The silence following the battle felt heavier than the combat itself.
They were all slumped atop the skeletal iron remains. Below them, through the shattered gaps in the floor, the Mako pool boiled, casting a sickly green glow. The roof of the reactor gaped open, revealing a starless, dark night sky.
Zack coughed hard, clutching his chest. His breath hitched, as if his lungs had just been wrung dry. The side effects of that forbidden technique—Costly Punch—were starting to collect their toll.
In Johnny's embrace, Aerith felt the same. Cold sweat dampened her forehead. Though physically uninjured, the Lifestream Bond channeled Johnny's pain and fatigue directly to her nerves.
On Aerith's shoulder, Puck and Ivalera in Invisible mode, sprinkling healing dust to stabilize the Cetra's heartbeat.
Johnny, still mobile despite being battered, reached into his pouch. He pulled out three bottles of Mega Potion.
"Drink," Johnny ordered, handing one to Aerith and tossing one to Zack.
They gulped down the green liquid in unison. The bitter taste of the medicine mixed with the relief spreading through their bodies.
"Hah..." Zack let out a long sigh, then lay back, staring up at the ceiling. "I felt like I was going to pass out back there, Johnny. Whew... Costly Punch is effective, but I hate that skill."
Johnny wiped blood from his chin. "What exactly is sacrificed for a punch that strong?"
Zack turned his head, his face pale but serious. "Your life force. Your HP."
WHACK!
Johnny slapped the back of Zack's head hard.
"Ouch!"
"Don't use that deadly skill again," Johnny scolded. "Are you crazy? Do you want to die young?"
Zack grinned, rubbing his head. "Of course I'm crazy, otherwise how could I be a SOLDIER? But alright... I'll save it for emergencies only."
The atmosphere began to calm. Aerith's breathing returned to a steady rhythm. Johnny stroked the girl's hair gently. "Aerith... forgive me. You ended up in pain because of me."
Aerith opened her eyes, offering a weak but sincere smile. "Don't always apologize, Johnny. I'm safe. I'm actually happy I could protect you."
Zack propped his chin on his hand, watching the two of them. "Aerith is right. Your angel saved us from that crazy dragon attack. I thought she was just a sweet girl, but it turns out she's a god-tier Medic Sorceress."
Johnny's face instantly darkened. He knocked Zack on the head again—lighter this time, but full of warning. "Don't you dare flirt with my girlfriend again. Watch yourself."
"Hahaha!" Zack laughed freely. "Aerith, your boyfriend or fiancee is really jealous, isn't he?"
"That's my Johnny," Aerith replied with a soft chuckle, making Johnny's face sour with embarrassment.
Zack shifted into a cross-legged position, his face turning serious with curiosity.
"By the way, Johnny... is it true that you—or both of you—are from the Deepground Division?"
Johnny immediately placed his index finger on Aerith's lips, signaling her to stay quiet. Johnny's tactical brain went to work. He decided to fish for more information.
"That's right," Johnny answered in a low, secretive tone. "We are from Deepground. On a Black Ops mission to eliminate the threat of Genesis and Angeal."
Zack's eyes widened. "No wonder you two are so strong! That division... rumors say it's the cruelest of them all. I thought they were just a myth among the 1st Class."
Zack shook his head, his face full of sympathy. "The rumor is they house the most extreme human experiments beneath Sector 0. Creating super-soldiers crazier than normal SOLDIERs, storing 'living weapons' in case Shinra gets desperate."
Zack looked at Johnny and Aerith with pity. "I feel sorry for you guys... were you kidnapped as children to be experimented on?"
Johnny fell silent for a moment, then his shoulders began to shake. He couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
Johnny burst out laughing. Aerith joined in, giggling at Zack's innocent expression.
"What? Why are you laughing?" Zack asked, confused.
Johnny wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Aerith, I think Zack here is too honest. It's pitiful to keep lying to him."
"Go ahead, Johnny. Explain it to him," Aerith said, smiling with amusement.
Johnny patted Zack's shoulder. "You know, Zack? We were just talking out of our asses."
"Huh?"
"Back at the church when you explained Project G, and just now when you explained Deepground... you're too honest. You just leaked high-level Shinra secrets to strangers."
Zack blinked. "So you mean...?"
"I'm just a hired monster exterminator working for the Turks. And Aerith really is just a flower girl," Johnny grinned. "We're ordinary people. We've never even seen Angeal and Genesis in person before today, only on propaganda posters."
