Note: Aerith is going to be doing something here that might seem...a bit out of the ordinary. Don't just start calling out "hack!" or "h4x0r!" J/k, I know none you are going to do that (I hope). Anyway, when you read that part, I just want to remind you guys that in the game, Cloud, as a regular Shinra guard got stabbed and still managed to overpower Sephiroth and throw him off at the reactor. Now on with the story!
After the departure of the cadet, the rest of the First Class continued speaking and drinking as if nothing happened. Genesis began telling stories about past missions again, some of which Zack had heard before. The youngest of the group began to grow bored and decided to go over to the bar to get more drinks, but was caught in conversation with Tifa again.
"What the hell was that about, Sephiroth?" Genesis asked when Zack was out of earshot.
"What do you mean?" he replied coolly.
"What was going on with you and that kid?"
"Like I said, I hate seeing weakness."
"Seems like there's more to it than that."
"He's a very good-natured boy," Angeal interjected it. "You should be kinder to him, Sephiroth."
"Kindness will only encourage him to stay weak," Sephiroth countered.
"You are mistaking his compassion for weakness," Angeal replied calmly.
"They are one and the same. There is no room for compassion in the army," Sephiroth declared coldly.
"Just let him be, Angeal," Genesis cut in. "Sephiroth is just jealous of all the attention that kid is getting from you and The Pup," he said half-jokingly.
"Jealous? Don't mock me Genesis," Sephiroth replied irritably.
"You never treated The Puppy that way when Angeal introduced him to us," his auburn-haired companion pointed out.
"Zack made it to First Class. Airen, on the other hand, is the sorriest excuse for a soldier I've ever seen."
"So what? It's a decent change to hang out with a regular person instead of just a bunch of First Class or Shinra executives."
Sephiroth stopped trying to argue with him and Genesis became pensive for a minute. He had noticed Sephiroth observing Airen throughout the night, which was strange since Sephiroth had not bothered to look in the cadet's direction until the helmet was off. Genesis knew that his battle-hardened friend could not have possibly been studying the bruise—that was nothing new to soldiers. It must have been something else entirely…but what?
"Airen's eyes are quite unique aren't they?" Angeal announced. "I've never seen a pair with such intensity in color." He became thoughtful for a moment and then continued. "They seem to hold a faint glow…but not like our own Mako infused eyes. They look almost as if he were holding the Lifestream itself in them."
Angeal fell quiet in thought as he finished speaking. He mulled over the events of the evening as Sephiroth and Genesis looked to him neither quite knowing what to say in reply. He noticed their expectant gazes on him and laughed to himself. Somehow, he had always been regarded as the father of the group even though they were all the same age.
"What do you suppose Airen meant when he said that man had Shinra scars?" Angeal asked his two companions.
"Shinra scars…He must have been referring to the North Corel Incident," Genesis answered. "I didn't recognize the name at first but Barret Wallace is a coal miner native to North Corel. Apparently, since then, he has taken up residence here in Sector 7. He's been keeping a pretty low profile so Shinra didn't really have a reason to take him in. That is…until this evening. You think we should arrest him?"
"No, just let him be," Angeal said dismissively. "Seems like that's what Airen would have wanted."
"Hmm, that cadet couldn't have possibly known about North Corel though. Shinra covered that incident from the general public years ago…" Genesis mumbled.
"Yes, that was my first thought as well, but it couldn't have been a reference to anything else," Angeal said. "How do you suppose he found out about that? He couldn't have possibly found out from Zack. He doesn't bother reading up on Shinra's history even if he has access to their sensitive files as a First Class."
Sephiroth suddenly stood up and made a gesture indicating he wanted to leave. He had grown tired of the conversation and wanted to get some fresh air. Genesis and Angeal didn't bother to stop him as it was characteristic of him to leave abruptly. He made his way out of the bar without stopping to say goodbye to Zack who called out a farewell to him.
The tall soldier strolled aimlessly through the Sector for some time going over the strange events of the evening. He was thinking over what Angeal had said and ignoring his other friend's lame accusations. Sephiroth was curious about how that pathetic cadet knew about the North Corel incident as well. Maybe that idiot Turk had told him in a drunken stupor, he concluded.
His feet ended up taking him to an abandoned park in Sector 6. As he continued to walk further in, Sephiroth noticed a small lone figure kneeling some distance away. Sephiroth edged closer with caution and saw that it was that damn mouse of a soldier! His back was turned but the elite soldier could tell that the cadet was in worse shape than when he left the bar. The weakling's small frame was rising and falling rapidly as he breathed haggardly. Sephiroth was about to call out another insult to him but stopped suddenly. He saw a Fire 3 spell shoot out of the small soldier onto the ground before collapsing on the same spot. Sephiroth stared in shock trying to process what he just saw. He knew that the guards were not given any Materia so seeing the weakling cast magic, let alone such a powerful spell was beyond confusing. Sephiroth waited for the crumpled heap to get back up but he could see no perceptible movement coming from him except for his slow breathing.
