GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project

July 24th, 2003


Preshow

When Sephiroth had come up to Raziel, and specially requested that the match be held at night, he had been curious. Why would a day walker like him wish to challenge to the lord of darkness at night. He probably wants to make an example of me in front of Alucard. Most people thought the match was a moot point--Raziel, Sephiroth's first victim. Raziel intended to show them differently. The fools, I am immortal, I am the chosen, Sephiroth is a human, a human will never stand to me. He gathered his glyphs, and grasped his sword, the Soul Reaver, then he said aloud, to no one but the ebbing sun, "By the light of the darkness, I will win, and his soul will be mine."

Suddenly a group of bats flew in the window and into a shadowy corner, then from the shadow emerged the face of another vampire, Alucard, "Come the break of day, and you may not see this world, Raziel."

"Do you mock me, Alucard?" Raziel said turning around to stare at the son of Dracula.

"I merely say, that Sephiroth is not human, there is no feeling inside him. You're trinkets will fare little use against his skill and strength."

"Make no mistake, Son of Dracula, my power is far beyond the likes of which this world has ever seen."

"Then I wish you good luck, and I look forward to your return from the spirit world." Alucard said, slinking back into the shadows. The swarm of bats left through the same exit they came.

"You're time will come as well, half-blood." Raziel said to himself as he watched the bats fly away.

----

"Well," said Cloud trying to look calm, "This should be interesting."

"If by interesting you mean total annihilation, yes this should be interesting," said Sonic. "This guy's gonna tear him apart. No way anyone can save this guy's sorry butt."

"Raziel is immortal, no one can bring him death," said the wise Auron.

"Oh, that's cool then....." said Sonic, nodding although clearly not understanding.

"He is fated to walk this world and the spirit world forever, a fate far crueler than death." continued Auron looking down at the hedgehog.

"Wow, bummer......"

Cloud stopped paying attention to the conversation of Auron and Sonic, For someone who was so upset over his friends loss he sure got over it really fast. The sun was evaporating beyond the horizon, Looks like they're opting for a night battle, strange.....why would Sephiroth agree to such a term. As the higher seed it's his choice. Unless of course he's trying to make an example of Raziel.

"Hey Clod, you fought this guy, do you think he could kill air?" Sonic asked tugging on Cloud's arm.

"What?" asked Cloud.

"The geezer over here says," Sonic straitened his posture and made a stupid face and contorted his voice to sound like Auron's, "You could not kill Raziel more than you could kill the air you breathe so could he kill the air?"

"It wouldn't suprise me Sonic, it wouldn't suprise me," said Cloud, scowling at the entrance Sephiroth would be entering through. ".........On second thought yeah, it really would suprise me."

----

Sephiroth sat silently in the waiting room. He picked up his sword, the legendary Masamune. A katana with a blade crafted out of the finest metals, with an incredible reach of six feet. There was only one person who could wield a blade of that magnitude, and it was he, the son of JENOVA. He looked out of the window to see the sun go down, light still dwindled in the skies but darkness was not far away. It was almost time, time to show those pitiful weaklings the meaning of the word power. Time to show them how much strength he'd gained since his defeat by Link. Time to show them fear. And they would fear, he would make sure of that.



The Battle

The stadium was packed to capacity with a crowd that had been filling in the seats since well before sundown, anticipating the final match in the South division. Unlike the two previous night matches, the brilliant blue-white glow of a waxing moon in the clear night sky illuminated the field of battle. The field had been stripped of its barriers and was once again open for all to see. Two doors opened, and the blackness within seemingly gave birth to the two challengers.

The cheers and boos of the massive crowd died on their lips as the cold blue eyes of Sephiroth surveyed them. His imposing gaze panned from the vampire Alucard to the defending champion before coming to rest on another blond swordsman and the woman with whom he sat. Raziel's eyes were fixed on his opponent and burned with the fire of bloodlust. At last, I slake the thirst it has been my curse to abide for weeks.

As the combatants took their positions, the eerie silence was broken by the whistle of the Masamune slicing the air in a fencer's salute. Sephiroth raised his blade with both hands and assumed a combat stance, tip curved down to point at the fallen vampire's heart.

