After work the following day, Riven gave her a ride back to the hotel. "So, Maya, what
are you doing tonight?"
"I have plans to go to Michael's to talk to him about a few things."
"That guy is really odd. Maybe you shouldn't go."
"Personally, I think he's nice. I don't see anything wrong with it. Besides, it's
about the project."
"I think you've been working a little too hard. Perhaps you should take a night
off and go out to dinner with me."
"I really shouldn't. I already told him that I would be there."
"But you need a break from all this. Come to dinner with me."
With a heavy sigh, she gave in, "Fine, I'll go."
As the two walked into a restaurant, the stalker peered around the corner, his
liquid blue eyes watching their every move from the time they sat down until the time
they left. As Riven's car drove away, the stranger stepped into the light and revealed
himself as Michael. "I knew it. She better be there tomorrow or else."
Michael approached her at the site the next day, "Maya, I thought you were
coming over last night."
"I'm really sorry. I got sidetracked."
"Well, I really need you to come over tonight then. We are running out of time.
You must come or I'll have to take drastic measures that I don't want to."
"All right. I'll be there for sure tonight."
Riven insisted on driving her home after work as usual. "I had fun last night.
What about you, Maya?"
"Yes, I did, but I have to get to work tonight. I'm going to Michael's house."
"What did I tell you about that guy?! I don't trust him at all!"
"I have to go or he said he'll have to take drastic measures."
"See? I swear that guy is up to something."
"I have to go!"
"Then let me go with you just in case."
"No, I'm going alone and there's nothing you can say to stop me."
After picking up a few things at the hotel, Mayasha headed over to Michael's
house which was just down the street from there. When she knocked on the door, she
heard his voice telling her to wait a minute. Michael opened the door to let her in
dressed only in a pair of pants. Mayasha forced herself not to blush as she walked in.
"I'm sorry. I just got out of the shower. Feel free to look around." With that, he rushed
off to get a shirt and left her to look around.
She was startled to find the house was decorated with weapons and spherical
glass orbs of different colors such as yellow, blue, green, and red. At one point, she
thought about leaving as soon as possible, but then decided to be brave and stay.
Michael walked out of a room and saw her staring at the weapons, "It seems
intimidating, I know, but they're very old weapons from my ancestors. Well, my
ancestors and my ancestors' friends."
She took out the paper he left at the library and handed it to him, "I believe this is
yours. I didn't know if you had checked it out of the library or not so I brought it with
me."
"No, it is not from the library like I said. It is another thing passed down by my
family. I apologize for lying, but there was a reason for it." He reached for a stack of
papers on a table in the middle of the room then handed them to her. "These are all from
that time."
Mayasha's face turned extremely shocked and surprised when she read the
headlines. Most of them spoke of Sephiroth, ShinRa, or Meteor which was from the
story that her father told her. "I knew this was true! For some reason, I just knew it!"
"Unfortunately, it's a lot more complicated than the paper makes it sound." After
Mayasha's puzzled look, he continued. "The entire story was true. Only a select few
people still know that story for one particular reason."
"And what's that?"
"Please, sit down. If you don't, I'm afraid you'll fall over and hit your head after
I explain this."
Mayasha braced herself as she sat down across from Michael, preparing herself
for the worst. He looked over her for a few seconds before moving on with the story.
"After the world was saved, life went on, of course. It wasn't long before something else
disrupted the peace. As it turns out, Aeris's sacrifice generated a child. By some twist of
magic, the sacrifice of a Cetran by another while in prayer crossed Aeris's and
Sephiroth's magic and a child was born from it. No one knew this until a few months
after it was over. The child was taken in by Bugenhagen while at the Ancient City before
his death. He left the child in the care of the people of Cosmo Canyon and, later, Red
found out and raised it with the people's help. From then on, the children of each of the
six people became direct descendants and the story was passed on from generation to
generation. It was said that once Sephiroth's spirit is reawakened, the spirits of the six
people will be as well and the fight will begin again. Once Sephiroth is reawakened, the
direct descendant of Cloud Strife will be named after him and the descendants of the rest
will look exactly like them. Mayasha, what is your last name?"
