I

CHAPTER ONE

THE STUDY OF PLANETARY LIFE

The first traces of dawn appeared above the Cosmo Mountains, a blood red sun creeping between the distant sierras. Its crimson hue advanced like a gentle tide over the Valley of the Fallen Star, gradually bringing to life the hulking rock formations and labyrinth of dusty canyon trails. Each crag and fissure on the cliff faces was detailed, as if the landscape was a canvas painted only by the finest brushstrokes.

It was difficult to fathom that so rugged a terrain contained such natural beauty.

As the glittering starlight of a dozen galaxies gave way to day, the crooked silhouettes of countless sandstone rises emerged from the dark horizon. These vast mesas were a unique feature of the region, as varied in size and shape as was possible to imagine. They did, however, all share a common attribute: at their pinnacle was a rocky plateau; relatively flat and isolated expanses that were separated by the canyons.

It was upon the largest of the elevations that the world-renowned Study of Planetary Life was practiced, yet little stirred in the settlement at this early hour.

Aerith tapped her fingers on the antiquated brass telescope at the edge of the observation terrace, her tired gaze sweeping over the vista. The platform was located on one of the village's upper tiers, and enjoyed an unrestricted view of the forum below, as well as a stunning panorama of the desert country. Save for the revolving generator turbines that paraded along the nearby ridges – and an occasional squawk from the native birds – the serenity was absolute.

For everyone else, at least; they could not hear the voices that troubled her.

At this altitude, the morning air was crisp and cool, but it would not last. While Midgar's Plate would have undoubtedly been buried in a blanket of snow by now, winter was an alien concept to this part of the Planet. The sun's ascent would soon envelope the Valley in a dry, suffocating heat, and the denizens would seek shelter within the hamlet's wooden huts and network of shaded caves.

Aerith and the others had shared one such hollow during the night, courtesy of the Shildra Inn. The tavern's owner, Kai, had apologised that it was the only space he had to offer the weary travellers, but the room was luxurious compared to their recent camping sites. It was furnished by authentic tribal rugs, fluffy beds with tartan duvets, a reclining sofa, a framed watercolour that Tifa recognised as Mount Nibel, and even a working fridge, all lit by dated electric lamps. To the party's surprise, Kai had refused payment, proudly declaring that friends of Nanaki – the intelligent, fiery-furred beast they had known for weeks as Red XIII – would be treated as his own kin.

Despite the comforts of the guesthouse dorm, though, Aerith had been unable to sleep: her dreams were plagued by the cries of the Planet, like a thousand lost souls calling out at the same time.Leaving her comrades to rest, she had set off to explore the village and occupy her mind.

The Shildra Inn exited onto the main square, a broad area bound on one side by the mesa's layered shelves, and on the other by the snaking verge of the plateau. Various booths, stalls and eateries could be found on the perimeter, while at its heart blazed the undying Cosmo Candle atop a raised stone altar. The bonfire illuminated the entirety of the forum, adding a faint but familiar smokiness to the air. Its ethereal quality reminded her of the flames that danced on the end of Nanaki's tail.

That can't be a coincidence, Aerith had concluded, yet the particular association was unclear.

Cloud sat alone by the sacred pyre, staring deep into its midst, consumed by his own heavy thoughts. She had watched him for a minute or so, frozen by indecision, willing away the butterflies in her stomach. The blonde spikes of his wild hair had wilted as if mirroring his exhaustion, but his features were as handsome as when they had first crossed paths.

It was the intricacies of his appearance that drew me to him that fateful night…none more meaningful than his military guise…

Exactly a week had passed since the duo shared their special moment at Gongaga, and Aerith had hoped – naïvely maybe – that the barriers between them would be lowered somehow. The ex-SOLDIER, though, had been as aloof with her as the day he came crashing through the ceiling of the Sector5 church. She had attempted on several occasions to broach the subject of her former boyfriend again, only to be greeted by a dismissive demeanour. It pained her to have had the answers within her grasp, but still have no idea what the right questions were.

When Cloud did finally glance up at her, his glowing Mako eyes bore a strange emptiness, and she took that as her cue to move on.

