A Final Fantasy VII: S/C FanFiction
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy 7 characters are the property of and copyrighted by their respective creator, Square-Enix, distributors, and legally associated parties. This fiction is used without permission for the purpose of entertainment only and is not meant for sale or profit. All original characters are the creation of the author.
Warnings: AU (I think...), violence, language, YAOI.
Summary: S/C. A year later, with Jenova and Sephiroth returning once again, a new type of WEAPONs has began terrorizing the world, familiar faces bringing uncertainty and suspicious. As Cloud struggles for truth, what reality he once had is now far away from his reach.
Notes:
/ .... / or // .... // = someone's dialogue
( .... ) = Character's thoughts
Italics = Flashbacks/other miscellaneous dialogue
ALTER QUIES
Chapter 01: truths in dreams... (Re-Written)
He woke up and sensed confusions, both inside and out.
Before he could figure out anything, a faint sound caught his attention. In front of him, a small orange-colored ball pounced towards him slowly... and he did not wait long before the ball came to a slow stop at his feet. He reached down and picked the ball up.
"Thank you, Sir."
The little girl appeared from nowhere, stood beside him. She lifted her head up and smiled innocently. She was dressed in a pure white dress with tiny little green flowers printed randomly on the leftward tip of her skirt; her unusual shiny black hair rested slightly beyond her small shoulder and a pair of dark-colored eyes seemed to know something he did not. However, Cloud merely shrugged and returned the ball to her.
She beamed delightfully at the touch of her favorite ball, and asked politely, "Sir, are you lost?"
"... Maybe. You? Where are your parents?"
"I'm not lost, and my parents are somewhere out there." She claimed, "My name is Gaea! What's yours?"
"Cloud," the blond smiled. "Gaea, do you know the way out here?"
"Hmm? Everywhere is."
Cloud blinked slowly and started looking around his surroundings... there was nothing but a pitch of blackness. When he looked behind, Gaea dragged his hand down, tearing the ex-SOLDIER's glaze to the little girl. Slightly surprised by her strength, he questioned.
"Don't ever try going back; it's never your way. Whatever ways you have walked, you had. May it be easy or tough, short or long, please determine your way that has set several before you."
"What are you...."
"Look..." she pointed. "You have chosen."
It swallowed him immediately as a surge of light overwhelmed the whole room, nearly blinding as he shielded away with his hands.
** ***** **
"Cloud?"
"...Gaea?"
Priscilla chuckled and dragged out of his... her bed. "No! I'm not Gaea; it's Priscilla! I have been calling you for an hour, sleepy head! Comeeee on! Grandpa is waiting for us."
"Hmm... Priscilla, where are we going?" muttered Cloud who was still struggling with his sluggish state.
She beamed. "We're going shopping! Since you are leaving this afternoon, grandpa and I decided to spend the whole morning with you in Junon Town."
"That's good," Cloud yawned. "But I've seen the new town last night... so, can't I...."
"No, and you're going now." The little girl pouted and dragged him to the bathroom. "You'd better be out in ten minutes, or else I'm not letting you broad the ship."
Cloud grumbled slightly as he entered the bathroom, washing his face. He was not a morning person; he had difficulties waking up in the morning and poor Tifa had learnt it the hard way. Of course, he had thrown things, but for a martial artist like her, all was too easy to dodge. What she had not encountered for was, he had summoned the Lightning God out and nearly struck their house down before continued his sleep. From that day onward, she decided to stop making him breakfast. Cloud had to muse; for a strong woman like her, she had given up trying to make him a morning person.
Except this time he could not throw something at Priscilla.
Fully awake, he wiped his face clean and sighed before heading out of the house. He glared at the morning sun and the happily chipping birds, and was greeted by a certain excited pair below.
"Cloud, hurry up! We're already late!"
He sighed, (I swear both of them ARE those morning people) and hurried down the stairs to join the pair. He had ate little of his breakfast... well, his first breakfast in six months, and was certainly amazed with the amount the little girl had. She ate nearly the size of Barret had, or perhaps even more. Her grandpa was equally alike. He could see the grandfather and daughter enjoyed breakfast very much but why breakfast, he did not know.
Then they went to replenish his potions and all other miscellaneous stuffs needed in the journey. Priscilla wanted to buy him some materias, but he refused. The rest of the morning gone very slowly for Cloud, mostly suffered while accompanied the girl in her shopping. Her grandpa made the wisest choice when he lied he was tired. Cloud snorted inwardly.
All girls and women alike had an abnormal stamina whenever it came to shopping. Cid and Barret would completely agree with him, but out of them, Barret would consider himself the most fortunate. Marlene was mature and intelligent for her age. She understood very well that her father was much busy with his new work and she would refrain herself from overdoing.
"Cloud, you... wear earrings?"
Cloud blinked, and looked down at the girl. "One, though. I had it while I was serving ShinRa."
"Ohhhh." Priscilla's eyes awe as she stared at his silver pearly earring. Then she grinned. "Cloud, you wait here!"
"Wha...? Wait! Priscilla!" It was too late; she was gone in the crowd before he could follow. He heaved a tired sigh and leaned against a wall. She was unpredictable as the weather, and what was about him having a hole in his ear? He admitted, he did not remember the reason why he had done it back then. He guessed he had followed the trend.
As quickly as she went, she came back after a few moments. "Hello, I'm back!" exclaimed a cheerful voice, but he could hear some panting from the running. She was quite fast for her age, though. Cloud scowled at her.
Priscilla laughed, and cocked her eyebrow mischievously. "Say... were you worried about me?"
Cloud could only shake his head exasperatedly. "No, I'm worrying for your grandfather."
Priscilla pouted and placed both hands on her hips. She reminded very much of Tifa when she did that. He noticed she had something in the hand as she did that. Cloud patted on her head gently and grinned. "So, what have you got there?"
Her eyes lightened up and exclaimed excitedly. "This!"
The ex-SOLDIER blinked as she revealed a small packet. It contained a pair of black earrings; it was a ring type, unlike his silver pearl-like. It looked better than the one he currently had. "You mean this is for me?"
"Yup!" She pushed the packet into his hand. "Cloud, I want to see you wearing it!"
"But...."
The little girl smiled. "Please take it. It's a gift."
Cloud thought for a while, with a little push from her, then he nodded and put on the new earring. He had to admit, as he looked at his reflection from the glass window of a nearby shop, this black earring suited him very well. He had never given his earring a second thought; he bought the old one cheaply from the wall market, much to his guiltiness. After all, why would a man give so much about an earring?
