Chapter 16: The Temple of the Ancients
Cid Highwind was beginning to regret having offered further services to Vincent Valentine. He hadn't minded picking the group up just a few days ago- they'd been fairly close to his hometown anyway.
But now Valentine had him fetching some trinket that some guy in Junon had found in Bone Village while on vacation. Cid had been given Avalanche's pin number in order to withdraw over two-hundred thousand gil, apparently the cost of that dinky stone he was now bringing over to Mideel.
Cid shook his head. He'd had no idea Avalanche was so loaded.
This time, he was on his way to the beach, where he would be picking the gang up. Then he'd be ferrying them over to that godforsaken island to the west. On top of that, he was expected to just sit in the airship until they were ready to leave!
God, I must be a glutton for punishment…
For approximately two thousand years, the island where the temple stood had been completely uninhabited, save for a few animals- mostly reptiles. While Mideel may have had harsh weather, the climate here was undeniably worse. It was understandable why no humans had ever settled here. One might wonder if the Cetra had had some kind of resilience to the extreme heat.
Seeing Aeris drenched in sweat and panting hard like everyone else effectively disproved that theory.
"We're almost there?" she asked weakly.
"I can see something peaking over the treetops," Sephiroth announced, "I think we're almost there!"
The group began murmuring in relief. Of the thirteen people, only Sephiroth and Medea seemed to be unaffected by the temperature, just like their hike through Mideel's jungles only a few days before. Everyone else was exhausted.
Sephiroth sighed. This was not the way they all should be before entering the temple, and possibly encountering Jenova. If they were to encounter her right now, would he and Medea be enough? To handle Jenova- sure. He had confidence in his abilities But to protect the others from her? That, he couldn't say.
Zack seemed to be faring slightly better than the others. Sephiroth watched with disdain as the soldier handed his canteen to Aeris, who gladly accepted a few sips of water.
The group reached a clearing. Before them stood a bridge, leading up to a large stone temple.
Aeris' eyes went wide. "This is it…" she whispered, "The Temple of the Ancients,"
Whatever fatigue she'd suffered before had suddenly vanished as she ran over to the center of the bridge.
"I know…" she said absently, "I feel it…the knowledge of the Ancients…the Cetra…floating…"
She lay down and pressed her ear to the ground.
"Weirdo…" Reno whispered in a sing-song voice.
Jessie elbowed him. "Shut up!"
"You could become one with the Planet," Aeris seemed to be speaking to someone, "But you're stopping it with the strength of your will. For the future? For us?"
"What are you saying?" Cloud asked as he walked over to the bridge, "Do you really understand?"
Aeris ignored him. She got up and made her way up the stairs. She shook her head confusedly. "You're uneasy…but happy? I don't understand…yes…wait- what do you mean by another one of us…? Yes…you know that they're not all evil. Medea has been good to us. She wants to help!"
Sephiroth strode across the bridge and stood at the bottom of the stairs. As tempted as he was to make sure Aeris was all right, he knew how irritable she'd get if anyone interrupted her conversations with the Planet, or her ancestors.
Aeris seemed to snap out of her trance, and looked around.
"Let's go inside!" she called out to Vincent.
Vincent nodded, and began to cross the bridge as well, the others trailing behind him.
"Words…feelings…" Aeris said, still a bit dazed, "So many of them here,"
After placing the keystone on an altar, the floor around it had descended to a large subterranean area. The thirteen members of the party had barely managed to squeeze together for the ride.
Barrett looked around at the maze that now stood in front of them. "This is making me dizzy,"
"No kidding…" said Biggs, "What the hell's with this place?"
Tifa looked worried. "Do you think we're welcome here?"
"Doesn't matter," Vincent stated, "No exits from here. We can't turn back now,"
"And Highwind was actually complaining about having to stay behind…" Rufus muttered.
"Guys!" Aeris addressed the group, "I know it's going to be tough, but don't lose hope now! We can do it!"
Somehow, something about the teen's enthusiasm seemed to perk everyone up a little. At any rate, it was much cooler down here than it was up there. The party's morale was slowly returning.
"Nyum, nyum,"
Everyone looked down to see a little man clad in purple robes and a matching pointed hat staring curiously at them.
"Hey- wait!" Aeris called.
The little man turned and fled.
"We'll follow him," Vincent announced, "Let's go!"
The party traveled down and up several sets of stairs, twisting around everywhere. A few times, they tried to enter a couple of tunnels, only to encounter an invisible seal.
"God, that sounds awful!" Cloud cringed at the noise that the barrier emitted.
