Another jumbo-sized update. The next one will be the same way. The last few plotlines of "The Aleron Saga" are occuring, and I don't want to interrupt the action for a chapter break.

The door, heavy and metal as it was, was unable to sustain a heavy explosion of enough power. Such an explosion went off against it from the opposite side now, breaking the hydraulics and hinges and snapping the great metal fixture out of its moorings. The huge piece of steel went flying into the hallway, trailing dust and fire behind it. Those who had been hunkered down on the other side…tired…nervous…and fearing hopeless annihilation…cried out in terror before fleeing as fast as they could. Others merely pressed themselves against the halls as closely as possible. Even so…two were unable to avoid it when the huge door stopped flying and came down, smashing on both of them. Luckily the hall was already full of debris, empty ammo crates, and other scattered supplies, creating some break between the floor and the doorway. It definitely injured the two it soon pinned, but possibly didn't kill them.

Yet they were already forgotten. The panicked New Shinra soldiers had to worry about themselves. Already they had lost the last of their trenches. With no more defenses, one division after another was surrendering. The Dome had been breached in six places in the past few minutes, and now the enemy was filling it. It appeared here was number seven. The scattered, injured, scared soldiers looked back to the opening that had just been made. For a moment…they saw only smoke.

Then they heard it. Something big and heavy, tramping down on the ground like a gorilla or rhino. Sweating and nervous, they shuddered as they slowly raised their weapons toward the source. A large shadow began to materialize in the smoke and broke through it a moment later. As they watched, a massive, muscular, and all together fearsome man stomped in with enough power to shake the hallway. He had barely stepped out of the smoke before he held up one of his arms in front of him. As they watched…the arm shifted…and suddenly sprung not one but three miniguns. In the center of them, something sparked and gleamed with electricity. Those close enough saw it was a microlaser.

The hulk braced the weapon in front of him and swiped it around the area. He didn't fire…but he let every last one of them see the fearsome weapon. He also let them look into his face…and saw how it was as hard as stone and as ready to slaughter as a psychotic butcher. As they absorbed the sheer fury he emitted…what little courage they had began to break. Though the man didn't have a stitch of bulletproof clothing on…they immediately began to believe that their bullets would do next to nothing against him. One sweep of his weapon would be all that was necessary to turn the entire hallway into hamburger.

"Guns down!" The man flatly ordered.

As one…each of the New Shinra soldiers complied. As soon as they had thrown down their weapons, they immediately raised their arms and stood up in a gesture of surrender.

It only took moments for a flood of PPA soldiers to rush in, guns aimed at the newest platoon to give in. Barret was able to relax his watch and run in further. He didn't seem to notice that he ran over the door as he did so…causing more expressions of pain as he stepped off the end of it. The other soldiers seemed to realize it, however, and quickly ran down to pull it up.

As he did, Yuffie, seeming to be in a hurry to catch up with the larger man, rushed in, panting and stumbling over herself as she did so. A few steps behind her, seeming to whip his giant moogle to go faster, was Cait Sith. Barret knew they were coming. He hadn't thought of them as the best allies to have along for this final push, but you worked with what you had. Soon they were running up to his sides.

Yuffie bent down over her knees and began to pant. "Well…huff…we're…puff…inside…"

"I better radio Red XIII before this line goes down like all the others." Cait Sith answered as his inner workings began to contact the field commander. "I haven't been able to get ahold of Reeve since we got here…"

A few moments went by, during which Barret and Yuffie turned over to the robot to see what he would come up with. Abruptly, he began to make a rather annoying static sound. Both of them grimaced and shrunk back on hearing it. Even at this short distance, communications were hampered. Whatever this black storm was must have been the cause…

"Hey Red! We're inside the Dome!" Cait Sith addressed.

"That's good, but not sufficient, I'm afraid." Red XIII's static-laden voice answered. "They're going down all over the Dome, but Admiral Ashiah hasn't made any indication of halting her countdown. We have to stop her and we only have eight minutes."

"Eight minutes!" Barret yelled back in disgust. His face immediately went angry. "Damn crazy Shinra $#?(!... I can't believe she's still gonna shoot! Doesn't she give a damn 'bout who she's gonna kill?"

"All we can pinpoint based on her transmissions is that she's somewhere in the upper levels of the Dome." Red XIII calmly continued. "Beyond that, the combination of the EMP blast and hampered computer power has made it impossible to hack any systems."

Yuffie managed to straighten herself up, looking rather uncomfortable as well. "Eight minutes isn't a whole lot of time…"

"Ah, we've worked with less before!" Cait Sith answered with cheery confidence.

Yuffie actually paused and looked to the sky on hearing this, trying to remember if any of their countless fights that had ever been "against a clock" had indeed been worse than that, and if they had succeeded when they were…

"Stupid cat's right." Barret answered after a moment, cutting off that thinking. "Ain't gonna get anythin' done here. Let's get goin'."

The uneasy allies had pooled themselves together at the moment. It really didn't matter. Even if they were enemies, none of them had much left that they could do against the other at this point. All three Turks were conscious at this point, yet weren't much more than that. Elena, wincing a lot and apologizing constantly when she made one of her comrades yelp, was hovering over Reno and Rude, doctoring them up as best as she could with what limited first aid supplies they kept in their suitcoats. Rude, at the moment, was wincing considerably himself as she applied some tape over his crushed nose. Reno, on his part, still seemed semi-conscious as he lay flat nearby on the floor, waving his hand overhead.

"Man, do I need a drink…" He grumbled aloud. "As soon as Krystea can stand again…I'm going to kick her ass…"

As for Krystea herself, no one could tell if she was awake or asleep at the moment. Vincent had wrapped her in his cape, and she was lying down in between the Turks and the others. Her skin was still so unnaturally white that she appeared dead. But even the lights of the facility seemed to be turning it from white to ashy. And she was a lot warmer than she had been on initial leaving of the cylinder. Vincent sat near her, letting her use his knees as a pillow. His eyes weren't so much on her now as they were on the cylinder where what had been left of Aleron had tried to attack them. All he could see was ash, but he was watching for the slightest movement. Elena's fire materia rested in his palm.

That left Aerith and the children. Aerith herself was seated in a meditative posture, trying to recover some of the power she had burned through. She still wasn't looking that great herself. Marlene was seated nearby, seeming to alternate between staring at her and actually trying to mimic her position and behavior. Denzel was standing, looking down between them and the doorway in which they had come from. Every so often, he would look to that and focus for a few moments.

Aerith periodically cracked open her one eye and saw this. She understood. While everyone else in this room (save perhaps Marlene) had come in with a goal of saving Krystea, and had succeeded in that endeavor, Denzel's task was not yet done. He couldn't be content with Aerith being alright when he still knew that Sephiroth lived. He wanted revenge for what had happened to Azure. Deep down inside, he didn't want to stay safe in this room. He wanted to go and find him.

The Cetra, in all honesty, wished to join him somewhat. She had made that promise to Marlene, after all. And though Krystea was now safe, she hadn't done anything about Azure yet. Even now…she still felt very uneasy and unsettled…as if her task was not yet done. Unfortunately, it hardly seemed to matter now. Time was running out for the Gauntlet of Zeus to fire. Sephiroth, Ragnar, and Cloud had to be locked in battle, or at least have ended it. Once Sephiroth was dead, there would be no chance of ever bringing Azure back…only of releasing his spirit. Honestly, that was what she believed was the only thing left to be done for the poor, miserable boy. In any case, she could do little now. She couldn't even hope to hobble anywhere within the next few minutes to make any difference. About all she could do was try to contact the spirits of Cloud and Ragnar and made sure they were still living and strong… It should have been easy with-

Abruptly, Aerith stiffened.

Denzel had been looking at the woman at the time, and Marlene had hardly taken her eyes off of her. Both of them immediately grew concerned and rushed in toward her.

"Ms. Aerith? What's wrong?" Marlene asked.

The Cetra didn't answer, although she knew what was wrong. She had felt it suddenly…an icy cold dagger inside her heart. Something that made her flesh shiver. A presence that made the Lifestream around her recede and pull back. For a short while…she had thought it was gone. But now it had returned. She realized that somewhere, deep below her, she was sensing the presence of the Planet's destroyer: Sephiroth.

However…though she felt fear within her…the woman herself was not scared. She was puzzled. She could sense him distinctly now. She could track him right to where he was with how powerfully she felt his presence. Yet that had not been the case when they arrived. Both Sephiroth and Aleron realized that both she and Ragnar could have tracked them down easily if that was the case. So they had hid their own presence…used their power to cover up their signature from the powers of the Lifestream. As a result, though both of them felt the sense of them getting closer in the general sense (for even they couldn't hide their full presence), they never could pinpoint them.

But now she could. And that was something strange indeed. If she could sense him this strongly, normally the power of Jenova would have flared up and yelled some obscenity at her to force her back, just as she had with Azure. Now the way seemed clear. Confused…but also not wanting to waste this…the Cetra found herself slowly closing her eyes and feeling out.

Her own aura seemed to shift away from the facility and into the darker regions of the Dome. She could see herself spiraling through them as if they weren't even there until she reached the elevator she had been at not long ago. She entered it and dove down the shaft…deep down to the bottom of the facility. The presence grew stronger and more distinctive here, and she was able to follow it like a moth to a flame. She hit the bottom, going into the deep darkness. She continued to follow from there…and wandered through metal and shadow for a few moments before she finally saw his powerful, alien spirit radiating. After a few moments more…she rested on it.

Something was wrong. The spirit seemed…broken. Disjointed. Mixed. It was as if it was far more chaotic now, not focused on destruction or draining Gaia. Neither was it concentrated on thinking or even having an existence or psyche of any kind. It was turned inward…struggling to carry some other purpose out… As Aerith looked on at it uninterrupted…she slowly started to recognize it. She had seen it many times before…including in her husband. It was the sign of a life struggling to live…struggling to rise again from a painful, crushing blow.

As Aerith saw this, she started to realize what had happened.

Cloud and Ragnar had succeeded. They had struck Sephiroth down. When they did, his power to mask his own presence was broken, and his spirit shone through. However…that made no sense. What Aerith should have truly felt was the loss of the dark aura that swam over this entire region as Sephiroth died. Instead, she only felt its source. Nothing was left to keep her from finding it…penetrating it with her own spiritual gaze… That itself could mean only one thing. They had struck Sephiroth down…taken him to the edge of death…

But they hadn't finished him.

