Another long chappie! Bit of action in this one. ^_^
~~~~~
The week seemed to drag, and Cid often found himself sitting in his room, fiddling with the strange metal device and wondering what would transpire in the Ancient Capital. He felt sure it was something to do with Aeris, as she was an Ancient after all...
Examining the artefact, he could see how old it was. It reminded him a little of the Music Box key they'd used to see the projection of Aeris' Prayer in the City.
It was the length of his forearm from elbow to wrist, and it was sharp at one end with two opposing spikes coming from the middle at a diagonal angle, with strange ornate carvings in ancient runes all over it.
Even though Cid was not an expert by any means on ancient artefacts, he could feel that this thing held some special, undiscovered secret that would likely cause an earthquake in the field of archaeology if it was ever brought to light. It was just the way that Lucrecia had handed it over to him almost feverishly, saying in an almost excited whisper that neither Hojo nor Gast had ever known about it. Like it was a hanging remnant, a shred of her pride as a former scientist.
Finally, after what seemed an age, the day came for Cid to go to the Ancient City to meet Lucrecia. He wrapped up the artefact in a cloth and put it in a leather satchel for safekeeping, leaving early in the morning.
Shera watched him leave and walk down the path from her bedroom window. It was so early, she hadn't even got up yet.
"He's been acting so strange this week... and what is that thing he brought back with him last week? I hope he's okay... it looks like the grief is affecting him worse than I thought."
She lay back in bed, thinking. Her thoughts turned to Vincent, as they often did. How he had become so weak and thin... so frail.
She remembered trying to get him to keep some food down when she brought him things to eat. He would eat a little, then say he felt sick before bringing most of it back up later. It was distressing, and Cid would sit next to him on the bed, rubbing Vincent's back, saying "Come on, Vin... you gotta keep somethin' down or you'll lose your strength...".
But he couldn't. His digestive system, like the rest of him, had started to fail.
On the odd occasion, after several tries, Vincent would sometimes succeed in keeping some food in his stomach and Cid would smile and tell him well done, kissing his hair.
So much went wrong with him, all at once. His lungs became quite bad. There had been many a time when Vincent had coughed into his hand only to pull it away with trickles of blood on his lips and fingers.
Shera turned over and pulled her pillow round her head. She would probably never really get over those distressing times... seeing him in such pain like that...
She smiled as she remembered the odd times when Vincent would ask Cid not to leave him as he lay, weakened, in bed, so Cid would sit on the bed next to him and Vincent would curl up to him, often falling asleep with his head in Cid's lap, Cid's hand stroking his hair.
Those moments between them that she had seen... so beautiful yet so sad. So poignant.
How could Cid ever move on?
**
Cid knew where the City was, he had been once when he, Cloud and Vincent had gone with Bugenhagen to put the key in the music box. He remembered how they had felt when they saw Aeris' serene face on the water, hands locked in prayer, and they witnessed her death on the screen... her eyes closing as the life left her body. It had been terrible to watch, and Cloud had been seeing the death of the woman he loved for a second time...
Cid wondered vaguely what he would have felt like if he'd been in Cloud's shoes then.
He wouldn't be able to bear it, it was that simple. Cloud had been so brave through it all, continuing to fight despite the agonies he felt.
He landed the airship in the valley where the City was situated, just beyond the Sleeping Forest. Disembarking from the Highwind, he took his time along the sloping pathways among the shell-like houses, wondering where exactly in the large city he was supposed to meet Lucrecia.
He stood in the crossroads in front of the large central structure, gathering his bearings.
The left path led to the room with the music box and the projector, and the path straight on apparently led to the place where Aeris had met her end. He'd never been to that place.
The way to the Snow Fields and Great Glacier were to his right... Cid smiled. Icicle Inn was that way, too. The memories of his brief two-day break there with Vincent came back to him... it had been such a fun time, no Meteor yet, They hadn't yet heard of Aeris' death and Cid had been blissfully unaware of Vincent's fate.
Their first kiss, in that hotel room... even though it was a slightly drunken one. It was the start of something very, very special.
Cid put his fingers to his lips, trying hard to relive that memory... those feelings of new love, deep seated feelings and emotions that no one else could ever know.
He tore himself away from the memories just as they threatened to flood his heart. Not yet, too painful. Too painful.
Too late, he realised, as he found once again his eyes were leaking tears.
"Cid, you came."
Cid was used to her sudden appearances by now, but he was caught off guard due to his being lost inside his memories for a moment. He spun about in surprise, hastily wiping the single tear from his cheek. There was Lucrecia.
