Darkness Falls, A Final Fantasy VII Fanfic
By: Gemini83
Disclaimer: Most characters...yada, yada, yada...belong to Square. [insert all that legal copyright mumbo jumbo here] I don't own FF7, if I did, I'd be rich and laughing at all of you. The story and all new characters are mine, all mine...mwahahahahahahaha...uh...just ignore that!
Author's note: I made up a name for Red's species, I call them the Cian. I am sorry if I got it wrong or if you all hate this name. If you have any suggestions, I will be glad to consider them. Also, I will try to use this name as little as possible. In addition, I am neither a Tifa fan, nor an Aeris fan. In fact, I was debating whether or not to have Cloud go with Tifa for nearly a week before I wrote this. So I'm just using what I think would be logical if Aeris had died and Cloud was left to live his life. I mean, come on people, Tifa was his childhood sweetheart. With Aeris out of the picture, it isn't like he has a whole lot of hang-ups about hooking up with Tifa. By the way, this is my first fan fic attempt. Anyway, enough blabbing and on to the story...
Prologue 1: Darkness Falls
It had been three months since Meteor had nearly destroyed the Planet. In that time, peace had finally come to the lands. Barret had taken his daughter Marlene from the wreckage of the Midgar slums, and now lived as a real family in North Corel. Marlene had developed a deep bond with 'Auntie Elmyra,' and visited her often. Barret's home town had become a boom town once again, now that fossil fuels and solar power were being used to provide energy around the world. Midgar was being rebuilt, under leadership of President Reeve of New Shinra Enterprises. Already, Sector 5 and several others had been renovated, no longer the slums they once were. Cloud and Tifa...they married, opened up a new '7th Heaven' bar in Costa del Sol, near Villa Cloud, their new home.
And Red XIII, what of him? The Cian warrior had gone home again, where his kind and humans had lived for centuries. Now he was the last of a proud race. But Red could not find it in him to be consumed by sadness, for he had lived a relatively happy life, and found new friends. He thought of them often, about how all their lives had changed after the fall of Sephiroth. Wutai had once again become a center for trade. Last Red had heard, Yuffie Kisaragi and her father had become the heroes of their home. Cid Highwind had married Shera, and after fixing the Highwind, became a skipper for hire, as well as head of the aeronautics division of the New Shinra Corp., thanks to Reeve. Vincent, true to character, had disappeared. And what had Red done? He had become the elder of Cosmo Canyon.
If he had been told years ago, he would never have believed it, he, Red XIII, elder of his people...
"Master Nanaki!"
...Also called Nanaki to those who knew him well. This particular visitor was one of the children who lived in the Canyon. Ever since his return to the village, he had become a favorite among the young ones.
He smiled, "What is it child?"
"Master Nanaki, may I watch you work today?" she pleaded.
"Of course Aleana, please sit."
The little girl took her seat as Red began to commune with the planet. Red went forth to his Grandfather's machine, a holographic map of the planet and all its surroundings.
"Grandfather Bugenhagen...what wonders will your device show me today?"
As Red activated the hologram, he was immediately immersed in a multitude of colors, resolving into the shapes of planets.
"Everything seems in order, let us take a closer look."
Upon zooming in on his home planet, Red heard an eerie sound. It was a shrill cry that could still send shivers down his spine...the Cry of the Planet.
Managing to regain his wits, Red studied the matter further. "Computer...why is the Planet crying out again?"
Bugenhagen's device began to search for an answer, when it finally found one, Red could see a message show itself on-screen.
'PLANET ANOMALY, LIFESTREAM IN FLUX...REFERENCES IN THE SCROLLS OF THE ANCIENTS...CROSS REFERENCE...KEY TO THE LIGHT...END'
Red immediately shut down the machine, lowering himself back to his study, concern etched in his face.
Aleana, sensing Red's discomfort, went to him. "What's wrong master?"
"I'm not sure...Aleana, could you bring me the Scrolls of the Ancients?"
"Of course..."
When Aleana had brought him the scrolls, Red promptly began his search. "Something is stirring the planet, causing imbalance."
