001 - Pulsing Light
Our stories begin in one of the darkest reaches of the world, yet inside is a shimmering light. A light that can calm the anger in one and give comfort to others.
The cave had some lights in it, but not man-made. Various sized crystals protruded from the rock walls and gave an almost heavenly glow. The lights they gave off were soothing and warm, and one wouldn't help but stop and marvel at the sight.
Right now, it was comforting for Vincent, who sat on the cold cave floor, but he didn't mind it. He was used to the cold, the dark, and the loneliness. Though in a technical sense, right now he wasn't alone. Slightly lifting his chin from the path his thoughts had taken him, Vincent's crimson red eyes found the brightest light in the cave of crystals.
In the center of the cave, surrounded by a thin layer of water and fully encased in crystal, was a woman Vincent had known, seemingly from another lifetime.
'Lucrecia…'
She was there, hands over her chest and appearing to be asleep, Lucrecia Crescent appeared like an angel sent from heaven, trapped in the moment before she'd set foot on the earth.
The woman he had known so long ago had put herself in crystal, and whether she was alive or dead no one could say for sure. Vincent himself could swear that he felt she was alive, just in a state of peace that she had so deserved the last time he had seen her.
"Clinging to old memories…like an old man who had too many regrets in life…I'm hopeless, aren't I?" His voice was lacking sarcasm, and was truthfully blunt. It was something he had to say, even though he knew full well she'd never answer him. He always thought about what decisions he could have made to stop Lucrecia from travelling down the path she would never come back from. He should have done something…
But he had been hesitant, and she suffered in the end.
"Apologizing for my indecisiveness won't bring you back, nor will it make a difference, I know, but it's a small bit of redemption for my past sins," he said in a low voice.
Vincent felt a small wave of warmth come over his body, starting from his finger tips to the rest of himself. His eyes opened slowly at the very unexpected but welcome feeling. He peered up at Lucrecia, and saw that her crystal seemed to be glowing just a little bit brighter, like she had responded to his words. Yet, that was impossible.
Right?
Vincent sighed, "While there were times I wished I could change, there are others that I wish I could relive over again." A faint smile came over his lips, "Like the time you found me under that tree. I wasn't doing my job at the time, and you caught me off guard. You showed me that you wanted to treat me as a friend…"
Of course, with his mind wandering back to those days, Vincent couldn't help but think of the bad as much as the good. Especially when deep down in what was left of his heart, he felt a great deal responsible for what happened to Lucrecia.
'The moment she threw herself into 'his' arms...was when there was no turning back. Not just for her, but for both of us.' Vincent felt a small spike in his anger when he remembered what had happened next.
The madman known as Hojo shot him and, with all intents and purposes, killed him. And all Lucrecia could do is watch as he lay there dying.
Then, she saved him. By infusing him with a special form of materia she had pulled Vincent back from stepping through to the other side.
But the result of such an action may have had been a fate worse than death in certain ways, and Vincent had become far less human.
Still, he had lived.
She saved him, yet here she was inside a giant crystal.
Who got the better fate...?
'I'm alive because of you, Lucrecia. But, how can I repay you...'
His eye caught it this time. Her crystal glowed again, the bluish hue grew bright then went slightly dim again, before it went and did the same action again, pulsing in a slow rhythm.
Almost like a heartbeat.
Vincent rose to his feet, not in any sense of hurry, yet eager to see if anything would happen.
The pulsing slowed, and Vincent spoke, "Maybe...all I need to really do to repay a debt like that, is to simply do what you intended when you saved me."
The water from the cave floor started to ripple at the base of Lucrecia's crystal, and the air started to grow in warmth.
Vincent gave a light smile, "Lucrecia...I'll live for you."
The light from her crystal grew the brightest it could, but it wasn't blinding Vincent who stood still. He noticed that the other crystals in the cave started to glow as well, and the wet walls began to sparkle in the radiance. It looked as if Lucrecia had, in some way that could be deemed as improbable given the circumstances, responded to Vincent's words.
Then the lights started to calm down, going back down to its normal radiance, but there seemed to be something refreshing from Lucrecia's crystal.
It was as if she was happier than before.
And her warm light was comforting for Vincent, whose soul was forever cold.
Giving a small smile, Vincent turned his body towards the exit of the cave, but not before speaking one final time, "I'm alive because of you, and I'll never forget you."
As the man slowly walked away, he may have sensed it, but from within her crystal, Lucrecia appeared to be smiling.
A/N: I started this story after noticing that I like to write for others. I also started this as the first story in a collection, so expect for more stories to follow this one. Also, on a personal note, the month of July holds a rather sorrowful note for me.