Chapter 50: Connected

Over the course of their journey, Natalia and her companions had been through a lot. True they had visited many places and done all sorts of things, but even amongst themselves they had experienced an unimaginable amount of ups and downs. They had fought together and against each other, laughed, cried, shared secrets and even challenged a lifetime of beliefs. Score knows, she'd made more than her share of mistakes. Yet, in spite of all their experiences, good or otherwise, never had everyone's spirits been quite as uneasy as they were now, except, perhaps, for those dark days after Akzeriuth. But to be able to compare the atmosphere now to such a time merely spoke of just how affected they all were.

The loss of their companions still heavily weighed on everyone's mind, not that anyone dared speak of it. For Ginji's sake, more so than anything. He was utterly devastated and rightfully so. Had such an atrocity occurred in Baticul, had someone killed her father and friends... Natalia doubted she would ever find it in her heart to go on. There were areas in which her strength of will was sorely lacking, and she would be the first to admit it.

Luke seemed to be faring better, at the very least he seemed back to normal given the circumstances. His demeanor in Sheridan had shaken her more than she'd care to admit, and it seemed to have taken to Asch as well. Though she knew her fiancée had a dreadful habit of putting on a strong front, the lack thereof worried her even more. It showed just how bothered he was.

But they were all fighting against that little twinge of guilt inside. No one dared to say it, but there was no doubt it was their involvement that had drawn Van to Sheridan. Now there were many people dead, innocents, as well as their companions. True they had been able to save some, but it didn't seem like nearly enough. Natalia certainly hoped her uncle would see to it that those who were left didn't meet the same fate.

"I think I'm going to go check on the Albiore," Ginji stood up from his seat.

"Didn't you already give it a once over when you first landed in the hold? And then three more times yesterday," Anise pointed out, taking the opportunity to stretch. They were all sitting at Tartarus' controls, keeping an eye on things, but the autopilot feature kept them cruising along. It would still be another day or two before they reached Akzeriuth...or its crater anyways. The former Fon Master Guardian tilted her head curiously but Ginji didn't answer.

"With all the maintenance you've been giving it, you could probably have built a third Albiore by now," Guy commented. "You worried about Noelle?"

"Yeah," Ginji confessed.

"I know there's really no point in saying it, but try not to be. Noelle decided herself that she wanted to stay so she could help with the peace treaty. She can take care of herself, I'm sure she'll be just fine."

"I know..." Ginji mumbled. "But I'm her big brother it's-"

"It's your job to worry," Asch finished for him, sending a understanding smile when the pilot looked his way.

"Don't forget that Duke Fabre was there as well," Tear pointed out. "I'm sure he won't let anything happen to her or any of the other citizens."

"But will Father really be able to hold them all off?" Luke asked worriedly. "I mean, he's up against Master Van." Guy looked towards his best friend, and though the look in his eyes told Luke that he had an answer, he couldn't quite manage to say it.

"Given his past military accomplishments, I'm certain he'll be able to hold his own," Jade provided in the blond's stead. "He wasn't leading Kimlasca's forces on Hod for nothing."

"Van's changed a lot since then," Guy stated.

"Well Duke Fabre hasn't been sitting around doing nothing either," the Colonel pointed out. "And I doubt he would have allowed Van around his sons if he did not think he could best the man."

"What makes you say that?" Asch asked.

"Just a hunch," Jade shrugged. "Regardless, Ginji, if you're still looking for something to occupy your time I've something I'd like you to work on."

"What is it?" The silver haired pilot inquired.

"The measurements we procured at Mt. Roneal weren't programmed into the calculation device on the Tartarus. It needs to be done before we reach the core or we won't properly neutralize the vibrations. Also, you'll need to install the second fonic barrier onto the Albiore before we have to leave."

"I don't mind working on it," Ginji replied. "But, I don't really know a lot about how it works. Normally I'd experiment with it, but this is a bit too important to be fiddling around with."

