XXVI
CHAPTER XXVI
VALLEY OF THE FALLEN STAR
In the three weeks since sailing across the ocean from Junon, there had been no more than sporadic drizzles over the plains and jungles, but as the company trailed the Pass of Lature-Dano southwest, the heavens opened to unleash a downpour worthy of the Water Deity Leviathan. Yuffie had circled a location on Kimaira's map approximately fifty miles north of the coast where she claimed there was a bridge large enough for the Buggy to traverse the River Acrophies, but battling the elements and negotiating the ambiguous hilltop pioneer routes of the Gehenna Rainforest had proven a difficult task.
The unrelenting tempest and clumsy branches of rogue fern trees pounded the vehicle's reinforced windscreen, causing the holographic displays to shudder and reduce visibility almost to zero. The group were tossed hither and thither as the tyres skidded through layers of slurping mud, leaving Cloud scrambling to regain control of the steering as the others gripped their seats in dread. A frightened Cait Sith had abandoned his toysaurus to cower on Aerith's lap, and only the young Ninja seemed unfazed by the ordeal, grateful not to be facing the gales again without the shelter of the Buggy.
So focused on driving was Cloud that he had little time to reflect on the events of the previous night. He had barely spoken in the aftermath of the encounter, shaken by Sephiroth's sudden appearance, but more so by the devastation of having the man who murdered his mother so close yet allowing him to escape. The conflict had galvanised their motley crew of outsiders, nomads and revolutionaries into a formidable fighting unit, and even eased the tensions between Barret and the leader somewhat. Their coordinated assault of magic and brute force, including the summoning of Shiva, had achieved its goal of weakening the enemy, but it now posed a new problem: they had shown Sephiroth that as a team, the party was a genuine threat to him. It was unlikely he would make that mistake again. However, this was not what had troubled Cloud most.
The revelation that Jenova was a Calamity from the Skies and not an Ancient had raised the question of Sephiroth's true heritage. The night the Captain of SOLDIER destroyed Nibelheim, he had claimed that the blood of the Cetra flowed in his veins, but this was something different entirely. If he was not a descendent of the Cetra, it should not be possible for him to find the Promised Land, even if it really did exist. Cloud was determined to solve the mystery of it all, but he was certain of one thing: Sephiroth had disclosed his next destination, and that meant returning to the ruins of his hometown.
Jenova…Reunion…Black Materia…Promised Land…how are they all connected?
Finally reaching the viaduct that spanned the churning rapids of the Acrophies, they set a course due west to bypass the sprawling everglades. The dense mangroves gradually waned to unveil a rolling grassland terrain beyond the borders of Gehenna, but the giant sierras of the Cosmo Mountains were ever constant on the horizon. Herds of aggressive bird-like pachyornii roamed these verdant prairies, some of the dark animals beating their feathered forepaws warningly as they galloped in vain after the speeding Buggy, while others clashed violently for territory with the hulking diceratopses.
By the second evening since vacating the clifftop outpost of Lature-Dano, the journey had brought them at last to the arid plains of the Valley of the Fallen Star, whose great frontier now lay under an expansive cloudless dusk of spectacular scarlet and magenta. Unlike its surrounding regions, the climate of the Valley had always been dry and scorched, as it was situated on the southernmost ranges of the equator. As such, much of the mountainous country was a vast rugged desert void of agriculture, but not without life. Shaded from the sweltering temperatures, the innumerable crags and canyons of the province offered refuge to many species of animal and monster alike, differing from the desolate wastelands of Midgar and Corel as Mako rivers still surged beneath the surface
The company slept under the sea of stars, resting on the warm sands by an outcrop Red XIII had recommended, the cool breeze caressing their tired skin. Listening to the gentle snoring of his comrades, Cloud recalled what Tifa had said about embracing his memories, and forcefully cast his mind to his childhood. He thought of the nights at the old well when Claudia would send him to fetch a pail of water, only to discover him in the street hours later, gazing up at the glimmering universe as it soared high over Mount Nibel. Reluctant to proceed as a familiar heartache settled upon him, he eventually surrendered to fatigue, drifting off and dreaming of his mother.
