CHAPTER 13:

MINERVA

Throughout her life so far, Aerith had had a number of dreams. Some of them could be considered prophetic or even precognitive, except that wasn't quite true. Many of them were vague and fragmentary, and the ones that were clearer were more like glimpses of the now rather than the future, as it was when Elmyra's husband died during the Wutai War.

Yet that night, she found herself dreaming perhaps her most lucid dream ever.

She found herself on a hill, overlooking some ancient settlement. No, she realised with a chill running down her spine. It was an Ancient settlement. Many of the buildings resembled seashells, coral, and other marine structures, giving it a vaguely alien air. Yet it was also strangely beautiful, with most of the eeriness being more due to the lack of people present.

And then, a voice spoke up, a woman's voice, low, gentle and regal, yet filled with sadness too. "Shinra is responsible for many crimes and tragedies. But I will admit, their propaganda about the Cetra that I have glimpsed in their dreams…it may only capture a small amount of the grandeur your ancestors had, but it still manages to do that much."

Aerith turned to look at the source of the voice. Said source was a seemingly young woman, clad in opulent robes and armour. Blonde hair framed regal features set in a solemn expression. Her eyes were the bright green of the Lifestream, and shone faintly, almost like members of SOLDIER.

"…Who are you?" Aerith asked quietly. "Where am I?"

"Allow me to answer your questions in reverse order, Aerith Gainsborough, daughter of Professor Gast Faremis, and Ifalna Maor(1)." The woman indicated the buildings. "I could be facile and say that you are in a dream, which is true enough. But this place is very real. The City of the Ancients, the last remaining settlement of your ancestors that is even somewhat intact, not counting the Temple of the Ancients. This place awaits in the Northern Continent, hidden from covetous human eyes. One day, you may arrive here in reality."

Aerith looked down at the city. "…It's beautiful. But I thought the Cetra were nomadic."

"Some were, but others found key points on the Planet to settle, points where they could monitor and even direct the Lifestream," the woman said. "And even then, most Cetra did settle in certain parts of the Planet for at least a generation or two, to help it. Oh, but I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Minerva. As for what I am…it's difficult to explain without people making the wrong kinds of assumptions. I suppose I am the Goddess spoken of in Loveless, but even that is not the right term for what I am. About the closest thing I can describe myself as is the mind of the Planet, or at least the nearest thing it has."

Aerith stared at her, trying to comprehend what Minerva was claiming. It wasn't with pomp and ceremony, despite the gold on her armour and her regal beauty. No, it was with a quiet and sorrowful humility. Only that had Aerith even tentatively accepting Minerva's claim.

Eventually, she asked, "If you're really who and what you claim to be…why? Why manifest yourself to me?"

"In times of yore, I often manifested myself to your people," Minerva said. "However, the Cetra, and myself, are much diminished." She waved a hand, and the scene blurred, as if the landscape was speeding by, before it revealed an arctic landscape. "That your parents settled in Icicle Inn was no accident, Aerith. It allowed them to study what came of this."

Aerith gasped in horror as she witnessed a massive meteor plummet from the skies, hitting the ground, and digging up a massive crater. "…The Northern Crater," she hissed in realisation as she saw a fountain of Mako begin to swirl around the interior of the crater.

"Indeed. Two millennia ago, a meteor fell from the skies. I managed to contain the worst of the devastation, but it still caused destruction across much of the Planet. But even that was a mere prelude of what was to come. The meteor contained a worse Calamity from the Skies. At first, she came as friend…but that was cruel deceit. In many ways, she was like myself, the last lingering remnants of a long-dead world. But she was twisted into madness and malevolence by the long journey between the stars…and thus was born Jenova."

"Jenova was an alien being?" Aerith asked in horror.

Minerva nodded solemnly. "An alien counterpart to myself, I believe. For you see, in times of great crisis, the Planet may gather the Lifestream into a single entity, the final Weapon, Omega. Jenova was a result of something similar, I believe. She was eventually imprisoned, but at a great cost. One of the Cetra's greatest queens, Lady Shiva, sacrificed herself to seal Jenova away in a tomb of ice, and for that, she became a Summon. I did what I could to seal Jenova and heal the wounds she left in the Planet…but at a cost to myself. I am greatly diminished from what I once was, even before Shinra built their Mako Reactors. The Planet is still powerful, as is the Lifestream and the Weapons, but a mere shade of what they once were. And much of my power is going to protecting this timeline."