Aerith had no idea what sort of severe wound they had given him. Her ability to sense spirits did not show her how Cloud had driven his sword through his body, or how Ragnar had nearly taken off his head… She merely knew that it hadn't been enough, and that he was now healing. It seemed inconceivable enough to anyone who had seen the fight. But Sephiroth had energy within him that gave him unlimited stamina. Even wounds as grevious as he had sustained weren't enough. No one…not even Jenova itself…could see this…for they had all already dismissed Sephiroth as dead.

But the muscles and blood vessels were slowly reattaching in his head. The tissues were slowly joining again within his chest. He was regenerating.

Perhaps if they would have taken off his head entirely…left their weapons within his chest like one does to a vampire…it would have been over. But it wasn't. He was coming back. Aerith saw this where no one else did. She saw how he wasn't dead yet…

To a Cetra like herself, she probably should have been terrified. The monster would be recovering within the next few minutes. If it had been Ragnar, he would have been totally aghast…wondering how this thing could possibly live. And although he was currently in another struggle for survival, he would have tried his best to slice the body of Sephiroth into pieces if he knew. Jenova itself would have broken off its attack and struggled to shield its son until his regeneration was complete. Perhaps Aerith could have told one of the weakened Turks or Vincent to gather what they had left and to go to the basement, and then burn Sephiroth as Aleron had been burned… It was hopeless and desperate, but it was something…

And yet…Aerith was surprised when she felt no fear at all.

Only a sense of clarity.

This is it… This is why the Planet wanted me to come here. This is why the children are here. This is why Cloud and Ragnar didn't finish him off. This is how I can fulfill my promise.

With that in mind, Aerith's eye opened again. She showed no fear or tiredness anymore…only readiness. Both children saw such a look in her eye that they actually pulled back in surprise for a moment. But she merely turned her head from side to side to look at both of them…and smiled.

"Denzel…Marlene…we're going to save Azure."

The two children were soon surprised again that Aerith said such an unexpected thing. Yet that surprise lasted only a moment. After that, both eagerly leaned in.

"Really?" Denzel asked in a suddenly excited voice.

"Does this mean you're going to bring him back to life?" Marlene asked hopefully.

Aerith held up her hands before the two could ask any more questions, causing them both to be quiet. Once she was done, she spoke in a quick yet soft voice.

"There's not much time. This may be our only chance. Listen carefully… Sephiroth has Azure. He trapped him in his own body, and now he's using him to do everything he's done so far. But now Sephiroth's weakened, and Jenova isn't blocking anyone from getting close to him."

To this, however, both children looked confused.

"Who's Jenova?" Marlene asked.

"And I thought you guys said Sephiroth killed Azure?" Denzel added.

However, in answer to this, Aerith merely looked at the children more strongly. On seeing her gaze…how serious and urgent it was…their questions seemed to melt away.

"I don't have time to explain everything, kids. But this is the only shot we have at saving Azure. Azure is somewhere deep inside his own mind. Sephiroth was guarding him until now…but now he's not being held anymore. Now it's possible to reach him."

Marlene and Denzel still looked confused and puzzled. However, for Marlene, it only lasted a moment before her eyes widened in some realization.

"You mean…like when Sephiroth was keeping Holy from coming out?"

Aerith nodded. "Something like that. But if Sephiroth recovers before Azure is freed, then we won't be able to save him. He won't let us close again. I know this might be hard to understand…but you have to trust me."

The two children hesitated momentarily. It was true that they didn't understand this. They were old enough now to have a concept of life and death…and nothing of what Aerith was talking about fit into their existing schemata. They uneasily looked to one another, not sure what to do. However, this lasted only a moment. Aerith knew that they both trusted her, and trusted that she knew the right thing to do. Marlene most of all. And they knew that she had never been scared of Azure like Cloud and Tifa had, and how she had tried to help him earlier before this all happened. When they knew that, they turned back. If this was a way to save Azure…then they believed her and they would do it.

Denzel, of the two, was far more ready. "Alright. What do I do?"

Aerith paused for a moment here. Although she had been eager to get the kids convinced and helping her out…she now realized what she was about to do. When it finally became clear what her mission was, she realized that it wasn't contingent on her alone…nor on her risk alone. She realized that the children themselves were now going to be at risk…possibly mortally at risk. That made the woman rather afraid. She never wanted to put them in danger.

Yet at the same time…she realized they had somehow come this far alone. They had been old enough to know that doing so was dangerous. They had waded through wreckage and guns and soldiers along with everyone else, and they had come for the sake of saving Azure. That was the same as she or any of her friends would have done for any other friends of hers. That was the ultimate expression of love…the willingness to die for those you care about. And though they were young, they had been willing to risk that. Though it wasn't exactly her decision to make…the children wanted to help. And they were the only ones who could…the best for the job.

She decided at last...going for the option that she believed the children would choose.

"Alright…here's what we're going to do." She told them in a quieter voice, making them both come in closer. "I can take the three of us into Azure."

That made the children confused all over again.

"Into Azure?" Marlene asked.

"You mean…shrink us or something?" Denzel threw in.

"No. What I mean is that I can connect our spirits into his soul." Aerith answered. "Or rather…where it would reside. Once we're in there…we need to find Azure and bring him out. To do this…we're going to go to a very strange place. It's far away from anywhere you've ever been before. And it might be dangerous."

Aerith spoke this last part with certainty. It made Marlene hang back slightly. Denzel, however, only paused a moment before tightening his expression.

"I don't care how dangerous it is. If I can help Azure, then I'll do it."

Marlene turned and looked to Denzel, and saw the same dedication and determination he had in hie eyes earlier. Seeing this, she turned back to Aerith and matched his look. She gave a single nod.

The Cetra looked to both of them…and couldn't help but smile. Dangerous as this would be, it was good to see children being so willing to endure risks and hardship for those they loved at such an early age. Aerith took it as a hopeful sign…and something that might make the difference between success and failure.

"Alright." She said. She raised up her palms afterward. "Everyone…hold hands."

The children paused but then did as Aerith said. Marlene took her right hand while Denzel took her left, and then they joined their remaining hands together. After that, they began to sit down somewhat like how Aerith was sitting. That was what Aerith wanted, so she did nothing to stop this. She did look over to the others at the moment. The Turks hadn't really noticed and Krystea would be out of it for who knew how long. Vincent was the only real one left to notice anything, and it seemed as if he had caught them out of the corner of his eye. He might be a problem…but Aerith doubted it. He understood that she had to do what she must, and trusted her. She only hoped the trust was well-founded… For now, he did nothing to stop them.

Once they were seated, Aerith turned and looked back to either child.

"Alright…now both of you close your eyes and try to relax. Try to think of Azure. That will help me get us as close as possible to him."

Both Marlene and Denzel closed their eyes in response and began to do as they were told. Aerith looked to them a moment longer, but then drew in a deep breath and exhaled. She closed her eyes and made her grip firmer…letting her feel into the inner warmth of either child's hand. After that happened…she began to concentrate once more on that firm presence deep within the Dome… And this time, she felt out through her own spirit into those of the children next to her…beginning to hold on to them just as she was holding onto their hands right now…

The children sensed nothing for a moment…but tried to think of Azure as hard as they could. They tried to picture him laughing or smiling or playing. Before these memories had been painful…now they held a hope of adding more to them soon. And so they kept thinking. As they did…they began to feel their bodies grow lighter… They felt a wind beginning to pass them… A sensation of movement began to ripple through them…and they felt as if they were suddenly loose and airborne. It was a surprising sensation, but they kept their eyes closed and kept concentrating. When that happened…they felt themselves flying…flying faster than anyone or anything had ever flown before… They held Aerith's hands tighter and let their bodies fly…take them to the faraway place that Aerith had told them of… And so they did…seeming to fly faster and faster all the time…being born away to some distant land beyond this world and anything on it…

At last…the movement ceased.

"Open your eyes."

Denzel and Marlene did so…and gasped slightly at what they saw.

The Dome had vanished entirely. For that matter…so had Gaia, the sky, and reality as they knew it. They found themselves instead in the middle of some vast expanse in the midst of eternal oblivion. Up above them, down below them, and everywhere in every direction was nothingness. It wasn't black, but it was some pale white/gray shade. There were some sort of clouds or mist floating in places, which helped give an idea of how endless it was…but other than that there was nothing. Nothing at all as far as the eye could see.

Yet that wasn't entirely true. There was one place. As the children turned and looked behind them, they saw that far in the distance some great orb rested. Actually, there was only the possibility it was an orb. It could have easily been some focal void or hole in the midst of the eternity around them. It did seem to be the axis or nucleus of this world or universe…for the mist and clouds seemed to stream into it and gather in some sort of strange orbit. They looked and tried to see more…but it was impossible to see anything other than the clouds streaming inside it. The rest was shadow.

As for themselves, they had somehow gotten on their feet. What they were standing on, however, was unclear. It looked like some sort of translucent, paper-thin film. However, it was as hard and rigid as marble, and so it held them. They could barely distinguish between it and the rest of reality, but they were close enough to see at the moment. When they looked out…they could vaguely sense other pads or "islands" of this same material stretching for the center of the void. They appeared to make some sort of pathway to the center.

At last, they turned and looked back to Aerith. Both children received another surprise. Aerith's military clothing was gone. She was dressed in her normal pink slip and brown jacket. Her cuts and scrapes were gone, and her face wasn't swollen or puffy at all. She looked normal.

"Aerith…you're all better…" Marlene announced, seeming to make it clearer to herself.

The woman herself was looking ahead into the void…and her eyes had a burning stare in them. However, after hearing Marlene's voice, she paused only a moment longer before looking down and smiling at her.

"Of course I am." She answered. "That's because I want to see myself like this. I'm not in my body anymore. And neither are you two. We're using our minds and spirits."

The two children reacted a bit to that, looking both confused as well as a bit nervous. Denzel actually removed his hand from Aerith and felt his chest for a moment, as if half expecting it to pass through like a ghost. Yet it was quite solid to him. Marlene was more uncertain…seeming to fear that letting go of Aerith's hand would make her vanish. Yet she tentatively let go…and found that she was still present. She felt her own face…and it felt perfectly normal to her.

"This is…our spirits?" Denzel uncertainly asked.

"If it is…how come we can feel ourselves? How come we don't look like ghosts or energy or anything?" Marlene asked.

"Because you think you're still in your body, and because of that you think of yourself as being still in your body, wearing your same clothing, and being your same size and shape." Aerith simply answered. "But here…how strong you are, how fast you are, and what you wear doesn't matter. What matters is the power of your spirit and the strength in your heart."

