Dawn Escapes

Prologue

Darkness.

Something that was extremely rare in the Lifestream. It caught the woman's attention from the corner of her eye, causing her to stand up from her bent position and wipe her hands onto her pink buttoned dress.

"Hmm?" She observed a large gaping hole, the size of an adult man, in front of her. It was dark, and it had depth. The young woman placed her hands to her chest and clasped them together gently, probably out of habit, whilst she walked closer to the mysterious hole. Her brown plait danced behind her back as she moved, her garden boots making no noise.

She was directly in front of it now, staring into the deep darkness. It was something she'd never seen before. I wonder if it leads anywhere? Wait. What's a hole like this doing in the Lifestream?

Succumbing to the urge to investigate the suspicious gaping hole, the young woman slowly outstretched her arm, leaving the hole to engulf her delicate hand. At first, she could feel nothing. It felt empty and she moved her hand around freely, but then her hand seemed to gain weight. It became heavy, really heavy. And stiff. She couldn't move her fingers. Ok...I've investigated enough. I want to get out now.

She attempted to pull her arm out, but it was so heavy and...stuck. No, not stuck. But she was being pulled in, slowly but strongly. The feeling was so strange, like someone had numbed and paralysed her whole arm. The numbness was quickly spreading from her shoulder to her neck and chest now. She couldn't get out. Not without help anyway. Her whole body was losing its control and being persuaded into the gaping hole of darkness. The young woman though of the options she had. Well, I could stay here and wait for my whole body to become paralysed and pulled into the hole. Or I could wait for Zack or someone to come and help me. Or I could just walk straight into the hole and save time.

It didn't take her long to decide on which option she was going to take. She only prayed that whatever was on the other side wasn't violent, dark or dangerous. She didn't like the odds by the appearance of the hole. Without further dwindling on the subject, she pushed her free arm into the hole, then her head, followed by her torso and the rest of her body.

Then came the uncontrollable urge to vomit. Her whole body was unbelievably heavy and cold and her muscles were so tense and stiff, she still couldn't move. She felt like she was being compressed into a tight tube, the air around her was constricting in on her. But she felt something. She was feeling. It had been years since she felt anything, ever since she entered the Lifestream...

It was only a nanosecond later before she was pushed out onto something, something hard. Wherever she had been just a second ago, she wasn't able to register her brain quick enough to see anything so it remained a mystery. In fact, her brain was still a messy muddle. She could feel her skin laying against something cold and rough. It took her a moment to realise that she was lying down on some sort of rock or ledge. Her body didn't even attempt to move.

Emerald green eyes flittered around as the young woman tried to focus on what had just happened and where she was. A bright, blue sky with white, fluffy clouds. Ruins, old ancient ruins. After blinking a couple of times, she hoisted her torso up with her arms. A hint of nausea still lingered but she could move now.

The ruins around her...They were white and...peaceful? It also didn't take her long to realise she was really, really high up when she stood herself up on the ledge. Only, it wasn't a ledge. She was actually standing on one of the broken ruins. She continued to stare at the atmosphere around her, the ruins, the sky...They were so beautiful. She missed the sky.

A gush of screams broke her train of thoughts.

"What?" The brunette had only taken a few steps into the rundown church, quick to spot the gaping hole at the back of the building. After looking around the church, checking if anyone or anything else suspicious was around, she began making her way over to the hole cautiously. Stopping a safe distance away, her burgundy brown eyes speculated the hole carefully. She noted the size, the colour, the depth and the way it seeped out an eerie atmosphere. She didn't like it.

If there was anything she knew about wide gaping dark holes, they never meant good news. She didn't even need a second thought to what she was going to do. Whatever was on the other side, she was going to take it down and get back and make sure the hole was closed. She was pretty sure it would be that easy, well, not really. Well, I can't just walk out and leave this here. Then something bad would definitely happen.

As if preparing for a fight, the brunette reached behind her and pulled a pair black gloves from her shorts. After pulling them over her hands, she closed the distance between herself and the hole and jumped directly into it. Nothing could have prepared her for the sudden feeling that enveloped her body.

Her body was heavier and tense and her vision was blinded. She suddenly felt like the whole weight of the world was pressed down onto her, the air prickling onto her skin. The feeling lasted only a second. Then it was gone.

A new feeling overtook her body now. Nausea. Not to mention the blistering heat she suddenly felt radiating onto her porcelain skin. It took her a couple of seconds to realise she had fallen onto her knees and hands. Her dark chocolate hair streamed down in front of her face and grains of sand stuck to her black clothes. She had fallen into a giant sandpit, she realised. Her burgundy gaze, now speckled with crimson, searched the vast land of sand dunes for something, anything. Nothing.

Maybe...The brunette pushed her body off the sandy ground and brushed her hands onto her black shorts, rubbing even more sand onto them. Lifting her right hand up to her forehead, shading her eyes, she spotted a large sand dune. If I have any chance of finding shelter or something, it's up there.

With her mind set, she began placing one foot in front of the other, in the direction of the colossal sand dune. She was sure that once she got to the top, she would find something. She was hoping, counting on it.

A voice in the back of her mind kept asking where she was, how she got there. She knew better than to think about those questions too much. For now, survival first, everything else later.

AN;;

Hey guys .

Know this prologue is pretty short, but I didn't want to drag it on.

First fic attempt in a while, think I've rusted a bit.

Constructed criticism is more than welcome(:

Also, reviews are much appreciated; I would love to see your opinions and what you think.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the first chapter

P.S. – A home baked cookie for whoever can guess where Aerith or Tifa are on the Final Fantasy X-2 map.