"Cloud, you look really nice in that!" squeaked Priscilla, her face colored slightly.
He stared at the other pair and asked, "What about this one? I'm not going to piece another of my ear."
She shook her head. "You can keep it... or give it to someone special."
He blinked. ( Someone special? Who? ) He thought of giving it to Tifa, but she probably would not like it. She had plenty that were a lot nicer, in women's point of view, than this simple earring, besides it was not even a complete pair. Yuffie? ( Yeah right, and where the hell is she? ) The blond then decided to keep it for a while.
"Then..." the tanned girl said shyly. "If you are going to throw away your old one... can I have it instead?"
"I don't see why not. Here, but you'd better cleanse it." Cloud laughed embarrassingly. "Its quite dirty."
"No problem!"
"...And Priscilla?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Priscilla looked up at him, blushing. "Really... no problem."
** ***** **
It was raining.... No, it was the sounds of the water.
... It was the ocean. It was just another dream.
Boundless blue sky and sea stretched as far as his eyes could see, gentle wind brushed through him, accompanying with the sounds of that mild waves washing the shore. He had seen this scene many times; he had once lived near the ocean. Every night, he would go out of his house secretly, sometimes strolling along the shore, carefully not to wake creatures of the night, sometimes watching the shinning stars. He would goes in the day, but he did not want to make his mother upset any further than she was.
However, any thing he did, it always upset her. He did not understand.
He looked around, then to his feet and found himself standing on the ocean. It caused ripples to the surface as he shifted. He lowered himself and held out his hand to touch the sea. Strangely, as it seemed, he could feel the cool water and could sink his hand through. He pondered whether to let his body fall or not; to test was it only his feet.
On second thought, he thought not.
"That hair...." Came a familiar sinister chuckle from his back, "Yes... how can I forget. It's that failure from Nibelheim, are you not?"
( Hojo?! )
"Muwahahaa... I see you have gained some... excellence talents. After all, you did defeat my masterpiece."
( W... Why is he here?! )
"Have you inherit his strength? My son did make you strong, did he not?"
( WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT??!!! )
Hojo snickered, "Maybe... you are not quite a failure, after all. You have proven yourself to be... useful quite a numerous times. Do you want a... number?"
"I d-don't want!"
"'Don't want'? Are you sure you do not want it?" giggled the mad scientist. "You were begging for it the last time."
Cloud lowered his head. "I just don't want to be a failure...."
"But you are."
"No, I am not!" Cloud snapped. "You are the last person to determine whether I'm useful or not! And the last person I want to be useful to you!"
He giggled again and hugged himself. "My, my. You've grown, but she did not think so."
Cloud widened his eyes as he recognized her immediately. It was impossible to forget her, no matter how much she had seemed to age. He knew she was still young, but she had always looked older than she really was. She walked toward to him, but came to a stop beside the swaying scientist. It hurt him deeply when she gave him a disgusted look. "You again. What have you done this time?"
"I-I did not...." he stammered.
"Hn. Don't bother explaining to me, all you did were always wrong anyway. Such a problematic child."
"But everything I did was wrong to you!" Cloud cried. "Tell me what to do?!"
"Nothing." With that, she turned away. "I want nothing from you. You can go with this crazy guy, I don't care."
"What?!"
Hojo laughed and bowed. "Thank you, my lady. You are most kind."
"Your existence is completely a nuisance to my life, Cloud." She turned to Hojo before walked away. "I doubt he will be much useful to you anyway."
"Well, he didn't the last time." He shook his head mockingly, "But I will make him useful this time."
"Go to hell, Hojo!" Cloud scowled at him, then turned to her, trying to stop her. "Wait! Don't go!"
"Forget it, Cloud. I'm already gone." She kept walking away, ignoring his pleas.
"Is it because I looked exactly like him?!" he shouted desperately.
She stopped.
The blond swallowed hard. "...That you were always like this to me? Is it?"
She turned around and sneered at him. "Of course it is! You are the only reason I hate my life so much, you make my life so fuck up! If it is not for you, I'd be better off somewhere else! Do you wonder why you are so weak? Do you wonder why those cuts never heal? Do you think those lies are true? You are more fool than I think, Strife!"
Cloud could only stare at her, disoriented.
She hissed. "But you! You came back when my life was finally getting better, with that face of yours! No cuts! No bruises! Ha! Your body is well figured, you have fine-looking features and you cut your hair! You looked exactly like him! EXACTLY! Do you hate me so much that you rebelled me with all these? You shouldn't return at all. Why had you returned anyway? Can't you just stay where you are?"
The blond could only shake his head softly. "I do not hate you... I could never bring myself to hate you. Never."
She snorted, "Too bad. I hate you."
Cloud closed his eyes and whispered sadly. "I know... I just hope... at least, maybe you could...."
"That's impossible."
The world receded into darkness, leaving him standing on the empty void.
He looked at Gaea. She was not that little girl he had last seen. She was a young teenager (kind of around Yuffie's age), had an extreme long, dark hair that nearly touched the ground... or was there a ground below them? She wore a Kimono that had the same white and green patterns, Wutai's traditional wearing. He remembered Yuffie mentioning to the group when they visited her country. Her eyes... they were still as dark as a black pearl was, yet they spoke so ancient.
Yes, now he realized, she felt ancient. Very, very much ancient than anyone he knew, even Bugenhagen.
Even her voice, she spoke with deep hidden knowledge and wisdom. "It is not possible for her to love you anymore. She could not bring herself to love anyone, not even herself... or else, she would break."
"Of me?"
"Hey, young man! You'll need a Lunar harp to cross the forest... h-hey! Are you listening to me?"
"...Nay, he don't need. He already got one. See, the forest is awake."
"Junke, you know that guy?"
"Not really, just an ordinary customer. He came here with a group friends, a year ago, found the Lunar Harp, entered the Sleeping Forest and never came out."
"Huh? Never came out? He's staying there?"
"Don't know...."
Gaea closed her eyes. "Of the man she loved more than anything."
"Who is he? Can you tell me?"
She shook her head. "A child who does not know what love is. A child who yet knows what hate is. A child who still hopes when there is no hope for him to place. A child who fears non-existence so much that he will do anything to get away from that fear."
Cloud remained silent.
"Tell me, why does one dwell in a dark past when the present and the future are so much brighter?"
