Aerith couldn't believe she'd somehow missed the Human sneaking up on her. Seoda would never let her hear the end of it, but at the very least, nothing bad had happened. She carefully approached his slumped form, aware that he could be faking unconsciousness and waiting to lunge at her once she got close enough.

He didn't.

It wasn't all that unusual, especially considering how, in her surprise, she hadn't really been able to hold back and had unleashed a nearly fully-powered Aero spell at him. Thankfully, he did at least appear to still be shallowly breathing, despite how strongly the blast of air had pummeled him. Aerith knew other Cetra wouldn't have felt the same way—almost certainly going as far as executing him on the spot—but she tried to avoid killing when at all possible. Yes, they were at war with the Humans, she understood that, but even so, she believed death should only be a last resort.

Gently prodding at the Human with her boot, Aerith kept her hand trained on him, ready to unleash another spell if he moved so much as an eyelash. After several more moments of nothing at all happening, she finally let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and stepped over to lean against a tree while she decided what to do next.

She did recognize him, surprisingly. Not from her brief trip to visit Cloud in the city, but because almost everyone in the Cetran forces had been told to look out for him. He was one of the Humans' strongest warriors—responsible for the deaths of many of her people—and it was for this reason in particular that an idea sprang to mind. She would bring him to the capital where he would stand trial for his crimes and be judged by the Council appropriately. It was likely better treatment than he deserved, but now that the idea had come to her, she couldn't simply ignore it.

Of course, that raised the question of how to get him there, but the more immediate problem at hand was bringing him back to her camp. Carrying him was obviously out of the question, especially with the armor he was wearing and how heavy his sword looked. Fortunately, Aerith had a closely guarded secret, known only by her most trusted companion—Seoda.

She was a Seer.

A part of her had realized the truth back when she'd recognized the silver-haired boy all those years ago on the scouting mission. It had been too perfect of a match with the person she'd seen in her dreams to simply write it off as a coincidence. Which was exactly what she'd ended up doing, because if her dreams had the power to become real, then that also applied to the one she'd had about her mom. To this day, it was hard for Aerith not to wonder if maybe there might have been some way to save her. She knew the past was set in stone, however, so instead, she did her best to think of the future and what she could do to end this horrible war.

The more she watched the unconscious Human's body, the more something nagged at Aerith. There was a familiar feeling, gently tugging at her attention, but in a way that was wholly wrong. Stepping closer to try and pinpoint what it could be, she realized that it wasn't actually coming from him, but rather the sword lying at his side. As she leaned down to get a better look, to her horror, Aerith realized that it was coming from what looked like a Materia, embedded into the hilt of the weapon.

They were, of course, aware that the Humans had some way of using magic, but this was the first time she'd ever seen one of their fake Materia in person. While it looked the same as a normal one, just being this close to it made her want to throw up. She didn't know how they'd managed to make it or how it functioned, and she didn't care to. All she knew was that it needed to be destroyed—immediately. A simple wave of her hand was all it took to rip the Materia out of its socket with a hand made from air before she wrapped it in a ball of flame so hot it instantly vaporized.

With that abomination taken care of, she took a deep breath and focused on the air surrounding them. Despite having used magic numerous times over the past five years, it remained a thrill each and every time she used it. Since she'd never been formally trained, Aerith had ended up teaching herself—experimenting in secret to try and learn the full extent of exactly what she could do. If there was a limit, she hadn't found it yet.

Ever so gently, Aerith hardened a section of the air next to her. Or at least, that was how she thought of it in her mind. The result was an invisible "shelf" that she could place things on while still being able to move the platform through the air. Lowering it to the ground, she rolled the Human onto it before lifting him high enough off the ground to avoid any smaller plants. On the off chance anyone who didn't know about her magic showed up, she'd be able to instantly drop him to the ground, presumably without hurting him too much.

Transportation method established and at her side, she quickly set off, away from the ongoing battle back in the direction of the small camp she'd somehow become the leader of. Most of the former residents of Farstar had decided to return to the capital, but when Aerith had said she was going to stay behind, several of the younger Cetra had decided to stay with her. Not wanting to join the fighting itself, her group had instead become combat medics—responsible for watching over the battles and rushing out to save anyone they could.

As soon as Aerith stepped out of the trees and into the small clearing they'd set up camp in, Seoda hurried over to greet her. "Aerith, you're back, good. I was about to—Is that a Human!?" Her friend's hand dropped to the sword at her waist, her eyes going wide and round.

"It is, but considering he's still unconscious I don't think he's going to jump up and attack you," she replied in amusement. "Did something happen?"

"What?" Seoda blinked several times, her attention still focused on the floating Human. "Oh. No, I was just starting to get worried something had gone wrong since we hadn't heard back from you yet."

