34
To the Forested Temple
The flight was densely quiet.
Cid didn't even play the radio as he steered all of us South East, low under the overcast. He puffed cigarette after cigarette, tossing the bits of them into an ashtray that settled on his dashboard. Just like Cid's hands on the wheel, the glass ashtray trembled against the buttons, spreading the growing pile of cigarette waste flatly. He lit another, and let the rolled tobacco, paper, and chemicals burn into his throat and down into his lungs, trying to calm his nerves.
No one slept, but no one spoke either, all eyes to the windows to watch the colors of fall spread below. I pushed a hand nervously up against the thick plastic window, and looked below us. Beyond the weapon maker's cabin, more green emerged, along with many forests of trees with leaves in yellows, oranges, and reds. It was the scattered cluster of bright red ones that intrigued me the most, how they stuck out in a world of bloom, bleeding spots in the forest touched heavily by autumn. A white mist slipped in between the trees like a smoky river, growing thicker and thicker as we made for water.
In my green dress and cloak, I sat back in my seat, and lifted my arm up to gaze at the newly repaired bracer. It glimmered easily, its Mythril in perfect condition, the Materia slots gone as requested, and sturdy in around my forearm, almost more comfortable than before. It felt lighter, my arm floating easily over my lap.
"Yep, this here piece can withstand against anything, and I mean, anything," boasted Kirt when we went to retrieve it just a little earlier. I fell back to how I felt when I tried it on, like it was the first time. I was a walking puzzle set, missing only one piece, and knew that I've found it when my hands got a hold of the bracer again. There was a long breath of relief when it clipped easily into place.
I dropped my arm quietly, and stole a quick glance down the aisle towards Cloud. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, his eyes stuck to his window with blank eyes and a hand under his chin, his fingers working in a continuous rub. Against the hazy white light of the morning, I could easily see how one night changed the way I observed him. Traces of that little boy I saw that first day, faded away like dust, leaving behind a man who was ready to take on the world. It was easily seen in his stare when he simmered in his thoughts, a determined sparkle that warned the day ahead that there was no stopping him. Cloud might've felt my eyes, or maybe he saw them in his peripheral version, urging him to shift his until he saw me. It was tempted to blush and duck my head, but we were beyond that point of communication by now, and I lifted my lips softly instead, while enduring a small wave of heat through my body.
Cloud's eyes did the smiling for him, swimming in a dark blue ocean that gave me the temptation to reach. I wondered what he was thinking as we fell into a silent gaze: Our legs and fingers tangled together, being skin against skin, lips together in the dark, and feeling each other's heat? My promise to never run away again? Or what we may find at the temple? A soft red began to flush across Cloud's cheeks, making him feel the need to turn his head with a small gasp, and threw his eyes back to the window, swallowing.
I heaved a bigger smile, knowing where his mind wandered to, and turned my head to notice Aerith right across from me.
Her jeweled eyes lingered dimly to the water, her hands clasping the skirt of her blue dress tight along her thighs. I watched her bite her lip, as though her thoughts were spiraling. One jerk of the plane, and she smacked a hand over her lips, fighting another wave of hangover nausea. I reached and took Aerith's other hand, holding it strongly, and gave her a knowing smile. She settled herself, smile back, and we had a small connection, even if just to give each other a moment of peaceful contentment. What happened between me and Cloud remained private; the same with the kiss I shared with Aerith. I was lucky to have slipped back into bed with her the next morning, like it never happened, and yet, I was regrettably already longing for Cloud's closeness as I draped the covers over me. But I knew Aerith needed help managing her acute hangover, how she struggled to get up even when she knew we had to. The groaning and words of never drinking again declared from her lips as she rolled into me, oblivious to my private night.
Aerith and I learned towards each other, until our foreheads touched. We both closed our eyes, and felt the network of our energy merging. The inside of the small plane darkened, and green sparkles lifted and coiled around our arms and up over our necks. Through my nose, I inhaled slowly, yearning for more of Aerith's spirit falling into mine, until we were whole. I felt warm, like I was being deeply held by a motherly figure, and I let out an exhalation, my breath tickling her lips.
"You ready?" I whispered.
Aerith sighed, too, her eyelids lifted slightly, and her eyes fell to our hands folded together in between us.
"I am. Are you?"
She didn't even need to ask. There was that knowing look when her eyes opened up more, staring right into mine, so close, they almost blobbed together.
I took in another deep breath, my chest rising, and the magic saturated us like we sat inside a large green ghost.
"I'm ready to find a way to keep us together," I whispered. It seemed no one could hear our hushed voices, the magic pulling us away from the plane, even from the world. It was just us, like molding a little secret club with a tent over our heads, the freedom to share without others listening. A heaviness sank my shoulders to keep the secret from Cloud, but I had a feeling he was suspicious about it. There was no point to tell him if Aerith and I found a way to prevent it.
Aerith gave me a determined look, squeezing my hands tighter, the rest of her words locked away in her strong, emerald eyes.
The mist grew thicker. In between bursts of it, bits of dark green littered what was left of the blue sea. More and more islands appeared under the white, a glimpse of untouched lands.
Cid lowered us to get a better view through the low clouds, and the plane jittered. He flicked a few switches above his head as he warned in a shaken voice, "Landing is going to be tricky. Hold on to your pants, and don't piss in them."
The air cooled significantly as we neared more and more islands, one larger after the other, until the water finally disappeared. Aerith and I kept our hands together, floating them in between us as we both gazed through our windows. Hands of white fog brushed against the plane, giving us only little spots of green to notice. We flew lower and lower, until the dark green trees began to reach. I watched carefully, finding something dark and eerie about the land, how the trees had a black film to them, everything touched in permanent shadow. The fog flooded most of the green, splitting up in between the trees and dark green hills like a herd of ghosts, trapped and spreading the cold with their whispers.
I could hear them, and I sucked in a tiny gasp. Aerith must've heard them too because her eyebrows went up, and she bit her lower lip nervously as her eyes darted back and forth, like she was hoping to see a face or clearer source of its words.
And then we saw it.
It stood in the middle of the blackish green vegetation and mist like a black mountain, surrounded by broken parts of black stone wall.
Yuffie shivered, her arms wrapped tight around her thin frame and legs curled up underneath her until she was as a tight, little ball in her seat, eyes away from the window. Tifa bit at her nails, unable to look away. Red skipped across the aisle and into Yuffie's seat to get a better look, paws up to the window until his ears sank back, tail flopped. Barret bit his lower lip, shaking his head.
"There's no way in hell I'm going in that fucking thing," he growled, disgusted by the harrowing temple that only seemed to grow more intimidating as we neared it.
"I don't blame you," Vincent responded, an arm over Tifa's headrest to lean in and get a better look. Tifa pulled back in her seat, uncomfortable by his closeness, and flicked a piece of long, black hair off her lap.
Cloud rose, and walked over behind Cid to get a good view of the behemoth temple, his eyes hard on it like it was just another monster to slay.
