The environmental chemist raised a vial of water. He shook it a few times, letting the particles be distributed. After that, he leaned over to a nearby machine and slipped it into a slot on top that fit it just right. He switched it on a second later, and then sat back and watched. The machine gave out a loud hum in response. Both he and the two peoplenearby anxiously awaited the results.
One of them, Reeve, turned and looked down a bit disapprovingly to his cohort. "I've already run these things three times myself. They all came back the same way. I think I would know."
"Just the same…" Red XIII answered, keeping his one remaining on the machine…anxiously watching. "I'd like to see it for myself."
What a way to visit this old place…
In times past, the church in Midgar had been a peaceful place. It had the only sunlight in the lower part of the city, even when the upper plate still stood. The flowers and grass grew there fresh and fragrent. The children were always wanting to play there. When the flower girlcame there…the place only seemed to blossom more, becoming a place of joy and light for all who came. And after she passed…even more life went into it. Even when the church had been wrecked, it had been reborn again, springing forth with fresh water that seemed to be made by the world itself. All the children who bathed in it who had the Geostigma were healed. Hence, it had become to be known as the Baptismal Church, and was respected as a sacred place by everyone in the city.
However, that time had changed.
Even though it was night, electric lights had been set up in the area, particularly over the pool that had been made. Beautiful and clear as it had once been…Red XIII dared not get close to it now. Reeve and his crew had been there all day, ever since the call had first come in from Cait Sith, detecting the disturbance. After that, he contacted the city's geological and environmental team and had them come down here to immediately start running tests. They had been busy almost all day. Many of them were now flooded over the area. Some had special machines that were scanning the air, collecting particles and analyzing them. Others were removing samples from the bottom of the pool, but were handling them with special long-distance grabbers and protective suits. A seismologist was also digging into the ground and placing sensors around the area. Others were placing them farther into the city. Lastly, there was the pollutant chemist in front of them, running his analysis.
Red XIII watched a bit longer…before he suddenly felt something. The ground beneath him began to rumble…and shake. He wasn't alone. Everyone else in the area felt it too. They suddenly snapped up and looked around as the seismograph began to snake across its roll of paper, their faces streaked with worry. A few bits of dust and pebbles rocked, and some rained down from the wrecked roof. But after that…it passed. It was a rather potent tremor, but in the end it was nothing more than a tremor. It slowed down and vanished into nothing.
However, the beast did not look comfortable. Neither did Reeve. Shaking his head and letting out a sigh, he spoke to Nanaki again. "…That's the third one since yesterday."
Red XIII didn't answer. Abruptly, his odd radio rang again, and he concentrated on that. Sighing a bit at how he had to do this, he flicked the switch with his tongue and took the call. "Colonel Nanaki here." He announced. There was a pause on his end as he heard the message. In the end, he rolled his one remaining eye and then sighed. "Lieutenant Yuffie…two things. One, I have no idea what has happened to your Leviathan Materia. Two…this is a line to the General himself, not the lost and found. Please do not call again." With that, he flicked his radio off again, just as Reeve began to hear a stream of obnoxious cursing so loud that it went outside of Red XIII's ear.
Shortly after this transpired, the humming stopped. The machine came to a halt. A readout was displayed on a laptop computer that had been wired up to it. Seeing this, the chemist pulled off his gloves and then leaned over to the keyboard. He reached down and moved on the touchpad a little, maximizing some components. He read over them a moment, and then frowned and shook his head. He turned to Red XIII afterward grimly.
"Even higher than the last one, sir. Now it's up to37 particles per million."
The beast sighed and bowed his head. He supposed he shouldn't have asked for this. It was a bit of his juvenile self refusing to accept the truth. That went with the immaturity, he supposed. But now, there was no doubt. He saw the test performed himself. It had been a waste of several hours, but he had to know for sure. This led even more credulance to the theory being proposed…and it wasn't good.
"At least now we know why the flowers grew only in this spot…" He remarked aloud.
"We should have feared something like this for years." Reeve dismally sighed. "But the President never wanted to hear anything that had to do with the environment…'coming back to bite him in the ass', so to speak. Besides, with Neo Midgar planned, it wouldn't have mattered. He shoved the whole idea aside along with the plan for harvesting oil as a source of power." He frowned, but then turned back to the Colonel. "What do we do now?"
"I'll have to report this immediately." Red XIII responded, moving to flick the radio on with his tongue again. After that, he turned away from Reeve and the pool and focused on talking. "General…" He hesitated after saying this, and turned puzzled. "Who is this? …Well, put General Ragnar on the line please." Another pause, during which the beast's face turned into a frown. But after a moment, it alleviated, and he bowed his head and gave a sigh. "…I guess he is entitled to a little rest after all that. Good work, by the way. At any rate, I want to meet him first thing in the morning. This is Colonel Nanaki, officially calling a meeting at 0600 sharp tomorrow. This is extremely urgent. Nanaki out."
