Sephiroth the Manslayer

Once upon a time in a modest village in the Black Shroud lived in a small tower a wildwood elezen lady named Rosa. She was a kind soul with a soft voice and often played the flute for the entertainment of everyone.

One day, she was at the market buying food when she bumped into a lalafell. That lalafell was a mean, foul-tempered and greedy man named Adeledji.

“I will teach you to watch your steps you stupid dhalmel.” he shouted and started hitting Rosa on her feet with a stick.

“Please stop that mister,” cried Rosa, but the ill-bred lalafell wouldn’t stop.

Her feet in pain, Rosa fell on all four and as much as she tried, she could not hold all her tears and a single one formed at her right eye.

“Here’s a curious beauty,” laughed Adeledji. He stretched his hand under Rosa’s face and the tear, a single blue gemstone fell into his hand and immediately crumbled and vanished.

“Huh?” exclaimed the lalafell in surprise. “Where did it go? I want more.”

A crowd of curious onlookers had gathered around them by now. One mean-spirited midlander lady shouted “hit her again”.

Adeledji agreed with that idea and hit Rosa with his stick again and again. She shed more tears and each of them was a gemstone and they all crumbled and vanished when they touched the ground.

“By the Twelve, have you all lost your godsdamned mind!” shouted a tall midlander.

This midlander was strong and almost as tall as an elezen.

Dressed mostly in black with little touches of white, he had long, free flowing silvery hair and he was carrying a pretty big sword at his back.

All in all, he was pretty handsome but his face carried a tinge of sadness.

At the sight of this man, the crowd swiftly dispersed and even the mean lalafell fled quickly.

He walked up to Rosa, now alone, and he asked, “Can you walk? I will escort you back home to make sure none of these ruffians hurt you anymore.”

“May I know your name, ô, gallant knight?” pleaded Rosa. “My name is Sephiroth,” the man replied, smiling faintly.

On the day after, Rosa was playing music in the market for the entertainment of everyone when Adeledji showed up with a posse of men and women armed with improvised weapons.

“I will make you cry again and this time we will get to keep the gems.” shouted the lalafell at the top of his lungs. The crowd behind cheered. “We will all be rich.” added the little tyrant.

None of the good and innocent folk of the village could challenge him.

A powerful voice rang, “You will do no such thing and each and everyone of you who hurts Rosa will suffer the same pain tenfold.”

Adeledji and his cronies were scared witless and quickly withdrew.

“You must be careful, Rosa,” said a smiling yet obviously upset Sephiroth, “these jerks mean to hurt you. You must stay home where you are safe.”

Sephiroth hugged Rosa tightly and whispered, “please understand.” And with that, he once more escorted her back home.

Despite his words of caution, Rosa could not stay home, she needed to earn money by playing music for the people and buy food.

Fortunately, nobody dared to even threaten her any further and life went on for a while.

A few weeks later however, Adeledji once more showed up with his posse while Rosa was playing music at the market.

“I hear Sephiroth is away. This time you will not escape, we will make you cry gemstones and we will get rich.” The crowd cheered in joy as they started beating Rosa.

“Please stop,” she begged, but the villains would not. They hit her again and again with all kinds of blunt objects in order to make her cry.

Suddenly, Adeledji was run through by one big sword. Sephiroth had just come back from his travels, heard the commotion and ran to the market as fast as he could.

Adeledji fell lifeless to the ground, his blood spilled all over the place and every ruffian, fearful for their life vanished in an instant.

“My love, why would you ignore my advice?” cried Sephiroth. He helped Rosa to her feet and they started walking toward her home.

Once they arrived at her home, Rosa saw a tall knight in full armor and another person dressed like a butler, standing in front of her little tower and became a little worried.

“I hired these two people to protect you.” explained Sephiroth.

“The manservant will run errands for you and the knight will ensure that no one harms you by keeping the ruffians out of your home and you inside your home.”

Rosa’s heart sank. “This is terrible, please do not do this my dear.” protested Rosa.

“I have to go for a few weeks and I won’t be here to protect you. Because you did not heed my advice, this is necessary for your safety.” replied Sephiroth.

Sephiroth helped Rosa inside her house and helped her treat her wounds the best he could.

“Listen,” said a somber Sephiroth, “when I come back, I will have the means to protect you. I will not allow you to get hurt in the meantime. I love you.”

“I love you too, Sephiroth, but you can’t lock me up in my own house.” weeped Rosa.

“It is only temporary,” replied Sephirot, “and I will be back before long. Be a darling and accept it.”

Rosa was powerless and could not do a thing. She spent the next few weeks locked up in her own home.

Then Sephiroth came back. He had a resolved look when he spoke to Rosa. “Rosa, I have the means to protect you from all the people now.”

“I have uncovered the ultimate secret of evolution and I will purge the world of the scourge of lalafells, au ra, miqo’tes, roegadyns, hyurs and even elezens. I will be known as Sephiroth the Manslayer.”

“In the meantime, you will stay in your home and when I come back, you will be free and happy.”

But Rosa wanted people to play music for and didn’t want Sephiroth to kill so many. She cried and as Sephiroth left, she silently pleaded “Someone, please, save the world from Sephiroth”.

Unbeknown to her, someone heard her plea in their dreams.

But who could that be? And would they be able to stop Sephiroth the Manslayer?

Ah, but this is a story for another time.