[ It was her. The Raiden Shogun. Inazuma's Electro Archon. A God who saw fit to pursue her own image of Eternity.
The woman he didn't think to meet at that housewarming party...and here she was, standing before him with his own mighty spell rendered null and void before her might. She commanded it all. The Lightning. The rolling thunder. She even commanded his attention as his wounds throbbed and his adrenaline spiked to an all-time high. It was all his body could instinctively do to keep him well within the fight. Even if the conclusion had long since been decided when his bestial side took hold and told him to hunt her.
She was a dream. Even in his darkest moment, she shone as a dream that walked so agonizingly slow towards him. Cloud's grip upon his Buster Sword reasserts itself. And that singular twitch of the muscles in his arms was all he'd be able to do before she blinked out of existence. His own speed was impressive, able to move quick enough to appear as if he were flashing but. That...wasn't to scale with the Archon. This wasn't the same cat-eared fighter who took a defensive stance against his assault before. More terrifying, perhaps...was that while his eyes barely have time to even glance over in the direction of her sword...
That's not what he currently sees. When he looks to his side, the world around him fades away. In its place, his mind's eye, were memories. Memories of a promise he made to Tifa when they were children- that he would become the greatest SOLDIER and come back to save her. Of the best friend that he made when he failed and joined Shinra's ranks; Zack's goofy look on his face when he told him he was from Gongaga. Faces from Midgar that he's long since had to say goodbye to. Companions that followed him on the path of defying destiny.
In his final moment, the feral look in his eyes was gone, looking on with a sense of wonder as he sees Ayaka. She holds out her hand, like so many times before, smiling at him before his world goes white again. ]
... ??
[ Back to reality. His head remains upon his shoulders. The Buster Sword remains steady in his hand, resting by his side. He can finally hear things again. Smell things again. The sound of a woman's trembling breath. And as he stumbles upon his own two feet to turn around, with nary a violent intent to capitalize, their eyes meet.
And in this one singular speck in time, he stands before her, both eyes returning to their original color and mako-infused luster as he looses a shaken breath. Though his wolf ears and tail remain, she'd shaken him back to reality. If only for long enough that she may escape. Even when she vanishes into the night and leaves him there to stare after her, his eyes don't return to that mismatched blend of gold and blue. ]
.....
[ Only the sudden pulsation within his torso and chest where he's been wounded are what bring him crashing down hard. Cloud was too strong to die from wounds like these. But the hunt ends prematurely tonight. He has to return home and heal. When he has time to process what happened, whether he sleeps tonight or not...he'll never forget the imagery he laid eyes upon.
In its beauty and eternity, for better or for worse. ]
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The woman he didn't think to meet at that housewarming party...and here she was, standing before him with his own mighty spell rendered null and void before her might. She commanded it all. The Lightning. The rolling thunder. She even commanded his attention as his wounds throbbed and his adrenaline spiked to an all-time high. It was all his body could instinctively do to keep him well within the fight. Even if the conclusion had long since been decided when his bestial side took hold and told him to hunt her.
She was a dream. Even in his darkest moment, she shone as a dream that walked so agonizingly slow towards him. Cloud's grip upon his Buster Sword reasserts itself. And that singular twitch of the muscles in his arms was all he'd be able to do before she blinked out of existence. His own speed was impressive, able to move quick enough to appear as if he were flashing but. That...wasn't to scale with the Archon. This wasn't the same cat-eared fighter who took a defensive stance against his assault before. More terrifying, perhaps...was that while his eyes barely have time to even glance over in the direction of her sword...
That's not what he currently sees. When he looks to his side, the world around him fades away. In its place, his mind's eye, were memories. Memories of a promise he made to Tifa when they were children- that he would become the greatest SOLDIER and come back to save her. Of the best friend that he made when he failed and joined Shinra's ranks; Zack's goofy look on his face when he told him he was from Gongaga. Faces from Midgar that he's long since had to say goodbye to. Companions that followed him on the path of defying destiny.
In his final moment, the feral look in his eyes was gone, looking on with a sense of wonder as he sees Ayaka. She holds out her hand, like so many times before, smiling at him before his world goes white again. ]
... ??
[ Back to reality. His head remains upon his shoulders. The Buster Sword remains steady in his hand, resting by his side. He can finally hear things again. Smell things again. The sound of a woman's trembling breath. And as he stumbles upon his own two feet to turn around, with nary a violent intent to capitalize, their eyes meet.
And in this one singular speck in time, he stands before her, both eyes returning to their original color and mako-infused luster as he looses a shaken breath. Though his wolf ears and tail remain, she'd shaken him back to reality. If only for long enough that she may escape. Even when she vanishes into the night and leaves him there to stare after her, his eyes don't return to that mismatched blend of gold and blue. ]
.....
[ Only the sudden pulsation within his torso and chest where he's been wounded are what bring him crashing down hard. Cloud was too strong to die from wounds like these. But the hunt ends prematurely tonight. He has to return home and heal. When he has time to process what happened, whether he sleeps tonight or not...he'll never forget the imagery he laid eyes upon.
In its beauty and eternity, for better or for worse. ]