The beast flicked off the radio with his tongue, and then sighed, giving a bit of a deep throated growl as he did so. He turned back over to Reeve afterward. "I spent so much time here I lost track of everything else. The battle has already been fought." He frowned again, and shook his mane. "General Ragnar is going to chew me out worse than my fur during shedding season…"
Reeve raised an eyebrow when he heard this. "Did we win?"
"We did." Red XIII answered, as if it was almost nothing of consequence. "But that will mean little if we can't do something to avert this next crisis." He turned to Reeve after that, and formed a stern expression. "I want your team to finish its models and present the findings to me both in summary and complete form. As long as the general is sleeping, we better not waste time. I need it to be ready in six hours." With that, the beast turned away from Reeve and immediately began to march out and away from the church interior.
The official looked confused by this gesture. "…Where are you off to?"
"I need to find a long-distance cellular phone." Red XIII answered, not turning. "I have to place a call to Cosmo Canyon. I need the scholars there to start looking up everything they can find in the records on some artifact called the 'Crystal Stone'…"
Reeve had no idea what that was supposed to mean, or how it possible had anything to do with what was going on. But in the end, he merely sighed and turned back to the crew. He walked over to the chemist, and started to give out his instruction to him, based on what Red XIII had said plus his own additional comments. The others continued to go about their work as they talked, finishing up their own analyses.
As they continued their work…and as Red XIII continued to walk away…none of them noticed the slight distortion of reality the seemed to be situated over the edge of the crumbled roof, looking down on everything…
Humans may have lacked the ability to communicate with the Planet, but Bahamut now learned that the ones in this generation were more ingenious in terms of technology than he had given them credit for.
Bahamut was still getting used to being so weak even after six months. Most of that time, he had been living in a cave just off the coast of some ocean, going out only to bask in the sun and fish. For the most part, he wanted to stay low. He didn't need humans coming upon him in this world. He was still most likely the strongest being on Gaia, but he had noinclination to test how mighty humans might have become. As he rested, his lungs and body slowly regenerated. He would have been scarred for life if he was anyone else. As it was, he had to stay quiet and let himself heal. He spent most of his time contacting the planet or reaching out mentally to watch Ragnar from afar. The boy was doing well. Not only that…but his friends had survived Wyvern's treachery. He couldn't say the same for many members of his army…but it was still better than nothing.
Healing had been a slow business. Part of it was due to the fact that he didn't know when he was healed. He expected himself to be over twenty times stronger than he was right now, as he had been in his ZERO form. Despite how much he had feared his own power, in this new body, god-like as he was, he felt almost like a baby. He found himself hating how slowly he could fly and move. Fortunately, he could still think as fast as he had in his ZERO body, and his mental faculties were still intact. That was very helpful.
However…not all had been well.
He barely had any time to start enjoying his world again when he began to sense something amiss. The Planet was growing violent. Such a thing stunned Bahamut at first. He had never known the Planet to be that aggressive. However, on further dipping into the Lifestream, the esper soon found it had very good reason too. Apparently, the ages of fighting, wars, and the constant increase of humanity's greed…up to the point where it was literally siphoning life out of the world…had left a mark. The Planet had grown more agitated…and angry. And such was not a good thing. Right now, its anger was sated, and it was calm. But it nevertheless was more active…more tubulant. Bahamut had never seen the Planet this way before. It was sentient for thousands of years, seeming to only silently observe all things that happened on it. The only time he could ever recall the Planet being active was when it had borne the first seven espers as children. But as worlds grew older, they only became more dormant. Why was this one flaring up so? Was it still so enraged over the events that had happened to it not long ago?
Bahamut didn't know, but he immediately set out to find what was the matter. His search led him, of all places, to Midgar, right where the army was stationed. He was in total disbelief on arriving. Ragnar and his friends were trying to save the world. Surely the Planet would know that. Why would it be agitated against him? Nevertheless…he saw this as the source of activity. And now, the humans had confirmed it. They had become good at monitoring things of the world itself, and they had detected the coming trouble. And it was even worse than Bahamut had thought…
The esper couldn't believe this. The Planet was kind and gentle… Why would it be doing this? Had it become so warped and outraged with time? And even if so…why would it be doing it here? It was jeopardizing the life of its own chosen one. Besides him, there were countless innocents in the city. Why here? Why not to the north, where this power was needed? Or at the Dome, where the enemies resided and the draining of life continued? Why was all of this happening?
Bahamut didn't know the answers to any of these things…but he knew one scholar who had spent his entire eons-long life studying such things. Only he could have the answer.
And that had brought Bahamut to this point.