Silence.
The dark teenager placed herself in front of Cloud, piecing her black eyes at him as if trying to read his mind. He tried to look away, but he could not as she held his head firmly. "Don't look away, Cloud Strife."
"I...."
Gaea then removed her hands and placed them to his chest, to his heart. "All you lacked of is confidence. Please believe in yourself, you are not as ugly as you think. People may not know you, they may not recognize you, but they appreciate what you have done. I am impressed and appreciated for everything you have done. So, don't think that low of yourself."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Cloud asked quietly.
"Because from now onwards, no one are going to be there to help you, to look after your back. You may face solitude once more again and you are going to need all you have."
"What's happening?"
"It seems the darkness in the heart is still holding you strong; you have passed only half the tests and failed yet the most important one."
"You mean Hojo and...."
Gaea nodded grimly. "Yes, they represented your fears. What you fear of will be your greatest weakness. You might fall because of this weakness, you might break because of this weakness, and you might even not find your way out because of it." Her eyes softened and she smiled. "You will find someone that will mend your weakness. Someone who will help you get through. Someone who is as weak as you are. They needed you."
"Who...?"
She continued to smile. Then, she did the most unexpected thing. Cloud felt his eyes widened as Gaea tipped her feet up and covered his eyes. He did not remove her hands; he had felt as though she could be trusted. At the same time, she felt disturbing familiar. It seemed to him that he had known her for a very long, long time.
"Who... are you?"
And she answered. "I'm Aeris."
The blond shot his eyes up and found himself staring at the smiling Aeris. His eyes, as he realized, was not covered anymore and his surroundings... he was standing in a quiet forest. It was the Sleeping Forest. He noticed, besides Aeris, there was two more presence in the forest. Immediately he recognized the two figures that stood behind her.
"Zack... and Sephiroth." He stated, firmly.
Sephiroth merely nodded, while Zack immediately grinned and leaned his hands across Cloud's shoulders heavily. "Buddy! It's good to see ya again!"
Cloud was too stunned to reply something.
"Hmm? Why you're not saying anything?"
Sephiroth sighed and said quietly, "Zack, anyone in his position would be too shock to say anything."
Zack frowned and pouted. "Well, your meeting with him wasn't a very good one either."
"Hn."
"Seph! Say something about that meeting!"
"...."
"Seph!"
Zack grumbled and left the confused Cloud behind with Aeris. Both generals bickering to no ends, making the whole scene looked completely comical, and Cloud's face was hilarious. Aeris could only shake her head, she appeared amused as if she was used to the scene.
"Cloud, just don't mind them too much." She laughed, "Or else, you will be contaminated with their virus."
"Aeris! I heard that." Zack's voice.
Cloud shook his head frantically and drawing everyone's attention to him. He cried, "Wait a minute! What is going on here!? Is this the Lifestream?"
Both Zack and Aeris exchanged looks before laughing. "Cloud! Are you still dreaming? Don't you recognize us?"
"This is not what I mean! I mean, why are you all acting like he had done nothing wrong?!" He pointed to the silver-haired man standing in the background.
"Because...." Zack and Aeris said together, smiling. "We will be your future."
The blond stared at them. Then, hesitantly, to Sephiroth. He was as usual, hard to see what he was thinking right now. However, he was staring, somewhat, intensively at the blond....
/ This will be your last dream. Come, you are at your last step; come and accept my gratitude. /
It was Gaea's voice.
** ***** **
Cloud awoke. He had somehow expected to be by the lake of the shell house, otherwise known as the Entrance to the Ancient City. Where the death of a flower girl happened there; where Aeris's body rested beneath deep down the lake. A year had passed, he had gotten over her death since then and he cared more or less. She was a good friend to him, and he figured she would be happier with her own kind.
In the beginning, the whole group would return and visit the city. Sometimes to tell her what had they been doing and about their welfare, and some other times, they would just walk through the city, talking to themselves about stuffs, meaningless stuffs and miscellaneous stuffs. They were always at ease, though monsters were still roaming and ambushing around.
However, this time disturbed him greatly. He was called forth.
Gaea had taken so much effort to bring him here while she had his subconscious in those dreams. She tested him, warned him... of what, he was unsure. That was why he was here, was he not? He was sure; she was just beyond the entrance, probably waiting for his arrival.
He understood all along that his aimless journey was all for this day, for him to be here. Dreamless dreams and disturbing dreams alike -- though part of him believed it was not completely dreamless -- were her ways to communicate and bring him here.
Cloud stepped into the shell-like house and found the door was already open. He frowned and headed forward anyway.
( Hn. Fine, I am here Gaea, and I will see why you are so desperately in need of me here. )
As he walked down the long stair, the same beautiful scenery of the city greeted him. Nevertheless, he kept his mind concentrated on other things; beauty scenery would come rather later. He allowed his legs to guide the way instead, since he was called upon and it would lead him directly to Gaea. Buildings after buildings, stairs after stairs, he gradually realized where he was heading. Gaea actually wanted him to come to the place where Sephiroth's sword pierced through Aeris's heart.
He did not find an image of that flower girl, instead he saw a strangely beautiful entity suspended over the ground. She had wore another similar to the previous Kimono, except this time, it was completely silky black and they were stained with golden small curious patterns. What made it different was her whole dress and the golden silky ribbons that tied the Kimono alike together were dragged very long, long enough that it had to lay on the ground and seemed to create large ripples on that mess of expensive silky materials.
He was not able to see her face, her head was lowered and her black hair... were longer, very much longer than he had remembered in the dreams. Even though her hair had tied and braided, it still drew long and touched the ground, disappearing somewhere in her sea of clothes.
He realized he had seen three different versions of Gaea. The innocent and enigma young child, the teen of both serious and wise, and this adult filled with confidence and great power: Ancient power.
Cloud was staring with awed, before finding his voice again. "Are... you Gaea?"
/ "Gaea" was given by my parents, but your kinds called me otherwise. Be honor, you are the first Human to know my true name. Yes, I am Gaea, one and only Gaea. /
"What are you? Are you an alien or something like that?"
Came a soft chuckle. / That, I cannot tell. You will have to figure out yourself.... I have the tendency of being mysterious. Anyway, you heard my call... and arrived quite late. /
Cloud snorted, unintentionally; but meant no disrespect of her. "Your call was quite indirect, and besides I do believe you have some of the dream eased, am I right? Some dreams are not entirely empty."