Each word was laden with breathless anticipation when Red XIII assumed command of navigation the following morning. Turning north, he guided them through the Valley's maze of narrow corridors, flanked on either side by towering overhangs, towards his village in the cliffs above Cosmo Canyon. The roads soon began to incline and widen, with a network of offshoots vanishing deeper into the barren region. As the Buggy rumbled on, they could see countless niches etched into the rocky bluffs around them, the darkness concealing hundreds of glaring eyes. Slithering heat waves marred the path as they entered the domain of Cosmo Canyon, obscuring the peaks of the distant highlands.
"What the hell…?"
Cloud glanced up with a start as Yuffie cried out from the driver's terminal, instinctively scanning the environment through the window for any sign of danger. Opening his mouth to question her, he jerked violently forward in his chair as she slammed the Buggy's brakes, the screech of the vehicle's tyres accompanied by a horrendous grinding sound from above. As they tore to a standstill, Yuffie unfastened her seatbelt and leapt up, her features growing white and anxious.
"Oh man, oh man, oh man…" she mumbled incoherently, clambering over a bewildered Barret as she scrambled for the door.
"Yuffie, what's going on?" demanded Cloud, tugging at his own strap as the car's hatch slowly lifted. The terrible clamour immediately reverberated around the cabin, now coming in shorter pulses.
"Man, oh man…" she continued as if entranced, slipping nimbly under the doorway and out onto the canyon trail.
"Hey!" Cloud roared after her, jumping from his own chair and chasing her outside. "Yuffie, wait!"
A suffocating plume of black smog engulfed him as he landed in the dirt, causing him to shield his eyes as his nostrils filled with the stench of burning metal. Staggering away from the Buggy, he squinted frantically around to establish the source of the smoke, and saw that it was belching from the gasoline engine at the rear. The fuel canisters were empty, leaving the mechanism's moving parts without lubrication, in turn causing them to smoulder. Through the oily haze, he could make out Yuffie hopping up and down behind the vehicle, swinging her arms in an unsuccessful attempt to disperse the fumes.
"What did you do?" he shouted over the deafening noise.
"I didn't do anythin'!" she yelled back defensively, waving faster, puffing her cheeks as she blew hysterically. "The gas just disappeared!"
"What do you mean disappeared?" he snapped, storming towards her. As he approached, the crunching din became a shrieking whine, firing sparks from the machine's casing. "Yuffie, get down!"
Cloud launched himself at the girl, covering her as the engine exploded, blasting shards of metal in all directions, clanging as they struck the rock venomously. The two hit the earth hard as a bolt whizzed past Cloud's ear, embedding itself in the soil a few feet away, and a searing pain shot from his elbow. Rolling over, he exhaled heavily, nursing his joint and checking for breaks. For the first time, he noticed the blazing sunlight scalding his face, and felt a few beads of sweat trickle from his forehead.
"You okay?" Yuffie asked sheepishly, leaning over him, her bobbed locks falling across her grime-splattered cheeks.
"I'm fine…" he groaned, pushing her away as he sat up, unwilling to meet her guilty stare.
"What happened?" Tifa called from the Buggy's doorway as she and the others emerged.
"Our fuel dried out," answered Cloud, glaring accusingly at Yuffie. "It caused the engine to chew itself up. The whole thing's bust."
"A breakdown now isnae brilliant," concluded Cait Sith.
"How did this happen, Yuffie?" Tifa posed sternly. "You trying to slow us down or something?"
"Huh?" stammered the Ninja, rising to her feet and pouting. "What you tryin' to say?"
