Red's grandfather was an elderly, wise-looking man with a bald head and long white beard, donned in a sweeping purple and yellow gown. He wasn't standing, but rather balancing on a hovering green orb that swelled with some sort of ethereal energy. His face was kind yet weathered and, even though it was apparent that they were not related, Cloud could see why Red would consider him his grandfather.

The observatory was modestly decorated but had all the mod-cons that a normal home would have: a refrigerator, a stove, a basin, some nice plush seats and lots of warm, ambient lighting.

Red was stood in front of Bugenhagen, his features mellowing as he let down his guard.

"Cloud, this is my grandfather, Bugen," beamed Red, his eyes brighter than normal. "He is incredible. He knows everything."

Bugen chuckled softly, almost melodically. "I hear that you looked after Nanaki a bit." He glanced towards the canine, giving him an adoring look that you would give to a youngster. "Nanaki is still a child you see."

Red turned to him, giving him a defiant look. "Please stop, grandfather, I'm forty-eight."

Perhaps sensing Cloud's bemusement, Bugen replied, "Nanaki's tribe has incredible longevity. So you see his forty-eight years would only be equivalent to say that of a fifteen or sixteen year old in human reckoning."

"Fifteen or sixteen?!" Cloud gasped.

"He's quiet and very deep," explained Bugen. "You thought he was an adult?"

"…Grandfather. I want to be an adult. I want to grow up to be able to protect you and the village."

"No, Nanaki," Bugen advised. "You can't stand on your own yet." He shook his head. "To do that now would destroy you in the long run." The elderly man looked up as if watching something that only he could see. "Reaching up into the heavens, threatening to snatch the very stars from the great city of Midgar." He caught both their gazes. "You've seen it, haven't you?" He chuckled again. "Well, that's a bad example. Looking up too much makes you lose perspective. When it's time for this planet to die, you'll understand that you know absolutely nothing."

"…When the planet dies?" asked Cloud.

"It may be tomorrow, or a hundred years from now… but it's not long off," replied Bugen with a sigh.

"How do you know this?" he probed. Cloud couldn't back down. He needed to know how the elder came to predict such a troubling premonition.

"I hear the cries of the Planet."

A haunting sound echoed from above, a mixture of strong wind and cascading waves yet still sounding otherworldly.

"What's that?" asked Cloud.

"The sounds of the stars in the heavens," replied Bugen, keeping his voice to a whisper as if not to disturb the atmosphere. "While this goes on, planets are born, and die."

A sharper sound permeated through the room, akin to a thousand people screaming in unison, rattling doors and sending vibrations through the floor. It gave Cloud chills and sent a shiver right down his spine.

"What was that?" he gasped.

"That was a scream from this planet," replied Bugen. "Didn't you hear it? As if to say… I hurt… I suffer…"

"They have come here on a journey to save the planet," stated Red. "Why don't you show them your apparatus?"

Bugen chuckled again. "To save the planet?" He scoffed as if he knew that the planet could never be saved.

Was he right? Had the mako-guzzling Shinra corporation sucked Gaia of its life source? More worryingly, did they even care? Maybe there was another cause of the planet's suffering; something far more powerful than a greedy corporation. Could Sephiroth have something to do with this? What about Jenova, the otherworldly specimen he called 'mother'?

"But, then again," Bugen continued, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to show him."

"Bugenhagen!" came a voice from behind the door. A young man stood at the entryway, a perplexed and somewhat worried expression on his face. "Several odd looking people have come."

"The whole place has gotten busy all of a sudden," replied Bugen casually, as if he already knew that the newcomers posed no threat.

"He brought friends too. I'll go get them," said Red. "Cloud, please call one of them. Only three people can fit inside grandfather's machine."

If anyone wished to find out more about the planet, it would be Aeris. She was stood not far away, in an adjoining room. Cloud called her into the observatory.

"May I come too?" asked Tifa. "I would love to find out more about the planet."

"Sure," responded Cloud.

"Here, over here," summoned Bugen. "The door's unlocked, come on in."

Cloud, Aeris and Tifa entered a small room that housed the mysterious machine. A huge glass dome towered above them. Stars twinkled in the dark sky and every now and then one would shoot across the night sky, leaving behind a sparkling trail so bright that for a split second it drowned out all the other stars.

"It looks like you have everyone together. Then let's begin," said Bugen proudly.

They all stepped onto a circular podium that was set just a few centimetres above the floor which whirred and juddered gently beneath their feet. Bugen flipped a switch and hovered towards the podium just as it rose upwards into the glass dome.

