-Disclaimer- Watch out; my disclaimers normally include fails at comedy. But, I don't own Final Fantasy 7, or anything i may allude to; unless, of course, it's one of my stories I'm alluding to. I do not own any songs I may use for chapter titles (including Corruption Garden, which I'll mention multiple Times).

A/N: Hello all! This is my take on Jenova's past. This is also a backstory for my other current Fanfic, 'Darkness Returns', but seeing as how this is way before it, you don't really need to read that one to know what happens. There'll only be a few comments that you might not understand, and you probably won't be used to Jenova's humanoid look, or my take on her character. Okay! So, nearly every character is an OC, since they'd probably all be dead, even in Square's version of her – her, its, whatever – past.

…

A/N: Hehe. Alright, so, this is not AU! Please do not assume that it is. It's the past, and will end up where the known FF7 storyline starts. Because this begins millions of years before FF7, only three characters from the games are in this; all others are OC's, and many places are not from FF7 as well. Different planets and such. Okay, so, finishing this up… Looking at this with a game-like perspective: The 'T' rating is for violence, mainly, being that it's Jenova. There are also a few mild swears every now and then. And, if you've read DR, then you know about my take on Jenova's attitude, so there are also a few suggestive comments and scenes scattered about, but nothing much. There are also a few vague references to a character being drugged. ALSO, a forewarning: I may have to change this to 'M' by around chapter eight or nine, and if you've read DR, you know why. If you haven't, then I'll be blunt: there are going to be multiple torture scenes in this, and multiple mental breakdowns. Because honestly, you think I can get her from being good (yes, she starts off good in this) to being the FF7 Jenova without any of that? I'll try to keep them brief while also getting my point across, but hey, the Square Jenova's past is probably much worse. Also, for those that haven't read DR, you should know that I take a look at Jenova with a Tragic Character angle, so that's how this will be, and it won't be just 'Who Goes There?' stuff. I have my whole own storyline going on here. Now! To the story!

Guardian of Corruption

Is it really possible to know our destiny when our journey has just begun? Is it even plausible? That's my question. And is it possible to start out on top of everything, and then suddenly be ripped from all that you know? If that happens, you would have two options: to let it make you weak, to let it all wash over you, and just hope that it ends soon; and to fight it until you're on top again, no matter what you go through and no matter how much you lose. This… is not a story of weakness. But is it truly one of strength…? Well, that's up to you to decide…

Garden of Glass

Darkness. Pure darkness. I couldn't see anything… Where was I…? Who was I? What was going on?!

It didn't take me long to realize that the darkness around me was caused by my eyes being closed. I slowly opened my eyes, looking around.

Where am I…?! I thought.

The setting around me was beautiful, serenity permeating the pristine area. It was quite dark out, and an uncountable number of stars glittered brilliantly in the sky. There were trees of glass – or maybe crystal, because come on, glass trees wouldn't make sense, while crystal ones would be perfectly normal – everywhere, shining in the moonlight. There were also many other types of plants, all of which seemed to be made of glass as well. And yet they were obviously living plants. I may not have known much at the time, but I still knew that that wasn't necessarily right…

I was in a clearing of sorts, lying down on an octagonal white and grey marble platform. There were eight mirror-walls all around the edges of the platform. I would have been trapped, but one of them was broken down. That was the only reason I could see outside, since there was also a reflective roof as well. Also, I was already right next to the opening, so I didn't bother looking in any of the mirrors.

I cautiously stood up. I stumbled at first, but eventually got the hang of walking around. I walked outside, looking at my reflection on the outside of the walls.

My hair was silvery-white and went slightly past the middle of my back. I was tall and thin – but I could still feel how strong I was – and my skin was as smooth and pale as a fair porcelain doll. My eyes were a sort of dark magenta, and they were glowing slightly. Even I knew that that probably wasn't completely normal, but I ignored it. As to my age… I looked as though I was maybe somewhere around perhaps twenty, although I highly doubted that that was true.

I was dressed in a tight-yet-comfortable black leather jumpsuit, and was wearing a white cloth cloak that had been wrapped around me like a blanket. The hood of the cloak had been up at first, but I had taken it off so that I could see my appearance.

