Chapter 2 – Trial and Punishment

by Kat_Aclysm

And then they began to chatter about him. They began to curse him, scorn him, hiss and call him names. And he hated it. He loathed them all with a passion. He hated them, and everything around him.

Sephiroth was about to retaliate and yell his protests out to them, but before he could object, he felt his very essence being dragged downwards, and a sharp uncomfortable cold feeling washed over his entire being. He was no longer a mass nor a form, nor even alive, now nothing more than just a mere fragment of glowing blood-red spirit energy amongst all the others. He was nothing more than the small spark of life-energy that had inhabited his body when he was alive. Further and further down his essence was dragged, and he heard the mockery of others as he was pulled further away, deeper down towards the planet’s core. It was far from a pleasant feeling. It was almost as if the entity that was dragging him was deliberately doing this to him, taunting him.

To make him suffer.

Even further down he was dragged against his will. He tried to yell out, to protest, but he had no voice to speak of, nothing physical to help push him back up and away. He heard soft voices down here now, but they were anything but friendly to him. They were friendly to each other, but as soon as he passed by them, they seemed rigid and cold, they seemed to do nothing more than hiss and ridicule him on his journey to the bottom of the abyss. For what seemed like an eternity he was dragged, and the there was a sudden painful jerk as he came to a sharp halt at the very bottom of it all.

Silence.

Cold.

Nothing.

Was this truly the end?

Before he could do anything else, he felt his very essence being tightly bound up and restrained, the constricting binds made him feel searing hot all over and he could almost ‘see’ their light, burning. He began to feel himself taking form; being melded and shaped into the creature he was born as. He smirked and was hopeful for a moment – maybe he’d be able to swim back up and escape from here. But his bounds quickly made him think otherwise – they wound around his arms and held them together so tightly that not even he could move them, even with all his strength. His legs were also tied. He was being treated like a prisoner – which is exactly what he was at this point.

Suddenly, he jumped, startled. There was a loud banging like the sound of a hammer on a gavel and a whole host of Cetra began to form before him, above him, all around him, glowing in the darkness like candle flames, gathering around him in a circle, an entire council host of Cetra raised high above him in a circle, glaring down, giving him harsh and condescending looks. This was his Judgement Day.

But he was not afraid – whatever intimidating scene they were intending to make, it was totally lost on him. He only hissed aloud and scowled, annoyed with the situation. “Well this is an unfortunate turn of events…” He muttered to himself.

“Order, order.” Called a harsh voice from everywhere, and yet nowhere at the same time. “We shall now bring to justice the being known as Sephiroth. We shall decide his fate here and now, as we decide the fates of all who have lived and died, just as it has been since the beginning, and how it shall be until the very end.”
A low angry mutter quickly passed around the area at this statement. Sephiroth could tell they were not going to treat him kindly at all.
“What?” Sephiroth hissed, finally finding the voice to speak. “I’m being put on trial? For what?”
“Everyone who lives and dies eventually comes here, child.” The voice boomed, yet it was calm at the same time. “For this is your Judgement Day, and the Cetra High Council shall decide what will happen to you for the entire duration of your future.”
“Future?” Sephiroth protested. “What future is there for me? I am dead.”
“We children of the planet do not simply ‘die’ as you so crudely put it, Sephiroth.” A small female Cetra in the crowd began to explain in surprisingly kind voice, sounding a lot quieter and calm than the former. “We simply become what were before we were born, and that is blessed spirit-energy within the planet. Only, we remain aware of our lives, and we carry the knowledge of what we learned during our lives back with us to the planet. We are still spirit energy if you please; but our collected knowledge becomes valuable to all. We are in a higher plane of existence after life. We are in our Promised Land now, so to speak of, and so are you. Or rather, you are at its doors and awaiting decision on your fate.”
“What? I thought the Promised Land was a physical place,” Sephiroth shook his head. “I was under the impression that it was a fertile land, a place where the Mako is abundant and visible to the naked eye.”
“That is true and false at the same time.” The Cetra nodded. “This is our Promised Land. And although ‘mako’ is such a crude term, we are made of the very substance that you see. It is a fertile land, although you cannot harvest it for your own personal gain – it belongs to everyone. We wished to live by the planet and serve her for all eternity. And it has been made so. We are part of her Lifestream now, we are the souls that guard and protect her. This is our chosen fate.”
“Well what about me?”

“That very question shall be answered now. You will be judged according to your actions in life, just as everyone else who comes here is judged.” The voice overhead boomed, now with a slight angry tone. “The Trial is fair, but harsh. You will sit there patiently and listen to our deliberation. You may interject if you feel it is necessary, but if it becomes inappropriate, you will be silenced.”
“Wonderful.” Sephiroth hissed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “A whole council of idiotic narrowminded Cetra. I can tell that this is not going to be biased.”
His comment was ignored.

