Chapter 8
Aeris awoke to the soft rain that pelted off her cheeks and ran down her neck. She slowly opened her eyes to see that the stream before her began to give off an eerily vibrate glow against the night sky. She quickly stood looking around to see if Cloud had followed her but there seemed to be no sign of him.
Cautiously, Aeris made her way towards the stream and moved her shaking cold right hand towards it, fearful of what it might do to her fingers once they had touched or even skimmed the surface of it. She bent slightly over trying to keep her balance well placed, fearful of falling into it. Soon her hand was perfectly parrell to the stream's liquid and a hot cloud of steam rose and surrounded her hand making it glow a pale green.
Jolting back in fear, she pulled her hand to her chest and examined her fingers moving, them slowly to see if the strange water had any effect on them.
"What is that…" She asked herself as she glanced back at it. Her Emerald green eyes lit up as she first noticed that the rain wasn't touching the stream, instead it seemed to shoot it back into the sky when it got close enough but with the same strange glow.
"No… This can't be…" Aeris told herself as she watched the glowing raindrops ascend back into the night sky above her, like fireworks that had just been shot off. Aeris dropped to her knees and slowly crawled to the streams edge looking closely into it. Her reflection still did not show and it disturbed her violently.
Taking a deep breath she tightly closed her eyes in fright and pushed her trembling hand into the ooze and immediately after screams began to fill her head. Aeris fiercely yanked her hand out of it and stumbled backwards breathing hard and rapidly. The screams slowly vanished from her mind and left her shuttering in shock.
"What…what was that…" She asked herself as she began to try and calm herself from her shocked state.
"It's called a LifeStream…" Came a gentle soft voice from behind her.
Startled, Aeris jumped to her feet and swung around gripping her Princess Guard tightly in her hands but her right one slipped off, leaving the stream's ooze across the top grip of her staff and it fell to the ground but she clutched it with her left hand to keep it from falling into the stream. An outline of a man came into view through the glowing drops of rain and she backed up a few steps as if threatening to fall back into the stream.
"What's wrong Aeris?" The voice of the man asked her as he continued to move towards her, not looking as if in any mood to cease coming towards her.
"Stop!" She commanded as she shook in fear, almost stuttering over her words as she begged him to stop.
"And what would you do? You've already had a taste of the planet's pain and I don't think you want another," He told her as he continued towards her.
Soon he stood close enough seen perfectly through the light, giving his body a vibrate glow. He hand a cigarette between his lips and it glowed a bloody red from the heat it was giving off. In his left hand he held something long and sharp, like a staff only with a deep cut diamond edge point to it, more or less a decorated Spear because of all it's designs that laced around it.
"St-Stop! G- Go away!" Aeris begged stuttering over each word, slipping slightly as she backed up even further, nearly too much to handle.
"What? Don't you get who I am?" He asked confusingly, the smell of thick smoke filled the air as he neared her and she started to feel dizzy from it.
His blonde hair was lit against the LifeStream's glow. The man's blue jean jacket was hard to make out but it lit up with his white shirt underneath. The man's blue jeans seemed black against now that the rain had drenched them as well.
He lifted his brown leather gloved hand to his face and pulled the cigarette from between his lips with his two fingers.
"Damn rain. I can never smoke when I want to!" He whined as he flicked the deadbeat cigarette over his shoulder.
"Who are you?" She asked and his expression turned out to be not much different from Cloud's as he raised an eyebrow to her as his eyes grew in surprise.
"Aeris? What the hell is wrong with you? Did Cloud rough you up to much or something?" He asked chuckling under his breath. Aeris shook her head in confusion and he continued to laugh as he spoke.
"I'm Cid!" He yelled raising his arms above his head with his spear clutched in his left hand tightly as if for a hug making her jump back in surprise, forgetting that she was on the edge of the stream.
"Shit!" Cid screamed as his face expression turned to horror and he launched himself forward stretching out his right hand trying to grab her, but missed and tripped backwards as if being pulled away from her. She frailed her arms out to him screaming as she fell and clutched her staff still almost breaking it because of her strength in fear. Aeris screamed out as she struck the LifeStream and the screams cried out and flooded through her mind as the stream finally engulfed her body and pulled her under.