"Mine? It's Gainsborough."
"Please go look at the staff in the more elaborate case behind me. Read the name
on the plate."
Mayasha's knees were shaking as she stood up and walked behind the couch that
Michael was sitting on. Her eyes scanned the case that the staff was contained in, her
hand gently placed upon the smooth glass, and she finally got enough courage to look at
the name, "Princess Guard in loving memory of Aeris Gainsborough." As she read the
name on the plate, the vertigo took over and she started to fall backward, but Michael
stood up in time to catch her.
"Mayasha, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this before. My name isn't Michael. It is
actually Cloud...Cloud Strife. That is why you recognize all these places and have
premonitions about the way the city used to be. I didn't want to unload all this on you so
suddenly, but our ancestors were exactly our age when it all happened."
Mayasha completely avoided pleasantries, feeling brave enough to be blunt and
asked, "So, is Riven the reawakened spirit of Sephiroth?"
"I believe so, but I don't know for sure."
"I can't believe all this is happening. Riven seemed like a good guy, but it would
explain why he's been telling me to stay away from you."
"More than likely, he was trying to win you over to his side. Aeris and Sephiroth
were both children of the ancient Cetra."
His hold on her loosened and Mayasha fell to her knees. "What am I supposed to
do? I can't fire him. He would surely know what was wrong then."
"I'm sure he already does. I think we should leave first thing in the morning and
head for Cosmo Canyon. I know that's far away, but the Highwind is hidden--"
"The Highwind? That's the plane. Wouldn't it be old and rusted by now?"
"It was kept underground in a safe place where people could take care of it in
case of an emergency. If it has been kept properly, there shouldn't be a problem."
"I guess I'll just tell Hyori that I'm sick and that I need the day off, or should I tell
her the truth?"
"No, you can't tell anyone just yet. It's not time for them to know. Luckily,
you're staying in a public place so you should be safe for the night. I don't think he'd try
to kidnap you tonight. Had it been a privately owned house, I would have made you stay
here."
With only a slight smile on his face, Cloud extended his hand to help her up. As
Mayasha took his hand, she asked, "Could you do me a favor?"
"Of course."
"Take me to the site for a few minutes. There's something I need to do."
The headlights on Cloud's fire red car ignited as it rolled out of Kalm and into the
grassy countryside beyond. As soon as the car left the town, another followed without its
headlights. Riven's black one was hidden perfectly by the night's shadows as he trailed
them on their way to the uncovered city of Midgar.
Mayasha's bright, icy blue eyes shined brilliantly under the moonlight with a
completely determined look. For a moment, she almost seemed emotionless as her eyes
stared directly ahead even though the wind whipped her hair around her face. Millions of
thoughts ran through her mind like Why me? What am I supposed to do? I can't fight!
I've never even had to defend myself with something other than words! What's going to
happen? Is this prophecy even true or am I following some stupid story that never really
existed?
As the car came to a sudden halt, Mayasha was forced out of her thoughts.
"We're here," Cloud said sullenly as he pulled the key from the ignition.
She hesitantly opened the door and stepped out, feeling the cool breeze crash
against her ankles. "Thank you. Please wait here. I'll return shortly."
"Where are you going?"
"There's something I have to do and I have to do it alone."
"Be very careful. Riven could be hiding anywhere."
With a reassuring nod, she slipped on a navy blue cotton jacket over the
form-fitting black tank top and pulled her French braided hair from beneath it. Mayasha
took in a deep breath of the cool, crisp air before taking the first step toward the forgotten
city. Her reluctant steps kicked up some of the dust from the stripped land as they
carried her down the man-made stairs the diggers created for "easy access." The thought
of "easy access" seemed somewhat hysterical to her for she didn't see how walking down
these steps to possible doom was so easy. Though her mind was a complete wreck,
Mayasha maintained a calm exterior to show whatever strength she felt she had left.