Cid looked over his shoulder to the younger fighter for a few seconds, watching him, and then focused back to the front.
"I don't like this. Something doesn't feel fucking right. You sure you want us to land?" The pilot asked with an edge of uncertainty.
I looked over Aerith's shoulder to catch another one of Cloud's looks, and he pressed his lips together into a firm line. He looked away and told Cid, "I'm sure. Take us down."
Bits of leaves slid pass, whacking at the plane as Cid cursed, trying to find an opening near the shore. The whole plane trembled violently, just as afraid as the rest of us, when Cid released its tires and drew them into the sand. I almost fell out of my seat, but was saved by the seatbelt. Poor Aerith's head jerked so much, she couldn't contain herself, and quietly, she threw up into a bag. I don't think anyone even noticed, all eyes to Shinra's helicopter sitting there on shore, empty.
"It looks like they made it, after all," I worried, standing up close to the chopper only to find it left open and empty like a giant black skull sitting in the sand. Cid lit another cigarette carefully in his hand against the sea breeze. It seemed more and more fog hovered inland, almost like it was trying to keep the temple hidden as it sank behind the trees.
"I'll stay here, see if they come back, or just be ready when you guys leave. I'm not getting my ass anywhere near that doom and gloom shit," Cid grumbled, while the cigarette dangled in his mouth.
"Me too. I'm staying with you," Yuffie whined, hiding inside her yellow rain jacket to keep out of the cold mist.
I looked at the faded footprints from the chopper, following them into the misty jungle of darkness, and felt the urge to run back to the plane. But somehow, feeling Cloud's hold on my shoulder, reassured me, and he pressed softly.
"I'll go, of course," he confirmed, eyes warm.
Aerith stepped in to my other side, her head tucked as she gave Cloud a nervous look before ending with me.
"I have to," she whispered, taking my hand. Again, I was between them, and felt the silent uneasiness they both leaked.
I looked over my shoulder to find Vincent standing near the plane, his cloak, and long hair pulling him towards the jungle.
"Vincent, what about you?" I asked, curious. I liked having him around, even if he seemed trapped in an internal battle with himself or hiding in the shadows where he was most comfortable. His red eyes were dim, and they fell to mine, his arms crossed. His eyebrows went up, guilt falling into his white face, while his frown laid hidden into his collar.
I still wondered if my voice bothered Vincent, how it seemed every time I said anything to him, it just pulled him back to an old, lost love, a painful past.
He tilted his head up a little, almost in a nod, as he replied, "If my assistance is needed."
Aerith whirled her head around.
"It's needed!" She tried to sound bubbly, but it came a little shaky.
Tifa strode next to Vincent, her eyes searching up into the mist to find nothing, and she whimpered, "I'm staying with Barret."
Cloud turned to Barret, an eyebrow up.
"Barret, are you really staying?" He asked the displeased man. Barret frowned, an arm crossed over his gun one, and he shrugged his bulging shoulders.
"Yeah, kid. I hate to admit it, but this place gives me the creeps."
Cloud smirked. "Scared?"
The old Barret would've fired back a ball of curses and fire, but instead, all Cloud got thrown at him was, "You bet your ass I'm scared."
Our eyes grew, Barret tossing his anxious gaze towards the sea, where he pretended to find his home over its dark blue horizon.
"Don't go dyin on me, none of ya," he requested in a dropped voice, his way of wishing us luck.
Cloud taken aback, didn't recognize the man with a gun arm.
"Barret," Cloud didn't know what else to say. The big man simmered, and shook a fist at him.
"Go, before I kick your spiky ass for lingering, like this is fucking goodbye. We'll be comin if you all don't show up in a few hours, don't worry your ass too much," he hissed, sounding more like himself. I twirled around, followed by Aerith, and we smiled at the rest of the group staying behind.
"Be back in a minute," I joked.
"Yeah, a long minute," Tifa muttered, her long hair sweeping over her white shoulder. She lifted her dark eyes from the sand to mine, and something in them flashed a bit of pain, or maybe it was regret. She bit her lower lip, arms tight around her waist.
"Aqua," she gasped, looking down. I braced for whatever Tifa wanted to throw at me, but it was unexpected when she said, "Be careful."
My tension dropped, and I just looked at her before making a run, startling the both of us by wrapping my arms around her toned shoulders.
Tifa gasped, her body feeling surprisingly soft against me as I craned my head over her shoulder, the shore beckoning me to stay.
I felt her hands softly land on my back, and my eyes stung. There were so many things I could've said. Hundreds of apologies or "what ifs", but it felt enough just to squeeze into her, the silence settling in with our thoughts over our heads like a rain cloud, one falling after the other, but left at that. Tifa may have felt exact, pondering what she could say, but again, we left it alone, the physical contact saying it all for us. The pain, the arguments, the slap, and the instant turmoil between us, dissolved just a baby's step, but that was enough.
When I pulled back, I looked into her eyes, discovering the anger inside her gone, and I gave her one more smile before twisting around to join Cloud, Aerith and Vincent.
Tifa's smile instantly fell into a deep frown as she watched us leave.
"Be careful," she whispered, her words carried in the wind.
The dense forest swallowed the four of us inside, following the trails of white mist and its whispers. The earth was cold and hard, our step quiet.
I kept a hold of Aerith's hand as she moved with me, her movements quicker as both excitement and nervousness fell into her. My chest began to ache with a tightness, shortening my breaths as we walked deeper, the whispers growing. Tree branches and vines reached, scraping pass shoulders and arms. Cloud had his main hand hold his sword's handle, ready at any second to pull it free as he led us, his eyes searching for threat when the whispers obscured his ears.
I could strangely understand them, the whispers of the forest, like spirits guarding the temple, and they kept saying the same thing over and over again.
"Cloud, Vincent, do either of you understand the whispers?" I asked them. Vincent answered with a shake of his head, and he hissed, displeased with the noise.
Cloud replied, "I hear whispers, but I don't understand them."
He looked at me, questions in his eyes.
"What do they say?"
I gave Aerith a look, expecting her to hear the same message when I shared, "They keep saying someone is in the temple."
"Must be Shinra," Cloud grumbled.
But as we grew closer, I didn't feel right. The walls were closing in, standing as brittle stone before a tall temple, appearing decayed and yet, very much alive. My stomach began to hurt, and I winced to it, slowing Aerith down. I let go of her hand to rest against the wall, breathing hard. Cloud and Aerith turned, both faces becoming pale, and Vincent stayed in the rear, halting his step.
"Aqua?" Aerith's eyes pleaded with me, asking me silently what she feared most. I pressed my cheek against the stone, enjoying its cold, and shook my head.
"It can't be," I whispered, not trusting my body, and yet, the dreadful fear passed through all of us. The possibility that someone else, besides Shinra, could be inside the temple.
Vincent sniffed the dense air with careful consideration, letting it fall to his tongue, and he let it settle there for a second, processing the taste.