"I'll come assist you in a moment," Jade provided before shooing the pilot off to fetch the frequency counter they'd brought back from Keterburg. "Guy, I take it you've watched long enough to work the controls?"

"Well yeah, but..."

"Then you can take over command for now. Call me if anything happens."

"Whoa, Jade! Are you sure?" Guy asked in shock. Though he knew that's where the conversation had been leading, Jade had never once relinquished control of the Tartarus. It was the only thing he had ever seemed possessive about. Not that anyone tended to argue; its not like they had known how to control the massive landship.

"The Tartarus is driving itself, I'm sure you'll manage," Jade provided taking a hand out of his pocket to wave the blond toward the controls as he exited the bridge.

"And Jade just triggered the apocalypse," Asch remarked.

"Hey!" Guy protested, throwing an apple at the offending redhead. Asch caught the fruit and added it to his own breakfast that was sitting next to the control panel he was in charge of.

"Hope you didn't plan on eating that," Asch taunted.

"Hey, I'm at the controls, I'm in charge," Guy shot back playfully.

Luke chuckled at their antics, something neither the blond nor the redhead failed to notice. It brought a smile to both their faces; Luke had been far too quiet over this trip for their liking. Not to mention the fact that everyone was a bit worried about him. How couldn't they be... after all, they were going back to Akzeriuth. Asch sat back in his chair and took a bite out of Guy's apple, returning his attention to the screen in front of him. He didn't like the potential outcomes of that one bit. Especially after going through what he had in Sheridan.

"So how much longer until we get there?" Anise asked.

"Another couple days at least," Asch provided. "But knowing the old man we're likely to sacrifice a few nights sleep to get there sooner."

"I'm afraid I can't argue with his logic this time around," Natalia pointed out. "Time is of the essence, and I'm afraid we don't have much of it."

"Yeah," Luke agreed. "There's a lot riding on us. We have to succeed... we can't let everyone's sacrifice be in vain."

"We won't," Tear offered her companion a comforting smile. "For everyone who gave their lives for the sake of a future for this world, we can't fail."

"You're right," Luke agreed.

Not now. Not ever.

---------

If it weren't for the memories that his nightmares dredged up, Luke might not have even noticed Akzeriuth at all. There wasn't anything there after all. Just a hole; nothing to indicate that the mining town had ever existed. But it was proving to more than impossible for the young noble to forget. His nightmares seemed to only increase in intensity the closer they came to the fallen city. Now, as he stared at the crater walls, he could feel it... the cold flesh rubbing against his arms, the deathly grips of the dying people, the suffocating sea of mud and miasma... it was all there, even while he was awake.

"Hey Luke, are you okay? Are you cold or something?" Guy approached his best friend and placed a hand on each of Luke's shoulders. Luke had his arms wrapped tightly around his chest, his hands almost white as he clutched them. At the comforting pressure of Guy's gesture Luke turned his head and met Guy's gaze. He tried to smile. He didn't fool anyone.

Though the two of them were standing on the deck, things quickly grew dark around them. After passing through the Qliphoth they journeyed even deeper down, towards the planet's core. Here where no light, not even the dim illumination of the Qliphoth, was able to reach. Guy kept his firm grasp on Luke, though his friend's shivering seemed to have subsided, the blond had an inkling that temperature had nothing to do with it.

He wanted to say something, anything, to bring some comfort to his distraught companion before him, but he didn't know what to say. What could he possibly offer his best friend, especially when he was part of the reason things had come to this. It was an impossible battle, and Luke was fighting it alone. He shouldn't be, he shouldn't have to... after all, he was only seven. Maybe he had an upper hand in terms of life experience, but he was still a child. It was just... too easy to forget that. Luke let out another shudder, and Guy could only wonder what just went through his head. Well, he may not have been there for Luke then but...