I started pacing around, trying to figure out what was going on. The glass grass moved as fluidly as if it was normal grass, so I didn't have to worry about breaking it.

So, what did I know so far…? I knew that I was alive, first off. I knew how to speak, if only in my mind at that moment. I was in some place made out of glass, which was probably kept alive by some sort of magic. And… well, that was it, really.

Now, there was the list of things I didn't know, which was much longer… For starters, I didn't know who I was. I didn't know what I was. I didn't know where I was. Those were pretty big things to not know…

While thinking about my predicament, I heard something – or someone? – nearby, the gentle . I looked around, but didn't see anything. At first, of course.

Then, I heard something directly behind me. I turned around to find someone simply staring at me as though I had just fallen from the sky – which, honestly, wouldn't be too hard to accept. Lurkers, bet you can't guess who this is, huh? Yeah, I met him pretty early on…

It was incredibly hard to judge his age, but he looked to be in his early twenties. He had layered, slightly disheveled light brown hair. He was taller than I was, but not by too much. His skin was slightly tanner than mine, and it was obvious that he was probably exercising all the time. His eyes were startlingly green, and I could tell just by looking at them how intelligent he was. He was wearing a brown and green leather outfit, and unlike most of the outfits you see modernly, his actually seemed to be made of real leather and probably wasn't just for show. Also, he had a wooden staff strapped to his back. Why didn't I get a weapon…? Although, honestly, I probably shouldn't have cared. But you all know how I am… Also, you guys should probably know, his staff was, at the top, curled around a larger greenish marble thing… Bet you know what that is, eh? No, before you ask, he isn't related to Aerith/Aeris. You'll find out how her family got it in the end of this.

I think we probably stared at each other for a while, but I honestly don't know how long. I was simply waiting for him to make the first move, and I think he was doing the same. I was honestly a bit worried. Would he think that I was his enemy…? Was I his enemy? After all, I didn't know what was going on…

Finally, he pulled out his staff with such swiftness that I barely even noticed the movement. "Who…?"

I shrugged, finding that I knew how to speak in the same language. "Not really sure myself. I just seemed to have woken up here about a minute ago…"

He looked at me cautiously, the distrust obvious in his eyes. "Er… What are you?"

"Well, that's quite rude. But, honestly, I don't know. As I said before: I just woke up here. I don't know what happened before, if anything did happen."

"How do I know if you are telling the truth?"

"You're quite tense…"

He smirked. "I am the defender of this world, until it has a Guardian. Or, an Ayanumi, if they exist. I need to be tense, especially when I meet someone who obviously is not a Cetra or a Human. The Planet has been very cautious lately, and I assume that that means that it is in danger. And I am inclined to believe that you are the reason why. You are the only person I have met that is not normal."

"Well, I don't know what kind of a threat I can be without my memories and without any way of fighting, but alright."

"…You really do not remember anything?"

"Nothing."

"…Stay here." He turned and left without another word.

"But I- oh, you're gone. Okay then." I sighed and sat down on the marble platform without anything else to do. So I already had an enemy. Great…

"Hello?"

I jumped, turning to face the woman who had spoken. She didn't seem much older than me. She had blonde hair and bright green eyes, somehow different than the man from earlier. They just seemed more… vibrant? As though they reflected some kind of powerful energy. She was wearing some kind of robe that was white, gold, and blue.

She smiled at me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you."

"Oh, no, it's fine… Um… Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I haven't even introduced myself. My name is Minerva. It's nice to meet you, Ayanumi." If you haven't read our other story, then Minerva talking is probably new to you. But yes, she can talk, but only if it's the will of the Lifestream to say something. It's similar to how the Cetra are able to understand the Planet, only more direct. She didn't talk to Genny that one time in your game because the Lifestream didn't feel the need to say anything to him. However, I'm the special one, hehe.

"Nice to meet you, too. That guy from before said something about an Ayanumi… Now, I'd tell you my name, but, unfortunately-"

"You don't know it. Correct?"

"Yeah, basically."

She looked contemplative for a moment, not really saying anything and just seeming to think.