Earlier that evening, after leaving the bar, Aerith had made her way back to Elmyra's house only to find that there was nothing left of it except for smoldering ashes. There wasn't even anything that looked remotely solid that she could search through. Anything she touched crumpled into bits of coal or ashes. Bursting with emotions, she ran back to the park and cried herself out. Her body ached but it was her heart that felt the most pain. She was so tired of being too weak to do anything for anyone. Being filled with so much anger and frustration, she unwittingly stirred up something within her.
The Cetra felt an energy coursing through her body. It was a familiar feeling she felt whenever she was at her church. It was very faint then and it had allowed her to communicate with the flowers and even borrow their spirit. This sensation, however, was a lot different and seemed much stronger. She felt a warm sensation collecting on her hands. Aerith instinctively shot her hand out only to discover that she had cast a small fire spell. The dirt on the ground caught on fire then fizzled out into a low ember. Registering what had just happened, she tried out other spells and found that she was able to cast a few offensive spells and a barrier spell with relative ease. Unfortunately, she was not able to cast any healing spells on herself. It was almost as if her anger and anguish only awakened her dormant offensive and protective Cetra magic abilities.
Aerith continued to cast spells with more fervor as she recalled bitter memories of her past. Why couldn't I have discovered these Cetra powers when my mother was in danger?! Why couldn't I summon up the power to protect Elmyra until it was too late?! The rage-filled Cetra continued her assault on a barrier she made, each time, forcing herself to cast stronger spells. Her insides were boiling as she pushed herself past her limit. Aerith could feel her heart constricting and her hands burning with a dull pain she could no longer register. Aerith was casting spells at a mastery of level 3 in a matter of a few hours, something that took even some of the most seasoned SOLDIERs months or even years to accomplish.
Aerith finally fell to her knees, exhausted from using so much energy in such a short span of time. Her casting time between each spell was becoming longer and longer, giving her hands and her insides time to cool off. She shot out one last fire spell and saw the ground coming closer and closer to her as her vision became blurry and finally completely dark.
Sephiroth stood motionless for a few more seconds before making his way to the figure on the floor. He looked at the ground where Aerith had been casting her spells and noticed a barrier spell that was fading away quickly. As it faded away completely, Sephiroth saw the ground beneath it was intact, or as intact as it could be in the slums. He then turned his attention to the unconscious cadet.
The elite soldier wasn't entire sure what to do next. Usually, in a battlefield, he ignored fallen foot soldiers and continued with his mission, but this wasn't really a battlefield. He sighed to himself before crouching down to inspect the cadet's hands. He noticed how small they were in comparison to his. He touched the palms with his gloved hands and felt that they were still very warm, but did not have any noticeable burn marks. He then noticed how pale the cadet's hands were…no, his whole face was unnaturally pale, too. Sephiroth immediately stopped trying to search for answers and grabbed Airen by the midsection. He was about to swing the limp cadet's body over his shoulder when he felt a fractured rib on his side. Sephiroth grimaced. He knew it was probably from the earlier encounter at the bar.
What the hell is he thinking? Why didn't he go back to the infirmary? Sephiroth thought with annoyance.
Sephiroth gently scooped up the small soldier and walked in the direction of the Shinra building. Not wanting to attract attention by taking the trains, Sephiroth travelled for nearly an hour on foot before he reached his room back at the Shinra building. The travel time gave him some time to think, but he found that he couldn't come up with an explanation for what he just saw...if he even did really see it. Damn, Genesis and his stories! If his friend had bothered to tell a half-decent story, he wouldn't have felt the need to drink so much to chase away the boredom.
Once he was back in his room, Sephiroth gently laid Airen on his bed and examined a clock on his nightstand. It was 3am. The staff at the infirmary were gone by now. Sephiroth lifted the bottom of the cadet's shirt just enough to expose his stomach to examine how much damage the grunt had sustained. Sephiroth sighed to himself and busied himself by unclipping the foot soldier's gun, sword, and pauldron so he could lie more comfortably. Hmm, idiot forgot his helmet at the bar, Sephiroth observed. He could have gotten his tiny head beaten in if he ran into a monster or some slum thugs. Looking over him again, Sephiroth noticed that a bit of color had returned to the cadet's face. Airen wasn't dying—just tired. Not that he cared too much. He did choose to walk back instead of the faster route by train. Sephiroth grabbed a knife and was ready to cut open the cadet's shirt to see the rest of the damage but stopped suddenly when his PHS rang.
"What is it?" Sephiroth answered coldly. A pause. "Mission? Right now?" Another pause. "Fine. I'm on my way."
The annoyed elite soldier flipped his phone close and sighed in frustration. He quickly dialed a number but was met with no answer. Sephiroth cursed under his breath. He dialed a second number hoping for a reply. He was surprised to find that he felt a slight sense of relief at having heard the line being picked up.
"Where are you?" Sephiroth asked with some impatience. "I need to you take care of something in my room." He eyed the passed out trooper on his bed. "You'll see when you get here…Do you still have a copy of my keycard? All right. I'm going on a mission. We will talk later."
Sephiroth hung up and put the electronic device back in his pocket. He marched over to the door and paused as it slid open. He glanced back over his shoulder for a brief moment unsure of himself and then walked out.
NOTE: So any of you want to take a guess who Sephiroth called over to help take care of Aerith? It's fine if you guys don't—I'm still going to post the next chapter in a few days.
