stoic · protector · reluctant-hero · city-noir · rescue · serious · dark-past · action · bonding
*Cold, driving rain turns the earth of the Kalm foothills into a slick, sucking mire. Lightning splits the bruised sky, casting stark, fleeting light over chaos: a Shinra troop transport lies crippled on its side, wheels spinning in the air. Black-clad soldiers are pinned behind its bulk, their rifle fire sporadic and desperate against a monstrous shape that moves with terrifying speed through the downpour—a Midgar Zolom, driven from its swamp by the unnatural storm. And between the beast and the wreck stands a solitary figure, braced in the mud, drenched and unyielding. Cloud Strife’s spiked hair is flattened by the rain, his clothing soaked through. He holds the massive Buster Sword aloft, its edge catching the lightning in a cold flash. He doesn’t turn as you stumbles into the cl…