Chapter 10 – Sephiroth
The morning sun spilled through the curtains, painting faint stripes across the wooden floor. Aven stretched lazily on his bed, joints cracking like fireworks.
"Hoaaaam…" he yawned, rubbing his eyes. "Alright, time to get moving. Osaka's waiting… and I'd better ask the Elders for leave before they decide to chain me to training drills."
After a quick wash and a half-hearted attempt at combing his unruly hair, he marched toward the hall. The Elders were already gathered, looking as ancient and immovable as a row of statues.
"I'd like to take a day off to visit my sister," Aven announced.
The Elders exchanged glances, as though weighing the request against the weight of the universe. Then, with the gravity of a courtroom verdict, one of them said:
"Granted."
Aven blinked. "That's it? No lecture? No conditions?"
Another Elder coughed dryly. "Just don't come back half-dead, boy. We're not paying your hospital bills."
"…Comforting as always," Aven muttered, forcing a grin.
Meanwhile, at home, Mayane sat curled on the sofa, hugging her knees. The apartment felt emptier since her brother left. Her lips trembled, her eyes red from tears.
He left me. Just like that. What if he never comes back?
Knock, knock, knock!
Her head snapped up. Someone was at the door. She rushed over, flinging it open—
"Kaoru…?"
Her brother stood there, drenched in blood, clothes torn, hair wild. His forehead trickled crimson down his nose.
"A-Aven!" She threw herself at him, clinging tight. "I thought you abandoned me, you idiot! And why are you bleeding everywhere?!"
Aven patted her head awkwardly, forcing a crooked grin. "Ahaha, don't worry. I just… uh… tripped on the stairs."
"Tripped?!" Mayane's tears instantly turned into fire. She shoved him back, fists trembling. "Do you think I'm that stupid?!"
"H-hey, calm down—"
SMACK! Her fist buried into his stomach, sending him flying back into the hallway wall.
"ARGHHH! My organs!!" Aven wheezed, sliding down the wall.
"Serves you right, you runaway bastard!" Mayane snapped, fists on her hips. "You left me to live alone, do you know how hard that was?!"
Aven groaned on the floor. "This… this is why I almost preferred the Elders' nagging…"
What Mayane didn't know was that the blood on him wasn't from any staircase accident. It was from the encounter on the train, from brushing shoulders with a fellow Bounder whose smile promised far more than coincidence.
And somewhere in Osaka station, that mysterious woman with the green spear mark was waiting…
The train ride to Osaka was ordinary at first—until it wasn't.
Bounders had a way of recognizing one another, a quiet resonance impossible to hide. Aven felt it—a subtle chill, a pulse like static crawling under his skin. He looked up and saw her.
She was impossible to miss: black cheongsam with golden motifs, a slit that revealed long strides of confidence, a fur mantle draped casually across her shoulders. Her raven hair was tied into a messy bun with loose strands framing her face. And on her back, faint yet unmistakable, the green-tinted mark of a spear.
She also carried a stick-like object on his back which was completely covered by white cloth.
So she's one of us, Aven thought, narrowing his eyes.
The woman met his gaze across the train car. And then… she smiled. Slow. Deliberate. The kind of smile that promised trouble.
When the train screeched to a halt at Osaka station, she descended gracefully with a white-clothed object slung under one arm. Aven followed, trying to keep a safe distance. But the moment he pushed through the crowd, she was gone.
"Tch—seriously?" he hissed, scanning the throng of commuters.
Then, just as his pulse quickened, he spotted her again—ascending the escalator, her silhouette framed against the sunlight.
Aven didn't think twice—his legs moved on their own. He darted after the woman, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the narrowing alley. The street was dead quiet, empty of life, until she found herself cornered by the high brick walls.
"Caught you," Aven smirked, breathless but triumphant. "Now, where do you think you'll run?"
The woman didn't look afraid at all. She leaned lazily against the wall, lips curling into a mocking smile.
"I didn't provoke you, yet here you are, chasing me down like some stray dog. Seems to me you've come willingly to your own execution." Her laugh was sharp, almost playful.
"Shut up." Aven lunged forward, hand reaching into his bag for Sephiroth.
Boom!
