"I'm afraid the situation with the Barrier continues to worsen."

Vincent perked up at hearing his wife's voice, realizing he'd nearly fallen asleep for the third time since the open council had begun hours ago. He knew he should be paying more attention, especially considering it was a rare occasion for non-council members to get the chance to listen in, but most of what they were talking about was just so damn boring.

The Barrier, however, was not.

Everyone in the capital seemed to be talking about the news from Farstar—how a Human had once again traveled across the Barrier. Despite not being the first time, for some reason, this crossing was drawing far more attention than the last time it had occurred. He wasn't entirely sure why that was the case, although it was undeniable it was becoming a more frequent occurrence than it had been years ago.

"You said we still had at least a decade before the Barrier weakened to the point that crossings would become common, Archmage Lucrecia," Raena said, her tone bordering on accusatory. "Is that still an accurate assessment or have things changed?"

Vincent frowned. He'd never liked the Loremaster, mostly because it was painfully obvious she was jealous of his wife's role on the Council after failing numerous times to try and seize the position. Lucrecia was more than capable of standing up for herself, though, not to mention he'd be kicked out if he spoke up uninvited.

"I appreciate the question, Loremaster Raena," Lucrecia said, dipping her head fractionally in the faintest sign of respect. "I do stand by my earlier prediction," she continued, broadcasting her voice so even those in the back would have no issue hearing her. "The Barrier was never intended to last forever, no magic could. It was supposed to separate our worlds until past grievances could be lost to the passage of time, which it has done."

"Has it?" Raena bit out, her voice full of acid. "You've read the latest report from our agent on the other side of the Barrier. You know exactly what filth their President is spewing, how he—"

"Enough."

Vincent's eyes widened in shock, both at the news they had someone planted in the Human realm, but also because Eola almost never spoke in open sessions. The Head of the High Council was one of the oldest living Cetra and without a doubt the most respected. As was tradition, she had served in every single position of the Council over her many years, until finally taking her place as its leader.

With the way Raena's mouth was hanging open, she looked even more astonished than he felt. "My apologies, I spoke out of turn," she said, deeply bowing her head to the elderly woman.

Eola stared at her for a moment, her emerald gaze hard and unyielding. "Passion is commendable, Loremaster, but always be sure to keep it in check, lest it consumes you whole."

It wouldn't have been the least bit surprising if Raena crumpled to her knees under the pressure from that stare. Vincent almost felt sorry for her. Almost.

Eola's attention shifted off the trembling woman and over to his wife, the intensity in her eyes not diminishing in the least. "I don't want the outlying villages in a panic, Archmage. How likely is it that this will continue to happen?"

Opening her mouth, Lucrecia hesitated, closing it again and biting her lip. "I can't say with certainty," she finally said, a rare hint of doubt in her voice. "Not without a closer inspection of the Barrier myself. As I said before, I believe this was an exception. I don't foresee there being a large increase in crossings any time soon."

Vincent couldn't help but be frustrated at how everyone seemed to expect her to just have all the answers they wanted—as if the Barrier hadn't been created long before any of them were born. Couldn't they see the stress she was under? Even if, as the Archmage, it was her role to represent all things magic, they could have at least been a bit more considerate.

Thankfully, Eola seemed to accept the answer, nodding her head and gesturing for the Council to continue as she settled back into her chair. There was a long, pointed moment of silence as no one seemed to want to be the first to break the silence before Raena got to her feet once again.

"What do we do with the Human, then?"

Lucrecia's indignation was written plain on her face as she stood. "What are you talking about? Just as with every case in the past, he'll be given the choice to stay or to try and return. Or what, would you rather we put him in a zoo to be gawked over?"

"Of course not!" Raena said, her face bright red. "I'm merely worried that they might be a spy. Is it really such a good idea to just let him go?"

"He's a child. Do you seriously think the humans would stoop that low?"

"Honestly? Yes. I wouldn't put anything past them. The records are quite clear on exactly what levels they would go to during the war."