More by an instinctive understanding between the two warriors than by any announcement, the battle began. The sons of Jenova and Kain closed gradually on each other as they circled, both awaiting the other's first move. The tension snapped as Sephiroth lowered his blade into a one-handed stance and closed his eyes. He waved his free hand before him as his mouth silently formed the word, "Wall." In answer to his command, a shimmering barrier of light rose from around his feet and faded as it tightened around his body. Raziel, seeing his opportunity, charged.

As Raziel's dash brought him within range of the Masamune, Sephiroth's eyes opened and his blade flicked upward in an arc toward the vampire's torso. Raziel's finely honed inhuman reflexes were all that prevented his evisceration, as he brought his own weapon down to parry the strike.

The metallic clang echoed through the arena. Masamune and Soul Reaver, two swords widely famed and feared in their respective realms, strove against one another in the middle of the field. Both warriors clasped their hated blades two-handed, straining to gain an advantage. There was a shrill scraping of metal on metal as Raziel inched closer to his opponent.

The two stood nearly face to face now, the stark beauty of the former SOLDIER's face contrasting sharply with the nightmarish hideousness of his opponent's. Their eyes were locked in a clash of wills. "Human filth," spat Raziel. "None of your ilk has crossed blades with me and lived."

"But I am so much more than human," whispered Sephiroth. As he spoke the last word of his revelation to the vampire, he stopped forcing his sword against the other. Raziel lurched forward, caught off balance by the sudden lack of resistance. Sephiroth now slashed upward, feeling the Masamune bite deep into the hand that was now where the vampire's blade had been.

Raziel snarled, but he welcomed the pain. Pain is life! When death comes it is soft and subtle. The surest proof of life is the ability to feel pain. The son of Kain started to swing his blade upward at Sephiroth, but was interrupted by another spell. "Fire," mouthed the swordsman, snapping his fingers. A great blast of intense heat threw Raziel back to the arena wall, ripping the Masamune free of his hand.

There were many benefits to undeath, however. Even as Raziel rose to his feet again, his maimed hand was healing and the ache of the burns subsiding. Under cover of its shadow, Raziel climbed the stadium wall. His claws held the stone like insect feet, allowing him a rapid ascent. When he reached the top, he pushed off from the wall with both feet and glided on his tattered wings toward his opponent.

The platinum-haired warrior allowed a brief smirk to lift the corners of his mouth as he stepped out of the path of the diving Raziel and leaped into the air, swinging his sword. The Masamune cut a smooth arc through the air just above the vampire, cleanly severing a wing from his body. Raziel crashed to the ground on all fours, with Sephiroth landing behind him.

"You now bear the mark of one much greater than you," said Sephiroth, "you are not worthy." With that, he brought his blade down in a lethal finishing strike, but Raziel rolled aside just in time. The slash removed Raziel's remaining wing.

The pain did not even slow the vampire, although by now he was beginning to feel the first tug of the spirit world seeking to have him back. Raziel twisted his feet on top of the long sword's tip and sprang to his feet. Balancing on the edge of the Masamune, he used his opponent's weapon as a springboard to launch himself in a great leap. "I am the chosen champion of a god!" he snarled, Soul Reaver outstretched. "You cannot stand against me!"

Sephiroth kneeled just in time to avoid the leaping thrust, lifting his hand and mouthing the word, "Ice." The fallen vampire was frozen stiff as he hit the ground once again. "You are not my champion," Sephiroth said in an even tone as he walked toward his frozen foe, "And I am my mother's champion. You are the champion of no god." He closed his eyes in concentration. "Shadow Flare," he mouthed.

Tongues of flame as black as the night sky engulfed the helpless frozen body of Raziel. As the ice melted and then boiled on his skin, he let out a bloodcurdling cry. The spirit world's pull was nearly unbearable, and the pain was excruciating. And yet I live! The force within the Soul Reaver would not be vanquished, and it bound Raziel to this world. The dark fires faded, and he rose once more.

Raziel howled an unintelligible cry of primal rage as he charged headlong toward the son of Jenova, bringing the Soul Reaver down in a vicious slash. Sephiroth dodged to the side and counterattacked, but the vampire lashed out with his free hand, raking Sephiroth's chest with his claws. The Masamune came down on Raziel's shoulder. With a scream of pain, the vampire grabbed the long sword by its blade and pulled it from his body. He felt the pull of the spirit realm stronger than ever, but something was keeping him here.