"Nyum, nyum,"
"Over there!" Jessie pointed at the room he'd disappeared into.
They followed the little man into a chamber.
"Whew!" Aeris exclaimed as she went up to the man, "We finally caught up to you!"
The little man stared at her. Aeris stared back, as if listening to him speak.
"You waited for me…?" Aeris then turned to face the group. "He's one of the spirit bodies of the Cetra. They've been away from their home for a long time to protect this temple. Over many years, they'd lost the ability to talk…not that they really needed words anyway,"
"Do they know if Jenova has been here?" Sephiroth asked.
Aeris turned to the Spirit Body. "Please talk to me. You seem afraid. Is it because Sephiroth is in this temple? Or someone else…?"
"Nyum, nyum!" the little man droned as he motioned for the others to follow.
He led them into a dark hallway. Near the end stood a small glowing pool. Aeris dashed over to it.
"It's full of the knowledge of the Cetra," Aeris said absently. "Or no…it's more like…the living soul…all of my ancestors…trying to say something. But I don't understand. I'm sorry, I don't understand! …What? What is it?"
Sephiroth had grabbed her shoulder, afraid she might fall in and disappear.
"Danger? An evil…consciousness? No, you can't just give me that and then say nothing! We need to know! If there's so much danger, then can't you just give it to me straight?! ANSWER ME!!!"
"Aeris!" Sephiroth shook the girl by her shoulders, "Calm down!"
The Cetra looked worriedly at Sephiroth. "Is this what I have to look forward to in death? Am I going to become part of some inarticulate, collective consciousness that can't even express itself properly? Is that what the Promised Land is supposed to be?!"
"Take it easy," Sephiroth soothed her, "I think those people were different. You remember Mom's stories about the fallen warriors, right? Perhaps that's them. Besides…you have to live first before you can worry about dying,"
"That's all very nice," Rufus yawned, "But can we get going now?"
"C'mon, Aeris," Jessie ignored Rufus' rudeness. She stepped forward and touched her friend's arm, grinning. "We're not done yet. You can have your existential crisis after we're done here,"
Aeris giggled softly.
"Jenova's got to be here," Sephiroth said as he looked around warily, "There's no other threat that could make the Planet so uneasy,"
Aeris nodded. "You're right,"
Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "No matter what she thinks…this ends here,"
"Damn straight!" Barrett yelled.
"Nyum, nyum!" The Spirit Body hopped up and down impatiently.
"Oh, sorry!" Aeris apologized, "Where to now?"
The little man pointed at a doorway at the end of the hall.
"Of course," Aeris said sheepishly, "That's the only way we can go,"
The party continued down the hallway.
"I hope Jenova will go down easily with all of us here," Tifa whispered to Cloud.
"I'm…so tired…" Cloud groaned as the group emerged from another maze.
Aeris turned to smile at the boy. "Just hang in there," she said, punching his arm playfully. "Someday, we'll look back at these hard times and laugh,"
A sudden, inexplicable feeling of dread came over Sephiroth upon hearing those words.
"Nice artwork," Biggs commented.
The room they now stood in was covered in murals. Sephiroth found himself looking at them. They seemed to tell a story. A ceremony in the temple that ended up with everyone dying in flames. The most jarring of it was the picture of a woman holding a black orb, resembling materia, while what looked like a giant comet or meteor fell behind her.
So cold…their treatment of it all…
Sephiroth looked around, alarmed.
It will only be the same for you…fortunately…I am always by your side.
"Is that supposed to comfort me?" Sephiroth asked aloud.
"Uh…Seph?" Barrett said slowly, "Who're you talking to?"
Look at the mural, my son.
"I am not your son!!"
Behold the ultimate destructive magic…Meteor. I must thank you for using the keystone. Now…we can become one with the Planet…you can take the girl with you…she's yours…no one else's. Once we're one with the Planet, you'll have her all to yourself.
"And how do you intend to become 'one with the planet'?" Sephiroth asked sarcastically.
The Planet will gather spirit energy to heal itself when injured. The greater the wound, the greater the amount used. Now…let's say that the injury was…life-threatening? The energy gathered would be beyond comprehension.
And at the center of it…you and me. Melding with the Planet, we'd cease to exist as we are now…only to be reborn anew, as a goddess…and her son. A god, Sephiroth. You could rule over every soul…and take the one of the girl…to rule at your side.
"Yeah, the 'new enlightened race' of Cetra, Seraph and human!" Sephiroth snarled, "I've heard it all before!"
Aeris scowled. "New race?"
Sephiroth ignored his slip and continued to glare around him.