"You're not alone," Guy whispered comfortingly into Luke's ear. "Whatever battle you're fighting... I'll fight it with you if you'll let me." The blond took his hands off of Luke's shoulders. He could see better now. Luke didn't look like he'd responded to what Guy had said, which was fine for the time being. They could talk about things at a better time. For now, it looked like there was a distant light coming from below them...was there some kind of light source in the core?

It was a good thing; Guy suddenly realized he hadn't really thought things through. Jade had moved the calculation device, outer shell and all, onto the bridge where it stood the least chance of being damaged within the core. Of course, that meant they would have to activate the machine and cross the deck to get to the hold and into the Albiore. That wasn't going to be easy if everything was pitch black. After all, the Tartarus was on its final voyage; no one bothered to replace the fonstones that lit up the deck.

What the? A huge mass flew by the Tartarus as the ship continued to plummet into the core. Guy watched it in the faint light, unable to quite avert his gaze. Just what was this feeling? It seemed as if the stone had also drawn Luke's attention, but the look on the redhead's face told Guy he didn't feel the same way. To Luke, that strange stone wasn't... familiar. But if Luke didn't know it, than why did it ring a bell with him?

Just where had he seen that fonstone before?

"What's the matter Guy?" Luke's voice startled the blond, almost more so than the strange sense of familiarity he had with a rock in the core.

"N-Nothing," Guy shook off the weird feeling and eyed his best friend. Luke was looking at him curiously, every trace of his strange demeanor had vanished. "No really, it isn't anything," Guy repeated when Luke wouldn't give up. "That rock reminded me of something I'd seen before, but I was probably imagining it."

"What did it remind you of?" Luke prodded.

"I honestly have no idea," Guy shrugged. "But enough about me, how are you holding up?"

"Sorry, I was just... thinking about things," Luke finally managed. "I didn't mean to ignore you."

"That's alright," Guy patted his friend on the back. "But you know, sometimes it doesn't hurt to share things. It won't be so complicated if you have two people thinking about it."

"Thanks, I'll think about it."

"Well that defeats the point," Guy rolled his eyes and Luke laughed. The blond servant smiled; it looked like Luke really would be okay.

For now.

----------

Asch tapped his fingers nervously against the control panel before him. They had finally made it to the core. A golden light illuminated a miasma filled cavern far below the reaches of any inhabitant of Auldrant. This was the Tartarus' final destination... just as soon as that old man picked somewhere to stop!

Asch realized he was being unfair, all things considered it was important to find somewhere the Tartarus would stay for... well for the rest of eternity hopefully. It was just that his nerves were so high-strung... he just wanted out of there. The clock was ticking and there were precious few hours left on it. Not that Asch fancied the idea that the Tartarus would become dislodged and stop working five or even ten years down the road, but that was a problem for later, when he had his sanity back.

"This should suffice," Jade pulled the Tartarus to a halt. Several anchors were launched and lodged themselves into the stone walls, holding the great ship in place.

"Is everything ready?" Natalia asked. "Not to be the pessimist, but it won't give out in a few years, will it? We need this to last as long as possible."

"Natalia's right," Ion agreed. "The possibility of reviving the Sephiroth with our current knowledge is almost zero. We need to be sure we do this right and that it will last."

"At the very least it should buy us some time to do a bit of learning," Jade commented, which really did nothing to reassure any of them. "Where are Luke and Guy?"

"We're right here," Luke spoke up.

Tear met Luke's emerald eyes and was glad to see him doing better. He hadn't been looking very well ever since their approach on Akzeriuth and had retreated to the deck to get some air. Of course, it hadn't taken Guy long to follow him out to make sure he was okay. She wanted to go too, but no one else could be spared from the controls. Asch had assured them Luke wasn't going to do anything rash and only wanted time to think, but how could he be so sure of that?

"When you were up on the deck, did you happen to notice if the fonic glyph was still intact?" Jade began entering a sequence of codes on the terminal in front of him.

"It didn't look damaged," Luke provided. "What's that glyph for anyways?"

