Nelo Dalen was lying down on the sands of the shore, gazing up into the starry night. He laid there, his hands behind his head, wearing a windbreaker jacket to keep warm in the cool night. All around him, the sounds of the gently crashing waves provided the only ambience. The hour was a little past 0100. Sleep was not coming to him, so he walked down to the shoreline alone. He lay there, thinking…thinking about recent events, the upcoming mission, and that small nagging doubt that Raina is safe. He let out a long, slow breath, collecting himself.
So many stars…what a beautiful night. I hope Raina is looking at the same sky. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander ahead a few days. Provided all goes well, he would be back within a week.
I wonder what happened on that cargo ship…I'll find out in due time.
The sound of footsteps brought him out of his reverie. He opened his eyes, suddenly feeling alert.
"Don't worry," a familiar voice said softly. "It's only me." Ifalna sat down next to Nelo.
"Morning, Ifalna. What brings you out here at this hour?"
"Probably not the reason you're out here." She folded her arms across her chest, probably from a chill. The winds down on the shore were mild, but Nelo noticed she was cold. He sat up and took off his windbreaker jacket. "Here."
"Thanks," Ifalna said, putting it on. "So," she began, "what brings you out here?"
Nelo sighed, and lied back down. "You could say lack of sleep. My mind has
been spinning these last couple of days—the incident at Junon, Raina's disappearance, the upcoming mission, I don't know. Raina and I have been close friends since childhood—I don't want anything bad to happen to her. I've been having these feelings for her, feelings I've felt for no one else. I—I—" he stammered.
"It's called love," Ifalna interrupted. "You love Raina, and you don't wish any ill of her. These feelings you're having—they aren't just simple feelings for a friend. They are feelings of love."
Nelo's voice dimmed to a whisper. "I…I guess that's it." He sighed again.
"Relax," Ifalna said in a soothing voice. She placed her hand on Nelo's head and let it sit there. "You'll see her again. I'm sure of it."
"What makes you so sure?" Nelo asked, still in a whisper. At that moment, Ifalna leaned over and kissed Nelo full on the lips. They sat there for a moment, seeming like time itself had come to a standstill, both of them absorbed in the moment. After what seemed like ages, she pulled away from Nelo, looked at him, and smiled.
"Woman's intuition," she said softly. She rose to her feet and brushed herself off. "Come. We both need our sleep. It's gonna be a long day tomorrow."
* * *
Raina sat on her bed, gazing out of her window, up at the late night sky filled with stars. Her long soak cleared her mind and washed away the day's events. Now she sat there, relaxed, just giving some thought to tomorrow's trip to Nibelhelm. She hadn't been there for a while, years in fact, and wondered how much it changed. She also couldn't wait to see familiar faces again, Nelo in particular. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, and this seemed to further relax Raina. Her silence ended when she heard a knock on her room door. She sat up, erect, suddenly alert. "Who's there?" Raina called.
"It's just me, Jeini," the female voice answered. "Are you decent?" Raina adjusted her robe. "Yes, yes, come in." The door opened, and there in the doorway stood the figure of Jeini, still wearing what she wore previously. Her emerald eyes seemed even brighter than before, now in the dim light. "Looks like you've made yourself at home. I see you are calmer now."
"Yes, I am. That long bath hit the spot." Raina agreed.
"That's one of the things I like about this place. Shame I don't come here more often. Duty calls and that sort of thing keep me away. I came here to tell you that I have arranged two chocobos for us so we can go to Nibelhelm—otherwise it would be a killer walk to accomplish. We will be leaving at some point in the late morning—I know you probably need some sleep after the events of late."
Raina chuckled. "Need my beauty sleep, you know."
Jeini laughed. "Beauty sleep? You're in the army, girl. No beauty sleep for you."
Raina's facial expression changed to one of the "sad puppy face." "Pwease?"
"Ok, fine."
"Good. I was going to have some anyway."
"Speaking of sleep," Jeini began, "I must be getting some myself. Chocobos can be fun to ride. Have you ever rode a chocobo before?"
"Can't say that I have. I've seen it before, at the Gold Saucer."
"When did you go to the Gold Saucer? I haven't been there in years!" A look of surprise went across her face.
"I went last year. Fun place."
"Well, then. Next time you go, take me with you. I have a bit of a score to settle with Dio, the owner of the Gold Saucer."
"I'll make a note of that." Raina yawned. "I think I'm ready for bed."
"Then I'll leave you to it." Jeini turned around to exit. When she opened the door, she turned her head at Raina. "Sleep well."
Raina smiled. "You too." The door shut, and Raina was alone, in the silence again.
