Chapter 1
Lightning's POV
It was finally over. . . I had completed my journey. . . I have everyone here with me. . . I'm not alone. . . I never was.
I fell weightless here in the open, our new world was waiting for us. An end to our distances after five-hundred years we have a new home.
But something that Caius had warned me, made me wonder if my journey was truly over. "Saviour, you have defeated the gods and I congratulate you. But of course you still hold a great responsibility. . . You are to keep your powers as saviour to protect the people you cherish and the civilisation of humanity if the need arises to battle once again. We all make are own fates, and held my warning they are not written in stone as such this includes you."
This made me tense, Caius gave me a warning? What ever happens to me next I will battle through it. No one is going to get in my way of keeping this world safe.
"Lightning? Is everything okay?" Serah still grasping Snow's arm. She stares at me concerned.
What?- Yeah, I'm just daydreaming. I frown still nagged by Caius's words.
"Come on sis, you done smiling already?" Snow nudges me. The respond I give is an elbow blow to the gut.
"OW, Jeez, I thought we were past all this." Snow winces buckled over by my hit. I turn to him and smirk.
"I don't appreciate being interrupted when I'm thinking and I didn't want to hit Serah." He rises to his feet and laughs breathlessly.
"Huh, I feel sorry for however might have tried to have a chat with you when you where at school." I turn to Serah who is just smiling at Snow and me bickering.
"Hey Light?" I turn to Hope who is beside Vanille and Fang.
"Do you think I will be able to return back to my adult self? Not that I don't enjoy being a child again, just that I've been this way for longer than what I should have and I miss being tall enough not to have to look up at everyone when I'm talking to them." Hope chuckles with a slightly worried look.
"I suspect so. It was Bhwinivelze who turned you back to your younger self and he's gone now to the power used should decrease over time." Yeul interrupts thankfully because I sure as hell didn't know what to say. I'm still not good with kids, or young Hope.
"Oh right, you use to be older than me didn't you." Noel traps Hope in headlock and give him a nookie.
Fang and Vanille laugh at Hope being swung around like a rag doll.
"Lightning." Yeul steps in front of me drawing my attention to her.
"Before I was free from the seeress curse I had a last vision...this vision shown you battling a man with long silver hair and a long sword. This man was not of our world. And I am sorry to burden you further but you will not be with us for much longer." The tense pain in my chest tripled as Yeul spoke. I looked as Serah and saw her laughing and smiling with our friends. I was happy that she was home but saddened that I had limited time with her. Why? Why do I always lose her when I get her back.
"Caius said something about fates never been written in stone. But I assume what you told me is another piece to this hidden puzzle." My fist tightens as the pain in my chest intensifies. Yeul place her hand on my arm her I look into her eyes and for the first time I see my sorrow face.
"Yeul thank you for telling me this." I say through gritted teeth clutching my chest that was now in severe sharp agony. Something unnatural was building in me and I've lost control my body. I'm an empty puppet being pulled by the puppeteer.
The energy I once held, evacuates my body, my head starts spinning like a never-ending carousel. I buckle under my own weight falling to my knees as my vision blurs.
"LIGHTNING" Serah cries. My sister stumbles to my aid, she holds me in her arms as the group surrounds us.
"What happened?" Hope yells seeing me half-collapsed. As I look around at what I fear is my last few moments with my friends. I look at each one of them and smile.
"Serah listen, no matter what happens to me. . ." I trail off feeling my energy rapidly drop. "Stay strong and-. And know that I will always come back."
"What the hell happened to her?" Fang roars but is soon silenced at a cascading waterfall of blinding white light in cases my body drowning out the last ounce of sight I have left.
"Nothing will stop me finding you all again."
Serah's POV
"No, no, NO! Not again. Don't leave me again. Please, I just got you back.
...CLAIRE!." I sob my face drowning in salty tears. Snow wraps his arms around me pulling me away from the light that was my sister.
"Snow let me go! Let me go!" I manage to brake free of Snows hold and tumble to my knees but it was too late Lightning was gone.
The group is silent and motionless.
"She'll come back. Won't she? Vanille ask timidly afraid of hurting me furthermore. I rise to my feet staggering a little. I wipe my tears from my soaked face and turn to Vanille forcing a sore smile.
"Of course she will. She's Lightning - 'The God slayer' she always comes back." I chuckle weakly. "She has a job to do and she has to fight to protect humanity. But she always comes back. I know she will"
Lightning your out there somewhere and I believe in you to find us again and come home.
