Chapter 19

“We are finally back.”

Cloud said while his chocobo is galloping towards the town of Kalm. The man that came with him is riding just beside him and his expression tells that something is bothering him. Cloud got worried too. This man seemed to have psychic powers and Cloud feared that the man already foresee something bad. Cloud wouldn’t want anything to happen to the Avalanche. He wouldn’t want any of his friends to get hurt by whatever the man is worried about. He is worried, especially for someone.

Aeris. The thought of something bad happening to Aeris crossed his mind and this scare him most. Although there are problems between the two of them, but Cloud couldn’t bear to let anything bad happen to Aeris. He left her a few months ago and now he started to regret everything. He feared that if something really happened to Aeris, he will be responsible for it, for not being able to protect her.

The thought of leaving her for a few months didn’t really matter now. There is no way he is going to go through the thought of leaving her forever, again.

“Prepare for the worst.”

The man said while slowing down the chocobo. Cloud looked ahead and realized that they are already in the town of Kalm. What the man said made Cloud nervous and Cloud prepared himself. The man, with his ever cold look on his face jumped down from his Chocobo and started walking in the streets of Kalm. Cloud, jumped down too and whistled, signalling the two Chocobos to stay where they are until they return. Cloud followed the man, and the two headed for the 7^th Heaven.

“Listen.”

The man suddenly stopped and raised up one of his hands. Cloud became quiet and listened carefully. He heard footsteps, talking, laughing, crying…

Crying?

The voice of a little girl crying mixing with the crowd was heard. That voice seemed so familiar, as if it was…

“Barret’s daughter.”

The man voice out Cloud’s thoughts and Cloud confirmed that it is really Marlene’s voice. Cloud looked around for Marlene but the man seemed to be able to seek out the source of the voice. The man quickly ran towards one of the streets and Cloud followed. The two stopped at a junction and saw a few people surrounding Marlene, comforting her.

“Wah! A bad man took Aunt Aeris!”

The cry of those voices by Marlene made Cloud froze to his feet. His worst fear came true. Something bad really happened to Aeris. Cloud don’t know what to think. He blamed himself for quarrelling with her, leaving and caused her to be abducted. Before he embarked on a journey back here, the man mentioned about coming back to Kalm made him a little happy. He thought making up with Aeris and tell her that everything else doesn’t matter. He wanted to have her in his arms again. Or at least, to be able to see her again. Now, all these doesn’t matter at all. Aeris was abducted. He might not be able to see her, probably forever.

“Aeris…”

Cloud mumbled on his own. The man wanted to go to Marlene but hesitated. He knew that Cloud would do something stupid.

“Aeris!”

Cloud shouted out all of a sudden and then he ran towards the place where they parked their Chocobos. The man quickly pulled Cloud back and Cloud struggle to break free from the man.

“What do you think you are doing?!”

The man turned Cloud around and Cloud had a panicked look on his face.

“Aeris! I have to go save Aeris!”

The man slapped Cloud on the face and Cloud calmed down, though a nervous look is still on his face.

“You don’t even know where Aeris is!”

The man shouted back at Cloud and Cloud was shocked. The man let go of Cloud and Cloud fell onto the ground. Cloud grabbed his head and he felt all types of nervous emotions. The thought of losing Aeris forever made Cloud not able to think clearly. Cloud is now in his weakest state.

“I will go fetch Marlene now, and then we will go back to the 7^th Heaven to plan what to do next.”

The man said and left Cloud to fetch Marlene. Cloud felt so weak, so weak. He questioned again and again why he left Aeris, why, he would let their relationship end in such a way. He regretted.

“Ahem.”

Cloud was sitting still on a chair, with a mug of beer in his hand, looking at the table in front of him.

“Ahem!”

Cloud was still motionless.

“Wake up! Damn it!”

Cloud felt a punch knocking onto his head and he immediately returned to the real world. He saw Barret standing tall next to him, staring at him with a fierce look. Cloud massaged his head where the punch went down and looked onto the floor.

“Look at ya! Yer )(**^*(&) slop! First ya dump Tifa for Aeris and cus her so much pain! And when ya got Aeris ya dump her again! Are ya only good at dumping girls?”

Barret scolded Cloud but Cloud didn’t even react the least. Barret lifted his gunarm again, readied for another punched when Tifa stopped Barret and asked Barret to leave Cloud alone. Barret got so pissed off and walk away cursing. Tifa took a look at Cloud now and shook her head. She had no idea why she and Aeris would fall for a guy like this. She missed the Cloud that lead them to defeat Sephiroth. She missed the once cocky Cloud that had no fear and only thought is to look for Sephiroth and defeat him. Love had really turned Cloud’s life and personality upside down.

“Thanks for bringing Marlene back. We wouldn’t had known what happened to her if you haven’t brought her back.”

Tifa thanked the man and the man just nodded. Tifa felt like she is talking to another Vincent.

“Poor Aeris. I wonder what had happened to her.”

Tifa said while wiping the tables. The man went silent for some time and then he suddenly spoke.

“That Jenovian Conjurer is bringing her to the Nibelhelm.”

Cloud turned his head around immediately and looked at the man. He looked at him with a strange look.

“You…know this all… along?”

Cloud asked the man. The man just nodded slightly.

“Then why the hell didn’t we go after her?!”

Cloud jumped out from his seat and leaped towards the man. The man disappeared is a flash and Cloud crashed onto the chair the man was sitting. The man reappeared beside Cloud, looking down at Cloud that was lying on the floor.

“Look at you. You think you can defeat him in such a pathetic state? All you have is rage and anger. That is not going to help.” The man said coldly. Cloud just lay on the floor in pain.

“Besides, do you think that he will welcome us, let us defeat him and take Aeris away?”