The Soul Reaver willed itself toward the former SOLDIER, its twisting wraithlike shadow drawn inexorably toward the fighter's bloodied chest. Even in his state of dim awareness Raziel understood--he could feel it as well. Such power! This was not mere blood, it was infused with raw, unbridled, living energy. Through your soul it will be mine!

Raziel charged again. Sephiroth stepped aside again, this time grabbing the disfigured vampire's swordarm and pulling him into an excessive follow-through. The blue eyes glinted in the moonlight as he drove the Masamune through Raziel's exposed back.

This time, the wound was soft and subtle. The spirit world would not be denied. In time, he knew, he would awaken to the elder's fury at his failure. Raziel's vision shifted back and forth between a view of the blade protruding from his stomach and the ghostly parody of Nosgoth as he clung to his twisted unlife. Home?

The first drop of sweat ran off of Sephiroth's brow. He let it run down his face and drip from his chin, feeling the salty burn as it hit the scratch on his chest. The monster impaled on his blade still shuddered with whatever passed among its kind for life. He gazed into the stunned crowd once again, looking for the telltale signs of fear. He saw the failure and the Ancient clasping each other's white-knuckled hands and exchanging worried glances. They recognized his signature blow, of course, but other onlookers would require further intimidation.

He turned so that the moonlight would illuminate his confident smile and raised his voice. "Do you see the fate of your kindred, nightwalker?" With that, he jerked his blade upward, and twisted it out between the stubs where Raziel's wings once were. It emerged, blackened with blood, to a final rattling scream. Sephiroth smiled as the body fell into the dirt.

The spirit realm reclaimed Raziel.



Aftermath

Night had fallen once more, and darkness blanketed the stadium and the surrounding town. Many of the competitors were asleep. Some had stayed in their rooms, meditating alone deep into the night. Still others were at the Hero's Haunt, drinking, gambling, and making the most of whatever time remained to them in this dimension. One young man, however, stayed outside by himself this night, away from all the comforts of shelter and company, simply staring beyond the horizon and up into the night sky.

Vyse felt the cool, soothing grass that was supporting him whip around in the night breeze. He adjusted and zoomed his unique eye patch to get a better view of a particularly amusing constellation that, when you looked at it just right, spelled out a very obscene word. Getting a few moments of pleasure from this, he quickly leaned back once more and let out a heavy sigh.

The Blue Rogue had gotten to know the stars well during his stay here, and found great solace from his nightly stargazing. But he was getting restless. Constantly motivated by his curiosity and an unquenchable thirst for exploration, being cooped up in this place for so long had begun to feel like a prison sentence. The only thing that kept the Air Pirate going was his boundless confidence and desire to prove himself in battle.

Giving another enormous sigh, he allowed himself to sink further into the comforts of the smooth grass, and began to recollect, as he often did, his past adventures. Sailing the Delphinus, danger lurking around every turn, his friends always by his side...right now, he would give anything to be back in Arcadia once more. Despite his outgoing and friendly nature, most of the contestants seemed to want nothing to do with him. Of course he had found some companions, and from quite unexpected sources.

Just then, a smiling, furry face appeared directly over his head. Vyse lept up in surprise, rapidly drawing his cutlass.

"Wasting away your time looking up into nowhere, Vyse? You should be having some fun while you can," Fox McCloud smirked, amused by the young man's reaction.

The two had come to be fast friends, perhaps because they were both pilots, albeit of very different types of craft. More likely because of their similar qualities of leadership and unwavering bravery in the face of overwhelming odds.

"Sorry about that, Fox," Vyse replied, sheathing his sword once again. "You can't be to careful with some of the...things in this tournament."

Vyse recollected the previous match. He, along with most of the spectators, had been amazed by the raw, untapped power Sephiroth exuded as he fought. And next round, Fox was to face Link, the only competitor able to best the incredible warrior. While it remained unspoken between them, both knew that the Arwing pilot didn't have much time left.

"Quit acting so moody, that's not like you at all. Let's go," said Fox, motioning towards the lights and raucous of the Hero's Haunt. "Drinks on me."

At this, Vyse finally broke out into his characteristic grin. "Sure thing, I'll hold you to that!"




Today's Authors: Furious J, StopPokingMe, Aeon Azuran
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