"An injury powerful enough to destroy the Planet…?" Medea frowned, "This is bad…so much worse than I thought,"
"What the hell is going on, woman?" Rufus demanded to know.
"There's a black materia orb in here," Medea explained to everyone else, "We can't let Jenova get her hands on it,"
While Medea continued to explain to the rest of the group, Sephiroth continued his conversation with Jenova.
You're afraid. Of what? It has to do with the girl. You say she's too young. By whose standards? By the human standards? Humans may have their usefulness, but their reasoning is flawed. One smooth-talking person sets a precedent, that the others blindly follow. Are those the standards you should adhere to? She is younger than you…but she's physically mature. See how devoted she's always been to you! She follows you unquestioningly. She adores you! What would happen if you decided to climb into her bed tonight?
"NO!!!" Sephiroth screamed suddenly, "DON'T GET HER INVOLVED!!!"
"Sephiroth!!" Aeris ran over to the swordsman, "Please! Get a hold of yourself!"
"Calm down and focus on the wall!" Medea ordered him, "You can block her thoughts as well as your own! Focus!"
The silver-haired man sank to his knees, covering his ears. After a few minutes, his breathing returned to normal.
"I'm…sorry," he whispered.
Aeris smiled down at him. "Don't worry about it,"
She helped him to his feet, where he looked at everyone else staring confusedly at him.
"It's nothing!" Aeris told the crowd pointedly, "He's fine now,"
"If you say so," Zack shrugged.
The party murmured uneasily.
"Jenova's presence is gone," Medea announced.
Aeris threw her arms around Sephiroth. "You'll be okay…" she whispered, "I know you will. You're not Jenova…"
"But…" Sephiroth hesitated, and then shook his head. "You're right- I'm fine,"
Vincent stepped forward. "Now that we know our mission, we should keep going,"
"But there's no other way out," said Jessie.
"Look!" Biggs pointed at an altar in the corner of the room.
They hurried over to it. A small object resembling the temple itself stood in the center.
"Is that it?" Rufus asked.
Biggs scowled. "There's something written on it,"
Vincent frowned. "I can't read the script,"
"Let me try…" Aeris squeezed past the others, "My mother taught me when I was learning to read the regular alphabet. Let's see…bu…ra…ku…ma…te…ri…ya. Black materia! It is the black materia! It's right here!"
Biggs laughed. "Jenova must be really out of it! It was right in front of her and she didn't even do anything!"
"Could there be some kind of trap?" Rufus suggested, "After all, if this thing can destroy the world, the Ancients wouldn't have just left it there for any idiot to use,"
"He's right," Vincent agreed.
"Maybe I can try asking…" Aeris suggested.
She moved away from the others.
"…What?" she asked loudly. "…Really?!"
"What is it?" Zack asked.
"Don't interrupt her," Sephiroth said sharply.
After a minute, Aeris turned around to face the group. "They said that the temple itself…is the black materia,"
"What?" Tifa scowled.
"This whole building is the black materia," Aeris explained, "You see, this is a model of the Temple. And inside it is a device which gets smaller each time you solve a puzzle. As the model becomes smaller, the temple will become smaller too. Until it's small enough to fit in the palm of your hand,"
"Then if we solve the puzzles, the temple will shrink?" Jessie asked, "That doesn't sound so bad. Let's grab it and get the hell outta here!"
Aeris shook her head. "It's not that simple. You can only solve the puzzle inside the temple. Meaning…anyone who solves the puzzle will be crushed by the temple,"
"Shit…" Barrett whispered.
"No wonder Jenova left it alone for now," Vincent sighed.
"Nyum, nyum!"
Everyone turned to see the Spirit Body standing in the doorway. He then trotted over to the altar. "Nyum, nyum!"
"What's he saying?" Tifa asked.
Aeris' eyes widened. "I can't let you do that!"
"Nyum, nyum!" the little man said stubbornly.
The Cetra was visibly upset. "He says he trusts us…and knows…that the black materia will be safer in our hands…he offered to give it to us…but he'd get killed!"
"Nyum, nyum!" the little man reached out and took her hand.
Aeris sniffled and forced a smile. "…Well…if you're sure…then I can't convince you otherwise, can I?"
The Spirit Body let go and waved his arms at the party, as if shooing them outside.
"Let's go!" Aeris exclaimed as she ran toward the door.
The others quickly followed.
May you find the Promised Land soon, little friend…Aeris thought as she hastily wiped her eyes.
"Do you think it's safe now?"
