Blackness. And then a sound. The sound is of air rushing into the void that was South Town, wailing like the spirits of millions mourning their passing. Iori does not hear their cries, as the world fades back into focus, he cannot escape the silence within his mind, what once drove him onwards so relentlessly is now quiet. He is truly alone. "Is this what I wanted?" But he has no answers, for the first time he longs for someone to turn to, someone to give him a purpose once more. The dust rolls uncertainly, mirroring the uncertainty within.
The natural order finally reasserts itself and the dust is carried away, replaced with the sound of distant thunder. From beyond the horizon a range of mountains curve upwards, reaching for the edge of the hole in the sky, encircling the void with Iori in its core. This must be what the last grain of rice feels like at the bottom of the bowl, surrounded on all sides by nothing but smooth, almost polished, blackness.
What feels like a truck hammers into his back, concussive force sends Iori flying unchecked across the charred bedrock of the crater. Unconsciousness beckons, a warm embrace, where thought has no meaning, a world without feeling. Pain slices through the blissful netherworld, a rude awakening of snapping tendons, bursting blood vessels and cracking bone. Iori scrambles to his knees, body crying out That hurt, lets stay here His strength totally drained it sounded like a very good idea, just lie here and die.
Unknown hands drag Iori to his feet, bringing the burning skeleton of a Chinook helicopter into view. Iori spits the copper taste from his mouth, "You should be dead." He could feel Geese shrug, "You would be dead, if I thought it was possible." Iori harrumphed, waves of pain blossomed outwards from his shoulder, "And why is that?" They began walking in no particular direction, "Well you have destroyed my city, taking a huge chunk out of my profit margin, AND your little firework almost killed me!" Iori could not help but smile, "So I too should be dead." A silence descended over the stumbling pair, a silence eventually broken by Geese, "I've got a fantastic idea…"
The End!
Please R&R...Is a follow up needed? Or just tell me what you think of it...