/ Correct, but I have my reasons. Someone, besides me, has searched for you and has tried to pull you along. It is not exactly the right time to call you, and he is interrupting our plan. He accidentally found our channel and by chance used that channel to connect you. /
"Who is he?"
/ I have no right to tell you. /
Cloud frowned. "Alright... then, what do you want of me?"
/ ...We need your help, Cloud Strife. My sister is suffering... our enemy has became too strong for her to reverse the process. / Gaea paused before snorted. Cloud cocked an eyebrow at that. / I did warn of her too naïve methods, but she continued to proceed them. And look at what she had landed us in? Obstinate, she is being difficult for both of us. /
Cloud blinked. "You don't... seem to be very close to her?"
/ Of course not. If any chances, I will be the last one to be associated with her. She is too compassionate and virtuous, while I enjoy being ruthless and deception. The devil's company if you get what I mean. If not for the cursed Link, who cares about her survival. /
"I guess I don't understand that very well...."
/ Never mind. I need you to help her to neutralize the threat, her darkness is overflowing and her selected forces are not helping much. /
"Okay..." Cloud said slowly, "I'm going to help your sister against this whatever enemy, and I assumed I am going somewhere?"
/ Absolutely correct. /
"And where is this place?"
/ If you are thinking somewhere nearby -- I think you are -- well, sorry Cloud Strife, you are somewhere further than you can imagine. So far that, no one will recognize you, or you will not recognize anyone you know. A place where Humans have not known its very existence. /
"What?!" starlted Cloud. "Where the hell is this place?!"
/ You will know soon. /
The mercenary tensed slightly. He was beginning to suspect her, though in the first he did not know why he had trusted her so much, other than her name and her purpose, he knew nothing of her. In the conversation, she revealed she was very arrogant, as if she was a lord or something. Certainly, she loved the dark side. She was not even human... in fact, she could be Jenova herself.
He glared at her, shifting slightly to position and trying not to reveal of his suspicious.
Gaea turned her head at him, as if sensing some changes. After pondering over the situation, she mused. / Aren't we getting touchy here? Well, excuse me for my attitude, I most definitely do not wish to lose the trust we have for now. Hmm... I think I should be able to mess up with the current memories, do you not think it will be fun? /
Cloud challenged, not trying to cover his suspicious. "I don't trust you, Gaea. I don't even know what you are."
/ You are worry about your friends, you are worry about an invasion of the Lifestream, then rest assured. They will be the least worries in your mind... no, I take that back. They will be among your worries, though it is not what you think it will be. / Gaea slowly lifted her head and opened her dark eyes for the first time. Her beauty was stunning beyond description. / Besides... / She saw confusion and smirked.
/ You are not in the position to defy me, Cloud Strife. /
Before even Cloud could react, Gaea raised her hands in the air and chanted melodically of a language he did not understand. Greenish energy -- which to his horror, it was Lifestream -- radiated around her as she concentrated. Words and lines soon came to life and began inscribing on the floor where Cloud stood. Lines drew lines, allowing the flow of energy, which strengthened the words to words.
A sudden bust of light surged everywhere as the huge circle of symbols was completed, building an unfathomable length pillar of Lifestream to the sky. While he was standing in the middle of the spell, he could feel himself being lifted off the ground weightlessly, floating upwards just as though there was a black hole above.
"G...Gaea?! What are you doing?!" shouted Cloud.
/ Portal Completion.... / Gaea snickered, / You probably have forgotten, but I will say this once more. For everything you have done to me, this is how I am going to repay you. Gladly embrace my gratitude. For everything you have lost from me, you shall reclaim them from my other half. /
/ Because you are our Gift of Gift itself. /
Cloud widened his eyes in much shock as he felt himself sucked away and into a twirling and twisting light tunnel. A never-ending passage.
A way to unknown... of no returns.
/ When you meet her, greet her for me. /
** ***** **
** ***** **
His thoughts were slowly interrupted as reality once more made itself known, and for a moment he was confused. At first he could make out a new sound, a high pitched shrieking that made itself known even above the noise of the storm and the waves. It was accompanied by a blazing red light, one that washed over his closed eyes, uncertain if he was hallucinating when he opened them again. After a moment of disorientation, he comprehended that both the sound and the light were coming from the sky.
Something was going wrong. Terribly wrong, and it did not have to take a wise man to figure it out.
He stared in idle curiosity as the storm raged on, the gray sky above him turned icy violets and to fiery red as something punched through. Finally, it broke through the under layer of cloud, the sound of its fall then turned into a loud roar. He could barely make out the core of light from amidst of the massive fiery umbra and tail.
The entire world as abruptly as it was immediately, covered with gentle waves of glowing Lifestream. He reached out to feel and was slightly surprised to find them lifeless. Whatever it had done, it was already used. It was empty. Feeling both relief and dread, he glared at the source of this strange happening.
As the light started fading, which seemed a little bit too fast, the used Lifestream slowly melted into the earth and gladly accepted by the Planet. Everything was once again back to normal, and darkness resumed to its place like any of this had ever happened. Even the clouds seemed to clear and the stars of the night were unusually bright and shinning.
He had no idea what was happening. With all the recent incidents, he did not trust miracles anymore. No, since the past year, miracles did not exist for him. Gods hated his life. Part of him thought it was the work of their enemy. Another part of him, however begged differs and hopes.
He really hoped they were not too late. Their enemy already seemed to have the upper hand.
Moreover, what was that light purpose really was, it must have meant something and he was determined to find out. He narrowed his glowing eyes at the vanished light.
The Northern Continent: The beginning and ending of everything.
Except things had not yet ended like it should have been.
What worse could he get?
** ***** **
Somewhere in a sleepy town, a figure suddenly jerked up in the middle of the night, feeling a familiar rush running through her body. She was just in time to witness a bright flash of light outside her window. She rubbed her eyes and wondered if she was dreaming, but her blood and soul were screaming for her attention. Her face slowly turned horror; no matter how much she had asked and begged, she received no answers. A heavy silence filled her mind and she feared for the Planet.
No longer, she could understand the Planet and could not sleep anymore, in that dreadful night.
** ***** **
In a place where knowledge was rich, the designated giant machine started activating itself and recorded down the sudden phenomenon that ever happened the first time on the Planet into its own memory. The computer searched and looked at every possible aspect, registering changes and factors that were both related or not related.
As intelligent the device was, it did not solve the mystery though.