“We shall now call to order the Trial of Sephiroth, also known as the child to The Calamity from the Skies.” A very old and longhaired Cetra in purple and golden robes levitated down towards him, a long wooden rod lightly grasped in his hands. “How long we have waited for this day, oh how we have watched this creature and his ways of tyranny. Oh how we dreamed the day would come, when this vicious murderer would be finally brought to justice.”
Another Cetra spoke up. “Yes indeed, this shall be the shortest trial we will ever undertake. It is not often that a complete monster comes down for his judgement.”
“I agree completely, this trial shall be quick.” The first Cetra responded, his attention turning back to Sephiroth. “Justice will prevail.”
“I care nothing for your incessent rambling.” Sephiroth responded with a loud defensive growl. “Just shut up and get this over with, you stupid old fools.”

“You have come to trial in the event that someone here may find cause to save your essense from being destroyed. The charges outstanding against you include larceny, mass-arson, absolute countless cases of murder, abuse of the Lifestream for personal gain, manipulation of other beings, being an assistant to an even larger criminal… use of Ultimate Destruction magic with intent to harm, and attempted genocide.”

Sephiroth simply scowled as the crimes were called out, and he felt no guilt nor remorse over them. He had dealt death as he saw fit – those people had deserved it, at least in his eyes. But one of the crimes perked his interest, and he was compelled to ask about it. He raised an eyebrow at the old one’s speech, not seeming terribly worried or concerned at all. He did not know what these Cetra were planning to do to him, but it could have not been any worse than what he had already been through.
“Excuse me,” He grunted out, trying to sound polite, despite the fact he was annoyed. “Larceny? I know I may have done a lot of things, but I do not recall being a thief.”
“You stole the Black Materia from safe storage.”
“No,” Sephiroth growled in response, becoming more annoyed. He began to have a sinking feeling, wondering if these Cetra would bend their words around to make everything sound like it was all his fault. He hissed in anger and began to explain the situation as he knew it, as if it would help him somehow.
“I did not steal the Black Materia at any point.” He stated, attempting to sound calm. “The spike-haired one’s friends got it out of the temple, and then I manipulated the idiots later to get it for summoning. It was given to me, it was not stolen at all.”
“You received it under false pretences, Sephiroth.” The Cetra replied in a gruff tone. “Which is another crime in itself.”
“It still isn’t theft, you stupid old fool,” Sephiroth loudly hissed in response. “Maybe you should actually do some research on the crimes you claim I committed before tossing stupid accusations in the air. Feh, I had my suspicions that none of you would actually give me a fair trial. This is just a show of power. You are all nothing but a pack of pompous old fools.”

There was a low angry mumble amongst the council gathering, and then the hammer was banged on the gavel once more.
“Order.” The Old Cetra in robes called out. “Continue.”
“The point is,” The accusing Cetra glared at him. “That Black Materia was acquired under false pretences. You lied, you tricked them, and you obtained the Ultimate Destruction Materia. The difference between false pretences and larceny is that it was obtained by deceit. But essentially, they are the same crime. You took another’s property without their permission. That, simply put, is theft.”
Sephiroth snorted in protest. This pompous old fool just wasn’t going to give up. He growled in frustration for a few moments, and then finally replied. “So what? Theft is a very petty crime.”
“It is very much frowned on down here!” The Cetra boomed. “And summoning the meteor is an even worse crime in comparison!”
The second Cetra behind him slowly nodded in agreement. “Murdering so many lives alone would make the planet condemn you to being isolated or destroyed without judgement.”

Sephiroth went silent at this. He did not think he deserved any of this at all, and secretly wished that these people would just leave him alone. He thought about the past, thinking hard about where he had gone wrong. He thought back to his childhood, finding nothing but the pain that Hojo had caused him. And then he thought of his days in SOLDIER, thinking about his fellow comrades, the only people he could even vaguely consider as his friends. Yes, he had killed people during the Midgar-Wutai war, and he had followed the orders of President Shinra, whom had commanded him to. It had been his job to kill Wutainians during the war, as it was the same job as everyone else around him. He never gave much thought on how that could be considered wrong. He had simply done his job as ordered, and thought nothing more of it.
Sephiroth continued to think ahead, remembering the brief period of peace after the war. He recalled the orders to check out the malfunctioning reactor at Nibelheim, the thoughts only stirring up the painful memories of finding out that everything he had ever been told was a lie – he remembered finding out that he was just the creation of a mad scientist, a mere science experiment, just a lab rat for them to carry out their experiments on. So upset with this knowledge was he, he had set fire to their town in rage, not caring about the damage he caused. And then he began to hear her voice…

Jenova.

