had unfurled, and he found himself walking towards her before he had really thought this through. Pulling off his red leather coat as he went, he flung it to the side so that he could extend the wing on his left shoulder faster through the slit that he had cut in his sweater.
“I see that we have something in common,” he said as he stopped at a comfortable distance behind her. What was her story? Had she also come out of Shinra? Her appearance was so bold that she barely looked human, and he had to admire her for that.
“Infinite in mystery is the gift of the goddess,” Genesis commented as he looked up at the gate that towered above them. “I take it that you must not come from this pit of a world either.”
She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness
Ultimecia could feel the gate speaking although not to her. It murmured and whispered as though it was child asleep lost in its own peaceful realm of imagination. Ultimecia forced more of her darkness through the tips of her claws trying to find purchase, a way to shatter the calming ebb and flow being produced, to corrupt it and claim the power as her own. Still though it resisted without effort and it quietly glowed as it had always done . Where was the keyhole? How did one get to the other side of the gate? She couldn't even will herself through time and space through the archway. Something of greater power than even her own was at work here
Still, as she explored the mystery before her, someone approached her from behind. Her paws clawed into the soft ground beneath in agitation as the sound of soft footsteps grew closer. The magic she had been using against the door, shone brighter in her hand as she concentrated it into a strike. Still, it was the man's statement that held her hand from flicking the magic over her back at him. "Do we?" she asked in a manner that told him Ultimecia highly doubted that she and some commoner would have even the basest of things in common. Still the gall of the statement had her turn slowly on the spot, her yellowed eyes staring at the winged red headed man in her peripheral
"Insects too have wings, do you find commonality with them?" she asked taking her time to look at the man's single black wing. Ultimecia couldn't say she had ever seen another being with one, but she knew far too well what a Sorceresses' power could do to a knight who could not keep with her power. Disgusted diseased wretches of flesh, monsters born from the emotion only to serve their Sorceress although they could no longer do anything but lash out grotesquely. Still, she hadn't felt the presence of another Sorceress yet, so she kept the theory to herself and confirmed it as he asked her about her origins as she stood sizing him up with her fevered yellowed glare
"Goddess?" she questioned as she rubbed a talon against her chin. At first, Ultimecia thought he was talking of her either genuinely or mockingly, but it was the part of the gift that caused her questions. The only gift she had for him was death: either now quickly mercifully, drawn out as her new Knight into madness, or when time would once again fold into her. Perhaps he spoke of the gate then as he seemed to be more transfixed on it rather than her. "What use is a gift if one can not claim it?" she asked her image flickering for a moment as she closed the space between them in a instant, feathers falling to the ground where she had stood. "You may not be of this world, but it sounds as if answers lie inside your mind," she said now face to face with the man. She ran a finger across his temple pressing just slightly harder than was necessary, but not aiming to harm him yet. "What knowledge do you have in there, child. I don't want to have to find them in there myself."
Insects? Really? Genesis bristled, crossing his arms in irritation as he sized her up. She wasn’t human, that much was clear between her curved gloved fingers, her hair that defied gravity, and the weight behind the unblinking gaze of her yellow eyes. Something about that disdainful stare reminded him of Sephiroth, and his scowl deepened.
“Oh. Oh, is that how we’re taking this? Because my new honorable phase wasn’t working out so well anyway.” Even Angeal couldn’t blame him for putting her in her place, right? She had hurt some civilians after all. Some would even say that he would be doing the right thing by taking her out. Of course. That’s why he was doing this. Not because she’d insulted him. That would be ridiculous.
The woman seemed to consider his Loveless quote a bit more deeply than he had expected, even going so far as to ask what use was a gift that couldn’t be claimed. Well then. Maybe he should reconsider. She couldn't be all bad if she’d consider poetry with him.
“An interesting interpretation. But what does the gift mean to you that you think it can’t be claimed?” He asked before she suddenly flickered in place and vanished from his view. Stiffening, he grabbed his sword hilt just as she reappeared in front of him. One of her gloved fingers was on his face, and he felt a sharp point when she pressed down just slightly on his temple. It seemed those curved fingers were actually claws.
He was unnerved by whatever magic had allowed her to teleport. She would be nearly impossible to target if this blew up into a fight, so a trickle of uneasiness crept its way through him until she threatened him in the most condescending way possible. As quickly as it had come, his fear was gone, and his scowl was back in its place.
