Zack was born with a very rare eye color. His father had green eyes while his mother had blue and while most believed him to bear natural blue eyes, made more vibrant by the mako, Zack’s eye color was actually violet, a trait which many found intriguing and mesmerizing. He cannot recall how many times his personal space had been invaded by strangers seeking to get a better look at his eyes.
On the occasional trips to Midgar, Zack’s father found himself needing to keep Zack close and under his watchful eye at all times. It was evident others had taken notice of the hue. But one trip brought the rule that Zack never be taken to Midgar again until reaching adulthood...
While his father was distracted with a purchase, the five year old child had wandered a few steps away and was snatched up. Had the shopkeeper not been aware of the child’s father when he witnessed the boy being collected by the shady individual, Zack likely wouldn’t have been returned.
It was a SOLDIER operative patrolling nearby that was waved down by the shopkeeper. Zack was taken by the SOLDIER and placed back into his father’s arms, while his attempted kidnapper was taken into custody. It was then that Zack decided he wanted to be a SOLDIER. He wanted to grow up to be big and strong like the man who saved him. He wanted to save people too! That mad had been his hero. And his desire to be a hero had been born that day.
At the Age of 14, Zack left Gongaga and enlisted in SOLDIER. The only way one made the ranks was if they were able to handle both the mako treatments and the Jenova cell injections, which Zack did wonderfully. And under the guidance of Angeal Hewley, Zack climbed the SOLDIER ranks at the cost of his beautiful natural eye color. It was known that the mako treatments left their mark, seen by all: those vibrant blue eyes which could even bee seen in the dark. A clear sign that they were a member of SOLDIER.
Post Nibelheim [Survival Verse]
After the fall of Sephiroth and the four years of experimentation and torture in Nibelheim, Zack and Cloud escaped, fleeing to Midgar. But they were cut off by a mass of Shinra troops ordered to gun them down, but they would find Zack was no easy target. He had made First Class for a reason. One by one, Zack cut the SOLDIERs down, firing magic at the helicopters and machines that blocked his path back to the city. and when the smoke cleared, Zack was leaned against his weapon for support. A little worse for wear, but alive.
Once Cloud is safe and sound in the company of his friend, Zack departs to Aerith, informing her of all that ensued. Then apologizing. He could not stay. He was far too recognizable and still wanted. So he left Midgar, electing to roam the world and take any merc job he could get his hands on. After all, his dream was still to be a hero to the people. And giving Shinra a bit of trouble where he can is also amusing after what they’d put him through.
As the months roll by, Zack soon finds that one of his eyes is darkening in color. The mako is fading from his system and his natural eye color is returning, but only to his left eye. It seems the experiments done in Nibelheim caused his right eye to remain blue permanently. But the left is slowly restored to its natural violet hue, which draws even more attention than when they were both that lovely purple. But he deals with it, growing fond of the mis-matched eye colors.
Post Dirge of Cerberus [Revival Verse]
Meeting his end at the hands of the Shinra Army, Zack is welcomed into the Lifestream where he watches over and guides Cloud as best he can. But four years after his death, an even took place that even Zack still struggles to understand... He lived again.
When Omega WEAPON absorbed the Lifestream into itself, so too was Zack. But following it’s destruction by the hands of Vincent Valentine and the power of Chaos, the Lifestream was restored to the planet, but Zack was expelled from the planet’s lifeblood. Expelled and life restored.
With his new life, Zack took to finding Cloud and his friends where he aided in the restoration of the planet along side the WRO. Like in his survival verse, Zack’s left eye begins to return to it’s natural, violet hue.
His right eye continues to glow in the dark due to the experimentation done by Hojo in Nibelheim.