Sephiroth pondered her for a moment. He thought of when Jenova first began speaking to him, offering only sympathy, her love, and her support. Jenova was his mother, or at least he believed so, having read the ‘truth’ in the documents that lay in the Shinra Mansion’s basement. Jenova had called out to him, promising a better life, and beckoned for him to get his revenge on the ones that had caused him pain.

And he had listened to her.

So much did he want revenge that he had helped Jenova, and he had listened to her promises, everything she had to say and offer. He had helped her become free. And then he did what she wanted as best he could, even after his physical body had been pushed into the Lifestream. Sephiroth recalled manipulating the clones of himself, he remembered projecting images of himself around the planet and tricking Cloud and the group with him, leading them on the wild journey that brought them up into the icy tops of the planet where his body had resided before he was free. He tricked them, deceived them, and made them hand the Black Materia over to him. But he didn’t perceive that to be wrong either. He had done it in order to survive.
He remembered Jenova take over his mind once he was free from his Materia prison. She manipulated his body, and then she used him and the planet’s energy to summon the Meteor. He had helped her, but she ended up using him in the end. He realised that Jenova was responsible for a good many of the accused crimes in question. Not him. He had been greatly influenced and manipulated by her, but ultimately, it was Jenova’s will and plans that he had followed, not his own actual desires.

Sephiroth thought more about this idea for a few moments, deeply scowling. Yes, he began to see the situation clearly now, more clearly than he had ever been able to see it before. Jenova had lied to him all along, and he had believed her, he had been taken in like a fool. Everything after that, he was not responsible for at all. He had accused Cloud of being a puppet, yet now he saw that he was the ultimate puppet in her game. Now that he thought about the past, about all the events leading up to now, it was Jenova – she had meant to trick and use him all along. The promises she had made were all lies – they had done nothing more than to win him over, and he had put all his faith and hopes in them. He had followed her blindly. But now he realised that the promises were nothing more than more ways to manipulate him, to play with him. She promised him that he would become a God, and to get his revenge…

It had all been for naught.

It all seemed so hollow and empty now. And now he was being punished for the crimes of another? The very thought made his very being boil with fury and hatred. He had not even noticed that the Cetra council were still talking amongst themselves, still deciding his fate.

“Stop,” He snapped sudddenly, quite interrupting them. “I don’t deserve to be here.”

There was a sudden silence at this statement. Then, the entire council began to laugh. Sephiroth narrowed his eyes, his expression covering up the fact that the laughter upset him to hear. The judgemental Cetra in front of him did not laugh however, he looked positively livid with anger and insult.
“You don’t deserve to be here!?” He bellowed. “Impudent child, you’re the cause of this entire planet nearly dying! And you say you don’t deserve to be here?! If I had my way, you would have been dead and gone a long time ago! Destroyed and terminated! Why, even the energy that makes up your being would have been disintegrated!!”
“Then perhaps it is fortunate that you alone do not decide my fate.”
“What!?” The Cetra snapped back at him.

Before he could say any more, a high voice rang out from the top area of the Cetra Council gathering. It belonged to a female, and although Sephiroth looked up to her, he could not see her at all. He could not actually see any of the council above him anyway, for they just remained gatherings of coloured energy. He could sense their presence though, and could also feel their emotions as they looked down on him. He did not want to admit it at all, but he felt very small in comparison.

“Council-man,” The female’s voice spoke out calmly. “You are forgetting yourself here. Is this going to be a trial, or are you just going to keep badgering this defeated and forlorn creature until you grow tired of it?”
Sephiroth stared in the female’s direction, silent.

“Back down, youth.” The older male Cetra Councilman retorted, rising up above her. “You are not in a position of power to speak, nor to object.”
“On the contrary,” Another voice spoke up behind him, in the ring of Cetra high above. The voice belonged to an Elder in the group, also one of the most highly regarded. Nobody dared to interrupt him.
“Any Cetra has the right to speak their own mind and interject here. Any single member of this gathering today may add their own wisdom and thoughts, for that is what this whole trial is ultimately about – reaching the correct decision.” He spoke in a cold tone. “Do not force your position over others. I don’t care about rank here. You would do well to heed my advice and keep quiet.” He gave a slight nod in the female’s direction. “Now please, youth. Continue.”
“Thankyou…” The female whispered, sounding quite thankful. “Now, if there are no more accusations to be made on the one that stands trial at this time, I would like to add my own intervention.”

There was a harsh and low mumble all around the area, but no immediate interjection. The female youth was silent for several moments, waiting for the noise to die down once again. Once it was quiet, she began.
“Councilmen, I come forth with another factor to consider here.” She said, trying to sound calm as possible. “It is my belief that the one who stands on trial today, this horrible ‘tyrant’ that kneels before you, is innocent of wrongdoing on the majority of crimes that stand against him, and–“
She never got to finish her sentence. She was drowned out as the entire council fussed in harsh tones, and objective loud voices began to roar out above her.
“What!?”
“That claim is absolutely outrageous!!“
“Get that silly child out of here!”
“SILENCE!” The voice of the elder Cetra yelled out above them all. There was immediate silence. He made a tired sigh and nodded down at the female once more. “Continue.”