“Child? Bitch, I’m 27,” he ground out, hand not moving from his sword hilt, though he didn’t dare attack her with her claws so close to his face. “And what knowledge do you seek from me?” He asked, his eyes flickering to the feathers still trailing to the ground from where she had vanished. “My friend, do you fly away now? To a world that abhors you and I?" His lips twitched into a faint smirk that he had a feeling would annoy her. "All that awaits you is a somber morrow, no matter where the winds may blow.”
She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness
Ultimecia stared deep into the boy's eyes trying to catch any glimpse of knowledge his eyes might betray. She smiled as he returned her questions with brash and bold cockiness. "So bold for one so young," she taunted tracing her claw down his jawline before taking a step back. She still hadn't gotten the answers she wanted yet, so there was no use killing him for his atrocious demeanor quite yet. "To not have seen a century let alone a millennia pass, and claim they are not a child in the eye's of time," she mused more to herself as she sized the boy up again. "Is this structure not your gift from your goddess? Or if not, is that protrusion a gift?" Ultimecia turned from him to gaze upon the gate again. She already had the gift of one god, now it seemed it was time to find how to claim another from a different one.
Her eyes narrowed as he spoke of being abhorred. Her fist clenched as she thought on the small minded people and their willingness to live in fear and ignorance. She had overcome their adversity, grown stronger in the fires of their hate, and laid to rest those who would try to calm her anger. What of the boy though? What had or would he do to find peace among the throngs of scrutiny? Perhaps there was something she could us in him aside from answers. Ultimecia put a hand in the air and waved her talons as she thought on it for a moment before turning to face the boy once more
"You have dealt with the ignorance of fools then?" Although it was a question, Ultimecia believed she already knew the answer as her wings beat once in his direction. "Has your goddess provided you shelter from the onslaught of misplaced fear, or has she left you to die exposed to the sun of their hate?" Ultimecia began to circle the boy examining his wing a but more closely. Yes, she doubted the normal human would take to kindly to such a design. Indeed he was quick to use his tongue were ought it be kept still, but she wondered how he would act under a guiding hand. "What would you give to exact your vengeance, to awaken to a new day, a new time, where those who had scorned you would face their due justice?" Ultimecia finished circling him before staring dead into his eyes dark energy pulsating from her hands ready to strike if need be as she awaited his response.
The sharp point of the claw under her glove trailed down the side of his face until it reached his jaw. Genesis was starting to wonder if she meant to slit his throat when she finally released him and took a step back. He rubbed the side of his face a bit unconsciously before pausing in mid-motion when she dismissed his claims that he wasn’t a child.
“You claim to have seen millennia pass?” He asked a bit cautiously as he looked her over more closely. Normally he would have dismissed such a statement, but he had to admit that she didn’t particularly look human. Now that he was closer, he could see that her feet curved into claws like her fingers seemed to. Her eyes were a shade of bright yellow that seemed to pierce right through him as she eyed him with a cold, unblinking stare. It was at this point that Genesis started to realize that he might have made a mistake.
Clearly the only way out of this was to double-down on the attitude.
“Oh? Well you’re looking well for your age. Your makeup is incredibly on-point,” he said, before stiffening as she asked if he thought that his wing was a gift.
“This abomination? Hardly,” he muttered as she took to examining the softly glowing gate again. Did that mean her attention was off of him? Praise the goddess. Perhaps he’d make it out of this without having to fight some kind of ageless being after all. He took an innocent step backward and was about to retrieve his leather coat from where he’d thrown it to the side when she asked him a question that stopped him in his tracks.
Has your goddess provided you shelter from the onslaught of misplaced fear, or has she left you to die exposed to the sun of their hate?
Something about the question caused the side of his head to twinge, and Genesis curled a hand through his red hair to rub at the spot slightly as he stared at her. Anger pricked at him, and his thoughts raced wildly through his head as he tried to slow one down enough to form a coherent sentence.
“She spared me from dying,” he settled on, but he almost felt like her yellow-eyed stare would see through him to the rest of the story. The goddess certainly had given him his life, but what else did he have? His two best friends were dead. He’d been carted off to a strange world. And as far as he knew, Shinra was still carrying on like it was business as usual. In the end, they’d won, and they’d had to suffer nothing for it. Why had the goddess spared him just to leave him with nothing?
As he stewed on his own thoughts, the woman started to circle him slowly, and between her stalking gait and piercing eyes, he was reminded of how a cat would circle its prey. He refused to play along and be her mouse though. Ageless creature of unknown origin or not, she had no right to throw his insecurities in his face. He raised his chin in irritation, preparing a scathing retort when she stopped in front of him and asked him a simple question that made all words die on his tongue.