Once she reached the bottom, the silence was deafening. A bright flash of light
startled her and she threw her arms up to protect her face. Slowly, she let her guard
down and peered over her arm to distinguish the source of the light, but what she saw
was much more than what she expected. She was standing in the middle of a crowded
cobblestone street with people everywhere dressed in casual clothing and neon lights
above practically every shop. The odor of grease from restaurants and exhaust from cars
quickly invaded her nose. Just as Mayasha was finally accepting her surroundings, a
horn blared at her as a car was about to hit her. Her reflexes shoved her to the side of the
street while the car splashed a little bit of water from a puddle on the bottoms of her dark
denim jeans.
Through the commotion, a familiar voice reached her ears. All she had to hear
was, "Excuse me, sir, but would you like to buy some flowers?" and her head whipped
around to find the flower girl from the church standing on the same street corner. As the
crowd thinned slightly, another familiar person approached her. Cloud? she thought as
he turned toward the flower girl. The only conversation Mayasha could hear clearly was
him buying a flower from her then warning her to get to safety. It appeared that the noise
of the people around them simply vanished as she continued to listen to them. After the
man went on his way, Mayasha followed the girl as she disappeared into a back alley. As
she turned the corner, the flower girl was gone, but Mayasha knew exactly where she had
to go.
The old, decaying church looked almost haunted as she stood before it, but as
soon as she stepped inside, there was a spotlight on the flower bed growing in the center
where the flower girl was knelt down to tend to the plants. The light was like sunshine,
But it's not daylight, Mayasha thought. Instead of dwelling on the minor detail, she
quietly tiptoed through the darkness toward the flower girl. Stepping into the light, it was
so heavenly that it was almost blinding and cascaded over her visage like a waterfall.
The girl looked up at her with a warm, friendly smile as she brushed the dirt from
her hands and stood up. With a light giggle, the girl's voice finally shattered the silence,
"Hello, Mayasha! At last, we get to meet each other."
Though her words were soothing and friendly, Mayasha's facial expression only
lightened slightly. "Let me guess, your name is Aeris."
"That's it! You probably have a million and one questions to ask me right now.
Start asking!"
"Is it real? Is this whole prophecy real? What is my part in it? Why me? What
am I supposed to do? I mean, I've never had any experience with fighting or saving the
world. I'm an archaeologist! I find remains, I don't make them!"
"Unfortunately, the prophecy is real. The Lifestream has obviously chosen you
because you have the heart and the potential to defend the planet. As my descendant, you
are doomed to this fate and I'm sorry that it has come to this. All I can do is wish you
luck and give you this..." Aeris's right fist extended to Mayasha. When it opened, there
was a white orb glistening beneath the celestial light. "This is the White Materia. It will
be your strongest weapon, but only in times of great need. You'll know when the time
comes what to do. I trust in my heart that Cloud will take care of you. Go save the
world!" Aeris's smile was cheery and optimistic even though Mayasha was hardly
cheery. She reached out and gently took the orb from Aeris's hand and thanked her. It
was time to go and face all her fears.
Unexpectedly, the earth shuddered fiercely. Dirt and debris inside the church
flew everywhere and Mayasha struggled to keep her balance as she shielded her face with
her arms. Just as soon as it came, the tremor stopped and Aeris shouted, "Go!"
Mayasha's heart started racing as she shot out the door of the church. The ground
shook violently every few seconds and caused her to trip several times. Eventually, she
was knocked to the dirt, striking her head on the side of a stone and forcing the air out of
her lungs. Fighting to regain her lost breath, she inhaled some of the dust and began
coughing excessively. Her determination nudged her on as her arms pushed against the
ground in an attempt to get up. A thunderous, lazer-like sound exploded from the
distance and her head spun around in time to catch a glimpse of a lighting bolt streaking
across the sky and striking the fragile wooden building next to her. The structure rocked
from the foundation and came crashing down on Mayasha. With fear as her stimulant,
her legs pulled her upright and sprinted ahead in time for the building to miss her. The
force of the collapsed structure added momentum to her already swift sprint.