"Oh, there you are. Uh, yeah, I came... I brought the thingummy-jig with me." He patted the satchel. "Hey, are you gonna tell me what all this is about?" He continued. "I've been going out of my mind all week. Just what the hell is this thing, anyway?" He swung the satchel into better view for a moment.
Lucrecia smiled so warmly at him, and laughed softly. She seemed pleased for some reason, and it was freaking him out a little bit. He really wanted to know what was going on.
"Come on, let's go." She said. "I will explain a little on the way."
Lucrecia started to walk straight on, towards the towering central structure. She beckoned for Cid to follow her.
"I found an ancient manuscript, long ago - when we found a large amount of Cetra artefacts around the same time Jenova was found inside the geological stratum. I... I kept a few things back from the professor and from Hojo, because I wanted to be more than just an assistant. It was degrading, to be constantly filing reports and doing the paperwork for things that they had discovered, never once tasting the limelight or becoming a respected scientist in my own right. The manuscript I found... it was possibly the most important Cetra document to ever be found, as it contained the same ancient text, but written in three languages; in Cetra runes and also in an early form of our script, and below that in archaic human language, which scholars of old have deciphered. So, this was my key to deciphering the tongue and the writings of the Ancients. It was an amazing find! So I kept it from them. I took the manuscript home and worked on it every night when I got home, slowly but surely working it out, letter by letter, until I could decipher the entirety of the language of the Cetra."
Cid's eyes widened. "Wow," he said as they walked on, slowly. "That's pretty impressive. And you're the only one to ever decipher it? Even still?"
"Yes," She smiled, still a twinkle of pride in her eyes. "That writing in chalk you saw in the projector room... it is my writing. I worked out what it said, but I could never find the key to the music box."
Cid smiled faintly. "Bugenhagen thought a man had figured it out."
Lucrecia smiled again. "So, I went around our collection of rune-covered exhibits, secretly revelling that I could read what they said. Hojo and Gast would speculate for hours on what they said. They would tell me that it was highly likely they had some sort of secret Ancient magic spells or rituals written on them, but when I read them they were nothing more than simple love songs, or decorative poetry, or sometimes prayers to the planet for good health."
Cid shook his head. "Scientists. Vin turned me against 'em eventually." He looked at Lucrecia. "No offence."
"None taken. I don't like scientists much, myself." She looked down, quiet. They had reached the end of a dark tunnel-like path and emerged by a large crystal-blue pool, near another lone shell-house.
"But there was one thing that they had found... when I read the runes covering it I was amazed. It was incredible... an artefact that I know now to be truly magical in nature. The powers of the Cetra, Earth, Wind, Water and Sky were within it and it possessed a special ability. The only one of its kind, and when I tested its matter for an approximate date of when it was crafted, the results show that it was over thirty thousand years old..."
"THIRTY-THOUSAND- @#$%in' hell!" After his initial shout of surprise, Cid's eyes slowly narrowed. He looked down slowly at the satchel containing the weird metal thing she had given to him. "Um, can I ask... is this thing you gave me... THAT artefact..?" he asked slowly.
She looked right at him. "Yes." They carried on, having stopped by the pool for a moment. Cid watched the ripples glitter in a shimmering pale blue light that was coming from the crystalline walls and ceiling of the huge and beautiful structure. Such a beautiful place.
"Yes, the very artefact you carry. It is called the Heka. It possesses extraordinary attributes that can only be awakened by one who knows how to use it, who can read and speak the language of the Ancients."
Cid looked at her, in awe somewhat. "@#$%. Even Aeris couldn't do that, and she was an Ancient. Isn't the language difficult?!"
"No. Not for me. Perhaps I was once an Ancient in a past life... perhaps that's why I was drawn to them so?"
Cid stubbed out his expired cig on the underside of his boot before putting the stub in his jacket pocket, not wanting to litter this beautiful place, before lighting another one. "This story is amazing and all, but aren't you gonna tell me why we're here?"
Lucrecia shook her head. "Soon. Come, we're nearly there." She led Cid into the shell-house, and up a winding stair inside it. At the top, there was a small circle in the centre that was sectioned off, and some sort of tall, sweet-smelling grass grew out of it.
"Look." Lucrecia whispered, and parted the grass, uncovering a hidden descending staircase that was made of crystal. They started to go down it.
"Oh my god..." Cid whispered, other words for the moment abandoning him.
A huge, huge, cavern that was made entirely out of crystal and pale blue glass, the light shimmering from a giant blue crystalline lake at the bottom. The crystal staircase they were standing on curled around gracefully all the way to the bottom, where there were some elegant spires and beautiful ancient buildings that were completely intact and not eroded by time.