"I smell blood," he growled, and his eyes flashed before he turned his head away.
Before I could ask Vincent more, there was a cry coming from beyond the walls.
"Run! Go!" Someone screamed, crumbling over the tall steps until his body rolled onto the bridge.
All of us straighten as we focused on three bodies in dark suits scramble across the bridge, heading towards us with terror in their eyes.
Aerith squinted to the one with red hair.
"Reno?"
"Great," Cloud grumbled, pulling out his sword.
But Reno limped, a hand clutching to a bloody arm, its end wrapped thickly with bloody wrappings. I noticed his hand was missing. When the Turk saw us, I finally recognized him from the church in Midgar's slums, and it suddenly felt like years ago.
He gaped at us as he froze, his skin white and perspiring, mouth hanging open. Another Turk, Rude I think, stopped next to him, holding an unconscious Elena over his shoulder.
Reno looked at all of us, trembling and unable to stand up straight, and hissed right at Cloud.
"You're too late," he said through his bloody teeth, and he grunted, almost falling over. I couldn't help it, my doctor instincts made me rush to his side as he was about to pass out.
"Aqua!" Cloud cried, appalled that I would help the enemy.
I took Reno in my arms, my eyes observing the bandage to where his hand should've been. It was already bloody and leaking.
"He's lost too much blood," I was saying, feeling his weak and thready pulse in his wrist.
"Who cares," Cloud hissed.
I threw up at him a glare as I snapped, "Do you really think they want to fight us right now?!"
Cloud stiffened, receiving a tone I rarely used, lover or not.
Vincent chuckled, "Do as the lady says."
Aerith knelt beside me, her hands hovering over Reno.
"Let me see if I can help," she whispered, disliking the idea, but knew it was the right thing to do.
Cloud just glared as Reno's battered body glowed, Aerith's healing magic slowly closing his wounds, but she couldn't give him back his hand. Reno rolled his head over my lap, groaning with his eyes fluttering open.
"Don't go in there. You'll get killed," he warned when he looked to me, and then Aerith. He closed his eyes again as he tried getting up on his own, wincing at the phantom pains of his arm.
"Just like Tseng," he finished.
Aerith suddenly jolted to her feet, and she gasped loudly, "Tseng!" And she ran.
"Aerith, wait for us!" Cloud cried, following. Vincent and I ran pass the Turks, leaving them in disbelief as Reno turned his body to watch us take the bridge.
"You'll get yourselves killed," he hollered with a hand over his blood lips, followed by a hiss of, "Idiots!"
Wind began to pick up, blowing the mist further into the temple. Trees shook violently, giving a prediction of trouble ahead.
Rude turned to Reno and grumbled in a low voice, "We need to hurry before we can't leave this island."
And they rushed into the forest, away from the temple, where the threat grew, like a beast slowly waking up from a long slumber.
I couldn't keep up with Aerith, huffing as I took one step at a time, feeling nauseous. Vincent gave me a hand, but I shook my head as I slammed my hands on the higher steps, the stairs steep.
"Go on ahead. I will get there eventually," I struggled, half crawling and lunging.
Vincent swooped an arm around my waist, and my feet were hovering over the steps. He had remarkable strength, not human, and I gawked at him as he easily carried me like a barrel to his hip all the way to the top.
When we reached the last step, the whispers were all around us, knowledge of the Ancients floating freely like it was all in the air, of the stairs, the columns, and the stone. I stiffened a moment to process all the words crashing at once, too much to follow, and had to take it into pieces. My busy mind absorbed trickles of the wisdom that saturated the temple with protective magic, and something much darker lurking in its walls.
Aerith and Cloud stopped before a body when Vincent and I finally caught up. I'd expected it to be the other Turk when I fell into step beside Aerith, but pulled my head back when it was a body of one of those cloaked zombies.
It laid there, motionless before the entrance, stiff white hands stuck reaching into the temple, with a tattoo numbered, "IX".
"It's another one," I mumbled aloud, laying a hand on its back to feel how cold it was, the cloak wet and thin.
"It's a Sephiroth clone," we heard, the voice familiar.
All heads turned, and there, hiding behind a pillar a few yards away, stood a trembling Cait Sith. He held his wet paws up to his teeth, his fur disheveled and missing half his tail and crown. As soon as Cloud saw him, he drew his sword.
"You!"
He marched forward, and the cat threw his paws up as he screeched, "Wait! I'll tell you everything I know! I promise! I know what's going on!"
Cloud held his sword over the cat doll, fighting his thirst to cut it in half, when he turned to me for help with the decision.
I looked beyond Cait Sith, finding Mog's body fall to ruin like a broken pile of white fur and wires, half his head cut clean, and missing a robotic arm and leg.
"What happened?" I gasped, standing next to Cloud, and Aerith came in closer, while Vincent kept his distance.
Cait Sith rammed his paws over his ears, shaking his dirty head.
"It was Sephiroth. He's here," the cat cried, trying to contain himself. All four of us shared a look of dismay.
Cloud lowered his sword, and rested it beside him like a staff.
"Sephiroth is here? What happened?" He hissed, edging his threatening eyes closer. The cat tensed, his half tail lifted, and it sparked from a loose wire.
"We wanted to get the inside the temple, to learn more about the location to the Promise Land, and get the Black Materia before Sephiroth did. I don't know why he wants it, but we do know it's powerful, and it's in this temple. That's why I took the Keystone, and we had hoped to get our hands on the Materia. But Mog and I fell behind, and well..." The rest was obvious when Cait Sith dropped his head, and he looked over his furry shoulder to his buddy, Mog, or what's left of him anyway.
"I dragged what I could, but I couldn't warn the others. I saw Reno and his two pals just leave, but I'm not sure about Tseng. Either way, I'm afraid we're too late. Sephiroth is already inside," he whispered, his pointed ears drooping.
The whispers repeated his words, filling in the air with his name like the plague. I heard them begging us to get him out, how he didn't belong in this temple, or on this Planet for that matter. I didn't quite understand, and I looked to Aerith, the frightened woman giving me a startled look, hearing it too.
I shivered before another uneasy sensation settled in my belly, and I rested my hands over it.
"And the cloaked men? You said they are Sephiroth clones?" Vincent asked, inching closer into conversation until he was right behind me, his presence like an overcast.
Cait Sith lifted his tiny eyes up pass me to the threatening growl of the grim man, and whimpered, "Yes. Hojo made them a long time ago. After the success of Sephiroth, he wanted to make another, and used the survivors of the Nibelheim fire for tests."
I threw both hands over my mouth, and quickly whipped my eyes to Cloud, taking note of his reaction with caution.
His eyes widened, completely frozen. Only his jaw shook, lips barely open when he sucked in, "He what?"
But Aerith tugged on his arm.
"Cloud, we don't have time for this," she begged, finally gathering enough courage to talk to him. But he replied with nothing but pulling his arm free, eyes still glued to Cait Sith like he was about to snap.
"So, that's where Hojo got his subjects? From the fire?" He asked, in disbelief.