"When activated it will produce a strong air current to push the Albiore out of the core. The pressure neutralizing device on the Albiore will only last about 3 hours, so it is essential if we are to get out in time."

"That sounds just lovely," Asch rolled his eyes, his voice just dripping in sarcasm.

"It will work," Jade argued, finishing the last of his input. "Now let's be off, we've little time to spare."

The mysterious light that came up from the core lit up the Tartarus' deck, drawing out the fonic glyph that had been carved upon it. The miasma was surprisingly thick down here; was it really any wonder it had seeped up into the Qliphoth? Asch brought up the rear as he hurried Luke out of the bridge. Ginji was already waiting for them on the Albiore, and they only had a scant few hours to get out of there. It was going to be close no matter what way you looked at it.

There was no warning, no faint throb to tell of its coming, just a head splitting pain the likes of which Asch had never experienced... and Asch had experienced a lot. In the seven years since Luke was born, both of them had fought through more headaches than he cared to count, but none of them even came close to this. Someone could have run him through with a sword and it would have probably been less painful than the stabbing that ran through his head. He found his thoughts to be no more than a scattered mess, unable to realize anything but the mind numbing pain that had engulfed them.

But now wasn't the time... they didn't have any to spare. Asch couldn't let this stop him, once they got onto the Albiore he could give in, rest, whatever he needed to do, but not before then! He just- had to- The redhead only made it two more steps before he fell to his knees. Luke dropped right behind him.

"Asch! Luke!" Natalia called out, finding her path blocked by Jade's arm. The Colonel also held Tear back, refusing to allow either of them to the boys' side. But why? What was the matter? Couldn't he see they were hurt somehow?! Asch was on his knees, his elbows barely keeping his head off the ground, where Luke lay curled up on himself. Natalia tried to break past Jade's blockade only have him snatch her arm and haul her back.

"Master!" Mieu attempted to bounce towards his master only to have Anise snatch him. She knew when to go along with the Colonel, and given just how serious he looked, this was one of those times. She kept her other eye on Ion, but he got the idea and remained fixed to the spot, all the while fixing his worried gaze on Luke and Asch.

"Jade, what's going on?" Tear demanded, her own mind screaming at her to go help her friends.

"If you'd both calm down a moment, you'd notice the sheer amount of Seventh Fonons in the air right now," Jade stated sternly. Both girls froze and realized just what Jade was saying. Neither of them had ever seen remotely close to that many fonons, Seventh or otherwise, in such close quarters before.

"If either of you were to run to their side, much less attempt to heal them right now, you could very easily set off a hyperresonance," Jade continued once they'd stopped trying to reach the boys. "I won't risk it, here of all places."

"Then what do we do?" Natalia asked, her voice betraying how frantic she was feeling.

"We've no choice but to wait for them to get over whatever this is," Jade replied.

"I don't know if you've noticed Jade, but we don't exactly have all the time in the world," Guy added, his own voice sharper than usual. It had been forever since Luke had one of those headaches, why now? And why was it so bad that he was practically incapacitated?

"In the worse case Guy and I will have to fetch them, but considering how little we know about the circumstances, I'd rather avoid contact if we can," Jade stated as calmly as he was able. He had a very good idea exactly what might be going on, but there were some things that even he knew almost nothing about. He couldn't predict what the outcomes might be, so he couldn't risk the safety of any more of his charges. The outcome of this... would depend entirely on the twins' resilience.

---

Asch could faintly hear voices in the distance. The others were talking about them... he tried to listen, to focus on something else, but was rewarded by another wave of spine curling pain. He had to- was Luke-

You've finally come, you who are the same as me. Can you hear my voice? I must speak with you, let me... thank you.

The pain slowly began to abide; bit by bit it retreated leaving a strange warmth in its stead. Asch gulped in breaths of air, not realizing just how deprived he had been. Though it was mixed with miasma, the air relaxed his chest and slowly cleared his mind as the pain retreated. Whatever that was, he had every intention of never experiencing it again.

