"Be near me when my light is low,
when the blood creeps, and the nerves prick
and tingle; and the heart is sick,
and all the wheels of Being slow."

—Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 'In Memoriam A.H.H.'
Canto 50, first stanza

Chapter 24
A Light Ever Lasting

They converged on the ivory beach beneath the ancient palace, Cetra and Avalancher alike, encircling the blaze, celebrating their victory. Following the day's hunt, they had gathered up the remains of their foes, building a great pyre on the ocean side leeward of the black river, where they discarded their remnants to ensure that they would not regenerate. As they cast their remains upon the roaring fire, piling up one carcass after another upon the growing conflagration, the Cetra with whom the Avalanchers had set out on their first mission chanted and cheered, raising their fists in the air, applauding, shouting, singing, dancing.

"A strange funeral, this," Nanaki remarked. "I doubt there will be any tears shed for the departed, and certainly no eulogy... other than 'good riddance'."

"Amen," Vincent replied.

Their Cetra friends seemed especially heartened by their success, the day's brief confrontation affirming the notion that their enemy could indeed be defeated. And so, they celebrated with abandon, the rout having left them feeling as though they were invincible. Although the Avalanchers participated in the celebrations, their mood was more somber, tempered by their experiences. Unlike their new recruits, they had some idea of the horrors that awaited them on the other side. They knew that today's skirmish was only a taste of things to come. In comparison, their new Cetra friends were still innocent, still just children. They would see real battle soon enough. But for now, they were content to let them bask in their first victory. There would be time for disillusionment later.

Within a few hours, their gathering had grown from one of mere utility to a full-blown party. The Avalanchers had brought out what little food they still had from the Highwind's cargo bay, and had cobbled together a set of drinks, some from their old stores and some made with Cid's ad-hoc still. It wasn't long before they were all wandering about the beach, drinks in hand, feasting, talking, laughing, and enjoying simply being alive.

As the night drew on, and their young friends mingled and chatted, they could see friendships and even relationships forming. When they first joined up, their young recruits had been shy not just of Avalanche, but each other. But now that they had had their first chance to test themselves against the enemy that they had hidden from for so long, those barriers were being broken down, little by little. The alcohol and the loud music playing on the airship's PA system were no doubt helping the mood along, as well.

The Avalanchers, too, stood gathered around the fire, taking part in the feast and exchanging stories as they enjoyed a well-deserved break.

"Wait... You actually kicked one of those things in the face?" Cid asked, turning to Cloud.

"Yeah. Nearly got his arm ripped off in the process," Yuffie said.

Cid shook his head and laughed. "Crazy bastard."

"Well, it worked, didn't it?" Cloud said.

Yuffie gave him a reproachful look. "You promised me you'd be more careful," she said.

"Sorry," Cloud said. "I didn't mean to worry you."

"Well... I do worry," Yuffie said, moving closer to him. "A lot."

"Too much," Cloud said, moving in closer as well.

"Says you," Yuffie said, looping her arms around his neck. The two of them shared a kiss on the beach, their act of intimacy eliciting whistling and applause from the rest of the group.

"This is the part where I tell you to get a room, right?" Cid said as they broke off, having stood right next to them for the entire duration of the kiss.

"If you want," Cloud said.

"Will you?" Cid asked.

"Nope," Yuffie replied, grinning. Cid rolled his eyes, taking another swig from his bottle as she and Cloud turned to each other for a second kiss.

As they continued to chat, one of their new recruits came up to them. "Um... excuse me. Mr. Cid?" he said, saluting the three of them.

"'Mr. Cid'? I swear, these newcomers.." Cid muttered, shaking his head, before turning to the nervous-looking recruit. "It's just 'Cid', kiddo. What do you need?"

The young man relaxed his posture. "Well... we found something strange near the outskirts," he said, handing Cid a recon photo. "I thought you should know about it."

Cid frowned as he took the photograph, studying the blurry image imprinted on its surface. It was too muddled to make out any details, but it seemed to depict a hollow or crater of some kind, unlike any they had seen before on this planet.

"What's your name, son?" Cid asked.

"Arctus, sir," the Cetra replied.

"All right, Arctus. We'll look into it tomorrow," Cid said, handing the photograph back.

"What about tonight?" Arctus asked.

"Tonight's your night," Cid said, patting the young man on the back. "Go on, have some fun. Get drunk."

"Yes, sir," the young Cetra replied, nodding and looking relieved.

"And get laid while you're at it," Cid called as the young man left, returning to his friends.

"You're a real role model, Cid," Tifa said, crossing her arms.

"I do my best," Cid replied, knocking back the rest of his whiskey bottle.

"...Sariss."

Malthus looked up from his work, startled by the unexpected utterance. At the far side of the lab, Comus stood before the tall windows, looking out on the Astra homeworld, watching as the Cetra soldiers went about their work, fortifying their position at the edge of the city. He watched all of this with seeming indifference, standing perfectly still, hands folded behind his back, observing the growing rebel army as he had done for some time.

"Did you say something, my lord?" Malthus asked.