Lactic acid filled her muscles, causing them to burn immensely yet the adrenaline
drove her forward. She took one last look at the building behind her and at the horrible
fate that almost descended upon her. After feeling a bit relieved, a figure caught her
attention and her head whirled around to see Cloud at the top of the canyon, created by
the digging, with an enormous sword and fighting another person in the sky. Her sprint
came to an extremely abrupt halt as her eyes discovered exactly who he was fighting.
Dressed completely in black clothing with a hooded cloak and gloved hands was
Riven. His short, spiky, silver hair and radiating green eyes distinguished him from
anyone she had ever met. It was then that her attention was caught by a third person in
the area immediately at the top of the canyon to her right. The figure was dressed
entirely in black as well, but what he was wearing beneath the cloak was indeterminable
and the hood was up, shadowing his face from view. Mayasha's heart leaped into her
throat and her ears started ringing from the intense terror she felt.
An arm emerged from the cloaked figure and from the arm a ball of fire grew and
fired directly at Cloud. Meanwhile, Cloud's attention was on Riven and he was struck on
the right side. He was thrown several feet and hit the ground hard, bumping against a
few stones. The cloaked figure's hand gestured to Riven and pointed him in the direction
of Mayasha. Riven bowed slightly and turned toward her with an evil glare.
As she took a scared step backward, Mayasha heard a voice call to her. Her head
jerked to the left and Cloud was standing on the edge with a long staff in his left hand.
Cloud flung the staff rapidly in her direction as Riven shot at her with extreme speed.
Mayasha's hands grasped the staff a split second before Riven's sword lashed out at her.
Her reflexes worked quickly and held the staff up to protect herself from the blow. The
weapons collided with immense force, creating sparks between the two. Riven's
momentum was halted immediately and his body pushed against the staff. As he was
stopped, his thrust brought along a strong wind to add to his strength. The tornado-type
winds coupled with Riven's strength threw Mayasha back against the side of a nearby
building, making a dent in the wood where she hit. Her body fell limp to the ground,
unconscious from hitting against the building.
"Mayasha!" Cloud cried as he leaped down into the canyon and darted after her.
Riven stood calm and cool even as Cloud sprinted at him with a grin on his face. As
Cloud came within two yards of Riven, the cloaked figure appeared before him. He
stopped immediately, but it was too late. With one mighty swing of a 7-foot-long sword,
the figure cut deep into Cloud's left side. His body slumped forward and fell to his
knees, eventually on his back.
The wind caught the hood of the cloak and yanked it back off the figure's head,
but he grabbed it and pulled it back on after he paused for a few seconds, standing with
his knees bent and the sword fully extended. His right foot slid back and his posture
straightened until he stood tall above Cloud. Slowly, he sheathed the sword at his left
side and reached up for the hood. Gloved hands untied the cloak, slipping it off his back
and tossing it on the ground next to Cloud. Long, silver hair cascaded down his back and
deep, radiating, emerald eyes brighter than Riven's stared down at the badly wounded.
Black combat leather covered his entire body, except for a cross of brown across his bare
chest. Black, knee-high combat boots and pants clothed his legs and a shin-length trench
coat covered the rest. He had white shoulder guards and metal rings around his wrists
where his gloves ended and around his knees just under the tops of the boots. His dark
presence lingered silently over Cloud for a moment before he spoke, "Hello, Cloud. It
has been a while. Ha, ha, ha!" His deep, wicked laugh echoed throughout the city and
into the night.
Clouds eyes widened greatly upon hearing the voice, and, with the strength he had
left, breathed, "Se...phi...roth..."
Sephiroth grinned and turned to his acquaintance and said, "Let's go, Riven.
Dawn is approaching and the others will be here soon." Riven nodded and scooped up
Mayasha's body. In a flash, they were gone. (end Chapter 2)
are you doing tonight?"
