Since Cloud was three years old, there had been a war raging on between the city of Midgar and the small continent of Wutai. The Shinra Corporation, whose main headquarters was in Midgar, tried to take over Wutai by forcing them to accept Mako Energy. Wutai refused to accept the alternative source of energy. Doing so would allow Shinra to establish a monopoly in their home. Shinra stationed troops on Wutai and refused to withdraw them until a deal was secured that would make the Mako Energy mainstream on the small continent. The people of Wutai grew tired of Shinra’s presence and began an operation of gorilla warfare to drive the foreigners out. Shinra responded by sending the Midgar military, the largest military in the world at the time, to put down the rebels. What started as a minor inconvenience for Shinra developed into a full-fledged war that claimed the lives of millions.

Out of all the stories that came out of the war, the tale of Sephiroth was legendary. Sephiroth was a member of SOLDIER, an elite group of warriors that worked along side with the Shinra Corporation to protect the company’s interests. Only the most fierce and strongest warriors could join, and Sephiroth was the greatest there ever was. He commanded hundreds of troops at a time devastating the land of Wutai. He waved his Masamune sword, an invincible weapon only Sephiroth had been able to master, on the battlefield utterly destroying any unfortunate soul that happened to stray in its path. Sephiroth had a power unseen and unrivaled by anyone at that time. To the people in Nibelheim, he was a living legend. All the children had dreams of becoming as powerful as the Great Sephiroth, but Cloud was the only one with the motivation to join SOLDIER.

At the age of fourteen, Cloud made a decision that would affect the rest of his life. He felt the need to share his news with somebody he trusted.

It was a cold night in Nibelheim. Tifa laid sound asleep in her bed. She suddenly heard a persistent tapping on her window. Slightly annoyed, the girl stumbled out of bed and to the window. She soon discovered it was Cloud hanging from the drainpipe tapping on the glass. She opened the shutter.

“Cloud? What are you doing hanging from my window?” she asked.

“Meet me on the water tower. I need to tell you something tonight,” Cloud said.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Tifa asked.

“Nothing’s wrong…Get ready, and meet me on top of the water tower.” Upon saying that, Cloud descended the drainpipe.

Tifa was left wondering what their discussion was all about.

The night sky glittered with stars as the pale moon illuminated the town. Cloud began to get cold as he sat on the edge of the water tower, and feared Tifa wasn’t about to show.

“Sorry I’m late,” a soft voice said from behind him.

Tifa had finally arrived. She slowly strutted to the end of the platform where she sat next to the boy.

“You said you wanted to say something,” Tifa said.

Cloud didn’t say anything right away.

“Come this spring…I’m leaving this town for Midgar.”

“All the boys are leaving the town,” Tifa said sadly.

“But I’m different from all of them,” Cloud began to say, “I’m not just going to find a job. I want to join SOLDIER. I’m going to the best there is, like Sephiroth.”

“Sephiroth…The Great Sephiroth,” Tifa said with hint of sarcasm.

A slight breeze blew through Tifa’s hair waving it like a silk curtain.

“Isn’t it hard to join SOLDIER?” she asked.

Cloud nodded his head, “I probably won’t be able to come back to this town for awhile.”

Tifa sighed sorrowfully, “If you join, will you have to fight in the war?”

“Probably,” Cloud answered.

Tifa lowered her head to wipe away a tear that had been running down her cheek. The sudden fear of Cloud dying in combat, and losing him forever swept through her body.

The girl took a deep breath and asked, “Will you be in the newspaper if you do well?”

“I’ll try,” Cloud responded.

It became silent.

Tifa looked at Cloud with her glassy eyes and said, “Hey, why don’t we make a promise? Umm, if you get really famous, and I’m ever in a bind…you come save me, all right?”

“What?” Cloud asked

“Whenever I’m in trouble, my hero will come and rescue me. I want to experience that once,” Tifa said.

Cloud didn’t respond.

“Come on. Promise me!” she said.

“All right,” Cloud said with all sincerity, “I promise.”

They both gazed up to the sky to witness a star shooting across the heavens. That star would be what sealed their promise until the time had come to live up to it.