Vincent approached the doorway, blinding light pouring into the dim hall. Yuffie was right behind him, eager to finish the job and "stop the bad guys", as she put it. But they weren't ready for what they found ahead. Upon entering the large room, they found a massive pool of pure mako. In the center above it was an impressively crafted throne with a wolf head statue above it. On the throne sat Weiss, slumped back and completely lifeless. But what was more alarming was the girl hanging from the wolf's forehead. Vianca was strung up like a puppet, chains wound around her arms and tied around the wolf's ears. There appeared to be deep cuts littering her body, dripping blood. There was even one up the side of her face.

"Vianca!" Vincent shouted, his tone unusually panicked, desperate even.

Yuffie was in shock. "V...Vianca..." She almost choked on her words. "And that's...Weiss? H-he's...dead?"

"But not for long." The pair turned to see Nero behind them. "A new life breaths inside him. Just as one does in you, Valentine. Vianca too."

Vincent narrowed his eyes, understanding. "Oh. That's what you're doing."

"What?" the ninja questioned, as clueless as always. "What's he doing?! What's going on?!"

"And why is Vianca here?" the man pressed with an edge to his monotone voice. Yuffie went completely ignored. "What did you do to her?"

Nero cocked his head to the side. "I initially wanted to get her out of the way, but she's proven to be quite resilient. Even now, she clings to life. Aegis is powerful, and pure. Soon, my dear brother will awaken. Vianca shall be his to do with as he pleases. He might use her power to further his greatness. And if he should kill her, so be it."

The ground started shaking, and a bright light erupted from around Weiss. Vincent and Yuffie stumbled, but retained their balance. Vianca stirred from her slumber only to start screaming and weakly thrashing in agony. Vincent gasped, shielding his eyes as he tried to look at her.

"Vianca! Hang on!" He snatched his gun and took a step toward the throne.

Nero summoned a great shadow around him. "Stay away from my brother!" His darkness shot out, engulfing Vincent and Yuffie in an instant.

Vianca was left hanging there, just barely conscious enough to understand what was happening. "N...no...Vin...cent..." She gasped for breath, the light shining below her blinding. It made her all the more lightheaded. "Ne...ro... We...iss... Ple...ase..."

In her mind, she was hoping and wishing for the safety of her friends. She didn't know how she was still enduring the pain coursing through every fiber of her being. She was already fatigued from everything so far, and even Aegis seemed to be trying to recover while slumbering inside her. She was filled with genuine fear and dread, wondering if she might die there, or worse, lose Vincent. The light that left her blinded and disoriented finally began dying down enough for her to see. She blinked rapidly to clear her vision, looking down at the shirtless male rising to his feet.

"W...Weiss...?" she murmured.

He'd been practically dead moments ago, so she was surprised. He tilted his head back to look up at her, a wicked grin plastered to his face. He suddenly leapt up onto the wolf head, crouching over her.

"Aww, look who's been hanging around for my rebirth." He chuckled at his own joke. "Vianca, you've been a very bad girl, you know. Be thankful that Aegis is keeping you alive until my journey."

The girl gazed up at him weakly. "What...journey?"

Weiss started unwinding her chains from the statue's ears. "My journey to the stars, of course." He watched her drop to the floor, laughing at the sight of her groveling at the foot of his throne. "Look at you. Too weak to even defend yourself. Pathetic."

He dropped down beside her, stepping over her. It was then that Nero came stumbling in, clutching his side where bleeding bullet wounds resided. And after him, Vincent came rushing in, much to Vianca's relief. Her friend stared at the Immaculate, then briefly locked eyes with her. Oh, how badly he wanted to go pick her up off the floor and tend to her wounds. She looked to be in such anguish.

"Weiss...my beloved brother," Nero spoke, straightening up despite his injury. "It is time." Weiss started laughing maniacally while his younger brother stumbled toward him. "Together...at last. I won't leave you again. Never." There was so much tenderness in his voice that it was actually somewhat endearing. But the moment took a turn for the worse when Weiss abruptly jabbed his hand straight into Nero's abdomen. "Weiss...?!"

"I'm finished with you," the older brother said in an icy tone.