The humans had lost their ability to perform magic once that power had vanished. However, they had appeared to find another way to perform magical abilities. That was through using condensed pieces of Lifestream that they had named "materia". In nature, it was rare and inconceivably powerful. However, they had found ways to synthesize it without having to wait the eons it took to condense and form. Some were made using more artificial methods than others, while some were processed more naturally. Out of some of the more natural ones that took into account the Planet's power…there were some far stronger than all others. Those were the ones that actually summoned images of the espers themselves. Ragnar's new friends had several of these…including ones that seemed to be made from all three of Bahamut's forms… Each one of these didn't actually summon the esper. After all, they were dead. What it did so was summon an "image" of these espers…some sort of double shadow. However…he felt that he could still manage to get something from one.
Bahamut was back in his Neo body now. He had learned all he wished to know from the humans, and had withdrawn a considerable distance. Now, he was in the wrecked part of the city. A few gangs, homeless, and ruffians wandered about below, but from where he was he was fine. They wouldn't hear him. He was perched on top of one of the ruined buildings, stretching high and skeletal into the air. It was late and dark. No one would see him here. He would have perfect privacy. With that in mind…it was time to begin.
Bahamut raised his hand and looked at the object it contained…the Leviathan Materia. He had "borrowed" it from the loud, obnoxious, greedy member of Ragnar's new friends. It was by no means easy. Even with using a spell to cloud her mind, she seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to her materia. In the end, Bahamut had to distract her by attempting to pilfer a more expensive one. He had no idea why a woman would cringe to such a thing so desperately… Perhaps it was because she was from Wutai, which Bahamut knew worshipped Leviathan as a god. How strange… Perhaps if he had known that this would be what came in 1,000 years, he would have told less stories to the children…
The esper held the object in front of him. It shimmered, red, pure, flawless, and beautiful. If he used it, he would see Leviathan in all of his power and glory a moment before he used his Tsunami attack and disappeared. However…what if he put a little bit of his own spiritual energy into it? He had an idea of what would happen. Immediately, he did so, focusing on a small bit of his own aura, pulling it from the rest of him, and then forcibly transmitting it into the orb before him.
The effect was instantaneous. The orb began to shimmer. A light seemed to come on within it, and it started to spin around within the orb. It quickly grew in power as Bahamut sensed the energies of the materia being evoked. With that in mind, he stepped back and tossed the materia lightly forward. It continued to put out energy as it did so, shimmering more and increasing its light. However, it did not hit the ground. Without making the slightest noise, the orb slowed down and halted about a foot from the earth. There, it froze, continuing to put forth its energy, growing into a brilliant glare as it summoned its strength.
At last, it happened. Suddenly, the orb seemed to crack. When it did, great white clouds poured from it. They weren't of smoke, however. They were of steam and spray. Bahamut immediately caught the whiff of salt water. The clouds immediately began to thicken, and spilled over onto the ground, spreading out and filling the area. But that too lasted only a moment. A sonic cry suddenly peeled out from the mist, and abruptly a long, snake-like body shot up from it. Its whiskers thrashed about it, and its great pointed beak was cracked open, enabling it to sound its call. It continued to coil out as it rose, swishing around and repositioning itself, giving its body more balance and steading itself. While doing this, the mist began to die down again. It collapsed back to the ground and seemed to fade inside of it. When it did…it revealed that the red orb had vanished. What was left was a giant sea serpent stretched out on the ground, blue, majestic, and rippling with power.
Neo Bahamut stared oneven after the mist died. Here was a face he hadn't seen in generations…and one that he had missed. As for the sea serpent himself, he turned his gaze to focus solely on Neo Bahamut as well. When he did, he cracked a smile.
"It's been a while, Bahamut…"
Bahamut found himself cracking a smile in response to that. "It certainly has, Leviathan."
In response to this, however, the sea serpent raised an eyebrow. "Leviathan?" He asked, sounding genuinely confused. "You think I'm Leviathan?" He hesitated a moment, and then slowly shook his head, seeming a bit rueful as he did so. "Sorry, Bahamut. Leviathan is dead. What you see now is merely an imprint of him. I do not know what exactly I am. Leviathan thought that perhaps things like me would be horcruxes, similar to what otherpowerful magic usershave used throughout the ages. Other people would say that I am a residual image of the soul that was imprinted on the magicite, becoming some sort of copy of Leviathan after he died. In any case, I am simply an after-image. Think of me as Leviathan's greatest guidebook. I have no insight or ability to reason of my own. I only possess a copy of Leviathan's knowledge prior to his death."
"That knowledge is what I need." Bahamut immediately answered. "Leviathan was the greatest mind I ever knew. I need to know what he knew, or at least theorized. Why is the Planet going to destroy Midgar?"
Leviathan gazed back simply with a somewhat dark look. "I'm sorry. I lack the ability to answer a question that requires insight. I have only factual knowledge."
Bahamut frowned a bit at that. Apparently, this would be a bit harder than he thought. He thought again, and then announced a simpler question. "Why would the Planet create a Lifestream eruption?"
"I'm sorry. I lack the ability to answer a question that requires insight. I have only factual knowledge."