What would you give to exact your vengeance, to awaken to a new day, a new time, where those who had scorned you would face their due justice?
Genesis let out a bitter laugh, staring at her in disbelief as his favorite Loveless quote rose to his tongue. “My soul, corrupted by vengeance, hath endured torment to find the end of the journey in my own salvation and your eternal slumber,” he quoted before looking up at the gate again. “Oh, I’d give quite a lot to see them fall. You’re perceptive.” A scowl rose to his face as he ignored the magic she had building in her hands. Pacing a bit to the side, he finally retrieved his coat off the ground. Shaking off the dust, he draped it over one arm since it was rather hard to pull on while his wing was out. “But are you claiming you can give me my revenge? This isn’t the world they dwell in.” Shinra was out of reach in Zephon. And he hadn’t gotten very far in his pursuit of them anyway, he was forced to admit. All he’d really done was alienate himself from Angeal and Sephiroth.
She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness
Ultimecia smiled as the boy explained his wing was not a gift and that the only thing his goddess had done for him was to spare his life. It seemed more like a curse to her, extending the pain and longevity of something so unwanted by the world. Sometimes death was the merciful option. She didn't follow as he began walking away only to pick up some coat from the ground and give her more answers. Good, the boy seemed willing to exact revenge on others. What would it take to tip him over the edge and declare all humanity his sworn enemy. One step at a time though, he just needed to be fed crumbs right now, or at least until he displayed any worth except disdain.
"Time and space are intertwined," she began explaining taking her attention away from him once more and pondering over the gate. "If time bends, then so does space. This world, and others would meld together until those you seek would only be a swords width away." There was no need to mention that while time bent his mind would become undone to the point all of his anguish would be felt through eternity until she became time's central point. Still, her knight would be her pet in the new world and time; she would need something to use in her new role as a god.
"It flows differently in this reality," she mused pondering on the fact she wasn't able to stop it and move about not ravished by its constant ebb. "What games do the gods play in this dimension?" She frowned at the serenity and calmness radiating from the gate. Did they dwell behind the door? Was that the reason the passageway was bound and locked by a magic even greater than her own? She huffed as she turned from it. Every door had a way to be opened; she would just need to find the key.
"If vengeance is what you seek, I can show you the path," she claimed turning her slightly to make sure the boy had not left. "There are those from my time, the wretched SeeD, who also need to find death by my hand. To pries open this door, and claim the reward inside." Ultimecia grinned as she crossed her arms looking towards the night sky. "I need answers, and someone to help find them. What other choice do you have if your desires burn true? For what power do you have on your own?" She hoped this would taunt him enough to show her, or drive him away. She could not use the useless.
Genesis paused as the woman stopped to explain that time and space were connected and that bending one would also bend the other. He eyed her in doubt, wondering if she was making such a claim on the basis of science or magic. He had a distinct distrust of scientists with their cruel experiments and lack of care in their search for answers, but she didn’t look the type. She was some sort of otherworldly ageless being, and he remembered distinctly how she had seemed to vanish a split second before she had taken hold of his face.
“And you have the power to bend time?” He asked carefully as he scanned her face for answers. He knew better than to trust her with the hint of danger that seemed to leak under every one of her controlled answers, but he was curious as to where her promises would lead and if any of them were legit. Did she actually have a way for them to return home? He supposed that if anyone did, it would be this woman who was obviously less than human.
She had turned to examine the tightly sealed gate again, and he took the time to tug back on his red leather jacket, though this time he left his wing out through the slit that he had cut in the back. Brushing a stray feather off the top of his shoulder armor, he was starting to wonder if she had forgotten about him when she finally turned back around and proclaimed that she could help him find his vengeance.
“Oh?” He paused and considered her carefully again, weighing the odds that this was a trap. He oddly felt better about his chances when she proclaimed that there were those back in her time that she wanted to punish as well. She was likely at least serious in trying to find a way back. Whether or not she’d help him find his own way back was questionable.
I need answers, and someone to help find them. What other choice do you have if your desires burn true? For what power do you have on your own?
Genesis laughed out loud at that, deciding that she had him there. What other choice did he have? Would he spend his life aimlessly flying around Zephon, trying and failing to be a better person? Would he indulge in wine and the company of strangers until he was too old to enjoy either of those things? There was nothing else for him here. All roads for him led back to Midgar and the waiting arms of Shinra. Which meant that until he had a better option, all roads led to this woman and her silver tongue.