After a minute or so, Raina went to her bedside light, and turned it out. She took off her robe and tucked herself into bed. A few minutes later, she was fast asleep.
She was surrounded on all sides by dark, brown earth. A cold floor was enveloped in a thick fog-like air, from which it was only translucent. The air around her possessed a dank quality, somewhat of a humid feeling. She looked around, searching for a point of reference, something that could tell her where she was. Behind her, a giant boulder blocked what may have been an entrance, she couldn't tell. Ahead of her, she noticed a pale blue light, seemingly far off in the distance. Seeing nowhere else to go, she only could walk toward the source of the light.
After all, light is the great attractor.
As she got closer, her naked body felt a chill in the air, sending goose bumps over her body. The air got colder as she proceeded to close the distance. At the threshold, she stopped--her conscience held her back.
Some part of her mind told her not to go forward, and as it was, a premonition was building--a feeling of danger, impending doom. Another part of her mind showed intrigue and wonder, curiosity. If she were to go beyond, what would happen?
Only one way to find out...
She stepped into a giant space, surrounded entirely by shades of white and just the slightest hues of blue. Stalactites made of what could have been ice lined the ceiling, stretching on and on. The walls all around her were lined with a clear, crystalline substance. Curious, she reached out her hand and touched the wall next to her. Suddenly, she pulled her hand back in pain as she felt a cold like no other. She clutched her hand, breathing on it, trying to un-freeze her hand from the searing cold.
Shit! Damn, damn, damn! How the hell cold is that? Feels like I placed my hand on liquid nitrogen...but it isn't...
After she recovered, she looked around the room again. In the center, she noticed, was a raised platform of sorts, and in the center was a tall ice structure, crystalline, and very shiny. A thin mist emanated from the monolith, a sure signal that it wasn't something to be touched. From the naked eye, the monolith appeared to be double her height. Again, curiosity began to well up. Scanning it very closely, she noticed an object within the structure, a spherical object.
Hmm...I wonder...
She walked forward to a set of stairs carved out of the platform, and moved in closer to get a better look. Careful not to touch the monolith, she noticed that this blue orb was the same shape and size as a bowling ball. In the translucent appearance of the object, she noticed something out of the ordinary--something caught her eye; and she moved her face closer to get a better look. She could feel the waves of cold mist on her face, a vivid reminder of what just happened--the last thing she needed was to have her face frozen. Peering closer, she noticed a faint writing on the orb itself. It looked like it was written in a unique language, one she couldn't understand.
Estuans inferius...ira vehimente...
A look of confusion spread across her face.
"Estuans inferius ira vehimente?" What kind of language is this? What does it mean?
As if on cue, the strange scrawl began to change. A look of bewilderment and intrigue came across her face. A few seconds later, a new writing appeared on the opaque orb, this time in the common English.
Burning inside with violent anger...
Fear began to creep inside as another premonition began to make root in her mind. Out of instinct, she looked behind her for an exit--only to find that there was no such luck. The way she came in had vanished, and in its place was the same wall that lined the whole room. Her heart quickening, she began to frantically look for anything. Her mind made it clear that she was in for it, what it was, uncertain. She turned away from the monolith and began to back away when suddenly the cavern began to shake violently.
I'm gonna die...I'm gonna die...no escape...trapped...
Trying to maintain balance, she moved as fast as she could off the platform. Suddenly she heard a loud crack, like the sound of rock splitting. She looked up and it confirmed what her mind thought. A stalactite broke from the ceiling and was coming down directly above her, its long point aiming squarely on her head. For a moment, she stood frozen, out of pure terror, and could only stare as the spire rapidly closed the distance.
MOVE! MOVE! MOVE! MOVE OR DIE!
Her conscience brought her back and she dove out of the way, missing being impaled by feet as the spike hit the ground, sending rock everywhere. Her naked body lay there for a minute, until her mind finally registered that everything was still again. She slowly rose to her feet, checking the surroundings once again. She found her attention once again directed to the monolith as the orb inside emitted a bright orange light, making the spire look neon orange. As she stared, the light became brighter and brighter to the point where she shielded her eyes from the blinding aura. The cavern became filled with the sound of shattering glass, as if the entire cavern was being rent in two, shattering all around her until the sounds became too much to bear. She covered her ears and let out a scream, but knew it was pointless. No one could save her.
Raina...called a voice in her head.
What's that? Who is that?
Raina...
Who's calling me? That voice sounds very familiar...I heard that voice very recently...