"Are you—That was centuries ago! How can you think that has any relevance to this day and age? Just because they once did something we should automatically assume the worst from them? How does that make us any better?" Lucrecia was breathing heavily as she finished, her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

"You're more naive than I thought if you believe that time is all it takes to heal old wounds, especially ones of this magnitude. Perhaps it has been too long since you last dropped by the Annals. I can always have the most relevant texts set aside, to remind you of exactly what atrocities occurred."

"Or perhaps you've become too focused on the past, refusing to let it go," Lucrecia shot back. "I know all too well the horrible actions committed during that war, from both sides I'll add, but I refuse to accept that that's an accurate reflection of this day and age. We've both changed. Anything less is too unbearable to consider."

"I think," a calm male voice interjected, "that perhaps we should consider ending the meeting here. After all, we're doing a far better job of going in circles than even my spinning wheel."

Vincent couldn't stop the smile that crept onto his face at Irian's words. The Master of the Tailors Guild was one of the five Craftsmen on the Council but, more importantly, he was a good friend. The rest of the Council murmured their agreement, and Eola rising to her feet sealed the deal.

As the few Cetra in the audience around him dispersed, Vincent instead made his way down the stone steps of the auditorium to reach the Council's platform. Hopping up onto it, he walked over to where Irian and Lucrecia were chatting.

"Vincent! So good to see you, my friend!" Irian called out warmly. His eyes narrowed as Vincent came to a stop next to Lucrecia, pressing a quick kiss to his wife's cheek. "No, no, this simply won't do. Archmage, just look at his robes! Didn't I make those for you years ago? You must come to the Guildhall, I shall make you a much nicer, more modern set."

Lucrecia's eyes sparkled as she intertwined the fingers of her left hand with Vincent's right, leaning her body into him. "Go easy on my poor husband, Irian. And please, no titles outside of the Council, it exhausts me."

Glancing down at his robes, Vincent frowned. "What's wrong with them? I like them, they're in great condition." The upper, baggy portion of the robes was a light purple that darkened as it reached his waist with a pair of loose, light-blue pants worn under it. A long, white scarf wrapped around his neck that dropped down to his knees finished off the outfit.

"They're in great condition, he says." Irian threw his hands up in the air. "Of course they are, I made them! That's not the problem here, it's the colors! They're so a decade ago. No, no, no, we must get you into yellows, oranges, or even, perhaps, some reds."

While red did seem like it could potentially be an interesting option, Vincent wasn't terribly keen on going through the experience of having Irian make him an outfit again. He loved his friend, dearly, but when clothing got involved he became . . . intense.

"I appreciate the offer, but really, it's—"

"Is it the price that has you so hesitant? Please, you wound me." Irian placed his hands over his heart, nearly causing Vincent to roll his eyes in response. "I will, of course, give you the friends and family discount."

Vincent gave his wife a pleading stare. Surely she would save him from this. He could count on her to—

"Have fun, love. It'll do you good to get out." She turned her attention to Irian. "Please don't keep him for too long, I'd like to have my husband back for dinner." Giving Vincent a wink and a blown kiss, she turned and left.

Irian clapped a hand on a stunned Vincent's shoulder. "Just wait until you see how much has changed since your last visit my friend. I have seven new apprentices this year, all quite promising. Once you see your new clothes you won't want to wear anything else, I promise."

Sighing in defeat, Vincent followed after the other man. Who knew, maybe over the last few years Irian had calmed down somewhat and this wouldn't be the same as last time.

"Thirty outfits!" Vincent groaned, pacing back and forth in their living room as his wife watched, amusement radiating off of her. "And I swear at least one of them was a woman's dress!"

"I think you could maybe pull off a dress," Lucrecia said, cracking a smile. "How about the others, did anything stand out?"

"One," he admitted grudgingly. "But you're going to hate it."

She waved her hand. "I'm sure that's not true, Irian's work is always incredible. People wait for years to own one of his creations you know."

"I know, I know, but they just buy it, they don't understand the horror of being fitted like a doll for an entire afternoon."

Walking over, she gave him a kiss. "You're being a touch on the dramatic side, but I know you have an aversion to shopping. In and out, only taking exactly what you came for, the true Vincent way."