Following the staircases carved into the cliffside, Aerith had soon come upon a maze of internal passages that seemed to connect every home in the community. She had noticed the small, thatched-roof lodgings during their hike through Cosmo Canyon the previous evening, suspended along the bluffs like barnacles on the hull of a ship. As presumed, their only access was from these spacious corridors of red, rough-hewn sandstone, marked by timber doorways that branched off at sporadic intervals.

Ascending through the levels, there had been nothing of interest but for a few public larders and a vintage store called Tiger Lily's. The shop was closed, but Aerith had paused long enough to investigate its wares from behind the counter. A selection of odd items and potions lined its makeshift shelves – including some boomerangs and a stuffed cactuar – while a pair of cabinets had been respectively dedicated to trinkets engraved with tribal runes, and barrettes similar to the gold piece worn by Nanaki. Replica weapons also adorned the walls – dull in contrast to those she had witnessed at Kimaira's house, if truth be told – but the chunky crystal prism on a fighting staff did catch her attention.

By the time Aerith had discovered the observation platform, some of her mental strength had returned. Lingering at the foot of the steps that led to the terrace, she had listened to the ghostly wails echoing across the pre-dawn sky, knowing that sooner or later she would have to face them. A cold gust had swept down the stairway and grappled with the unbuttoned tails of her pink dress, as if the spirits themselves were summoning her.

Perhaps I might even hear her again…there's still so much I need to learn…

Planet reading was a gift she had inherited from her Cetran ancestors. The Cetra – or Ancients, as they were often referred to nowadays – were a race of Geomancers, communicating with the Planet to help the cycle of life, or further their own knowledge. Their existence had been so profoundly entwined with the Planet that their wisdom on the fundamentals of nature exceeded anything modern science could comprehend.

However, the Cetra had severely declined in numbers over the last two millennia and, as far as Aerith was aware, she was the sole survivor. It was a burden she had carried since her birth mother had returned to the Planet more than fifteen years ago; the very reason the Shinra Electric Power Company coveted the abilities that lurked within her.

They don't understand. They'll never understand. To them, the Promised Land is a paradise waiting to be sucked dry of Mako energy…

From childhood, Aerith had constantly questioned what her role as a Cetra should be. She had been conscious of whispers in her heart from an early age, but the relentless noise of Midgar and the irreversible damage the Mako Reactors were causing had distorted the messages being relayed to her from beyond the physical world. The only place she had truly been able to hear the voices – and truly feel at peace – was her church in the Slums.

That was before I met Cloud and fled that godsforsaken city.

Here, though, in this vast desert valley, as far from Midgar as it was possible to get, the voices were deafening. And their defining emotion was distress; the Planet was very sick.

Worse still were the haunting murmurs that seeped from the subterranean bowels of the canyon. These were unlike anything Aerith had ever experienced, even around the enigmatic Materia Pillar where the group had first encountered Yuffie. It made her anxious to sense such violent anger and hatred, but had already decided to keep it to herself for now.

Abandoning her rhythmic tapping on the telescope, she brushed aside her drooping bangs, then reached up and plucked the White Materia orb from the bow of her ribbon. The touch of its glassy surface always soothed her when worries arose, as did gazing into the milky vapours that swirled inside. It was the only memento of her real mother, Ifalna, that she possessed; worth more to her than everything else she owned.

Not a day had gone by since she and Ifalna had escaped their laboratory confines that Aerith had not thought of that night. She could recall tiny fragments of their flight from Shinra Headquarters: the blurry warning signs of a train tunnel; the darkened underside of the Plate; the stench of Mako fumes in the Slums. Never would she forget, however, the fear in her mother's eyes as her life slipped away, nor the kindness of Elmyra who had shown immediate and unconditional love to an orphaned child.

For many years after, the girl did not speak of the pearly orb Ifalna had given to her in those final moments, and Elmyra did not ask about it.

Aerith missed her foster mother terribly. She had barely been allowed a parting embrace with Elmyra despite surrendering herself to the Turks in exchange for Marlene Wallace's safety. Had Tseng realised that Marlene's father was the leader of AVALANCHE, though, he may not have been so quick to release her from Shinra's clasp. In gratitude, Barret had facilitated the rescue of Aerith from Professor Hojo's crazed experiments, but not before encouraging Elmyra to take Marlene and get out of Midgar.

