(The battlefield was silent. Smoke curled in twisting ribbons around shattered stone and the echo of clashing steel still hummed in the air. Two figures stood at the center—Cloud and Sephiroth—both breathing hard, swords drawn, mako crackling in the space between them like lightning frozen in time.) (Cloud) “This ends here.”

(Sephiroth) “You’ve said that before.” (A pulse of green light burst from where their blades met—Lifestream energy, wild and unstable. It surged, swallowed them both—then vanished.)

(When Cloud opened his eyes, the world felt wrong. His chest rose heavier, his balance different. He looked down... he was wearing a black coat. His reflection shimmered in a fragment of metal nearby—long silver hair, glowing eyes.) (Cloud) “What the—”

(His voice was Sephiroth’s. He staggered back, heartbeat thundering in his borrowed veins. He ran his fingers through hair that wasn’t his. The air itself felt colder around him, heavier.)

(Across the field, Sephiroth straightened slowly, staring at the Buster Sword in his hands. The weight felt heavy, awkward—human. He caught his reflection in a puddle and froze. Spiky blond hair. Blue eyes. Cloud’s face.)

(Sephiroth murmured, lips twitching faintly. )(Sephiroth) “Oh… well. This is new.”

(A little while later, the others, Tifa, Barret, Aerith, and Red XIII were looking for cloud, he had been gone for a while, when they found him.)

(Tifa) Cloud! Where have you been?!

(Sephiroth in cloud’s body glanced around, before responding in cloud’s voice) (Sephiroth) …me?

(Barret) well duh! Who else would we be talking to?

(In a cold, uncaring tone) (Sephiroth) tch…

(Aerith, sensing something was off about “Cloud”) (Aerith) uhm…. Cloud…? Are you feeling okay? You seem…different.

(Sephiroth, in a mocking voice, decides to “play along”) (Sephiroth) do I?

(The way “cloud” was arranging his words, it was unusual, and strangely familiar, but they couldn’t place why,)

(Barret) hmm….

(Red XIII) …let’s head back.

(The next day, the group was walking together, sephiroth, in cloud’s body trying to figure out what was happening, ignoring the others. The group walked in silence, trying to figure out why “Cloud”, was acting so strange… When suddenly!)

(Cloud) …finally…. I found you guys—

(Everyone took out their weapons) (Tifa) Sephiroth!

(Cloud, in sephiroth’s body, with sephiroth’s voice spoke up, trying to explain he wasn’t Sephiroth) (Cloud) wait no- I’m not—

(Sephiroth, in cloud’s body, with cloud’s voice) (Sephiroth) Cloud?

(Cloud, in sephiroth’s body, with sephiroth’s voice) (Cloud) …Sephiroth?!