Back at HQ, the situation was tense. Shin-Ra was preparing for what later would be called the final battle of the Wutai war.

All of their missions had been cancelled. And noone was allowed to leave the building.

Nobody knew when the Wutai would choose to attack or where. Shin-Ra wanted them available at all times so they´d be ready the second they would strike.

Only one thing was for sure. Attack they would.

Upon Lightning´s reportings, further investigations had led to the conclusion that the wutai had indeed taken over one of Shin-Ra´s weapon factories. They had apparently threatened employees into sending false reports to HQ, so nobody would get wind of it. That way Shin-Ra had unknowingly supplied the wutai forces with weapons for weeks.

The damage was already done.

And there was more.

The wutai had apparently managed to steal Shin-Ra blueprints on their raid of HQ, were equiped now, with the latest trends of Shin-Ra warfare.

With all those fancy news and their certain doom dawning on the horizon, there wasn´t much left to do for them but wait.

Claire Farron was sitting in the common room of the SOLDIER floor, just staring out of the glass fronts looking over Midgar, waiting, while Zack Fair kept doing squats behind her to keep himself in shape.

Both of them too much on edge to do anything productive, too tense to relax either.

They both gave a start when suddenly Lightning's phone started to vibrate.

Every call could be 'the one' these days.

Looking up at Zack, his phone motionless in his palm, they exchanged curious glances.

They would have informed both of them if the wutai had attacked yet.

Picking up her communication device, Lightning read the received text message:

'Briefing room. Now.'

It was a message from Director Lazard.

She got up immediately and hurried over in the direction of the briefing room, Zack´s voice trailing behind her: 'Hey. What is it about?!'

Claire Farron didn´t take the time to answer.


Entering the room, she was surprised to find not only Sephiroth but some of the Turks as well gathered there inside.

Reno Sinclair was beckoning her over to take the seat to his right he seemed to have saved for her especially.

He finally had regathered his courage it seemed, as well as his enthusiasm.

It wasn't something Claire Farron felt especially happy about.

Knowing the redhead had a thing for her, she quickly walked over to slip in a seat next to Sephiroth, where settling down to his left, they briefly exchanged puzzled glances.

No. He didn´t know why they had been summoned either.

It was just a second later that Lazard entered.

Lightning could´t help but notice how stressed and tired the director looked, the knot of his usually tidy blue tie slightly askew.

'So now that we´re all gathered... Let´s move on to business.' he began without further ado.

'As I´m sure you are all aware of, we are in the middle of a war against Wutai, the deciding battle up ahead, and as I am sure most of you have realized by now, it doesn´t look good for us.' Lazard´s words echoed from the walls of the briefing room.

There was not the tiniest sound to be heard as he paused to let his words sink in.

Lightning was not too surprised. She had known this all along. Still. Hearing it from the director's mouth, that was something else entirely.

'So...' Lazard continued nonetheless, 'In cooperation with the weapon development department, the department for public safety maintenance has come up with a plan, a strategy, that will hopefully turn the tide for us.'

All the gathered peoples´ attention focused on the bespectacled man in front of them, the Director went on:

'This strategy relies on the use of a completely new generation of weapons. With those weapons we will exterminate the Wutai for once and forever. This will mark the beginning of a new era of weapon Development!'

Listening to his speech, Lightning couldn´t help but wonder where they would actually come into this.

Weapon Development wasn´t exactly SOLDIER business. They didn´t even use any of Shin-Ra´s huge palette of arms to choose from, but simply sticked to their swords. Those fancy Shin-Ra weapons, they were for the infantry men, for the security deparment.

It didn't take long for Lazard to reveal that in order for them to create said weapons they needed something.

An object.

A mysterious object that under utmost secrecy, they needed to obtain. And they needed to obtain it fast, as time was running short anyway.

The Wutai could attack any day now.

Now that sounded more like soldier business. Or maybe something for the turks?


They left within the hour.

It wasn´t exactly much time to prepare for a top priority mission, but hey, if they didn´t succeed the wutai would probably flatten them anyway. So there was not really much to plan for.

