Final Fantasy VII: The Story 2nd Instalment

Emerald Princess of Vernea

Chapter Thirty

The world was white for Cloud. Everything around him was nothing more than a calm, unending whiteness. Though there was no breeze to tell him which direction he was moving, Cloud had the distinct impression that he was floating gently down into the light. He didn't fight it and let himself float.

"Everything's white… what did I do? I don't remember anything… My memory… since when…?"

Cloud felt like he wanted to curl up into a tiny ball and drift off to sleep, never to wake up again. The dull, aching pain in his head was gone, at least, although he had no memory of how he came to be here. He could not even be sure what his last memory was. Everything… time, and existence… seemed to drift past him on the endless sea of white light, too far out of his reach to grab onto it.

In the calmness of the white sea, a single thought crossed Cloud's mind.

"If everything's a dream, don't wake me."

Closing his eyes tighter, Cloud drew his knees up to his chest and willed himself to sleep. It didn't take much effort—his body was so tired. The calmness of the white light eased his cramped muscles and aching form, wrapping around him like a pair of gentle arms bringing him into a warm embrace, lulling him to sleep. Cloud did not struggle and let the light take him. Wherever he was falling to, he hoped that he would not reach it for a while.

He wasn't sure how long he slept. Time just seemed to roll by without meaning in the white light. The Cloud became suddenly aware of a soft, gentle breeze blowing against his cheek. He twitched, moaned softly, and tried to go back to sleep.

"Cloud, can you hear me?"

That voice… He knew that voice…

Slowly Cloud opened his eyes. The white light was fading. From the endless white appeared a forest; though which forest it was Cloud had no idea. A natural path cut right through the centre of the forest, leading far into the distance. At the end of this path was a bright white-green glow, so bright Cloud could not focus on it clearly.

The owner of the voice was thankfully a little closer to him, peering out at him from behind one of the thinly built trees. It was Aeris. Upon seeing her gentle, smiling face, Cloud's memories came rushing back to him in a painful wave. They dropped on his mind like a waterfall crashing on rocks. He looked at her face. Her cheeks were no longer red, but a small cut on her lip was proof of her wounds.

"Yeah, I hear you." Cloud looked guiltily at the small, reddish cut on her lip. "Sorry for what happened."

Accepting his apology, Aeris stepped out from behind the tree. A cheerful smile touched her lips as she gazed at Cloud through playful, merry eyes. It seemed as though nothing could hurt this fun-loving young woman. "Don't worry about it," she assured him, waving it off.

"…I can't help it…"

"Oh…" said Aeris.

Turning away from Cloud, she walked slowly behind one of the trees that lined the forest path. Seconds later she jumped out from behind a different tree that grew on the opposite side of the path. "Then why don't you REALLY worry about it?" she suggested. Running to the centre of the path, she placed her hand on her chest. "And let me handle Sephiroth."

With that, she began to laugh light-heartedly. As she laughed, her body began to glow with an inner power, and in a flash she suddenly disappeared from sight. She wasn't gone for long, as she suddenly reappeared next to a tree on the right-hand side of the path.

"And Cloud," she said with a meaningful look, "you take care of yourself." She turned to face the tree, placed her hand on the rough, flaky trunk, and glanced back at Cloud in concern. "So you don't have a breakdown, okay?" She walked behind the tree.

Cloud felt himself beginning to float down toward the path. Looking down he saw the path coming up beneath him, steadily and safely. Looking up again he saw that Aeris was right beside him, floating down also. The two landed on the slightly rocky path and looked at each other for a moment. Cloud was the first to break her gaze, and glanced around at the forest surrounding him.

"What is this place?" he asked her.

Aeris looked up at the trees of the forest. "This forest leads to the City of the Ancients… and is called the Sleeping Forest. It's only a matter of time before Sephiroth uses Meteor. That's why I'm going to protect it. Only a survivor of the Cetra, like me, can do it." She turned away and began to walk steadily up the path, her hands clasped behind her back.

"The secret is just up here," she continued. "At least it should be… I feel it. It feels like I'm being led by something." Stopping, she turned to Cloud. "Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."

"Aeris?"

Before Cloud could stop her, Aeris turned away and began to run down the path, heading toward the wall of light that was at the end of the path. Cloud tried to run after her, to stop her from leaving him, but as he tried to run he found that he could not move very far—as though something was holding him back.

He could only watch helplessly as Aeris moved away from him, getting smaller and smaller as she ran away. Eventually she disappeared completely, swallowed up by the light. Still Cloud continued to run. He had to stop her before she left completely.

Then a deep, calm voice spoke through the silence.

"Hmm… …She's thinking of interfering? She will be a difficult one, don't you think?"

Cloud looked up as Sephiroth floated down from above and landed on the ground near him. Sephiroth glanced up the path where Aeris had run off, an evil look on his pale face. He glanced back at Cloud, smiling wickedly.

"We must stop that girl soon," he said.

Then, in another flash of light, everything vanished.

Emerald: There we go. A shorter chapter this one. We're not far from the end of this part now. I was thinking of adding Part Nine: The Birth of Weapon to this instalment, to give it a sort of climactic end before going onto the third—and hopefully last—instalment of the Final Fantasy 7 saga. T.T Not that it will really be the end—I have to write up Advent Children after that. Although I don't think I will do any of the games beyond that. I may do Dirge of Cerberus—if and when I finally get the game. I was told it's out in the UK now, so I may ask for it for Christmas or something. But my plan is, after this game to do Advent Children, and after that I'm working on novelising Final Fantasy 8.