The Forgotten City of the Ancients was a place of bitter memories for most. For the heroes of Meteorfall, it was where Sephiroth took one of their friends. For others, such as survivors of Geostigma, it was a place that served only to remind them of how easily swayed a hopeful heart can be by nothing but words.
The ominous air was always present, as though something wrong were going to happen at any given moment. The scant few monsters that remained living around the city even avoided it, though this was mostly due to their primitive thoughts of not finding dinner in such a place. Still, there were a few monsters who had enough intellect to know something was amiss in the ruins.
At night, only the monsters heard the haunting song echoing from the ruins. Even the dumbest of them knew something was wrong, and all of them went running from it.
Tonight was one such night. The voice, a sorrowful female's, was singing a song that rang through the night air, bounced off the walls of the ruined city and traveled a fair distance through the Sleeping Forest. The monsters were running away from it as fast as possible, none too keen to meet the soul dwelling within.
However, one being stepped toward the city, paying the song no real attention.
To him, it was a signal.
He reached up and scratched the side of his head gently, his midnight-black hair swaying slowly in the small breeze. He looked around his surroundings with an air of familiarity, dropping his hand after a moment. He stared straight ahead at the central building, hints of a wicked smile donning his face.
"She's here," he murmured quietly, stepping forward.
He tugged gently at the collar of his black coat as he walked, his midnight black eyes darting from spot to spot. He finally stopped tugging at the collar, eyes focused upon the small body of water outside the building. He searched their depths for a moment, then shrugged, eyes darting to the being floating above the waters.
Her own eyes were closed, her mouth open as the song spilled from her mouth. She levitated above the water, legs crossed in a seated position, hands clasped in her lap. She stopped singing for a moment, took a deep breath, and resumed singing.
He took in her form for a while. Her oddly emerald hair also swayed in the breeze, and he could imagine just as vivid emerald eyes seeing things unseen.
"Fana'tothalo," he said suddenly, stepping toward her. As he walked, he, too, levitated above the waters.
She stopped singing and opened her eyes, emerald orbs focused upon his midnight black ones. "Fana'tothalo," she repeated, assuming a standing position slowly.
"How goes the craft?" he asked simply, stopping inches from her, embracing her with no delay.
She returned the embrace, sighing. "No luck. Perhaps this isn't to be after all..." she murmured quietly.
He pulled back for a moment, gazing into her eyes. "Surely you can't be serious," he snapped suddenly. "All this time and effort put into it, a waste? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
She avoided his gaze for a moment, pulling away from him entirely after a moment. She strode across the water's surface, her footsteps leaving the waters undisturbed. "...That's not what I'm saying," she said slowly, carefully. "I'm just thinking perhaps... I'm the wrong one to--"
He stamped a foot angrily upon the water's surface, the action causing no disturbance itself. "You're the most in-tune with the place!" he said furiously. "Only you can succeed in this endeavor!" He took a few angry steps toward her, fists clenched.
She turned to face him, her eyes glowing fiercely. "And if you attack me out of anger, we both know how that will end," she warned, crossing her arms.
Her words seemed to calm him, and he slackened his fists. "...Is there something impeding your progress?" he asked after a moment.
She returned to her previously calm state. "I believe so. I can't pinpoint its location, though, or it would've already been dealt with accordingly..."
He spread his arms slowly, closing his eyes. "Then perhaps I can succeed in that," he mused.
His form started to contort, becoming less and less human with each passing second. As his form shifted, it began emanating a black aura, one that intensified as his form settled into something closely resembling an enormous owl, whose 'feathers' were as midnight black as his hair and eyes had been.
She watched, shrugging slowly. "Do what you must, brother," she said simply, walking across the waters slowly toward the edge of the small lake. "I'll not stop you."
His avian eyes closed, the aura flying away from him quickly. He tracked the aura, searching for sudden disruption. The aura passed through trees, stone, and even the building's walls harmlessly, as though they weren't there.
His eyes opened suddenly as the aura impacted something. He focused the entire aura around the unfamiliar thing, and stared straight down, emitting a soft hooting noise.
