Final Fantasy VII: Jewel of Destiny
By: Cloud^
Contents
Some Important Terms
Chapter 1 The Forgotten Planet
Chapter 2 Dark Tidings
Chapter 3 The Truth of the Past
Chapter 4 Reminiscence
Chapter 5 Two Warriors
Chapter 6 Dreams of the Planet
Chapter 7 Farewell…Aerith
Disclaimer
Some Important Terms
Cetra- Also known as the Ancients, the Cetra look pretty much like human beings, but they have extraordinary magical skills. They existed thousands of years ago and are believed to be extinct.
Forgotten Capital- A large abandoned city believed to have once been the capital city of the Ancients.
Highwind- A huge airship originally owned by the Shinra Corporation. Cloud and his companions stole it during one of their tussles with Shinra.
Jenova- A living being preserved for 2000 years and believed to be a Cetra.
Lifestream- The lifeblood of the planet. It is located in the core of the planet and is what allows it to maintain it's natural balance. Though it is considered as the source of life, the tremendous energy that it harbors is hazardous to biological beings. The lifestream also contains all the knowledge that the planet has accumulated during the course of it's life.
Magical Terms (Fire, Fire2 etc.)- Materia has different levels of abilities depending on which enemies it has been used on. The higher the number next to the name of the magical attack, the more powerful it is.
Mako Energy- The processed form of the planet's spirit energy. The Shinra Corporation invented Mako Reactors to harness this energy and it replaced all other sources of fuel. Though Mako Energy is powerful, when used it does not return to the planet and is lost forever.
Masamune- Sephiroth's sword. It is long, sharp with only one edge. It looks very much like a Japanese sword. It possesses unknown powers in the hands of Sephiroth.
Materia- The crystallized form of Mako Energy containing the knowledge of the ancients. Materia are used in combat, granting the user enhanced or new abilities. Materia has different properties depending on its color. Green is magic materia. Blue is support materia. Yellow is command materia. Red is summon materia etc.
Shinra- A corporation specializing in manufacturing weapons and seeking to control the world.
Sister Ray- A huge cannon approximately the size of a five story building used by Shinra in strategic assaults. The name was given by Scarlet, an influential woman within Shinra.
SOLDIER- Shinra's elite task force. Only the finest men are accepted. Members of SOLDIER or those aspiring to be one are infused with Mako Energy giving their eyes a pale blue color.
Spirit Energy- The energy that all living things possess. When a creature dies, it's spirit energy is returned to the planet through the lifestream, to be reused when a new life is born. If a planet's spirit energy is depleted, it would crumble and plummet into oblivion.
Weapon- The planet's natural antibodies believed to have originated from the Lifestream. Once awakened, Weapon's only goal is to destroy whatever is threatening the life of the planet.
Chapter 1 The Forgotten Planet
The young boy sifted through the piles of debris and dust-covered articles within basement of the abandoned mansion, he came upon a small book bound by thick layers of wood and fabric. Small insects flew up and scattered everywhere as he carefully lifted the cover out of curiosity. The weathered pages, almost disintegrating with age, revealed a tragic yet memorable tale. The story of a doomed planet and the fate of the people who lived through its dying days…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How long ago has it been? These days, I'm even losing track of time. I can still remember how we first met. On that day, the skies were troubled just as they are right now. Or perhaps… it was my mind that was unsettled.
I wonder, can you still feel it? The thrill of rushing into battle knowing that death could come at a split-second? Those days, I never felt more alive. Then again, maybe it was all a dream.
Still… I know one thing. That you were there…
That you existed...
…Aerith
……………………………..Aerith."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cloud walked slowly along the edges grasping the guard rails of the "Highwind." A lingering sensation of intense pain pulsed through his head as he paced the deck of the huge airship. A flux of green, red and blue light danced before his eyes. "These…visions…dreams….I've been haunted by these images ever since that day." He paused and gritted his teeth with fury and guilt. "That day that Aerith…"
"Are you gonna stand around here all day talking to yourself?" A voice interrupted. Cloud turned around and saw that it was Tifa, seated on the roof of the Highwind's cabin smirking in a self-aggrandizing way at him. She jumped off and landed lightly on the wooden floor deck. " What's up? You look like a walking zombie. I was afraid you might fall off the ship."
"Visions…I've been having a recurring dream every night ever since we left the Forgotten Capital."
"A dream? Do you think you could share it with your childhood friend?" Tifa purposely ignored the fact that Aerith was killed at the Forgotten Capital partly because of jealousy and partly because, neither her or Cloud wanted to remember the atrocious way their friend was murdered.