"But where is here?" Denzel asked, slowly removing his hands from himself on hearing Aerith say this.

Aerith gestured around her. "This is within Azure's mind…or at least, within his body's portion of his mind. There's nothing here right now because neither Sephiroth nor Azure are trying to influence his body. Ragnar and Cloud hurt Sephiroth badly…so much that his psyche broke into pieces. All of this white mist you see is the fragments of it. He's drawing them back together while his body is healing…over there."

Here, the Cetra pointed to the dark spot in the center. The two children looked over again. They held a moment, seeming to visualize what Aerith was saying. Yet after that, they turned back to the woman. She was still pointing at the spot, but now she began to lower her hand.

"That is the connection between the mind and the spirit…where the soul begins to influence the actions of the body. Before Sephiroth came, Azure was able to control his own body through there. Now that Sephiroth is here, he's cut him off. Somewhere within there is Azure. You two have to go in and find him, and bring him out again. You have to do it before Sephiroth finishes putting himself together."

On hearing this, the children noticed the choice of words that Aerith was using…and grew more uncertain.

"…Aren't you coming with us?" The girl asked.

Aerith didn't answer right away. She let a moment of silence pass before she managed a soft smile. However, she also shook her head. "I can't, Marlene." She answered. "Jenova can sense my presence. If she feels me inside Sephiroth, then she'll answer and try to stop us. Besides…this isn't my job to do. It's yours and Denzel's."

Both children looked nervous at this, and immediately grew fearful. Denzel had been prepared to fight Sephiroth to the death…but like most children he hadn't "counted the cost" before he came. And now that he was here, it was nothing like he expected. Suddenly he found himself lost in a great void, somewhere deep inside Azure's mind. Here he felt very vulnerable and lost. And now he saw that he would have to go on with Marlene alone into danger. Ms. Aerith wouldn't help them. It would just be them descending into that dark place…where he feared something horrible was waiting for them. It seemed suddenly so very far away…and in a very bad spot… Naturally, Marlene felt much the same way. But she had been hoping that since they had found Aerith that she would take care of everything. She would know what to do. But now, they were supposed to go in by themselves?

"But…what are we supposed to do?" Marlene asked nervously. "What if there's something in there? How can we fight it or get away from it?"

"I don't know any magic…and I can't fight like Cloud or Tifa." Denzel protested. "I want to go…but what I can I do? I don't even have a sword…"

Aerith looked at both children, suddenly very uncertain and anxious, as they stared back at her imploringly for some help or advice.

However, her smile did not fade. She did finally move…but it was to calmly squat down next to the two. She reached out her hands and placed them on their shoulders.

"You don't need weapons or magic." She simply told them. "You don't need to be grown up or strong or a Cetra. Remember what I said…this is within the soul. Here…all that matters is what's inside you. And you two have spirits far greater than those of many adults or stronger people. There's a big reason I brought you two here. It's because you have the greatest weapon of all in this place…your love for Azure. That will keep you safe and help you succeed. You both were determined to help Azure. Now's your chance. If you just keep thinking of him…keep remembering how much you love him…keep wanting to save him…you will. Here, let your hearts guide you to him. Believe in yourselves and believe in him…just as I believe in you."

The two children still felt fear…but now it diminished considerably. Aerith's soft voice raised their spirits and chased away their doubt and anxiety. When she said she believed in them, a small part of them felt like they could do anything. Her words reminded them of Azure…reminded them of how he was being used by Sephiroth. All these months they had thought he was dead, but instead he was being used by that monster. It made them want him back even more and become more determined to save him. Their courage began to return, and they felt bold enough to try.

Finally, the two nodded back to her.

Aerith smiled a bit more. "I'll help you two all I can. Good luck. Now go. We don't have much time left."

Though still afraid, they had already overcome their last bit of hesitation. The two children turned around and looked to the great black sphere in the center of this universe. Balling their hands into fists and swallowing their fear, the two began to run toward it.

Their footsteps seemed to make wet sounds as they stepped on the translucent surface. It was like walking on water almost. But nothing gave. Now knowing what the white mist was, the two found themselves looking up and around to it. More was streaming into the center all the time, but there were still hundreds of thousands of clouds in the air around them. It was impossible to tell how much time they had left, but they saw that it wasn't going to finish any time in the immediate future. When the two came to the edge of their current surface, they saw another "island" just ahead of them and leapt to it. Here was where they began to see more truth in what Aerith was saying. Marlene herself wasn't that good of a jumper and Denzel was only mediocre. Yet when they leapt…they always seemed to land easily. In real life, there would have been a painful jolt of some sort. There was none here, and they were able to keep running. Neither did they seem to pant or grow tired. They were able to keep running endlessly.

That was good…for the black center never seemed to grow any closer. They ran and ran for what seemed to be an hour at least…and yet it barely had gotten any larger. They kept going toward it none the less, and they never grew tired, so they were able to keep their same speed. They seemed to start realizing how long it was taking, and grew impatient. They started trying to push themselves harder. As a result…though they didn't realize it…they were soon running far faster. When they leapt to a new island, they soared ten feet before landing. They soon moved at a speed equivalent to a car. Neither of them realized that here, walking and speed was completely relative. They had no true legs, and they weren't running on any true surface. The only reason they were going this slowly now was because they thought they couldn't go any faster. Yet slowly…the moved faster and faster…and grew more and more agile.

Marlene hesitated at one point, just long enough to turn and look back. Denzel noticed this, and he quickly stopped and turned back as well. They were looking to see if Aerith was still behind, to get an idea of how far they had come. Yet they saw nothing. Just the oblivion extending beyond them into the endless universe. But they felt something now…a wind rushing by them. Whatever it was, it seemed to be drawing all of the mist into it. They could feel it blowing them closer and closer to the center.

They turned back…and both received a shock. The black center was suddenly much closer. Now it loomed huge in front of them, extending hundreds of feet into the sky and hundreds of feet below. They had just been teleported to it, it appeared. Where before it just seemed some tiny center, now it was gigantic. They could see mist being sucked into it from all around. And they were so close now that they were actually in the orbit of condensed clouds. They didn't have much farther to go now.

"How did that happen?" Marlene asked.

"I don't know…but we're almost there." Denzel answered. "Let's keep going."

He soon was off again. Marlene paused a moment, but then followed.

They didn't notice that they had slowed down again, but this close to the area they quickly put up more speed. As a result, they were soon as fast and agile as they were before. The platforms seemed more broken up here, and they were jumping quite a bit more to get across them. Yet still, they didn't notice how superhuman their movement was becoming.

The wind became a gust as they passed out of the orbit. Their clothing began to pull away from them and toward the center. They continued to leap to get closer, and the blackness continued to enlarge as they did so. They heard something within it…almost as if it was some sort of giant wind tunnel and they could hear the air casting about inside it. That sound increased, and so did its size…until it almost seemed like a giant universe unto itself. Gradually, it lost all of its curvature as it filled their vision…seeming to become a great black wall rather than a destination.

Marlene managed to pull ahead of Denzel, for now the path was so fragmented that they were taking separate routes, and so reached it first. Yet then…she halted. She saw nothing but emptiness in front of her. No more islands…just a descent into the endless universe around her. She looked up at this, and saw the great looming blackness in front of her. It almost seemed to be something concrete…like liquid or gel. But it was at least a hundred feet in front of her…and there was nothing left to grab onto. She wasn't sure what else to do now.

What she didn't notice was that Denzel, still hopping forward, had seen her stop, and began to realize why. However…he narrowed his gaze on seeing this, and increased his speed even more. Soon he was going faster than most agile beasts on the face of Gaia, and leaping better than anything that had ever lived. Yet he kept pushing himself forward, and kept rushing toward Marlene with as much speed as he could muster. Once he reached the platform she was on, he dashed forward with one last burst. As he reached her, he suddenly grabbed her and picked her up. Marlene's eyes widened and she gave a cry of surprise as Denzel suddenly swept her off her feet. But that was nothing compared to the next instant…as Denzel took off and leapt off the edge.

The two children were launched off of the side, and their bodies sailed across the vast abyss all around them. Marlene, stunned and shocked at what had happened, grabbed on to Denzel, who seemed to be the far stronger of the two at the moment. The boy himself focused on the blackness…thought of reaching it…thought of having just enough power to get to it… Their bodies arched up…reached their zenith…and began to descend slowly again. Yet as they made their descent, the inky blackness came closer. They were going to hit it. The moment they both saw it, both closed their eyes. Seconds later…they impacted and sank within.

Denzel was very surprised to touch ground a split second later. In his surprise, he released Marlene, who received her own surprise to realize she was on ground as well. Both children opened their eyes, and saw that the world had changed again.

Where before they had been in an endless expanse, they now appeared to be standing in a much smaller area. It was still empty all around them…but now it was black rather than clear. And there was nothing in the darkness to give an impression of depth, so it could have been as small as a room or as vast as eternity. Yet it wasn't entirely black. Some unknown light source was illuminating where they were.

They looked like they were standing on rock now, although it could have simply been a trick of the light being reflected. Just ahead of them, the rock around them seemed to form a large crater that gave way into a hole. The hole extended down into more blackness. Yet the hole itself was breached. What looked like a large, flat surface of ice was thrown over it. It had to be thick…at least three meters. Yet it pulled away slightly at points on the edge of the crater, allowing slits too thin for either child to pass through and into the hole. All around them…the mist was condensing and seeping down these holes, back into the large crater in the center.

The two stared at each other a moment, but then looked back to one another. Both of their looks were bewildered.

"How did you do that?" Marlene asked incredulously.

Denzel himself had no answer. Jumping that far had been as easy as walking. Marlene herself didn't appear to weigh anything. Yet only now did both children seem to realize what they had done…how they had managed to jump and run as fast and as far as they had…and neither of them being tired at all. It was the same effect a dreamer has when, in their dreams, they have incredible physical prowress…and then remember that, in reality, they aren't capable of any of this. Yet unlike true dreams, in which one would now awaken to their heavy, reality-bound bodies…they continued to remain.

Marlene raised her head as realization came over her.

"This is what Ms. Aerith meant. Here, we're as strong as we want to be."

Denzel heard Marlene say this and began to believe it. He held his hands up in front of him, and looked over them for a few moments, as if seeming to fully realize what sort of new power he had here. He did so for a few moments, before he put them down and looked back up to Marlene. Once he did, both of them turned and looked ahead of him. They saw the crater again, and the mist that was pouring into it.

"I think we have to go down there." Denzel said, pointing toward it.

