I
In one of the Earth's deepest caves, which have never been found by a living being from the Surface, sat a young girl watching the scene before her with close attention. Shadows of human figures moved in a pond filled with beautiful green-shaded hazy smoke, the colors that were exact match to the girl's eyes.
According to the scene in the pond a war was raging on the Surface. The girl's eyes were filled with sadness as she saw innocent men and women fall as casualties of mindless crimes. Nothing has changed.
"They need your help, Nian." A powerful, deep female voice resounded through the cave, reverberating off its walls. The shadows in the pond slowly faded away and the pond stirred, moving as if it was alive. A liquid wave shot upwards remaining in that gravity defining position in a form of a woman. She looked at the girl.
"I tried once before, remember?" The girl's voice came in gentle tones as she searched the woman's face. "This world's heart won't heal."
"It is your choice, my child. It always has been." The shining liquid figure said and then burst into thousands of water drops falling back into the pond. Its surface kept quivering as if some inner turmoil could not give it peace and occasionally images of battle flashed across it darkly.
The girl sat deep in thought. It wasn't an easy decision to make; to rest in the soothing tranquility of the caves, or leave them and fight yet another war, bleed for yet another world? She was tired of battles and sadness and death. But she could not turn her back to those who needed help. The decision was made.
Cloud stood leaning against his beloved motorcycle, staring out into the distance from the Edge. The annoying throbbing in his arm constantly reminded him of the disease there was no known cure for. He has told nobody about it. He didn't want them to catch the unmistakable tone of his voice that would give out how little he really cared if he died.
Occasional, unexpected surges of pain that shot through his arm brought up unwanted flashbacks from his past, making his spirits fall even more. His past - another thing people knew little about, and he intended to keep it that way. For a long time it had been lost even for him, and now he wished it was still so.
His strange, bright blue eyes - mako eyes - held no emotion as he stared ahead, his expression solemn, but his heart was sad. It could hear the cries of people throughout the world, people who were dying just like him.
Ever since his dead body was brought back to life and submitted to a number of experiments, Cloud had powers that even scientists who created them knew nothing about. He hated himself for what he became, even though it had once helped him save the world.
Something shook him out of these dark thoughts. It started as a slight shiver of the ground below his feet, but soon it seemed as if it was coming from inside his own body. The shivers started around his heart and then, following the nerves, coursed through his entire body. It was a surge of energy unlike any other he felt before. At first gentle quivers now started to hurt him. He felt as if his nerves were being lit on fire and then ripped, out one by one.
The pain was too much. He fell to his knees, scarcely aware of the world around him. A moment before he lost consciousness, all he could see was shades of green light.