A/N: 2025.03.11

MAN! WHY WAS I GONE SO LONG?! Sorry everyone. I'm gonna do my best to get this out faster. But, life has been doing what it does.

I hope you all are enjoying it so far!

Chapter 7: Not Alone

The following morning, the teams left Edge and went to Forgotten Capital, the City of the Ancients. After landing in the Corel Valley, they walked to the Forgotten Capital. The AVALANCHE group all felt apprehension about being back here, especially now that Aerith was with them. Aerith was keeping herself calm for the most part. But, when the lake and the conch-structure came into view, Aerith stopped, completely frozen in her tracks.

"Aerith?" Tifa asked.

She didn't reply.

"Aerith…" Zack worriedly put his hand on her shoulder.

"Maybe this is a bad idea," Barret suggested.

"No." Aerith took a breath. "I… I have to do this." They all entered the conch and descended down into the Cetra castle-like edifice, stopping just before the pillars of the Water Altar.

Selphie looked around, "I know you guys don't like this place, but… it's… so beautiful!"

"It is," Red agreed. "There are just… many bad memories here that corrupt the beauty for us."

Squall looked around, took note of Aerith's struggle to remain calm, the faces of Cloud and the others, and deduced what happened as he remembered Aerith's history. He looked at Aerith. "I'm sorry."

Aerith looked at Squall and smiled, sadly, "Thank you."

"We don't have to do this, if you don't want. We'll figure out another way to get our answers."

"No, it's fine. But… thank you, Squall. You don't owe me anything to be this nice."

"You saved one of my best friends," Squall countered.

Lukas's attention shot over to Squall, his eyes wide.

"I'd say I owe you a lot."

Lukas smiled, appreciatively, at Squall's words.

"It wasn't a problem at all," Aerith reassured Squall.

"All the same…" Squall said. "…thanks." He looked at Lukas, smiled, and nodded.

Zell thought for a moment. "Oh! This is where Aerith—"

Quistis elbowed him in the stomach.

"OOF!"

"We all figured it out!" Quistis hissed. "Shut up, Zell!"

"Uhh," Zell blushed. "Sorry."

Aerith smiled. "It's okay. Like I said…" she looked at Lukas, "you're not the only one who has to confront the past."

"I just wish you didn't have to," Lukas said, sympathetically.

"Don't worry. I can handle it." Aerith paused. "I… I have to."

"Aerith…" Tifa expressed, concernedly.

"I have to, Tifa. I… I-I have to. We won't get answers otherwise."

Rinoa looked around then back at Aerith, "I'll just say it: if getting the answer means you get hurt, not worth it. We'll figure out something else."

"Gotta agree," Barret said. "C'mon, Aerith. Let's get outta here."

"It's okay," Aerith countered. "I… can handle it. I need to." She shook her head, "How can we keep asking Lukas to confront the dangers of all this and I won't do the same?"

"Aerith, don't worry about me," Lukas insisted. "You—"

"I need to. I need to do this. It's… it's the only way."

Aerith stepped onto one of the pillars and froze.

The memories hit like a brick.

Her prayers. Contacting Holy.

Sephiroth.

His blade.

Aerith couldn't believe it. But she felt fear, causing tears to form.

Zack could sense it. He walked behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Aerith."

Almost absentmindedly, Aerith put her hand on one of Zack's. "I…" she whispered. "I'm… scared. I'm terrified."

Zack could feel it even before she said it. She slowly wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay," he said, caringly.

"Zack…"

"We don't have to do this. You've done so much. You're so strong. We can figure something else out. You don't have to be strong all the time."

Aerith took a deep breath and looked at Zack. "We're really alive again… aren't we?"

"Yeah," Zack confirmed.

Aerith turned around and kissed Zack.

Everyone else smiled. Tifa wiped a tear away.

After the kiss, Aerith and Zack stared at each other. "I'm sorry I didn't do that as soon we were back," Aerith said.

Zack smiled. "No worries. Worth the wait."

"I love you, Zack. I'm… thrilled you're here with me."