Marlene looked around for a moment, and became upset. "We'll never get down those holes on the side. And we don't have anything to dig through the ice."

Denzel looked on at the hole for a moment. But then…he began to think anew of what Marlene had said, and what Ms. Aerith had said. Ms. Aerith has said they wouldn't need any special strength or magic…and they seemed to make it themselves when they wanted to. She also said they didn't need any weapons… What if…?

Abruptly, the boy closed his eyes. He crossed his arms in front of him and held them on top of each other, cupping around something. Marlene turned and watched, wondering what Denzel was trying. Yet the boy thought for a moment…imagined something particular in his hands.

In response…he began to feel cool steel in his grip…making him smile as he opened his eyes.

Marlene was stunned. Suddenly, Denzel was armed…and not armed with just anything. He had Cloud's original Buster Sword in his hands. And despite how huge it was, and the fact that Denzel should barely have been able to get it off the ground for more than a few seconds…he was holding it easily in his grip. The boy shifted to a grin as he saw what he had made. After that, he turned his head back down to the ice. He walked forward toward it easily, holding the Buster Sword steady as he did so. He came to a stop once he reached the side. He let the mists pour into the ground around him for a moment, but then brought the sword over his head and struck down with a powerful blow.

Denzel seemed to be as strong as Cloud now…for on impacting the ice a thunderous ripple shot through the surface and the ground around it. Marlene actually stumbled a bit on her feet. Yet as for the ice, a huge crunching and cracking sound shot through it as it was broken into thousands of pieces. The pieces instantly fell into the crater beyond them, and soon they were gone. All that was left was a gaping entrance with a few fragments of ice molded around the edge. Beneath it was more blackness.

The boy turned around back to Marlene, now rather pleased with himself. Just like Cloud used to do, he swung his sword around his head a few times before slipping it behind him. Both children failed to notice that the Buster Sword immediately became a relative size appropriate for Denzel, or that a sheath had materialized over his back to allow him to slip it in.

"This is cool!" Denzel cheered. Immediately, he closed his eyes and visualized again. When he opened them back up, he was very pleased with the result. He now wore Cloud's old clothing, the same he had worn when he had been running around with Tifa and the others before Meteorfall. He even had his shoulder armor piece. Marlene stared on, still stunned at how he had managed to do all of this.

"How…?"

"It's easy, Marlene!" Denzel answered, looking back up to the girl. "Just close your eyes and think about how you want to look, and you look that way!"

Marlene hesitated, but it was obvious that Denzel was encouraging her with his voice to try it. She held back a second longer…but then decided to give it a shot. She closed her own eyes…and began to think of those she cared about…what she wanted to have from them now that she was going into danger…

"It worked!" She heard Denzel say.

Marlene opened her eyes and looked down over her body. Sure enough…she wasn't in her own clothing anymore. Now she was dressed just like Aerith. She had her same pink slip and brown jacket. Not only that…but her hair had changed. Before she tried to match her style, but now her hair had lengthened and readjusted so that it mimicked Aerith's perfectly. After a moment, the girl actually began to smile at the change.

"So you wanted to be like Ms. Aerith?" Denzel asked as he surveyed her.

The girl looked back to Denzel, and cracked a small smile herself.

"Not exactly."

She held up her hands to the boy. They wore the same gloves and pads as Tifa had worn when she went on her own first adventure with Cloud and the others.

This only made Denzel smile a bit wider. "Alright." He said. "Let's go then."

The boy turned and leapt into the hole without hesitation. Feeling a bit emboldened by her own change in attire, Marlene ran forward and leapt after him.

Both children were soon falling into darkness. They looked down and around them, but saw nothing except the same black void that could be infinite or only a short distance. They felt wind whip up around them, and it grew stronger…indicating that they were falling rather quickly and gaining speed. And they could see each other clearly, as if somehow their own bodies were being illuminated although the rest was shadow. They looked up to one another frequently, but other than that there was nothing to do. Both were endlessly falling into a bottomless pit. Even when Denzel looked back overhead, he could see nothing else. It made him wonder how they were supposed to return…assuming they ever reached the bottom of this…

"Denzel!" Marlene called out at last. "I see something!"

Denzel looked to her when she said this, and saw that she was looking down. He joined her soon after. Sure enough…a small dot far below had appeared. It didn't stay a mere dot long, however. It quickly began to grow larger. It became clear that the two were falling toward it, and that it was growing larger because they were nearing. Having nothing else to do, the two fanned their arms out and kept looking down.

Detail began to emerge. The children noticed some sort of network…something like tree roots interlocking and heading downward. They looked small at first, but as they fell farther they noticed that each was actually rather large. They seemed to come together toward some central object, but that was much farther down and not immediately visible. They were some sort of pale blue…and they reflected light although there was none around them. The color itself could have actually been an effect of the light, because as they fell they noticed that they too began to turn a bit of a blue hue. Lastly, the two noticed that although this network itself was rather extensive and stretched deep…it was only a fragment of a larger picture. They extended from the darkness into this one place, and this was all that was illuminated.

As the two grew nearer they seemed to slow down in some way. They were still falling, but not at a speed that would instantly crush them. As they went down, Denzel noticed that he was headed for one of the larger "branches" at the top. He was going to land on it. Marlene, on the other hand, was going to sail by and hit one about ten feet lower. They had little time to worry about this discrepancy…for they had just noticed it when they were on it. The ground of the branches was coming up quick, and there was no way to stop themselves. Denzel, growing nervous, began to brace himself for impact…

Moments later…the boy touched down. It wasn't a severe impact or that painful. In fact…it felt as if he had just hopped off a space one or two feet above where he was now and then landed. What more…he was cushioned. The blue "roots" were not solid…but covered with some sort of thick powder which he immediately sank into. It was slick, and he flailed a bit before falling backward. He landed on his rear end and began to slide down the branch, for it was angled down to some center below. He slid for a moment, losing control and surprised at his sudden run in with terra firma. However…he finally got enough of his bearings and senses to put his hands out and bury them in the powder as well. Combined with the fact that the branch leveled off more ahead, and his feet were digging into the powder itself, and the boy was soon able to come to a halt. He stopped a moment to catch his breath.

Yet it only lasted a moment. Now free of falling, he became conscious that his clothing was getting wet…and it was so cold when it grew wet that it stung him. He quickly shot back to his feet…already feeling his hands begin to hurt. Yet even when he stood, his bare skin began to get goosebumps. A chill rippled through his back, and when he exhaled he saw his breath mist. The boy felt these effects, but was confused as to how it was happening. He looked down and around himself to the powder again, and the tracks he had made with his body and hands. They looked familiar… When he saw this, he realized what it was.

It's snow… All of this powder is snow. And these branches…they're made of ice. It's cold. It's all frozen. It's like a giant freezer. Brr…it really is freezing in here. It's just like…like…

Like…back in the real world?

"Denzel!"

The boy was shaken out of his thoughts by that voice. It was Marlene. He looked for the source, and found himself looking deeper into the network of branches and down a bit. Standing on another horizontal junction, rather like him, was his friend. The snow had been upset around her too from where she had fallen, and now she had her arms around herself. That was strange… Despite what they were wearing, the cold seemed to go right through. It was as if it wasn't even there.

"You alright?" She called. Breath misted when she spoke.

"I'm fine. How are you?" Denzel called back, struggling to keep from putting his own arms around himself.

"I'm alright. I can see something in the middle further down. There's something that all of this comes to."

Denzel himself couldn't see it yet, but that was hardly surprising considering the network of ice branches around them. He believed her. And to him, that was as good a place as any to go. He nodded. "Let's try to go there. I'm going to start working my way down. You go on ahead."

Marlene hesitated, but then nodded and looked below her. A bit uncertainly, she began to creep through the snow down along the branch she was standing on. Denzel turned and looked to his own position. Until now, he hadn't had to worry about losing his balance or slipping or anything. But now that he was here…the snow was genuinely slick if he stepped on it. He had to be more careful. And so, he began to creep his way down as well to a more downhill part.

What neither child noticed was that as soon as they had cleared the snow that they had mashed down and aside and left it behind…the powdery material seemed to shift and move although there was no wind or other forces to blow it. Even what had been crushed under their feet seemed to become powdery again, and moved on some unseen wind. It shifted and changed until it made the surface smooth and crisp where the children had stepped down. And once it covered their landings spots…it seemed to travel down and fill in each one of their footprints one by one…

Going down took a bit. The children were able to walk along their branches for a short distance, but inevitably they ran into a branch fixed to their path. Then they had to move. Sometimes they just swung around to the other side and kept walking. If that was too problematic, they tried to move down another branch. At first they lowered themselves down. This was hard…because the branches were indeed made of ice. Grabbing on and lowering down froze their fingers to the bone, and it was some time before they stopped hurting and were free to move again. Eventually, they just started to hop down. Gravity seemed to be more effective here, but short hops were fine.

It wasn't long before Denzel saw what Marlene had referred to. About two hundred feet down, all of the branches converged onto some sort of central point. Here, there was no more snow…just some sort of clear, crystal sphere. At least, that's what it looked like from up above. He knew it was likely made of ice…although it was a lot purer than the rest of the ice in the area. He and Marlene both made their way for this as quickly as they could. Both of them ignored the constant chills they were feeling. Despite the fact that they tried to tell themselves that they couldn't possibly be cold…the snow and ice seemed to be very real here. It soon felt even worse than outside in the Icicle Inn area…

As the two continued to make their way down…their footsteps continued to fill in behind them. Yet that wasn't all. Farther above, where the snow had already smoothed out again…some faint breeze seemed to blow against the snow and lift it off. The snow itself shrank in diameter…until it was a mere tendril of white powder. Many of these tendrils formed…and slowly they began to trickle off the edges of the ice pathway. Yet they didn't fall to the bottom. Rather…the wind seemed to carry them up and away to meet somewhere in the blackness…

At about twenty feet from the orb…both children had to come to a stop. Below them, the branches of ice seemed to arch up and away, and become so interlocked that there was no way to keep following them down. They couldn't very well hang on them either. Yet around the orb in the center, branches seemed to level off and make almost a platform of sorts. It was broken considerably, but it provided the most walking space. Both were on opposite sides of the column of ice now, and they both looked up to one another uneasily. Yet in the end, they decided. Both of them squatted, and then hopped off of the branches. They fell down through the ice network and sailed for the flat branches below.