Aeris awoke to the soft rain that pelted off her cheeks and ran down her neck. She slowly opened her eyes to see that the stream before her began to give off an eerily vibrate glow against the night sky. She quickly stood looking around to see if Cloud had followed her but there seemed to be no sign of him.
Cautiously, Aeris made her way towards the stream and moved her shaking cold right hand towards it, fearful of what it might do to her fingers once they had touched or even skimmed the surface of it. She bent slightly over trying to keep her balance well placed, fearful of falling into it. Soon her hand was perfectly parrell to the stream's liquid and a hot cloud of steam rose and surrounded her hand making it glow a pale green.
Jolting back in fear, she pulled her hand to her chest and examined her fingers moving, them slowly to see if the strange water had any effect on them.
"What is that…" She asked herself as she glanced back at it. Her Emerald green eyes lit up as she first noticed that the rain wasn't touching the stream, instead it seemed to shoot it back into the sky when it got close enough but with the same strange glow.
"No… This can't be…" Aeris told herself as she watched the glowing raindrops ascend back into the night sky above her, like fireworks that had just been shot off. Aeris dropped to her knees and slowly crawled to the streams edge looking closely into it. Her reflection still did not show and it disturbed her violently.
Taking a deep breath she tightly closed her eyes in fright and pushed her trembling hand into the ooze and immediately after screams began to fill her head. Aeris fiercely yanked her hand out of it and stumbled backwards breathing hard and rapidly. The screams slowly vanished from her mind and left her shuttering in shock.
"What…what was that…" She asked herself as she began to try and calm herself from her shocked state.
"It's called a LifeStream…" Came a gentle soft voice from behind her.
Startled, Aeris jumped to her feet and swung around gripping her Princess Guard tightly in her hands but her right one slipped off, leaving the stream's ooze across the top grip of her staff and it fell to the ground but she clutched it with her left hand to keep it from falling into the stream. An outline of a man came into view through the glowing drops of rain and she backed up a few steps as if threatening to fall back into the stream.
"What's wrong Aeris?" The voice of the man asked her as he continued to move towards her, not looking as if in any mood to cease coming towards her.
"Stop!" She commanded as she shook in fear, almost stuttering over her words as she begged him to stop.
"And what would you do? You've already had a taste of the planet's pain and I don't think you want another," He told her as he continued towards her.
Soon he stood close enough seen perfectly through the light, giving his body a vibrate glow. He hand a cigarette between his lips and it glowed a bloody red from the heat it was giving off. In his left hand he held something long and sharp, like a staff only with a deep cut diamond edge point to it, more or less a decorated Spear because of all it's designs that laced around it.
"St-Stop! G- Go away!" Aeris begged stuttering over each word, slipping slightly as she backed up even further, nearly too much to handle.
"What? Don't you get who I am?" He asked confusingly, the smell of thick smoke filled the air as he neared her and she started to feel dizzy from it.
His blonde hair was lit against the LifeStream's glow. The man's blue jean jacket was hard to make out but it lit up with his white shirt underneath. The man's blue jeans seemed black against now that the rain had drenched them as well.
He lifted his brown leather gloved hand to his face and pulled the cigarette from between his lips with his two fingers.
"Damn rain. I can never smoke when I want to!" He whined as he flicked the deadbeat cigarette over his shoulder.
"Who are you?" She asked and his expression turned out to be not much different from Cloud's as he raised an eyebrow to her as his eyes grew in surprise.
"Aeris? What the hell is wrong with you? Did Cloud rough you up to much or something?" He asked chuckling under his breath. Aeris shook her head in confusion and he continued to laugh as he spoke.
"I'm Cid!" He yelled raising his arms above his head with his spear clutched in his left hand tightly as if for a hug making her jump back in surprise, forgetting that she was on the edge of the stream.
"Shit!" Cid screamed as his face expression turned to horror and he launched himself forward stretching out his right hand trying to grab her, but missed and tripped backwards as if being pulled away from her. She frailed her arms out to him screaming as she fell and clutched her staff still almost breaking it because of her strength in fear. Aeris screamed out as she struck the LifeStream and the screams cried out and flooded through her mind as the stream finally engulfed her body and pulled her under.