"I love you, too."

Cloud smiled at them, taking hold of Tifa's hand. Tifa leaned on Cloud's shoulder.

"This is really cool," Zell whispered.

"Couldn't agree more, kid," Cid agreed.

Squall and Rinoa interlocked their fingers together.

Lukas looked at everyone then stepped forward. "Hey, Aerith?"

Aerith and Zack looked at him.

"What if… I mean… can I… help you? Or… go with you, I guess? I mean, we kinda dove into the Lifestream before. Maybe I can… help keep you focused?"

Aerith smiled, appreciatively

"Who else saw him being a nice guy coming?" Yuffie asked, jokingly yet sincerely.

Zell, Irvine, Sephie, and Rinoa raised their hands. Followed by Quistis, Squall, Cloud, and Tifa. Everyone else followed suit, causing a brief laugh within the group.

After the laugh and everyone lowered their hands, Aerith sighed. "Lukas… I don't… want you to get hurt. I, honestly, don't know what's going to happen when I do this."

"You're facing the most traumatic experience of your life," Lukas reminded. "You've been doing everything to help me. I refuse not to do the same for you. Yeah, we don't know what's gonna happen, but I won't let you face all of this by yourself. You saved my life. I'm not going to let you do this without me."

Aerith and Zack smiled. "Thank you, Lukas," Aerith nodded.

Aerith, Zack, and Lukas headed up to the Altar.

"Cloud?" Squall asked.

"They've got this," Cloud replied. "I know it."

"Same," Tifa agreed.

"If you both agree," Rinoa said, "then that's enough for me."

"Are you going, Quisty?" Selphie asked her.

Quistis shook her head. "Not about me right now. He can handle this. I'll be here afterwards."

Aerith walked onto the Altar first, taking in the feeling she had from that fateful day. While she was still afraid, she felt stronger with Zack there and Lukas's strength inspired her. Aerith knelt down, another action which brought back some past trauma. Lukas kneeled in front of her and gave Aerith a reassuring smile. Aerith let a relieved smile show.

"Thanks, buddy," Zack said to Lukas.

Lukas looked at him and nodded. "I owe both of you. We're in this together." He looked at Aerith, "I don't turn my back on friends."

"You've always got friends in us, Lukas," Aerith promised. "I swear."

Lukas nodded again. He held his hands out. "Ready when you are, Aerith."

Aerith took a breath and took hold of his hands. "Let's go."

They closed their eyes and felt a wave of euphoria wash over them.

Aerith and Lukas opened their eyes and found themselves still at Water Altar, but it was only the two of them. They stood to their feet and looked around.

"Okay, this is a little weird," Lukas admitted.

"I agree," Aerith looked around. "I thought we'd… be somewhere else." She looked toward the staircase and headed for it, followed by Lukas.

They made it back to the surface to see the world around them was the same but quieter.

"I can't even hear any animals," Lukas noted.

"This is strange," Aerith mused.

"How so?"

"The Lifestream… it's… showing us the world but…" Aerith started walking, "Follow me."

They walked for a bit but suddenly found themselves standing on a hill, looking at Midgar. Of course, given how the world was actually shaped, this should've been impossible.

"I'm never gonna get used to this," Lukas muttered.

Aerith looked to their right and stopped. Her eyes wide. "Lukas."

Lukas turned and looked. He stopped as well.

Not too far across the sea. A city that shouldn't be there. But one Lukas knew all too well.

"Esthar!" Lukas gasped.

"That…" Aerith swallowed, "that's on your world. Or… your friends' world."

"That doesn't make any sense. What's it… doing there? Why… is the Lifestream showing us this?"

The sky shifted, from midday to sometime around seemingly midnight. Lukas and Aerith studied the sky.

"My God…" Lukas exhaled.

"One moon?" Aerith leaned her head to the side. "Both worlds but… one moon? And…" She looked beyond the moon at the stars. "I… recognize some of the stars."

"I recognize most of them."

Aerith looked at him. "Lukas?"

"Aerith…" Lukas exhaled. "These constellations… they're from both worlds!"

