Chapter 9
Aeris awoke to the screams that filled her mind as she sunk farther and farther below her. Her eyes shot open as the screams began to grow through her head and she through her hands to her ears shaking her head violently trying to knock the voices from her mind. Aeris screamed herself trying to block the others but they only grew over her own voice.
Suddenly, she felt something grip her shouldar and she started to get dragged upward. Her face broke the surface and she gasped for air as she closed her eyes tightly from the sudden pain that pushed through her. The figure laid her against the ground and held to her side as he gazed down at her. Aeris coughed up the stream and she could feel a blanket being pulled over her soaked body and then it began to lift her, cradling her in his arms.
"You ok?" He asked and Aeris instantly knew who it was and shot open her eyes. Zack looked down at her, his face at first blurry from the stream's water. "Wow, Dyne come on! She was in the LifeStream, we have to get her to a doctor, she's probably covered in Mako Poisoning." He called over and Dyne made his way towards her looking really conserned.
"Damn, Where'd you disappear to yesterday! One minute you're with us the next you've completely vanished." Dyne yelled as he pushed her hair from her eyes.
"You... you two are dead." Aeris said to them squinting passed the sun to meet Zack's eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about girl?! If we're dead how come we're standing right in front of you?!" He yelled raising a hand to wack her at the side of the side of the head but then stopped.
"Where did you hear that from?" Zack asked her looking confused as he started walking away from the stream.
"Cloud said you're dead." Aeris mangaged to say.
"Cloud? Who's he?" Zack asked again looking away from her, glancing ahead of him. "Do you know anyone named Cloud, Dyne?"
"No, psh, you and the other villiagers were they only ones I knew and there was no Cloud there." Dyne told him with a little anger in his voice as he glared at Zack. "Where are we going anyways, Zack?"
"I don't know, somewhere where there's people." Zack answered him quickly.
"But you don't even know if you're walking into a desert dumbass!" He screamed looking very angry now.
"Well, you don't know if I'm going towards the Gold Saucer even!" Zack hollared back turning his glance towards Dyne.
"What it!" Dyne screamed at Zack his eyes lighting up as Zack tripped over the large rock that was planted into the ground and smacked his head against it, dropping Aeris to the ground. Thick warm blood splattered against his face and he stood pushing his gloved hand against his wound.
"Ah fuck!" He screamed with his eyes closed tight as he sat there holding his open wound now with both his hands.
"Shit, Zack! I told you to quit looking everywhere except where you were going!"
"I was looking to where I was going!"
"You were not you were glaring at me! Now damn it hold still!" Dyne commanded as he kneeled down in front of him and took a white rag from his pocket and placed it gently against his cut.
Aeris pushed the blanket off her and sat up looking at Zack. Slowly she stood and made her way over to him kneeling next to Dyne when she reached him.
"Sorry Aeris I didn't mean to dr-" Zack started to say as Aeris pushed a finger against his lips.
"It's alright, stand back Dyne, please." She asked of him and Dyne, looking a bit confused stood and backed a few steps. Carefully, she moved her hand to his forehead and placed it flat over his wound, and closed her eyes gently.
"What are you do-" Zack started and Aeris shook her head at him.
"Shhh..., or you'll screw it up, Zack." she told him and she could hear Dyne snickering behind her. Ignoring him, she silently focused her thoughts to her hand and a gently white glow around his wound. Her hand began to sightly joint and she had to let go recoiling from the blast.
"What the hell was that?!" Dyne screamed as Aeris reopened her eyes to see Dyne's were wide in surprise.
"It's a Curing spell..." She told him softly. Zack then slowly reached up to his forehead and pulled the rag from his head revealing that his wound had vanished. He reached for his sword and pulled it to his face looking into it as he pushed his hair from his face, examing his head.
"Damn...." Zack said still looking around his head.
"How did you do that?" Dyne asked Aeris, in coufusion still.
"I don't know, I just know I can." She told them, pushing herself up from the ground.
"What do you mean you don't know how?!" Dyne screamed looking extremly shocked now.
"Ah, Shut the fuck up Dyne, you can do things you don't understand too." Zack told him as he stood and placed his sword carefully back behind him and crossed his arms. Dyne looked upset now as he marched up to Zack, and slammed him across the face with his fist.
"Shut up! You're not to say anything!" Dyne told him as he backed away now, from Zack, as he rubbed his knuckles.
"Just keep going, bitch, and don't you fucken dare strike me again." Zack told him as he narrowed his eyes at Dyne and stared him down, while rubbing his right cheek. Dyne looked deeply into Zack's eyes angerily grinding his teeth, wanting more then anything to strike him.