I pray she listened to him, Aerith pleaded in silence, examining the White Materia and the starry image reflected on its shell. I pray they made it to Kalm.

Clutching her heirloom tightly, she could have sworn right then that she saw a jade green spark at its core.

What the…?

"That's a funny-looking object you have there."

The voice behind Aerith made her jump, wheeling around as an old man emerged from the ingress to the platform, the flames of the wall-mounted sconces casting bizarre shadows about him. He was short in stature, with beaded grey hair tied back in a bandanna, and garbed in a beige tunic over loose-fitting slacks. She recognised him as the elder who had been giving a lecture at the Cosmo Candle when the company first arrived, and the tentative way he was shuffling across the terrace was hardly a threat.

"It's…um…Materia," was all Aerith could muster as her nerves subsided, hastily shoving the orb into the pocket of her red denim jacket.

"Did I startle you, my dear?" asked the elder, offering an apologetic smile. "Please forgive my intrusion. It's unusual to have visitors up here so early."

"I couldn't sleep," she confessed as he joined her by the observation instruments.

"Ah. What chance does the body have when the mind behaves as a prison, hmm?" He nodded solemnly. When Aerith did not respond, the old man continued, "I come to this spot to meditate each morning. Sometimes to cleanse my soul; sometimes to barter with the universe for inspiration; sometimes to nurse a rather nasty hangover. I'm partial to the cocktails at the Starlet Tavern, you see."

Aerith could do little to prevent her giggle, instantly feeling a weight lift from her chest. "I'm sure Kai mentioned something about those when we checked in."

"You were among those who brought Nanaki home, yes?"

"That's right."

"Then, you have my thanks," he said sincerely. "And the thanks of all Cosmo Canyon. He is of great importance to us."

"You're welcome," she replied, blushing.

Though she would now count Nanaki as a cherished companion, their introduction inside Hojo's Fusion Chamber had been a tense affair. The feline beast had since proven the depth of his courteous manner, but he was not without ferocity and battle prowess.

"I am Elder Hargo," the man acquainted himself, "one of the resident scholars."

He held out a mottled hand, which she duly shook. "Aerith Gainsborough: flower girl."

"A pleasure, Aerith. Now, tell me, have you and your friends come to seek the Study of Planetary Life?"

"Well…uh…I guess so."

"A silly question, I suppose," Hargo said with a titter, "there isn't really much else to see. People from all over the world gather here on pilgrimages to learn about the flow of Spirit Energy, or for a glimpse into the past through the eyes of the Ancients-"

"The Cetra?" spluttered Aerith.

Was it possible? Would she be able to uncover the secrets of her ancestors at last, just as Barret had suggested?

The elder regarded her curiously. "Indeed. My life's work has been to collect and document evidence of Cetran legends and culture. So, even when I have returned to the Planet, future generations may still be taught the lessons that history has tried so hard to bury."

"That…that's wonderful…" she gasped, her pulse racing with excitement. Around her, the eerie wails had quietened, replaced instead by faint whispers of reassurance.

"I've compiled it all into a book," explained Hargo, relishing her enthusiasm. "The content has become quite the tourist attraction, if I do say so myself."

"Can I read…? I mean, I…I'm half…"

Aerith hesitated; as honest as the old scholar appeared, her true heritage had always been closely guarded from strangers. Her journey with Cloud and the others had given her plenty of time to challenge who she believed she was, while the Great Gospel that Kimaira had gifted her had opened her mind to the wealth of philosophies and practices her kin once adhered to. The path before her was blurred, but she was growing in confidence each day, prepared to embrace her destiny.

Yet, for now, it was a revelation that could wait.

"I sense there is something you wish to say." Elder Hargo patted her arm gently, glancing to the pocket that held her White Materia. "We'll talk when you're ready, child."

Above them, a mechanical whir resonated from the highest point of the mesa, interrupting what might have been an awkward break in the conversation. Aerith knew the observatory was located at the summit; she had earlier caught sight of its huge domed roof, spectacularly illuminated by dozens of spotlights.