"Uh?!"

Minerva and I looked over at where the man from before was standing, looking stunned. He shook his head. "M-Minerva?! What are you…? How are you…? What?!"

Minerva smiled over at him. "Oh, hello, Cantus. You've met Jenova, correct?"

I nodded. "Hmmm… I like it." Honestly, I felt like that was my name. And yes, readers; that was my original name. Hojo and Gast found out about it because I told them. Long story.

The guy, Cantus, nodded. "Yeah, I have. Is she the threat you thought you felt…?"

I held up my hand. "Uhhh… I thought you said that the planet told you there was a threat?"

He nodded. "Yes? And?" He paused, looking at Minerva. "You didn't tell her…?" Oh, so he spoke normally with her, but not with me…?

"No, I didn't tell her. And… her? A threat to the Planet?" She laughed. "Oh, well, that would be ironic, seeing as how she's the Ayanumi."

Cantus stared at us both. "She's… She's what? You mean, she's the-"

Minerva nodded, cutting him off. "She's the Ayanumi. That's why she doesn't remember her past; she doesn't have a past. She's been unconscious."

Cantus looked slightly confused, and gave Minerva a questioning look. She glanced cautiously at him, and he sighed. "The… So, the threat to the Planet is really that bad…?"

"Yes."

I folded my arms across my chest. "Would someone mind telling me what's going on?"

Minerva shook her head. "I'll leave that up to you, Cantus. I need to be going…"

Cantus thought for a moment. "But… can't you at least tell me what's going on?"

"I would, if I knew. All I know is that there is a source of great darkness on the Planet… one that, I fear, will not be easily defeated. If it can be defeated at all. I won't be able to fight it by myself, so you will need to help when the time comes."

He nodded. "I… alright. I promise you that we will do our best."

She nodded, and then just… disappeared. There was a green light, and she was simply gone.

I grinned. "Cool…"

Cantus smirked. "Alright, so… What now?"

"Why are you asking me? I still don't know what an 'Ayanumi' even is."

"Oh, of course…" He bent down and picked up a shard of the glass, looking at it. Then, without warning, he threw it at me. Had it hit me, it certainly would have killed me, as his accuracy was immaculate and the shard would have easily pierced my heart. But, luckily, I held up both of my hands on instinct, and the shard stopped about just a few inches in front of me. But… I didn't catch it myself. It was simply… floating there. I stared at it, and then put my hands down. Instantly, the shard fell to the ground. Cantus smiled slightly. "Sorry, just checking."

"You could have killed me!"

"Yes, but I didn't."

"I- Ugh, you're impossible. Anyways, what were you 'just checking', huh?"

"I trust Minerva, but I needed to make certain that you really were the Ayanumi. That glass is… special, so to say. The entire forest is. Only your magic would have worked on it. Although, honestly, I could have just checked your reflection, but I must admit that I tend to go to extremes."

"Yes. Yes, you do. Wait… my reflection?"

He nodded at the glass/mirror walls, which I looked over at. But… I could see myself in it, yet Cantus' reflection was very faint. How…?

Cantus nodded. "Only the reflection of the Ayanumi and the Guardian will show up. Since I'm the Guardian's protector, mine will show up as well, but only very slightly."

"Huh. Cool. Now… What is an Ayanumi? And a Guardian?"

"Well, a Guardian, first off, is, to put it simply, a guardian of a planet. Ayanumi are…" He paused, and then continued, seeming to try to figure out how to describe it. "Well, they're very similar to Guardians, but yet, in a way, different… I don't really know how to explain it. They keep each other in check, I suppose." There was something he wasn't telling me but, for some reason, I didn't push him, and just let him continue. "Every planet that has life has a Guardian o- and an Ayanumi; so it seems, at least, although I must admit that I almost thought the Ayanumi weren't real. Anyways, unfortunately, something's been… wrong, lately. Minerva told me that, although she doesn't know for certain, someone is killing off many of the Guardians and the Ayanumi. There are still many left, but… Well, having Guardians and Ayanumi die isn't a good thing. They're immortal and incredibly powerful."

I nodded. "Immortal and incredibly powerful, huh? I like it. Go on."

