You Can Only Kill Me
Yanako, Eina and the
younger nanaki that came with them ran across the plains, bounding as quickly
as their four legs could take them. Yanako was the son of a council member in
Cosmo City, a slim and powerfully built nanaki, and his friend Eina was the
daughter of a wealthy merchant. Both were young and spirited, and when the
opportunity to seek out the Ancient City of Mako came, they didn't hesitate.
Not that it was something their elders had approved of; they had no choice.
Yanako was searching for holy, and it had led him here.
As they reached the crest
of the hill, they stopped and gazed in wonder at the sight before them. The
Ancient City of Mako was like a strangled machine, unfolding over many miles
and encrusted in vines and jungle foliage. To their left, waves beat against
the shoreline not so far away.
Eina inspected the
archaic metropolis and caught eye of a strange symbol painted onto a large
metallic funnel. Even if groping vines hadn't obscured it, she still had no
idea what the glyph meant.
"This is it. The Ancient
City of Mako…" Yanako announced. "Eina, you have the city key?"
"Handed down from The
Nanaki himself." Eina nodded, shining embellishments in her hair glittering
with the movement. "You know, I think we should leave the young kin here, it
could be dangerous."
"Right." Yanako agreed,
looking to the children with them. "If it wasn't for Omiki's plead, I'd have
left them in Cosmo City."
"You can be a cold man,
sometimes." Eina said indirectly, as if she knew the remark was not to change
him.
They bounded up to the
strange gateway and inspected the entrance carefully.
"We'll get through their
environment easier in Cetra form." Eina stated. The two nanaki stood up on
their hind legs and were bathed in a swirl of light. Their beast features
gradually transformed to that of a human.
"The Ancients were locked
in this weak form permanently, then?" Yanako asked his knowledgeable friend,
taking the Sector Seven Gateway Key from her backpack.
"Oh yes, but the form has
it's benefits. Being nanaki we get the greatest of both, as the children of
them both. Who'd of thought? Though some of our earliest ancestors never knew
their power. Bugenhagen, The Nanaki and the woman only known as the 'flower
girl' never discovered they could change. The Cetra and the Bethoral, mind and
strength, combined to make us. Some born in Cetra form, others in Bethoral
form." She lectured. "Oh, and Grandfather says you shouldn't call them
'Ancients', their proper name is Humans." She added, almost scolding him.
"Yeah, so? They're
extinct now anyway, right?" Yanako slotted the key into the lock and the gates
opened awkwardly. "All that matters is that we find holy and stop Seranna
before he brings Meteor on us all. I just hope Omiki is alright."
"She'll be fine, Yanako."
Eina assured him as they stepped inside, looking to the sides warily. One could
never be too careful where Mako is concerned. Banned by most cities, Mako and
Materia interested Yanako deeply. He longed to find out what it was, where it came
from. Even, 'What was Mako?' was a question he still had no solid answer for.
Another factor that had lead him into this old, forbidden place.
"What now?" Yanako asked
his companion. She turned to look at a glow emanating from the corner, sparkles
of light like dewdrops rose up, fading as they furthered from the source.
"This is a Mako spring."
Eina brushed her hair from in front of her eyes.
Yanako gazed in
amazement. So many questions about the Ancients, and their Mako, questions that
would probably remain a mystery forever.
"Five hundred years ago,
the Humans used this city to draw out Mako from the planet. Those huge metallic
funnels house the machines that did it, eight in all, although two were
destroyed for some reason."
"You know you're history
well." Yanako nodded, smiling at her.
"The Humans have always
fascinated me." Eina nodded. "Though I think what Doctor Oko was doing to them
was cold and vile."
"So is Doctor Oko. All he
cares about is 'experiment this' and 'experiment that'. Everything's a 'specimen'
to him." Yanako grunted.
Eina reached out for the
glowing Mako spring tentatively. In its center, a small purple glowing orb
shone out, almost crying to be plucked away. As she considered the action,
Yanako grabbed the bright sphere from its warm nest.
"This is Materia…" Yanako
exclaimed.
"Yes, but how did it get
here?" Eina frowned.
"Who knows, perhaps it's
something to do with Mako forming it directly?" Yanako suggested.
"Sounds like an odd idea.
Gee, Yanako, I really don't know." Eina considered.
Yanako turned to see the
outline of a woman hopping across the rooftops of the Ancient City.
"Omiki!" Yanako reasoned
she must be the only nanaki anywhere near this place other than them.
"Quick! Follow her." Eina
began to run as Yanako set off just behind her.
They returned to their
Bethoral-form and ran forward much faster than any man could run in the hope of
catching up with their friend. As they bounded around the corner, they were
greeted with the awesome sight of a tall tower with a large glyph on one side.
Its sixty-or-so floors of gleaming metal and shining windows were weathered and
torn, vines writhed in between the broken panes and grills. At the top of the
building stood Seranna, in his human form. His long white hair seemed to glow
and the huge long Mesamune in his hand gleamed as he lunged forward. At the
foot of the building, sat Omiki, trying to call holy. She looked up in shock to
see the figure of Sevanna coming down on her in a death-defying free fall, his
Mesamune blade poised to cut into her chest.
Yanako barely had time to
yell out her name, before the sword struck her in the heart. Her life faded as
she dropped to the floor. Seranna let out a cold laugh, and turned to Yanako,
his eyes glowing. He trembled with the power that flowed within his veins.
"Now the planet is doomed
as it was before. Sephiroth will live on. You cannot stop me. You can only kill
me."
