Chapter 24: Soul Searching; Puzzled Vincent; The Awakening
Reeve stumbled through the dark forest. As he progressed, so did the life around him. Everything was in constant change. The pulse below him beat at an unpredictable rate. The plants begun to die and the mechanical pillars spread. It was becoming a very dark and cold world.
"Roy…" Reeve turned around. He heard someone say something.
"…Roy…how long has it been?…" The same voice called.
"Paige?!" Reeve shouted. The voice was very soft and feminine, like a female ghost whispering through the night air. All the plants were gone, save a few dead trees. The ground was no longer fleshy, but dark gray brick. Odd walls made of the same formed around him, creating a castle of some sort.
"…Roy…my love…" The ghostly voice called out.
"It's me! I'm right here! Paige!" Reeve begun to run in circles, trying to find the voices origin.
"Roy Reeve of Midgar…please…" The voice faded away.
"Paige! What is it that you want!? Please tell me!" Roy, obviously his first name, fell to his knees. Out from the shadows came a woman. Deathly pale her skin was and her long ball gown was completely white. She had long brown hair and deep blue eyes. She hovered over to Reeve, not making a single sound.
"Paige! I thought you were dead! That doesn't matter though, we're back together. I missed you so much!" He tried to hug her, but his arms went right through.
"…Roy…I am deceased. I was killed in the Gongaga explosion. This is my soul…" Paige whispered.
"…What are you doing here? I have so many questions!" Roy shouted.
"…You were the best husband I ever had…But I must return to the lifestream. My soul has been pulled out. I must return to the planet and be reborn…"
Roy stood in silence, warm tears flowing down his cheek. His deceased wife stood in front of him. "…How'd you get here, my love? …Was it EON?"
"The creature is searching…searching for something, I do not know what. It pulls souls out of the lifestream, looking for one…"
{Paige Reeve of Gongaga, come forth.} A voice roared in Roys head. {You can still be put to use.}
Reeve turned towards the monstrous EON and screamed. "You're not doing anything with my wife, you bastard! If you touch a hair on her head, I'll rip out all of your filthy guts myself!"
Paige begun to fade away "…I love you, Roy. Don't give up… I will always be with you, in your memories. I have one final wish…"
"Don't go! Please!"
"…I will use my energy to teleport you to safety…defeat EON and save all our worlds…" Paige then faded away. Reeve fell to the ground again, sobbing. A blue circle formed under his feet and he was teleported far away.
** *
"~Alone for a while I've been searching through the dark,
For traces of the love you left inside my lonely heart,
To weave by picking up the pieces that remain,
Melodies of life - love's lost refrain.
Our paths they did cross, though I cannot say just why.
We met, we laughed, we held on fast, and then we said goodbye.
And who'll hear the echoes of stories never told ?
Let them ring out loud till they unfold.
In my dearest memories, I see you reaching out to me.
Though you're gone, I still believe that you can call out my name.
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony.
And so it goes, on and on.
Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying birds - forever and beyond.
So far and away, see the birds as it flies by.
Gliding through the shadows of the clouds up in the sky.
I've laid my memories and dreams upon those wings.
Leave them now and see what tomorrow brings.
In your dearest memories, do you remember loving me ?
Was it fate that brought us close and now leave me behind ?
A voice from the past, joining yours and mine.
Adding up the layers of harmony.
And so it goes, on and on. Melodies of life,
To the sky beyond the flying bird - forever and on.
If I should leave this lonely world behind,
Your voice will still remember our melody.
Now I know we'll carry on.
Melodies of life,
Come circle round and grow deep in our hearts, as long as we remember. ~"
Vincent heard the familiar and comforting song. He opened his eyes and stared into the early morning light. He, Barret, Cid, Yuffie, and Red XIII were sleeping by the shack, where Bobby Corwin was also sleeping. Vincent got up out of the hay, being careful not to disturb the others. He walked out of the shack and into the courtyard, where Mogryo was sleeping. Sitting on the fence was Memoria, singing happily to herself and the baby moogle in her lap. She kicked her legs back and forth, almost swinging thanks to the weight of her boots. The moogle was asleep on her blue skirt, as she petted it. Her long brown hair swayed in the early morning breeze as she had her eyes shut. Vincent approached her cautiously.
"How did you get here?" Vincent asked the teenage girl. "Weren't you in the other world?"
She opened her bright green eyes. "…I can do many things." She continued petting the sleeping moogle.
"…Just who are you? …You look familiar…" Vincent said.
"I am Memoria… are you Vincent Valentine?" She glanced his way, mostly at his long black hair.
"…That is I. How do you know me?" He frowned.
"Because she talks about you. She has described you very well… Your more hansom in real life." She gazed at him.
"…What do you mean?! Who is this woman you speak of?!" Vincent shouted angrily, losing his cool almost monotonous attitude.
"That is for you to find out." Memoria smiled. "She knows the flower girl's father…" She picked up the baby moogle in her arms and leaped off the fence.
"Flower girl? You don't mean Aeris Gainsborough?" Vincent replied. She nodded. "Aeris' father was professor Gast…"
"I must go for now…I will see you again…" She waved and faded into nonexistence. Vincent scratched his head. Yet another mystery…
** *
Cid walked over to Tifa and Cloud's room and was ready to knock on the door. He had a great big smile on his face. Barret, Red XIII, and the ever-puzzled Vincent were at the Airship landing grounds. Yuffie was busy asking the black mages if they had any materia, which was silly because everyone knows that black mages don't need materia to do magic, that's what makes them so fairy tale like. Cid knocked on their door.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! He tapped the door many times, but no one answered. Cid was starting to frown. "God damnit! We're going to miss our ride!" He opened the door. What he saw he was not prepared for.
Tifa and Cloud were asleep on the bunk under the sheets, but their clothes were all over the place. A sweat drop formed on the side of Cid's face. Cloud's boxers on the floor and Tifas' bra on the dresser! Cid quickly slammed the door shut. "Holy %^&*in shit! I never want to see that again!"
Barret entered the inn. The black mages and genome were confused and Cid stood against the door, panting for breath.
"What the hells wrong, foo? We need to pack our asses in gear and split this joint!" Barret demanded. "Where's the lucky S.O.B and Tifa?"
"Still in there, but you don't want to go in there!" Cid said. The black mages and genome were even more confused.
Barret shoved Cid to the side and opened the doors. "Wake up foos! We need to-" He then caught glimpse of the room, the same horrendous scene that Cid had witnessed earlier. "Hot Dayum!" Barret quickly shut the door. "Cloud wears chocobo boxers!"
Cid nodded. "Scary scene, ain't it?" the black mages and genome were even more confused.
"Uh…sirs. Can I help you?" The black mage at the counter stammered.
"….Can you get them out of bed? We're going to miss our damn ride!" Cid said. Barret nodded.
"…Alright sirs." The black mage took out his wizard staff and ushered the other to do the same. Cid and Barret stepped back and let the battle ready mages step in. Cid then shut the door behind them. "Lets get the hell out of here." Barret and Cid ran out of the inn. A moment later Tifas' screams were heard through out the village.