"Raina. Open your eyes," the same masculine voice said. Slowly, she moved her hands away from her head, noticing immediately that it was silent all around, save for the calm voice. She opened her eyes carefully, her heart still pounding after what just occurred.
Her attention turned to the center of the cavern again, back to the spire. Moments before, the spire itself shone a bright orange, and the cavern was falling apart, but as she looked now, the orange light receded to a tolerable level, and the cavern itself looked as if nothing ever happened. A little confused, she began to walk toward the platform once more, every step being cautious.
"Raina, come forth," the same voice said, calmly. When she rose on the platform, the light once again began to grow brighter, and the orb changed to a bright white, almost blinding her. Suddenly the tall spire exploded, pieces of cold ice flying in all directions. Raina knelt down quickly, and shielded her head from the flying shrapnel. Shards of cold ice hit her exposed body, stinging as it hit her tender skin. Out of fear, she let out a shriek until the hail subsided. As she slowly rose once again to her feet, she opened her eyes and moved her long black hair out of her face to see the damage.
Suspended a few feet above the platform was the orb, now glowing a pale yellow. As Raina stood, the orb changed color again, this time glowing blue. A second later, red. In the midst of this, something began to appear just in front of the orb--a portal or gateway. As the entrance grew bigger, a figure stepped onto the platform. Squinting, Raina could make out that it was a male--naked--anyone familiar she couldn't tell. Moving at his own pace, he walked to the orb and placed his hands on it. As he stood there, the gateway began to close, and with it, Raina began to wonder who this man was. He began to mutter something unintelligible, sounding like another language, perhaps the same language as the writing on the orb. Seconds later, the portal closed, and Raina fully opened her eyes.
He was maybe a little taller than her, and just from the look of his body and his features, quite muscular. The give-away was the very long straight silver hair, and as he turned around, his muscular chest and emerald-colored eyes confirmed her thought.
Sephiroth...
He stared straight into her eyes, noted the fear in them. As she stared into his, she began to feel a sort of calm, a feeling of familiarity, like she knew him for ages.
Well, I did have sex with him...
For a second, her mind went blank--then she spoke the first thought that entered her mind.
"Sephiroth, where am I?" Raina said quietly.
"You are in a place that not very many tread," he said in a calm voice. "It is the source of all life on the Planet, the Lifestream itself."
Raina's eyes widened in wonder and intrigue.
"The Northern Cave!" Raina exclaimed.
Only heard in legend...so this is the fabled Northern Cave, source of all Mako energy. So such a place does exist.
"Very good." The Angel said. "Someone knows the legend of my race."
"So why am I here?" Raina asked, her initial thought out in the open.
"Good question. The reason you're here is because I summoned you," he began, "and it is only in this dreamlike status I brought you here. But the true reason…well, this will take some time and may not be fully understood until the time comes."
"Well, make it quick. I may wake up." Raina said.
He chuckled. "Nice try. I've made it so that you'll wake up when this little meeting of ours ends."
Raina smiled. "Nice touch. Well, go ahead. I'm here for the duration, so why not?"Sephiroth brushed his long hair out of the way, and began to walk toward Raina.
"Obviously," he began, "you know what I am after—to seek the Promised Land, the source of all Mako Energy in which to find the Holy Materia. I want to reclaim the former stature of my former race, the Cetra—or as the layman call them, 'Ancients.' It is at the Northern Cave where the source of all Mako energy where this can be done."
Raina took a step toward Sephiroth. "I'm not sure I follow."
His emerald eyes glared straight into Raina's. "The Lifestream! At the very source of the Planet itself lies the Lifestream, source of all life, source of everything we've come to know as Mako. It is the Lifestream that contains all the souls of all the ones that have died. My aim is to bring back the souls of the Cetra themselves!"
Raina looked inquisitive. "And how, exactly, do you propose to do that?"
"I was just getting to that. By finding the source itself, which is found down in the bowels of this cave, I can accomplish it."
"And how do you know all this?"
"Every Cetra has this knowledge. It is written in ancient legend."
Some of it was beginning to fall into place. Sephiroth continued his walk toward Raina. There was something about those eyes that seemed to calm her down. "But…where do I come in?"
Sephiroth smiled. "In order to begin the ritual, I need a female of Cetra descent. After all, it is the Lifestream. To create life, a male and female are required, as is true with this. To bring back life, both Cetra genders are required. It is according to the Ancient Book."
Raina was taken aback. "A female with Cetra blood? I'm not of Cetra descent at all!"
He laughed. "Oh, yes you are."
"How?"
"You, like myself, are a product of Jenova."
If you like it up to this point, please review. Coming soon: Chapter 5: Ancient History.