"I have plans to go to Michael's to talk to him about a few things."
"That guy is really odd. Maybe you shouldn't go."
"Personally, I think he's nice. I don't see anything wrong with it. Besides, it's
about the project."
"I think you've been working a little too hard. Perhaps you should take a night
off and go out to dinner with me."
"I really shouldn't. I already told him that I would be there."
"But you need a break from all this. Come to dinner with me."
With a heavy sigh, she gave in, "Fine, I'll go."
As the two walked into a restaurant, the stalker peered around the corner, his
liquid blue eyes watching their every move from the time they sat down until the time
they left. As Riven's car drove away, the stranger stepped into the light and revealed
himself as Michael. "I knew it. She better be there tomorrow or else."
Michael approached her at the site the next day, "Maya, I thought you were
coming over last night."
"I'm really sorry. I got sidetracked."
"Well, I really need you to come over tonight then. We are running out of time.
You must come or I'll have to take drastic measures that I don't want to."
"All right. I'll be there for sure tonight."
Riven insisted on driving her home after work as usual. "I had fun last night.
What about you, Maya?"
"Yes, I did, but I have to get to work tonight. I'm going to Michael's house."
"What did I tell you about that guy?! I don't trust him at all!"
"I have to go or he said he'll have to take drastic measures."
"See? I swear that guy is up to something."
"I have to go!"
"Then let me go with you just in case."
"No, I'm going alone and there's nothing you can say to stop me."
After picking up a few things at the hotel, Mayasha headed over to Michael's
house which was just down the street from there. When she knocked on the door, she
heard his voice telling her to wait a minute. Michael opened the door to let her in
dressed only in a pair of pants. Mayasha forced herself not to blush as she walked in.
"I'm sorry. I just got out of the shower. Feel free to look around." With that, he rushed
off to get a shirt and left her to look around.
She was startled to find the house was decorated with weapons and spherical
glass orbs of different colors such as yellow, blue, green, and red. At one point, she
thought about leaving as soon as possible, but then decided to be brave and stay.
Michael walked out of a room and saw her staring at the weapons, "It seems
intimidating, I know, but they're very old weapons from my ancestors. Well, my
ancestors and my ancestors' friends."
She took out the paper he left at the library and handed it to him, "I believe this is
yours. I didn't know if you had checked it out of the library or not so I brought it with
me."
"No, it is not from the library like I said. It is another thing passed down by my
family. I apologize for lying, but there was a reason for it." He reached for a stack of
papers on a table in the middle of the room then handed them to her. "These are all from
that time."
Mayasha's face turned extremely shocked and surprised when she read the
headlines. Most of them spoke of Sephiroth, ShinRa, or Meteor which was from the
story that her father told her. "I knew this was true! For some reason, I just knew it!"
"Unfortunately, it's a lot more complicated than the paper makes it sound." After
Mayasha's puzzled look, he continued. "The entire story was true. Only a select few
people still know that story for one particular reason."
"And what's that?"
"Please, sit down. If you don't, I'm afraid you'll fall over and hit your head after
I explain this."
Mayasha braced herself as she sat down across from Michael, preparing herself
for the worst. He looked over her for a few seconds before moving on with the story.
"After the world was saved, life went on, of course. It wasn't long before something else
disrupted the peace. As it turns out, Aeris's sacrifice generated a child. By some twist of
magic, the sacrifice of a Cetran by another while in prayer crossed Aeris's and
Sephiroth's magic and a child was born from it. No one knew this until a few months
after it was over. The child was taken in by Bugenhagen while at the Ancient City before
his death. He left the child in the care of the people of Cosmo Canyon and, later, Red
found out and raised it with the people's help. From then on, the children of each of the
six people became direct descendants and the story was passed on from generation to
generation. It was said that once Sephiroth's spirit is reawakened, the spirits of the six
people will be as well and the fight will begin again. Once Sephiroth is reawakened, the
direct descendant of Cloud Strife will be named after him and the descendants of the rest
will look exactly like them. Mayasha, what is your last name?"