Zack's jaw hit the floor. His eyes bulged in horror.
"So this whole time... I LEAKED MAJOR SHINRA SECRETS?! NOOOOOOOOO!"
Zack jumped up, pacing back and forth while clutching his head in panic. "Oh man, oh man, oh man! My head is spinning! If Lazard or Tseng finds out I leaked info about Deepground to civilians, I'll be court-martialed! I could be thrown in a Behemoth cage!"
Suddenly Zack stopped, looking at Johnny with eyes shining with hope. "Oh right! In that case... let's just be friends, Johnny! So the secret stays between friends! Deal?"
Johnny chuckled softly, then extended his hand. This guy really did have 'Golden Retriever or Puppy' energy, exactly as Tseng described. Innocent, strong, and loyal.
"Fine, I accept," Johnny said, gripping Zack's hand tightly and pulling him closer with a sharp glare. "But remember... if you flirt with Aerith one more time, I'll knock you out cold."
"Sir, yes sir, Boss!" Zack grinned.
As they shook hands, Johnny's eye caught something. Behind Zack, lying among the rubble, was a glowing red crystal sphere—the Bahamut Fury Materia.
Johnny did not release Zack's hand. He held Zack in place, keeping him facing forward.
Johnny whispered very softly to Aerith, barely moving his lips. "Aerith, create a diversion. Cure."
Then he whispered to the empty air on Aerith's shoulder. "Puck, Ivalera... quick, grab that red materia behind Zack. Hide it."
"Aye, Boss!" Ivalera's high-pitched voice replied faintly.
"You've still got open wounds, Zack," Johnny said loudly. "Aerith, can you cast Cure again?"
"Of course," Aerith raised her staff, a green light radiating from it, grabbing Zack's full attention. "Cure!"
"Whoaa... thanks, Aerith! That feels way better!"
While Zack enjoyed the sensation of healing, the two small fairies swiftly snatched the Bahamut Fury Materia, carrying it away in Invisible mode and stuffing it into Johnny's belt pouch.
Zack turned around a moment later. The Materia was gone. But Zack didn't give it much thought. His mind drifted to other things as he looked up at the open ceiling.
Zack sighed deeply, his smile fading.
"Angeal was my teacher... my mentor. Johnny, like I said before..."
"Your sword techniques are identical, Zack. I could see it," Johnny interrupted, his tone turning serious.
Zack looked down. "He taught me everything, Johnny. Honor, dreams... everything. I feel like a failure. I couldn't save him, and now he's gone, taking Genesis with him."
Johnny looked at Zack. He knew the feeling of loss, the taste of failure.
"The important thing is we tried, Zack," Johnny said heavily. "No matter how loud we scream, no matter how hard we plead... if a man's resolve is set on his own path, nothing can stop him. Not even his favorite student."
Zack went silent, digesting the words. Finally, he nodded slowly. "You're right."
Zack turned, facing the dark exit of the reactor. "Thank you, Johnny. Thank you, Aerith. Without you two, I would have died back there."
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed. Calm, rhythmic, and full of intimidation. Steps accompanied by the creak of expensive leather and the faint ring of long metal.
Zack squinted, then snorted in annoyance. "Oi, Sephiroth! You're late! The party's over!"
From the shadows, a tall man stepped out into the dim light of the reactor.
His silver hair hung long and loose, shimmering like moonlight. His long black leather coat billowed softly. In his hand, he held the Masamune—a katana of absurd length.
"It seems I missed the party..." a baritone voice, cold and smooth, echoed through the chamber.
Johnny and Aerith turned around.
Johnny knew who he was. Sephiroth. He had only heard of him from videos or newspapers, but his face was never fully exposed. He was the War Hero of Wutai. A living legend. The strongest SOLDIER.
However, when the moonlight from the hole in the roof hit the man's face, Johnny didn't see Sephiroth.
Time stopped for Johnny.
His breath caught in his throat.
His eyes widened, pupils constricting to pinpricks.
That face.
That silver hair.
The cold eyes and the arrogance implied behind that perfect beauty.
It wasn't Sephiroth.
BUMP.
Johnny's heart slammed against his ribs. His head throbbed with a stinging pain.
BUMP.
The noise of the surroundings faded. Zack's voice, Aerith's voice, everything vanished. There was only a high-pitched ringing in Johnny's ears.
BUMP.
Images from the past—the eclipse, the blood, the sacrifice, and that demonic smirk—overlaid the figure standing before him.
BUMP.
GRIFFITH.