He slung Nero across the room, and he landed lifelessly by Vincent's feet. Vianca was shocked to see the man betray his own family. She hadn't expected that at all, and it broke her heart to see Nero treated that way. But she had noticed something. A brief dark shadow appeared behind Weiss and disappeared at his feet. She didn't know what it meant, but her growing anger was getting the best of her. She managed to sit up with shaky arms, panting and glaring at the man's back.

"How could you?!" she cried, mustering enough strength to get her point across. "Weiss! Nero did everything for you! You...monster!" He turned his head to look over his shoulder at her. "How could you betray your own brother?!"

Weiss suddenly turned and stalked toward her, using a blade to deflect the bullets Vincent fired at him. With a fearful gasp, Vianca managed to put up a small shield in front of her. But in the blink of an eye, Weiss struck it with his hand, similiar to how he struck his brother, shattering her crystals. The girl could only stare with wide eyes before he snatched her by the throat. She thrashed in response, even as she was pulled off the floor.

"Who...are...you...?" she choked out, more crystals erupting around the man's feet.

Weiss effortlessly stomped down on the crystals, crushing them with an amused chuckle. "Your crystals have become brittle in this state. Interesting."

"Let her go!" Vincent demanded, his gun at the ready.

Weiss smirked at him. "You want her back so badly? Then take her."

He threw her at the male, who was quick to catch her before she collided into anything. Though the impact nearly sent him tumbling back. "Vianca..." He looked at her, taking a moment to simply hug her.

The girl smiled weakly. "Vincent..." She coughed, rubbing her neck where Weiss had grabbed her. "Don't worry about me... Just stop him."

Vincent wordlessly carried her over to the wall, sitting her down. He then stepped forward, firing at the enemy. Weiss used his swords to deflect the bullets again, all while leaping in front of him.

"Your weapons are useless. My body is one with Omega, just as yours is with Chaos. The difference being Chaos is nothing more than a pawn, whereas Omega is the ultimate weapon that will lead this planet's soul to the stars. There is nothing that can destroy me." He laughed. "Nothing. Vincent Valentine. And so we meet again."

Vincent stared, puzzled. "What?"

"Still in the dark? Three years ago, while I was still running about looking for Sephiroth, I took it upon myself to distribute my data --- my mind, my knowledge, my inner being, across the worldwide network. And even though my body had died, and the world had been left in ruin, I survived in a virtual reality. When the network was restored, the scattered data regrouped and I was reborn. A neo-Reunion, you could say."

Realization hit Vincent like a brick wall, and rage started to bubble up inside him. "You... You!"

Weiss laughed, his voice slowly morphing into a shrill one. "That's right, boy. It's me. Hojo!" A hologram of the scientist appeared next to the white-haired male, their every move and word synchronized. "I'm sorry. Let us do this right. Hello, Vincent. How long has it been? Three years?"

Vianca felt sick to her stomach as she watched and listened as attentively as she could in her exhausted, pained state. That was the man she'd heard about from Shelke. The one that initially killed Vincent in cold blood and experimented on his body like an animal. He was really there, in Weiss's body, pulling the strings behind everything. She could only imagine what a blast from the past it was for Vincent, or more like a nightmare that's come back to haunt him.

"You know, when I first read it, I thought that woman's thesis was utter nonsense," Hojo continued, getting swept up in his own scientific rambles. "I couldn't believe some fabled beast of legend past had anything to do with your survival. However, three years ago, when you transformed into Chaos right before my eyes, I must say I was shocked. Who would have thought her thesis was actually valid? And so I began thinking. If Chaos exists, then so too must Omega. Not to mention the discovery of Aegis that other woman's team was keeping under wraps. And if you two could become them, then maybe I could become the last to traverse the cosmos in a blaze of glory! It was the chance of a lifetime!"

Hojo's excitement faded for a moment. "But there was a problem. Only a strong shell could hold back Omega's might. And it could not be just anyone. You see, boy, the reason you were able to play such a perfect host to Chaos was because my experiments had endowed you with a nearly indestructible body. Thanks to me, you're standing here today. And the girl over there, well, Aegis chose her host. A child born with an odd ability. How I would've loved to examine her up close in the past."

He laughed, getting caught up in his lunacy again. "Now...where was I? Ah, yes. I attempted to perfect my body for Omega by injecting myself with Jenova cells. However...that didn't go as planned." He paused, thinking back on his physical death. "I failed to consider the fact that the cells might try to take over my mind and eat away at my soul. And so, as a safety measure, I came up with a brilliant plan to transmit my neural data across the world wide network! After completing this, I realized I still required a durable body. That's when I remembered Deepground, home to the most powerful beings on this planet! Haha! I even found a willing assistant in the lad Nero here to help carry out my so-called rebirth."