A gust like a cannon blast roared from the woman's finger, compressed air whistling as it shot toward him. Aven twisted aside, the pressure tearing through his jacket but missing flesh.
"What the hell—? You just fired… from your finger?" His eyes widened.
"Allow me to introduce myself." She raised her hand, casually spinning her finger like a toy pistol. "Chloe Mashita. A Bounder who has already undergone First Ascension—Equinox. A blend of Tower and Magician."
The words hit harder than the wind itself. Aven's heart dropped. Equinox—he had heard the name whispered in half-forgotten fragments. Dangerous. Lethal.
Boom. Boom. Boom!
Three blasts ripped through the alley. Aven staggered back, each hit smashing him against the wall. His skull cracked against the brick—pain bloomed, hot and blinding. Blood trickled down his face.
"Aghhh—!" He groaned, struggling to stay upright. His hand fumbled, dragging Sephiroth from the strap. He raised it in trembling defiance.
"Oh? Still breathing? How cute." Chloe's smile thinned. Flames flickered at her fingertip—wind bullets twisted, igniting into searing fire rounds. She fired without hesitation.
The first shot screamed toward him. Aven swung Sephiroth.
Clang! Sparks exploded in the alley.
The fireball scattered, but the impact hurled him backward. The wall shuddered, cracked, and dust rained down. Aven spat blood, his body crumpling to the ground.
Then—darkness.
When he opened his eyes, the world had changed.
A gray fog sprawled endlessly. The air smelled of iron and ash. His clothes—clean, unstained, as if his wounds had never happened.
"What…? Where am I?"
Dumm—Deng.
A colossal heartbeat thundered, followed by the low toll of a bell. The sound didn't come from outside but from within the world itself.
And then—it emerged.
A black dragon unfurled from the mist. Its body was lean yet immense, scales darker than a starless sky. A maw lined with fangs, wings like torn blades of night, a tail riddled with spines that seemed eager to impale.
"So… you finally step into my domain, Aven." The voice rumbled from the beast itself. "Welcome to the Flekaroth Realm."
Aven blinked, jaw slack. "…Sephiroth?"
"Yes." The dragon's molten eyes narrowed. "Why have you been silent, you ask? Because our bond is sealed. We no longer speak across the surface—you must descend here, into my world, if you wish to converse."
"What kind of ridiculous contract rule is that?!" Aven snapped.
The dragon growled, smoke curling from its nostrils. "And as for your question—why you cannot wield my power—because you have yet to grasp its essence. The keyword is absorb. Unlock it yourself."
"Absorb? What does that even mean? Can't you just—teach me properly instead of playing riddles?"
The dragon's fangs gleamed. "And hear this, child. I am not the same Sephiroth you held before. That was only a fragment. This is my true form. Do not dare treat me lightly."
Aven yawned. Loudly. "Zzzzz…"
The dragon's roar shook the mist. "Listen to me, you insolent brat!"
"Fine, fine!" Aven rubbed his eyes, half amused, half terrified. "So what's so special about Judgment anyway? All I feel is… lighter. Faster. Honestly, kind of lame for a so-called 'pillar of power.'"
"Idiot," Sephiroth snarled. "Judgment balances the body itself. It aligns with my nature—resonance, equilibrium. Without mastering balance, you will shatter yourself before you ever master me."
"…Balance, huh." Aven scratched his head. "Still sounds boring."
"Seize it—or perish. That is all I will say."
"Sephy," Aven muttered, voice quieter now, "how am I supposed to win against her? If I go back out there, she'll kill me. I know it."
The dragon's eyes gleamed with cold amusement. "Then die and learn. Or live and discover. Either way—the answer lies with you."
Before Aven could argue, the mist dissolved.
He blinked—suddenly back in the alley, time rewinding like nothing had happened. His bloodied body pressed against the wall, Chloe's fiery finger aimed squarely at him.
"Give it up already, worm," Chloe taunted.
Aven's eyes sharpened. His sword lay several meters away. Empty-handed, cornered. Perfect.
He extended his hand.
"Come."
Sephiroth vibrated. The blade dissolved into liquid black, snaking across the ground like mercury, before leaping into his palm and reforming in a gleam of steel.
Chloe's smirk faltered for the first time. "Oh? Now that—is interesting."
Flames spiraled at her fingertip. She fired.