He smirked. "Right. Of course, Guardians are far more powerful than Ayanumi, but you're both definitely more powerful than any mortal. And, well… being either may not be a good thing right now. I fear that whatever – or whoever – is killing them is here now, looking for you. Well, you and the Guardian, of course, but it seems that it's only you for now. That's most likely why Minerva brought you out of your comatose state. She doesn't want this thing to kill you, and she doesn't want it to kill the Planet."

"I thought she was the Planet?"

"It's… complicated. This Planet is… unique, I suppose I should say. It has an energy that keeps it alive. This 'energy' is also where a being goes after they die. We call this energy the 'Lifestream', and Minerva is its representation."

"Oh, okay…"

"Anyways… This planet is home to many beings, but the most powerful race is the Cetra. We're able to talk to the Planet – or the Lifestream – as you've seen. Our society – if you can call it that, since we don't really stay anywhere for a while – is held in check by a council. I am one of the council's members, and I have a stronger bond with the Planet than most, being who I am. Then there are the humans, who are Cetra that have forsaken their bonds with the Planet in favor of a life of leisure. There are very few of them at the moment, and I hope that it stays that way…" Unlike your world, humans were around for a few million years here; just clearing that up.

"Got it. So where do I come in to all of this?" I asked, just wanting to get to the point.

"Well… You're the Ayanumi, one of this Planet's immortal protectors. If you want to live, we'll need to figure out a way to find out what is killing the Guardians, without letting it know about you."

"And how are we supposed to do that, exactly?"

"Hmm… The Ayanumi have varying powers, but they all have the same core abilities, if I'm remembering correctly. One of these abilities allows you to alter your own form. I only know the basics of how it works, but I'm hoping that you can figure it out."

I nodded. "I think I can. It's kind of like… well, I don't exactly know how, but I can kind of just… feel it? As though I should know… I don't believe that I can change my entire form, but I should at least be able to alter my look."

I focused, just kind of thinking about what I wanted to happen. I had to try more than once, and I was getting a bit frustrated. I focused again for a moment, thinking about anything that I knew about my genetic structure. There must have been some way to alter it, or to at least mask it… Then, before I knew it, it actually worked. I must admit that I was quite surprised.

My hair color changed to brown, and my eye color changed to a dark brown. Other than that, I stayed the same, but this was good enough. After all, I was just learning the basics for now. I wasn't quite sure why I chose that form; it just seemed like something I should know. Lurkers, you probably know who that form is modelled after.

He nodded. "Alright, good. But… I think your outfit would probably stand out a bit…"

"Well I don't know what you people wear! Sheesh!" I tried focusing again, but not really on anything. Then…

My word, you're annoying…

I smirked at him. "Aw, thanks, I try."

He jumped, looking at me. "I… didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did. You said I was annoying."

"I didn't say it… I thought it? You're telepathic?"

"I am? I guess I am. Shouldn't you know that?"

"Hmm… not all Guardians have that ability, so I wasn't sure if you would."

"Well, I'm not a Guardian," I said.

He paused. "Oh, right, but you would normally have the same powers as one."

"Guess I'm just special, then," I said, shrugging and grinning at him. He smirked.

"Perhaps you are. If nothing else, you're certainly getting on my nerves, which isn't something easily done."

I nodded. "Well, that's good to know. Now, what do I need to wear to not look like an alien?"

He shrugged. "Most Cetra wear robes of some sort. I'm an exception, since I've been here a while and I'm going to be here a while." He grimaced. "And, if you're immortal, that means I'm going to be dealing with you forever. Great. Just great…"

I grinned at him. "Yes. Yes, you are. Wait… you're immortal as well?"

He nodded. "Unfortunately or not, yes. I was taking your place until now, and now my new purpose is to, unfortunately, protect you until the Guardian shows up. Which means that I have to be immortal as well. I can die, as can you, but not from age or sickness. Unlike the other Cetra, I'll never be able to go to the Promised Land, but… Well, I'm fine here, I suppose. At least, I was, until you showed up."

I nodded. "Oh, good! Don't worry; I'll drive you insane in no time."