'Luke, are you-'

Asch froze dead in his tracks. Rather than the open door he had come to know as his connection to Luke, he found a wall. There were no words to describe it, no explanation that he could fathom; instead of his thoughts passing through to Luke, they came to a screeching halt. The older redhead frantically pounded up against the strange barrier he found in his mind, but the harder he fought, the more it solidified.

'Luke! Luke!! Are you okay?! What's going on- Answer me Luke!' The eldest sibling continued to fight, trying to force his words through. He wouldn't- no he refused to give up. He was not going to lose his brother. Not here, not now, not ever.

As Asch continued to fight, a soft and gentle feeling slowly began to leak out from the barrier and diffused through his mind. It was a warm feeling, one of calmness and serenity. It's okay. Don't worry. Everything will be fine.

No! Asch shook the feeling off, ignoring the thoughts that wavered across his mind. He wasn't going to be comforted, he wasn't going to be appeased. He didn't know what was going on, or what was doing this... but there was one thing he was sure of: whatever the hell this was it was going to give Luke back!

----

Luke had made it back onto his feet when Anise could finally breathe again. Just what had happened to the two of them to make them drop like that? Sure Guy had mentioned that they get weird headaches sometimes, but from what she had gathered, they were never quite this bad. She should have known something would happen though. They were in a rush, and that automatically meant that nothing would go smoothly.

Asch pulled himself up so fast Anise almost missed it. One second he was on his knees, the next he had spun around to face Luke. But in spite of how fast he'd moved, not one of them missed the look of sheer and utter fury on his face. Now what?! They weren't secretly mad at each other again were they? There was a time and a place, and this wasn't it.

"Luke!" Asch yelled at his sibling whose back was still turned. There was absolutely no reaction from the younger redhead. He simply stood there, his back to everyone. What was going on? Had Luke done something to cause this or to upset Asch somehow?

"What the hell are you and what did you do to him?!" Asch stared at Luke's back, refusing the soft and calming feelings he still felt flowing over him. He wasn't going to let whatever this was take Luke from him.

"Dammit!" Asch shouted when he still got no response. "I swear to Yulia if you don't give Luke back I'll- I'll-" Asch was so mad he couldn't even finish his threat.

"Give Luke back?" Tear wondered aloud. "What's going on here? Is something wrong with Luke?"

Finally, Luke let out a sigh and turned around, looking Asch straight in the eyes. Luke's eyes, however, were no longer a matching emerald but instead a blazing orange and golden, almost as if a fire flickered behind them. Only now did everyone notice the soft golden glow that enveloped their companion, only adding to the depth and brilliance of his eyes. Luke... or rather whatever was possessing Luke, smiled softly.

The innocence and carefree light that had shone in Luke's face was gone, and though it was still their friend's face, it wasn't Luke. His expression was different, filled with an ancient wisdom and an even older sadness.

"Lorelei," Asch finally concluded, his voice still seething in bitterness. Lorelei's smile widened and his eyes warmed a bit.

"That's right," Lorelei spoke using Luke's voice. Much like his expression had, Luke's voice no longer carried the gentle undertones or childish edge it had when he was whining; rather it felt imbued with a strength and presence Luke never had. "I am Lorelei, the Seventh Fonon itself... as are you."

"The aggregate sentience of the Seventh Fonon..." Jade mumbled, the gears in his head turning unexpectedly quickly. "Its existence was hypothetical but... if it really exists..."

"I don't care what you are," Asch spat. "Give Luke back."

"Don't be so concerned," Lorelei shook his head. "I have no intentions of harming you or this one. I simply wish to speak with you."

"Colonel..." Anise whispered as Lorelei continued to appease the flaming redhead whose brother he had abducted. "What's going on here?"

"It's exactly as it appears," Jade pushed his glasses up with his forefinger. "Lorelei is controlling Luke and using his body to speak with us."