"You know damn well!" she retorted. "We leave you in charge for one second and-"
"Enough!" interjected Red XIII, standing between the two, his fiery tail lashing through the air like a whip. "I was with Yuffie the entire time; she did nothing wrong. We all know the fuel gauge has been defective, and it would seem to me that the heat has accelerated the gasoline consumption."
"So it wasn't my fault?" Yuffie said hopefully.
"No, child, it was not," the beast replied reassuringly.
"Phew…" she sighed, mockingly wiping her brow.
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't be more careful," warned Cloud. "It could have ended a lot worse than it did."
"Whatever," Yuffie smirked, sticking her tongue out.
"So, what do we do now?" queried Aerith, sinking into the shade of the Buggy, careful not to touch its sizzling paintwork.
"My hometown is not too far from here," said Red XIII. "If we walk, we will arrive before evening."
"And the Buggy?" frowned Cloud, pensive as he considered the impact this would have on their crusade. "We won't get far without it."
"There are many tradesmen at the village," he suggested impatiently. "I am sure they will be glad to fix the engine for you."
"I hope so," Cloud muttered under his breath as he took a last suspicious glance at Yuffie. "For your sake…"
The trek to Cosmo Village was as Red XIII had predicted, bringing them to the archaic stone stairway at the community's entrance as the sun began dipping below the tableland spires in the west, casting long shadows of the party over the precipices as they made their final ascent. He had led them on a shortcut from the deep canyon trail through the shaded tunnels that climbed far inside the walls of the Valley, sheltering them as they walked; Cloud, Barret and Tifa carried backpacks of the group's belongings on their shoulders while Aerith allowed the tiny Cait Sith to ride on hers.
Ancient tribal markings similar to those tattooed on the beast's body were engraved along the cool rock of the passages, telling the long-forgotten legends of his ancestors. Red XIII spoke of how his mother had once tried to explain the meaning of the runes when he was a cub, but that he was too young to understand at the time, and as a result was never able to learn the language of his race.
The channels eventually opened onto a ledge that protruded over a dusty corridor of Cosmo Canyon, revealing a multitude of enormous vertical red sandstone formations, each soaring towards the heavens like gargantuan stalagmites. Their shapes varied as they spread across the Valley; some were tall and thin like colonnades, while others resembled the industrial furnace of a Mako Reactor, culminating in a flat summit like a bulbous chimney. From their position, the five could see the village at the apex of the one such column, located a short distance to the west.
Numerous antiquated wooden huts with thatched roofs of dried leaves were situated without order along the bluffs in that direction, connected to the local forum by an internal labyrinth of entwining caves. Large wind turbines along the ridge above spun gently in the refreshing late afternoon breeze, the whir of their rotary blades soothing to the ear, and their silhouettes hypnotic against the orange sky. On the uppermost mesa of the hamlet stood the renowned observatory, lit up spectacularly by dozens of white spotlights that lay under the huge telescope extending from its domed glass roof.
From the elevated shelf, a winding pathway took the party to the foot of the cliff and back to the pass that led to Cosmo Village. The air had chilled by the time they arrived at the base of the settlement's threshold, easing the strain of the hike. A few carts rested motionless in a designated parking bay at the side of the road, the trail narrowing to form a steep pebbled incline that scaled the promontory. Now, as the company marched up the final few steps of the old sculpted staircase, Red XIII once again took the lead, each pace filled with the eagerness of homecoming.
"Nanaki?" spluttered an astonished voice.
Nanaki…?
Cloud lifted his eyes to see a young man with a ponytail waiting below the oaken gateway of the village, his mouth wide with dumbfounded delight as he gaped upon the fiery beast. The watchman wore a brown cotton tunic that fell as far as his ankles and a cream belt around his waist; it was an outfit designed to help manage the intense heat of the Valley. Two flaming torches danced on either side of him, their licking blaze illuminating the grand welcome banner that read 'Cosmo Canyon: Home of the Study of Planetary Life'.
"It is I," declared Red XIII, a broad grin on his wolf-like snout. "I have returned."
