"Not… Human?" asked Cloud, his voice breaking. What did Greed mean when he said they weren't human? Could they be mutants or aliens? 'Nah,' thought Cloud, 'Greed is just trying to mess with our minds.'

Greed stood by the window in the Nibelhiem, his black, beady eyes staring into the sunlight. He really did enjoy being in this world, it was beautiful but things were going to happen that couldn't be stopped. He didn't care that three of his fellow Homunculi had been killed, soon they'd all be dead and the world would be going to Hell. He brushed his hands down his clothes, wiping off the imaginary dust he thought settled upon him.

"Yes, your scent isn't human," replied Greed. Greeds' eyes widened, watching a familiar long haired brunette woman with a white tank top and a black leather skirt walk up towards the hospital.

"What do you mean?" whimpered Serah, her hands shaking, her mind racing. She had no idea how they managed to get from Washington to Nibelhiem but it must be the Homunculis' fault somehow.

"There's no time to explain, I have to get you back to your friends," he replied quickly. Greed pressed his hands together then slammed them onto the polished floor. From his hands darkness began creeping along the floor towards Cloud and Serah. The pair gasped when tendrils of darkness grabbed their legs and began pulling them into the swirling vortex under their feet. Both of the Warriors of Etro blacked out, everything going black and unable to hear or see.

XXX

"Cloud! Serah!" yelled a female voice in the darkness. Clouds' eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked up to see the worried face of Kira and the normally calm, vacant face of Vincent.

"K… Kira?" groaned Cloud, his body feeling heavy and lethargic. His head fell back against the stone floor. His mind was slow but he was confused where he was.

"Where did you guys go?" asked Kira her eyes red from crying and her voice hoarse from yelling. Cloud slowly sat up and accepted a glass of water from Vincent, taking it from his golden clawed hand. He thanked Vincent and gulped down the water. Beside him Serah had begun stirring awake. Cloud helped his friend sit up as she awoke. The pair explained to Kira and Vincent about Nibelhiem and Greed. Cloud watched Vincent's' face slightly scrunch up after mentioning Nibelhiem.

"You guys have no idea how you made it to Nibelhiem?" asked Kira scratching under her chin. She was as confused at the pair and their sudden appearance back in their headquarters. Serah shook her head at the question and looked down to her hands, holding a glass of water which Cloud has passed to her.

"What's going on?" asked Cloud sick of being clueless and left in the dark, "Greed said we're not human."

"He must be meaning your crystals that are interfering with your body then," replied Vincent, "it seems the Homunculi know about it."

"What crystals?" asked Serah.

"When Etro branded you l'Cie you were given crystals which merged with the brands you have," explained Vincent, "these crystals are the source of your power and over time they mature, giving you more power and new abilities."

Cloud and Serah listened as Vincent explained before leaving the trio to talk amongst themselves.

XXX

Vincent walked through the dark hallways, his red fabric cloak fluttered behind him. His footsteps clanged with every step he took down the hall, the sound echoing through the empty hall. He knew he had to get away from Cloud and Serah as they had travelled through the Chaos, not only once. He was losing control of Chaos quickly around them. If he hadn't had the Protomateria stolen by the Homunculi a few months back he wouldn't need to worry about the odd burst of Chaos released from him but without it the bursts were becoming stronger and much more frequent. He knew he'd have to figure out something or Chaos would take over his body and he'd be left in the Realm of Chaos. He'd already been to the Realm of Darkness and the Realm of Light. Since having Chaos implanted into him many years ago he'd been able to see the Chaos around them and control it but only with the Protomateria.

He continued walking down the hall, stopping only at a door covered in thick, heavy black chains with a huge, steel lock keeping the chains together. He placed his golden clawed hand on the lock and with a click the lock fell off the chains. The chains fell to the floor, filling the corridor with loud noises. The door swung open, revealing a dark room with a throne-like chair in the middle of the room surrounded by faint red lights. Vincent walked up to the chair and sat down, his arms on the armrests. Within seconds of sitting down Vincents' arms and legs were locked in place with thick, iron locks. He was used to this; it made it easier for his body to get rid of excess power without his body flailing around. The red lights grew brighter until the room was too bright to have your eyes open. Darkness seeped from his body and was drawn into the chair.

Vincents' eyes slowly opened, crimson red eyes getting used to the darkness again. He had to do this every few days now, the power of Chaos was growing too strong for him to control alone. Kira didn't know what he was doing and he didn't want her finding out – he had no choice but to fight for Etro's side and hope that he'd either find the Protomateria or he learned how to control it. He sighed when the locks retracted back into the throne. His body was for all intents and purpose immortal but it didn't mean his body didn't get weak and tired every time this happened. He struggled to stand but got to his feet nonetheless. Staggering to the door, the thick iron doors swung open. Vincents' eyes widened when he saw Serah standing at the door, her Bowsword in hand in its sword form.

"You have some explaining, Valentine," she said, her grip tightening on her Bowsword.