Vafflard, top floor of the Sky Gazing Tower.
Above the altar, hidden within the massive mechanical body known as the Breaths of the Gods, was a cylindrical safety lock.
Inside this sealed compartment, a girl in a white hooded miniskirt sat before a console, eyes closed as if in deep sleep. A metal helmet, bristling with wires, encased her head.
Her name was Rim, a native of Vafflard from two hundred years past, and she was the controller of the ancient weapon.
During the war with the World Government, the Breaths of the Gods had sustained severe damage to its mechanical and electronic circuits. So when Vafflard fell into the Blue Sea, the weapon activated a super-low temperature barrier, entered a dormant state, and began a slow, limited self-repair.
Yes. The Breaths of the Gods, which had troubled Sephiroth for so long, was now just a defective machine.
As its controller, Rim had suffered grave internal injuries during the descent. Her body was nearly paralyzed.
Her only choice was to follow the weapon into low-temperature hibernation, prolonging her life.
*Swish!*
A space gate opened. Sephiroth stepped through, a butcher knife in his hand.
He opened his mouth and exhaled gently. A cloud of white mist bloomed in the chilled air.
After a casual glance at the console, Sephiroth bent down, leaning close to Rim's snow-white neck.
The next moment, sharp fangs slid from his gums. He bit into her flesh without hesitation.
She was frozen in hibernation. He had to inject his own blood first, gradually warming her body. At the same time, he sank his will into hers, a deep hypnosis, commanding her subconscious to recall the control sequences, to prepare the transfer of authority…
Then, he began to drink.
*Sizzle—*
The temperature was too low. The blood tasted less than ideal, like sucking on thick jelly. Sephiroth noted the flavor distantly as he sifted through the memories flowing into him.
Once he had what he needed, he withdrew his fangs. A slow lick sealed the punctures on her neck, the skin knitting shut.
"Hmm.
Let me think…
This first… then this."
Muttering to himself, Sephiroth's hands flew over the console.
The sealed compartment began to warm. After pressing the final sequence, he removed the wired helmet from the sleeping girl's head and fitted it onto his own. Brainwave synchronization began—the process to rewrite the controller's authority.
Minutes later, the Breaths of the Gods fully recorded his neural patterns. A new will merged with his consciousness. Suddenly, he could feel the aura of every living thing within a fifty-kilometer radius, centered on the weapon.
More than that. He could command it. Storms, surging currents, snowfall, lightning strikes—all were his to summon within that domain.
Control secured, Sephiroth did not linger. He left a Scarlet Bat on the island, a beacon for his return, and departed with the girl in white.
.....
Sabaody Archipelago, Island 39, inside the hall of a three-story villa.
The space-folding door slid open without a sound. Sephiroth stepped out, a butcher knife in his left hand and a girl in white draped over his right shoulder.
He laid the girl on the sofa, then walked into the kitchen and got busy.
A long while later, after confirming Sephiroth was gone, Rim—still lying on the sofa—cracked one eye open. She peeked at the figure busy in the kitchen, making fried rice.
Then she slowly sat up and tiptoed toward the villa's front door.
But…
Just as her hand was about to touch the doorknob, a teasing voice sounded behind her.
"The internal injuries you've got are serious. Without proper treatment, you might not live many more months. Are you sure you want to leave?"
Rim's whole body stiffened. She widened her ruby-red eyes, turned her head, and looked at Sephiroth. He stood behind her, wearing a blue apron, arms folded.
He watched the girl in white with a playful look.
He'd seen through her pretending to be asleep, but hadn't exposed it. He wanted to see how long she could keep it up.
*Gulp.*
Although Rim had been sleeping in the safety lock of Breaths of the Gods, that didn't mean she knew nothing about Sephiroth's intrusion into Vafflard…
In fact, Breaths of the Gods had transmitted all of Sephiroth's actions to her mind through brain waves. She'd even ordered Breaths of the Gods to kill him!
But…
She never expected the silver-haired youth in front of her seemed to understand all the abilities and mechanisms of Breaths of the Gods. He'd forced his way into the safety lock through a series of incredible feats, and while she was dormant, he'd taken away its control.
"What do you want?" Rim said sternly. "Breaths of the Gods is already yours. Can't you let me go?"
A wicked smile touched Sephiroth's face. He said bluntly:
"I still want you."
"Huh? You… you… you bastard!"
Hearing this, Rim was immediately frightened. Her face paled. She put her hands over her chest and took two steps back, her back pressing tight against the villa door.
"Don't worry. I'm not very interested in your two-hundred-year-old body… Of course, if you want to, I don't mind having a deep exchange with you—one that involves the kidneys, not the heart."
"Bah! Even if I die, I won't do that kind of thing with a bastard like you…" Rim cursed under her breath.
"Oh? Really?"
Sephiroth took a step forward. He put his left hand on the wooden door, and his right hand gently lifted the girl's rounded chin. As he spoke, he gradually brought his face closer to Rim's.
*Damn it, this bastard! What does he want to do? Could he really want to do that to me?*
Looking at Sephiroth's charming, handsome face, Rim's heart beat violently. Her legs tightened together unconsciously.
She slowly closed her eyes, letting his right hand lift her chin.
*Let's just treat it as being bitten by a dog today.* Rim comforted herself, even as she looked forward to what was about to happen.
But…
Five seconds passed.
Ten seconds passed.
Thirty seconds passed.
Slightly puzzled, Rim slowly opened her eyes and saw Sephiroth's annoying, pretty-boy face. He whispered in a teasing tone:
"It seems like you were expecting something…?"
Hearing these words, Rim's face flushed red. She stammered, unable to speak. "You… you… me… I… I don't!"
"Oh~! Is that so?"
He drew out the words, his voice thick with mockery.
"Humph! What is it you want from me?" Rim snapped.
Sephiroth pushed off the wall, abandoning his casual slouch. He took a measured step back, turning to face the girl in white. His tone was serious, almost solemn.
"How about being my subordinate and working for me...?"