Final Fantasy: Gate of Destiny

Author's Opening Notes:

1: This story is loosely based on the storyline for a game I once made using the PS 1 RPG Maker.

2: This story has strong crossover elements with other Final Fantasy games. I'm putting it in the FF7 page instead of a crossover page because the entire story takes place in the FF7 world, and the central character and main villain are both from that game.

3: The O/C Character Kristoph uses a White Lantern ring, as based on the white power rings seen in the Green Lantern "Blackest Night" and "Brightest Day" storylines. The ring is less powerful for balance reasons however. (i.e., he can't fly with it.)

4: This story isn't intended to be A.U. However, certain aspects may push it into that territory. Take this as you will.

5: Apologies to those who insist on the "th" spelling of Aeris. I know it's the one that's correct. But the copy I played used the "s" spelling and I just can't get used to the other one. So I'll be using "s" here. This said, let's begin:

Chapter One

The first thing she was aware of was the warmth. Wherever she was, it was very warm and dark. The sensation of weight pressed in next, and she realized that the warmth was from being under thick blankets in a comfortable bed. The feeling of safety and contentment was so strong that Aeris nearly slipped back into unconsciousness. She was prevented from doing so by the sudden intrusion of memories. The Ancient City, Cloud, Sephiroth descending from above-

Aeris sat upright with a jolt. Opened her eyes. She found herself in a small bedroom, with log-cabin walls and handcrafted furniture. Bookcases filled every spare niche of the room, which she now realized wasn't as dark as she had thought. A pair of dim lights glowed on either side of the headboard. The girl pulled down the blankets and saw that someone had dressed her in an oversized sweater and loosely-fitting sweatpants.

"How am I alive?" She wondered. "I remember what happened with Sephiroth… I suppose a blade could go through someone and miss everything vital. But not in his hands. He wanted me dead and he's too good at what he does to mess it up… Yet here I am…"

Confused, she gazed downward and wrapped the fingers of both hands around the bottom of the sweater. Afraid of what she would see if she pulled it up to look, yet also afraid of going on without knowing what was happening, Aeris hesitated a moment before finding the courage to take a look. A scar stretched across her upper abdomen. She saw that her analysis had been right: There was simply no way to have survived this. Still, she was alive after all, and the wound was clearly healing. Reaching her left arm around behind and under the sweater, Aeris found a matching wound on her back. It also felt like it was healing.

"No magic can cure a wound this severe." She thought. "What in the world is going on?" For several minutes, Aeris simply sat in the bed, thinking hard but finding no answers. In time, she decided she would have to go looking for the answer. She carefully slid to the edge of the bed and stepped down onto the cool wooden floor. She stepped quietly over to the room's sole window and brushed the curtains aside. Outside it was dusk. The sky was mostly dark already, though the last rays of the setting sun still painted the western sky a deep orange and red. She saw a narrow but fast-running creek near the house, and forests beyond that. She also saw that the room she was in was on the second floor, and looking back across the room noticed the head of a staircase she had missed, in the far corner.

Again moving carefully, quietly, the girl crossed the room and stood on the top step. There was someone home downstairs. She could hear the sounds of footfalls on the lower floor, and some unidentified metallic clinking sounds. Of greatest interest to her was the smell of something cooking. It was an inviting smell, and she realized with a start how terribly hungry she was. She didn't even realize she had started down the stairs, drawn by the scent, until she found herself on the bottom step.

Aeris peered around the corner and saw a large living room. There was a pair of heavily stuffed easy chairs, a table with a lamp, and another set of bookcases. Atop one of the shelves was a pure white, faintly glowing object. She couldn't tell if it was metal or crystal, as it showed features of both, but she did see that it resembled some type of lantern. Three doors exited off of this room. The first was clearly an outside door. The second led into a darkened room she couldn't make out. The third opened into a well-lit kitchen. Through the kitchen door, Aeris saw a large pot on the stove with steam rising out of it. There was also the person she had heard from upstairs. A thirtyish man with short dark hair stood before the boiling pot, stirring it.

Aeris took a moment to weigh her options. She briefly considered making for the outside door, but thought better of it. "I'm hungry, I'm still tired, and I don't know where I am." She thought. "I'd not make it far in those circumstances. Besides, whoever this guy is, he's obviously taken care of me…"

Mind made up, Aeris stepped to the kitchen door and knocked softly on the door jam. The mystery man looked up from his cook pot and smiled. "Well well. You're awake. Honestly, I should be surprised to see you up so soon, but then again you really are a remarkably fast healer."

Stepping into the room, Aeris answered "Actually, I'm starting to think it was the smell of the food that woke me up. I'm famished."

"No surprise there. I've done what I could to keep nutrients in you, but that's not easy when the patient is unconscious and you don't have any I.V. equipment. The good news is, you're up just in time. The stew will be ready in about five minutes…" For a moment, the man was quiet, then he said "Look, I know I've got some questions for you, and I'm sure you've got some for me too. We can talk over dinner. For now, let me just say that you've got no reason to be afraid of me. I assure you I'm only dangerous to the 'bad guys.'"