Claire Farron couldn´t fathom why they had sent her along with Sephiroth and the Turks. Given the importance of this mission, they had chosen to send their best operatives. She didn´t understand why they had picked her instead of Angeal or Genesis. It just didn't make sense.

Not being provided with any details about their mission or that object either, the only thing she knew was that Sephiroth and her job was to make sure that damned thing would get home safe.

It reminded her a lot of that bunker mission business or that one on the mountain top.

The mountain top...

No. There was no time now for her fancy daydreams, for her crazy memories.

Not having any information whatsoever Lightning and Sephiroth had to let the Turks take the lead.

Looking out of the window of the airship that would bring them wherever it was they needed to go, she couldn´t help but feel uneasy.

She hated the fact that she didn´t know anything.

Where they were going, what it was they were supposed to retrieve, what would awaiting them once they got there...

So many questions. So many risks. No answers. None at all.

It wasn´t a nice job. Nobody was talking. All of them were stressed and tense, knew they needed to succeed at all costs and fast. Not even Reno messed around. To Lightning's great relief.

She wasn't exactly happy to go out on a mission with her red haired suitor.

It was late in the afternoon already when they reached their destination.

Stepping out onto solid ground again Claire Farron realized they were in the middle of a jungle, a huge pyramid-shaped structure rising out of the thicket a few hundred meters away.

Where the hell were they?!

And why would someone bother to hide a materia out here?

None of it made sense.

Why did those materia things always had to be kept in the middle of nowhere in the first place?

Making their way through the bushes towards the outstanding stone structure, it didn´t take long until emerging from the tree line they were presented with the full view of that building, a huge pyramid like thing completely made of stone, with steps receding from the ground leading up to what looked like a temple on the top. It seemed like an entry.

'What is this...?' the pink haired female wondered out aloud. She had never seen anything like it before.

'The Temple of the Ancients.' Sephiroth provided from somewhere next to her, his voice barely a whisper.

Turning to look at him Lightning waited for him to elaborate, but the silver haired first class didn´t say a word.

He just continued to stare at it, his gaze fixed on the top.

'I thought it was only a legend...' he said after some moments of silence.

'Temple of Ancients, yo?' Reno Sinclair piped up in astonishment.

Lightning so wasn´t pleased with his coming along. But it wasn´t her place to complain. The more they were the better.

They needed every man. And maybe replacements too.

'What are we waitin´ for?! Let's have a blast!' the redhead added laddishly before taking off towards the plank bridge that lay there in front of them.

Lightning caught Rude giving a frustrated sigh before he followed with Tseng close behind.

She stayed behind a little longer.

Looking up at Sephiroth she couldn´t help but wonder:

'What is the Temple of Ancients?' she asked him, keeping her voice low.

'The Temple of Ancients was built by the Cetra a thousands of years ago.' he began, looking down at her with a frown.

'Or so the legends say...'

'The Cetra...' Lightning wondered.

'We shouldn't be here...' the general murmured, making his comrade's eyes snap up to his.

What the fuck was he talking about?!

Claire Farron felt more questions forming in her brain, couldn't help but wonder about that last comment of his.

She didn´t get the chance to pose them, as without sparing her another glance, the general brushed past her to keep up with the others.

The bridge was old and the cayon was deep. The pink haired female didn´t dare to look down into the dephts below.

But the bridge was nothing compaired to the stairs.

She didn´t know how many steps there where, all she knew was that it took them hours to climb them.

Reno and Rude reaching the top panting like crazy, with Tseng reverting to all fours, the two first classes managed the ascend them easily, without breaking a sweat.

That´s why they sent SOLDIER to deal with the important stuff, right?

They saw what they´d sent the turks for when Tseng opened the door with the help of a meteria he referred to as 'the key stone'.

Soldiers might have been superior when it came to stamina and strenght, but the turks knew all the secrets it seemed.

'Be careful. We're bound to meet resistance.' Tseng warned.

'Resistance?' Lightning asked.

'Traps, guardians, monstes maybe... Could be anything.' the turk replied as he stepped forward.

'That's why we brought you.'

Lightning and Sephiroth exchanging wary glances, they let the turks take the lead.

The heavy stone doors opening in front of them, they revealed a path leading into a large cavernous room, a maze of staircases full of traps and dangers lying there ahead of them.