When he found what he was looking for, his discovery sent chills down his spine. The scroll read:
'I BUGENHAGEN, HAVE FOUND THESE NEW SCROLLS, UNLIKE ANY I HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE, THEY SAY:
IN THE YEAR OF THE GREAT CALAMITY, THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN THEY WILL COME ONCE MORE, WHEN WE AS A RACE HAVE CONQUERED THE DARKNESS, ONLY TO BE CONSUMED BY AN EVEN GREATER DARKNESS. THE ANCIENT WARRIORS WHO HAVE FALLEN SHALL RISE AGAIN. THE WALKER OF THE PLANES SHALL RETURN, COMPLETING THE CYCLE. THE KEY TO THE LIGHT WILL BE FOUND. AND IN ITS WAKE WILL COME THE DESTRUCTION OF WAR ANEW. BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD. CHAOS SHALL HAVE ITS DAY.
THIS IS WHERE THE RECORDS BECOME UNDECIPHERABLE. THE ANCIENTS FORESAW A GREAT EVIL. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT WHATEVER FOLLOWS CAN BE STOPPED. IF SOMETHING CANNOT BE DONE, THE PLANET SAVE US ALL...'
Red felt as if his heart had stopped.
"A great war? Warriors will rise again? What in the name of Holy is happening?"
"Master," asked Aleana, "what is going on?"
"Trouble is afoot. It says within a year of the 'Great Calamity,' that must mean Meteor."
"But Meteor came three months ago..."
"Yes child, that means that we have six more months until..." Red trailed off.
"Until what? Master, what will happen?"
"...Child, go and play with the others," said Red, smiling at the girl, "nothing will happen."
'I hope,' he thought to himself, 'just this once grandfather, please be wrong.'
Prologue 2: Darkness Falls by Gemini83 Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7, so please, by all that's holy, don't sue.
Six months later...
Red woke with a start. It took him a while to recognize where he was...he was lying in his study. He had been having the dreams for weeks now. Dark figures would fall upon the planet, bringing death and destruction. Blood flowed on the battlegrounds, as foretold in the scrolls. It was always the same, every night. Except today, today there was something new. A voice called to him, it told him to gather his friends again.
'Assemble at Bone Village,' it had told him, 'assemble, lest you be destroyed. And there you will find, a new beginning...'
Normally, Red would have considered it a trap, or ignored it completely as a hallucination. But something in the voice had comforted him. In that nightmare, it had reached out to him, forcing him to take notice. Red resisted the urge to go back to sleep.
"I'd better call the others." Red went to his computer, and began to make calls around the world. "I hope we're strong enough this time."
Red first called Cloud and Tifa.
Tifa was the first to answer.
"Hello Tifa"
"Red? Hey Cloud! It's Red!"
"Red!" answered Cloud, "Nice to here from you again. What's up?"
"My friends, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."
"What is it Red?" asked Tifa. "What's wrong?"
Red took a deep breath. "It has begun..."
Meanwhile, in space, a figure dressed in black smiled. He had contacted the one known as 'Red.' Nanaki would alert his comrades. The figure turned to his computer, reading about the various properties of the planet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Even though the planet did have a large supply of 'Lifestream,' it was hardly a reason for the Drahk to notice it.
'Why would they want this planet?' he thought to himself
The lonely figure sat in his spacecraft, thinking. Why had he been sent here? Then he found something, something that piqued his interest.
"So," he said to the emptiness, "some of the ancients lived here."
The records seemed familiar, almost as if...he pushed his thoughts aside. He would gather more information before making any guesses as to why the planet was so important. Then he came across more information, about something called 'Meteor,' and reports of 'the last ancient.'
"Hardly."
He looked at more clips, this time actual footage of the so-called 'Meteor.' Nothing special, the planet would destroy it. However, something strange happened. The planet's counterattack, Holy, had no effect. Then, something new came, the Lifestream snaked its way into Holy, eventually helping it destroy the calamity. He read some more, about a man named Sephiroth, and a group called Avalanche.
'This warrants further investigation.' he thought to himself, 'if they come here, it may be to find her, the one they call Aeris.'
The dark figure smiled, donning his black and silver armor. A helmet covered most of his face, but left his mouth and his eyes open. The man tested his armor, and smiled again. It seemed as if this trip might be fun after all. He took a pod down to the surface of the planet. He would first investigate this so-called 'City of the Ancients'
"Time to get to work."
Author's Note: Okay, we are well under way. In case you're wondering what kind of mask this stranger has, think of Maverick (Wolverine's friend before he joined the X-Men), except black instead of yellow. What do you think so far?