Bahamut surpressed a growl. This was as infuriating as Shinza's so-called "artificial intelligence" computers. They never understood what you were trying to say. He needed information, but how could he put it in terms in which this image of Leviathan could answer him? The esper had to think again for a brief moment, puzzling over what he wanted to know…and how to break it down into something he could ask in more detail…
"…Is the Planet self-aware?" He finally managed.
"As you and I well know, Bahamut…the Planet is its own organism." Leviathan answered. "Just as higher living things are composed of smaller living units, so too is the Planet. I have formulated a theory about this relationship. I call it 'the Gaia hypothesis'. I maintain that we are, in fact, all units making up the one whole of Gaia. In a way, each one of us is a piece of Gaia. This is evident by the nature of the Lifestream, in which we all take a piece of the Planet's own 'blood' to live for a while before returning it. Some would dispute me on this, but I maintain that there is evidence of non-sentient beings acting in a way similar to an autonomic nervous system. The nature of plants and how they grow in response to stressors…the fail-safe systems of hot and cold on this world… All of it has correlaries with true organisms. Other mortal scientists can come to a consensus with me on these points. But we espers know truly that the Planet itself is self-aware. It is connected to every thing on this world that has a portion of its spirit running through it."
"Then why doesn't the Planet realize it when it hurts something?" Bahamut pressed.
"I'm sorry. I lack the ability to answer a question that-"
Bahamut rolled his eyes and sighed. "Is it possible for the Planet to hurt something unintentionally? To destroy something itself wanted and/or created?"
Leviathan smiled at that. "You, Bahamut, should know the answer to that more than anyone. The existence of Griever answers those questions in and of itself."
"If the Planet is self-aware, why does it perform an action that will hurt something it loves?"
"The Planet itself is an organism. Yet unlike any other organisms that I have studied, the Planet is unique. It is a living thing on the magnitude of size and existence the likes of which I can scarcely imagine. The best correlary that I can think of is to consider myself and all other living things the individual cells, or even bacterium, living inside or on a much larger, more advanced organism. When seen from this perspective, it is easy to see how the Planet can…make mistakes, so to speak.
"Consider the example of a disease. After extensive research into the causes and nature of sickness, I have concluded that what often kills an organism is not the actual virus or bacterial infection, but rather the body's own response to the pathogen. People will smother on their own lungs due to the body's desperate attempt to coat them with fluid to ease inflammation. Animals dehydrate just from trying to flush foreign materials from their digestive systems. Creatures can boil their own brains alive due to the body's attempt to increase temperature enough to kill the invading organism.
"The Planet operates in much the same vein. Small actions are beneath its notice. Even death of the organisms living on its surface on a large scale does little more than refill it with 'blood', so to speak. As one of the balances I mentioned earlier, greater death is offset by greater life arising from its wake. Even those it loves cannot do much to make it react. The only thing that does inspire the Planet to act is something that threatens its life. When that happens, that becomes the only concern to the Planet…to eliminate the threat, just as the immune system forgets about the greater well being of the organism for the sake of eliminating the threat. Whether it wants to stop or not is irrelevant. It only attacks the threat until it is eliminated, caring little for anything that gets in the way."
The esper hesitated at that, beginning to look a bit darker and more nervous. "…Even its chosen one?"
"I'm sorry. I lack the ability-"
"Nevermind. What causes a Lifestream eruption?"
"The Lifestream is usually so diffuse within the Planet that one can hardly call it a stream of any sort. But I have observed several occasions where it condensed to the point of actually forming a liquid state of matter. This is extremely rare, but it does occur spontaneously. It is usually some sort of 'blemish', an effect that happens as a result of the Planet trying to reseed an area. Yet it would have to be very potent. There are few totally lifeless areas on the world that can't be recharged in a relatively small period…relative to the Planet, that is."
"Could a Lifestream eruption be caused as a result of 'leeching'?"
"At the time in which I was made, thepeople ofthis worldlacked the ability to ever leech the soil in such a way that it could be rendered useless. Even if one managed to destroy all life, strip it out of the soil, and leave the area a barren rock or hunk of clay, the Planet would simply weather it away until it grew suitable enough to start collecting materials again to sustain life. That said…in the future, there might yet be ways to leech the soils of this world even worse than before. It would have to be very bad…destroying anything of value over a wide span of area, and reaching very deep. If one could do this…one might actually incite the Planet to cause a mako eruption."
Bahamut slowly sighed. Well…that answered that question. The humans had been sucking the life out of the area of Midgar with eight of their "mako reactors" for years. It wasn't even until two years ago that the sun actually started to shine over that city again, dead and rotten as it was, from what he had heard. He seemed to have his answer. The Planet had been leeched here. It wanted to make Midgar productive again. And as a result, it was going to summon an eruption of Lifestream to smother the Midgar area with its energy. The concentrated power would revitalize the dead ground quickly…but it would also most likely kill or contaminate everyone in the area. The Lifestream was not something to be endured. Even weaker espers couldn't tolerate it. Bahamut himself had wondered for years if it had been the energy that had truly warped Wyvern's mentality, not just his evil thoughts…
"Is there a way to stop the Planet from doing something self-destructive?"