"I can't believe you're home," gasped the sentry. "We've all been praying for your safety ever since you were taken. Your face…what did they do to you? Forget that, you must come inside. Bugenhagen will be overjoyed to see you, Nanaki."
With a single bound, Red XIII leapt with great prowess past the watchman, his heavy paws thumping across the ground as he raced beyond the gateway, springing with impressive effortlessness onto a stone balcony almost twenty feet above. His gaze passed unhurriedly over the vast plateau upon which the hub of Cosmo Village stood, overlooked by further rock projections inside which the remainder of the community existed. He contentedly absorbed the sights of the denizens' huts, makeshift trinket stalls, and the lively bonfire on the raised mound at its centre, indulging in the smell of the smoky air. After a few minutes, the beast puffed out his chest and, standing on his muscular hind legs, let out a roar that echoed throughout the entire canyon.
"Ah, Nanaki," sighed the young man, clasping his hands with gladness.
"Nanaki?" asked Yuffie, shuffling forward. The boy turned suddenly, scrutinising them as if he had only just acknowledged their presence. "What's that?"
"Nanaki is Nanaki," replied the sentry, gesturing towards Red XIII. "That is his name. Have you not just now arrived with him?"
"Yeah," nodded Yuffie.
"Then, did you not know his name?" he posed sceptically.
"Um…yeah," Yuffie stammered before the others could stop her, scratching her head. "Yeah, 'course we did."
"You lie," the watchman growled irritably. "That is not something that is treated lightly here."
"Please forgive her," appealed Tifa, quickly dragging the mortified Ninja behind her, "we have simply known him by another name."
"Be that as it may," he dismissed, folding his arms as he glared at Yuffie, "I'm afraid Cosmo Village is presently at its full capacity; I cannot let you enter."
"Bana?" Red XIII called, his articulate voice resonating from the platform with a commanding tone.
"Yes, Nanaki?" answered the sentry, glancing up.
"Do not blame the girl," the beast requested, hopping down and trotting back to join them. "It is not ignorance on her part. I never did share my name with them. These people helped me when I was on the road. They are my friends. Please, let them in."
"Is that so?" Bana deliberated, a reluctant smile forming at the corner of his lips. Stepping back, he motioned for them to pass, taking special note of the hulking Barret. "Any friend of Nanaki is a friend of ours. Please, make yourselves at home."
Thanking Bana, the group followed Red XIII from the gateway towards the square, many booths lining the cobbled path and displaying crafted antiques, spiritual potions and guidebooks. Most had closed for the evening, their striped brightly-coloured awnings drawn down over the counters. The dimming sunset over the canyon brought with it a veil of tranquillity, and the hazy skyline seemed to arc into a dark and distant horizon.
The party soon came to the forum, finding it to be less populated than they had imagined. A crackling bonfire, the Cosmo Candle, occupied the heart of the site atop a natural stone rise which was circular in shape, and around it sat a handful of locals and tourists. The attention of the crowd seemed to be concentrated on a short man with straggly grey hair who stood at the edge of the mound, dressed in a beige tunic similar to that which Bana wore, lecturing them from a stout reading podium. Red XIII slowed to a halt not far from him, observing intently as the elder spoke. Eventually he turned to the others.
"Here is where I was born," he said, unable to conceal his pleasure. "My hometown: Cosmo Village. People from all over the world gather here to seek out the Study of Planetary Life. It is a mysterious and spiritual place."
"It's beautiful," remarked Aerith, spellbound as she lowered Cait Sith to the ground. "It feels like…I dunno…"
"You'll learn a lot here," encouraged Barret, patting her shoulder. "Maybe the elders can answer some of those questions o' yours."
"Indeed," agreed Red XIII. "Some of them taught me as a cub. Their lessons at the Candle were of the history of this land, and of my ancestors. For centuries, my tribe have been known as Guardians, protectors of all those who appreciate this magnificent canyon and the Planet. My brave mother fought and died here. I am one of the last of my race; only I remain to watch over this village."