"Yes, I can tell. I think you've almost succeeded already."

I just grinned at him again. "Good." I sighed, focusing on myself again. Instead of my appearance changing, my entire outfit morphed into a grey robe. Probably a mixture of the colors of what I knew would be my main outfit. The robe wasn't exactly like what most people would expect; it wasn't like some baggy wizard robe or anything. It was actually more like a dress, since it was actually slightly tight, but not uncomfortably. Cantus sighed, shaking his head.

"Good enough. Let's go, Ayanumi…" He started off, and I had no choice but to follow him. We were walking for a while, but after we left the forest, the terrain basically stayed the same. It was a slightly mountainous region, with rocky hills here and there. The rest of it was mostly a huge, grassy field. I could see forests every now and then, but they were all more normal than the one we had come from. Finally, we walked into another large forest and came into a pass. Then, we arrived at some weird kind of city. The buildings all seemed to be made out of shells or something. It wasn't the biggest city, but there were multiple buildings that seemed only half-built, so it was easy to assume that they were still working on it. Then, as Cantus led me though the town, we came to some sort of huge shell building thing, resting in the center of a lake. We hadn't seen any people on the way in, but I assumed that that was because it was night. Most people were probably asleep.

Cantus looked back at me. "Although Cetra are normally on the move, we do have a city. We call it 'Korsanth'. This is where most of the people spend their time at night; however, there's another large structure underground, that's mainly for the Council."

"Oh, okay…"

"Normally, I wouldn't come here; but this is an exception."

"You're going to tell your council friends about me?"

"No. But I think that they should know what Minerva said, about the threat to the Planet being so bad that she won't be able to handle it entirely by herself."

"Oh, right…"

"And, also, you should know that very, very few people even know about the existence of the Ayanumi; it's the Guardians that are important. And it's best if it stays that way, as you aren't in as much danger. So, for now, it would probably be best if I called you by your race name, so that people think it's merely a name. There's a chance, after all, that this thing knows your real name by now…"

"Oh, um… okay?"

Cantus nodded, leading me into the building. There was a staircase curling around it, but he led me down instead of up. A passage opened, allowing us to walk down a large staircase that seemed to be made of magic. It led us down to some sort of castle-like building that seemed slightly cramped in the layout, yet was larger up close than it should have been. There were multiple different turret-like buildings on and around the castle, each with a closed door. Yes, they had doors once. There were ramps going between each of the turrets, and each probably held something different than the others. It was somewhat quiet in the whole area, besides the gentle humming of the pathway and the slight movements of the lake. There were footsteps as well, and slight talking every now and then.

Although there were still many people probably either asleep or gone, there were still some people walking around. They were all wearing different kinds of robes, but most of them were more simple like mine, luckily. None of the Cetra once looked at me as though I shouldn't be there. There were a few, though, that seemed to take notice of me. Cantus made a mental note of that, as did I. Perhaps one of those people was the person that was trying to kill me…

Cantus did some sort of magic while he was walking, but I wasn't entirely certain what it was. I was fairly certain, though, that he was talking to someone mentally, but I couldn't break into the conversation. I needed to get better at this…

Finally, we got to the bottom of the city, where the lake was present. There was a platform in the center of the lake, where there were a few men in purple robes waiting for us. Cantus led me across a transparent path – made of magic, I could tell – that rested on a few circular pillars in the water. I remembered wondering if, should the spell that held up the pathway fail, someone would be able to jump across the pillars to get to the platform in the middle. Ironic, huh? I actually made a comment about it, and Cantus told me that it was possible for the path to fail, as the platform was special – he wouldn't tell me why – and so the spell to get to it could, unlike the spell for the staircase, be shattered without much effort. That's why, in modern times, the staircase down to the city is still present, yet this path is gone.

One of the men nodded at me as we approached. "Who's she?"

Cantus looked back at me. "Councilmembers, this is Ayanumi. Ayanumi, this is the council. Anyways, now that that's out of the way… Don't worry, Lucade. I can tell what you're thinking, and yes. She can be trusted."