Moments later, Denzel landed. Unlike before, however…gravity pulled at him and gave him a rather painful jolt. He winced and dropped into a squat before leaning back, falling halfway into the freezing snow. Marlene landed nearby, and much the same happened. She cried out a bit as she fell backward. The snow, though icy cold, was still soft and took most of their impacts. However, both were still wincing as they pulled themselves up and out. Their breath was very misty now. Both wrapped their arms around themselves, visibly shaking at this point. It seemed to have dropped another ten degrees down here. They quickly stamped around to knock the snow off of themselves, and then looked to each other. Seeing that both were alright, they turned to see what they had come to.

Both of their eyes widened on seeing it. Marlene stepped back and cupped her hands to her mouth. She gasped…the sound a mixture of surprise and horror. Denzel, on his part, let his jaw fall, and was paralyzed for a moment as he gaped at it.

There was Azure.

He didn't look like much now. He looked like a very small, very miserable creature. He was tucked in on himself…but he was immobile and, it appeared, immobilized. He was incased in the crystal sphere. Now they could see that it was indeed ice. Not only that…but they could feel cold air coming off of it and blowing across them. It looked like it was the source of all of the ice and snow. His skin was blue and his face expressionless with closed eyes. He seemed just as frozen inside and out as the ice he was incased in.

"Azure…" Marlene voiced quietly on seeing him like this.

Denzel stared a moment longer, but then lost his surprise. His teeth clenched as he drew his sword and held it with both hands in front of him. Once positioned like that, he took off for the orb. Although it grew steadily colder as he grew near, that was hardly a concern of his. It took no time at all to run up one of the branches of ice that led to it. As he ran toward the orb, he brought his sword behind him. On reaching it, he brought it down as hard as he could against the ice.

A bone jarring pain resulted as his blade bounced off of the orb, as if he had tried to strike solid steel with a broom handle. The recoil was so potent that Denzel actually fell back as he cried out in pain, losing his balance and falling against the branch again. Since it led downward, he slid away from the ice orb and back down the way he came. It wasn't the most graceful of landings or attempts. However, between the cold and the pain he felt, Denzel was rendered motionless for a moment as he slid back to the bottom, where Marlene was standing. She stared at Denzel in surprise at what had just happened, and looked back to the ice that held Azure.

Denzel groaned, and after a moment recovered and got to his feet to get out of the snow. Once he was up, he winced as he looked out to the ice sphere. He was stunned at what he saw…or rather what he didn't see. There wasn't even a dent in the ice. He couldn't believe it. He had sliced through the earlier ice sheet easily. He looked down to his sword to see if there was something wrong with it. There was only one difference…a large dent in it from where it had ineffectively attempted to slice through Azure's sphere.

Marlene noticed this as well, and then turned back to the sphere herself. She was hesitant, not sure what to do. In the end she went with her gut, and began to run up the same way that Denzel had just come. The boy himself removed a hand from his blade to grab one of his sore shoulders, as he looked ahead at Marlene and Azure and tried to think of a way out of this dilemma. Yet as he did…he started to notice the snow Marlene was walking through. Though he had mashed it down before, and there was no real wind here, it seemed to be filling up the tracks again as she walked through them. Not only that, but some of it was pulling away…

Marlene was soon up and at Azure's prison. She looked down and over it, trying to find a way inside or through. Azure was oblivious to her, assuming he could even more if he wasn't. He stayed frozen and emotionless within the ice. Marlene next reached up her hands and placed them on the sphere. Instantly…her hands felt frozen themselves, regardless of the gloves. She yanked them back with a cry, and held them out in front of her. Very slowly, she felt blood beginning to creep back into her hands after she had done that. It was as if she had been out with her hands in snow for an hour. They felt numb…and they were only slowly thawing. She looked back to the prison, and to the one within it.

Desperate, and not knowing what else to do, the girl pounded against the ice sphere. She ignored the cold and the fact that hitting it seemed to have as much effect as hitting a mountain. She beat on it, trying to get the attention of the boy inside.

"Azure! It's Marlene!" She cried. "Wake up!"

No answer. Azure didn't look able to answer anyway…but Marlene seemed more distressed when he didn't rather than his inability to move. She began to grow fearful. How had he been placed in here? And more importantly, how were they going to free him?

Denzel might have thought similar things…if he wasn't focusing on the ground around them. Marlene's tracks had filled up now, and he could now clear tendrils of snow blowing around and away from them. Marlene pounded on the ice again, but he didn't notice it.

"Azure!" Marlene called again.

You're wasting your time.

Both children froze and snapped around. A voice had rung out…one loud, powerful, and seeming to come from everywhere around them. All the darkness seemed to move when it spoke. It was female and older…but it was also icy and cold. No love or pity could be heard within it. Yet it also seemed strangely happy…but the sort of happiness that came from her benefit and the detriment of all others.

Denzel, though fearful, held his blade in front of him again. Marlene continued to look around herself, but also tried to stay in front of Azure…as if she could protect him. Both of them looked to the ground and saw the snow tendrils. There were many more of them now, and they were increasing in number. As they stared at them, they began to realize that they weren't just in this area. Below them on the other ice roots, more snow was blowing out. Above them the same was happening. More and more was gathering now, but despite how much was taken there always seemed to be more around them.

This snow collected in a place in the darkness, like some invisible platform hovering in the middle of nothingness. It was forming some sort of mound of snow…and it was getting bigger. Denzel pointed his sword at this, and Marlene managed to brace her own fists up in front of her. Alone she might have been afraid, but if this was about one of her friends she could do it. The snow mound continued to grow, and more and more snow seemed to pour into it as it grew. Soon it was growing very large indeed…over half the size of the ice crystal roots that they were on.

Once here…the mound suddenly began to rise. Something within it appeared to be pushing up from underneath. It continued to gather snow as this happened, although it now seemed to be slowing down and shutting off its tendrils one by one. Slowly, the children realized it wasn't something within the snow. It was the snow itself. It was alive…and it was pushing up to form some sort of pillar. Yet it didn't stay a pillar for long. It began to slope off on top, and then started to form more contour around the center of it. One larger peak in the center rose above the rest of it. More gentle shapes formed on top all around.

Once it was this far, the snow suddenly began to slough off. Large sections of it started to fall away. What fell off was immediately drawn into the bottom along with what snow was still coming. As the sections fell away, an effect like an invisible sculptor working began to occur. The shape began to become some large humanoid wearing some sort of gown. Arms began to form, as did a face. It was rough at first, but quickly became more well-defined.

At last, the snow condensed. It came in and packed tighter as the last tendrils cut off. It went from being powder to becoming ice. And as it became this substance, it grew smooth and perfect, showing the most amount of detail yet. It also grew much colder. A chill even stronger than the one coming from Azure's orb began to come out over the two, and they had to struggle not to break their stances. Yet the final touches were made at this point…and the figure took its final form. It was a gigantic lady made out of ice. She wore a long gown made of ice that went over her shoulders, but her hands were still visible as they finished forming. They had long, cruel nails on them. Her hair looked to be much thicker than normal hair, and hung down slightly on the sides of her head to form some sort of short style, with the ends looking like blades from being cut so perfect across. Then there was her face…colder and crueler than the ice she was made out of. Not the slightest bit of kindness or compassion could be found in it.

The ice eyelids of the woman opened…and fixed on the two. When it did…they could almost feel an icy knife slipping into their hearts. She smiled…sinister, dark, and cold as frost.

He cannot hear you. He cannot hear anyone anymore. The woman's voice continued. He's turned his own heart into ice. He cannot feel pain or love any longer.

Marlene heard this, and her face immediately went from firm to surprise. She turned around and looked to Azure again. He hadn't changed. Nothing in the world affected him now.

He no longer belongs here anyway. The voice went on. He's fulfilled his life's purpose. He did what I needed of him. He needs only to perish now…to descend into the blackness forever. That is his only purpose left.

Marlene snapped back around to the ice woman.

"What 'you' needed of him?"

Denzel turned to Marlene for a moment, but then back to the ice woman. Despite how large she was, and how insignificant and weak he looked compared to her, his own face turned furious…almost with enough heat to beat back the cold around him. He tightened his grip on his sword.

"It was you, wasn't it?" He challenged boldly. "You're the one who made him do all those bad things! You made him steal that money and hit me and run away, didn't you?"

The ice woman let out a short laugh…airy and light…but also mocking and harsh.

I tried to help him realize who he was, nothing more. It was in his nature to do 'bad things', as you put it. Your idea of morals are irrelevant to one like him. There is only one law…the strong take what they want from the weak. He had forgotten that, and I reminded him. He stopped being a weakling at that time, and fulfilled his true purpose in life…to serve his mother.

Denzel's teeth grit. "You're not his mother!"

This only made the ice woman laugh again…bitter and cold.

Denzel was naturally growing angrier. However, Marlene still had some traces of control in her expression. She looked out to the ice woman and asked her again.

"Why are you doing this to him?"

The ice woman paused here, but kept her smile.

He has no purpose. No meaning. No soul. He's merely a tool of mine…my child to do with as I desire. And I desired for him to die to give life to my true son. He obliged.

"Let him go!" Denzel ordered, his voice demanding and promising violence.

Again, only a laugh greeted him.

You think I'm holding him prisoner? The voice asked back. You silly, thoughtless, inconsequential humans… He's here because of you.

Both Denzel and Marlene snapped back at that, surprised at such an answer.

Yes, you. You and your childish, imaginary notions of love. He was originally a loyal and faithful child of mine. He would have done what I asked him. But then…you two had to come into his life. You had to fill his head with this juvenile, meaningless idea of emotions… You had to saturate him with it. You made him experience it so much that he began to crave it. He wanted it more and more. He wanted to feel and emote just like you little brats.

And that's where his life went wrong…the day you two betrayed him. The day you withdrew your love from him. The day the world realized what he was and hated him.

Denzel's eyes widened again, and he immediately shook his head. "That's a lie! I never hated him!"

Of course you did, silly boy. You stole Marlene's affection from him. You see, he knew what it was meant to be loved by a girl by then. He grew greedy for that imaginary ideal. He thought he could get more love from Marlene by proving himself better than you. But Cloud loved you…and hated him. He stepped on all of his attempts to make himself better than you, and as a result he grew to hate you. If you truly wanted him to be happy…you should have killed yourself so there would be only Marlene and him.

Denzel was aghast. "That's crazy!"

That would be a way to love him. He only cared about what made him happy, no one else. He wanted your inane 'love' so much that no one else mattered. He only had to indulge his feelings. He wanted them that badly. If you denied him that…then you were nothing more than his enemy. And so he hates you.

"I never hated Denzel!" Marlene cried.

