Chapter 34: Black Materia
The temple disappeared in a blast of white light. Cloud and the others found themselves laying on a dirt patch, where once the Temple had been. In the center of this patch was a massive hole that sunk down several dozen feet into the ground.
A black gem was glittering in the sunlight from the bottom of the hole.
"The Black Materia," Cloud said, as he began to climb down the gap.
"God damn I need a cigarette," Cid cursed, lighting up. "Jeez, that's better. It's really something having a smoke at a place like this…"
Tifa looked over at Cid with a scandalized look on her face.
"What, we went through a lot of shit in there, it's my coping mechanism," Cid replied.
Cloud finally reached the bottom and grabbed the black orb. "As long as we have this, Sephiroth won't be able to use Meteor."
Aeris jumped down into the gap next to Cloud. She began to look at the orb with great interest. Cloud wondered if she had ever seen or heard of this before now.
"Can you… uh, can you guys use it?" Cloud asked.
"Nope, we can't use it right now," Aeris shook her head. "You need great spiritual power to use it."
"You mean lots of Spiritual energy?"
"That's right. One person's power alone won't do it. Somewhere special. Where there's plenty of…" Aeris gasped, having finally connected the dots. "The Promised Land!"
Red called down to them. "The Promised Land. Is that what Sephiroth was referring to?"
Aeris shrugged. "Sephiroth is different. He's not an Ancient."
"Then, he shouldn't be able to find the Promised Land," Cloud theorized.
Cloud felt, rather than heard a heartbeat behind him. He turned and looked up to see Sephiroth sitting on a ledge near them.
"Sephiroth!" Cloud shouted, raising his sword.
"Ah, but I have. I'm far superior to the Ancients. I became a traveler of the Lifestream and gained the knowledge and wisdom of the Ancients. And soon, I will create the future," Sephiroth smiled, ignoring Cloud entirely. His eyes met Aeris.
Aeris shuddered under his gaze.
"I won't let you do it! The future is not only yours!" Aeris retorted.
"Ha, ha, ha... I wonder?" Sephiroth turned to Cloud and raised his hand. "Wake up!"
At first, Cloud seemed not to react at all, but then something changed. His eyes slowly slipped out of focus, and he began moving towards Sephiroth slowly, as if he was being dragged along on a marionette string.
"There, Cloud... good boy," Sephiroth laughed, his hand outstretched.
Cloud slowly moved forward, lifting his own hand. The hand which still held the Black Materia.
"Cloud, no!" Tifa shouted.
"What are you doing?" Yuffie demanded.
Cloud moved forward even slower now, as though every step cost him a considerable amount of strength.
"Cloud!" Red shouted.
"Are you an idiot?" Barret cursed.
In one last cry of pain, Cloud slipped the Black Materia into Sephiroth's hand.
"Well done," Sephiroth grinned. A single large black wing shot out of his back and he flew into the air. "Thank you friends. Your help has been very much appreciated."
And with that he flew off to the north.
Barret and Vincent began firing wildly. Yuffie threw her shuriken and Red even tried to chase him for a few hundred yards until finally he was well out of sight.
Cloud collapsed to the ground, clutching his head.
"Cloud, are you all right?" Aeris asked. "Answer me!"
"I gave the Black Materia to Sephiroth? Wha... what did I do... tell me, Aeris…"
"Cloud… be strong, okay?" Aeris pleaded.
"What did I do?" Cloud cried. "What did I do!"
A dream. But not quite. There was something real about it. All Cloud could focus on was his own desperation.
There was a massive room filled with white light that slowly transformed into a brilliant forest of evergreens.
And then, a voice.
"Cloud, can you hear me?"
It was Aeris. He saw her walk into the frame of his mind, the center of this room… or was it a picture of a room.
"Yeah, I hear you. Aeris, what have I done?"
Aeris shook her head. "Don't worry about it."
"I can't help it!" Cloud shouted, and he sounded childish even to himself.
"Okay," Aeris sighed. "Why don't you let me worry about it? You just take care of yourself for now."
"What is this place?" Cloud asked, looking around the trees.
"This forest leads to the City of the Ancients... and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it. This secret is just up here. At least it should be. ...I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something.
Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."
"Aeris… don't go, please," Cloud begged.
But, she was off, deep into the forest. He tried to chase after her, but his feet would not carry him. A dark figure approached him from behind.
"She's thinking of interfering? She will be a difficult one, don't you think? We must stop that girl soon."
"No!" Cloud shouted, falling out of a wicker bed and landing on the ground of a hut.
"You look like you was havin' a nightmare. How are you feeling?" Came Barret's voice as Cloud felt his strong arms lifting him up off the ground.
Cloud dusted himself off. "I seem to be okay. Where are we?"
"Gongaga," Barret explained. "Cid thought it'd be the best place to lay low until we thought of a plan."
"A plan for what?" But suddenly another worry came to Cloud's mind. "Aeris? Where is she?"
Tifa walked into the room, having heard Cloud fall. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Where is Aeris?" Cloud asked.
Tifa hung her head. "Cloud. Aeris is gone."
Cloud sunk back into his bed and rubbed his eyes.
"No relax Cloud, we all out looking for her," Barret said.
"The City of the Ancients. Aeris is headed there," Cloud explained.\
"City of the Ancients?" Barret asked.
"It's some place in the north, the same place Sephiroth is heading," Cloud groaned. "Only the Ancients, only Aeris can save us from the Meteor…"
"Then we must go," Tifa said. "What'll we do if something happens to Aeris? And if Sephiroth finds her, she's in trouble."
Cloud shook his head. "Sephiroth. He already knows."
"Then why the hell are you still sittin' around?" Barret shouted. "Get off your ass, man!"
"No. I might lose it again. If Sephiroth comes near me, who knows what I'll do next time?" Cloud put his hands over his eyes once again.
"Yeah, goddammit! It's 'cuz of you that Sephiroth got the Black Materia in the first place. It's your damn fault!" Barret shouted.
Cloud didn't move his hands from his eyes. "I know it's my fault."
"I know you got problems... hell, we all do. But you don't even understand yourself. But you gotta understand that there ain't no gettin' offa this train we're on, till we get to the end of the line," Barret said, pounding his fist on the table next to him.
"Cloud, we came this far... Aren't you going to settle up with Sephiroth?" Tifa asked.
"That doesn't matter now!" Cloud shouted, standing up. "Don't you get it? I'm afraid if this keeps up, I may go crazy! I'm afraid…"
Cloud couldn't finish his sentence and he sat back down.
"Just a damn jackass, that's what you are. Since when the hell do you run away from anything, Cloud?" Barret cursed.
"Cloud," Tifa placed her hands in Clouds as she bent down next to him. "You'll come with us, right? I believe in you."
Barret marched out the door. Tifa let her hands linger in Cloud's for a moment longer before she too left.
After an hour, Cloud finally found the strength to join the group outside the hut.
"Cloud," Tifa reached her hand out for his.
"Hey, how are you?" Barret asked. "So what's it gonna be? You still our leader?"
"I want to come with you all. I don't know why I'm scared of the truth but…"
"If it happens, it happens. Don't worry 'bout it," Barret nodded.
Cloud nodded back.
"Very well. We're heading to the continent north of here. We need to look for this City of the Ancients."