"Red, why have you never mentioned this before?" asked Tifa, her tone tinged with a hint of hurt.
"I did not think it my place," he apologised sincerely. "You have all spoken of the reasons for your journey; some for retribution, some for change, and some for self-discovery. The mission I have inherited from my ancestors is to defend Cosmo Canyon. My journey ends here."
"Huh?" gasped Yuffie. "You mean you're not coming with us, old timer?"
"I'm sorry, little one," he replied softly.
"But…but…" she pleaded.
"May I suggest you check in at the Shildra Inn for this evening?" proposed Red XIII, gesturing towards the torch-lit portico of the tavern on the opposite side of the square, making no effort to disguise his desire to abandon the topic. "I must speak with Grandpa alone."
"Okay," Cloud accepted, looking over the weary faces of his comrades. "We can rest here tonight, and arrange a mechanic for the Buggy in the morning."
With a grateful bow, Red XIII excused himself, and took off back along the cobblestoned trail, his fiery tail illuminating the stalls as he ran. When he had vanished from sight, Cloud shifted his backpack and began across the plaza, leaving behind the bonfire as the old scholar brought his seminar to a close. Only Tifa faltered as the group traipsed in the direction of the Shildra Inn, casting her concerned gaze to Bugenhagen's observatory at the pinnacle of Cosmo Canyon.
"Red," she whispered, "you sure seem different…"
'Why did you let Sephiroth get away?'
"I didn't choose to!" Cloud rebuked angrily.
'There's still time…'
"Time for what?"
'To finish this,' coaxed the voice. 'To unravel the truth. To unlock your past.'
"I'm beginning to doubt whether I should," he admitted. "I…I'm afraid of what I might find…"
'Sephiroth said he has much yet to show you.'
"What did he mean by that?"
'Before this is all over, he will bring you to your knees…'
When Cloud joined the others at the Cosmo Candle two nights later, the glorious colours of evening had filtered from the sprawling skies above the Valley of the Fallen Star onto the secluded settlement, swathing the plateau and huts in hues of deepest crimson and soft magenta. A mild breeze swept up through the canyon, warm and laced with the pleasant scent of roasting meat, casually spinning the turbines of the outcrop. The colossal sandstone formations surveyed the hamlet from their lofty surrounding promontories, themselves encased in shadow as the sun sank beneath the western massifs.
The small throng of attendees at Elder Hargo's lecture on the definition of the Promised Land had all but dissipated, and only the company of travellers lingered around the eternal bonfire. Collecting his notes from the podium, the aging tribesman shuffled painstakingly round the edge of the sacred pyre, sharing a few kind words with Aerith before descending the rough-hewn ramp from the raised mound. He offered the ex-SOLDIER a friendly nod as he passed, retreating to the Starlet Tavern for his nightly drink with Elder Bugah.
Trudging up the incline, Cloud found the others in silence, lost to their own reflections on Hargo's talk. Tifa peered at him fleetingly, her glassy eyes ablaze as they mirrored the playful fire, but said nothing; he wondered if she was again recounting their childhood in Nibelheim. The mood was melancholy, as if the seminar had revealed a damning secret about the Promised Land; Red XIII and Aerith in particular bore troubled miens.
The elder's description was no less confusing than Sephiroth's, Cloud pondered. What's wrong with them?
"This place's really boring," grumbled Yuffie as he drew near. She was sitting cross-legged and cuddling Cait Sith, her sulking expression matched by the cat's discomfort, though he showed no yearning to escape her juvenile clutches. "I wanna go somewhere else. Let's go somewhere else!"
Cloud exhaled, ignoring her petulance, and searched for a vacant space. Kicking aside some gravel, he dropped down between Barret and the lectern. A faint rhythm of sitars and drums floated from the inn, its hypnotic beat a familiar part of the village's charm. He turned to glance at the gun-armed giant, whose grizzly features appeared to have endured the burdens of the world; learning that his philosophies as a revolutionary were so profoundly allied with the values of the intellectuals here, yet so reprehensibly skewed, had taken its toll. It was a number of minutes before his comrade spoke.
