Age of the fallen

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This must’ve been the sixth or even seventh night in a row since she started waking up from a nightmare that had triggered a new fear. Closed, tight spaces that reminded Sybil of pods that she once saw in one of the Mako reactors.

In these recurring dreams, Sybil was trapped inside the confined glass pod, naked and vulnerable. Her screams were muffled and every attempt to break through the thick glass was futile. The space felt like it was closing in on her, as she further choked on Mako while struggling to inhale for air. She could’ve sworn that she had seen a silhouette through the murky liquid, but every attempt she had made to call out for help was ignored or simply not heard. And nothing ever happened in the dream - just her trying to scream for help while banging on the glass, only to wake up completely covered in cold sweat, heart pounding as if she ran a marathon and her head feeling like it was kicked by a chocobo repeatedly.

It was just an hour before dawn, Sybil was sitting in her bed in her underwear, staring at nothing in particular while catching her breath. Even showering after these nightmares was a challenge. Even going into the small walk-in closet triggered a crumbling anxiety for Sybil, something she never had to worry about as a child. She wasn’t sure what had happened to her psyche ever since she got into the SOLDIER program, but part of her had to keep repeating the same thing her dad had told her - being a SOLDIER comes with honor and challenges that needed to be conquered. It’s not meant to be easy.

You will be broken down to be built back up, nuttie. It’s not a place for a lady, but…
Sybil rubbed her eyelids as her father’s voice echoed in her mind like a mantra. She needed to calm down. If she was going to freak out about walk-in closets and showers so easily just because she had a bad dream, how in Gaia’s name is she supposed to even become the First Class SOLDIER she always wanted to be?

She knew that Leopold, her father, was aware even before her that she would not be a typical girl growing up. Sybil was practical, yet energetic, physical and very involved in all sorts of activities. When she was a teenager, she would go on so-called expeditions with her male friends out of Calm, facing dangerous situations. Sybil was a loving person, but not exactly a romantic. She was a free spirit, dedicated to challenges and moving up somewhere, and Leopold loved her for it. It was always something with the little redhead. Always an ambition and desire for something. To be of use and to help.

Of course she would want to be a SOLDIER, especially after she had seen the First Class hero Sephiroth in action. Everybody knew who Sephiroth was and everybody revered him. But what inspired Sybil was not Sephiroth himself - it was the act and servitude to the people. Perhaps she cared a lot about what people thought of her, because the feeling she’d get when she would do something for others to help fulfilled her. She found her purpose there.



After the quick cold shower, Sybil looked at herself in the mirror and she noticed some changes. She was losing the pale blue color of her iris and it was slowly changing into Mako, the green hue bleeding in between the dips and sinking into the pupils. At this early point, the irises aren’t fully infused, but the effect is slowly beginning to show. She looked at her forearms, the veins were more visible than usual and it almost seemed like the dim glow of Mako swam through the veins. It was something she didn’t believe was possible, but she chalked it up to her dreams. And once the dawn fully broke, the veins were back to normal.

“I need to calm down.” she said to herself, flexing her forearm as the veins were only visible at the wrist area.

As a Third Class SOLDIER, Sybil had no special privileges, besides the fact that she actually made it there and was alone in the room that was typically shared between the brothers-in-arms, considering that she was the only woman currently recruited as a Third Class. As a matter of fact, she never saw any female SOLDIERs, aside from some of the women in higher positions that had nothing to do with the infantry or any type of grunt work. Sybil was a black sheep once more. It never seemed like she would fit in anywhere and she wasn’t comfortable being around her peers, who were all men that were throwing her looks.

Sybil herself did not have any particular feminine self-confidence, though she was more attractive than she would give herself any credit for. Thick, arched eyebrows framed her face and eyes that gave the 21 year-old edge that made up for the lack of confidence, which aided her typical resting bitchface that had saved her trouble with men more than she even realized. Though her features also deceived who she truly was within. And because it did not match with her personality, it left Sybil isolated for a while, except that she had actually started to speak with one of the colleagues, Kunsel, more often. He was a genuinely nice guy, a little clumsy, but very knowledgeable even for a Third Class. He helped her in a few instances, showed her the ropes and introduced her to a few people, as well as locations within the ShinRa tower, though that’s as far as that partnership went.

She simply did not feel comfortable being too close to men. At least not until she knew she could trust someone like Kunsel. He never took off his helmet and she didn’t even get to see what he actually looked like.