Some of them they barely managed to avoid.

Rude almost got himself crushed by one of the boulders falling from the ceiling.

It was then that suddenly Lightning understood why Shin-Ra had sent so many of them.

They were just spares in case somebody got killed.

She didn´t know how long they were trapped inside that labyrinth.

It seemed like ages until they reached the temple´s heart. Fortunately there had not been any causalties. Yet.

The air musty and stale the five of them found themselves in a corridor with strange murals decorating the walls, drawings of people looking up to the sky, illuminated by nothing but the flickering lights of their torches.

They made her feel uneasy.

What was this materia used for exactly?

Lightning couldn´t fathom.

Oh, why did they always have to send them underground...

She hated the feeling of being trapped. The walls pressing in on her, she couldn't help but feel slightly claustrophobic.

Staying even closer to the walls they ventured further.

There were more murals.

One more disconcerting than the other.

Lightning couldn't help but study them.

The primitively painted figures of people pointing upwards.

Clouds parting in the skies.

Revealing something huge.

Something powerful. Something dangerous.

And then the sky itself.

A million worlds, reaching out for her.

She realized she'd stopped walking when she felt Sephiroth's hand pressing into the small of her bag, nudging her onwards.

'We must be nearly there.' Tseng announced from somewhere up front.

'It must be here somewhere.'

'It is...' Sephiroth confirmed from right behind her. 'I can feel it...'

Now that he had said it, Lightning realized she could feel it too.

A lingering presence, luring her deeper into the cave, pulling her towards it. Whatever `it´ was exactly.

They others only stared.

'Oy... What do you mean, feel it?!' Reno began, looking at them suspiciously. 'I can´t feel shit, yo.'

The strange feeling intensifying, Lightning could make out a pedestal somewhere up ahead, nothing but a shadow in the darkness a hundred meters away, a faint purple glow coming from it, drawing her closer.

Suddenly all of this seemed slightly familiar.

Yes. She remembered retrieving the materia from that old military bunker. Remembered it all too well.

And she also remembered it guarded by a freaking bloodthirsty robot trying to rip them to pieces and causing the whole ceiling to drop on top of them, once they had gotten hold of that damn thing.

Great... Just great.

Nobody dared to say a word, not even Reno, as cautiously they approached.

A small dark orb glistening on top of the pedestal, just large enough to fill it´s holder´s palm, it was slowly that it came into focus.

This materia was different though.

Lightning could tell before they'd even reached it.

Yes. It was nothing like any materia she´d ever laid eyes on.

Instead of clear and shiny like all the materia´s Lightning had ever seen before, seeming to be filled with an inner light that immersed everything around them in a magical glow, the materia infront of them was dark and empty. Instead of emitting light like the others, this one seemed to feed on it. Seemed to suck in all the light around it, the light coming from their torches even.

It was getting darker and darker the closer they got.

And there was more.

It didn't only feed on light it seemed, Claire Farron realized with a shudder, as stepping closer she felt her heart grow cold, her mind get empty.

Yes it fed on them. And it was hungry. It wanted more.

More of her it seemed.

'What is this...?' Lightning began carefully, as completely transfixed she stared at the strange dark sphere in front of her.

Yes. It looked like materia.

But somehow it seemed something else. Something else entirely.

Did Shin-Ra know what they were dealing with? Somehow Lightning wasn't sure.

This wasn't the average materia or the 0815 leak of mako, that much was for sure.

It happened suddenly.

A flicker.

A flash of something. Foreign. Stirring deep inside of her.

Something, part of her, buried deep inside her, she hadn't even realized was there before.

Take it! Now!

It made the pink haired female give an audible gasp.

The others turning to look at her alarmedly, Lightning felt the beast inside her wakening, felt it reaching out for the mysterious purple orb infront of her.

There was a brief silent battle over who would take control of her body.

The pink haired first class, she quickly made to quench it, quickly made to shove it back down to where it belonged.

Whatever 'it' was exactly.

It was a scary feeling. As if something, or somebody really, was invading her mind, was trying to take control over her body. Somebody who somehow was already there inside. Had been for quite some time already..