"What's that sound?" she queried.

"That'll be one of Bugenhagen's contraptions," sighed Hargo, pulling his tunic snug as another chilly breeze stole across the platform. The torches by the doorway writhed wildly, enchantingly. "He and Nanaki have spent all evening at the Research Centre."

Aerith frowned. "Research Centre?"

"It's what we call Bugenhagen's facility. He lives and works there, conducting most of his seminars inside the Planetarium. It's a remarkable apparatus. You should go see it if you have the chance."

"What are Bugenhagen and Red…uh…Nanaki, doing?"

"For more than a year, we have awaited the return of our Guardian," Hargo replied absently, his gaze glistening with tears of joy. "Today is a special day…"

A tremendous swell of warmth and pride filled Aerith's heart as she watched the elder hobble over to the edge of the terrace, enjoying the last traces of morning starlight. It brought her indescribable happiness to have contributed in some way to Nanaki's homecoming, and to witness how significant this was to the villagers. She had not expected to be thanked or rewarded for her part, but the idea that she would soon be immersed in the teachings of her ancestors almost made the hardships of her personal odyssey worthwhile.

Hargo was right: today was indeed special. Today was Aerith's twenty-third birthday, and her purpose as a Cetra was about to be reborn.

[BREAK]

'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…'

[BREAK]

Even in the relative seclusion of this hilltop sanctuary, Cloud had been unable to escape the riddles of his subconscious. The ominous taunts and ambiguous counsel were a regular ritual now, slowly chipping at his sanity. And when he was not visited by the voice, he would often be tormented by the very dreams he so desperately craved respite from.

My mother…Nibelheim ablaze…Sephiroth's leering face…

As difficult as it was to concede, he had found solace in the hypnotic flames of the Cosmo Candle. For many weeks, peering into the group's campfires had trapped Cloud in mental state somewhere between sobriety and a waking nightmare. To expose himself to that anguish and hatred each evening was his grieving process: it kept him strong; it kept him driven. The tragedy of his hometown would forever haunt him, and the thought of the Candle's mystical properties quelling his pain – no matter how briefly – left him deeply conflicted.

Maybe I'm just tired? he considered silently. I can't be numb to what happened…to the betrayal…

Tifa, too, had spoken of the memories that came to her in the flames. That night at the Lature-Dano outpost, cosying up beside him, she had sleepily recalled elements of their childhood: her parents; her friends; her support of Cloud's decision to join SOLDIER. She had commented that of all the boys to emigrate to Midgar, only his ambition made sense. He had been determined to prove himself among the Shinra Army's elite, and return to Nibelheim a hero.

But, despite fulfilling his dream, Nibelheim was now little more than a mass grave, buried beneath the charred remains of everything they had ever loved. Cloud could not think of a less appealing destination, even if it meant closure on his mother's death. Yet something was forcing him forward: a calling; an instinct; an insatiable hunger to destroy Sephiroth.

"You know where to find me," the man in the black cloak had goaded Cloud. "Back where it all started…"

Having pursued him halfway around the Planet, the company had clashed with the former Captain of SOLDIER on the cliffs of Lature-Dano. Cloud had initially fought him alone, but it had required all seven of them to restrain Sephiroth's movements, and Aerith's summoning of the Aeon Shiva to obliterate his defensive magic. The encounter had been sudden and swift, but the questions it had raised were monumental.

Why is Sephiroth hunting the Black Materia? Will it lead him to the Promised Land? What is the Reunion? Why did he refer to Jenova as the 'Calamity from the Skies'?

Most important of all, however: How does he know of my amnesia? And what is he hiding about how I survived that night five years ago…?

"What you pursue will be yours," were Sephiroth's parting words, "but it will take from you something dear..."

A loud crackle amid the pyre roused Cloud from his brooding, and the fading vision of a single red eye melted into the remnants of the crimson sun. The sweltering orb had almost fully materialised above the peaks of the Cosmo Mountains, and the immense scale of the Valley was now realised. The longer he stared at the population of sandstone mesas, the more he imagined them to be colossal rock giants, slumbering in the earth like primordial sentinels.

Gods...what the hell's wrong with me?