While Aerith was touched by how much Seoda always seemed to worry about her safety, she felt like she was more than capable of taking care of herself. Which was exactly why she wasn't going to mention how the Human had nearly managed to sneak up on her.

"Well, here I am, safe and sound and I even brought a surprise with me." She gently lowered him to the ground before releasing the spell.

"I can see that . . . What exactly happened? Why bring him back here?"

All of a sudden, the plan she'd come up with back in the forest seemed like an incredibly silly idea. "I . . . thought he could stand trial, before the Council, for his crimes."

Instead of laughing, Seoda simply looked thoughtful. "It's probably more than he deserves. If this were coming from anyone else I'd think they were joking, but with you, it's . . . fitting. We'll have to leave soon, though. If anyone from the main army finds him here they're going to try and kill him."

"We won't all be going, just me," Aerith clarified, already expecting Seoda to not be happy with the news. She wasn't wrong.

"What?! It's a three-day trip to the capital from here. There's no way I'm letting you be alone with an enemy soldier for that long. It's not safe!"

Aerith smiled softly, shaking her head in amusement. "I'll be fine. He can't break out of magical restraints and besides, I need you and everyone else to stay here to keep healing our people. It would be a huge blow if so many medics just up and vanished."

Scowling, Seoda grudgingly nodded her head after a moment. "Fine. The others can stay behind, but I'm barely able to heal at all. Let me come with you, please."

Taking a step closer to her friend, Aerith gently reached out and squeezed her upper arm while looking directly into her eyes. "I appreciate your concern, Seoda, but I need you here, leading them in my place. There's no one else I could trust to do it."

Seoda sighed loudly, stepping back and rubbing her eyes with her fingers. "You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

"I have."

"Well, I know better than to try and argue with you in that case, I suppose. Just promise me you'll be careful. I'm sure he won't hesitate to kill you if he gets even the slightest chance."

For some reason, Aerith didn't think that was the case, although she couldn't quite put her finger on why. "I should pack and leave before anyone else gets back, the fewer people who know about him the better. The last thing I want is the army sending someone after us."

"I'll get some food ready for you to take," Seoda said, already moving in the direction of the supply tent. "Just in case you're not able to forage enough."

Eyeing the still unconscious Human, Aerith decided it would be safer to restrain him for now, just in case he woke up while she was preparing for the trip. Instead of the air, this time she focused on the earth beneath him, loosening it up so that he sank downward slightly before she hardened it back up. The end result was as if she'd dug a hole and partially buried him in it. He'd be able to break free without too much effort, but not without also making enough noise to alert her.

With that taken care of, she hurried over to her tent and began breaking it down with swift, practiced movements. After spending five years living outside, Aerith had grown even closer to the Planet. A part of her missed the comforts of living in a house, but it gradually continued to shrink as time went on. Once the tent was fully packed, she added a few days of clothes to the bundle before swinging it onto her back. It was time to go.

Seoda rejoined her where she'd left the Human, handing over a small bundle that looked to contain some of the bread they'd made recently as well as some fruits. "May Gaia keep you safe on your journey. I'll be praying for your swift return as well. I'm not sure how long I'll be able to fill in for you, but I promise to do my best."

"You'll do fine," Aerith said. She walked closer and hugged her friend tightly. "I'll be back before you know it."

"What am I supposed to tell people when they ask why you left?" Seoda asked into her shoulder.

"Maybe that the Council summoned me? It's a white enough lie to be believable." She wrinkled her nose. It was almost an inevitability at this point. Aerith was trying to keep a low profile, but she knew there were already several rumors in the main army floating around about her. This would only end up adding fuel to the fire, but she hadn't planned on keeping her secret forever in the first place.

Letting out one, final sigh, Seoda pulled back and waved farewell to her. "Be safe, and enjoy your time in the capital. Just not so much you don't want to come back," she finished with a small smile.

Aerith laughed. "I don't think that's something you'll have to worry about. Thanks again for helping me with this. I'll be back in roughly a week."

While she'd be lying if she said she wasn't excited to finally get the chance to meet the Archmage, Aerith had no desire to linger in the capital. From what she'd heard, the sentiment towards half-bloods like herself had soured dramatically there since the war had started which was a large part of the reason she'd avoided visiting. She wished Seoda could have come with her—it would have been incredibly comforting to have such a close friend at her side—but even if she didn't enjoy being the leader of her little group, Aerith felt like she still had a responsibility to look out for them as best she could.