Cait Sith nodded as Vincent growled, "This whole thing stinks of Hojo. The whole fucking thing."
At first, I thought Vincent was just being bias, blaming Hojo for every little imperfection in the world. But as I later learn, he was more accurate than any of us once thought, and I never forgot his words.
Cloud's mouth fell open, but no words came. Only his body shook, rage pumping Mako through his blood quickly, his eyes flashing with murder.
"Why didn't you share this with us back at Gold Saucer?! Why didn't you say a god-damn thing?!" He roared.
"Cloud," I tried, just as afraid as Aerith when I took his hand and stepped in front of him, trying to pull him back. He didn't look at me, already lost, breathing fast through his teeth as his respiration's increased.
"Cloud!"
I threw his hand down, and it went limp at his side, the other shaking his sword like he was about to lift it. With haste, I slammed my hands over his cheeks and forced his head to turn until his absent eyes looked into mine. They glowed so bright, I had to squint when I was only inches from them.
"Cloud, please, we don't have time for this. We need to get inside and stop Sephiroth," I demanded quietly, trying to find him.
His head made my hands quake when he tried to look away. But I forced him to keep looking at me, even when there was this sudden small fear that I may not being able to bring him back for once. I licked my lips and sucked in a deep breath, bracing for the heavy words that came next.
"Cloud, I know you're upset, but there's nothing we can do about your past while we're here on this island. Your mother is gone, do you understand? She's not out there as one of those clones. She died in that fire."
Gods, it felt awful as soon as I blurted all of that. My words hit him deep, and he blinked, eyes watery.
"Fuck," he hissed, bringing his hands up to hide his eyes before there were tears, and then his sword fell over with a loud clank.
"I'm sorry," he finished, collecting himself. Aerith dropped her gaze, ashamed or depressed, I couldn't tell. She was either upset that she couldn't bring Cloud back like I did, or she didn't like my method, but knew it had to be done. Either way, she sighed and turned her moist eyes towards the entrance inside.
"We need to hurry," she fretted.
Cloud picked up his sword as he mumbled, "yeah, you're right. Let's go."
Cait Sith was ready to slip away, when Vincent pointed a gold claw at him.
"How far in the temple did you go?" He asked.
Cait Sith stiffened.
"Uh, not too far. Barely through the maze, so, ya know, not much," he nervously giggled, starting to walk backwards towards the stairs.
But Vincent grabbed hold of his torn little red cape, lifting the doll up to his fuming face and sneered, "Oh no. You're going to show us the way. It's not like your real life is at stake, so what the hell are you so afraid of? If you get cut, you just lose your spying privileges. But the rest of us are risking our lives here, so show some fucking courage."
Cait Sith turned into a little furry ball as soon as he saw Vincent's eyes burn red, and whelped, "Okay, okay!"
Surprisingly, instead of tossing Cait Sith, Vincent settled him back down gently, and the cat doll shook with a deep breath.
"Here we go," he cracked in a jittery voice.
We followed Cait Sith inside, walking beside the fallen clone. Before stepping into the shadows of the temple, Cloud stopped me with a hand to mine, and pulled me aside.
I whipped my head to gape up at his unsettled eyes, nervous of his sudden grip.
"Aqua," he started, but I instantly interrupted with an apology.
"I'm sorry I said those things. I didn't know how else to wake you up," I squeaked, ready to explain it again if I had to. But Cloud told me to shush, hands taking my face and steering me to look up at him steadily.
"It's okay. I needed to hear that," he quickly defused, suddenly pulling me into his arms. The winds howled loudly, the distant sounds of trees shaking to it, making me nervous. Whispers whooshed through me, and even in Cloud's hold, I suddenly felt a chill, goosebumps traveling up my arms.
"Cloud?" I questioned, wondering why he was holding so tight, why I struggled to breathe.
"I've been having this strange feeling lately," he shared, giving me another glimpse of what was bothering him, and it sounded familiar.
I tried not to hurry him, instead, placing my hands up his back as I asked quietly, "What is it?"
If I had known this was our last embrace in a long, long time, I would've held on to Cloud tightly, soaking in all of his scent, every placement of his fingers and how strong he held me. But life didn't work that way, and I barely considered his hold when I was too distracted, thoughts scattered with the whispers.
Aerith's gasp pulled us apart, Cloud's words left for later when our eyes darted to the entrance, and then we hurried inside. We stumbled into a small room with an altar, its unpolished stone walls lit by torches.
Aerith was already hiding behind a pillar in a corner, on her knees and sobbing quietly. After a couple more steps, I covered my dropped jaw with a hand when I took in the sight of Tseng. He was already gone, his eyes stuck open, skin white and body already stiffening with rigor mortis. His suit had been tethered, like he was shoved into a shredder. Vincent closed his eyes and looked away, as I inspected the wounds with Cloud. Slice marks cut deep across the Turk's abdomen, along with a deep wound to his chest. The lower half of his torn suit laid in red, the air heavy with a metallic smell of blood. Another hit of nausea took effect, and I jumped back to my feet, gasping as I hugged a cold pillar.
The whispers slithered pass, snickering Sephiroth's name again, the temple afraid of him.
Aerith trembled as she bumped into me, and I took her in my arms, her wet eyes falling to Tseng's dead body with full of remorse.
"He wasn't really a friend, but, I've known him for a long time, since I was little," she whimpered, her fingers swiping away loose tears.
"Even if he was with the enemy, we had a mutual understanding," she finished. Unable to gaze down at the body anymore, she turned her head and shuddered.
Cloud said nothing, not really knowing the Turk. Instead, he examined the Keystone already sitting atop of the altar, floating there and glowing in a bright blue light. Just beyond it, before a dead end, stood a shimmering column of green light.
"Is that the way inside?"
While Aerith pulled herself together, sniffing up her tears, Cait Sith trotted pass the altar, and his feet stopped inches from the light.
"Yes. We step into this portal," Cait Sith whispered, recoiling away like he didn't want to go back to whatever he experienced.
"Then let's go," Aerith demanded, the whimpering girl gone. Our hands stayed together, and with our steps in sync, we both walked through the light, not even feeling it, and yet our bodies turned green. Cloud, Vincent and Cait Sith joined, all of us squeezed in together, shoulder to shoulder.
And then we started to slip through the floor, and everything turned black for just a second, like I had my eyes closed.
Like stepping into a storm, the whispers came heavily, the darkness lingering far too long until I began to breathe fast, panicking. I blinked, and fell into another place, taking a clumsy step forward as I tried to decipher what we've gotten ourselves into.
I gawked at the strange labyrinth world, unsure how it was possible to feel like we were outside, and yet, inside a place. Nothing but a fading white light in the background like a bright sun behind a white hazy sky. I spun as I scanned many twisted stairs, all of them going off in different directions, up, down, this way and that way, some upside down and into a mess that may lead us to dead ends forever. Many dark entries lurked, possibly to rooms, to our way out, or perhaps traps.