None of it made sense.

What was suddenly wrong with her?

That thing inside her drinking in the sight of the black sphere innocently sitting in it´s socket, Lightning had a hard time tearing her gaze away from it.

Looking up at Sephiroth for some kind of advice she could tell that he could feel it too.

He too seemed tense, seemed startled, seemed on edge, as absolutely mesmerized he stood there, transfixed on the thing in front of them.

'So the legends are true then...' he whispered, the purple glow reflecting strangely off his mako eyes.

Turning back to it, Lightning could feel that presence inside her, threatening to take over again, pushing her to extend her hand, to just reach out and take it, to keep it for herself, or rather for that thing to take her...

What was this?! Black magic?! Was this the materia´s doing?! It had to be!

Whatever it was, it was hard to resist.

What the shit was Shin-Ra thinking, wanting to procure something like this?

What were they planning to do with it exactly?

'This my friends is what they call the black Materia.' Tseng explained, his voice sounding strangely muffled to the pink haired female´s ears.

It was as if the materia could suck in sound as well. Or maybe it was just her, loosing her mind.

The turk seemed not affected in the slightest. Maybe turks did have qualities after all.

'It is a mysterious and incredibly powerful materia... It is believed to summon what in ancient recordings they call the Ultimate Destructive Magic.'

The ultimate destructive magic...

Somewhere inside Lightning those words did ring a bell.

'Shin-Ra apparently plans to use it as a weapon against Wutai.'

'Huh?!'

Claire Farron could not believe her ears. Shin-Ra were planning to use this thing?! THIS THING?!

'Only few know of it´s existence, let alone how to use it.' her companion concluded, stepping closer.

'What does it do exactly?' Lightning heard herself ask, all her attention fixed now on that tiny ball in front of her, eyes glued to it´s light absorbing surface.

'I have absolutely no idea...' the Turk admitted.

'So what are we waitin´ for?!' Reno suddenly cut in. 'Let´s just take that thing and get it done with, yo!'

Before anyone had time to realize what he was doing, the redhead extended his arm to grab the materia and wrench it out of its socket.

'NO!' Tseng and Sephiroth yelled in unison.

But it was too late.

Claire Farron just watched in sick fascination as Reno´s eyes widened in shock and gasping in pain he let the orb drop to the ground, nursing his electrocuted fingers.

'Fuck - Wha -!' He didn´t have time to end his cursing as a deep rumble from below them announced what was to come next.

The floor starting to shake, the ceiling starteing to cave in, the whole structure threatened to collapse.

Somehow Lightning had already known that this would happen.

Sometimes it was always like that.

She only marginally perceived it all.

None of it was important.

No.

What seemed far more interesting to her was the materia.

Yes. The materia.

That tiny dark matte orb sitting there on the shaking ground only a few feet from her, emitting that raw power. A power somebody as weak as Reno could never possibly dream to whield.

No. The turk was weak... So weak. Was merely human.

The orb hadn´t even allowed him to hold it...

But she... With all her powers... She... She was superior.

Maybe the black Materia would choose her.

Yes... She could feel it... She should be it´s rightful owner... She should be the one to have it´s powers at her disposal... The one to decide about the destiny of the world. The universe. Nobody else.

It was her's. Had been her's from the beginning. Now finally, after all those years, after all her torment, finally, she would reclaime her birthright.

Her body acting on its own, debries raining down around her Claire Farron crouched down to pick up the orb.

It didn´t hurt her.

Not even a tiny bit.

'Shit, we need to get out of here!' came Reno´s voice again. The others hurrying out of the room, Lightning hadn´t really heard him.

Absorbed in the dephts of that thing, somehow posessed by it, she seemed unable to move.

Unable to think, really.

She hardly even registered Sephiroth's hand closing around her arm and dragging her after him. Didn´t remember their way back to the surface.

Everything passing by in a blur, she didn´t notice any of it until tumbling down the stairs outside, she landed in the vegetation face first.

Multiple arms grabbing her from every side, she instantly found her body pinned down to the ground. Her right arm bent into an unnatural angle, she only had time for a short stiffled cry before she felt the materia being forced from her palm.