"This timeline? What do timelines have to do with anything?" Aerith asked, confused. She understood the concept, naturally, but didn't know how this was relevant.

"…In some timelines, my consciousness is almost completely vanished, and my automatic defences, the Weapons, go into overdrive. In particular, Weapons that have been called the Whispers or the Arbiters of Fate become overly active, pushing events into what they believe should happen. Yet there is a force in those timelines actively derailing them, finding a way to meddle in time and space to achieve his ends."

"Who is 'he'?"

"Sephiroth. Not the benign version within Delphini, I have no quarrel with him, and the other fragment of him in this timeline, while still a major threat to the Planet and the successor to Jenova's will, is still not as great a threat as the one I speak of. But the version of Sephiroth I speak of is a would-be god sprawling across timelines, wreaking havoc to ensure his apotheosis. I am able to prevent him from making his way into this timeline, and there are others thus protected, timelines where other versions of myself are still an influence on the Planet. But I can only see these other timelines dimly, whether they are protected by my alternates or not."

Aerith stared at Minerva in horror. To think that Sephiroth, or at least an alternate version of him, could become so powerful. Assuming Minerva was telling the truth, this was atrocious, frightening even, on a very existential level.

Eventually, she asked, "…Why tell me this? Assuming you are who you claim to be…why speak to me now? You have never spoken to me before like this."

"Because of your guests. Harry Potter. Delphini Potter. And the fragment of Sephiroth, his remaining humanity, bound to her. I can see possible futures only dimly, and my prescience has become dimmer since Shinra began using their Mako Reactors. Yet their arrival has changed things dramatically. I am sorry Zack did not survive, even if that is cold comfort to you…but the intervention of both yourself and Harry saved Cloud from the Jenova cells within him, saved him from the twisting and distorting of his memories. And such a thing could prove to be all the difference needed in the times ahead."

"…Something is going to happen, then?"

"Yes. And I'm sorry, but you'll be caught up in those events, by dint of being the last Cetra, or at least the last active one. Many still have the blood, but only you have those powers, and I know how much of a burden they are, how much they have marked you as something other. It was this otherness that drove many normal humans to wage war on the Cetra after Jenova's advent, blaming them for what happened…not helped by Jenova's own manipulations prior to her being sealed."

Aerith was silent, not trusting herself to speak, or even lash out at the so-called goddess. Eventually, Minerva filled that silence. "While you may be the last Cetra whose powers are active, you are far from alone. Harry and Delphini's existence are like rocks thrown into a lake, ripples spreading and interacting unpredictably, exacerbated by Delphini's possession by a fragment of Sephiroth. And believe it or not, this is far from the only timeline you and Harry have interacted."

"What?!" Aerith all but yelped.

"In some timelines, including this one, some Cetra sought refuge on Earth. Their connection to this world was severed, but their magical abilities remained. There, they interbred with the local mages. Both Harry and Delphini have Cetra blood running through their veins, even if their ability to speak with the Planet, to understand the Lifestream, isn't there. But unlike most with Cetra blood on this world, they still retain the ability to use magic without Materia, not counting Limit Breaks or the Ninjutsu of Wutai. Or rather, they have magic because of their mage lineage." Minerva smiled sadly. "There is at least one timeline where you and he met, with Harry as a young child. And another, where he met you, older and more damaged, thanks to him becoming a test subject of Shinra's cruel experiments. And even then, I only see those timelines dimly."

Aerith, despite herself, chuckled. "Really?"

"Yes. And he is far from the only dimension traveller whose destiny intersected with yours. But even then, that's irrelevant. What is relevant is that by his very presence and actions, you have met people who would fight for you, fight by your side, sooner rather than later. Whether that changes the future, for better or for worse…that remains to be seen. Prescience is far from exact, and Harry, with good reason, despises prophecy. But…most of the paths you will walk will converge on this very place." Minerva indicated the alien city below. "But not all of them will let you walk out of it. To a Cetra, or indeed all life, death is far from the end, merely a new beginning, but I know that is cold comfort. I certainly would prefer that you live long enough to truly savour life, for a life well-lived is one that enriches the Lifestream."

"Are you saying…I may die there?"

"There, or any other places on your journey. But it need not be. Free will is not an illusion, and the future is not set in stone, Aerith. Death may be inevitable for most living beings, but I'd rather it be at the end of a long and happy life, not one cut short by malice or accident."