"While Gaia was still young, I have concluded that the Planet became aware of its own self-destructive nature. To that end, it gave birth to its original set of children: the Cetra. These fascinating creatures are in short supply in the world of my day, sadly due to a phenomenon they refer to as only, 'Calamity from the Skies'. They resemble somewhat weak humans. However, the Planet is always in touch with them. It communicates to them from a young age, befriending them and establishing a life-long, almost symbiotic bond. Among female members, this bond forms almost as soon as the Cetra is self-aware. Among male members, it can take longer…even going into young adulthood. This has led me to believe that females are the dominant members of this race. Both sexes are able to be in contact with the Planet and exchange information. Strong members are able to channel the power of Gaia itself through them, and to manipulate it around the world on a large scale. The Cetra are the ultimate caretakers of the Planet. They enable it to function on what, for it, is a microscopic level. Without it, the Planet could only respond generally and erratically to major problems. But with their help, it is redirected, controlled, and focused on specific dangers, while avoiding hurting itself or others."
Bahamut slowly inhaled and exhaled. That was bad. He had learned the news after arrival on Gaia. The last Cetra had died three years ago, or rather was murdered. It was true that she hadn't fully passed on. She was lingering in the Lifestream yet, trying to continue the job that she had done in life. That was evidenced by the summoning of Holy, and by sending forth the cure to this infection the humans called Jenova… However, he knew there had been an eruption of Lifestream recently in the world, at a town called Mideel. It happened only a few years ago, but it was after this Cetra had died. If she was powerless to stop that…it seemed likely that she would be powerless to stop this too.
"…If the Cetra were to become extinct…would there be a way to stop the Planet from doing something self-destructive?"
Leviathan raised an eyebrow at that.
"…Perish the thought that the Cetra ever go extinct. Even Griever wasn't foolish enough to exterminate them. Without them…this world will change into a chaotic waste within a matter of decades. All anyone can do is try to stay out of its way."
Bahamut slowly exhaled in response to that, hearing that dark sentence. That wasn't good. It appeared that his work was starting again already. And now…he had to move fast. It wouldn't matter if he hadn't heard the humans saying how long they had. He knew for a fact exactly how long they had. And they were running out of time. He had to do something to stop it, assuming there was still the chance to stop it.
"…Thank you, Leviathan."
The sea serpent smiled and gave a nod. "Don't mention it, Bahamut."
With that, the sea serpent suddenly became translucent, as if a wave of invisibility moved through it. After doing so, the rest of it seemed to break apart and collapse, and turned once more into white smoke or steam. This quickly sank, sinking into the ground and vanishing. Once it began to fade away completely…it left a single small object behind in its wake. That was the red materia. It had gone dark again, and now sat still against the ground.
However, Bahamut's work had just begun. Now, he knew what was going to happen, and he had to try and stop it. If this eruption happened, it would mean doom to everyone living in Midgar. But even if they survived, it would open up a new venue for the New Shinra Navy to invade from. And even if that was avoided…there was what else Leviathan had warned about. Without the power of the Cetra, this world would lose the ability to buffer itself. It would slip into extremes like the rest of the chaotic worlds. It would cause the deaths of countless lives, perhaps even going on a slope that would turn the world back into its chaotic past in the primordial world… That he could not allow. There were too many at stake, and far too much on the line. This was especially true if he let the New Shinra take control of Midgar. The result would be a siphoning of power that would only further agitate the already rattled Planet. He had to stop this…but how?
Bahamut was wise, but he lacked the knowledge to apply himself to thinking of a solution for this type of problem. Leviathan might have had the insight, but that was useless to him now. He had to know what he could do to stop this. He couldn't just sit on the sidelines and let things like this happen. What could he do?
Only one solution presented itself.
The esper dropped down and formed a meditative stance. He put his arms down to his sides and balanced himself. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. After doing so…he began to focus again, distancing himself from the world around him and going into his trance-like state of meditation. It came easily now, now that he had accustomed himself to his ZERO mentality, which still remained when the rest of the body died. Now, he focused backward…and began to delve into himself. As the rest of the world sank into darkness, and silence and motionlessness wrapped around him, he found himself reaching that one secret area of his brain…and diving into it full force…
"Hello again, Bahamut."
Bahamut snapped his head up in surprise. Suddenly, his world had vanished. He was in a space full of darkness instead. Nothing but empty blackness was all around him for an eternity. He looked down below on himself, and saw that he had changed. He was in human form again, and dressed simply once more. Not only that…but he saw that a large keyblade of sorts was in one of his hands. Not only that, but the floor he stood on looked like stained glass…showing images of him in various stages…and pictures of the shadowy person he had seen before and other people as well. On seeing this…Bahamut realized where he was.