Cloud stared at her skeptically and Tifa glanced back with pretentiously innocent eyes then, he began to speak. " I don't know exactly how or when it starts. All that I can remember, is that multiple shades of light invade my eyes at its onset. The lights begin to clear up and are replaced by total darkness. Then, slowly, three visions that seem to take place simultaneously emerge. Out of these images, one is of me and my friend Zack before his death, except this time my mind was not fogged up by Mako Energy. I saw quite clearly that he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't read his lips and no voice could be heard as he gradually grew weaker. Another image that somehow happens simultaneously with the vision of Zack, is of a young girl with golden hair set with a tiara adorned with a single white gem. Her emerald-green eyes seem to look intently into mine. Her eyes burn with fiery red patterns that continuously change, yet it didn't seem strange to me. I don't know how, but her eyes had the same serenity as Aerith's."
"Oh…." Tifa interrupted, as she drew imaginary circles on the flooring with her feet.
Cloud continued his story. " The last overlapping image is the most significant and confusing to me. I see a town engulfed in flames much like the one that consumed Nibelheim 5 years ago. Then `he' would be standing amidst the blazes. That monster…Sephiroth! In this vision, I noticed a different side of Sephiroth. His eyes were filled with intense emotion…fear. Sephiroth's entire body was trembling as he raised his Masamune to confront an unkown adversary. In this dream, I would always look up and see the figure of a huge dark crimson dyed monster. Sephiroth, would gaze upon the monster with a mixture of fear and anxiousness in his eyes, muttering words that are foreign to me. The only words that I could grasp were, `Sardius….give me the power….Sardius…Sardius.' then a white light would engulf everything like it was trying to erase that scene from my memories." Tifa closed her eyes in deep thought for a moment and finally said.
"This dream seems to mean a lot to you. To tell you the truth, I've been a little bit worried about you. You've never opened up to any of us until now, so it's hard for anyone in our group to tell what you're thinking. You're too determined to finish whatever task you set for yourself. Look Cloud, the whole world is right before us." Tifa was now scanning the moving scenery that the Highwind presented them. "It doesn't matter if you feel confused or lost sometimes. We're still young and I think it's important to feel that way sometimes."
Cloud's eyes were wide with a look of sudden enlightenment. His expression softened and he cast a glance at the vast world below them.
"You're right Tifa… Thanks for cheering me up."
By: Cloud^
Contents
Some Important Terms
Chapter 1 The Forgotten Planet
Chapter 2 Dark Tidings
Chapter 3 The Truth of the Past
Chapter 4 Reminiscence
Chapter 5 Two Warriors
Chapter 6 Dreams of the Planet
Chapter 7 Farewell…Aerith
Disclaimer
Some Important Terms
Cetra- Also known as the Ancients, the Cetra look pretty much like human beings, but they have extraordinary magical skills. They existed thousands of years ago and are believed to be extinct.
Forgotten Capital- A large abandoned city believed to have once been the capital city of the Ancients.
Highwind- A huge airship originally owned by the Shinra Corporation. Cloud and his companions stole it during one of their tussles with Shinra.
Jenova- A living being preserved for 2000 years and believed to be a Cetra.
Lifestream- The lifeblood of the planet. It is located in the core of the planet and is what allows it to maintain it's natural balance. Though it is considered as the source of life, the tremendous energy that it harbors is hazardous to biological beings. The lifestream also contains all the knowledge that the planet has accumulated during the course of it's life.
Magical Terms (Fire, Fire2 etc.)- Materia has different levels of abilities depending on which enemies it has been used on. The higher the number next to the name of the magical attack, the more powerful it is.
Mako Energy- The processed form of the planet's spirit energy. The Shinra Corporation invented Mako Reactors to harness this energy and it replaced all other sources of fuel. Though Mako Energy is powerful, when used it does not return to the planet and is lost forever.
Masamune- Sephiroth's sword. It is long, sharp with only one edge. It looks very much like a Japanese sword. It possesses unknown powers in the hands of Sephiroth.
Materia- The crystallized form of Mako Energy containing the knowledge of the ancients. Materia are used in combat, granting the user enhanced or new abilities. Materia has different properties depending on its color. Green is magic materia. Blue is support materia. Yellow is command materia. Red is summon materia etc.
Shinra- A corporation specializing in manufacturing weapons and seeking to control the world.
Sister Ray- A huge cannon approximately the size of a five story building used by Shinra in strategic assaults. The name was given by Scarlet, an influential woman within Shinra.
SOLDIER- Shinra's elite task force. Only the finest men are accepted. Members of SOLDIER or those aspiring to be one are infused with Mako Energy giving their eyes a pale blue color.