A digitally-rendered diagram of the solar system shone above their heads. Each planet had its own orbit, including Gaia, circling each other rhythmically as if performing an intricate dance.

So pretty… it's just like the real thing!" cooed Aeris.

"Hmm, yes, pretty good," said Bugen. "This is my laboratory." He hovered above them so that he was level with the visual display. "All the workings of space are entered into this 3D Holographic System."

"Hey!" cried Aeris, pointing upwards. "A shooting star!"

Cloud saw it too. It was bright, burning bright yellow like the hottest flame. Its tail was long and sparkling like golden diamonds. It was mesmerising. It circled the entire display before eventually dissipating.

Then another object appeared, beautiful in its own right, but also deadly, capable of swallowing anything, even light; a black hole. Before their very eyes, the cosmic beast pulled planets, moons and asteroids towards it before swallowing them whole.

There was a flicker as the display corrected itself and all the objects went back to their rightful places.

"Wow, how wonderful," gasped Aeris.

"Yes, it is something, isn't it?" chuckled Bugen. "Well, let's get to the subject." He cleared his throat. "Eventually… all humans die. What happens to them after they die? The body decomposes, and returns to the Planet. That much everyone knows. What about their consciousness, their hearts and their souls?" He paused, allowing Cloud to digest the information. "The soul too returns to the Planet. And not only those of humans, but everything on this Planet. In fact, all living things in the universe, are the same. The spirits that return to the Planet, merge with one another and roam the Planet. They roam, converge, and divide, becoming a swell, called the 'Lifestream'."

Cloud felt emotions stirring within him that he rarely felt. It was as if the planet was sentient. Those screams were torturous to listen to. The Lifestream… a river of souls. Could they feel pain too? It was too much to take in. He glanced over to Tifa and Aeris and saw that they too wore pained expressions on their faces.

"Lifestream…" continued Bugen. "In other words, a path of energy of the souls roaming the Planet. 'Spirit Energy' is a word that you should never forget. A new life… children are blessed with Spirit Energy and are brought into the world. Then, the time comes when they die and once again return to the Planet… Of course there are exceptions, but this is the way of the world. I've digressed, but you'll understand better if you watch this."

The planetarium darkened as the digital image of Gaia grew larger and clearer. Cloud could see the continents and the oceans. Trees and mountains sprouted from the ground as the figure of a person comprised only of bright yellow orbs stood at the top of the planet. It rose and then died almost instantly, but the orbs dispersed, travelling all around the world. A new life began as others ended, each one having its own life source. In a split second, the surface of Gaia was brightened as the orbs spread across land and ocean. It was magical to watch and brought a tear to Cloud's eye.

"Spirit Energy makes all things possible, trees, birds and humans. Not just living things, but Spirit Energy makes it possible for Planets to be Planets. What happens if that Spirit Energy were to disappear?"

Bugen hovered slowly upwards so that he was level with the planet, raising his arm as he did so. The bright orbs of Spirit Energy that were swirling around its surface began to gravitate towards Bugen's hand until Gaia was bare and barren, now nothing more than a dark sphere. Cracks ripped through it and the planet fell through the air in three jagged pieces. The display sent chills down Cloud's spine.

"…These are the basics of the Study of Planet Life," Bugen explained, a sombre tone to his voice. "If the Spirit Energy is lost, our Planet is destroyed… Spirit Energy is efficient BECAUSE it exists within nature. When Spirit Energy is forcefully extracted, and manufactured, it can't accomplish its true purpose."

"You're talking about Mako energy, right?" asked Cloud.

"Everyday Mako reactors suck up Spirit Energy, diminishing it. Spirit Energy gets compressed in the reactors and processed into Mako energy. All living things are being used up and thrown away. In other words, Mako energy will only destroy the Planet…"

It was true then; Shinra and their money-grubbing schemes were destroying the planet. Did they realise that? Cloud guessed they'd have some sort of inkling to the damage caused by the Mako reactors. After all, the pleasure that came from money and power was like an addiction; even though you knew it was damaging you felt a strong urge to continue on that you couldn't stop no matter how hard you tried. Then again, that would mean having some sort of conscience, and Shinra was lacking in that department. Cloud shook his head.

The Planetarium darkened as the eye-opening display finished. Cloud and the others descended down into the laboratory with Bugen. He turned to Cloud.

"The story of the planets… and those who lived with them…" he mused. "You want to know more? Then you must listen to the words of the elders."

Cloud and the others bid Bugen farewell and left the observatory.

To be continued…