"Fine..."
Aeris looked confused as the two glared at each other and then started up passed her turning quickly away looking disgusted with each other. She sighed deeply as she followed between them as they paced. It seemed like hours before they saw another tree and it seemed strange to Aeris since it was all flat plains with miles of fresh green grass in front of them. She had never seen anything like this before because she could always see a patch of even a few trees around her. Zack and Dyne remained deadly silent and at one point Aeris had to look up at both of them to make sure they were still with her.
Disturbed she suddenly spoke up breaking the silence that eluded her mind.
"So... ummm.. what a lifestream?" She asked and Zack looked up at her in shock. "What? You don't know what a lifestream is?" Zack asked her looking at her in great surprise. She shook her head quickly and he stopped blinking quickly at her to make sure he wasn't just imagining and then started walking with them again.
"It a river of souls, Aeris." He started to explain and she stopped looking curiously at him.
"A river of souls? H- How?"
"Well.... It's kind of hard to explain. Ummm... Everyone has a soul, you know, and when they die, they're soul suppose to enter the LifeStream and then flows with it until it is reborned as some kind of animal or plant." Zack told her stuttering over his words, looking as if he screwed something up.
"So you mean, if I were to die, I would end up in that stream and would be born again as like a tree or something?" She asked him looking down at the ground confusionly.
"Yeah exactly." Dyne told her. Aeris then remembered what Cid had told her before she had fallen and looked back up at Zack.
"A man named Cid approached me before I fell into that river... He said that I probably wouldn't want another taste of the planet's pain..." Aeris told him looking confused.
"The Planet's pain are the souls of the streams. In Midgar there are machines called Mako Reactors that are draining the souls from the planet, using them up and then throwing them away like garbage. The Planet will die someday and th-"
"The Planet will die? But it's just a big thing of rock." Aeris said, interuppting Dyne's explination.
"Yes it is, but the LifeStream makes it stay like that, if the Mako Reactors were to suck all the lifestream from the world- Well hold on let me show you," Zack added as he walked over to a nearby bouldar that was no bigger then he was and pulled out his sword. Placing it above his head he sliced it down the middle and then ordered Dyne to hurry over there to hold the side and as he held the other side up.
"Aeris get over here for a sec!" Zack commanded and she walked slowly over to him and stared at him.
"Do what you did before with that white light to the center of the rock." He added and she lifted her hand and let the white light flow through the crack of the rock and it spread around the entire bouldar like tons of rivers. Zack then let go and the bloudar held tight as the white magic flowed through it and Dyne did the same looking in amazement at the rock.
"Damn... I didn't you could do that to a bouldar." Dyne said as he stared at it.
"Yeah now step back in front of the large crack I made ok,"
"Alright." Dyne said in agreement as he watched the fake rivers begin to sparkle gently.
"Aeris, can you pull the magic off the bouldar?" Zack asked her as he placed his hand softly on her shouldar.
"I- I guess I can," She answered him as she pulled away from his grasp and pushed her hand against the main cut in the rock.
"Don't close your eyes either ok?" Zack told her still watching her.
"I'll try," Aeris told him as she took a deep breathe and began to draw the energy back through her palm and into her body. Soon it was gone and she fell back from the energy and the rock completely spit back and slammed into the ground.
"See? The LifeStream is like glue that holds the planet together, if it's taken away it'll completely fall apart." Zack explained as he leaned forward and pulled Aeris to her feet.
"Does the Mako Poisoning come from the LifeStream as well?" She asked as he let go of her.
"Mako is LifeStream. Midgar just calls it that so the people won't know what it really is that they're using." Dyne told her as he moved to he other side and looked deeply at her trying to get her to understand.
"Well we'll have plently of time to explain all this when we reach a town somewhere ok? We can't stop, we have to keep going otherwise we'll miss our chance to get you checked for Mako Poisoning. I'm surprised you haven't fainted yet, most do after a minute in the LifeStream because that poison is so strong. It could be a knew sickness or something that'll take time to develop though in you, we don't know, so we better hurry." Dyne told her gently looking concerned for her. Zack rolled his eyes and turned away from them sighing deeply and then turned back around and started walking passed them, smacking Dyne's back as he went.
"Come on lover boy." He told him chuckling under his breath but looking slightly hurt as he continued. Aeris shook her head and started after him with Dyne at her side as she followed, confused about everything they had told her. Cloud though had confused her the most, he had just told her that they were dead yet they stood in front of her breathing, moving, and talking. She figured they probably forgot about what she said about them being dead by now and were more focused on getting somewhere.
