Chapter Four:

Waltz through the forest of dreams (I luv macalania forest)

The sparkles of the forest glittered around him. He felt the tickle of ice on his cheeks as they sprinkled from the trees. It was quiet. He had never seen such a place before. His sword stay sheathed on his back. He wiped the water from his face, and strained drops out of his hair. He could hear his footsteps echo throughout the forest.

It was eerie, but calm. The ground below him became the roots supported by their own strength, and lifted up into the air, intertwining with itself. This forest reminded him of the place the girl had talked about. The place she talked about which she had seen in her dreams. He knew that he would tell her on his return.

A blue butterfly grazed his hair as it fluttered by. With that small distraction, he turned back to the road, and a strange creature stood there. He appeared to be a bird-like man holding a harp.

"You are a stranger to this world, what you search for will come, but you must seek it wisely." he said gently stroking his harp.

"What do you mean?" asked cloud.

But the man merely stroked his harp more, then disappeared into a group of butterflies, and fluttered away.

"…" He Ignored the unusual visit, then continued on his way.

He couldn't tell what time of day it was through the dense treetops. But he didn't really care, what bothered him was where he actually was. He seemed to be getting nowhere.

* * * * * * * * * *

Back at the SHINRA building, the president grew angry. Hedeigger walked in.

"Have you done it?" asked the president, turning around in his chair.

"Yes sir. They have been executed."

"And the ancient?"

"We have not found her. I've sent the Turks to the slum church, but she wasn't there."

"FIND HER!"

"Sir…what about the foot soldier, one of my more loyal troops that was dispatched with the others told me he entered the hole."

"Forget him! Find the ancient!"

"Yes sir." The fat man said, then ran out of the room.

The president turned back around and looked out the window, "And what of you, Sephiroth? I will find you…"

Up at the top of the mountain where the hole was, it was quiet. But A young girl soon made her way up to it. Her long brown hair and pink dress swayed behind her.

"I know you're here Cloud." she said struggling to the top. "How could you leave Zack and the others to die like that?…no! It wasn't your fault! But I must find you!" She made her way up, and saw the hole. The pyre flies still flew about the body's on the ground. The horrifying sight caused her to turn away for a minute, but she still pressed on. She stepped over the corpses and looked at the hole. But as she studied it, a swarm of pyre flies flew inside of her. She gained a warm and gentle feeling, it pulled her into the hole, and for her, everything went dark.

* * * * * * * * * *

Cloud had finally reached the edge of the forest, the sun burned his eyes for a moment, then welcomed him to an open area, very large. Chocobos ran in herds across the vast valley. He gazed at the scenery that swept past the cliffs, into mountains. Then pressed onward.