Now that the coast was clear, the group shimmied down a thick wire that was dangling from the edge of the road and onto terra firma.
The ground was sandy and soft beneath their feet; a far cry from the harsh metal and grubby concrete that you could never truly escape from in the city.
No one who lived in the Slums could escape for a thick glass barrier separated the two areas. Beyond the glass lay the ruins of Sector 7. Cloud imagined all of the dead bodies that were still trapped; of Biggs, Wedge and Jessie; of children who should have had their whole lives ahead of them; of families torn apart. He thought of all the people who had somehow survived the initial destruction only to die slow, painful deaths within the darkness.
He shook his head as if by doing so all the bad thoughts would disappear, but they remained. They always would. As he looked around the group and studied their features, he knew that they too were also struggling. They had to fight on. Sephiroth was out there. Rufus too and the Turks. Even though the former President was dead, nothing had really changed. In fact, things would probably get a lot worse.
"You know what?" Aeris began as she looked around at her new surroundings. "This is the first time I've ever left Midgar…"
"Really?" Cloud asked. "You worried?"
"A little," she replied, fumbling with her mousy hair. "…No, maybe a lot. But I have my bodyguard, right?"
Cloud nodded and smiled. He couldn't go back on his promise now.
"…I guess this is the start of our journey…" Tifa mused, her brow slightly furrowed.
"You hate travelling?" asked Cloud, noticing her anxiety.
"…I don't know. But, I don't have anywhere else to go. So I guess it doesn't really matter whether I like to travel or not."
While he initially felt bad, this was her choice. No one was forcing her to come, although he would also hate for them to be separated again after only recently reconciling. After a moment her shoulders relaxed and she smiled.
Cloud turned to Red.
"I'm going back to my hometown," he said stoically. "I'll go with you as far as that."
He turned his head away from the group, signalling that he wanted the conversation to end. Red was an enigma. Cloud also thought he was wiser beyond his years and a good ally. They couldn't lose him. He was intrigued to find out where he came from and what his story was all about.
"You alright?" Cloud asked Barret.
"We told Aeris's mom to go somewhere safe," Barret replied, "so Marlene should be safe too."
"Yeah, she should be."
"She said she didn't want to stay in Midgar anymore," added Aeris as she turned to Cloud and Barret. "…Maybe it's for the best."
Cloud looked ahead. The landscape looked vast from this angle, spanning the entire horizon. The sky was clear and brightening. It was going to be a nice day.
"Then… let's go!" he commanded.
Barret began to wave his arms around and wore a smug look on his face.
"We need a group leader for our journey. Course only me could be the leader," he proudly declared, puffing his chest out for dramatic effect.
"You think so…?" Tifa asked, a sardonic tone to her voice.
"It would have to be Cloud," Aeris calmly informed the group.
"Shit… alright," Barret huffed, realising he was outnumbered. "Go northeast to a town called Kalm. If something happens, we'll meet up there." He plonked himself down on the sandy soil. "'Sides, we can't have five people strolling down the fields. It's too dangerous. Split us into two parties…"
Even though the general consensus was that Barret should not be the leader, he was proving otherwise. He was wiser than he looked. Brawn and brains. So it was possible to have both.
Cloud decided to take Tifa and Aeris with him. Barret looked at him and scoffed.
"…Thought you'd do that," he said with a slight laugh. He put up his hand and waved. "Later, at Kalm!" he yelled as he and Red made their way into the outside world. After checking their weapons and Materia, Cloud and the girls followed.
The fresh air was invigorating and cool against his face and the morning sun warmed his skin. It smelled of grass and soil and salty ozone coming from a nearby beach, but he couldn't see the ocean just yet.
There were a few wild monsters roaming the plains. Most kept their distance but a few attacked, possibly males protecting their territory. They were easy enough to see off.
They ascended a deep grassy slope and saw a small beach on the other side. The waves were lapping at the golden sand, some crashing and foaming at the shoreline and creating a brilliant sound that you would never hear in Midgar. He had missed so much of the natural beauty this world had to offer, but not anymore. He'd travel this world if he had to, especially if it meant finding Sephiroth.
The sun was high in the sky when they finally reached Kalm. It was a picturesque little village paved with purple bricks and lined with quaint houses. It was a welcome relief to the greys and browns and dullness of Midgar. Not even the opulent upper world could compare to this.
"So this is Kalm?" asked Tifa as she looked around with bright eyes.
"I wonder if everyone's there already," Aeris wondered. "Let's hurry over to the inn!"
A sudden, deep feeling pounded at his heart like a fist. It was neither pleasant nor unpleasant, but it was powerful. Kalm reminded him of his hometown of Nibelheim. He longed to go back, even though the Nibelheim he once knew no longer existed. The fire. Oh, how it spread. It took everything he cared about. So many lives had been lost that day…
Mom...
He blinked and shook his head and like a bubble popping in the air, his thoughts disappeared.
"Let's go, Cloud," said Tifa as she made her way into the inn.
The inn was quaint and homely with cream-coloured walls and dark-brown beams. It smelled of flowers, cinnamon, wood and old books. Cloud took a deep breath in as though the air was a tonic that would cleanse his soul. He could already feel his muscles loosening.
A middle-aged receptionist with dark auburn hair stood behind the desk. Her face was cheery and welcoming.
"Mr… Cloud?" she asked. "Your party is waiting for you on the 2nd floor."
He emerged into a cosy bedroom with dark floors and beautiful pictures of flowers and landscapes hanging on the cream-coloured walls. The left-side wall was lined with freshly made beds. Cloud could smell the clean linen. It reminded him of the scent of his mother.
"Cloud, you're late!" squealed Aeris as she placed her hands on her hips. The tiny smile that crept onto her lips betrayed her bossiness.
"Yo man, you're late!" Barret repeated. They sure were an impatient bunch…
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"Guess everyone's here now," said Aeris.
"So let's hear your story…" Barret urged. "You know, the one about Sephiroth and the crisis facing the planet. Let's hear it all."
Cloud cleared his throat as he made his way into the middle of the room.
"…I used to want to be like Sephiroth, so I joined SOLDIER. After working with Sephiroth on several missions, we became friends."
"You call that a friend?" Barret quipped.
"Yeah… well… he's older than me, and he hardly ever talked about himself." He folded his arms across his chest. Talking about Sephiroth and reliving that day made him feel insecure and he didn't like it. "So I guess you could call him a war buddy… we trusted each other… until one day…"
"…One day?" asked Aeris.
Cloud turned and looked ahead to the wall that joined onto the staircase.
"After the war it was SOLDIER's duty to put down any resistance against the Shinra… that was five years ago. I was sixteen…"
To be continued…