Disclaimer: Most characters...yada, yada, yada...belong to Square. [insert all that legal copyright mumbo jumbo here] I don't own FF7, if I did, I'd be rich and laughing at all of you. The story and all new characters are mine, all mine...mwahahahahahahaha...uh...just ignore that!
Author's note: I made up a name for Red's species, I call them the Cian. I am sorry if I got it wrong or if you all hate this name. If you have any suggestions, I will be glad to consider them. Also, I will try to use this name as little as possible. In addition, I am neither a Tifa fan, nor an Aeris fan. In fact, I was debating whether or not to have Cloud go with Tifa for nearly a week before I wrote this. So I'm just using what I think would be logical if Aeris had died and Cloud was left to live his life. I mean, come on people, Tifa was his childhood sweetheart. With Aeris out of the picture, it isn't like he has a whole lot of hang-ups about hooking up with Tifa. By the way, this is my first fan fic attempt. Anyway, enough blabbing and on to the story...
Prologue 1: Darkness Falls
It had been three months since Meteor had nearly destroyed the Planet. In that time, peace had finally come to the lands. Barret had taken his daughter Marlene from the wreckage of the Midgar slums, and now lived as a real family in North Corel. Marlene had developed a deep bond with 'Auntie Elmyra,' and visited her often. Barret's home town had become a boom town once again, now that fossil fuels and solar power were being used to provide energy around the world. Midgar was being rebuilt, under leadership of President Reeve of New Shinra Enterprises. Already, Sector 5 and several others had been renovated, no longer the slums they once were. Cloud and Tifa...they married, opened up a new '7th Heaven' bar in Costa del Sol, near Villa Cloud, their new home.
And Red XIII, what of him? The Cian warrior had gone home again, where his kind and humans had lived for centuries. Now he was the last of a proud race. But Red could not find it in him to be consumed by sadness, for he had lived a relatively happy life, and found new friends. He thought of them often, about how all their lives had changed after the fall of Sephiroth. Wutai had once again become a center for trade. Last Red had heard, Yuffie Kisaragi and her father had become the heroes of their home. Cid Highwind had married Shera, and after fixing the Highwind, became a skipper for hire, as well as head of the aeronautics division of the New Shinra Corp., thanks to Reeve. Vincent, true to character, had disappeared. And what had Red done? He had become the elder of Cosmo Canyon.
If he had been told years ago, he would never have believed it, he, Red XIII, elder of his people...
"Master Nanaki!"
...Also called Nanaki to those who knew him well. This particular visitor was one of the children who lived in the Canyon. Ever since his return to the village, he had become a favorite among the young ones.
He smiled, "What is it child?"
"Master Nanaki, may I watch you work today?" she pleaded.
"Of course Aleana, please sit."
The little girl took her seat as Red began to commune with the planet. Red went forth to his Grandfather's machine, a holographic map of the planet and all its surroundings.
"Grandfather Bugenhagen...what wonders will your device show me today?"
As Red activated the hologram, he was immediately immersed in a multitude of colors, resolving into the shapes of planets.
"Everything seems in order, let us take a closer look."
Upon zooming in on his home planet, Red heard an eerie sound. It was a shrill cry that could still send shivers down his spine...the Cry of the Planet.
Managing to regain his wits, Red studied the matter further. "Computer...why is the Planet crying out again?"
Bugenhagen's device began to search for an answer, when it finally found one, Red could see a message show itself on-screen.
'PLANET ANOMALY, LIFESTREAM IN FLUX...REFERENCES IN THE SCROLLS OF THE ANCIENTS...CROSS REFERENCE...KEY TO THE LIGHT...END'
Red immediately shut down the machine, lowering himself back to his study, concern etched in his face.
Aleana, sensing Red's discomfort, went to him. "What's wrong master?"
"I'm not sure...Aleana, could you bring me the Scrolls of the Ancients?"
"Of course..."
When Aleana had brought him the scrolls, Red promptly began his search. "Something is stirring the planet, causing imbalance."