You stupid girl. You stabbed him in the back. You were what drove him back into my arms. He had killed a man to get the money to give you your bicycle…and you spat in his face as soon as you realized it was stolen.

Both children turned white. One phrase of the ice woman rang in their heads again and again.

"Azure…killed a man?" Denzel slowly voiced, unwilling to believe what he had heard.

I told you. He only wanted things for himself. He only wanted to feel happy. Making Marlene happy would have made him happy…and he was willing to kill anyone and anything to make that so. Yet you didn't realize how much he was willing to sacrifice. You threw his love back in his face…and so he realized that no one in this world truly loved him. He came to me…for I would give him his purpose. I would love him for what he truly was. He'd do anything for me…just as he should have from the second he was born.

I gave him power and wisdom far above and beyond anyone else. He could have had anything. However…he stupidly craved only more of that emotion you call 'love'. He wanted it desperately. He craved it like a drug. Before he had felt sad and alone…but now that you two had first loved him and cast him away, he felt broken and betrayed inside. He felt such pain that he could no longer appreciate the gifts I had given him. He was useless to me…a doddering fool, as worthless as some junkie who thinks only of liquor. I wasn't going to waste time with those irrelevant notions of love on him…impractical, useless things. Yet he still wanted them…and he felt so empty and broken inside that he no longer wanted to feel anything good or bad. He turned his own heart into ice. He feels no love or hate now…no relief or pain. He hears nothing and senses nothing. The world to him is cold and harsh…and he has no place in it. Nothing will give him the love he desires, and now he doesn't want to feel it anyway. Doing so will only make him hurt more inside. So this is where he stays…for all eternity.

Congratulations, children… It's all your fault.

The two hesitated as they heard all of this. They looked away from the ice woman and to the ground, realizing what she was saying. That person who had been murdered behind the Seventh Heaven…Azure had killed him. There was no telling how many other people he killed. It hadn't been an accident that he had done all of those bad things. He did them in order to satisfy himself…even if it meant hurting those who cared about him. They began to slowly realize that Azure was not as pure and as innocent as they had always believed. Now they knew why Cloud and Tifa had been afraid of him. They knew what he was. They knew how he would think. They knew that he was a murderer…that deep down inside he felt hate for them… Maybe he really had been a monster the whole time…and they had just refused to see it.

What's this? The icy voice mocked. I thought you wanted to save your little friend. Looks like you don't think so much of him anymore. How do you like knowing the true side of him? In reality…it's the true side of you all. All of you are little, self-interested monsters inside. You throw up these emotions to try and make it look as if you actually are concerned with anything other than your survival. You interact with things in order to give you inner contentment and amusement…not out of a desire to help any other living creature. Perhaps you're more like him than you thought.

Well now, children…if you've finished with this foolishness…you have two choices. My son has nearly completed himself. He can come here and absorb you into his psyche just as he has swallowed my useless child…or you can leave here now, being wise enough to know that you never should have come in-

The ice woman cut herself off.

The Buster Sword had been flung at her…and embedded itself in her chest.

The great ice statue looked down, her face suddenly losing its cruel smile and turning to confusion and surprise. She looked up to see where it had come from.

Denzel's eyes were blazing with anger as he stood in his extended position. His teeth were clenched in fury.

"Shut up. I hate you…" A pause, and then a spat word phrase. "...you bitch."

Marlene, from where she stood, actually drew back a bit. Denzel didn't usually swear…but he did now. And he said it with such hateful venom that it was unlikely that any person in the whole of Gaia in ten years had ever meant that insult as much as he had.

Denzel snapped around to Marlene next, commanding her attention. He pointed back behind to the ice statue.

"She's a liar!" He cried out to her. "She's trying to confuse us, just like she confused Cloud and me! That's what she does! She talks to you like she's your friend…but then she uses you! She's evil! She doesn't love anyone or anything! I don't care what she said about Azure! She tricked him! Don't listen to her!"

Marlene stared back at Denzel momentarily. She saw the passion in his eyes, and the insistence in his voice. She hesitated here, and thought again. She remembered how Denzel had seemed as wicked as Kadaj and his gang…but she also remembered how she had never blamed him. It was their fault, not his. And as he spoke…she thought of Azure again, seeming to remember him again for the first time in a long time. He had been happy… He had smiled and played with them… He loved them. He didn't just take it for himself. He loved them back. She believed that. She believed it with all her heart.

Slowly, her own doubt and confusion left, and she began to smile. She gave a single nod. Denzel smiled back, and nodded as well.

How sickeningly sweet.

Both children lost their smiles and snapped back to the ice woman. She was grinning again, and waved her hand over the Buster Sword. Immediately, it turned into ice, and was sucked into her to become part of her. Gritting his teeth, Denzel stamped his foot down and put his hands in front of him. Immediately, another Buster Sword materialized in his hands.

The ice woman raised an eyebrow. So…you think you have this place figured out, child? You know nothing. This place is my son's and mine. Your puny, pathetic soul is just chaff. This changes absolutely nothing. Soon you will both be dead. My worthless child will remain frozen until the end of time. There is nothing in the world you can do to free him from his own prison…and he hates you two more than anything. You were the ones who gave him such pain. But if you wish to die alongside him…then so be it.

The ice woman held one of her hands up and turned it over, so that the palm was facing upward. Slowly…the ice began to rise up from it.

The two children knew what was happening. However, they didn't stand to fight. Instead, they turned back around to the prison with Azure inside it.

"Azure, listen to us!" Marlene called out. "She's using you! We're the ones who care about you!"

Ignore that babbling mortal. The ice woman calmly answered…obviously addressing Azure as well. You know what she did to you. She took your heart and smashed it to pieces. She'll make you feel more pain if you listen to her now.

Denzel and Marlene turned back to the ice woman. The ice in her palm now stood nearly four feet tall and still growing. However…they were encouraged by this. Though the ice woman was refuting what they said…the fact that she had to talk back meant that she wasn't as confident about Azure being isolated from them as she let on. He had to be able to hear them. With that in mind, they turned back to the prison and kept on.

"Azure, I was never angry about you hitting me!" Denzel cried out. "I never hated you! I'm your friend!"

You have no friends. The world is your enemy.

"She's lying, Azure!" Marlene yelled back. "She's been lying to you this whole time! We want you back!"

Just to hurt you again.

The ice crystal was now six feet tall. It began to shapen itself like the ice woman had.

"Azure…we want you back! We've wanted you back so much! I want you back!" Marlene continued.

"I've missed you so much!" Denzel threw in. "I can't think of anything but you! You were my best friend! Please come back to us!"

As they said this, crying out so loudly with such heartfelt sounds…their voices seemed to penetrate into the crystal. It actually seemed to shudder slightly.

Denzel kept his eyes on Azure within. Until now…his mouth had been shut. But ever so slightly…he saw it open.

The ice woman's smile faded. The form in her hand was now humanoid and continuing to detail.

You are my child. Your existence is mine. Because of that, there is no one in the world who will let you live save me. These two children can give you only pain. And haven't you had your fill of pain?

Marlene looked back to the ice woman when she said this, and then back to the crystal. Her own face softened…and she once again stepped forward. Despite how cold it was, she placed her hands against it.

"I know you've been hurt, Azure. I know that you've gone through a lot, and that you're very sad. But you're not the only one who's sad. Every day I get up I wish you were there. Denzel barely talks anymore, and he doesn't do anything except think about you and wish you were back. Nothing's the same without you. We'll never be able to go home knowing that we left you here frozen. When we know you're alive and can come back. We want you to come out of this terrible place. Come back with us."

They care only about their own pain! Nothing about you or yours!

The figure was starting to grow rather detailed now. Long hair was forming…as was some long cape/coat…

"I care about you, Azure." Denzel simply said, no longer yelling himself anymore. He lowered his arms and let his sword fall down to his side. He began to walk to the crystal again.

"I cared about you since the day we met. You know that's true. And it's not just to make myself feel happy. You wanted Marlene to feel happy. That was how you felt good. Well…how I feel good is seeing you happy. I just want to see you safe and home with us. I want to see you smile and laugh again. I want to hear you talking to me again. Most of all…I want to see you free from this witch. She doesn't love you, Azure. She doesn't care about you. We care about you. We love you.

"Azure…" Denzel stopped walking for a moment. He was pretty close to Marlene and the crystal now anyway. He hesitated a moment, but then tightened his face. Then, much to Marlene and even the ice woman's surprise…he raised his sword and pointed it at his own chest. "Azure…even if you honestly want me dead to make you happy…I don't care. I'd die for you any day. That's how much I care about you. If I need to do this to make you know that I love you, then I will."

Marlene gasped.

Deep within the crystal…Azure's eyelids parted. The pupils beneath stared at Denzel.

"But don't want that because she told you that's what you wanted!" Denzel suddenly yelled back, his face turning angry and intense again. "Don't want it because that's what she wants! What do you want, Azure? Do you want to stay here and freeze forever…or do you want to come home with us? She's not your family, Azure! We're your-"

Denzel cut himself off with a sharp cry of pain.

Marlene gasped again and went white, drawing back against the crystal again.

Red fluid stained the snow at Denzel's feet.

The ice woman smiled in approval.

And standing behind Denzel with the Masamune down to the ground, dripping blood, smiling, dark, and powerful…was Sephiroth.

"I think you've said quite enough, boy." He calmly addressed.

Denzel staggered forward. He was in absolute agony now, and he couldn't keep himself from crying out in a practical scream. It had taken too long…they had taken too long. The worst had happened. Sephiroth had reformed himself. He was once again an entity. Now…he was once again the dominate personality. And his first order of business had been to eliminate the "intruders".

The boy had never believed that being cut would hurt so much. He felt weak and on fire at the same time. His body was rigid, all of his power seeming to be so easily cut down within instants. Yet somehow…his one hand was still on the Buster Sword. Somehow he managed to clench his teeth again. Somehow he put his hand down and on the handle, and spun around to the foe behind him.

Masamune sliced out again.

The Buster Sword was easily knocked out of Denzel's hand and flung away into the dark abyss surrounding them.

The blade also lashed out and opened the flesh across his chest. Denzel cried out again.

Inside the ice…Azure's eyes turned from surprise to fear.

The boy was in too much pain. He couldn't stand anymore. Staggering until he lost his balance, he fell down and landed in the snow back first. His blood poured out, soaking his clothing and the snow around him. Sephiroth merely cracked a smile and snorted. He reached down and grabbed Denzel by the collar, and immediately yanked him up and in front of him.