"How are you controlling Luke?" Asch demanded, listening in on Jade's theories. He could still feel that warming feeling coming across his fonslots and only now realized that it was Lorelei's way of trying to calm him down.

"You are both a part of me... my very precious children." Lorelei replied, never losing his air of calm. And yet, even as he spoke such soft words, somewhere in those flickering eyes hid a mischievous light. His demeanor had a confidence and strength to it that was almost familiar.

"It's because Luke and Asch are both perfect isofons of Lorelei," Jade explained. "Asch's fonon frequency is identical to that of the Seventh Fonon, and Luke, in turn, is a perfect isofon of Asch. 'The light of the Sacred Flame' as they say."

"ND 2000. In Kimlasca shall be born one who inherits the power of Lorelei..." Ion quoted the Score. "So that's what it meant."

"But that doesn't explain how Lorelei is controlling Luke!" Anise protested.

"Lorelei is able to control Luke through his fonslots. The way in which a curse slot uses fonslots to manipulate memories and paralyze rational thought; only in this case, Lorelei is controlling Luke completely. I'd wager the difference lies in that fact that Luke and Lorelei share their fonon frequency. Even on a day to day basis they are, in a sense, connected, in the same way Asch and Luke are connected. Am I wrong?" Jade directed the last question at the being in question.

"No, you are correct," Lorelei confirmed with the hint of a smirk. "These two are my isofons, and as such, are a part of me. That is why I can ask this of no one but them."

"Then what is it you want?" Asch asked, his voice finally calming down a bit. "Why have you been trying to talk to Luke and I for so long?"

"I wish to be freed," Lorelei replied simply, his face becoming softer when he met Asch's gaze.

"Freed?" Asch seemed surprised by the answer.

"Right now, something large is absorbing my power. That is what is shaking the core and causing the Sephiroth to go out of control. Your actions have quieted the core, but they will not last forever. As long as I remain here, this tragedy will only be delayed."

"Why are you doing this?" Asch's voice rose, the undertones clearly carrying his accusation.

"This is not my choice," Lorelei argued back, his voice betraying emotion that the redhead hadn't expected him to possess. "This is not the future I wished for this world."

"Then what exactly do you want from us? Why are you even here in the first place if you don't want to upset the world?"

"There are many tales Yulia never left behind. I do not have the luxury of explaining the world's history to you right now. What you do need to know, is that as long as I remain trapped, this world will not escape its destruction."

Asch thought on Lorelei's words for a moment, clearly trying to decide whether or not he could trust him. His eyes didn't seem to lie, but then again it was Luke's eyes he was looking into. Damn Lorelei playing Luke against him like that! But any perceived foul play aside, there was a truth to Lorelei's words that seemed to resonate with him. Almost as if it was something he had known all along. He just hadn't realized it yet.

"What are we supposed to do to free-" Asch's question was cut of when the Tartarus shook violently.

"There is no time," Lorelei replied. "You must leave this place. I'll return this one to you; you must escape quickly."

"But what about-?"Asch protested.

"When we meet again I will tell you what it is I ask of you. Until then, guard your lives carefully."

I've no one else but you...

With those last words Luke's eyes closed and Asch just managed to catch his sibling before he collapsed onto the Tartarus' deck. Relief washed over Asch's face.

"You idiot," Asch said softly, unable to suppress a chuckle as he held his unconscious sibling. "You passed out before Lorelei even came into the picture, didn't you?"

"Luke!" Tear hurried to the redheads' side, Jade finally allowing them to approach once most of the fonons had dissipated. "Is he going to be alright?"

"I should think so," Jade provided in Asch's stead. "But we can contemplate that on the Albiore."

"Jade's right," Guy agreed. "We wait any longer and the fonic barrier's going to give out on us."

Tear placed Luke's other arm over her shoulder, earning her a grateful smile from his sibling. "How about you," the melodist asked. "Are you going to be okay?"

Asch thought on it for a moment before nodding. Nothing felt amiss, and the barrier that had erected itself between him and Luke had vanished. "Yeah," he finally said. "But Jade will fix that for us if we don't get on that Albiore now." Tear chuckled.

