Hooray, FFII fic! And of Leon no less. I always liked the fact that his betrayal seemed to be a choice rather than a case of brainwashing. He has an autonomy that other FF turncoats seem to lack sometimes, and I like how you detail it with his decision to wear a helmet and ambition to dethrone the Emperor. (It certainly fits in with how he grabs Mateus' chair the moment it looks free.) Plus the way he won't let himself hope that his friends survived as he gets into the role of Dark Knight.

I always liked Leon, so it's really nice to read a fic where he's wavering in that grey zone between "good guy who went bad" and "self-deluding jerk." He's very interesting despite FFII having skeletal characterization.