Spirit Energy- The energy that all living things possess. When a creature dies, it's spirit energy is returned to the planet through the lifestream, to be reused when a new life is born. If a planet's spirit energy is depleted, it would crumble and plummet into oblivion.
Weapon- The planet's natural antibodies believed to have originated from the Lifestream. Once awakened, Weapon's only goal is to destroy whatever is threatening the life of the planet.
Chapter 1 The Forgotten Planet
The young boy sifted through the piles of debris and dust-covered articles within basement of the abandoned mansion, he came upon a small book bound by thick layers of wood and fabric. Small insects flew up and scattered everywhere as he carefully lifted the cover out of curiosity. The weathered pages, almost disintegrating with age, revealed a tragic yet memorable tale. The story of a doomed planet and the fate of the people who lived through its dying days…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"How long ago has it been? These days, I'm even losing track of time. I can still remember how we first met. On that day, the skies were troubled just as they are right now. Or perhaps… it was my mind that was unsettled.
I wonder, can you still feel it? The thrill of rushing into battle knowing that death could come at a split-second? Those days, I never felt more alive. Then again, maybe it was all a dream.
Still… I know one thing. That you were there…
That you existed...
…Aerith
……………………………..Aerith."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cloud walked slowly along the edges grasping the guard rails of the "Highwind." A lingering sensation of intense pain pulsed through his head as he paced the deck of the huge airship. A flux of green, red and blue light danced before his eyes. "These…visions…dreams….I've been haunted by these images ever since that day." He paused and gritted his teeth with fury and guilt. "That day that Aerith…"
"Are you gonna stand around here all day talking to yourself?" A voice interrupted. Cloud turned around and saw that it was Tifa, seated on the roof of the Highwind's cabin smirking in a self-aggrandizing way at him. She jumped off and landed lightly on the wooden floor deck. " What's up? You look like a walking zombie. I was afraid you might fall off the ship."
"Visions…I've been having a recurring dream every night ever since we left the Forgotten Capital."
"A dream? Do you think you could share it with your childhood friend?" Tifa purposely ignored the fact that Aerith was killed at the Forgotten Capital partly because of jealousy and partly because, neither her or Cloud wanted to remember the atrocious way their friend was murdered.
Cloud stared at her skeptically and Tifa glanced back with pretentiously innocent eyes then, he began to speak. " I don't know exactly how or when it starts. All that I can remember, is that multiple shades of light invade my eyes at its onset. The lights begin to clear up and are replaced by total darkness. Then, slowly, three visions that seem to take place simultaneously emerge. Out of these images, one is of me and my friend Zack before his death, except this time my mind was not fogged up by Mako Energy. I saw quite clearly that he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't read his lips and no voice could be heard as he gradually grew weaker. Another image that somehow happens simultaneously with the vision of Zack, is of a young girl with golden hair set with a tiara adorned with a single white gem. Her emerald-green eyes seem to look intently into mine. Her eyes burn with fiery red patterns that continuously change, yet it didn't seem strange to me. I don't know how, but her eyes had the same serenity as Aerith's."
"Oh…." Tifa interrupted, as she drew imaginary circles on the flooring with her feet.
Cloud continued his story. " The last overlapping image is the most significant and confusing to me. I see a town engulfed in flames much like the one that consumed Nibelheim 5 years ago. Then `he' would be standing amidst the blazes. That monster…Sephiroth! In this vision, I noticed a different side of Sephiroth. His eyes were filled with intense emotion…fear. Sephiroth's entire body was trembling as he raised his Masamune to confront an unkown adversary. In this dream, I would always look up and see the figure of a huge dark crimson dyed monster. Sephiroth, would gaze upon the monster with a mixture of fear and anxiousness in his eyes, muttering words that are foreign to me. The only words that I could grasp were, `Sardius….give me the power….Sardius…Sardius.' then a white light would engulf everything like it was trying to erase that scene from my memories." Tifa closed her eyes in deep thought for a moment and finally said.
"This dream seems to mean a lot to you. To tell you the truth, I've been a little bit worried about you. You've never opened up to any of us until now, so it's hard for anyone in our group to tell what you're thinking. You're too determined to finish whatever task you set for yourself. Look Cloud, the whole world is right before us." Tifa was now scanning the moving scenery that the Highwind presented them. "It doesn't matter if you feel confused or lost sometimes. We're still young and I think it's important to feel that way sometimes."
Cloud's eyes were wide with a look of sudden enlightenment. His expression softened and he cast a glance at the vast world below them.
"You're right Tifa… Thanks for cheering me up."