"Cloud's brat, was it?" He calmly asked the agonized child. "You've been enjoying using your spirit to make you whatever you want in here, haven't you? However…this is my realm…and my spirit has infinite more power than yours. You're nothing to me. Do you desire more proof?"

With a snap of the wrist, Sephiroth flung Denzel away and smashed him into a nearby ice branch. The impact was so strong that he immediately fractured it. His body went flying off and went face first into the snow. Denzel gagged as he cried out in more pain. He coughed…and blood splattered into the blue powder.

Marlene stared in horror. She saw as Sephiroth calmly turned and began to walk over to Denzel. The boy could barely get his arms underneath him. He was going to kill him. She had to do something.

The girl turned around one more time to the ice. She leaned forward to it and placed her forehead against the crystal, not caring for the cold. Tears were pouring out of her eyes…both for Denzel as well as Azure.

"Azure…we love you. Please believe us."

With that, she turned and looked back to Sephiroth. Determined to stop him from killing her friend, she grit her own teeth and gave a yell. Immediately, she ran down the icy root that she had climbed up. Her speed was superhuman…and before she hit the bottom she leapt up and lunged for Sephiroth. Her power easily enabled her to clear the small area and sail at him faster than a locomotive. Thinking of Tifa, she drew one of her fists back and prepared to punch the man as hard as she could in the back of the head.

Hence, she was surprised for a split second before feeling pain rock her body as Sephiroth calmly swirled around and backhanded her. Her body was ripped out of the air and flung across the chamber until it smashed into the same ice crystal that imprisoned Azure. Groaning and dazzled, she rolled off of it and soon landed on the root, where she continued to slowly roll down to the bottom until the snow piling up beneath her stopped her.

Sephiroth gave a smile and a snort as he fully turned around to her. "And you…" He spoke. "You chose an interesting one to imitate. Tell me…so long as you're getting the experience of being her, would you like to die as she did?" With that, he raised Masamune and crossed it in a gesture prepared for stabbing. He slowly began to walk toward her instead.

Both Denzel and Marlene slowly looked up…but could do nothing else. It was only due to the fact that they were imagining themselves as strong as Cloud and Tifa that they weren't already dead. As it was, they were in too much pain to fight back. Although the world itself couldn't hurt them, another potent spirit could. That was why they felt pain now. However, it hardly seemed to matter. Both of them had already been beaten. Marlene tried to pull herself up…but she was too dazzled and weak from the blow to move. Denzel himself tried to push his body forward, but that was no good either. The snow was numbing both of their bodies, making it even harder to react. The ice woman crossed her arms and kept her smile, enjoying everything that she was seeing. Lastly…the boy in the ice sat in hesitation, but did no more.

Sephiroth took a few more steps…his green eyes piercing into Marlene. The girl felt very exposed and afraid at this. His gaze did something to immobilize her…like the stare of a predator into its helpless prey's eyes. She couldn't move or even look away. She stared back fearfully…waiting for the end to come.

Yet then…Sephiroth stopped moving. His smile didn't fade, and he didn't show any sign of seeing anything else. But behind him, Marlene noticed the ice woman seemed to have stopped as well, though she was still staring at Sephiroth too.

Well, well… Her icy cold voice sounded, as both she and Sephiroth looked up and beyond Marlene.

Now freed, the girl blinked a few times in confusion. She turned her head, and tried to see what Sephiroth was looking at. Denzel looked up weakly as well. The two children were far more surprised at what they saw than the two dark creatures.

Aerith had come.

The Cetra stood perched on top of the ice crystal. She wasn't armed with anything, but she was wearing the same clothing as before, and as unhurt as she was before. She wasn't looking at anything. Her eyes were actually closed at the moment. Her hands were folded in front of her. She seemed to be praying…and not aware of any of them.

However, she did speak out to the children.

"I couldn't have come earlier. Until now, Sephiroth wasn't aware. This Jenova that you see is only the Jenova from Azure's own cells. The real one isn't aware of this either. But now…it seems I have no choice. You both did well."

The ice woman narrowed her gaze. Her smile slowly turned into a sneer. Her malicious happiness before changed…into something that was far more hateful. Now, the smile and cheerfulness was purely forced.

You killed my daughter…ruined my chance to start the new race… She seethed, her tone not even a mockery of kind anymore. Yet just as stupidly as last time…you've wandered like a rabbit into a fox's hole. You make this too easy, Cetra.

Aerith didn't answer. She kept her position. The children stared at her, expecting her to lash out with some sort of attack. Perhaps some spell to blow both the ice woman and Sephiroth away. Yet she did nothing. She didn't change. She didn't open her eyes. She didn't break position. She didn't say a word. It was as if she was oblivious to everything else, and was simply standing there…waiting to be killed.

However…that wasn't the case.

She was merely doing something that only one of the five others in the darkness could hear.

Azure…

The fear in the eyes of the boy vanished.

You remember me. You know who I am. I know what she's told you about me. She's said that I'm your worst enemy. That I want nothing but your death. Nothing could be further from the truth. I want to give you a chance at a normal life, the same as your friends. I want you to live and feel as a human being. But whether you believe that or not doesn't matter now. This does.

Sephiroth abruptly broke out of his stabbing position. He let Masamune shift to his side instead.

"I'm going to kill the children." He announced behind him to the ice woman. "Doing so should make her upset enough to unleash the Sorceress, especially since I will swallow up their spirits into myself. I just want to make sure that you are able to absorb her, Mother."

Quite simply, my son. Aleron may be gone, but I inherited her traits. Go on. The ice woman spoke.

You can see your friends hurting. You can see them weeping before you, begging for you to come back. What you see now is nothing. They have wept endlessly for months, shedding countless tears for you. Marlene has begged for me to raise you from the dead. Denzel has beaten his hands to blood at the thought of killing the one who he believed wronged you. These children have been frozen as you are now frozen…trapped and unable to move on with their lives so long as they knew you were gone. Now that they can get you back, nothing else matters to them. They knew they could die by coming here…but they don't care. You know this. You've seen it and heard it yourself. They're willing to die for you, Azure.

Sephiroth turned back down and looked to Marlene. The girl swallowed again as the breath caught in her throat, and she was once again pinned. He began to approach her once more.

"Her first." He stated, as he began to shift his sword back up into stabbing position. "Just as she died."

You can tell yourself that you don't believe them…that you think they're lying and don't love you. But I know in your heart of hearts you know that isn't true. What's holding you here is your fear of loss. You felt what it was like to be rejected and hated by all. It hurt you so much that you preferred to feel nothing and placed yourself here. You let Jenova fill your ears with lies and poison in hope that you would one day believe it. And you're scared that if you emerge from here that you'll feel that pain again. You'll be abandoned or rejected again.

But Azure…pain is as much a part of life as joy. Loss and gain are risks that we take every day of our lives. Your life will not be free from misery or hurt…but you can know this. Just as there will always be things to make you afraid and sad, there will always be things to make you laugh and smile. You will always have the love of your friends. No matter what happens…no matter what befalls you…there will always be people there who love you and would do anything for you. Pain is not forever. You have to just hope for a while longer, and all darkness will pass…just as winter must inevitably become spring.

If you stay here…within this icy prison…you'll do so as you watch your friends die. These are friends who have risked everything to let you know how much they love you. They only wanted to make you happy and to give you a life again.

What will you do, Azure? Is life too hard for you? Will you stay here and feel nothing either bad or good for the rest of time? Experience neither love nor rejection? Or will you go back? Will you be willing to endure the sorrow and anguish of life so that you may also have its joys? To live with those who love you and feel happiness again?

This is your last chance. The choice is yours. But know this. Your friends want you back. Your home wants you back. Both are prepared to fill up the pain in your heart. If you don't want to accept the risks with it…then you'll have no one to blame but yourself for your misery and solace. And you'll still feel hate…hate for yourself that you didn't take this opportunity when you had the chance.

The frozen Azure remained still as these words sank into him.

When they touched his frozen heart…it began to melt.

Deep within the ice…two tears slowly rolled from the boy's eyes.

Sephiroth had reached Marlene. The girl was petrified, staring back at him in terror. Denzel cried out as he struggled to drag himself closer. The dark man brought his sword back, and prepared to plunge it into her heart…

Then…the sound came.

It sounded like all the glass in the world ever made was broken as one, thrown down from a cosmic shelf onto the universe's greatest orchestra hall. It echoed and reverberated as it shattered, sending out a long sound through the whole of the blackness…stretching into it everywhere regardless of how far it was. The tinkling sound that it made was like thousands of bells chiming together…and it was beautiful.

Sephiroth looked up ahead of him.

Aerith had vanished…and Azure's prison had shattered into millions of pieces.

The boy sailed through the air, down the snow-covered roots, and then landed right in front of Marlene. Sephiroth's sword was now aimed at his heart instead. Yet he showed no fear. Though he was much smaller and less muscular than the dark man, he stood firm. His body had become like stone. His own pale green eyes blazed, and his look was stern and hateful. Yet his flesh had lost all blueness. It was now warm and alive. So warm that the snow at his feet began to melt…and Marlene felt her numbness begin to fade as warmth from Azure poured over her. Sephiroth's gaze broken…she was now free.

And both she and Denzel were free to look at the boy who had joined them.

"Azure!" They both voiced in unison.

The ice woman, however, merely snorted at the sight.

I thought you would have been wiser than to listen to your destroyer.

Azure looked up and past Sephiroth, back to the ice woman beyond. His teeth were clenched. He spoke…and it was a wonderful sound to the two children. A voice they had wanted to hear for such a long time.

"…You're right about one thing. I should have been wiser. I should have been wise enough never to listen to you. I should have been wise enough to know that I was happy and content before you came along and I started paying attention to your voice."

You stupid, ungrateful child… I gave you everything and not once did I strike you or yell at you.

"That's right…you never were angry at me." Azure snapped back. "You were never happy with me either. You never hit me and you never hugged me. I did everything you wanted…and you never gave anything back. All you did was take from me. Even if you weren't self interested, you should have given me back for what I gave you. But if you really cared about me it wouldn't have mattered. Denzel didn't know who I was when he let me into his house, fed me, and became my friend."

Sephiroth's smile faded, and he snorted. "When are you going to put away those childish notions and become a man? What do those things matter in the great scheme of things? Simple delusions of a meaningless race. You were meant for so much more."

"Like what?" Azure spat, not looking afraid of Sephiroth or the sword pointed at him. "Being your body?"

"That was your entire purpose in life." Sephiroth simply answered. "Serve Mother and serve me."