"Nothing," Comus replied, turning his head ever so slightly towards the scientist. "How goes the work?"

"Well enough," Malthus said.

The scientist laid his tools aside, sidling up to his master. There seemed to be a more somber air about him today than usual. Normally, the monomaniac warlord took no rest from his work, and certainly gave none to his subordinates, but as the hour grew late, he seemed to be becoming reclusive, even introspective. It was not something that Malthus was used to seeing.

"The, ah, enemy continues to gather strength, I see," Malthus said, looking out the window. "It won't be long before they're at our gates.."

"Let them come," Comus said. "We will be ready for them."

"Yes, my lord," Malthus replied.

He did not understand his master's insistence on inaction, and in truth, he was ill at ease watching their enemies gathering strength while they stood idly by. But then again, he was no military strategist. He assumed that Comus had some design in mind, some stratagem that he was keeping secret from everyone around him.

"The Cetra scientist..." Comus said. "Have you extracted the information we require from him?"

"Almost," Malthus replied.

"Almost?" Comus asked, giving Malthus a baleful stare. It was clear that he was returning to his usual demeanour, and Malthus knew that if there was one thing he did not brook, it was failure.

"The... er... gate is functional. The initial test was a success," Malthus said. "But I was unable to extract the co-ordinates you wanted from our captive."

"And how do you propose to rectify this problem?" Comus asked, turning to face the timorous scientist.

"I'm still picking his brains," Malthus said. "Well... what's left of them.."

"In other words, you are at a dead end," Comus said.

"...Yes," Malthus replied with hesitation.

He had almost expected Comus to strike him down where he stood, but the warlord simply turned his attention back to the view of the city below. "In that case, we may require another member of the Invictus lineage," he said.

"Who?" Malthus asked.

"Delos had a sister, did he not?" Comus said.

Malthus racked his feeble memory. He recalled the young man calling out for someone during his 'interrogation' sessions. Someone named 'Aya'.

"Yes, but... she can't possibly know the way to Elysium," Malthus said.

"No, she can't," Comus said.

"Then, why.." Malthus began.

"I have another destination in mind," Comus said.

"How will we find her?" Malthus asked.

"I have a plan," Comus said. "Gather our forces, and prepare the new portal gates."

"Yes, my lord," Malthus said.

"Okay... stop me if you've seen this one before," Reeve said. He shuffled the deck as Aya watched, mesmerized. He arranged the cards on the small table between them, then held his hand in the air, hovering over them, as though he were still deciding which one to pick up, although he already knew which one was hers.

The young girl had joined Avalanche and their Cetra companions on the beach, wondering what all the commotion was about. As things were getting a little rowdy outside, Reeve had brought her up to the Highwind's bridge, and for the better part of an hour had been putting on a impromptu magic show for the young Cetra, consisting of a few card tricks and sleights of hand that he had picked up during his time with Shinra.

He took his time choosing, picking out a single card from all the ones laid out in front of them, then flipped it over to reveal Aya's chosen card, the seven of clubs. He smiled as she stared at the card, wide-eyed, mouth agape, honestly amazed at what had just transpired.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Magic," Reeve said.

"You mean... like when people use materia?" Aya asked.

Reeve chuckled, patting the young girl on the head. "No," he replied. "This is real magic."

"Can you do one more?" Aya asked.

"It's getting to be way past your bedtime, I'm sure," Reeve said, checking his watch.

"Just one more?" Aya asked. "Please?"

"All right," Reeve said. "One more."

He performed another simple card trick for her, taking an undeniable pleasure in the way the young girl watched his sleight of hand with sheer amazement, even after repeat performances.

"Oh, by the way.." Reeve said, as he put away his deck of cards. "Could you wait here for a minute? I want to show you something."

He left her for a moment, heading inside his quarters to pick up a small box, which he then placed on the table in front of her. He removed the lid to reveal a stuffed doll in the shape of a toy cat wearing a small, golden crown.

"It's stopped working, but... I thought you should have it," Reeve said, removing the toy cat from its box, handing it to Aya. It was the same one he had once employed at his proxy in order to ingratiate himself with Avalanche while he was still working for Shinra. Since those days, it had gradually started to break down, and he had never been able to get it working properly again. He'd removed the mechanical workings from his faithful ally, but he could never quite bring himself to throw it away.

"His name is Cait, and he needs a good owner," Reeve said.

The young girl embraced the toy cat. She seemed to truly cherish it. Reeve got the feeling that there weren't many such toys to be found on this world.

"Thank you, Mr. Reeve," Aya said.

"Don't mention it," Reeve replied. "Go on, now. Scoot. Get some shut-eye, okay?"

Aya nodded, smiling, before scampering off back to the safety of her home in the underground city.

As Reeve watched her leave the airship, Nanaki came up next to him. "About her brother..." he said. "Do you think there's any possibility he could still be alive?"

Reeve shook his head, sighing. "I doubt it. I just don't have the heart to break it to her."

"I know what you mean," Nanaki replied. "But we can't persist in delusions forever, however comforting they may be."