Cloud groaned as he stood, his muscles aching from yesterday's gruelling hike, and dusted off his combats. He had left the Buster Sword with the others at the Shildra Inn, and without the great blade attached to his spine, he felt naked as he trudged down the path from the altar. The glare of the Candle still burned in his retinas, disguising the dimmed lamps that marked the forum's perimeter, but he set off across it anyway.

A selection of huts protruded from the narrow shelves that overlooked the plateau, buttressed by timber stilts where necessary. Smoke from cooking breakfasts drifted from a handful of them, and from one the melodic strumming of a sitar. As daylight slithered over the square, it revealed a throng of tourist stalls between the foundations of these elevated homes, their canopies an eclectic mix of colour amid the fiery hue of the surrounding rock.

Against the backdrop of spinning turbines and sprawling desert, a wooden signpost towered on a short outcrop, itself projecting from the southeast corner of the forum. Cloud vaguely remembered seeing it in a photograph before; it was one of those gimmicky poles with directions and distances to various locations around the Planet. Some of the places were as renowned as Midgar or Costa del Sol, while others such as Mideel or Icicle Inn were more obscure. Nibelheim was among them, several hundred miles to the north.

About the signpost, a frail picket fence was the only precaution from the sheer plunge into the shadowy depths of the canyon. From the ledge, he could make out the entrance to the caves the party had navigated the previous afternoon, a shortcut Red XIII had insisted upon after the Buggy had broken down. The thought of it caused Cloud to curse their luck. Somewhere in this unforgiving wilderness, their armoured vehicle waited for them, a technological anomaly in an ancient land.

Twenty or so minutes had passed when his heightened senses detected footsteps approaching; the sound of multiple paws and soft chime of ankle bracelets identified them as Nanaki's. Cloud made no effort to turn and receive his comrade, instead observing a turtle-like sahagin stalking an injured bird on an adjacent precipice.

"Thinking of leaving us so soon, my friend?" came Nanaki's husky yet eloquent voice as he drew near. "You should get some rest while the Buggy is being repaired."

"So, help's been arranged then?" Cloud asked in surprise, glancing over his shoulder.

The sight that met him was not what he had expected.

Nanaki was an extraordinarily rare creature, even to the natives. His body was feline in form, approximately six feet in size and coated in smooth, orange-red fur, but with facial features akin to a wolf's. An array of scars and tribal tattoos adorned his limbs, marred by the 'XIII' Professor Hojo had branded on his left foreleg, a specimen number of value to no-one but the lunatic scientist. The limp spikes of his mane currently concealed his missing right eye – another gift from Hojo – and the flames on the tip of his tail seemed calmer than usual.

Next to Nanaki, an old guy on a levitating medicine ball appeared comparatively normal.

The man who accompanied him was small and hunched, with a squat nose poking out between full-moon spectacles and a bushy moustache that grew to his chest. But for the tight bun of white hair he had tied in a feather bow, he was completely bald, though his weatherworn skin was a mosaic of wrinkles. He was clad in a heavy robe of indigo, accessorised by a golden stole that was draped from his collar, and perched cross-legged on his gravity-defying throne, his arms tucked away inside the folds of his long sleeves.

"Ho ho hoo, yes, the village mechanic has been notified," the elderly escort answered Cloud with a peculiar chuckle. Despite his advanced age, he was clearly an eccentric fellow. "He will set out first thing this morning."

"Grandpa, here is the mercenary I told you about," Nanaki introduced them, sitting on his haunches. "Cloud, this is my grandfather, Bugenhagen, the world's foremost authority on the Study of Planetary Life. He is incredible: he knows everything."

"Ho ho hoo," the old man hooted again, bobbing on his sphere. "I hear you freed Nanaki from his captors, and aided him in his journey home. I am both grateful and relieved."

Cloud shrugged. "He can take care of himself."

"Be that as it may, I was not without my trepidations," confessed Bugenhagen. "Nanaki is still a child, you see."

"Please stop, Grandpa," begged the beast, cringing in embarrassment. "I'm forty-eight years old."

"Ho ho hoo, it is true," he agreed, "but Nanaki's race has a lifespan that far exceeds our own. So, his forty-eight years would only be the equivalent to, say, fifteen or sixteen in human reckoning."