Not again…
The esper looked up. Sure enough, the boy from the first time he had accessed his power was there. He was once again standing with his arms crossed behind his head, legs crossed below, and looking rather calm and pleasant as he smiled.
"You don't see me for 5,000 years…then suddenly you visit me twice within almost a year." The boy greeted. "I guess you must like me…"
Bahamut frowned in response. "Why are you here?" He nearly shouted.
The boy raised an eyebrow at that. "Me? Why am I here?" He simply answered. He smiled and let out a chuckle after that. "Boy, can you switch things around… I should be asking you why you're here."
"I've used my precognant powers since I first met you, and I didn't come back to this place." Bahamut responded. "So why am I here now?"
The boy broke out of his pose, and began to walk forward. "What, those?" He responded innocently. "Those were nothing. You were just scanning for whether or not bad things were coming. You didn't have a specific direction. Even if you did…it didn't matter then. It wouldn't have been anything earth-shaking. But now, you have another dilemma on your hands. And now…again there is consequences at this fork in the stream."
Bahamut didn't stop scowling. In fact, he balled his hands into fists and advanced a step toward the boy. "Why didn't you tell me that Wyvern would come back!" He demanded. "He destroyed everything on Etteca!"
The boy simply shrugged. "I warned you that there would be consequences. I said you had to pick between Gaia and Etteca. You chose Gaia."
"I never would have left if I had known he was coming back!" Bahamut retorted.
"Of course you wouldn't have. That's why I didn't tell you." The boy answered calmly. "If you knew he was coming back, then you would have stayed on Etteca. You would have forgotten all about that young man and never cared to learn his identity. As a result, Ragnar would never have been trained or tried to leave or make something out of himself. When his sister arrived, he would have been enraged and set out to take on the New Shinra himself…and would promptly have been shot to death. After that, they would simply march forward, and by now they would have seized control of Midgar and be bringing one of the old mako reactors back online. In a month, the entire continent would have subjected itself to them. In the next month, Wutai would sign a treaty of surrender, not risking defeat again. There would be resistors, of course, but soon things would be back to the way they used to be of slowly draining the life from your world, until the day that Gaia reached a threshold in which it could no longer sustain its healing of the Great Northern Crater and would break down, causing a collapse inward that would throw the world off balance and plunge it into an ice age that would destroy all remaining life, until it became a rock in space. But yes…you would have saved Shinza and the lives of all on Etteca."
Bahamut paused. He considered what had just been said. When he did…he realized that the boy was right. These things would have taken place had he not come back, and tipped the scales of fate in favor of a new destiny. When he realized that…his hands began to loosen. His anger faded, and his head bowed slightly as the realization came over him. He stood silently.
"One of those planets was going to die in the end, Bahamut. It was an important fork in the span of history…which is why you came to me." The boy went on with a shrug. "You would be the difference between which one died…which is exactly what I told you would be the consequence. If I had told you anything more about one or the other, you would have gone with that one. If I had disclosed everything to you, you would have fallen into despair about your terrible decision and ended up changing neither fate, opening an even bleaker third future in which neither planet survived. I told you nothing more and nothing less than what you needed to know to be able to make your choice and obtain those consequences. Even then…there are factors of fate and time that are in the hands of others not yourself, and not even I can make a completely accurate prediction. It was possible that you would have failed in either case. By meeting with me, you have unleashed a whole new realm of possibilities for you, your life, and the universe, the ramifications of which you may have seriously underestimated."
Bahamut said nothing. He kept his head bowed and let these words sink in. His face stayed open, and began to grow more troubled and anxious. Yet in the end, he let out a long exhale, and then turned and looked back up to the boy. Small and youthful as he was…he seemed to be something far larger and deadlier to him now. It almost felt like a wolf in sheep's clothing. In the end, none of this changed the reason he had come here, however.
"…I take it that this is another major branch in history as well then." Bahamut remarked aloud, his voice still cold and emotionless. "Do you know why I'm here?"
The boy cracked a smile at this, and leaned back once again, once more getting into his crossed pose.
"Once again, the question is…do you know why you're here?"
Bahamut exhaled a sigh in response to that. He bowed his head for a moment, but then looked back up and responded.
"I want to know how I can stop this eruption from happening, and how I can keep the planet from taking its self destructive course."
The boy gave a nod in response. "Very well. But as you might have guessed, Bahamut…you are once again at a critical point in time. Because of that…you once again must make a choice between two destinies."
In response, a white flash went out. Even as Bahamut recoiled and shielded himself, he felt more irritation within him. He knew what this was. He remembered it well from last time. Gritting his teeth in frustration of knowing what was coming, he slowly put his arm down and looked back out as the light died. As expected…he found that the boy was now standing between two tall white doors. They were identical in every way…and looked just like they had last time. Simple white doors into nothingness.