This was the place where Aeris met her end. Cid didn't know this, and absorbed the pure and almost divine feelings and impressions that were resonating from the very air in this sanctified place. They slowly descended the stairs, the crystalline edges giving off a strange, haunting ringing chime as the faint cool breeze blew up from the shimmering blue waters to caress them.
Cid was enchanted, and every inch his eyes took in filled his heart with beauty and serenity.
They eventually reached the spire-like structures at the bottom, on a platform raised from the lake and Cid saw an altar erected up high, ensconced in an almost holy light. It was all too beautiful.
"What is this place..." Cid whispered to Lucrecia, his voice sounding ethereal and echoing among the soft chimes of the crystal.
"It is the sacred altar of the Ancients." She whispered with some reverence. "They came here to offer their highest prayers, to become one with the planet. To bind themselves to serve the life-force."
Cid nodded, entranced. Her words seemed fitting; right. He looked at her and came back to himself a little. "But, then... why are we here?"
Shera sighed. "I will tell you, now. Come, just a little further." She bade him follow her as she made her way to the High Altar. They climbed up a series of platforms raised from the waters and stood at last at the Altar itself: a circular space surrounded by crystal with a shaft of light piercing down to shine upon them as they stood.
"Now... give me the Heka." She whispered. An unreadable emotion was upon her face. She held out her hand expectantly.
Cid fumbled with the satchel and brought out the cloth bundle, unwrapping the artefact and handling it for a brief moment before giving it to Lucrecia.
"What are you gonna do?" He asked quietly as she held the Heka to her chest, her eyes closed.
"Yes..." She whispered, either not hearing or ignoring his question. "A week was enough. The energies are within it now."
Cid at last lost his patience. "Look! I'm just about sick of you not tellin' me what the @#$%'s goin on here, and I want answers!" He went quiet, instantly regretting swearing in this holiest of places. He checked himself though. "Hey, I shouldn't care... I ain't an Ancient!" He muttered under his breath as an afterthought.
"I am going to call the spirit of the High Priestess." Lucrecia explained. "The ancient texts say, that if one stands at the High Altar with the knowledge of the Ancient Tongue in one's mind, the Heka in one's hand and the purest intentions in one's heart, she will come to those who call her. Please stand back, Cid."
Cid obediently stepped back and stood on the top step, backing off the actual Altar itself.
He watched and waited.
Lucrecia closed her eyes and knelt, clasping her hands together. Cid shivered. She looked just like the vision of Aeris he'd seen on the water screen that day they found the key to the music box...
For a long time, nothing happened.
In fact, nothing happened for a really long time.
Just Lucrecia kneeling there, her lips working in some strange tongue.
Eventually, Cid was about to speak up about it, when there was a sound, like how a shaft of sunlight hitting a crystal might sound if it made a noise. Sort of like a CHRING.
The Heka in Lucrecia's clasped hands began to glow, and a wind started to pick up from the surface of the lake below them. Lucrecia's long brown hair picked up in the wind and the shaft of light seemed to grow more intense...
Then silence.
"..."
Cid felt nervous. Something was here, something high, and powerful...
Then, a deep and powerful female voice boomed through the air, echoing from the delicate shimmering crystal. It was neither a voice nor a language that Cid recognised.
Lucrecia opened her eyes and spoke back to the stern voice in the same language, almost like she was pleading her case in an argument.
The voice and Lucrecia held a lengthy exchange, and Cid felt fear. He had a gut feeling that this was something someone like him should not witness.
The voice, and the heavy presence, disappeared. Lucrecia groaned and sagged, holding her head.
"I'm not a Cetra... I shouldn't be doing this. They do not like it, and the energy may become too much for my body..." She murmured, gaining her composure just as Cid was going to ask her if she was okay.
"She will not speak to me, but she is sending someone who will."
Almost like it was marking her words, a soft golden light appeared behind her. Cid saw feathery white wings, then...
"Aeris?!" Cid gasped.
The Angel folded her wings. "Cid... hello again!" She smiled, then looked down at Lucrecia, who was kneeling still.
Lucrecia looked up at her, with such regret in her eyes. "You... You're the one that..."
Aeris looked down at Lucrecia with all the compassion of the Angel that she was. "You're his mother. I'm so sorry things happened the way they did. Please, don't feel bad... Sephiroth has found peace now. He is no longer full of madness or hate. He is part of the planet now, working to heal what he destroyed."
Lucrecia sniffed. A tear rolled down her face. "Is he?" She whispered. "My baby. I'm so glad. Even after all that he has done, I couldn't bear the thought of him... being alone and tormented. In a bad place. I'm selfish... but I just couldn't bear him suffering more, even after his death."
"I understand..." Aeris said, and she really meant it. "Now, what is it that you have come for?"
"I have come to perform the exchange." Lucrecia answered formally.