Aerith's eyes slowly widened. "What?" she whispered. She looked up at the sky again. "But… how…"

"It is known…" a voice echoed, "as the Convergence."

Aerith looked around, "What was that?!"

Lukas fell still, studying the voice.

"Yildrim has begun the Convergence," the voice softly boomed.

"Hold on a sec," Lukas whispered. "You…"

"Lukas?" Aerith asked.

"That voice. I've… heard it before."

"You have?"

"Yeah," Lukas's brow furrowed. "Just… a long time ago. I… just can't remember where."

"My time is limited," the voice said again. "Yildrim must be stopped. Your worlds are in danger. All of you are the only ones who can save it. Together."

The world around them moved, and Lukas and Aerith found themselves standing in space. They looked before them and saw Gaia and Destin as separate worlds. But directly next to each other. Aerith and Lukas could only stand, eyes widened, at the sight. Suddenly, a glow of magic incased both worlds, then, in a flash of light, the worlds were one. Lukas could easily tell from the visible continents that the two worlds had merged into one.

Lukas froze, "What… the…"

"This is what Yildrim wants," Aerith noted. "This is his goal. But… why?" She looked around, "And who else was talking?"

"I don't know about either. But…"

The scenery zoomed again. They saw the world morphed in different ways. Some ways, the continents of both worlds aligned perfectly. In others, the lands were wrecked, and entire landmasses were submerged in water.

"I…" Aerith said. "I don't think… the future is set. But… I feel like there's something more we're missing."

"Yeah," Lukas agreed.

They suddenly found themselves standing on the hill, viewing Midgar and Esthar.

"We're back here."

Aerith sighed. "All of this did nothing but confirm that we need to find Yildrim."

"Actually…" Lukas began, "I think it did more than that. I think it proved to us that… what Yildrim is trying to do can go horribly wrong or not as destructive."

"That's a good point. I think we've done enough now. We need to head back."

"One sec." Lukas stepped forward and shouted, "Whoever you are! If you're helping us, help us! We'll stop Yildrim! But we need all the help we can get! Just… please. Help us."

Lukas sighed and turned to Aerith, then shrugged. Aerith just smiled and nodded. Aerith held her hands out, Lukas took them, and they closed their eyes.

Aerith and Lukas opened their eyes, finding themselves back at the Water Altar with the rest of the team.

"Everything okay?" Zack asked, worriedly.

Aerith looked at Zack and smiled. "It's fine, Zack." She looked at Lukas, "I think you going with me calmed my mind. Let me focus."

"Glad I could help," Lukas smiled.

They stepped off the Altar, back down to the others. After Aerith and Lukas explained what they saw and heard, the whole group came to a stop.

"He's gonna merge our worlds together?" Zell asked.

"Whoa…" Selphie and Yuffie whispered.

"What in the world will that do?" Cloud folded his arms.

"Make 'em easier to take over?" Irvine asked.

"Alright, usually, I'd call Irvine 'stupid'," Squall professed, "but, I gotta admit, that could possibly make some kind of sense."

"How often do you call him 'stupid'?" Cid asked Squall, motioning at Irvine.

"Depends on how often he's talking. And, actually, he just does something and I call him 'stupid'."

Cid just laughed.

"Oh, nice!" Irvine replied, irritably, to Squall, who just nonchalantly shrugged.

"So, what?" Tifa asked. "I don't get this. What could putting the worlds together actually do?"

"There's something else going on here," Aerith said. "I just… don't know what that is yet."

Squall folded his arms, contemplating all of this information. "Okay. I think we need to keep our focus on finding Yildrim. The sooner, the better."

"Agreed," Vincent nodded.

"Sure, but where do we look first?" Selphie asked.

"We need to figure that out, fast," Cloud answered. "The longer he's out there… the more dangerous this is all gonna get."

"I think we should go back to Edge," Squall suggested. "Maybe Reeve can give us somewhere to start."

"Do you guys wanna go back to your world?" Barret asked.