“I’ll bite. Since it seems we’re both searching for a way back, perhaps we can help each other.” He flashed her a smile as he laid a gloved hand on his sword hilt. “I may not have power over time, but armies mean nothing to me. Care to test that?” He goaded her as he waited for her to make her move. “When the war of the beasts brings about the world’s end, the goddess descends from the sky.”
She is like a cat in the dark And then she is the darkness
"Yes," the reply was short and curt but truthful. Of course there were a few wrinkles and problems to manipulating time once more, but she needn't cause any doubts in the boy's head. She didn't need for him to start thinking he could do such things on his own or make him believe that she couldn't. No, she needed to only feed him the information he needed to know and nothing more. She wondered if his mind could even handle the complexities of all time
And at least he admitted his own powerless state over time. Ultimecia watched as his hand reached for the hilt of his sword and stared coldly. Swords and metal, such base weapons when compared to the depth of magic. She smirked as he boasted about being able to take down armies. It would be a waste of her time to destroy and break him so completely if he were to be her new pet. She didn't care much; she could lay waste to seas of men as well. No what she needed in a puppet, a Knight, was someone who would do anything for their Sorceress, complete and total devotion no qualms.
"Stay," she commanded as she flickered out of time a single feather falling where she had stood. She reappeared near a throng of travelers. She watched them for moment watching for the weakest among them before eyeing a man hobbling behind the others with a crutch his leg bound in a cast. She stalked behind them silent as the night before grabbing him with her talon and blinking them back to where she had left the boy
Ultimecia threw the broken man at the feet of the winged one. "To fight one's opponents is a part of life," she mused as she watched the thing struggle and squirm and scream trying desperately to stand to escape but only being able to crawl away crying for help. "but are you too tied to your humanity to be able to comprehend the layers of time?" The riddle lay bare in the air as she turned her gaze from the limp to the boy. She wondered just what the boy would do to the man as she stepped back to observe and give him some room. She hoped he wouldn't disappoint her.
“Stay?” Genesis echoed, grimacing as she vanished from his view. He felt a bit like a naughty puppy being admonished for failing to learn a trick, and he didn’t appreciate her tone or the comparison.
Unfortunately he didn’t have much time to dwell on her words, because the people who had been lurking at a distance to watch them suddenly scattered with cries of fear. Genesis glanced up the valley at them, not surprised to see that the woman had flickered into view close to them. It was similar to what she had done to him when their conversation had started. It appeared that she either had some sort of teleportation powers or that she really could pause time.
Genesis hesitated as he watched the woman grab a man near the back who appeared to be hobbling on one leg. “Oh no,” he groaned aloud, not liking where this was going. “Really? Really. Goddess damn it! How do I get into these situations? Am I the problem?”
He was still cursing his luck when she flickered back into focus in front of him and threw the man at his feet. The man appeared to have dropped his crutches when he was grabbed, because he struggled to crawl away on all fours, pleading and begging for mercy from the dust. It was a pathetic sight that churned his stomach a bit. He cast the disdainful woman in front of him a questioning glance, though he was already positive what she was asking him to do even before she spoke.
To fight one's opponents is a part of life, but are you too tied to your humanity to be able to comprehend the layers of time?
This was a test. Pursing his lips, Genesis drew his sword and considered his red rapier as he weighed how to answer. Whichever way this went down, it would be good to have the blade at the ready.
“It’s not as if I truly care,” he settled on, reaching out to toe the pitiful man with the tip of his boot. “I’ve killed plenty like him.” And for a master he never should have followed. He scowled faintly, remembering the atrocities they’d all committed in Wutai when given the order by Shinra. Maybe in the eyes of history, nothing was considered a war crime when you were the victor.
“But I’ll admit I do generally prefer a reason,” he continued, trying to talk his way out of this as he glanced over at her. “So many people in the world deserve to die. Why should we waste our time on someone like him? Surely there are enough soldiers and politicians around if you’re looking for my resolve.”
He may have been trying to weasel out of this, but Genesis meant it as well. He’d burn his way through towns if she truly had a way to send him back home. He had before. But something about looking down at the single crying, injured man made him uncomfortable. Maybe it was the callous nature of it. He could make something poetic out of war or revenge, but there was nothing artful about killing a man in cold blood.
Or maybe it was the thought of what Angeal would say if he could see him now.
“The arrow has left the bow of the goddess.” He thought out loud as he considered her. He wasn’t certain that she would be pleased with his response. He had to be ready for anything.
