Violet Shadows (FFVII)

XXXIV) Lionheart

Moments later, I leave the room to escape Reeve's suffocating mixture of self-hatred and sorrow. I pull the folder from my shirt, wondering how it stayed in place through all that, and sit back against the wall in the hallway after walking a bit farther away. Where was I? I flip past the pictures, reading the first log.

November 27, 1967

Today was the first day of the subject's testing. Mind you, this is the woman who volunteered to take my own wife's place! She never was a smart one—her sister received all the brains. Today I gave her taste of what I have planned. I want to see how far you can push a person before they die. Rather, how far they can be pushed until they break. Some things are far worse than death, and I fully intend to explore what those things may be before applying such strengthening methods to my own son. Perhaps Miss Crescent will come to regret her decision, but that is no matter. She's already sold her soul.

I frown at the scrawled handwriting, trying to imagine Hojo as he scribbled down these notes. This stuff is before he really lost it. How about... I flip through pages upon pages of notes until I come to one that's about a year and a half later.

May 3, 1968

Today, the subject resisted even the highest of voltage settings. Impressive, considering the state she's in. The constant revival, however, is becoming quite costly, and I refuse to pull back the reins. There's far more to be discovered here and it won't be found unless I dig deeper. I've tried the same methods on Valentine, but it has no effect since he's died... Too bad. The mako purging has continued to make Miss Crescent stronger, and she's fought back on several occasions in the past nine days. However, it is also beginning to affect her memories—at this point, she can't even recall that she ever had a son, though she can remember Valentine and Harper. I'll make note of anything else she loses as time passes. The president approved my plans for the soldiers in the new organization, and who better to test than the superhuman?

I turn the page, skipping to another entry, brows furrowed. I was right then? Vincent was right?

June 1, 1968

The treatment was entirely successful. The subject has acquired immeasurable strength, even though she's maintaining such a low weight with a lack of muscle and fat. Dr. Crescent, my dear Lucrecia, saved Valentine's life by fusing him to Chaos himself—what a brilliant idea! I always knew that woman had the curiosity in her! Now, not only will the man live forever, he'll live forever in suffering. I wonder... Is there a way to access the Chaos gene, to fuse two souls with his? I'll have to see what can be done. Miss Crescent may just become the most intricate, powerful weapon this world has ever seen!

I frown, turning the page to see a portion sectioned off with a page labeled "Shadow." Hesitantly, I open the new section, absorbing every word with fascination.

Shadow, Daughter of Chaos

In the Cosmos, thousands of years ago, Chaos ruled with an iron fist over the demented realm of tortured souls. Along that series of centuries, his power was challenged by an individual power that was far above him. In order to protect his power, Chaos split it into a daughter host—that is, Shadow. The spirit of his power manifested as her and they were equally divided. Unable to consume both at once, the individual fled. Together, Chaos and Shadow, still merely a spirit—a manifestation of power—continued their reign.

On the Planet, there was a girl named Alicia who was beaten by her father, abused by his friends, and spat on by the other people of her home. She'd lock herself away to hide from humanity for weeks on end before she was discovered and forced back into her life of despair.