The group had barely made it out of the temple in one piece. Not only had the temple itself been a trap, but the solving of the puzzles had released a few monsters as well, delaying their escape. Rufus had suffered a few bad injuries during the commotion, but they were not life-threatening. Aside from a couple cuts and bruises, everyone else seemed fine.
Vincent had ordered everyone back on the airship, save for himself, Sephiroth, Aeris, and Medea. The four had watched the temple shrink until the commotion finally stopped.
Vincent looked at his son and nodded. "I'll stay here and keep a lookout,"
"As will I," Medea said.
"Let's go, then!" Aeris dashed over to the edge of what was now a large hole, and began to climb down. Her initial grief over the Spirit Body's sacrifice had faded after hearing its voice reassure her one last time as they watched the temple collapse.
Sephiroth followed her, jumping into the pit rather than climbing down.
"Show-off," Aeris joked as she reached the bottom.
Sephiroth noticed a black orb lying in the dirt. He went over and picked it up.
"We did it!" Aeris cheered, "Now we just need to corner Jenova in the flesh, and she's done for!"
"Can't you just use that to fry her?" Sephiroth asked.
"No…" Aeris said as she gazed at the small round object, "Not here…more like…a place where there's a lot of spiritual energy,"
"So you need spiritual energy, to conjure up more spiritual energy," Sephiroth murmured, "That sounds like a catch-22,"
"Not really," Aeris told him, "There is one place where there's enough energy emanating from the Planet. It's the place Shinra would probably refer to as the 'promised land',"
"As in…" Sephiroth looked at her.
"The place where Jenova landed," Aeris finished, "Beyond the Ancient city, there's the Northern Crater. Mama told me about it years ago,"
"So we lure her over there and fight her with this," Sephiroth concluded, "You're brilliant, Aeris,"
The teen looked away, slightly embarrassed by the praise.
Who is luring whom?
Sephiroth's head jerked up at the sound of Jenova's voice in his mind again.
I don't want to have to be so pushy, but you leave me no choice…wake up, my son.
Sephiroth fell to his knees.
Don't be afraid…
Aeris' concerned words fell on deaf ears, along with Medea's desperate pleas.
Jenova quickly flew into the pit, seemingly out of nowhere.
Vincent took out his gun.
Aeris drew her sword.
Sephiroth got to his feet, and with a yell, threw the orb at Jenova with all of his might.
Such a willful boy…Jenova sneered as she caught the orb as if it were a baseball. But well done. I will see you soon. You already know where.
She then shot up into the air and flew off.
Medea closed her eyes, and flew up into the air as well. However, Jenova was already out of sight. The woman hovered in the sky, cursing herself for being so out of shape compared to the madwoman they were chasing after.
"I…gave it to Jenova…" Sephiroth whispered, "I just…handed the lives of the entire world to Jenova…!"
"Please…" Aeris pleaded, "Be strong, Sephy!"
"What have I done?!" Sephiroth drew his sword and began slashing wildly at the air.
"It's not your fault!" Aeris insisted.
"I…" Sephiroth suddenly turned around and slashed at Aeris. With a cry of surprise, the girl ducked and rolled out of the way, leaping back to her feet.
"Damn!" Vincent cursed as he began climbing down the edge of the pit. Aeris may have been a skilled swordswoman, but it was her agility that made her good- not her strength. There was no way she would be able to block Sephiroth's incredibly powerful attacks.
"Stop it, big brother!" Aeris cried as she kept dodging his sword.
Her words only seemed to make him even more agitated. He swung his sword one more time. Aeris dodged, but part of her shirt became caught on the tip of the blade. Rolling away, nonetheless, Aeris quickly got up again to notice a large tear across the top of her shirt.
Sephiroth noticed it as well, and tossed his sword away, moving to grab at what the tear had exposed.
Yes…take her now! Give her something to look forward to when she becomes part of that spirit energy!
"SLEEPEL!!!!"
Sephiroth faltered, stumbling for a few seconds, before he toppled over.
Medea descended into the pit. "What happened?!"
Vincent popped a materia orb out of his gun. "He went completely berserk and attacked Aeris,"
"I'm fine…" Aeris said shakily. She then noticed the tear in her shirt, and covered herself with her arms, mortified.
Idiot! Medea silently berated herself for not paying attention to the situation below. She unfastened her cloak, and tossed it to Aeris.
"Thanks," Aeris wrapped the brown fabric around her shoulders and clutched the top part together with one hand. How Medea had been able to stand the heat in that thing was beyond her, but at least it kept her covered.
"Let me help," Vincent held out his hand to the girl.
"I'm fine!" Aeris insisted impatiently as she began to climb out.
Medea sighed. "I suppose we should get him out of here…"