Aeris awoke to the screams that filled her mind as she sunk farther and farther below her. Her eyes shot open as the screams began to grow through her head and she through her hands to her ears shaking her head violently trying to knock the voices from her mind. Aeris screamed herself trying to block the others but they only grew over her own voice.
Suddenly, she felt something grip her shouldar and she started to get dragged upward. Her face broke the surface and she gasped for air as she closed her eyes tightly from the sudden pain that pushed through her. The figure laid her against the ground and held to her side as he gazed down at her. Aeris coughed up the stream and she could feel a blanket being pulled over her soaked body and then it began to lift her, cradling her in his arms.
"You ok?" He asked and Aeris instantly knew who it was and shot open her eyes. Zack looked down at her, his face at first blurry from the stream's water. "Wow, Dyne come on! She was in the LifeStream, we have to get her to a doctor, she's probably covered in Mako Poisoning." He called over and Dyne made his way towards her looking really conserned.
"Damn, Where'd you disappear to yesterday! One minute you're with us the next you've completely vanished." Dyne yelled as he pushed her hair from her eyes.
"You... you two are dead." Aeris said to them squinting passed the sun to meet Zack's eyes.
"What the hell are you talking about girl?! If we're dead how come we're standing right in front of you?!" He yelled raising a hand to wack her at the side of the side of the head but then stopped.
"Where did you hear that from?" Zack asked her looking confused as he started walking away from the stream.
"Cloud said you're dead." Aeris mangaged to say.
"Cloud? Who's he?" Zack asked again looking away from her, glancing ahead of him. "Do you know anyone named Cloud, Dyne?"
"No, psh, you and the other villiagers were they only ones I knew and there was no Cloud there." Dyne told him with a little anger in his voice as he glared at Zack. "Where are we going anyways, Zack?"
"I don't know, somewhere where there's people." Zack answered him quickly.
"But you don't even know if you're walking into a desert dumbass!" He screamed looking very angry now.
"Well, you don't know if I'm going towards the Gold Saucer even!" Zack hollared back turning his glance towards Dyne.
"What it!" Dyne screamed at Zack his eyes lighting up as Zack tripped over the large rock that was planted into the ground and smacked his head against it, dropping Aeris to the ground. Thick warm blood splattered against his face and he stood pushing his gloved hand against his wound.
"Ah fuck!" He screamed with his eyes closed tight as he sat there holding his open wound now with both his hands.
"Shit, Zack! I told you to quit looking everywhere except where you were going!"
"I was looking to where I was going!"
"You were not you were glaring at me! Now damn it hold still!" Dyne commanded as he kneeled down in front of him and took a white rag from his pocket and placed it gently against his cut.
Aeris pushed the blanket off her and sat up looking at Zack. Slowly she stood and made her way over to him kneeling next to Dyne when she reached him.
"Sorry Aeris I didn't mean to dr-" Zack started to say as Aeris pushed a finger against his lips.
"It's alright, stand back Dyne, please." She asked of him and Dyne, looking a bit confused stood and backed a few steps. Carefully, she moved her hand to his forehead and placed it flat over his wound, and closed her eyes gently.
"What are you do-" Zack started and Aeris shook her head at him.
"Shhh..., or you'll screw it up, Zack." she told him and she could hear Dyne snickering behind her. Ignoring him, she silently focused her thoughts to her hand and a gently white glow around his wound. Her hand began to sightly joint and she had to let go recoiling from the blast.
"What the hell was that?!" Dyne screamed as Aeris reopened her eyes to see Dyne's were wide in surprise.
"It's a Curing spell..." She told him softly. Zack then slowly reached up to his forehead and pulled the rag from his head revealing that his wound had vanished. He reached for his sword and pulled it to his face looking into it as he pushed his hair from his face, examing his head.
"Damn...." Zack said still looking around his head.
"How did you do that?" Dyne asked Aeris, in coufusion still.
"I don't know, I just know I can." She told them, pushing herself up from the ground.
"What do you mean you don't know how?!" Dyne screamed looking extremly shocked now.
"Ah, Shut the fuck up Dyne, you can do things you don't understand too." Zack told him as he stood and placed his sword carefully back behind him and crossed his arms. Dyne looked upset now as he marched up to Zack, and slammed him across the face with his fist.
"Shut up! You're not to say anything!" Dyne told him as he backed away now, from Zack, as he rubbed his knuckles.
"Just keep going, bitch, and don't you fucken dare strike me again." Zack told him as he narrowed his eyes at Dyne and stared him down, while rubbing his right cheek. Dyne looked deeply into Zack's eyes angerily grinding his teeth, wanting more then anything to strike him.