"Mine? It's Gainsborough."
"Please go look at the staff in the more elaborate case behind me. Read the name
on the plate."
Mayasha's knees were shaking as she stood up and walked behind the couch that
Michael was sitting on. Her eyes scanned the case that the staff was contained in, her
hand gently placed upon the smooth glass, and she finally got enough courage to look at
the name, "Princess Guard in loving memory of Aeris Gainsborough." As she read the
name on the plate, the vertigo took over and she started to fall backward, but Michael
stood up in time to catch her.
"Mayasha, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you this before. My name isn't Michael. It is
actually Cloud...Cloud Strife. That is why you recognize all these places and have
premonitions about the way the city used to be. I didn't want to unload all this on you so
suddenly, but our ancestors were exactly our age when it all happened."
Mayasha completely avoided pleasantries, feeling brave enough to be blunt and
asked, "So, is Riven the reawakened spirit of Sephiroth?"
"I believe so, but I don't know for sure."
"I can't believe all this is happening. Riven seemed like a good guy, but it would
explain why he's been telling me to stay away from you."
"More than likely, he was trying to win you over to his side. Aeris and Sephiroth
were both children of the ancient Cetra."
His hold on her loosened and Mayasha fell to her knees. "What am I supposed to
do? I can't fire him. He would surely know what was wrong then."
"I'm sure he already does. I think we should leave first thing in the morning and
head for Cosmo Canyon. I know that's far away, but the Highwind is hidden--"
"The Highwind? That's the plane. Wouldn't it be old and rusted by now?"
"It was kept underground in a safe place where people could take care of it in
case of an emergency. If it has been kept properly, there shouldn't be a problem."
"I guess I'll just tell Hyori that I'm sick and that I need the day off, or should I tell
her the truth?"
"No, you can't tell anyone just yet. It's not time for them to know. Luckily,
you're staying in a public place so you should be safe for the night. I don't think he'd try
to kidnap you tonight. Had it been a privately owned house, I would have made you stay
here."
With only a slight smile on his face, Cloud extended his hand to help her up. As
Mayasha took his hand, she asked, "Could you do me a favor?"
"Of course."
"Take me to the site for a few minutes. There's something I need to do."
The headlights on Cloud's fire red car ignited as it rolled out of Kalm and into the
grassy countryside beyond. As soon as the car left the town, another followed without its
headlights. Riven's black one was hidden perfectly by the night's shadows as he trailed
them on their way to the uncovered city of Midgar.
Mayasha's bright, icy blue eyes shined brilliantly under the moonlight with a
completely determined look. For a moment, she almost seemed emotionless as her eyes
stared directly ahead even though the wind whipped her hair around her face. Millions of
thoughts ran through her mind like Why me? What am I supposed to do? I can't fight!
I've never even had to defend myself with something other than words! What's going to
happen? Is this prophecy even true or am I following some stupid story that never really
existed?
As the car came to a sudden halt, Mayasha was forced out of her thoughts.
"We're here," Cloud said sullenly as he pulled the key from the ignition.
She hesitantly opened the door and stepped out, feeling the cool breeze crash
against her ankles. "Thank you. Please wait here. I'll return shortly."
"Where are you going?"
"There's something I have to do and I have to do it alone."
"Be very careful. Riven could be hiding anywhere."
With a reassuring nod, she slipped on a navy blue cotton jacket over the
form-fitting black tank top and pulled her French braided hair from beneath it. Mayasha
took in a deep breath of the cool, crisp air before taking the first step toward the forgotten
city. Her reluctant steps kicked up some of the dust from the stripped land as they
carried her down the man-made stairs the diggers created for "easy access." The thought
of "easy access" seemed somewhat hysterical to her for she didn't see how walking down
these steps to possible doom was so easy. Though her mind was a complete wreck,
Mayasha maintained a calm exterior to show whatever strength she felt she had left.