He flushed, but only because she had a valid point. And despite the fuss he was making, he had to admit that the new set of clothes Irian had planned out were quite impressive. He was excited to see what the final result would look like, whenever it was ready. That was the real question at this point, since Irian was well known for completely tossing out nearly finished products and starting over from scratch over the smallest little detail.

His thoughts were interrupted as Lucrecia sighed before dropping into a chair and closing her eyes. Slowly, she began rubbing her temples with both hands.

"Normally, I'd assume you just have a headache from the Council meeting, but it's more than that, isn't it?" he asked, moving to take the seat across from her.

She nodded slowly. "The Planet is . . . screaming."

Vincent swallowed. "Well, that sounds ominous. Are we talking literally or figuratively?"

"Both?" Lucrecia gave a short, mirthless laugh. "I don't really know how to explain it well. It's like there's a presence in the back of my mind, howling in terror."

"The Planet is afraid? Of what? That seems hard to believe. It was here before us and it will remain long after we fade into dust."

She shook her head. "I don't know, but I fear it has something to do with whatever the Humans are doing on the other side of the Barrier."

Vincent closed his eyes and tried to see if he could hear what she was talking about, but all he heard was the faint sound of the leaves rustling in the wind outside and the occasional bird song. "Have you talked with anyone else, or are you the only one who can hear this?"

"Worried I'm going crazy?" Lucrecia asked with a quirk of her lips. "I'm not alone, but there are only a few others who can hear it. The one thing they all share in common is that they're extremely powerful mages, closely in touch with the Planet. I believe that as the situation grows worse, more and more will begin to hear it."

"Have you brought this up with the Council?"

"No. I don't know enough about what's happening yet. I need to understand what's going on first—what the actual root of the issue is. Especially with how aggressive Raena has been lately."

Knowing this was a touchy subject, Vincent hesitated before responding. "I . . . hadn't realized things had escalated so much recently. I thought you'd reached a truce with her for the most part."

"So had I. It's infuriating how erratic she can be. Sometimes I feel like I should just step down and allow her to have the position she so desperately craves. Let Raena deal with the impending disaster."

Vincent leaned forward, taking his wife's hands in his own. "You don't mean that. Think of how much you've accomplished, how much the work means to you. Your discoveries have made the lives of every Cetra so much easier."

Some of the tension seemed to drain from her face as she smiled warmly at him, her hands squeezing his. "Thank you, I needed to hear that. What would I do without you?"

Laughing, he pulled her to her feet and kissed her. "Come on, let's take a walk before it gets dark and try to burn off the last of the stress weighing you down."

Together, they made their way outside, Vincent's arm around her and Lucrecia's head resting on his shoulder as they strolled slowly through the streets. He made a mental note to keep a closer eye on her in the upcoming days. Lucrecia already had more on her plate than any sane person could ever hope to deal with, but that never stopped her from piling on more. Even if it was something as simple as a short walk together, he would do anything he could to help support her.

Surprise, it's a mid-week update! Throughout the story, there are smaller chapters from varying PoV's to help flesh out the story. Given their shorter length, I've opted to post them in this manner so that there's still going to be a full-length update each week. This means that some weeks will have both a Wednesday and a Saturday update, while others will just be on Saturday.

Now, onto the chapter itself, because the story has clearly taken a very AU twist: yes, Vincent and Lucrecia are both Cetra in this story. With a lack of any real Cetra to use from canon and my aversion to creating a bunch of OCs, the easiest option was to take this route. I hope it's not too disruptive or enough to make anyone stop reading, sorry if it is. I'll also say that there's at least one more canon character who's been Cetra-fied in this story, but not who it is—a little surprise to look forward to.

On the OC note, we've already met Seoda with Aerith and now there are three members of the Council. These four are the only ones who will play much of a role in the story, and even then, they're very much supporting cast members. I hope you'll enjoy them, but they're never going to have a PoV chapter or threaten to take over the story.

With all that out of the way, this chapter drops a ton of new info, from some tidbits about the war centuries ago, to the fact there's a Cetra in Midgar, to a brewing power struggle on the Council. Of course, there's also a bunch of fluffy Vincent/Lucrecia content since they're a minor ship in this fic. It also sounds like there's something wrong with the Planet, but I'm sure that's nothing to worry about...

Next Chapter: Tremors