Azure's eyes narrowed.

"Both of you can go to Hell."

The ice woman hissed.

You've been contaminated, you worthless son. Poisoned by the same nonsense that poisoned the one who took you in. I should have known it from the start. I gave you life. Everything of what you are and what you think belongs to me. You owe me everything. I am your mother.

Azure's fists clenched.

"You're not my mother." He coldly retorted. "Mothers are kind and loving. Mothers want the best for their children. They know when to punish them and when to set the rules…but they always love them for who they are, not because they serve them."

The ice woman turned furious.

I am your mother, you stupid, wretched boy! I'm the only mother you ever had, and you ever will have!

"We are all you are and all you ever will be." Sephiroth flatly added. "Your destiny is to give to this family and be content with nothing less."

Azure didn't change.

"I had a mother and a family before you ever said anything to me. My mother's name is Aerith. My brother's name is Denzel. My sister's name is Marlene. You…are nothing but parasites."

That was the last straw. Cloud had been only a synthetic Sephiroth clone. Azure's entire life had been as a child of Jenova. His destiny was to be her mindless slave. Yet now…the clone was disowning her. It chose a life for its own. It spat in its maker's face. The fact that something begotten solely for her benefit would turn around and demand its own existence was too much for the woman to endure.

Slay this worthless, babbling mutant.

Sephiroth glared fully at Azure, and drew his sword back. "It is time you learned who is a shadow…and who is a god. This body belongs to me now. This is my flesh. You are an unwanted presence. I let you live before now…but now I'll simply consume you as I consumed the others like you before. Then I'll kill your 'family' using the same bones and blood that was once yours."

With that…Sephiroth drove Masamune forward toward Azure's heart. His look was calm and focused, without fear or any doubt as to the outcome. His spirit was by far the most powerful here, after all.

Hence…his face turned entirely into surprise as, without shifting weight, Azure deflected Masamune to the side and into the ground…with his bare palm.

Denzel and Marlene gaped. The ice woman herself was totally shocked. Sephiroth's slit-like pupils widened as he stared down at what the boy had done, and then back up to Azure. Now…it was the boy's turn to smile and glare at him with dangerous-looking pale green eyes.

"This is my body and my soul." He flatly stated. "And I actually care about something other than myself. That's what gives my spirit true power. Denzel and Marlene showed me that. I let you in before…"

Another surprise suddenly happened…one that only Denzel and the ice woman saw clearly.

Masamune broke through the back end of Sephiroth's cloak, stained with blood.

The dark man gasped…shocked at what was happening. He turned his head down…and saw more of the impossible. Suddenly he wasn't holding onto the Masamune anymore. Azure was. And with his free hand, he had plunged it back into his chest. Sephiroth couldn't believe it…couldn't fathom it. His spirit was supposed to be unstoppable. His power was supposed to be a million times greater than this copy's… He never should have been able to lift a finger against him. Had the boy truly had a soul of his own? Had he truly been more than just a puppet? Could this truly be happening?

Sephiroth looked back up to Azure…and despite how small the boy was compared to him…the boy seemed far greater than him now. His spirit was far stronger. The snow around him continued to melt…and the ice below it began to crack and fracture. It was all because of his heat. As Sephiroth's legs began to give out and he slumped on the blade, snow began to drip from overhead and fall down. The ice columns began to crack. Azure's heat was spreading throughout the entire area. Even Denzel felt it now. Pieces of snow began to drop as the ground slowly began to shake.

"Now…" Azure continued, still glaring at Sephiroth. "I'm sending you back to Hell."

With that, the boy snapped around and flung the Masamune as hard as he could. Sephiroth's body went flying off of the end of the sword. Blood trailed through the sky as his limp form went off, smashing through two more ice columns before going out into the void. Once there…it slowly fell down into the blackness…into the great oblivion of nothingness where nothing good or bad existed. His body fell for a while before it was swallowed up into shadow…never to trouble this realm again.

Denzel and Marlene were overwhelmed. They couldn't believe Azure had done it. They almost didn't seem to notice that what they were standing on was beginning to crack, and that more and more pieces of ice and snow were starting to fall. The structure was shaking considerably now. They focused only on Azure. The boy now snapped around to the ice woman.

The woman was changing. The ice was melting now…warping her features. She was starting to look far more hideous now…twisted and misshapen into some sort of creature rather than a woman. She glared at Azure with absolute hatred.

You can't be rid of me! I'm you! I'm within your DNA, floating in your veins, residing in your flesh! My spirit courses throughout your flesh!

Azure's eyes narrowed…and he raised Masamune, this time holding it back over his head.

"So does mine."

The boy flung the sword at the ice woman, much as Denzel had done earlier. But this time, her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and screeched…some horrible alien voice. She held out a hand to try and stop it…but it was too late. The blade sailed forward further and struck the woman in her breast. This time…she instantly shattered into countless ice crystals. Her final scream was broken and spread among all of the shards of ice that she had been broken into…fading into their own tinkling noises. And then…they faded beyond that into nothing. The ice pieces rained down and faded into the same oblivion as Sephiroth had.

The ground was shaking very violently now. Large chunks of ice were beginning to fall. The children stared at Azure a moment longer, but then turned to their own plights. Marlene looked down and around her…when suddenly the root she was sitting against broke and fell down. Giving a yelp, she quickly rolled forward and sprung back up to her feet. She had no desire to follow Sephiroth and the ice woman into the same darkness. She spun around and looked at what she had nearly avoided…and saw that there was indeed nothing but blackness and a few broken branches beneath her. The whole place was falling apart as it melted. She backed up away from it, not sure where else to go…

Until she smacked into something. She turned to look to see who it was…and saw that Denzel was standing right in front of her. Both of them seemed surprised to see the other. Marlene turned her head down and looked over the boy. His clothing wasn't torn anymore, and the blood that had soaked into it had vanished. Then she realized it. She didn't feel sore or jostled anymore either. Suddenly, both of them were as good as new. But it hadn't been them who told themselves to heal… It had to be…

Both turned to Azure. He was staring out at where the ice woman had been, his look cold and impassive. They stared for a moment…before they realize what had happened. Though the world around them was breaking apart, they saw that Azure was free. He had come back to them. Sephiroth and the ice woman were slowly forgotten as they felt joy creeping into them. Smiles began to spread on their faces.

"Azure…" Denzel began to speak.

Abruptly, the boy turned and looked to them. When he did…all of his anger disappeared. His face became soft, and his eyes gentle. He smiled as well, a very pleasant smile. At that moment…the boy no longer looked alien or unnatural. He looked…beautiful. And seeing him like that made both children hesitate.

"I'll have to send you both out now." Azure told them. "My prison is falling apart, and I have a lot of work to do putting this back the way it was."

Hearing this, both Denzel and Marlene lost their smiles and looked nervous instead. Did that mean they were leaving him again?

Both began to step toward him, despite the fact that tree-trunk sized pieces of ice were now raining down around them and their footing was about to crumble into dust.

"Wait!" Marlene called out.

Azure didn't react. He only smiled a bit wider.

"Don't worry. I'll see you both again real soon. I promise."

With that, the boy closed his eyes.

It was like some heavenly force had them on lines…and abruptly began to reel them in. At speeds even faster than Aerith's, both children were ripped off of their feet and back into the air. They looked down after their friend…but he soon vanished as the last of the ice network crumbled into nothingness and sank into the blackness. They tried to call out…but they were moving faster than sound. In an instant, they were back up the dark hole. They came out through the crater and exited. In the blink of an eye, they were brought back over the vast expanse they had climbed over. Yet now…the dark void that had been there before wasn't gathering…but letting out. Multicolored rays of light and clouds were rolling forth, beginning to shape and twist the world around them. It was as if the vast nothingness was being remade…like the dawn of a new creation…

Yet even that faded soon…

Denzel and Marlene opened their eyes together.

There they were. Back in the room with the machine. They turned and looked around. Vincent was still tending to the sleeping Krystea. Elena was still looking to Rude and Reno…the latter of the two was saying many words that Cloud and Tifa had told them never to repeat. They looked down to themselves, and found that they were back in their old clothing…sitting down where they had been before. Not only that, but they were holding hands still…

They looked up to the third member of their group…and saw Aerith smiling at them.

"You did it."

The children were bewildered. They looked around the area for a moment, hardly believing they were there. It was like a dream. And like a dream…they found themselves once again far more weighed down and "real". The world seemed far sharper and more detailed. But at last, they looked back to Aerith.

"But where's Azure?" Marlene asked.

"Don't worry." Aerith answered. "Sephiroth's presence has faded. I'm sure Azure is back there in his body, and he probably looks the same way he did before this ever happened. We'll see him again real soon…assuming Ragnar and Cloud don't pick him up first."

Marlene smiled at this, and looked excitedly to Denzel. He turned and smiled back…but he was hesitant. Soon his smile faded, and he turned back to Aerith with a disappointed look. The Cetra noticed this and leaned in a bit.

"What's the matter, Denzel?"

The boy frowned. "We didn't do anything. You came in at the end and were the one who broke Azure out. We couldn't even do anything to stop Sephiroth. I wanted to help Azure…but in the end I couldn't do anything to set him free."

This only made Aerith smile more.

"Denzel…you and Marlene did more than I ever could. I told you that you didn't need power. What you needed was your love. I wasn't the one who freed Azure. It was you two. You came that far…and let him know that you valued him and his life more than anything else. You let him know how much you loved him. If you hadn't done that, nothing that I would have said to him would have made a difference. It was your love for him that gave him the power to break himself free of Sephiroth and Jenova, just like it was Tifa's love that let Cloud break free. I only gave him the last nudge he needed. I made the choice clear for him. It was you two that let him know he had a choice in the first place…that he had something worth freeing himself for."

Denzel looked up at this, and Marlene turned as well. Slowly, as they thought about this, they began to smile a bit more. Denzel himself did in particular. Besides…even if he had done nothing…Azure was back. He came back to them…and soon they'd be living together again. Aleron was gone. Sephiroth was gone. The war was almost over. They were going to be happy now as one big family back in Edge.

Aerith smiled back at the two children for an instant longer…when her smile suddenly faded. The two children noticed this and turned to her fully, their own smiles disappearing. However…Aerith didn't look back. She continued to stare out…as if she was seeing something that they couldn't see. Her eyes were growing fearful.

Marlene grew uneasy. "Ms. Aerith…?"

Cold sweat began to run down the Cetra's brow as she saw what was going on far below them for the first time.

"Ragnar… Cloud…"

To be continued...