I held on to Aerith when I thought the room was spinning, and almost lost my footing. Gravity seemed an illusion, distorted in ways I couldn't follow.
Aerith's hands planted on my shoulders, steadying me as I puffed out a long trail of air through my lips.
"How is this possible? Are we still in the temple?" I asked, spinning to find Vincent and Cloud close by, their eyes wandering to all the messes of stairs. Cait Sith hugged my boot, smudging his face into its leather.
"I am not sure. But Tseng was able to make it through here. Sephiroth, too, before he almost got me," he quivered.
I could feel how Cloud tensed at the mention of Sephiroth's name, his nemesis that we've been tracking for weeks, finally only rooms away. He breathed through his clenched teeth, sword ready, and hissed, "Then let's pick a direction, and not split up."
We climbed a long set of stairs, cutting through a heavy mist and trailing hands against the stone walls, touching vines. The whispers were distracting, Aerith and I hearing them clear as day, each one different.
Our capital, the Forgotten City, is where we used to live.
I miss the Planet. I wish to go to the Promise Land, but I'm here, protecting this temple with the others.
I'm scared.
You two shouldn't have come here.
I turned to Aerith, watching her expression as I tried to decipher each whisper.
"There's a city where the Ancients used to live?" I asked directly to her, and she nodded.
"That's what it sounds like. From what I'm hearing, they are saying they came from a city far to the North. But then that calamity in the sky happened, destroying almost all of them. What was left, neglected their city, and blended in with the humans," she explained. The five of us entered an open doorway, walking through shadow, and then back to light again, appearing to have fallen somewhere else in the labyrinth. I couldn't tell if we were upside-down or sideways, but I was feeling woozy. The whispers didn't help, shoving too much information in my face.
Vincent stopped when something caught his attention, and he pointed across the stretch of stone path.
"What is that?"
We all looked pass his pointed finger, and a body stepped out into the mist. A creature? A man? A long, white beard dragged over his slippers, body covered by a dark blue cloak, and face hidden under a pointed cloth hat.
Cloud's muscles tightened, holding his sword in his hands as he stared at the odd being.
"It could be a monster. Who knows what's crawling through his maze," he warned.
Bodies of spirits left behind, guarding the temple.
After the whisper came and went, I blinked, and said aloud, "No, it's a friend." And then I was ready to call out to it, my steps taking me closer, but the body twirled away, and vanished into a passageway.
I held a hand to my stomach to try to rub away at the aches, and rushed to follow the bearded creature.
"Hey, wait!"
But following the passage only seemed to twist the world around, shoving all of us onto another staircase that were identical to the others. I thought we were going in circles, halting before heading into another passage. Cloud pointed and gasped, "There he is, over there!"
The white bearded fellow tilted his hat up when he glanced at us, standing three stories below under a small walkway, and waited quietly. The thought of taking the paths directly, frustrated me, when it was just as simple to slip off the stairs and land on another set without having to enter another distorted entry.
I was already sitting on the ledge, dangling my feet, when the others grew startled.
"Aqua?" Cloud questioned, a hand to stop me before I jumped to a path below.
I looked up at him over my shoulder, and explained to him as well as the others, "Why bother going through the passageways when it's obvious we can reach that man by cutting through?"
Aerith bit her lower lip. Vincent shrugged. Cait Sith shook his head, and Cloud rubbed his other hand into his hair.
"I suppose so. There aren't any rules to follow the path if we can just climb," he pondered. Before anyone had time to object, I pushed myself forward, and jumped below. Aerith gasped as Cloud's hand slipped away.
It was a five foot or so drop, and I landed ungracefully, hitting stone, and having my knees buckle underneath me before planting my hands forward. I barely had any time to recover, when I heard something hiss behind a wall, and I froze when it got quiet for a few seconds. Sharp steps, like claws dragging across stone, inched closer and closer. I curled my bracer hand into a fist, already charging with magic just in case, and sucked in my lips, waiting.
It came around the bend, a small nose and long mouth covered in bronze scales. A tongue slithered out between fangs, a giant lizard creature stomping on all fours as it tasted my smell in the air. Little, hazy yellow eyes blinked, and then its heard turned, spotting me.
Without warning, the large lizard then launched forward, its long talons ready to strike. I quickly raised my hand, feeling the magic easily slip through me. It happened easier than expected, perhaps having to do with the Ancient magic freely dispersed in the air like gold dust, and I channeled it inside the bracer, body glowing green.
"Lightning!"
A thick bolt struck the large lizard, its cry broken and mouth outstretched. Its long tail spazzed and twisted, its insides fried until it collapsed only a few feet from my boots. I let out a sigh, glad not to feel depleted, as I began to rise from my knees.
But I didn't spot the other monstrous lizard in the shadows. By the time I heard its hiss, it was too late. I only had enough time to turn my head.
Talons reached, inches from my face, and suddenly stopped short, frozen in place. I stiffened, holding my breath while my eyes glued to the threat.
But the claws pulled back, and Cloud kicked its body away from his sword, blue blood caking his blade when he unsheathed it from its chest.
He narrowed his eyes at the mess, and then threw them at me while offering his hand.
"Don't leave us behind like that," Cloud warned as he pulled me up, irritated with my reckless idea.
"I'm sorry. I thought it was a good plan," I mumbled, crossing my arms, but knew Cloud was just worried. Vincent jumped down, Aerith in his arms, and he landed on his feet with such grace, his step feathery.
"Ohhh, it's like you can fly, Vincent," Aerith commented when she slipped out of his hold, and grabbed my arm to keep me close to her. Vincent said nothing, only sinking his face deep into his collar and looking away.
Cait Sith fell with a crash, the back of his delicate head hitting stone, and there was a smack.
"Oh dear," he fussed, sitting up and checking his metal skull. It was dented heavily in the back, but still intact. He was relieved, standing barely two feet tall when he got to his feet.
"There are bigger monsters out here than that lizard guy," he warned.
We strolled again, wandering through the paths, and taking each passageway with no idea where we would end up. Every time we were within a few feet from the bearded stranger, he would run away, his feet light in his step. We followed, trying to keep up.
"Aqua, have you noticed that casting magic is stronger here?" Aerith mentioned, still holding on to me.
I nodded, and replied, "Yes. It's just in the air freely, everything of the Ancients everywhere, including magic."
The temple is a magic spell,a whisper told me. I dropped my eyes, taking in the words and trying to decipher what they meant.
More monsters lurked, some as pathetic as frogs blowing toxic breaths. Or as intimidating as a Minotaur creature, his upper body attached to the back of a gleaming, dark black panther with fangs and red eyes. I easily cast spell after spell, feeling the effects of the temple regenerate my energy swiftly, but a weakness remained, one that I knew was only related to Sephiroth's presence.