END.Chapter01
To Be Continued_
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy 7 characters are the property of and copyrighted by their respective creator, Square-Enix, distributors, and legally associated parties. This fiction is used without permission for the purpose of entertainment only and is not meant for sale or profit. All original characters are the creation of the author.
Warnings: AU (I think...), violence, language, YAOI.
Summary: S/C. A year later, with Jenova and Sephiroth returning once again, a new type of WEAPONs has began terrorizing the world, familiar faces bringing uncertainty and suspicious. As Cloud struggles for truth, what reality he once had is now far away from his reach.
Notes:
/ .... / or // .... // = someone's dialogue
( .... ) = Character's thoughts
Italics = Flashbacks/other miscellaneous dialogue
ALTER QUIES
Chapter 01: truths in dreams... (Re-Written)
He woke up and sensed confusions, both inside and out.
Before he could figure out anything, a faint sound caught his attention. In front of him, a small orange-colored ball pounced towards him slowly... and he did not wait long before the ball came to a slow stop at his feet. He reached down and picked the ball up.
"Thank you, Sir."
The little girl appeared from nowhere, stood beside him. She lifted her head up and smiled innocently. She was dressed in a pure white dress with tiny little green flowers printed randomly on the leftward tip of her skirt; her unusual shiny black hair rested slightly beyond her small shoulder and a pair of dark-colored eyes seemed to know something he did not. However, Cloud merely shrugged and returned the ball to her.
She beamed delightfully at the touch of her favorite ball, and asked politely, "Sir, are you lost?"
"... Maybe. You? Where are your parents?"
"I'm not lost, and my parents are somewhere out there." She claimed, "My name is Gaea! What's yours?"
"Cloud," the blond smiled. "Gaea, do you know the way out here?"
"Hmm? Everywhere is."
Cloud blinked slowly and started looking around his surroundings... there was nothing but a pitch of blackness. When he looked behind, Gaea dragged his hand down, tearing the ex-SOLDIER's glaze to the little girl. Slightly surprised by her strength, he questioned.
"Don't ever try going back; it's never your way. Whatever ways you have walked, you had. May it be easy or tough, short or long, please determine your way that has set several before you."
"What are you...."
"Look..." she pointed. "You have chosen."
It swallowed him immediately as a surge of light overwhelmed the whole room, nearly blinding as he shielded away with his hands.
** ***** **
"Cloud?"
"...Gaea?"
Priscilla chuckled and dragged out of his... her bed. "No! I'm not Gaea; it's Priscilla! I have been calling you for an hour, sleepy head! Comeeee on! Grandpa is waiting for us."
"Hmm... Priscilla, where are we going?" muttered Cloud who was still struggling with his sluggish state.
She beamed. "We're going shopping! Since you are leaving this afternoon, grandpa and I decided to spend the whole morning with you in Junon Town."
"That's good," Cloud yawned. "But I've seen the new town last night... so, can't I...."
"No, and you're going now." The little girl pouted and dragged him to the bathroom. "You'd better be out in ten minutes, or else I'm not letting you broad the ship."
Cloud grumbled slightly as he entered the bathroom, washing his face. He was not a morning person; he had difficulties waking up in the morning and poor Tifa had learnt it the hard way. Of course, he had thrown things, but for a martial artist like her, all was too easy to dodge. What she had not encountered for was, he had summoned the Lightning God out and nearly struck their house down before continued his sleep. From that day onward, she decided to stop making him breakfast. Cloud had to muse; for a strong woman like her, she had given up trying to make him a morning person.
Except this time he could not throw something at Priscilla.
Fully awake, he wiped his face clean and sighed before heading out of the house. He glared at the morning sun and the happily chipping birds, and was greeted by a certain excited pair below.
"Cloud, hurry up! We're already late!"
He sighed, (I swear both of them ARE those morning people) and hurried down the stairs to join the pair. He had ate little of his breakfast... well, his first breakfast in six months, and was certainly amazed with the amount the little girl had. She ate nearly the size of Barret had, or perhaps even more. Her grandpa was equally alike. He could see the grandfather and daughter enjoyed breakfast very much but why breakfast, he did not know.
Then they went to replenish his potions and all other miscellaneous stuffs needed in the journey. Priscilla wanted to buy him some materias, but he refused. The rest of the morning gone very slowly for Cloud, mostly suffered while accompanied the girl in her shopping. Her grandpa made the wisest choice when he lied he was tired. Cloud snorted inwardly.
All girls and women alike had an abnormal stamina whenever it came to shopping. Cid and Barret would completely agree with him, but out of them, Barret would consider himself the most fortunate. Marlene was mature and intelligent for her age. She understood very well that her father was much busy with his new work and she would refrain herself from overdoing.
"Cloud, you... wear earrings?"
Cloud blinked, and looked down at the girl. "One, though. I had it while I was serving ShinRa."
"Ohhhh." Priscilla's eyes awe as she stared at his silver pearly earring. Then she grinned. "Cloud, you wait here!"
"Wha...? Wait! Priscilla!" It was too late; she was gone in the crowd before he could follow. He heaved a tired sigh and leaned against a wall. She was unpredictable as the weather, and what was about him having a hole in his ear? He admitted, he did not remember the reason why he had done it back then. He guessed he had followed the trend.
As quickly as she went, she came back after a few moments. "Hello, I'm back!" exclaimed a cheerful voice, but he could hear some panting from the running. She was quite fast for her age, though. Cloud scowled at her.
Priscilla laughed, and cocked her eyebrow mischievously. "Say... were you worried about me?"
Cloud could only shake his head exasperatedly. "No, I'm worrying for your grandfather."
Priscilla pouted and placed both hands on her hips. She reminded very much of Tifa when she did that. He noticed she had something in the hand as she did that. Cloud patted on her head gently and grinned. "So, what have you got there?"
Her eyes lightened up and exclaimed excitedly. "This!"
The ex-SOLDIER blinked as she revealed a small packet. It contained a pair of black earrings; it was a ring type, unlike his silver pearl-like. It looked better than the one he currently had. "You mean this is for me?"
"Yup!" She pushed the packet into his hand. "Cloud, I want to see you wearing it!"
"But...."
The little girl smiled. "Please take it. It's a gift."
Cloud thought for a while, with a little push from her, then he nodded and put on the new earring. He had to admit, as he looked at his reflection from the glass window of a nearby shop, this black earring suited him very well. He had never given his earring a second thought; he bought the old one cheaply from the wall market, much to his guiltiness. After all, why would a man give so much about an earring?