The man who had asked who I was, apparently Lucade, paused, but then nodded, taking a step back. I was able to gather all of the names of the council just by trying out my telepathy thing. I heard nine names, but… there were only eight council members? And that included Cantus. So… who was the ninth…?

Ayanumi, can you hear me?

I nodded slightly, although only Cantus took notice of it. I was slightly annoyed that he still didn't call me by my actual name even in private conversation, but I didn't complain.

Good. Just… don't say anything. Got it?

Got it. I didn't think he would be able to hear me, but he seemed to be able to, just by the way he paused slightly. So, my telepathy must have worked both ways. This would come in handy… By the way… Who's Garland? I hoped that he would hear me again, because in all honesty, I had no idea how to use my telepathy. It's kind of like jumping into a game halfway through and not knowing how to actually play, so you basically just hit a bunch of random things and hope for the best. So far, it was working.

Some Cetra guy I've never met before a few weeks ago. I haven't seen him since then, though.

That, of course, made me worried. Now, I'm assuming most of you reading this know who Garland is, correct? So you know where this is going. You see, 'Garland' is actually the alias you-know-who uses a lot, now that all of the events with the original Garland are over. I'd completely explain everything, time loop included, but it'd probably make your head spin. Even I only understand so much myself. So I'm gonna avoid explanations for now.

Oh, uh, okay…

Another one of the men stepped forward. "So, we know her name, but who is she? And can she listen to what you have to say?"

"…Perhaps you're right. Ayanumi, go wait over there, alright? Wherever you can't hear us. After all, it's not like you can tap into our minds to see what's going on, right?"

I smirked. Subtle. Very subtle. But I nodded. "Oh, of course." I walked off. Once they couldn't see me, I tried to figure out how to work out my abilities. As much as I already hated Cantus, I didn't want to kill him. Much. So I wasn't really all too certain how to listen in to the conversation without killing him… or, of course, if I even could.

I was behind one of the small turrets/buildings where nobody could see me, so I sat down, focusing. I turned my thoughts to how I had spoken to Cantus mentally, how I had heard his thoughts, and how I had tapped into the minds of the other members of the council. I thought that it was working for a moment, but I must have tried too hard, as instead of seeing into anyone else's mind, I accidentally affected my own, throwing myself backwards and into the wall. I tried it again, and the same thing happened; although, this time, with a bit more fire in the air around me. I growled underneath my breath, muttering a curse in the first language I had used – which wasn't the Cetra's language, by the way. I tried it a few more times with similar results before realizing that I wasn't even really trying anymore; I was just trying to force it to work. Reluctantly, I calmed myself down, just thinking for a moment.

If there was one thing I knew for some reason, it was science. The basics of the universe. And I knew the universe was a being itself; two, Light and Darkness, actually. So, if the universe was 'technically' an 'organism', then it must have followed the same laws all life did; at least, something similar. That must have meant that everything within the universe was connected in the way that individual cells were. So, if that was true, then I must have been able to 'communicate' with the other 'cells' without them knowing it. Yeah, that made sense… Okay, it didn't really, but I knew that I was probably headed in the right direction.

I sat down again, focusing all of my energy in order to keep myself calm. Then, I realized that time seemed to have slowed down. I could hear everything; even the tiniest movement of the water nearby. Everything seemed to be in my reach; and that included everyone. I reached out to the other minds around me, just barely seeing where each was. It was kind of odd, really… I felt like I could do more with this. When I was in this state, I felt like each and every mind around me was accessible to me. I felt like I could change the course of every thought, control every movement…

I quickly pulled myself out of my daze. Everything sped up again, and I looked around. My head hurt quite a lot, but I immediately craved that feeling I had just had again. I wanted desperately to go back into that state of consciousness. So I did, but immediately reminded myself of what I was doing. I figured out who was where, eventually focusing on Cantus. I wasn't even sure what I did, but it worked. Suddenly, I was in his point of view. I needed to learn how to keep my own point of view at the same time…

"-, from… something. I don't really know what it was," Cantus was saying. "But it nearly killed her, so I helped. That's it. Don't worry; I doubt she's very important to whatever's going on. I doubt that she's important at all."