Vincent loaded his gun and fired, knocking back foes and bursting holes into them. Cloud gladly sliced and stabbed, his Hardedge easily stained as blood added filth across its writing. Without Mog to be his muscle, Cait Sith had to hide, cowering behind a stone or squeezing at my leg. Aerith healed, her magic glittering around her like she was a goddess, praying her spells or with a lift of her silver rod.
Vincent glanced below our feet, the edge of the path falling to a wall of vine.
"We should climb down, it's easier than getting lost again," he suggested to Cloud. There was no disagreement, but Cloud volunteered to descend first, taking to the vines and disappearing. Vincent went next, with Cait Sith scrambling like a furry spider, trying not to be left alone. Aerith and I went together, though our dresses didn't do us much justice.
I peered down to find how much more I had to go, when Cloud and Vincent looked up. My cheeks burned as I screeched, "Don't look!"
They both jolted their heads away, Vincent hiding his eyes with his hand while Cloud rubbed the back of his head.
Finally, after peeling off the vine wall, we caught up with the stranger, and I collected myself, taking gulps of breath. I knew we were getting closer, which was both reliving and frightening. Relieved to believe we were done with the labyrinth, but horrified to know that only meant we were that much closer to Sephiroth.
The stranger led us into a chamber, which appeared to be the way to dwell deeper into the temple, when there was an entrance standing behind him. There were torches to the high stone walls, casting an orange light across hieroglyphs that crowded the space.
I was distracted by those images, seeing a story being told while Aerith was trying to speak with the stranger.
"It's no use. He doesn't remember how to talk, he's been here too long," she uttered, shaking her head. But I wasn't listening.
I found myself mesmerized, taking in the large image of what could be a long-neck dinosaur, its belly glowing yellow right under a torch. There were more of them, images of prehistoric predators, omnivores and leaf eaters, a mural of Jurassic times. I didn't quite understand it at first. I felt the urge to take a hand and feel the wall, the dents and carved lines rough under my fingers. Suddenly, the whispers told me of it, filling my head with video clips. I gasped, finding a meteor falling to earth, dinosaurs poking their heads up at the bright sky with vague amusement. I pulled my hand back before I got to endure the impact, almost tasting the ash and sulfur.
Black Materia.
"Aqua, what is it?" Cloud pried, observing me closely.
I clutched to my hand like it burned from touching the wall, trembling to remnants of the visions.
"The Black Materia," I whispered, still unsure what it was, the whispers sometimes coming at me in riddles.
"I can't tell if it fell to this Planet long ago, wiping the dinosaurs to extinction, or if someone used it to summon the meteor," I speculated.
"Someone used it before," Aerith chimed in, her head low.
I stared at her, forgetting that she knew so much more than I did, I could see it in her eyes, everything that there was to know about us, filling up like a deep well, until it began to overflow.
Cloud lifted a brow. "Summon meteor?" He edged for me for more, but Aerith shook her head, interrupting.
"Let's keep going. Our friend here can't help us any further," she pressed. I stole a look to the bearded fellow, a tall body of an Ancient spirit, trapped in this temple like us, but for too many years. He paid no attention to us, his face buried into his long blue cloak, long white hair wild under his hat, and his beard drooping over him like a fur blanket.
He shook into himself, appearing deathly afraid. But of what?
Cait Sith gripped my leg as I walked again, and I almost stumbled as he whined, "This is as far as I got before. I don't know what happens from here."
Cloud went first, passing the arched passage and torches. I followed right behind him, and my stomach twisted tighter and tighter. The air grew thick and muggy, a heated moisture only adding to my perspiration, and I felt the walls closing in, suddenly desperate for fresh air as I tried not to let my thoughts snowball. I closed my eyes, falling against Cloud's arm to press my cheek into his skin, his presence giving me a trace of comfort, enough to cling on and keep going.
"He's close, isn't he?" Cloud asked, sliding his forearm around my waist to keep me balanced.
I was afraid to speak, in case I would vomit, so I only nodded, breathing hard through my nostrils. A long hallway, tall with an arched ceiling carved over our heads, brewed a heavy presence, the magic thickening like a strange humidity, until it was challenging to breathe.
Vincent coughed, affected by the temple's atmosphere as we dove deeper, the whispers of nonsense to his ears. He put in great effort to ignore them, just another noise, but he, too, began to sweat, his hair sticking to his forehead.
The hall had no other doors to explore, but as we continued, the murals on the walls began to fade, and the torches dimmed, propped higher up. I regarded the transformation of the walls, how they seemed to curve out, pressed smoothly as though they were carved over and over again by water or of some continuous presence.
"I don't like this," Vincent grumbled, he too, processing the way the hallway carved itself into almost a round alcove.
Aerith folded her arms into herself, shrinking as she neared Cloud's back, her nervous eyes taking in the smooth stone walls and edges.
Our nervous prayers had been answered when something stomped behind us, shaking the earth until it vibrated into our bones. My teeth chattered, turning with Cloud to take a small glance behind us. All five of us fell into dead silence.
A couple of yards away, most likely fallen from above, a gigantic boulder began to roll towards us, gaining momentum. It grew, taking in all the space with no corners nor crevices to hide from it, the temple shaken by its force.
"Run!" Cait Sith wailed, breaking our frozen fear.
We kicked into high gear, and scrambled for our lives, the boulder inching its way closer until it was at our heels.
In panic mode, I fought through my low stamina, my step a bit clumsy, but able to catch up, until Cloud pulled me to go even faster until I thought my feet floated behind me. Vincent practically glided through, each step like an extensive leap over the smooth stone, his red cloak trailing behind him. Aerith huffed, struggling to keep up, Cait Sith with his paws around her neck as he screamed bloody murder, "We're going to die. We're going to die!"
I dared a look over my shoulder, and quickly learned I shouldn't have. The boulder was coming at us like the front of a Big Boy steam train, and my pupils expanded, turning back and blurted, "We're in Raiders of the Lost Ark movie!"
It barely calmed my nerves as I pretended we were Indianna Jones, running through a temple while a boulder inching closer to grant us our deaths.
Thankfully, the end was in sight, the hall to stop at a doorway too small for a massive boulder to fit through. But there was also a giant drop just before it, a place for us to fall to our deaths, or to stop the boulder. Through her huffs and puffs, Aerith tried to keep up, but with one eye to the boulder growing nearer, she exclaimed, "We're not going to make it!"
Unexpectedly, Vincent collected her in his arms without a word, and she gaped at him, cheeks bright red as his graceful legs quickened in step.
"We need to jump!" Cloud shouted, noticing the dark gap ahead.
I shook my head when I calculated the wide extension of gap. "I can't jump that far!"
But before more excuses leaked, Cloud jerked my hand as he shouted, "Jump!"
And I did.
Cloud's Mako pumped his legs, and he practically flew, taking me with him as I screamed. My wide eyes fell, finding nothing but darkness under our feet, the wind throwing up my hair, cloak, and dress until all of my legs exposed. A second later, my foot touched stone, and my scream ended when I tumbled into Cloud's arms, rolling with him.