The boy indicated to one side. "To your left is a door that leads you to a glimpse of the future. Just like last time…it will show you a person. You must find this person. The one is the key to stopping the eruption, and keeping the Planet from moving out of balance." He looked to the other next. "To your right is a door that will show you another glimpse into the soon future…showing the eruption that will destroy Midgar. The one who you trained must go beyond the eruption limits you see to survive, as must any with him who wish to live."
Bahamut kept his frown. He jabbed his keyblade against the ground, and crossed his arms over it to balance himself on it. "I take it that there's a catch to either of these decisions again."
"Catch is nothing." The boy simply answered, giving an innocent shrug. "There are always consequences. Some are just far more manageable than others. This time is no different. You see, Bahamut…you are never just deciding your own destiny here. By your actions, you effect the destinies of others as well. For good or ill…one never knows. There is nothing to say that Etteca or Gaia was the better planet more deserving of life, or what effect it will have in the future. Time is always branching more extensively.
"If you pass through the door on the left, and find the one…" The boy slowed down here. Suddenly, his youthful features vanished, as did his carefree expression. To Bahamut's unease…he suddenly seemed much older and serious. "…You will be interrupting the person's mission. Currently, this one is working hard to accomplish another task. If you find the one, you will interrupt the task, and force it to be unfinished. And in the course of doing so…" Another dark pause…as the boy grew grimer and quieter. "…You will bring the return of the dark one."
The esper's face turned to a bit of anxiety at that, and grew a bit worried in expression. However, he was also confused. What did this mean? He shook his head. "Dark one? What dark one?"
"A destroyer. One without conscience or love of life. This other one despises the one you seek, and sees the world as nothing more than a means to an end. If this one comes…you will open history up to the possibility of a new future…a dark, grim future. One that will mean the deaths of all life on Gaia, Gaia itself, and countless other worlds if it is fulfilled."
Bahamut felt his stomach turn at that. A cold chill traveled down his spine as the boy spoke so darkly. Yet in the end, he found himself frowning again. This had to be the way, didn't it? He couldn't save Gaia without bringing some other horror out. What was he talking about, anyway? What sort of task would be left undone? What sort of destroyer could present a threat to this world and to others, or to all life? Did he mean Wyvern would return yet again? That seemed impossible… The birth of another Chaos? No…the Crystals had long since been sealed away, and humanity was mighty enough to resist it now. However, there was one other thing he realized he heard. And on realizing this, he immediately turned from fear to puzzlement, and asked about it.
"Wait a minute…you said a 'possibility of a new future'. Does that mean it might not happen?"
"Whether or not that future is fulfilled depends only partially on you and your future decisions, Bahamut." The boy explained. "Many others are taken into account, and their own futures and decisions. Even if it does come to pass…there is no guarantee that it will come to pass as severe as what I have said…or as easily as what I have said."
Bahamut hesitated again. That changed things a little. He sighed and crossed his arms in response. "…And if I pass through the door on the right?"
"Within three hundred years, half of Gaia will become a frozen wasteland. The other half will be a lava-covered hell. All life will be extinguished except for the hardiest of bacterial species."
The esper, on hearing this, gave a chuckle. "Well…that kind of makes the decision a lot easier." He responded lamely. "Either I merely risk destruction of Gaia with one future, or I say it's for certain with another future."
On hearing this, however, the boy held up a hand and waved his fingers. "Oh no, no…Bahamut… I never said that." He corrected him, cracking his smile and wily look again. "I only said that all life except for the hardiest of bacterial species would die. The Planet itself would live, as would all the other worlds at risk in the other future. Sure, Gaia would return to being a primordial 'proto-world', but it would live, and one day might be able to regenerate life on its surface. It would be easier this time, what with so many organisms already ready."
"And how would that help the people who died?" Bahamut asked somewhat crossly. "I assume that includes me."
"But of course." The boy calmly answered. "You're part of 'all life', aren't you?"
"Then why would I pick that future?"
"Because you know the meaning of sacrifice, Bahamut." The boy darkly answered, growing grim and serious again. "You know that some things must die for others to live. And you know that if this world must perish for a universe to survive…then you understand that this is a necessary loss, even if it is your world and your life."
The esper paused again at this. That was a point…but one he hated to consider. He slowly inhaled and exhaled, turning his head down again for a second. He thought for a moment, and then looked back up. "Is the grim future that I'm risking by going through the left door all that terrible?"
"I can't tell you that, Bahamut. There's too many possibilities." The boy answered with another shrug. "The only thing that I can tell you is that the dark one will never come back if you don't go through that door on the left. Two vastly different futures for this world and all life on it are on the other side of these doors. You can either choose one at random…or see how much of a gambling man you are. Do you accept a sub-optimum future? Or do you risk an even worse one so that you can have a chance at a better one?"