When he found what he was looking for, his discovery sent chills down his spine. The scroll read:
'I BUGENHAGEN, HAVE FOUND THESE NEW SCROLLS, UNLIKE ANY I HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE, THEY SAY:
IN THE YEAR OF THE GREAT CALAMITY, THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN THEY WILL COME ONCE MORE, WHEN WE AS A RACE HAVE CONQUERED THE DARKNESS, ONLY TO BE CONSUMED BY AN EVEN GREATER DARKNESS. THE ANCIENT WARRIORS WHO HAVE FALLEN SHALL RISE AGAIN. THE WALKER OF THE PLANES SHALL RETURN, COMPLETING THE CYCLE. THE KEY TO THE LIGHT WILL BE FOUND. AND IN ITS WAKE WILL COME THE DESTRUCTION OF WAR ANEW. BLOOD WILL HAVE BLOOD. CHAOS SHALL HAVE ITS DAY.
THIS IS WHERE THE RECORDS BECOME UNDECIPHERABLE. THE ANCIENTS FORESAW A GREAT EVIL. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT WHATEVER FOLLOWS CAN BE STOPPED. IF SOMETHING CANNOT BE DONE, THE PLANET SAVE US ALL...'
Red felt as if his heart had stopped.
"A great war? Warriors will rise again? What in the name of Holy is happening?"
"Master," asked Aleana, "what is going on?"
"Trouble is afoot. It says within a year of the 'Great Calamity,' that must mean Meteor."
"But Meteor came three months ago..."
"Yes child, that means that we have six more months until..." Red trailed off.
"Until what? Master, what will happen?"
"...Child, go and play with the others," said Red, smiling at the girl, "nothing will happen."
'I hope,' he thought to himself, 'just this once grandfather, please be wrong.'
Prologue 2: Darkness Falls by Gemini83 Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7, so please, by all that's holy, don't sue.
Six months later...
Red woke with a start. It took him a while to recognize where he was...he was lying in his study. He had been having the dreams for weeks now. Dark figures would fall upon the planet, bringing death and destruction. Blood flowed on the battlegrounds, as foretold in the scrolls. It was always the same, every night. Except today, today there was something new. A voice called to him, it told him to gather his friends again.
'Assemble at Bone Village,' it had told him, 'assemble, lest you be destroyed. And there you will find, a new beginning...'
Normally, Red would have considered it a trap, or ignored it completely as a hallucination. But something in the voice had comforted him. In that nightmare, it had reached out to him, forcing him to take notice. Red resisted the urge to go back to sleep.
"I'd better call the others." Red went to his computer, and began to make calls around the world. "I hope we're strong enough this time."
Red first called Cloud and Tifa.
Tifa was the first to answer.
"Hello Tifa"
"Red? Hey Cloud! It's Red!"
"Red!" answered Cloud, "Nice to here from you again. What's up?"
"My friends, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."
"What is it Red?" asked Tifa. "What's wrong?"
Red took a deep breath. "It has begun..."
Meanwhile, in space, a figure dressed in black smiled. He had contacted the one known as 'Red.' Nanaki would alert his comrades. The figure turned to his computer, reading about the various properties of the planet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Even though the planet did have a large supply of 'Lifestream,' it was hardly a reason for the Drahk to notice it.
'Why would they want this planet?' he thought to himself
The lonely figure sat in his spacecraft, thinking. Why had he been sent here? Then he found something, something that piqued his interest.
"So," he said to the emptiness, "some of the ancients lived here."
The records seemed familiar, almost as if...he pushed his thoughts aside. He would gather more information before making any guesses as to why the planet was so important. Then he came across more information, about something called 'Meteor,' and reports of 'the last ancient.'
"Hardly."
He looked at more clips, this time actual footage of the so-called 'Meteor.' Nothing special, the planet would destroy it. However, something strange happened. The planet's counterattack, Holy, had no effect. Then, something new came, the Lifestream snaked its way into Holy, eventually helping it destroy the calamity. He read some more, about a man named Sephiroth, and a group called Avalanche.
'This warrants further investigation.' he thought to himself, 'if they come here, it may be to find her, the one they call Aeris.'
The dark figure smiled, donning his black and silver armor. A helmet covered most of his face, but left his mouth and his eyes open. The man tested his armor, and smiled again. It seemed as if this trip might be fun after all. He took a pod down to the surface of the planet. He would first investigate this so-called 'City of the Ancients'
"Time to get to work."
Author's Note: Okay, we are well under way. In case you're wondering what kind of mask this stranger has, think of Maverick (Wolverine's friend before he joined the X-Men), except black instead of yellow. What do you think so far?