"He's a teenager?" gasped Cloud.

Smiling sincerely, Bugenhagen regarded his adopted kin with great fondness. "He can be quiet and philosophical. Such a persona often gets him mistaken for an adult."

"Grandfather, I…" Nanaki bowed. "I want to be an adult. I want to be able to protect you; to protect this canyon, as my ancestors have done for centuries."

"Ho ho hoo, no, Nanaki," he opposed, caressing his whiskers ponderously, "you are not yet ready to stand on your own. To do so now would destroy you in the long run. You are too vital to the endurance of your species."

"But, I have achieved much, Grandpa," the tattooed feline argued stubbornly. "Was it not I who partook in the Rite before my imprisonment? Have I not returned to you scarred, but matured?"

With a sigh, Bugenhagen cast his gaze skyward. "You threaten to reach into the heavens and snatch the stars from above this very valley, do you?"

"If that is what is required of me," Nanaki resolved.

"Well, that's a dreadful attitude," the old man scolded him, throwing his dagged sleeves up in feigned exasperation. He began to hover towards the edge of the plateau, not once seeming unsteady on his ball. "What beauty, then, would remain in the night sky? All it would teach you is that looking up too much makes you lose perspective. Wisdom, intellect, duty…these are but components of a grander purpose. When it's time for this planet to die, you'll come to realise that you know absolutely nothing."

"When the Planet dies…?" Cloud repeated in confusion, watching the floating scholar with intrigue.

"Ho ho hoo. It may be tomorrow, or a hundred years from now…but, it's not far off."

"How do you figure that?" the ex-SOLDIER pressed, exchanging an apprehensive frown with Nanaki.

Bugenhagen turned away from them to enjoy the vista, and the lingering embers of constellations on the western horizon. After what felt like hours, he said, "I hear the cries of the Planet."

"I don't follow," Cloud grunted.

"Planets are born, and eventually they die," the elder replied dreamily. "Such is the cycle of life. A blade of grass bursting through the soil; the mating wark of a chocobo; the immeasurable radiance of a star in the infinite universe. Each has a distinct sound. So it is for our planet, who some call Gaia. Can't you hear her screams? As if to say, 'I hurt…I suffer…'?"

All I hear is silence…

"Cloud and his companions have come here on a crusade to save the Planet," Nanaki reminded him. "I think seeing your apparatus would benefit their cause."

At this, Bugenhagen erupted with laughter, shaking his head incredulously. "Ho ho hoo, save the Planet?"

"Grandfather?" Nanaki recoiled as if he was offended by the reaction. "We've spoken of this already: members of their group identify as AVALANCHE."

"AVALANCHE, hmm?" Bugenhagen paused a moment to contemplate the information, drifting slowly back down to the two. An odd expression had crossed his face, and again he stroked his moustache as he inspected Cloud through his round, legless spectacles. His beady eyes passed from the young man's dark blue poloneck to his combat trousers, settling on the thick leather belt that bore the Crest of SOLDIER. "Strange times are these that someone garbed in an emblem of the Shinra Corporation would be so concerned with the preservation of our environment."

"I'm not with the Army."

"By your choice or Shinra's?" posed Bugenhagen, raising a curious brow.

"It's complicated."

"I can tell the SOLDIER status meant a lot to you."

"Whatever…" Cloud hissed. "I don't give a damn about that anymore!"

"Your attire says differently."

"So, you're psychoanalysing me now, huh?"

"Ho ho hoo, I would presume to do no such thing," Bugenhagen playfully denied, "for it is not my field of expertise. However, I know the look of one who has lost his identity. A wandering soul in need of guidance."

"I…" he stammered, staring open-mouthed at the aged academic. As bold as the statement was, its message resonated deep in Cloud's heart.

"Perhaps you'll find what you seek in Cosmo Canyon," Bugenhagen said warmly, gesturing to the floodlit observatory that dominated the pinnacle of the site. "Until then, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show you and your friends the Planetarium. But, alas, morning is upon us, and this weary old mind must rest. I shall send for you when I am ready. Don't worry, the machine won't run away…"

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