With the food from Seoda safely tucked away in her pack, Aerith floated the Human back up on her improvised air shelf. It was much easier this time since she could quickly replicate what she'd done before. She wondered if that was a natural part of the process in creating new spells, or if it was related to her being a Seer. Her mother had never really talked about what coming up with a new spell was like, and since her ability to use magic was a secret, she'd never had the opportunity to ask anyone else familiar with the process. Maybe the Archmage would be able to help, but first, she needed to reach her.

Aerith set off at a quick pace. The sooner she got away from the main army, the less likely it was that anyone would find —and potentially try and stop—them. Traveling with the Human floating at her side was surprisingly easy, so much so that it made her wonder why a spell like this wasn't already seeing wide use. She was fairly confident it would work with even larger objects too, allowing a single person to easily move things that they otherwise couldn't—all without any risk of injury.

About an hour after she'd left camp, the Human began to stir. Not wanting to risk anything, Aerith came to an immediate halt and lowered him to the ground at the base of a tree. Slightly adjusting the spell she'd been using to carry him, she instead wrapped the hardened air around him as if it were rope, essentially tying him to the trunk. With him safely secured, she leaned back against the tree opposite him and listened to the soft birdcalls around her as she waited for him to finish coming to.

It didn't take much longer until he groggily blinked his eyes and squinted up at her, a look of confusion on his face initially before realization seemed to dawn on him. He briefly scanned the woods around them, loosely tugged at the air bonds restraining him, and then returned his attention to her. "I'm . . . not dead."

She hadn't really paid much attention to his appearance up until this point, but now that she was looking closer, it was impossible for her not to notice. "You look just like—" Aerith snapped her mouth shut. Like Cloud, she'd been about to say, except he was the last person she wanted to be thinking about these days.

"Like the most handsome dude you've ever met?"

She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Sure, let's go with that. You're pretty relaxed for being a prisoner."

"Hard to complain too much when the person who captured me is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he said with a wink.

Aerith did her best to muffle her groan. This was already exhausting and it had only been a few minutes. Thankfully, she just had to get him to the capital and then she could be rid of him.

"So . . . what exactly is going on here?" he asked. "I'm grateful to still be alive and all, don't get me wrong, but where are you taking me? And why?"

"I'm bringing you to the capital, where you'll stand trial before our Council and receive their judgment for your many crimes against us."

"Oh . . ." He seemed to wilt slightly, a bit of his earlier bravado fading away. "So I might as well be dead."

Aerith frowned. "We're not barbarians. Your punishment will almost certainly be living out a life sentence in prison once you're found guilty."

"What if I'm innocent?"

She gave him a flat look.

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, considering you're the ones who started this war to wipe us all out."

It felt like he'd kicked her in the stomach. "We started this war? How dare you! Your soldiers came to my village and started shooting before we even knew what was going on! They killed my—" Aerith couldn't finish as her vision began to blur. Not wanting him to see her cry, she spun around and stalked off, stopping once he was out of sight.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself. The Human had clearly been lied to, not that it really changed anything. It was just so frustrating, learning that they felt their war was justified after everything they'd done. If anything, it revealed a lot about their leaders, and what they would do to get what they wanted. At the same time, Aerith knew the Cetra weren't entirely blameless either—both sides were far too willing to continue the bloodshed.

They were five years in now, without an end in sight. As far as she was aware, peace talks hadn't been considered yet, but as the war continued to drag on she hoped that would change. Soon. It was an additional reason why she wanted to travel to the capital and meet with the Council, to learn of their plans and—if the situation called for it—to reveal herself for what she was.

Aerith didn't have any delusions of grandeur—no single person could end a war on their own, not even a Seer. But she could do everything in her power to fight for what she believed in. Despite being mostly medics, several of the Cetra working with Aerith were confused about why she wanted the war to end, considering how it had started. She could understand where they were coming from—that wound hurt as much today as it did when it was first inflicted—but the war dragging on didn't benefit anyone. More lives lost wouldn't bring her mother back.

Feeling composed enough to face the Human again, she turned and slowly walked back after rubbing the last traces of the tears from her eyes.

"Is it true?" he asked the moment she stepped around the tree.

"Is what true?" Aerith asked back, a wave of exhaustion washing over her.

"That Shinra started this war. All we were told was that almost all of the peace delegation was wiped out in an unprovoked attack."

She shook her head with a sigh. "Why even ask? It's not like you'll take my word for it."

"I will," he said, the honest desire in his voice catching her off guard. "Your reaction just now to what I said, it was too earnest to be fake. Please, I want to know the truth."

"No peace delegation arrived at our village. It was an army, and they didn't hesitate to open fire. As for what happened to your soldiers . . ." Aerith swallowed deeply. Their deaths still weighed on her heavily—they always would. "There was an accident and a spell that should never have been cast was used."