The esper emitted a growl in his throat. What a decision. He was beginning to regret coming here. But if he hadn't…then the door on the right would have, in effect, been picked by default…and the world would have died. He couldn't allow that to happen. Not to Gaia and not the people living on it. He wouldn't let that happen. But what was he risking? He had ended up risking far more than he had wagered last time… What was coming? What was this dark one? Exactly who was this person that was so important? How could just doing this act turn the future into such an opposing one? And how could two equally grim destinies face Gaia on either side of the coin? What would he do if he picked the choice that would bring life?
Bahamut hated this. He hated these riddles and these choices. However…in the end he realized one thing. He had to chose between two sets of races last time he made his choice. Based on simply opening a door, he had sentenced one planet to death. He knew for sure what he didn't want…and that was to sentence anyone else to death through his actions. And he would be sentencing Ragnar, his friends, and everything else on Gaia to death if he picked the door on the right. He would not do that. His world was beautiful and clean…a paradise of life. It deserved to stay that way. He had come back to make sure that it would. Whatever dark future was ahead of him…he would risk it. It was worth sparing these lives to him. It was worth keeping this world alive.
In the end, with force and conviction, he looked up and glared at the boy. After that…he raised his keyblade and pointed it at the door on the left.
"Once again, you have made your choice." The boy responded without change in expression.
Immediately, the white beam of light fired off from the end of the keyblade. It touched the door instantaneously, and after glowing a moment Bahamut heard the sound of some giant invisible lock clicking. The glow died soon after, and he let the blade fall again. As he did, the door began to slowly open.
"Know that you must live with the consequences."
Bahamut glared at the boy one more time. It was almost as if he was some sort of imp, and that he was playing some twisted devil's game in this place. But he didn't pay attention long to him. He turned his head away and glared at the doorway. It was still opening at this point, and the radiant light beyond it began to fill his eyes. The esper took in a deep breath, and peered deeper into it as it kept opening. He would soon see a new glimpse into his future within it. The light continued to glow brighter and brighter, filling his pupils and resonating with their own glow. He clenched his jaw, put his arms to his sides, and watched as the light flooded into the area, filling the darkness with its radiant glow…
Then…deep within the door…the light began to die. The whiteness continued to stream out from the edges, turning his black world into dazzling light…but the center started to darken. It wasn't much. It was just enough to begin to form an object…a view of the future. He saw a figure there…dressed all in white robes, covered with runes of an ancient language even Bahamut couldn't see… As the light dimmed, the person slowly began to turn, slowly began to look out through the door and reveal the face…
When Bahamut saw it, his eyes widened, and he shrank back a bit. In disbelief, he turned and looked out to the boy. He merely stood there with arms crossed and a plain look on his face, unchanged. The esper looked back, and then looked to him again. After a moment, he began to shake his head.
"It…it's a trick." He announced. "It can't be… I can never find this person…because-"
Suddenly, a thought snapped into Bahamut's mind…the very same thing that the beast had brought up. And when it struck him…he suddenly remembered. He had forgotten it for so long…but it might still be there. And as he realized it, the boy seemed to read his mind and know that he did as well. A smile slowly spread across his face, and he gave a single nod.
"…You only have four days, Bahamut. Good luck."
The esper's eyes opened, and once more he found himself gasping. He shot up slightly and stiffened. Always when he came out of that part of his mind, he felt like he had been holding his breath. Now was no different. It still made him gasp and gag as he slipped back into reality. He bowed his head and heaved for a moment, trying to steady himself in the wake of what had happened…
Once he managed to, he inhaled a deep breath and looked up. Four days… That was one of the last things the boy had said to him. That short? Bahamut had no idea that was how long away it was. He wished he had more to spare. So long as he brought this person back before three hundred yearshad passed…which wouldn't be that much of a problem…everything would be fine for this world. But the PPA only had the four days until the eruption happened that would destroy Midgar… And when that happened, the New Shinra could move in and take advantage of the situation, perhaps undoing what Bahamut and Ragnar had struggled so hard to accomplish.
The esper hesitated for a moment at this, however. He was supposed to not meddle in human affairs… Yet as he thought about this, he supposed that helping Ragnar and his army out would only be "a bonus". The Planet, in the end, was at stake, and he would be saving that. With that in mind, he supposed that he could "bend the rules" a bit just this time. However, he had to watch it in the future. Strong and mighty as he was, he couldn't risk interfering with the world in this body. Wyvern had been the only thing that could have endured it. He was still, for all purposes, nearly god-like in terms of power.
With that in mind, Bahamut stood up from where he was. He gave a short hop to send himself into the air, and then unfurled his airfoils. He immediately caught the breeze. With a snap, he whirled around and took off for the ocean. He had to move fast now. With any luck…he could be back by morning, just in time for that meeting that the beast had called with Ragnar. Time was indeed of the essence, and he wasn't sure how long things would take. For right now…he had to go to this place they called Cosmo Canyon…and see what he could dig up about the location of the Crystal Stone.
To be continued...