"Cloud, you look really nice in that!" squeaked Priscilla, her face colored slightly.
He stared at the other pair and asked, "What about this one? I'm not going to piece another of my ear."
She shook her head. "You can keep it... or give it to someone special."
He blinked. ( Someone special? Who? ) He thought of giving it to Tifa, but she probably would not like it. She had plenty that were a lot nicer, in women's point of view, than this simple earring, besides it was not even a complete pair. Yuffie? ( Yeah right, and where the hell is she? ) The blond then decided to keep it for a while.
"Then..." the tanned girl said shyly. "If you are going to throw away your old one... can I have it instead?"
"I don't see why not. Here, but you'd better cleanse it." Cloud laughed embarrassingly. "Its quite dirty."
"No problem!"
"...And Priscilla?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks."
Priscilla looked up at him, blushing. "Really... no problem."
** ***** **
It was raining.... No, it was the sounds of the water.
... It was the ocean. It was just another dream.
Boundless blue sky and sea stretched as far as his eyes could see, gentle wind brushed through him, accompanying with the sounds of that mild waves washing the shore. He had seen this scene many times; he had once lived near the ocean. Every night, he would go out of his house secretly, sometimes strolling along the shore, carefully not to wake creatures of the night, sometimes watching the shinning stars. He would goes in the day, but he did not want to make his mother upset any further than she was.
However, any thing he did, it always upset her. He did not understand.
He looked around, then to his feet and found himself standing on the ocean. It caused ripples to the surface as he shifted. He lowered himself and held out his hand to touch the sea. Strangely, as it seemed, he could feel the cool water and could sink his hand through. He pondered whether to let his body fall or not; to test was it only his feet.
On second thought, he thought not.
"That hair...." Came a familiar sinister chuckle from his back, "Yes... how can I forget. It's that failure from Nibelheim, are you not?"
( Hojo?! )
"Muwahahaa... I see you have gained some... excellence talents. After all, you did defeat my masterpiece."
( W... Why is he here?! )
"Have you inherit his strength? My son did make you strong, did he not?"
( WHAT THE HELL YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT??!!! )
Hojo snickered, "Maybe... you are not quite a failure, after all. You have proven yourself to be... useful quite a numerous times. Do you want a... number?"
"I d-don't want!"
"'Don't want'? Are you sure you do not want it?" giggled the mad scientist. "You were begging for it the last time."
Cloud lowered his head. "I just don't want to be a failure...."
"But you are."
"No, I am not!" Cloud snapped. "You are the last person to determine whether I'm useful or not! And the last person I want to be useful to you!"
He giggled again and hugged himself. "My, my. You've grown, but she did not think so."
Cloud widened his eyes as he recognized her immediately. It was impossible to forget her, no matter how much she had seemed to age. He knew she was still young, but she had always looked older than she really was. She walked toward to him, but came to a stop beside the swaying scientist. It hurt him deeply when she gave him a disgusted look. "You again. What have you done this time?"
"I-I did not...." he stammered.
"Hn. Don't bother explaining to me, all you did were always wrong anyway. Such a problematic child."
"But everything I did was wrong to you!" Cloud cried. "Tell me what to do?!"
"Nothing." With that, she turned away. "I want nothing from you. You can go with this crazy guy, I don't care."
"What?!"
Hojo laughed and bowed. "Thank you, my lady. You are most kind."
"Your existence is completely a nuisance to my life, Cloud." She turned to Hojo before walked away. "I doubt he will be much useful to you anyway."
"Well, he didn't the last time." He shook his head mockingly, "But I will make him useful this time."
"Go to hell, Hojo!" Cloud scowled at him, then turned to her, trying to stop her. "Wait! Don't go!"
"Forget it, Cloud. I'm already gone." She kept walking away, ignoring his pleas.
"Is it because I looked exactly like him?!" he shouted desperately.
She stopped.
The blond swallowed hard. "...That you were always like this to me? Is it?"
She turned around and sneered at him. "Of course it is! You are the only reason I hate my life so much, you make my life so fuck up! If it is not for you, I'd be better off somewhere else! Do you wonder why you are so weak? Do you wonder why those cuts never heal? Do you think those lies are true? You are more fool than I think, Strife!"
Cloud could only stare at her, disoriented.
She hissed. "But you! You came back when my life was finally getting better, with that face of yours! No cuts! No bruises! Ha! Your body is well figured, you have fine-looking features and you cut your hair! You looked exactly like him! EXACTLY! Do you hate me so much that you rebelled me with all these? You shouldn't return at all. Why had you returned anyway? Can't you just stay where you are?"
The blond could only shake his head softly. "I do not hate you... I could never bring myself to hate you. Never."
She snorted, "Too bad. I hate you."
Cloud closed his eyes and whispered sadly. "I know... I just hope... at least, maybe you could...."
"That's impossible."
The world receded into darkness, leaving him standing on the empty void.
He looked at Gaea. She was not that little girl he had last seen. She was a young teenager (kind of around Yuffie's age), had an extreme long, dark hair that nearly touched the ground... or was there a ground below them? She wore a Kimono that had the same white and green patterns, Wutai's traditional wearing. He remembered Yuffie mentioning to the group when they visited her country. Her eyes... they were still as dark as a black pearl was, yet they spoke so ancient.
Yes, now he realized, she felt ancient. Very, very much ancient than anyone he knew, even Bugenhagen.
Even her voice, she spoke with deep hidden knowledge and wisdom. "It is not possible for her to love you anymore. She could not bring herself to love anyone, not even herself... or else, she would break."
"Of me?"
"Hey, young man! You'll need a Lunar harp to cross the forest... h-hey! Are you listening to me?"
"...Nay, he don't need. He already got one. See, the forest is awake."
"Junke, you know that guy?"
"Not really, just an ordinary customer. He came here with a group friends, a year ago, found the Lunar Harp, entered the Sleeping Forest and never came out."
"Huh? Never came out? He's staying there?"
"Don't know...."
Gaea closed her eyes. "Of the man she loved more than anything."
"Who is he? Can you tell me?"
She shook her head. "A child who does not know what love is. A child who yet knows what hate is. A child who still hopes when there is no hope for him to place. A child who fears non-existence so much that he will do anything to get away from that fear."
Cloud remained silent.
"Tell me, why does one dwell in a dark past when the present and the future are so much brighter?"
Silence.