The boulder fell into the drop, falling further and furth, until, finally, a faint crash, followed by a gentle shake of the floor. I collected my breath, waiting for my hyper heart to calm while resting over Cloud. He was breathing quietly, already relaxed as he peeled off the floor.
"Are you okay?"
I fell back on my knees, taking more breaths, a hand to my heart to feel it slowly fall into a steadier rhythm.
"I'm getting there," I gasped, wishing I was twenty again just for the quicker recovery.
Aerith stepped out of Vincent's arms, a hand to her chest as well, and she struggled to stand up straight.
"Let's not do that again," she wheezed.
Cait Sith was busy gawking over what settled in the room with us, his ears perked up and little squinted eyes observing it.
"What is this?"
I lifted my head from my knees, and noticed it too, a strange well sitting in the middle of another gloomy room of stone. More murals on the walls, more torches and columns casting long thick lines of shadows across the cracked stones. Whispers swooshed pass, blowing my hair towards the well. Beyond a few steps to a raised stone platform and behind a circle of pillars, the well flickered like a burning fire in a cauldron, leaking a faint green light over its edge.
I wobbled up to my weak legs while a whisper told me what it was.
"It's the Well of Knowledge," I informed, standing straighter, and took a step closer to the glowing pool.
Aerith joined me, our faces glowing brighter as we neared, until her face was pale green.
Our hands clutched around the well's edge, our heads hovering over its continuous ripples like it was alive.
I felt stronger when I almost touched it with my face, trying to see into its glowing translucent waters.
"It's the soul of this temple," Aerith explained, the sparkles of the magic falling around her face like glitter.
Cloud, Vincent and Cait Sith circled it, puzzled.
"I don't see anything," Cloud muttered, cocking his head into the well like there was nothing in it.
"Same. It's just empty," Vincent said, crossing his arms.
Aerith and I exchanged looks, forgetting that we were the only ones who could hear what the whispers were saying, take in the magic thickening the air like fog, and see into the well's magical waters.
The well let out a faint, scratchy whisper, and I was unable to catch it.
"Aerith, did you understand that?"
But she shook her head.
"It's faint, weak," she saddened, and leaned in so close, her ear inches over the water.
"What are you trying to say?"
I gathered my hair carefully in my hands, and dropped my ear inside.
Let me show you the one that will bring destruction to this Planet.
"You want to show us? But how?" I asked the well.
Its waters began to gurgle with excitement, until a bright green light slithered out of its hold, coiling around all of us.
"What's happening?!" Cloud gasped, taking his hand up to his eyes to find it glowing green.
"The well wants to show us something," Aerith reassured, pulling back. She held my hand, and lifted her eyes up to mine, showing me uncertainty. I bit my lower lip, reading her until a bright light flashed, blinding us, and we gasped.
"Where are we?" Vincent questioned. I felt him nearby, and yet, he looked translucent, like a spirit. Cloud whipped his head back and forth, scanning all of us standing with him like see-through statues.
We stood before a massive room, unfamiliar, and with more hieroglyphs waxing and waning behind firelight, more shadows lurking from behind columns.
Aerith shushed all of us and whispered, "It's showing us."
We all pressed our mouths together, turned into ghosts behind the one called Tseng. I thought he was dead, until I discovered we were back in time. It felt strange to be standing behind him, like we were there with him as his long back hair glimmered to the torches, his head craning his eyes up to the walls to read the symbols. He was keen on the large carving of a meteor taking up one whole wall between pillars, a hand under his chin.
"The Promise Land may not be what we thought," Tseng muttered to himself, studying it.
"Sir?" Elena kept a professional distance from her boss, but I could tell, she was itching to be near him, her toes slightly edging just a bit more until she bit her lip.
Tseng shook his head before tossing his cold eyes to her.
"This Promise Land. It just seems different from what I'd picture," and his shoulders sank.
A bright flash eclipsed their eyes.
"Who cares. Let's just take the damn pictures, grab the Black Materia, and go," Reno spat, his camera flashing again when he took another photo of the walls. Tseng bit his tongue, hating to be talked down, but he ignored it, closing his eyes as his thin eyebrows narrowed.
"Reno, you best not talk to Tseng like that," Rude warned, doing the biting for their boss, and Tseng smirked. Reno scoffed, pulling his eyes away from his small camera to peer up at Rude.
"Yeah, yeah," he mumbled. When his dark blue eyes hovered across the walls, his pale lips twisted.
"I just don't like this place. The booby traps, the strange whispers, the monsters, all of it. Where's the fucking Materia?"
"Reno, be patient!" Elena huffed, her brown eyes growing embers.
Tseng smirked down at her small frame, how she almost stood like a child compared to his height.
"That's enough, all of you. Like children," he mentioned quietly. Elena's cheeks gained more color to them, her eyes down as her hands braced in front of her waist.
"Sir, my apologies," and she bowed like an obedient robot.
Tseng's careful eyes stared at her, like he was deciding something, and then he looked to Reno and Rude, the two distracted over the walls. He concentrated on Elena again, a faint and cold thirst in his look.
"Elena?"
She looked up at him, and blinked as her cheeks kept to their pink state.
"Yes?"
Tseng's eyes darted back to the Meteor, its size monstrous over him, the wall like a tower, and he saw it like it was about to collapse.
"How about after this mission, we grab dinner? Just the two of us?"
I felt myself flinching at the thought of sitting at a table with Tseng, unsure what his coworker saw in him, and became fidgety while watching this scene.
Elena's eyes grew, and her mouth opened, the darkest of red to her cheeks.
"S-Sir! Y-Yes! T-That would be-be, great!" She couldn't contain her excitement, tumbling over her words like a nervous wreck.
Suddenly, aqua eyes took in my vision, and locked on. I gasped, unable to step back. Cloud saw it too, and Aerith whimpered, "Sephiroth."
It was like Sephiroth could actually see us as he slipped pass, his eyes studying every pair of eyes, and then falling back to mine before he smirked.
I swallowed.
"Can he see us?" I squeaked.
"He shouldn't," Aerith worried, unsure.
Cloud glared, and through his teeth, he muttered, "He can see us, all right."
Sephiroth's body was just as ghostly as ours, and he chuckled to himself before turning his head away, and stepped pass us. His long, silver hair waved, and then, Sephiroth solidified, appearing inside the room. He knelt, sword at his side, like he was presented before a king.
Reno was the first to notice, his camera shaking in his hand.
"Shit! Sephiroth!" He lifted his camera, trying to take a photo of the legendary SOLDIER. In happened before any of our eyes could spot it. Sephiroth's sword glint in the torchlight, flashing yellow when I thought it was the camera, and then Reno screamed.
His hand disappeared, nothing but a clean cut wrist left behind, and blood gurgling out of it. His face was already pale when he fell to his knees, and screamed again at the vicious outcome. Rude rushed to him, pulling out gauze from his pack, and muttered, "We should've brought more potions."
Sephiroth came for Tseng, but stopped short when Elena stepped forward, her hands out, ready to sacrifice herself.