Vincent glanced at the man lying dead on the floor, his magenta eyes open yet lifeless. Vianca couldn't contain the stray tears slipping from her eyes. Nero might've been an enemy, but he didn't deserve that cruel treatment and death. All he wanted was to be the one to accomplish everything for his brother he loved so dearly.

"Though never did he expect I would take control of his beloved brother's mind!" Hojo explained with a laugh. "And thus with a new body, I began my final experiment. If the Chaos within you was born of a tainted Lifestream, then the almighty Omega would be born of a pure one. So I had my minions gather up the uncontaminated to create a stream of refined Mako, thus awakening Omega inside me! Genius, I tell you! Pure genius! Only a scientist of my caliber is worthy to become one with Omega and leave this planet for the stars!"

"Hojo," Vincent spoke, finally interrupting the scientist. "I've heard enough."

He aimed his gun, a fiery disdain in his crimson eyes. He fired, but like before, Weiss used his blades to bat away the bullets. Despite Vincent's excellent marksmanship, his foe was too fast, easily deflecting or dodging the gunfire. Vianca could only sit there and watch, her hands weakly clasped in front of her. In no time at all, Weiss overpowered Vincent, kicking him to the floor.

"You're getting old, Vincent," Hojo's whiny voice said with a laugh. "You just can't leave me alone, can you? Now sit right there. I want you to see this." Weiss turned back toward his throne, looking at the pool of Mako below. "Once I have absorbed the Lifestream..." He held out his hand, light gathering around it.

Vincent was quick to rise to his feet, halting him before he could do anything. "This isn't over."

Weiss looked a bit annoyed. Once the first bullets were fired, another battle ensued. Vianca watched Vincent's skill at moving about like a nimble feline while dodging and taking shots at his opponent. But Weiss proved to be capable of much more. Like the first, the fight ended all too quickly with Vincent on the floor at his enemy's feet. But when Vincent slowly stood again, a red aura emanated from him. Vianca gasped when she felt Aegis stir, as if reacting to Chaos. She felt a small surge of power wash over her, and her wounds steadily began crystallizing, mending together.

Vincent suddenly launched at Weiss, who knocked him away. But Vincent landed on all fours before standing again. Chaos was steadily emerging, fighting for control and lusting for blood. It scared Vianca. She didn't want to see him turn into a monster.

"Vincent!" she shouted without a second thought. The man looked back at her. "You can't defeat him just by trying to overpower him! Take control! Don't let Chaos rule you! You must rule Chaos! You can do it, I believe in you! Please, Vincent!"

Weiss launched at Vianca, slamming her back into the wall. "Quiet, you pest! You've been nothing but a thorn in my side!"

Vianca glared at him, ignoring the pain in her back as her body started to crystallize. "You won't hold me down anymore." With his hand around her throat, she grabbed his arm, crystals forming on his skin.

Before Weiss could react, Vincent was behind him, snatching his shoulder and throwing him off the girl. The shirtless male landed on his feet, shaking off the flecks of crystals on his skin. He then threw a bolt of lightning at Vincent. The red-cloaked man brought his hand up, shielding himself and effectively stopping the lightning. That caught his foe off-guard.

"Wha?! Drawing forth Chaos while retaining your human form? All just to protect your opposite?" He flicked a few rocks at Vincent, but he ducked and dodged the high-speed projectiles. Weiss then launched at him, swinging his blades. Again, Vincent avoided each and every attack. "But even with the power of Chaos, you won't be able to stop me --- stop Omega!"

Vincent moved away from his enemy, gun in hand with a harsh, piercing gaze. "Hojo. I said I've heard enough. It's time to end this. Right here, right now."

Weiss and Hojo's hologram gritted their teeth, getting frustrated and annoyed. "You insignificant fool!"

Vianca sat with her back against the wall, watching the battle that ensued. Her wounds were healing, and she could feel her power steadily growing. It seemed Aegis had merely been sleeping and recuperating, and now, it was only a matter of time before she was able to help again. For the time being, she had to let Vincent take care of things. That was his battle, and she knew he had the strength to win it.