The dark teenager placed herself in front of Cloud, piecing her black eyes at him as if trying to read his mind. He tried to look away, but he could not as she held his head firmly. "Don't look away, Cloud Strife."
"I...."
Gaea then removed her hands and placed them to his chest, to his heart. "All you lacked of is confidence. Please believe in yourself, you are not as ugly as you think. People may not know you, they may not recognize you, but they appreciate what you have done. I am impressed and appreciated for everything you have done. So, don't think that low of yourself."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Cloud asked quietly.
"Because from now onwards, no one are going to be there to help you, to look after your back. You may face solitude once more again and you are going to need all you have."
"What's happening?"
"It seems the darkness in the heart is still holding you strong; you have passed only half the tests and failed yet the most important one."
"You mean Hojo and...."
Gaea nodded grimly. "Yes, they represented your fears. What you fear of will be your greatest weakness. You might fall because of this weakness, you might break because of this weakness, and you might even not find your way out because of it." Her eyes softened and she smiled. "You will find someone that will mend your weakness. Someone who will help you get through. Someone who is as weak as you are. They needed you."
"Who...?"
She continued to smile. Then, she did the most unexpected thing. Cloud felt his eyes widened as Gaea tipped her feet up and covered his eyes. He did not remove her hands; he had felt as though she could be trusted. At the same time, she felt disturbing familiar. It seemed to him that he had known her for a very long, long time.
"Who... are you?"
And she answered. "I'm Aeris."
The blond shot his eyes up and found himself staring at the smiling Aeris. His eyes, as he realized, was not covered anymore and his surroundings... he was standing in a quiet forest. It was the Sleeping Forest. He noticed, besides Aeris, there was two more presence in the forest. Immediately he recognized the two figures that stood behind her.
"Zack... and Sephiroth." He stated, firmly.
Sephiroth merely nodded, while Zack immediately grinned and leaned his hands across Cloud's shoulders heavily. "Buddy! It's good to see ya again!"
Cloud was too stunned to reply something.
"Hmm? Why you're not saying anything?"
Sephiroth sighed and said quietly, "Zack, anyone in his position would be too shock to say anything."
Zack frowned and pouted. "Well, your meeting with him wasn't a very good one either."
"Hn."
"Seph! Say something about that meeting!"
"...."
"Seph!"
Zack grumbled and left the confused Cloud behind with Aeris. Both generals bickering to no ends, making the whole scene looked completely comical, and Cloud's face was hilarious. Aeris could only shake her head, she appeared amused as if she was used to the scene.
"Cloud, just don't mind them too much." She laughed, "Or else, you will be contaminated with their virus."
"Aeris! I heard that." Zack's voice.
Cloud shook his head frantically and drawing everyone's attention to him. He cried, "Wait a minute! What is going on here!? Is this the Lifestream?"
Both Zack and Aeris exchanged looks before laughing. "Cloud! Are you still dreaming? Don't you recognize us?"
"This is not what I mean! I mean, why are you all acting like he had done nothing wrong?!" He pointed to the silver-haired man standing in the background.
"Because...." Zack and Aeris said together, smiling. "We will be your future."
The blond stared at them. Then, hesitantly, to Sephiroth. He was as usual, hard to see what he was thinking right now. However, he was staring, somewhat, intensively at the blond....
/ This will be your last dream. Come, you are at your last step; come and accept my gratitude. /
It was Gaea's voice.
** ***** **
Cloud awoke. He had somehow expected to be by the lake of the shell house, otherwise known as the Entrance to the Ancient City. Where the death of a flower girl happened there; where Aeris's body rested beneath deep down the lake. A year had passed, he had gotten over her death since then and he cared more or less. She was a good friend to him, and he figured she would be happier with her own kind.
In the beginning, the whole group would return and visit the city. Sometimes to tell her what had they been doing and about their welfare, and some other times, they would just walk through the city, talking to themselves about stuffs, meaningless stuffs and miscellaneous stuffs. They were always at ease, though monsters were still roaming and ambushing around.
However, this time disturbed him greatly. He was called forth.
Gaea had taken so much effort to bring him here while she had his subconscious in those dreams. She tested him, warned him... of what, he was unsure. That was why he was here, was he not? He was sure; she was just beyond the entrance, probably waiting for his arrival.
He understood all along that his aimless journey was all for this day, for him to be here. Dreamless dreams and disturbing dreams alike -- though part of him believed it was not completely dreamless -- were her ways to communicate and bring him here.
Cloud stepped into the shell-like house and found the door was already open. He frowned and headed forward anyway.
( Hn. Fine, I am here Gaea, and I will see why you are so desperately in need of me here. )
As he walked down the long stair, the same beautiful scenery of the city greeted him. Nevertheless, he kept his mind concentrated on other things; beauty scenery would come rather later. He allowed his legs to guide the way instead, since he was called upon and it would lead him directly to Gaea. Buildings after buildings, stairs after stairs, he gradually realized where he was heading. Gaea actually wanted him to come to the place where Sephiroth's sword pierced through Aeris's heart.
He did not find an image of that flower girl, instead he saw a strangely beautiful entity suspended over the ground. She had wore another similar to the previous Kimono, except this time, it was completely silky black and they were stained with golden small curious patterns. What made it different was her whole dress and the golden silky ribbons that tied the Kimono alike together were dragged very long, long enough that it had to lay on the ground and seemed to create large ripples on that mess of expensive silky materials.
He was not able to see her face, her head was lowered and her black hair... were longer, very much longer than he had remembered in the dreams. Even though her hair had tied and braided, it still drew long and touched the ground, disappearing somewhere in her sea of clothes.
He realized he had seen three different versions of Gaea. The innocent and enigma young child, the teen of both serious and wise, and this adult filled with confidence and great power: Ancient power.
Cloud was staring with awed, before finding his voice again. "Are... you Gaea?"
/ "Gaea" was given by my parents, but your kinds called me otherwise. Be honor, you are the first Human to know my true name. Yes, I am Gaea, one and only Gaea. /
"What are you? Are you an alien or something like that?"
Came a soft chuckle. / That, I cannot tell. You will have to figure out yourself.... I have the tendency of being mysterious. Anyway, you heard my call... and arrived quite late. /
Cloud snorted, unintentionally; but meant no disrespect of her. "Your call was quite indirect, and besides I do believe you have some of the dream eased, am I right? Some dreams are not entirely empty."