"S-Stop!" She demanded in a shaky voice. Tseng's eyes widened with disbelief.
"Elena, don't!"
Sephiroth's smile cracked, squinting at the young, female Turk like she was an ant.
"Foolish girl. You have no place here," he sneered.
He was about to draw his sword again, Reno's blood still sticking to its tip, when Tseng stepped in, hands up.
"Don't! Please! She did nothing! Please!" Tseng's voice grew, and for the first time, I noticed the fear in his eyes, and how his tone slightly shook. Sephiroth froze before taking his blade into Elena's trembling body, her arms still up, but shaking uncontrollably. He gave Tseng a pleasing look, a silver eyebrow up, while they exchanged silently.
"Very well," Sephiroth whispered, and rammed a fist into Elena's stomach.
Blood and saliva squirted out through her lips, her eyes extended from her skull, the cry nothing but a broken gasp. Tseng began to sweat, fighting not to reach, not to scream as he watched Elena knocked out, and tossed across the room like nothing. Rude caught her in his arms, finding the wounded girl wheezing, eyes closed.
"Go!" Tseng told them over Sephiroth's shoulder.
Rude and Reno hesitated, their backs close to the doorway.
"But Sir?" Rude tried, but Tseng didn't want to hear it, and he shouted across the room, spitting all at once.
"Go! Just reach the President and tell him what we've seen," he ordered. More drops of sweat collected along his cheek and neck, knowing too well what will happen to him, but he kept his cool.
"But sir, the Materia?" Rude question. Reno hissed through his teeth, taking a bloody hand to his buddy's jacket to tug.
"You heard him. Let's bail before none of us make it," he struggled.
It took another few seconds before Reno finally ran away, leaving behind a faint trail of blood, and then Rude followed, holding a fallen Elena over his shoulder.
Sephiroth laughed as he heard their steps disappear, and then he steered his excited eyes up over the mural of meteor.
"Beautiful isn't it? How this place is flooded with so much about the Ancients, and their powerful magic?"
Tseng swallowed, fists curled at his sides.
"What is this place? Is the Black Materia really here?"
Sephiroth admired the mural some more, until his eyes darted to another, and another and another, until he opened his arms out, ready to twirl slowly to let the room spin around him, glorifying it.
"It's a lost treasure house of Knowledge, the wisdom of the Ancients swimming in it. And I sucked in all of it. All of it!"
Slowly, his arms fell, and Sephiroth turned his head, glowing aqua eyes piercing Tseng like a second sword.
"I am becoming one with the Planet," he threw out there. Tseng blinked, unsure if he heard correctly, or if Sephiroth was speaking gibberish.
"What are you talking about?" His hand secretly reached behind him, towards his gun hiding on his hip under his coat.
Sephiroth's eyes spotted it but did nothing except turn his is body to the Turk leader, his face glowing under a torch. He lifted his chin, sneering down at Tseng like another worthless creature in his way.
"You stupid fools. You never even thought about it. All of that energy, just swirling around inside the Planet, a coursing river filled with all of that spirit, that knowledge..."
He stepped closer, each boot clanking in a menacing stomp. Tseng clenched his jaw, keeping his feet in place, knowing there was nowhere to run with a dead end close behind him.
"And I will take all of it, meld with it! All of that energy will be one with me. I one with it," Sephiroth purred, and there it was again, a hint of a woman's voice to his speech, until it sounded like two voices through his lips.
"It's all here," he finished, and his eyes never steered away from Tseng, stepping closer. Tseng pulled out his gun, but as he did, he choked.
I pushed my hands up to my mouth with a gasp, watching with dread just as Aerith cried. Sephiroth plunged his sword deep through Tseng's belly, face pressed into his clean suit with a lovely inhale, like the smell of blood brought him joy.
"Only death awaits you all, but do not fear..."
He pulled out his sword, and Tseng fell back, hands to his gushing wound.
Sephiroth looked down, watching with pleasure as Tsenge tried to use his legs to push himself away.
The Masamune playfully cut along his legs, barely razing the fabric until to cut it clean, Sephiroth getting a high from the sight of all the pain he was inflicting. Each cut another line of red over the flesh of Tseng's belly.
"For it is through death that a new spirit energy is born. Soon, you will live again as a part of me."
He turned his back to Tseng, and took a glance back to the five of us watching. We all stiffened, and a bright light began to fade into the room. But not before I caught a last glimpse of Sephiroth's smile, that red glint in his eye.
"Let's see if you can drag yourself out of here. Meanwhile, I have more company," he purred.
The mural room flashed, and I blinked, standing clumsily. I settled my hands over the well's edge, gasping.
"Did you all see that?" I huffed.
Cloud glared down into the well, pretending to see Sephiroth in it as he growled, "I did. I saw it all."
Vincent kept quiet.
Cait Sith sank his head slowly.
"Tseng almost made it," he whimpered.
Aerith kept her eyes to the well, its whispers barely reaching her when her thoughts fell back to Tseng. Lost words, things she will never be able to say to him, formed into a ball in her throat, and she struggled to swallow it.
"We need to find that room," Cloud demanded coldly. He rammed his hand up to his sword, and curled it tight around its handle, as hard as he could until he might've dented it.
"This ends here. I will stop him," he growled through his clenched teeth, with Mako eyes bright. His body glimmered, outlined in the faint blue glow, muscles tightening.
Aerith and Vincent kept quiet, knowing there was no way to settle him.
I, too, left him to his inner boiling, and gave one last look at the Well of Knowledge, its fog of green energy dripping down to my feet.
"There's nothing more to see here," I thought aloud.
But then the whispers rained on me, coming so fast, instinct forced my hands up my ears. Aerith heard them, too, and she gasped.
You need to know,the well whispered.
Know what?
Its green wisps of energy struck us, tightening around our arms and pulling all of us in.
"Wait!" I cried, not knowing what we were going to find.
"Aqua!" Aerith shrieked.
A bright light flashed, and we all screamed, the storm of whispers coming and fading. My eyes slammed shut to the light, blinded, and a warmth wrapped around me.
Again, with just a blink, I stumbled into a foreign land.
I gasped, feeling alone, but as I turned, I found the others here with me. Aerith fell to her knees, tall grass tickling her face. Cloud bumped through coral, still translucent. Vincent stood tall, his eyes thrown in all directions. Cait Sith glanced down to his paws, seeing right through them.
"What is this? Another vision?" He asked, blinking up before he lost the rest of his words.
I felt it, a warm shiver tickling me, and cautiously, I rose, taking in the world around us with awe. A soft, but cold breeze, blew back my loose hair, the skirt of my green dress tickling my thighs. I threw a hand up over my hair to contain it, mouth open and eyes growing at what we were seeing.
It felt familiar, and yet, I've never been here. It was like a dream from long ago.
"What is this place?" Cloud asked, his shoulder grazing mine.
I inhaled, taking in the scent of sea salt and earth.
"The Forgotten City," I answered.
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