Once she reached the bottom, the silence was deafening. A bright flash of light
startled her and she threw her arms up to protect her face. Slowly, she let her guard
down and peered over her arm to distinguish the source of the light, but what she saw
was much more than what she expected. She was standing in the middle of a crowded
cobblestone street with people everywhere dressed in casual clothing and neon lights
above practically every shop. The odor of grease from restaurants and exhaust from cars
quickly invaded her nose. Just as Mayasha was finally accepting her surroundings, a
horn blared at her as a car was about to hit her. Her reflexes shoved her to the side of the
street while the car splashed a little bit of water from a puddle on the bottoms of her dark
denim jeans.
Through the commotion, a familiar voice reached her ears. All she had to hear
was, "Excuse me, sir, but would you like to buy some flowers?" and her head whipped
around to find the flower girl from the church standing on the same street corner. As the
crowd thinned slightly, another familiar person approached her. Cloud? she thought as
he turned toward the flower girl. The only conversation Mayasha could hear clearly was
him buying a flower from her then warning her to get to safety. It appeared that the noise
of the people around them simply vanished as she continued to listen to them. After the
man went on his way, Mayasha followed the girl as she disappeared into a back alley. As
she turned the corner, the flower girl was gone, but Mayasha knew exactly where she had
to go.
The old, decaying church looked almost haunted as she stood before it, but as
soon as she stepped inside, there was a spotlight on the flower bed growing in the center
where the flower girl was knelt down to tend to the plants. The light was like sunshine,
But it's not daylight, Mayasha thought. Instead of dwelling on the minor detail, she
quietly tiptoed through the darkness toward the flower girl. Stepping into the light, it was
so heavenly that it was almost blinding and cascaded over her visage like a waterfall.
The girl looked up at her with a warm, friendly smile as she brushed the dirt from
her hands and stood up. With a light giggle, the girl's voice finally shattered the silence,
"Hello, Mayasha! At last, we get to meet each other."
Though her words were soothing and friendly, Mayasha's facial expression only
lightened slightly. "Let me guess, your name is Aeris."
"That's it! You probably have a million and one questions to ask me right now.
Start asking!"
"Is it real? Is this whole prophecy real? What is my part in it? Why me? What
am I supposed to do? I mean, I've never had any experience with fighting or saving the
world. I'm an archaeologist! I find remains, I don't make them!"
"Unfortunately, the prophecy is real. The Lifestream has obviously chosen you
because you have the heart and the potential to defend the planet. As my descendant, you
are doomed to this fate and I'm sorry that it has come to this. All I can do is wish you
luck and give you this..." Aeris's right fist extended to Mayasha. When it opened, there
was a white orb glistening beneath the celestial light. "This is the White Materia. It will
be your strongest weapon, but only in times of great need. You'll know when the time
comes what to do. I trust in my heart that Cloud will take care of you. Go save the
world!" Aeris's smile was cheery and optimistic even though Mayasha was hardly
cheery. She reached out and gently took the orb from Aeris's hand and thanked her. It
was time to go and face all her fears.
Unexpectedly, the earth shuddered fiercely. Dirt and debris inside the church
flew everywhere and Mayasha struggled to keep her balance as she shielded her face with
her arms. Just as soon as it came, the tremor stopped and Aeris shouted, "Go!"
Mayasha's heart started racing as she shot out the door of the church. The ground
shook violently every few seconds and caused her to trip several times. Eventually, she
was knocked to the dirt, striking her head on the side of a stone and forcing the air out of
her lungs. Fighting to regain her lost breath, she inhaled some of the dust and began
coughing excessively. Her determination nudged her on as her arms pushed against the
ground in an attempt to get up. A thunderous, lazer-like sound exploded from the
distance and her head spun around in time to catch a glimpse of a lighting bolt streaking
across the sky and striking the fragile wooden building next to her. The structure rocked
from the foundation and came crashing down on Mayasha. With fear as her stimulant,
her legs pulled her upright and sprinted ahead in time for the building to miss her. The
force of the collapsed structure added momentum to her already swift sprint.