“I just want to say that this creature before us today is innocent of most of the crimes he is being accused of, and that he deserves another fate. I say this because I do not think that anybody else in this council will think any other way today. Somehow, I believe that all of you here want to see him dead and gone, just because of what he’s been a part of. You all think of Jenova, the Calamity of the Skies, and you blame him for being her consort.” The young female sighed. “But he is not. He is not the tyrant he seems to be. It’s true, look into this. Have the planet examine his memories if you need to.”
Sephiroth just remained silent, and listened. He didn’t understand who this Cetra was, or even why they were standing up for him, but he did not care. He just remained where he was, silent, and very curious to keep listening.

“Where is your evidence, young one?” A harsh voice suddenly hissed.
The female shook her head and quickly continued. “The evidence is there in his mind, and his heart. Look into his memories. You’ll find it there. I’ve watched over him from here, just as all of you have. I watched over all my friends, I saw many of the events unfold, and I’ve seen many things that maybe none of you had noticed.”
“We all watched the tyrant commit his crimes, youth. Just as you watched them yourself. To claim he is innocent and then have us check his memories is inaccurate. He is just a human, and they do not remember everything. Sometimes, their memory skews the truth. It is not an accurate form of evidence.”
“Look, just hear me out,” The female sighed in frustration. “Just look back, and remember. The arson, the theft, the manipulation, that wasn’t his fault. The Calamity From the Skies directly influenced him, and you are intending to convict him to a fate that should be reserved for her. This creature before you today was lied to, and abused and taken over by her. He was not in the right frame of mind to do anything of those things by his own accord, and if anything, I believe that this creature was insane. The crimes were not committed with criminal intent.”

For the first time in the trial, there was no complaint or objection to the female’s speech. Low mumbles and discussion fell over the council, most of them discontent and unwilling to admit that the female’s claims may actually be right, or at least worth considering.
“You cannot use The Calamity From The Skies as a scapegoat for all of the accused’s crimes. In fact, he willingly accepted what she said, and allowed himself to be used as a tool for her bidding.” A deep voice called out from the back after several minutes. “And even if we do accept that he was indeed manipulated by the Calamity From the Skies for most of the latter half of his life, it does not cancel out the wrongdoing before he even came in contact with her.”

“If you are talking about the murders during my time as a Soldier, I was ordered to do that.” Sephiroth finally spoke up. “If I did not follow orders, I do not know what would have happened to me. I am more than sure you have judged soldiers whom have killed. And I killed people in the Shinra building because they honestly deserved it.”
“Listen to how casually he speaks of his murders.” One of the higher Cetra growled. “One should not take matters into his own hands as you have.”
“Alright, so he committed some crimes, he is willing to admit that. And I do not deny that either. But he’s not the same as us – he’s a human. He’s not motivated to do things right, nor for his planet.” The female sighed. “He has faults like all of us, and he made a mistake by trusting The Calamity from the Skies. But he’s not a big tyrant like you’re all making him out to be – can’t you see that?”

The elder Cetra loudly cleared his throat and levitated down towards the bottom level of the area.
“That will be all, youth.”
The young female quietly sighed and drifted back to her place.

There was another period of silence amongst the Council of Cetra. Sephiroth remained silent with them, thinking about the only Cetra that had stood up for him. All he wanted to know was who she was, and even why she had bothered. He did not know what to make of it – but he was thankful that she had spoken.
Before he could ponder further, the Cetra began talking amongst themselves again, and the high councilman spoke once more.

“We have decided to take all the factors of this trial today in consideration,” He stated. “And for now, I am going to have to say that we reserve our judgement. You shall be spared for the time being – but do not think you are safe.”
Sephiroth seemed irritated, but said nothing.
“Furthermore,” The Cetra continued. “We are going to critically review the past events of your entire life and discuss the evidence we have. Only after then will we have another trial session, and then your fate shall be decided for once and for all. The truth shall reign, and the correct decision shall be reached.”
“Indeed, I hope it does.” Sephiroth muttered, his voice bitter and irritated.
The Councilman ignored him. “You should be grateful for the events today – your essense has been spared. But until another trial occurs, you are going to be held away from all of existence, away from others, away from the Lifestream itself. You shall have no contact with other Cetra or anyone, and you shall be cut off completely until we decide your fate for once and for all.”
Sephiroth looked up at them. “What does that mean, exactly?”

But he heard no answer.

For he was about to find out the very answer to his question.