At ten in the morning, in front of a small landing pad on an open-air terrace of the Babylon Temple.
Lilith stood in the waiting area nearby. Today, she wore a black Gothic dress, her long silver hair falling behind her shoulders and her blood-red eyes gleaming like gemstones in the sunlight.
Two maid-type Artificial Angels stood behind her, one pushing a fully enclosed metal trolley.
Beyond the railing at the edge of the terrace, the Cloud Sea churned. Occasionally, birds emerged from the clouds and flew past the temple's spires.
A streamlined Shuttle appeared overhead, visibly "growing larger" before landing almost silently on the pad.
The hatch opened with a low hydraulic hiss. Sephiroth stepped out, the hem of his white casual clothes fluttering in the wind on the terrace.
After two days of "hard work" in Moon City, Sephiroth had now returned to Babylon.
Following him was a figure dressed in a voluminous white hooded robe. It covered him from head to toe, completely concealing his build. Only a glimpse of a metal faceplate showed beneath the hood's shadow, while a pair of knight's boots protruded from under the robe.
Blackbeard PX-0. His beard and hair had been shaved off, and he wore standard Babylon white knight's armor beneath the robe, with a fully enclosed knight's helmet on his head. His identity was completely unrecognizable. For missions outside, he would change into another outfit: a black military uniform with no markings or distinguishing features whatsoever.
"Sephi~ Welcome back."
Lilith approached, naturally raising both hands.
Sephiroth walked up to her, slipped an arm around her waist, and gave her a gentle hug.
"I'm back."
Lilith rested against his chest for a moment, then tilted her head slightly. Her lips almost brushed his ear as she spoke in a voice