Lactic acid filled her muscles, causing them to burn immensely yet the adrenaline
drove her forward. She took one last look at the building behind her and at the horrible
fate that almost descended upon her. After feeling a bit relieved, a figure caught her
attention and her head whirled around to see Cloud at the top of the canyon, created by
the digging, with an enormous sword and fighting another person in the sky. Her sprint
came to an extremely abrupt halt as her eyes discovered exactly who he was fighting.
Dressed completely in black clothing with a hooded cloak and gloved hands was
Riven. His short, spiky, silver hair and radiating green eyes distinguished him from
anyone she had ever met. It was then that her attention was caught by a third person in
the area immediately at the top of the canyon to her right. The figure was dressed
entirely in black as well, but what he was wearing beneath the cloak was indeterminable
and the hood was up, shadowing his face from view. Mayasha's heart leaped into her
throat and her ears started ringing from the intense terror she felt.
An arm emerged from the cloaked figure and from the arm a ball of fire grew and
fired directly at Cloud. Meanwhile, Cloud's attention was on Riven and he was struck on
the right side. He was thrown several feet and hit the ground hard, bumping against a
few stones. The cloaked figure's hand gestured to Riven and pointed him in the direction
of Mayasha. Riven bowed slightly and turned toward her with an evil glare.
As she took a scared step backward, Mayasha heard a voice call to her. Her head
jerked to the left and Cloud was standing on the edge with a long staff in his left hand.
Cloud flung the staff rapidly in her direction as Riven shot at her with extreme speed.
Mayasha's hands grasped the staff a split second before Riven's sword lashed out at her.
Her reflexes worked quickly and held the staff up to protect herself from the blow. The
weapons collided with immense force, creating sparks between the two. Riven's
momentum was halted immediately and his body pushed against the staff. As he was
stopped, his thrust brought along a strong wind to add to his strength. The tornado-type
winds coupled with Riven's strength threw Mayasha back against the side of a nearby
building, making a dent in the wood where she hit. Her body fell limp to the ground,
unconscious from hitting against the building.
"Mayasha!" Cloud cried as he leaped down into the canyon and darted after her.
Riven stood calm and cool even as Cloud sprinted at him with a grin on his face. As
Cloud came within two yards of Riven, the cloaked figure appeared before him. He
stopped immediately, but it was too late. With one mighty swing of a 7-foot-long sword,
the figure cut deep into Cloud's left side. His body slumped forward and fell to his
knees, eventually on his back.
The wind caught the hood of the cloak and yanked it back off the figure's head,
but he grabbed it and pulled it back on after he paused for a few seconds, standing with
his knees bent and the sword fully extended. His right foot slid back and his posture
straightened until he stood tall above Cloud. Slowly, he sheathed the sword at his left
side and reached up for the hood. Gloved hands untied the cloak, slipping it off his back
and tossing it on the ground next to Cloud. Long, silver hair cascaded down his back and
deep, radiating, emerald eyes brighter than Riven's stared down at the badly wounded.
Black combat leather covered his entire body, except for a cross of brown across his bare
chest. Black, knee-high combat boots and pants clothed his legs and a shin-length trench
coat covered the rest. He had white shoulder guards and metal rings around his wrists
where his gloves ended and around his knees just under the tops of the boots. His dark
presence lingered silently over Cloud for a moment before he spoke, "Hello, Cloud. It
has been a while. Ha, ha, ha!" His deep, wicked laugh echoed throughout the city and
into the night.
Clouds eyes widened greatly upon hearing the voice, and, with the strength he had
left, breathed, "Se...phi...roth..."
Sephiroth grinned and turned to his acquaintance and said, "Let's go, Riven.
Dawn is approaching and the others will be here soon." Riven nodded and scooped up
Mayasha's body. In a flash, they were gone. (end Chapter 2)