I was quite mad, so my first instinct was to hit him. He winced slightly, and I could tell that I had somehow hit him mentally. But he didn't say anything about it, so I couldn't be certain.

Lucade nodded. "You're positive? You're sure that she's not what's threatening the Planet?"

"Positive."

"…By the way, why hasn't the Planet activated its Guardian yet?"

One of the other council members nodded almost immediately. "Yes… why is that? I assume it would have, by now. Right?"

Cantus paused, noting how this person had seemed a bit too… overzealous. Why did he care so much about the Guardian? "I don't know. Lucade, Dalan… why do you care?"

The one who had just spoken, Dalan, shook his head, almost too quickly. "Because we care about the Planet! How do we know that the Guardian hasn't been killed?! I mean… I don't know what I mean."

How… suspicious.

Yes, very…

Cantus shrugged. "Trust me; the Guardian hasn't been killed. I'd know. And we need to keep it that way…"

Lucade paused, glancing cautiously at Dalan, almost timidly. But he shook his head at Cantus. "And that girl… Ayanumi. Do you know for certain that she isn't the Guardian?" He said my 'name' oddly, which I noted.

Dalan glared at Lucade, who took a step away from him.

…Again I say: how suspicious.

Yes, it is. But I trust them; there must be something else going on here…

Cantus nodded. "Yes, I'm certain."

"Well, the Planet better awaken its Guardian soon, or we're all dead."

"Yes, I know. But we don't even know for certain that we're in danger."

"…Of course…"

Cantus sighed. "Anyways… The reason I called you all here is this: we don't know for certain that there even is a threat, but if there ever is, then the Planet is definitely in danger. Minerva told me-"

Lucade shook his head. "You contacted Minerva?"

Cantus glanced at him. "No… No, she contacted me. That is how it normally works, after all. You guys are the ones who need to contact the Planet; I don't have to. Anyways, she said that whatever is coming may very well be too powerful for the Planet to handle on its own. This thing has been killing Guardians and their planets for quite a while now, so this will definitely be a tough enemy. But this is our world, so we have the upper hand."

Dalan nodded. "Yes. Come hell or high water, we will protect our Planet."

The others just kind of nodded in unison. There was something off with them, but I ignored it.

Cantus shrugged. "Exactly. So, then, with knowing that, there's much to do. I'll go see if perhaps the Guardian did awaken, and I just didn't know it."

"And if you do find him, will you tell us?" Dalan asked.

"I… don't know. I have to be careful, as you know. To be perfectly fair, for all I know, one of you could be this person killing the Guardians. In fact, I'm almost certain that that's the case."

All of the council members looked at each other warily, and Cantus just sighed. "I don't want you all turning on each other, but if any of you see anything suspicious, please, tell me."

Lucade nodded. "We will. Definitely."

"Good. I need to know that I can trust all of you. Now, I need to get going. All of you… just, be careful. We don't want any casualties…"

Cantus sighed and walked off of the platform. I noticed Dalan say something bitterly, and Lucade glanced back at him. But Cantus was too far away, now, so I didn't see what happened next. I sighed, pulling myself back to my own vision. Just in time for Cantus to walk up to me, too.

"Did you see all of that, Ayanumi?" he asked, although I noticed that his attention was momentarily drawn to the chars on the wall next to me. But he just rolled his eyes and turned back to face me.

I nodded. "Yeah. And can you please stop calling me that?!"

"No. Anyways… Were you able to figure out what was going on with Lucade and Dalan?"

"No, of course not. They were too far away. But you said that you trusted them, right?"

"Yes, that's true. Plus, if one of them is the person looking for you, the other council members will find it out before long. They'll tell me, the second they know. They can be trusted more than anyone else. Besides you, of course."

I shrugged. "Fair enough. …Now what?"

Cantus thought for a moment. "Well… You may need to fight soon, so you'll probably need to learn how to use your abilities. And you'll definitely need weapons, assuming you won't hurt yourself with them."

I shrugged. "Alright, then. I have no idea where anything here is, so you're going to have to lead the way."

Cantus sighed. "Alright, then. Come with me." He started walking away, and I followed him, not really having any other choice. Oh, if only I had known what was coming…