Aeris lowered her eyelids. "That is a noble deed. The High Priestess has sent me as intermediary for the far-side. Are you the intermediary for the near-side?"
"I am." Lucrecia said, her voice set like concrete.
"And you know what it entails?" Asked Angel Aeris, her voice a little sad.
"I know."
"Then present your case to the hosts. If your call is strong enough, we shall accept your offering." She smiled and closed her eyes, looking like she was waiting for something.
Lucrecia stood up and whirled around, fixing her slightly wild eyes onto Cid.
"Now, Cid! Tell me your love for Vincent!"
"What?!" Cid asked, holding his head. He was confused and distressed by it all, and something seemed to be working up into a peak. The very air crackled.
"Tell me how you miss him! Release your sorrow! Let it flow into me!" She shouted.
Then it dawned on Cid what was happening. Why he was here. Why he had been told to keep the Heka for a week...
"What are you going to do?!" He asked, his voice a strange mix of anguish and hope.
"Never mind that, Cid, Hurry! They won't listen for long!"
Somehow, Cid knew just what to do. Call it instinct, or anything you like, but he closed his eyes and began to pour out every ounce of sadness and regret and yearnings and love he had ever felt for Vincent, the anguish and despair inside him using his voice as a conduit to flow into the air surrounding them, and the Heka glowed brightly.
"It'll never go away! The pain! My heart feels like it's been torn from my chest and replaced with a fake, half of my soul has been torn away! I love him more than life itself... He WAS my life! Without him I'm nothing! His face haunts my dreams, his voice won't leave my head, his eyes... I can't bear being so alone, I love him so much..." The tears broke from his eyes, running down his face so freely and as painfully only as the first time since Vincent departed this world. "I want to hold him, I want to take him in my arms and kiss his hair," He sobbed. "I want him to say my name! I want to look into his beautiful eyes again and tell him it's okay... I want him back so badly... Vincent..." He could hardly get his words out, he fell to his knees, wracked with shaking sobs. He had never let go like this. The pain ripped through him and became manifest as the powerful raw emotions turned into energy and was absorbed into the Heka, clutched still to Lucrecia's shaking chest. Tears were running down her face too, but she was smiling...
Aeris still stood behind her at the altar, her wings outstretched and her hands out, as if monitoring the energy that was building all around them. Golden tears slowly fell down the Angel's ethereal face.
"Stop... it is sufficient." Aeris whispered.
Lucrecia smiled at Cid as he slowly looked up at her. "Thank you for helping me, Cid. I couldn't have done it without you. Your emotions made it possible." She stood up straight. "I hope I have brought some good into this world, after causing so much bad... I wish you all the best in the world, Cid."
She slowly raised the Heka above her head in both hands, her eyes closed. She smiled, a tear running down her face.
Cid realised at the last moment what she was going to do and he instinctively leapt up with a shout.
"Lucrecia!!"
Before he could reach her, she plunged the sharp blade-like edge of the Heka deep into her chest with a gasp.
There was shocked silence.
Her eyes became wide and she gasped as the Heka began to glow brightly once more. Blood started to run from her mouth and the wound in her chest.
Aeris stood still behind her, her eyes closed in pain. Did Angels feel the sorrow of memories too? Was this scene familiar to her?
"Lucrecia!!" Cid leapt up to the altar, and caught her just as she collapsed.
She lay back in his arms, coughing and struggling to get in a breath amidst the blood that was coming up her throat and spilling down her face.
"I... am... purged..." She whispered. She shakily lifted her head to look at the Heka embedded deeply in her heart, lifting trembling fingers to hover uselessly at its handle. She smiled a genuinely happy smile and laid her head back again, looking up into Cid's eyes. "Please... don't be sad or worried... it's what I have wanted for years and years. I will be with my baby again... and..." She stopped to cough. "I'm so proud that I was able to do it. Maybe I do have an Ancient soul after all. Now... you have to drop me into the water. Do it quickly."
Cid's eyes were still full of tears, and he shook his head, confused. He looked up at Aeris, who looked on sadly. "Why?! But why did you do this?!"
"It was an exchange. She knew what she was asking for from the beginning..." The Angel said quietly. "But now you must do as she says. Drop her into the water, or her sacrifice will be for nothing."
Cid looked again at Lucrecia, who nodded at him. "Hu.. Hurry, please..." She whispered.
Cid stood up, carrying the dying woman in his arms and stepped up to the top of the altar, where there was a drop into the beautiful waters below. He lingered still.
"Thank you... Cid." She whispered. And then, just at the same moment he let go, she whispered:
"Take care of him."
Cid started with a shout and tried to catch her again after she had uttered those words, but it was too late, she fell and splashed into the waters below.