"I don't think so yet. I still feel like the answers are here. I mean, Yildrim did grab Luka from here, not the other way around."

"Good thinkin'," Cid agreed.

Edge.

That night, Lukas sat outside of 7th Heaven, gazing at the stars. The image he and Aerith saw in the vision really stayed with him. He now realized how easily he could tell which world he was on by the stars.

In a strange way, seeing the stars of both worlds was comforting.

"Lukas."

Lukas turned to see Aerith approaching.

Lukas chuckled, "Here I thought you'd be with Zack."

"I thought you were with Quistis," Aerith smiled.

"Hard to focus. I guess my mind is just going."

"Same for me. Mind some company?"

"Not at all," Lukas answered.

Aerith hopped on the rail and sat next to him.

Lukas glanced at her then back at the scenery. "Sorry if this is insensitive but I have to ask… how does it feel to be back?"

Aerith smiled. "Not insensitive at all. And… it's strange. Because of the Lifestream… it's not like I didn't see a lot happening. Even if I couldn't… touch or be a part of it. But… to be here… with Zack." She giggled, softly. "It almost feels strange… given how I felt about Cloud once upon a time."

Lukas immediately realized what Aerith meant by that. He chuckled a bit. "That Cloud. He could always get the girls."

Aerith laughed. "Doesn't seem like you have a problem in that area anymore."

Now, it was Lukas's turn to laugh. "You got me there."

"I know this might sound weird coming from me, but I'm so happy for you and Quistis. You both deserve to be happy."

Lukas held his smile. "Thanks. I just hope all of this doesn't scare her off."

"I don't think it will," Aerith replied. "She seems really strong."

Lukas looked off. "She's one of the strongest people I've ever met."

Aerith's smile grew. "Just how long have you been in love with her?"

"I mean… longer than I wanted to admit?"

Aerith giggled.

"There was a time in my life," Lukas said, "before I was taken… that I really had a crush on Tifa. In my defense, so did every boy in Nibelheim. But we were better as friends. With my memories back, I realized that there was a part of me that kinda had that feeling about Quistis for a while. But… the more I got know Quistis… I really didn't want to be just friends with her. I fell for her hard. Don't regret it, though."

Aerith giggled again. "You really shouldn't, especially given how clearly she loves you."

"That's so crazy to think about," Lukas laughed. "It's almost the craziest thing I'm dealing with right now. Almost."

They laughed then sat in silence again.

Lukas turned and looked at her, "Aerith. I know how hard all of this has been for you. But… thank you for… being willing to take these risks. I know it's not just to help me. There are two worlds at stake but… thank you."

"Yes, there's a lot at stake," Aerith confirmed. "But one of those most important things at stake is you. Don't ever forget that."

"Thanks." Lukas stopped. "I can tell all of this is still really hard for you. So… if you need a friend who gets that… I'm here."

Aerith smiled. "You have no idea what a relief that is." She sighed. "I know Cloud, Tifa, and the others would be there for me and probably even understand but…" She shook her head. "It's almost like I can't tell them. If… if I tell them how hard this is… then they'll try to make me stop."

"They're just worried about you, that's all. But… I get what you mean. I tried to hold it together when I went back to Nibelheim but… it was just too much."

"I don't blame you."

"But we need to see this through." Lukas considered everything. "Yildrim targeted me. Now, he's angry at you for interfering. He's gonna come after us both eventually."

"Yeah." Aerith smiled. "So! Guess that makes us best friends. If you can stand one more."

"We weren't best friends already?" Lukas smiled.

Aerith giggled. "I guess we are. So! As your best friend, it is my duty to inform you that you have the cutest girlfriend!"

Lukas laughed. "And, in turn, I must tell you how awesome it is to see you and Zack together."

Aerith's smile became more thoughtful. "I just can't believe it. We're back. We… have another chance."

"More than a chance. After this is done… you guys get to have a happy ending."

"A happy ending." Aerith looked at the stars as did Lukas. "I like that."

A/N: So, who was the voice? What about the Convergence? What will happen next? We'll get more answers soon.