She turned to look at him, noting the direction of his eyes. "Very well," she said softly, crossing her arms. As she did, her own form contorted, becoming that of an elegant serpent, each and every scale a striking emerald color. An emerald colored aura erupted from her, though she suppressed this quickly. As soon as the shapeshifting was finished, she dove under the water suddenly, the water's surface responding to the sudden impact.
She kept going until she spotted the spot where her brother's aura was focused. She narrowed her eyes at it before lashing her body around it, snatching it in her coils. She gave it a firm squeeze before rising above the water once more.
He withdrew the aura from the obstruction to reveal a woman with brown hair, struggling to break free from his sister's grasp. He clicked his beak disappointedly, shifting back to humanoid form after a few seconds. "So, it's you who obstructs our craft," he said simply.
The woman glared at him, ceasing her struggle for the time being. "What you do here is unnatural, and threatens the very stability of the region," she snapped angrily, wincing as the emerald serpent gripped her tighter.
He chuckled. "Sister, let her go. No sense hurting her," he mused, striding toward the woman. He eventually reached a hand out, eyes focused upon hers.
She stared back, transfixed by his gaze, unable to move, though the coils had already withdrawn from her.
His hand passed through her cheek, and he chuckled once more, this time darkly. "As I suspected. One with the Lifestream, therefore impossible to touch. Except for our true forms," he added, glancing at his sister, who had shifted back to her own human form.
The woman smacked his hand away, backing away from him. "...What are you two?" she finally asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
He looked at his sister, smirking. "We need not answer that. The puppet has no need for such knowledge."
The woman glared at him. "Puppet?! I am no such--"
Her words cut off sharply, however, as his eyes glowed briefly. "You may not be a puppet yet," he said smoothly, "but you'll get there in no time. Put simply, you are no longer free to do what you will." He nodded to his sister. "Continue."
She nodded, her song filling the air slowly.
The woman's mind spun as she watched. She tried crying out, tried doing anything that would stop the sister from singing.
He laughed as he sensed her thoughts of rebellion. "Stubborn, aren't you?" he mused. "At least you realize the reality of the situation now. You can't resist my will."
The sister's eyes glowed emerald before she closed them. The air around her rippled slowly, the airy ripples slowly becoming waves. Those waves continued to grow in size until she opened her eyes once more.
The woman watched in horror, dreading what was about to happen.
The waves of air suddenly began a reversal process, pouring into the sister's clasped hands. She watched as the water below them began filling the small space in her hands, followed by the earth below them. The trees around them were also pulled in, as well as the buildings themselves.
Within a matter of moments, the three of them were surrounded by nothing but empty space, the ruined city having vanished from around them. The mountain range that surrounded the city was still present, but everything else was now encased in a small sphere clutched in the sister's two hands.
The woman gaped, her hair fluttering in the breeze. "N...no..." she managed.
He nodded his approval. "Good. We're getting there." He jerked his head toward the woman. "Now... you will restore it. You have the ability to resist my sister," he added, cutting off the woman's protests, "so I know it's in your power to restore it exactly as it should be." He grinned wickedly. "Of course, we all know what will happen if you get even one minor detail wrong."
The woman gulped, not noticing that the sister had thrust the small orb into her hands. "...That power..." she murmured quietly, shaking her head. Her brown hair shook with the movement. "Then... you two could only be..."
He laughed. "Forgive me for skipping introductions. I am Saahan. That is Riuni. As for what we are... for you, it's unimportant." He stared the woman in the eyes. "Now, your turn. You would be...?"
She didn't want to introduce herself, but heard the words escape her lips at his simple urging. She managed to close her eyes as she said...
"...Aeris Gainsborough..."
The first chapter of a story that should probably wait until AFTER I update the other story in progress, but something I think has potential.
As with Of Crystals Born, first you get to see the new baddies. WHAT they're planning, however, is uncertain at this point, though I fully understand it.
Drop a review if you feel so inclined and let me know what you think.
Next chapter, Yuffie's twenty-third birthday WAS going well until she let something slip that caused some chaos of its own. While the rest of her friends go crazy, one friend persuades her to tell the ENTIRE truth of the matter. What did Yuffie do, and why does Vincent always seem to know something about EVERYTHING?
Until next time. -Spiritslayer