"Then let's hurry back. We still have a lot of work to do."

---------

Luke woke, or rather he thought he had woken, only to find himself in a vast sea of golden flames. But that wasn't really right, there weren't any flames, just a world of oranges and yellows that flickered like autumn leaves being tossed in the wind. Luke couldn't find any distinction, any barrier between ground and sky, it was just an endless world of burning gold.

What did his nightmares have in store for him now? What was the purpose of these strange colours that had invaded the darkness... the nothingness that he usually found? But... something else was different. There was no fear, no ice cold hands clutching his heart and squeezing his chest. It was calm, he felt safe; as if everything in the world would be alright.

Thank you.

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere all at once, a booming voice that encompassed his soul but at the same time, was as soft as a whisper in his ear.

"Who...?" Luke asked into the vast expanse of his mind.

I am Lorelei, the voice replied. I wanted to thank you for letting me speak with the other you.

"To Asch?"

Yes. Both of you are a part of me. You are both my isofons.

"Both of us? So then Asch is your isofon?"

That's right.

"But... Asch isn't a replica...is he?"

Luke was suddenly surrounded by laughter, warm and hearty, as one would expect from such a deep, penetrating voice. The redhead felt a twinge of annoyance surface in him, much like he felt when Asch or Guy would laugh at statements he made. Just great. He has the sentient whatever-it-was laughing at him, he must have really said something stupid.

I meant no offense. Lorelei seemed to have picked up on Luke's annoyance. No, Asch is not the same as you are, little one. None the less, you are both the same, you are both a part of me, and I need your help.

"You mean you need Asch's help," Luke answered, his voice betraying an overwhelming sense of disappointment. "Really, as far as you and the Score are concerned, I wasn't supposed to exist. I don't have any purpose...or any worth for that matter."

No, I ask this of you both. True, your birth was not foreseen in the Score I gave to Yulia but that is not an absolute truth. You, yourself, are proof of that. You are a great many things, but I would not deem you worthless. Unexpected, perhaps, but not unwelcome.

"You're just saying that because I'm a part of you, and you'd be insulting yourself if you said otherwise," Luke teased, his sorrow lifting a bit.

Lorelei chuckled, and the sound warmed Luke's heart. Perhaps, but perhaps you have simply yet to uncover your value. That is something even I cannot do for you. You will have to discover that on your own.

Luke took a moment to digest Lorelei's words. "So what is it you wanted from Asch and I?" He finally inquired.

I wish to be set free.

"You're trapped?"

I cannot leave the core, though I long to escape its confines. Here in the core something continues to absorb my power and is causing the Sephiroth to go out of control. As long as I stay here, the core's vibrations will remain a threat to the world.

"But, what can we do? I don't even know if we can come back to the core," Luke explained. "How can we free you?"

Later...when we have more time, I will tell you what I need of you. Do not concern yourself for now.

"Then what are you doing here?"

I wanted to thank you for letting me speak through you, and I wanted to tell you what I told the others. I felt you deserved to know.

Luke smiled. "Thank you."

Think nothing of it. Now you must go and rest. It has been far too long for you.

"But, I still have something I want to-" Before Luke could even finish his sentence, a soul draining weariness crashed over him. In spite of the questions he had for the being, Luke couldn't resist the calmness that wafted across his mind and slowly lulled him to sleep.

It was quiet here, safe and comforting. The regret and guilt that had so easily consumed him earlier was effortlessly swept away with half a thought and a fond memory of words Luke had desperately needed to hear. Unexpected...but not unwelcome. He still hadn't found his value or his place in this vast world... but maybe Lorelei was right, maybe there was one out there for him after all. Satisfaction washed over the young noble and he smiled in spite of himself. Here in the furthest recess of his mind, even the dead could not reach him.

And for the first time since Akzeriuth, Luke slept a dreamless sleep.