A/N: Please read! This first part is only background information, and is not necessary to the story. However, I'd like to think that the rest will be understood more easily if this little prologue is read.
Over much debate as to where I should put this, I've decided the Kingdom Hearts section of FFnet is the closest I can get. I'm using some of the world names and places and stuff, but the story doesn't really have anything to do with original KH characters at all. This fanfiction is a combination of Final Fantasy VII and VIII concepts, as well as their characters. Plus my own input, of course. :D
Disclaimer: I do not own or make money off of anything here. It all belongs to Squeenix.
~o+o~
The world was desolate and broken now. Most of the ground that used to be lush with green grass and flowering with life was gone. Replacing it was cracked desert dirt, caked with dust and remnants of not-so-long-ago forgotten cities. The air, though not as polluted as before, was strangely dead. Even the occasional rustle of the wind couldn't animate this new lonely world.
The events leading to this unforgiving state of things are hazy, though one thing was always clear in the stories the remaining human population told each other: the Sorcerers were the reason for it all. There were only a few permanent settlements of humans left now, the rest becoming nomads and loners.
On the subject of Sorcery, precious few were gifted with a talent for magic. Those that had a knack for it were revered in the places they resided. Though it was not uncommon for a Sorcerer or Sorceress to be able to use any kind of elemental power, the user always had one element in which they excelled.
Each chosen child, said to be blessed by their element's embodiment, was raised to protect and defend their planet's divine will. That rule was something they could not escape, or turn away from. This is what led to the betrayal- a group of magic users decided to defy the planet's orders and became outlaws. They pillaged and raped and destroyed anything they felt a want for, resulting in a massive loss of life, and the destruction of many cities.
Those not chosen by the planet turned to the magic users still on their side, and the war that ended everything started. Sorcerers battled for many long years, only to nearly kill each other off. As a result, natural life appeared to cease on the surface of the planet that had given the Sorcerers their power. The grass died, the flowers wilted, the trees lost their leaves and turned from a rich oak brown to a deathly glowing white. Whole species of animals died off as their ecosystems collapsed, which hit the remaining humans very harshly.
As of now, there are only three semi-permanent colonies that allow each race of humans to reside within- Cetran, Sorcerer and Commoner- established by the WRO, the World Restoration Organization. The rest of the humans that survived are nomads and chaotic groups aiming for total destruction, always on the move. Though the Sorcerers on the side of the Commoners are scarce within the world, they strive to fulfill the will of the planet.
In the relative peace of the present day, those who were hidden by Gaia's gracious will now sensed the stillness, and called out to any who passed closely enough to hear their voice…