This day was not particularly different, or so she thought. She dressed in her uniform that was slightly big on her, the typical Third Class blue set with helpful leather harnesses, but typically on training she wouldn’t wear the helmet. She was in the training room, fighting the hologram Wutai enemies on the fifth difficulty out of possible ten. She was still fairly green, but consistent training and new diet had helped Sybil to make slight improvements each time she stepped into the room. The environment was based in Wutai and she was surrounded by four of the Wutai troops with large spears. Sybil fought with two blades assigned to her by ShinRa leads, as during the testing phase before her recruitment, she showed great skill fighting wielding two light, but sharp blades that are nearly as long as her arms, though sharp and effective. Sybil was ranked for her speed and agility, which only aided her whenever she would parry enemy’s attacks, however she still lacked in the strength department. It was enough to dismiss it, as strength can be built in time and through rigorous training, and also she was a woman. She biologically would not be as strong as her male counterparts, but she dominated the field with her immaculate speed and accuracy of hits.

But… She still had a lot to learn. Sybil needed to build more stamina and endurance. Before the whole training program was over, Sybil was knocked down on the ground, with the bladed spear coming down on her head, only stopping inches away from her face just as she closed her eyes to prepare for the inevitable.

“Ah fuck…” she cursed under her breath as the hologram enemies and the environment slowly began to dissolve into pixels as everything froze in place and revealed the bland, metallic training room. Sybil was laying there on the ground, breathing heavily as she wiped the sweat off her brow, but then… She noticed that someone was there. Thinking it was a fellow SOLDIER waiting for their turn, she quickly rose to her feet to look through the glass that separated the training room from the observation area. And just before the figure disappeared through the door, exiting the training room, she only caught on that the person was likely someone from the medical or science department, as they wore a white coat, slightly hunched forward and the only specific detail she noticed was a long, dark ponytail.

But before she would do anything else, the announcement roared through the speakers that startled Sybil, as this does not happen often.

“Following members of the Third Class report to Lazard’s office immediately… Following members of the Third Class…”
The female voice announced and repeated a short list of names - one of them was Sybil, and another she recognized. It was Kunsel. Nervousness and excitement shot through Sybil’s spine, not knowing what this announcement was about. Maybe she messed something up? Or maybe she actually is finally going on a mission? She didn’t know and whatever this announcement was about made Sybil incredibly nervous and she wasted no time as she grabbed her swords, sheathed then and carried her helmet under her arm as she ran out of the training room and into the hallway where the rest of the SOLDIERs and other staff stood, looking up at the speaker as the names have been repeated.

Sybil was there at the door to Lazard’s office rather quickly and was met with Kunsel, with that helmet on, only a big smile visible underneath it. “Oh hey, you made it! Out of the training, huh?”

She huffed and waved him off. “Dude, no time for jokes, we might be in trouble.” she said with a frown, only to be met with Kunsel’s laugh.

“Are you even following what’s happening outside this tower, red? Monsters have infiltrated the Slums. This is your very first official mission given directly by the executive director!” Kunsel’s words made her eyes widen in shock. Wait, the first official mission!?

I made it, dad. She thought to herself, but she didn’t want to get too cocky yet. Fighting monsters isn’t something she’s all too familiar with yet…

Once the rest of the summoned SOLDIERs arrived, Tseng of the Turks awaited them at the door and let them in silently. Sybil didn’t know much about their types, but this man really made her uncomfortable with his cold and sharp stare. And as she passed by him into the room, she could feel those dark eyes following her with each step, almost as if he is judging her every little move - from the way she walks and how she carries herself.

And as the SOLDIERs stood in line, nothing could’ve prepared Sybil as she saluted the executive director when she was finally met with the sight - two of the First Class SOLDIERs were there… Genesis and Angeal.

Just like anyone in her position, they’re starstruck at the sight of the supersoldiers, which was not something you see often. Genesis Rhapsodos was on his seat, in that famous red coat with his feet up on the table, reading LOVELESS with a solemn expression and hardly even minding the Third Class lowlives at the center of the office. He was a graceful and skilled swordsman, a ladies man and an artist. She heard stories of his poise in battles, but she didn’t like much of what she had heard about his personality. As a true artist, he was a little full of himself, even though that was a given, considering his skill and reputation.

And next to Lazard stood Angeal Hewley who shared none of the energy that Genesis gave out, and Sybil never quite made her mind up about him. As the matter of fact, she heard nothing but good things about Angeal, and it’s nothing like it is with Sephiroth who gets all the praise. What she heard about Angeal was that he was a good man before everything and that he always spoke of honor before anything. Even Kunsel had shared good comments about the man. She had yet to decide for herself, but one thing was for certain - she held nothing but utmost respect to all three individuals in that room, regardless of her own personal views on them.