"Fine..."
Aeris looked confused as the two glared at each other and then started up passed her turning quickly away looking disgusted with each other. She sighed deeply as she followed between them as they paced. It seemed like hours before they saw another tree and it seemed strange to Aeris since it was all flat plains with miles of fresh green grass in front of them. She had never seen anything like this before because she could always see a patch of even a few trees around her. Zack and Dyne remained deadly silent and at one point Aeris had to look up at both of them to make sure they were still with her.
Disturbed she suddenly spoke up breaking the silence that eluded her mind.
"So... ummm.. what a lifestream?" She asked and Zack looked up at her in shock. "What? You don't know what a lifestream is?" Zack asked her looking at her in great surprise. She shook her head quickly and he stopped blinking quickly at her to make sure he wasn't just imagining and then started walking with them again.
"It a river of souls, Aeris." He started to explain and she stopped looking curiously at him.
"A river of souls? H- How?"
"Well.... It's kind of hard to explain. Ummm... Everyone has a soul, you know, and when they die, they're soul suppose to enter the LifeStream and then flows with it until it is reborned as some kind of animal or plant." Zack told her stuttering over his words, looking as if he screwed something up.
"So you mean, if I were to die, I would end up in that stream and would be born again as like a tree or something?" She asked him looking down at the ground confusionly.
"Yeah exactly." Dyne told her. Aeris then remembered what Cid had told her before she had fallen and looked back up at Zack.
"A man named Cid approached me before I fell into that river... He said that I probably wouldn't want another taste of the planet's pain..." Aeris told him looking confused.
"The Planet's pain are the souls of the streams. In Midgar there are machines called Mako Reactors that are draining the souls from the planet, using them up and then throwing them away like garbage. The Planet will die someday and th-"
"The Planet will die? But it's just a big thing of rock." Aeris said, interuppting Dyne's explination.
"Yes it is, but the LifeStream makes it stay like that, if the Mako Reactors were to suck all the lifestream from the world- Well hold on let me show you," Zack added as he walked over to a nearby bouldar that was no bigger then he was and pulled out his sword. Placing it above his head he sliced it down the middle and then ordered Dyne to hurry over there to hold the side and as he held the other side up.
"Aeris get over here for a sec!" Zack commanded and she walked slowly over to him and stared at him.
"Do what you did before with that white light to the center of the rock." He added and she lifted her hand and let the white light flow through the crack of the rock and it spread around the entire bouldar like tons of rivers. Zack then let go and the bloudar held tight as the white magic flowed through it and Dyne did the same looking in amazement at the rock.
"Damn... I didn't you could do that to a bouldar." Dyne said as he stared at it.
"Yeah now step back in front of the large crack I made ok,"
"Alright." Dyne said in agreement as he watched the fake rivers begin to sparkle gently.
"Aeris, can you pull the magic off the bouldar?" Zack asked her as he placed his hand softly on her shouldar.
"I- I guess I can," She answered him as she pulled away from his grasp and pushed her hand against the main cut in the rock.
"Don't close your eyes either ok?" Zack told her still watching her.
"I'll try," Aeris told him as she took a deep breathe and began to draw the energy back through her palm and into her body. Soon it was gone and she fell back from the energy and the rock completely spit back and slammed into the ground.
"See? The LifeStream is like glue that holds the planet together, if it's taken away it'll completely fall apart." Zack explained as he leaned forward and pulled Aeris to her feet.
"Does the Mako Poisoning come from the LifeStream as well?" She asked as he let go of her.
"Mako is LifeStream. Midgar just calls it that so the people won't know what it really is that they're using." Dyne told her as he moved to he other side and looked deeply at her trying to get her to understand.
"Well we'll have plently of time to explain all this when we reach a town somewhere ok? We can't stop, we have to keep going otherwise we'll miss our chance to get you checked for Mako Poisoning. I'm surprised you haven't fainted yet, most do after a minute in the LifeStream because that poison is so strong. It could be a knew sickness or something that'll take time to develop though in you, we don't know, so we better hurry." Dyne told her gently looking concerned for her. Zack rolled his eyes and turned away from them sighing deeply and then turned back around and started walking passed them, smacking Dyne's back as he went.
"Come on lover boy." He told him chuckling under his breath but looking slightly hurt as he continued. Aeris shook her head and started after him with Dyne at her side as she followed, confused about everything they had told her. Cloud though had confused her the most, he had just told her that they were dead yet they stood in front of her breathing, moving, and talking. She figured they probably forgot about what she said about them being dead by now and were more focused on getting somewhere.