The Human looked thoughtful for a moment before ever so slightly nodding his head. "I see. Well, that sucks. Gonna take me a while to digest all of that fully. By the way, I'm Zack."

She blinked slowly. Were they really exchanging names now? Just like that? She supposed it was better than continuing to think of him as "the Human" all the time. "Aerith."

"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

And now he was back to being ridiculous. "Come on, we've been here long enough. I'd like to get as far away from the army as we can before setting up camp tonight."

Aerith woke the next morning to the sound of wood breaking. Scrambling out of her tent in a rush, she froze at the sight that met her. Zack was not only free from the restraints she'd left him in before going to sleep, he was building a fire as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"How did you . . . What are you doing?" she demanded, not sure how to react to what was happening.

Zack glanced over at her before snapping another branch over his leg. "Hmm? I thought it might be nice to have something warm to eat for breakfast."

"Why didn't you run away? How did you even escape?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, isn't magic your thing? A while after you entered your tent the bindings just vanished. Certainly made sleeping way more comfortable. As for running away . . . I don't have a clue where we are. Where would I go? By this point, we have to be so deep into Ancient territory that I'd be far more likely to run into someone who'd be much more likely to kill me than to help me. Sticking with you seemed like the safest bet."

The air shackles must have released the moment she'd fallen asleep. Aerith felt like an idiot for not considering it, but at least now she knew spells would only work while she was awake to focus on them. It was a little embarrassing she'd never thought to experiment with that before, but learning from your mistakes was one of the best ways to grow.

"Do you have any flint to light this wood?"

Aerith raised one of her eyebrows before igniting the stacked wood with a flick of her wrist. She hadn't planned on doing anything special for breakfast, but now that he'd brought it up—combined with the oatmeal she'd found in the package Seoda had made—maybe it wasn't the worst idea.

"Oh. Right, guess I forgot you can just do that. Must be nice."

"It's certainly convenient, yeah." Aerith wasn't about to tell him she was all too familiar with what life without magic was like. She still wasn't entirely sure what to make of Zack. He wasn't at all what she'd been expecting.

As she went about preparing the oatmeal, she kept a close eye on him but allowed him to continue to freely wander around the camp. Restraining him no longer seemed quite as important, considering he'd already had plenty of opportunities this morning to try and escape or harm her. She was well aware that it could all be an act, though, waiting for her to drop her guard just enough for him to strike.

Once the oatmeal had finished cooking, Aerith poured half of it into the single bowl she'd brought before evenly sprinkling the berries Seoda had packed between the two servings. Keeping the pot for herself, she handed Zack the bowl and dug into her breakfast.

"Damn, this is really good," Zack mumbled a moment later. "Way better than the crap we get for breakfast. Is that also part of your magic?"

She laughed softly, remembering the last time she'd had a conversation like this as a kid. "Magic food doesn't exist, this is just oatmeal and somewhat fresh berries. Don't get used to it though, we'll be foraging for breakfast from here on."

The remainder of breakfast passed in silence as they each finished off their meals. Belly full, Aerith quickly cleaned out the bowl and pot with some water she created before packing them away. It only took her a few minutes more to break camp and then they were ready to continue traveling.

Zack was waiting at the edge of the clearing, his hands held behind his back with his wrists together. Realizing he was waiting for her to bind him like she had yesterday, she instead walked past him, gesturing with a flick of her head for him to follow.

"What, no restraints?" he asked, hurrying to catch up and walk at her side.

Aerith shook her head. "We'll be able to move faster if I don't have to worry about you tripping and breaking your nose."

He pouted slightly. "I'm hurt you don't want to spend more time with me. How much longer until we arrive anyway?"

"Tomorrow evening at the earliest," Aerith replied, glancing up at the sun to gauge the time. "More likely the morning after, though. Come on, we've got a long day ahead of us."

Eager to finally see the wonders of the capital, she pressed on into the depths of the forest—Zack close behind her.

Aerith's back as an adult and now has full access to her magic! She's been practicing how to use it for the last five years but has also been trying to keep it a secret so there's still a lot that she's learning. Her relationship with Seoda has also dramatically strengthened, to the point where they're trusted confidants and the closest of friends, quite the turnaround, huh? We also finally learn that Aerith was in denial of being a Seer towards the end of the teenage arc, due to not wanting the dream of her mother to be real.

She and Zack also get to have a bit of a conversation where they each learn a bit more about the opposite side. Zack is of course a natural flirt, but Aerith isn't having any of it. There's no real Zerith coming up, but the two are going to become good friends. We're also heading to the Cetra capital at last, so there will be a lot more development of it beyond just the massive tree we've seen in Vincent's chapters. Speaking of Vincent, he's up next!

Next Chapter: Tide