. . . .. . . ,
Lightning POV
Where am I? - Everything around me is white like a blank canvas. Where am I going? - I can't move. I barely have the energy to keep my eyes open. My eyes get heavier with every passing second. I can't...- feel the gravity anymore. . . I can't feel anything. . .
. . . . . . . . . .
The breeze brushes against my face. The soft sand crunches in my grip and becomes a dry waterfall slipping through my fingers. Am I back in Bodium? No it doesn't exist anymore and I can't smell the scent of the sea. I can't hear anything but the eerie, lonely silence. I slowly regain my strength bit-by-bit.
Then I'm able to open my eyes to a barren sandy surface that was littered with industrial ruins and scrap metal. The pattern continued for miles and miles. I clumsily rose to my feet staggering every which way.
My gear had no severe damage Equilibrium only had a few tears near the hems and was patched with dirt and sand. My Crimson sword stood up straight in the ground. It was like a glowing beckon compared the derelict land. I'm glad it's not damaged, took me ages to fix the tip of the sword that Lumina broke. I turn to my left and huff at the sight of my shield that was broken in half. Fantastic I need to get a new shield or at least something I can protect myself with.
So many hours pass and ever mile took an impact on my half energised body, until I reach what looks like some form of city. But in the sky. I instantly think of Eden and the battles we all fought to destroy the Fal'ce. It was so long ago now.
An old woman notices me looking up towards the city. She looks at me as with a curious face.
"Excuse me miss." The old woman called my attention and she hobbled closer to me.
"Are you new to Midgar?" "Midgar" so that's what the city is called. I forget that I don't have Hope giving me info on the areas I'm in and stupidly wait for his response.
"Um yeah, you could say that. How do I get up there?" The woman gave a wheezy laugh and pointed to the train line leading up towards the city.
"You will need an ID to ride the train. Do you have one?" It was clear by my annoyed facial expression that I didn't have one.
"You can sneak on the train but you must move through the carriages quickly if you don't want any hassle." She smiles weakly. But yet I have a hard time trusting people who talk to a random lost person.
"Why are you helping me?" I say bluntly. The woman take a step away from me and sit on a stone rock step.
"Because my dear I'm old and I don't have long to go now. So when and unusual looking young lady walks by with rose hair and a giant sword, you would naturally be curious, no?" The old woman sat smirking. I get it now.
"What do you want to know?" I say in a monotone voice. I ain't telling some stranger my entire past but if she asks the right questions I'll answer.
"You catch on quickly, I don't want to know much but I want to know...are you in SOLDIER?" 'SOLDIER' what's the heck is that?
"I don't know what SOLDIER' is but I use to be a soldier." The woman looked shocked as if I just stole her money or something.
"Are you from another world or something? At least tell me you know what Shinra inc is" I racked my memory but I've never heard of Shinra and I shake my head in response.
"I'll tell you what, if you tell me something about you as a soldier I will tell what Shinra and SOLDIER are" I hesitated for a moment, I want to know as much as I can about this place but I don't particularly want to relive my past. Let alone tell someone I just met about it.
I guess I have no choice.
"I was a General in Guardian Corps regimen. I worked my way up to that title to take care of my younger sister." I explain briefly
"Oh I see, well I have never heard of 'Guardian Corps' but I will hold up my end of the bargain. The Shinra Electric Company is the leading provider of energy in the world. They use mako energy, which they draw from the cores of the planet. Mako can also be referred as the Lifestream that is a spirit force shared throughout the planet and everyone living on it. Condensing mako creates metaria. Which is valued for it ranges of magical properties. Eventually Shinra wormed their way into military, political, urban development, scientific, astronomical, and communications departments and becomes known as the 'Shinra Corporation. SOLDIER is an elite fighting regimen for Shinra they are much stronger, faster and agile that the Pecekeepers and Turks."
There is so much about this world that is interesting. So everyone can use magic in this world but it not internal but is used as objects...materia. SOLDIER I guess I have to watch out for them but I could probably take them out easy.
"You definitely got more than I intended to give you but I enjoyed the conversation. One more question for the extra info. What is your name?" The old woman wobbles to her feet.
"Lightning," I reply
"Well Lightning I must be on my way. My name is Elyme by the way. Farewell." The woman disintegrates into the darkness of the tunnels and soon disappears