Aerith came to the sanctuary at Leviathan's bidding, led by Midori who seemed comfortable in leaving Vincent and Chaos there for now. Of course, neither of them were a threat, but they had the power to be. Vincent wasn't sure he'd have trusted them that far.

Or, perhaps more likely, it was simply the trust that Leviathan could more than handle them as necessary. That made sense.

When Aerith arrived, she paused in the entryway, eyes wide and senses no doubt overloaded. Instinctively, she kept her eyes averted from the figure kneeling on the floor that currently housed Leviathan, looking down a long moment before daring to look at Vincent in hopes of some cue.

He held out his good hand, fingers lightly curled in a beckoning gesture. While they weren't exactly close, he could offer no less in such a moment. It was Chaos' doing that she was in this position after all.

Making a tiny sound of relief, she approached carefully and took his hand, grip surprisingly tight for someone without enhancements. He took the opportunity to make introductions, sensing she was utterly and understandably at a loss. "My lord, Aerith Gainsborough, nee Gast."

Leviathan needed no introduction, looking up through borrowed eyes. He switched effortlessly to Midgar Standard, voice echoing slightly in the large room. "Hello, little flower."

Aerith blushed faintly at the gentle moniker. "…hello."

"Such duty to land on your shoulders at this age, untrained and untried," he said. "But you will withstand the storm. Come to me."

Vincent could feel her hand shake, and gave it a reassuring squeeze before releasing it.

Aerith haltingly made her way forward, uncertain but determined to do her part. When she was bid to sit with a gesture, she sunk to the floor, adjusting her skirt around her in a kneel, attempting to mirror the figure presented to her.

Leviathan smiled, and rested a hand on her bowed head. "You have nothing to fear from me. Even had I wanted to harm you, the Planet would soften the blow. And truly, I would do no such thing."

She swallowed and mustered a small smile. "…thank you."

"You have never called out to me, or likely spent much thought to my presence at all," Leviathan mused. "Traditionally, you should not be given my favor. But in this I am a mere conduit of the Planet, and one who paves the way for the last of us still unbound. Her blessing will seal your role under the southern sun, little flower. But as you know, it takes water to make one grow."

Aerith couldn't help but smile at that, nodding slightly. When he didn't seem inclined to speak, she said softly, "…thank you."

"It is my pleasure to have a hand in this," he said simply. "And perhaps fitting, in a way. Regardless, allow me to do what I can. Just relax…"

There was a great fountain in the center of the back wall, fed by a fresh spring deep below the temple itself. The spring was the source of all water on the property, directed about in long series of tubes and tunnels, depending on where you were. It had always run clear, sweet with mineral deposits, and refreshingly cold.

And in Leviathan's presence, arguably the god of the element if there was such a thing, it gleamed. It started with a faint twinkle, barely noticed out of the corner of the eye, but it quickly began to shimmer and shine, power rising off it like wisps of vapor in the early morning sun.

Aerith noticed these things vaguely, but more than that was the warmth that suffused her, like the first time she'd gone Plateside and stepped into the sun. It wasn't as bright in Midgar as it was here in Wutai, choked with pollution as ShinRa's crown city was, but she'd never forgotten the sensation. It spread from the crown of her head where Leviathan touched her down all the way to her toes, energy singing through her body, washing away the stress that had been weighing her down. For a moment, it genuinely felt like everything was going to be okay.

And then the world opened up.

There was no other word for it, for the little whispers she'd heard ever since she was a girl blowing up into a nearly overwhelming roar. She gasped in shock, the sound swallowed up by the din, until it blessedly quieted to a background murmur.

"You must forgive them, they are eager to be heard," Leviathan said.

"Them?" Aerith whispered, still overwhelmed by it all.

"The Lifestream. Your ancestors. The Planet. Any and all of the above, you have access to," the god explained gently, smoothing a hand over her hair before releasing her. "Given time and opportunity, you would have strengthened the connection enough yourself to hear them clearly. But we do not have that kind of time, with the Calamity already in action. So, I have given you enough strength to reach in yourself and make the connection, without harm."

She nodded uncertainly, still reeling from the experience. "Will it always be so loud?"

"It is something you will learn to adjust," Leviathan said. "Mere background noise you can focus specifically on when necessary."

"Okay…" She managed a weak smile, intimidated but determined to make this work. "So. What do I do, to be an oracle?"

"Your job is not quite so traditional," Leviathan said. "You are connected to the Planet, and will be gifted knowledge and power accordingly. Your task will be to use these for the purification of the Lifestream.

"But that is not a task I can aid you with, as my time is limited," he admitted. "Go to the southern caverns. Speak with Minerva. She will guide you."

Aerith nodded. "Where -"

"Your senses will guide your pilgrimage. Consider it your first task." He smiled, stroking her hair. "You're changing the fate of the world… I would not have believed in such a thing, not long ago. Good luck."

We'll need it, Aerith thought, but didn't speak. The sense of power evaporated as if it had never been, leaving behind the simple aura of the sacred grounds.

Behind and to the side, Vincent took a half step forward. "Grandmother?"

His grandmother took a deep breath and smiled, taking her cane and rising slowly, without the stiffness one might expect. Her words jumbled in Aerith's head a moment before reorganizing themselves to make sense. "An honor I did not expect, to become the literal Voice of Leviathan… for which I thank you. It is proof that your mission is blessed by the Gods and the Planet."

"I should hope." Still, Vincent's smile was relieved that she seemed fine.

Aerith, busy reeling with the odd heady feeling that came with understanding a language she had never learned, simply waited.

"You will still be held responsible for returning," she added, pointing at him with her cane. "But for now, tend to your mission. We knew from the beginning you were born for great things, Vincent… now, it is time."

Vincent inclined his head, then bowed deeply to her. "So it will be. Will you see us off?"

"I will."

Within ten minutes, Vincent had said his goodbyes and they were loading back into the transport.

"So. Does anyone have a freakin' clue where the 'southern caverns' are where we're supposed to meet the goddess at?" Benji asked. "Because that's just a little vague, don't you think? I'm not a real big fan of hot and cold on a good day, and now really doesn't seem like the time."

"There was a deep cavern network near Banora," Veld said. "Seems a fitting place to meet a Goddess."

There was a long moment of silence from the SOLDIERs. Benji, predictably, folded first - near literally in half, laughing with the sort of stress-induced hysteria they were kind enough not to point out.

"Hoo boy, okay. Yeah. Sure. Why not?" Zack said. "It's just the sort of irony you've got to stop and appreciate."

"I'd just as soon we go, frankly," Drew said. He shook his head with a small, bittersweet smile. "But that sounds as reasonable as anything."

"To Banora, then." Veld got them in the air and turned around properly. He was not a particularly reverent man, happy to turn the bulk of this over to Vincent, but… it just seemed to fit, that if they were going to southern caverns it would be the ones by Banora. They might even be easier to access, without the town to worry about.

"Have you been in them?" Aerith asked.

"No, but I know where they are from blueprints when the town was being laid out," Veld said. Blueprints he'd accessed when sending Tseng off to help track Genesis, not that he intended to bring it up. He was sure Zack could guess, no need to poke at old wounds.

"Well, this should be… interesting," Drew said delicately.

Zack nodded, leaning against Kunsel. "Yeah… interesting."