"And what of Shinra?"

At this, a grim smile touched Minerva's lips. "They will regret their folly when the Weapons awaken. However, I know not whether they will stop Shinra in time, or if Shinra's weapons can stop my Weapons. I cannot truly control them. Still, Shinra, while very much a threat to the Planet, is nothing compared to Sephiroth and Jenova. And as the last Cetra, they will come for you. I'm sorry. I know you never asked for this. Fate is cruel. Yet there is still hope."

"…Is there?"

"I wouldn't be speaking with you if there wasn't," Minerva said, before looking across the settlement. "One last thing. Your brave warrior, Zack…I cannot bring him back. But…he's fine with that. His being is tainted by Jenova, but he retains a powerful will of his own. But...he no longer counts amongst the living, Aerith."

"I know."

"But you need more bonds with the living. And the interloper from Earth, Harry Potter…he is most certainly a friend. Perhaps one day, once you have mourned Zack enough, he could be more. Not that I am saying it should happen, but…" Minerva gave her a sad smile. "I think you two are excellent for each other. Now, go back into the waking world, Aerith Gainsborough…"

And thus, the seeds were sown for a stronger relationship between the two. True, it would take time to fully blossom. The scars of grief and prior romance turning sour couldn't be overcome so easily, after all.

Yet these two damaged souls, one bitter, sardonic, and yet heroic, the other gentle and lugubrious, yet strong, would eventually come together. How close they would end up being, well…only time would tell. It always did…

CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:

THE MULTIVERSE IS REAAAAAL!

But no, seriously, I wanted to clarify a few things, like why 'god' Sephiroth won't be appearing in this story, why Minerva, after appearing to Genesis briefly in Crisis Core, doesn't show up in the main game, and so on. Plus, I wanted Minerva to get in on the Harry/Aerith shipping, even if it's going to take a while before they get together.

So, a bit of an explanation about how this multiverse works. In my opinion, any timeline where the Arbiters of Fate/Whispers are active, along with 'god' Sephiroth, the timeline-hopping one, is basically analogous to the Tsukihime and Notes branches of the Nasuverse timelines. In other words, one where there's far more of a threat to humanity and the Planet from all sources, and while salvation is possible, it's also going to be a more uphill battle. This fic, the original game, and my other fanfics take place in a branch of timelines analogous to the Fate parts of the timelines of the Nasuverse. In other words, while there's still plenty of threats to humanity all around, there's a few key factors that mean there's more hope.

The key difference is the activity of the Whispers/Arbiters of Fate and 'god' Sephiroth. Because Minerva isn't as weak as she is in the Remake game itself (in my fanon theory), she is able to prevent this existential threat from arriving, even if it still weakens her significantly. Thus, the Whispers aren't active, and the timeline can be altered more easily.

Hope that clarifies matters. :)

There'll be a timeskip for the next chapter, of about 7 weeks, to give Aerith enough time to mourn. It'll also bring events closer to that of Final Fantasy VII proper. However, I'm not sure when it'll be out. I've only written the first little bit, and I've burned myself out on this story, and Unnatural History, my other newly-posted story. But hopefully, you've enjoyed what I've written so far…

Review-answering time! KM Donovan: I disagree. I think the post-Sephiroth Tifa is just a slightly tougher (mentally) version of her pre-Sephiroth self (and she even states in Advent Children that she, along with the others save for Cloud, have gotten weaker since their battle with Sephiroth). And I mean that Remake Tifa is wimpier than her self in the original continuity, not that she is a complete wimp. She isn't, but I thought she'd be stronger and feistier than she is in the Remake. And don't blame Woke culture for that. The writers for the Remake games did a damn good job considering, especially how easily they could have made certain characters (specifically Cloud and Barret) very unlikeable. I was half-expecting to react to them the same way I reacted to…well, almost the entire main cast (barring Sazh and Vanille) in Final Fantasy XIII. Tifa's just one of the more disappointing ones of the main cast, and honestly, the degree of disappointment is only slight, her character still works well enough.

jgkitarel: Oh, Harry did want to be a hero. He just learned the cost.

L: As I said before, friends and foes from Magical Britain won't be making an appearance until after the events of Remake, assuming I get that far…

1. 'Maor' is Irish for 'steward', and given that Cetra are stewards of the Planet, I thought it fitting to give Ifalna a surname.