Her fingers closing tightly around the tiny sphere, the pink haired female found she couldn´t let it go.

'NO! It is mine! MINE!' the first class yelled.

It was unaware of where she was or what she was doing, that unvoluntarily her grip on the materia tightened.

The thing inside her hand beginning to vibrate, filling her fist with an eerie purple glow, it was suddenly that a wind came up, that the clouds closed up and the sky began to darken.

'Hand it over now!' she heard Tseng´s voice, calling as if from far away.

Her arm being twisted in a very agonizing way, she gave another helpless yelp of pain.

Looking up she could see Tseng's probing eyes. Reno and Rude, having her pinned to the ground, the latter was unmercifully applying pressure to her tormented limbs, but somehow she found she couldn´t comply.

Her body still acting completely on it's own she realized she had no control over it.

No control at all.

'I can't!' the pink haired female choked out helplessly.

Her hand clutching the dark orb tightly, Tseng trying to pry it from her iron fingers with both of his hands now, her muscles only tightened further, Lightning found she couldn´t help it.

No matter how much she wanted the muscles in her fingers to relax, her body did not obey.

There was nothing she could do.

The sky kept darkening further, the air became chilly cold, the wind, it picked up speed, picked up dead leaves and branches, whipped it in their faces.

'Hand it over, now!' Rude shouted, twisting her arm all the way. There were tears now forming in the poor pink haired female's eyes from the pain.

But it wasn't from the pain in her arms anymore. Not alone.

There was a so much deeper pain now coming from inside, as though something was clawing at her insides, ready to break out.

The pink haired first class, she didn´t know what was going on, what had happened, who she was.

All she knew was that it was her's and that she wouldn´t let them take it.

The dark materia.

She would use it to it's purpose. Would fulfil her own purpose all the same.

The pain in her body made the tears spill from her eyes and onto her cheeks.

Lightning didn´t even realize.

'FUCK!' She suddenly heard Reno snap. 'HAND OVER THE MATERIA NOW OR – OR!'

There was the muzzle of a gun pointed to her temple and Rude was about to rip out her arm, when suddenly she felt Sephiroth´s presence somewhere next to her, strangely calming to her.

Looking up into his mako green eyes, she could see curiosity and concern there.

'Lightning, let go.' he said very gently, his gloved determined fingers finally forcing the materia out of her clawing hand. They were not half as gentle as his voice.

They pried the sphere out of her hand in almost no time at all.

Yes. She was easily stronger than all of the Turks togehter. But she was no match for Sephiroth.

There was a strange kind of loss and a relieved wimper escaping her throat the second Rude released her throbbing arm.

Abandoning her tortured body they all turned to look at Sephiroth instead.

Following their gazes Lightning could see that glint in his eyes.

A power-hungry, dangerous glint, mirroring exactly how she had felt just seconds ago.

Suddenly the predetary glow he seemed to ennemate at all times was more pronounced then ever.

No. He didn't look like the cold blooded killer anymore. He looked like the insane villian from your deepest nightmares.

Lightning found a muscle twitching in his jaw. Sensed the quickening of his heartbeat eventhough he was standing like a mile away.

Oh, oh. Not good. Definitely not good.

They might overpower her and take that thing from her. But they would not overpower Sephiroth. Not even if they tried together.

They were all aware.

It was with upmost horror therefore that they all stood staring up at him, terrible apprehension creeping up on them.

Rude, Reno and Tsend slowly raised their guns. Made to point them at the general's heart.

Lightning's eyes went huge.

'Sephiroth!'

For a second there she thought that he was going to lose it like she had. That he´d just grab the orb, keep it and use it, whatever the use of it might be, to unleash it´s unknown powers on the world around. But the next moment it was gone and he handed it over to Tseng nonetheless.

The latter emitted a relieved sigh and put his gun back into his holster.

Reno Sinclair offering a hand to help her up from the ground, breathing heavily, the pink haired female realized she felt shaky and unstable on her feet.

It wasn´t from the previous fight alone.

No.

That orb, it had been draining her of energy.

'Hate to hurt you, yo.' Reno said looking at her apologetically.

'What was that about, anyway?'

Lightning found she couldn´t answer. She didn´t even know herself.