/ Correct, but I have my reasons. Someone, besides me, has searched for you and has tried to pull you along. It is not exactly the right time to call you, and he is interrupting our plan. He accidentally found our channel and by chance used that channel to connect you. /
"Who is he?"
/ I have no right to tell you. /
Cloud frowned. "Alright... then, what do you want of me?"
/ ...We need your help, Cloud Strife. My sister is suffering... our enemy has became too strong for her to reverse the process. / Gaea paused before snorted. Cloud cocked an eyebrow at that. / I did warn of her too naïve methods, but she continued to proceed them. And look at what she had landed us in? Obstinate, she is being difficult for both of us. /
Cloud blinked. "You don't... seem to be very close to her?"
/ Of course not. If any chances, I will be the last one to be associated with her. She is too compassionate and virtuous, while I enjoy being ruthless and deception. The devil's company if you get what I mean. If not for the cursed Link, who cares about her survival. /
"I guess I don't understand that very well...."
/ Never mind. I need you to help her to neutralize the threat, her darkness is overflowing and her selected forces are not helping much. /
"Okay..." Cloud said slowly, "I'm going to help your sister against this whatever enemy, and I assumed I am going somewhere?"
/ Absolutely correct. /
"And where is this place?"
/ If you are thinking somewhere nearby -- I think you are -- well, sorry Cloud Strife, you are somewhere further than you can imagine. So far that, no one will recognize you, or you will not recognize anyone you know. A place where Humans have not known its very existence. /
"What?!" starlted Cloud. "Where the hell is this place?!"
/ You will know soon. /
The mercenary tensed slightly. He was beginning to suspect her, though in the first he did not know why he had trusted her so much, other than her name and her purpose, he knew nothing of her. In the conversation, she revealed she was very arrogant, as if she was a lord or something. Certainly, she loved the dark side. She was not even human... in fact, she could be Jenova herself.
He glared at her, shifting slightly to position and trying not to reveal of his suspicious.
Gaea turned her head at him, as if sensing some changes. After pondering over the situation, she mused. / Aren't we getting touchy here? Well, excuse me for my attitude, I most definitely do not wish to lose the trust we have for now. Hmm... I think I should be able to mess up with the current memories, do you not think it will be fun? /
Cloud challenged, not trying to cover his suspicious. "I don't trust you, Gaea. I don't even know what you are."
/ You are worry about your friends, you are worry about an invasion of the Lifestream, then rest assured. They will be the least worries in your mind... no, I take that back. They will be among your worries, though it is not what you think it will be. / Gaea slowly lifted her head and opened her dark eyes for the first time. Her beauty was stunning beyond description. / Besides... / She saw confusion and smirked.
/ You are not in the position to defy me, Cloud Strife. /
Before even Cloud could react, Gaea raised her hands in the air and chanted melodically of a language he did not understand. Greenish energy -- which to his horror, it was Lifestream -- radiated around her as she concentrated. Words and lines soon came to life and began inscribing on the floor where Cloud stood. Lines drew lines, allowing the flow of energy, which strengthened the words to words.
A sudden bust of light surged everywhere as the huge circle of symbols was completed, building an unfathomable length pillar of Lifestream to the sky. While he was standing in the middle of the spell, he could feel himself being lifted off the ground weightlessly, floating upwards just as though there was a black hole above.
"G...Gaea?! What are you doing?!" shouted Cloud.
/ Portal Completion.... / Gaea snickered, / You probably have forgotten, but I will say this once more. For everything you have done to me, this is how I am going to repay you. Gladly embrace my gratitude. For everything you have lost from me, you shall reclaim them from my other half. /
/ Because you are our Gift of Gift itself. /
Cloud widened his eyes in much shock as he felt himself sucked away and into a twirling and twisting light tunnel. A never-ending passage.
A way to unknown... of no returns.
/ When you meet her, greet her for me. /
** ***** **
** ***** **
His thoughts were slowly interrupted as reality once more made itself known, and for a moment he was confused. At first he could make out a new sound, a high pitched shrieking that made itself known even above the noise of the storm and the waves. It was accompanied by a blazing red light, one that washed over his closed eyes, uncertain if he was hallucinating when he opened them again. After a moment of disorientation, he comprehended that both the sound and the light were coming from the sky.
Something was going wrong. Terribly wrong, and it did not have to take a wise man to figure it out.
He stared in idle curiosity as the storm raged on, the gray sky above him turned icy violets and to fiery red as something punched through. Finally, it broke through the under layer of cloud, the sound of its fall then turned into a loud roar. He could barely make out the core of light from amidst of the massive fiery umbra and tail.
The entire world as abruptly as it was immediately, covered with gentle waves of glowing Lifestream. He reached out to feel and was slightly surprised to find them lifeless. Whatever it had done, it was already used. It was empty. Feeling both relief and dread, he glared at the source of this strange happening.
As the light started fading, which seemed a little bit too fast, the used Lifestream slowly melted into the earth and gladly accepted by the Planet. Everything was once again back to normal, and darkness resumed to its place like any of this had ever happened. Even the clouds seemed to clear and the stars of the night were unusually bright and shinning.
He had no idea what was happening. With all the recent incidents, he did not trust miracles anymore. No, since the past year, miracles did not exist for him. Gods hated his life. Part of him thought it was the work of their enemy. Another part of him, however begged differs and hopes.
He really hoped they were not too late. Their enemy already seemed to have the upper hand.
Moreover, what was that light purpose really was, it must have meant something and he was determined to find out. He narrowed his glowing eyes at the vanished light.
The Northern Continent: The beginning and ending of everything.
Except things had not yet ended like it should have been.
What worse could he get?
** ***** **
Somewhere in a sleepy town, a figure suddenly jerked up in the middle of the night, feeling a familiar rush running through her body. She was just in time to witness a bright flash of light outside her window. She rubbed her eyes and wondered if she was dreaming, but her blood and soul were screaming for her attention. Her face slowly turned horror; no matter how much she had asked and begged, she received no answers. A heavy silence filled her mind and she feared for the Planet.
No longer, she could understand the Planet and could not sleep anymore, in that dreadful night.
** ***** **
In a place where knowledge was rich, the designated giant machine started activating itself and recorded down the sudden phenomenon that ever happened the first time on the Planet into its own memory. The computer searched and looked at every possible aspect, registering changes and factors that were both related or not related.
As intelligent the device was, it did not solve the mystery though.
END.Chapter01
To Be Continued_