Aeris grinned. "I was a bit nervous at first. Waking up in a strange place and all. But I knew you must've been taking care of me… My name's Aeris, by the way."

"Kristoph." The man replied. He offered a hand and when she reached to take it, Aeris noticed that he was wearing a ring made of the same type of mysterious metal/crystal as the object in the living room.

XXXXXXX

Five minutes later Aeris and Kristoph were seated across from each other at the kitchen table. A steaming bowl of stew sat before each of them, but even as hungry as she felt, the girl found herself more hungry for information. "So, how did I end up here?" she asked. "And, for that matter, where is here?"

"Here is my little refuge." Kristoph answered. "The land was left to me by my grandparents, and I built the house myself. We're about five miles south of a small village called Aethra."

"I've never heard of Aethra." Aeris admitted. "Where is it in relation to Midgar?"

"Midgar? Is that where you're from? You're a long way from home then, it's all the way across the ocean, a good four thousand miles from here."

"I was raised in Midgar, but it's not where I'm originally from. But, as to how I got here…?"

Kristoph took a small bite of his stew, then said "There's a creek that runs across the front of my property. Not very wide, but deep and steep enough that the water flows pretty fast. Ten days ago, I was out front working in my garden when I saw movement in the stream out of the corner of my eye. I decided to take a closer look, and it's a good thing I did. It was you."

"So, wait… I just came floating down the creek then?"

"Yeah. And you were in bad shape too. Honestly, I thought you were dead when I pulled you out of the water. Something told me to check for a pulse anyway though, and I found one. So I bought you back here and did what I could to clean you up and keep you warm. Truthfully, I thought I was just making your death less painful. I never expected you to survive."

"Well, apparently you're one heck of a doctor." Aeris said with a grin. "I've never seen or heard of any type of healing magic that could repair a wound as bad as the one I suffered. Thank you."

Kristoph answered "Listen, I'd love to take credit. And this thing-" here he indicated the ring on his finger "-really can heal some nasty injuries. But I had nothing to do with this one. You healed up on your own somehow. Early on, that wound was repairing itself so quickly you almost could have watched it getting better from moment to moment."

"That doesn't make any sense." Aeris said.

"Maybe not." Kristoph agreed, "But there you have it."

"Okay… So, what about that ring? I saw the thing in the other room too. It's unlike anything I've ever seen before. And trust me, I've seen a lot."

"It's a White Lantern ring." Kristoph said. "It contains the concentrated energy of life and light, and I can use it to do a lot of pretty cool things. The object in the living room is the ring's power battery. I use it to recharge the ring as needed."

"So, it's like some unusual type of materia crystal then?" Aeris asked.

"I suppose so, in a way. But the ring only obeys it's chosen bearer. It wouldn't work for anyone else."

Intrigued, Aeris reached across the table, took Kristoph's ring hand in hers, and examined the ring more closely. It was indeed made of the same material as the battery, and also had a soft glow emanating from it. The glow of the ring was weaker than that of the battery though, which explained why she hadn't previously noticed it in the bright room. The face of the ring was circular, and etched into it was a symbol: An upward-facing triangle with nine rays coming off of it. "Where did you get this?" she asked as she let go of his hand.

Kristoph answered "Right here as a matter of fact. Though, it's more like the ring got me. It flew down from the sky and right onto my finger. That was about three years ago. Since then I've used it to do what good I can for people in need."

Over the rest of their meal, Aeris told Kristoph her own story, starting in Midgar and leading up to the Ancient City. As they were finishing up, she said "Kristoph, thank you for everything you've done for me. I can never repay it. But… I need to go. I've got to get back together with my friends."

"I understand. But, we'd best wait until tomorrow morning at this point."

"We?" Aeris asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right. Fast-healing though you are, you're still in no condition to travel alone. Besides, you don't know the local terrain. I do. And, to be blunt, this is exactly the kind of thing this ring is meant for. Adventure, excitement, foiling the evil and protecting the innocent. I'd be neglecting my duty if I stayed home."

"Alright. You make good points and I can tell there'd be no talking you out of it anyway." Aeris agreed.

Kristoph placed their empty bowls in his sink and led Aeris through the living room and to the third door she had noticed earlier. He reached in and turned on a light, revealing a small washroom. "I'm sure you're wanting to clean up." He said. He also pointed to a small trunk on the floor. "You'll find the things you had with you in there. Of course, your dress was damaged beyond repair, but I have a neighbor who's an awesome seamstress. I took what was left of it to her, and she made a pretty close copy. It's hanging on the back of the door."

"Thank you, again." Aeris said. She closed the door and looked over the new dress. It was indeed very similar to her old one, save that it lacked a matching half-jacket. In the trunk, she found her wristbands, hair bow, and shoes. There was no weapon of course, that would have been lost, and the materia with it. She was briefly excited to find her copy of the Avalanche team's PHS communicator intact, but it didn't work anymore, most likely due to water damage.

"Well." She thought. "Tomorrow I start all over again. Let's hope it's not too late to turn things around…"