"This's where AVALANCHE was born," Barret mumbled quietly. "Right here, 'round this bonfire."
"Not in Midgar?" Cloud frowned.
"The original AVALANCHE wasn't like ours," he began, captivated by the perpetual flames as he absently clasped Dyne's pendant. "It was created 'bout forty years ago by Elder Mon Mos, the same scholar who established the Study o' Planetary Life. They wanted to protest peacefully 'gainst Shinra's Mako extraction 'cause they knew the damage it was doin', even then. But, they never got nowhere. The Corporation just laughed at their attempts.
"Around the time the Wutai War started, there was this guy who was a student here, a real smart kid named Fuhito. He couldn't take the way things were, so he left to form his own AVALANCHE. That was the militant wing, the ones who attacked Junon an' Midgar, an' messed up all sorts o' shit for the Shinra. After what happened in Corel, they were sorta role models for me."
"They killed a lot o' innocent folks, too," squeaked Cait Sith, finally wriggling free of Yuffie's grasp. "They were terrorists!"
"Yeah," conceded Barret, lowering his head, "but my guys understood it. They knew they gotta fight. They knew they gotta get their hands dirty to protect the Planet."
"Violence isnae the solution," snapped the little feline, so animated that his golden crown toppled off.
"I know that now," he sighed heavily. An agonising tear plunged down his cheek, and he could not prevent the accompanying sob. "But, Biggs…Wedge…Jessie…"
"I…I'm sorry," said Cait Sith, grimacing in the awkward pause that ensued.
"Y'know, I always wanted to visit this Valley," Barret changed the subject. He lifted his gaze, slowly moving it from the Cosmo Candle to the floodlit observatory, and eventually over the breathtaking landscape of grand silhouettes amid a spellbinding twilight. "I promised those three that someday when we'd saved the Planet from the Shinra, we'd all come 'ere to celebrate."
"Barret-" Tifa tried to console him.
"Now they're all gone!" he wept, pounding his fist on the rock. "They died for the Planet, but I…I survived. They were jus' kids, but it was me who made it here! This is where my pilgrimage ends. An' I dunno what's gonna happen now there ain't no AVALANCHE-"
"Why can't there be an AVALANCHE?" interjected Tifa, her manner as serious and as passionate as Cloud had ever witnessed. "We all hate the Shinra, right? We wanna do what's best for this world."
"Right now, it feels like we're on a train with no destination," shrugged Barret, hesitating momentarily as his demeanour transformed, his jaw clenching with determination. "My hatred…my vengeance…it scares me to my soul that my guys ain't ever gonna forgive me. But, it's like you told me, Tifa: I can't dishonour their memory by forgettin' what we stood for."
"Ain't that the truth!" whooped Yuffie.
"I do know one thing, though," he continued, his voice mounting. "If there's anythin' I can do to preserve the Planet, or the people livin' on it, I'm gonna do it! I don't care no more 'bout justice or revenge. I don't care 'bout what them folks think o' me. I don't care if I gotta die tryin'."
"We're with you," vowed Tifa, her dazzling brown eyes burning purposefully into Cloud's, but all he could hear was the haunting premonition from his whispering mind. "All of us. All the way."
"I'm gonna save the Planet!" Barret declared, climbing to his feet and thrusting his gatling-gun towards the boundless heavens as the tail of a shooting star twinkled against the darkening indigo. Cloud, Tifa, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Aerith and Red XIII watched him with inspired fascination as he cried out into the night, for they each recognised that the course of their personal odyssey would be forever entwined with his. "We're gonna stop Shinra! We're gonna stop Sephiroth! For Marlene! For my friends! For everyone! Again…AVALANCHE is born again…!"
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