The man continued. He had a point. The Jenovian Conjurer will be expecting them. Defeating him won’t be easy.

Cloud hammered onto the floor for being so weak and inconsiderate. He never thought of anything like a warrior and the only thing that his head is filled with is hatred and guilt. Where did all that training and battle experience went? How can a fighter that defeated the mighty Sephiroth panicked?

“Take some time to calm down. That Jenovian Conjurer won’t do anything to Aeris before you showed up.”

The man comforted Cloud and Cloud just lay there, calming down himself. After some time, he pushed himself up, and then walked towards the door.

“I am going out for a brisk walk.”

Cloud said and Tifa tried to stop him but the man signalled Tifa not to. The man is convinced that Cloud will calm his nerves quicker by walking around than sitting here in the bar.

“You are going to rescue Aeris, right?”

Tifa asked the man with a concerned tone and the man did his typical nod. Tifa expected this answer.

“I thought that the Jenovian Conjurers are kinda weak, aren’t they? I thought that Cloud and Aeris defeated them at Costa de Sol already.” Tifa curiously asked.

“The fact is they are strong. So strong beyond your imagination. But they take a human form on earth and that make them weak. Still, they have some amazing magic and healing abilities. If Aeris didn’t cast that teleport spell that night at Costa de Sol, the two would had already been dead already. I sensed that one of them is already deceased and I am puzzled why. The another… I have no idea what he will do next.”

The man said and Tifa felt a shiver going up her spine. Enough with Sephiroth and the Ancient army, here comes another enemy again. When will this end?

“Well, I am off to fetch Cloud and save Aeris. Thanks for the hospitality.” The man took off and walked towards the door.

“Wait! Do you need our help? After all, we did defeated Sephiroth before.”

Tifa offered the Avalanche as a helping hand. The man didn’t turn around, but Tifa could picture a forceful smile on his face.

“I don’t want more casualties. Sephiroth is nothing compared to this Jenovian.” With those last words, the man left the 7^th Heaven, with Tifa still amazed with the man’s attitude.

Deep inside the mountains of Nibelhelm, lies a metallic structure that contrasts itself from it’s surround scenery. This metallic structure is built for only one purpose, to suck the planet off it’s energy.

Now, after the fall of Shinra, this reactor is no longer functioning and no longer there are smoking produced by it and the clanging noise of machines cannot be heard anymore. In this deserted reactor, lies once the biggest secret kept by the Shinra. This is the place where Jenova once rests and kept in a capsule, along with many monsters in a room deep inside the reactor. Now, Jenova is not here already. It had long been moved to the Shinra headquarters and been killed by Cloud and his team in the center of the planet. But, the Jenova legacy continues. In this place where even monsters and animals fear to visit, sits a person with Jenovian origin. This is the person that abducted Aeris, and now he is waiting for the arrival of Cloud.

The Jenovian Conjurer is sitting on top of one of the capsules where the Shinra once created monsters with. Next to the Jenovian is a statue of a beautiful girl, with her eyes closed her hands held tightly, making her look like she is locked deep in prayers. The Jenovian looked at the statue and can’t resist thinking how beautiful the girl is. Her beautiful hair, her face, her emotion…they look as if they will come to life at any second. The Jenovian stood up and walked towards the statue and touched it. He didn’t even realized that he was doing this. She somehow had this irresistible charm. He had no idea what he is doing.

“Damn!”

The Jenovian suddenly jerked himself off the statue and keep his nerves cool. He can’t believe what he had done. He is actually attracted to a human? Impossible! He is a Jenovian! This should happen, even if he is in a human form! What is he thinking?!

The Jenovian the heard clanging noise coming from the entrance. He turned around and saw a spiky haired man standing at the entrance. The Jenovian walked two steps towards the person that entered and then looked around.

“Where the guardian? I believe it is him that lead you here.”

The Jenovian said and Cloud kept quiet. The Jenovian suddenly lifted up his arm and then there are explosions behind him. Cloud quickly pulled out his sword and entered into battle mode but then he stopped. He saw a shadow appeared at the spot where the explosion take place and then the man was seen standing tall and high up. The Jenovian just found the man’s hiding spot and blasted it. Amazingly, the man dashed with no effort and reappeared again.

“You can’t sneak up against me. I know of your presence.”

The Jenovian said and the man just replied.

“So do I.”

“Ever since I came to this planet. I wondered. What was that feeling I had in my brain and heart?”

The Jenovian said. Cloud and the man just listened.

“I never felt this before. When I first came here, I felt like my heart is filled with awe when I saw all that greenery, which back in my home world doesn’t have.” Cloud and the man continued listened.

“I don’t know. Some times I feel down, and some times I feel hyper. That is what people called sad and joy I believe.” The Jenovian kept on saying.

“I can’t even believe that I felt comfort and have a bond with the Conjurer that came with me. Friendship I suppose.”

“And you, Cloud I presumed. You and Aeris took it away from me.”

Cloud listened and had no idea what he was talking about. He killed the another conjurer?

“You made him injured and he was infected with a sickness we Jenovians have no defence against. I am not going to let that go so easily. I made you come here, so that I can have my…revenge.”

Cloud finally understood why the conjurer abducted Aeris and made Cloud came here. It’s all because of a revenge of his friend.

“And for you, guardian. I will continue to do my duty, to eliminate you- the traitor.”

Cloud got puzzled and looked at the man. The man is a traitor? To whom? To what? Before Cloud figured out anything, the capsules around him started to shake violently and then steam came out from them. Cloud looked at them with awe, not knowing what will happening next. Almost instantly, the capsules’ opening broke open and monsters burst out from them and charged towards Cloud and the man. The two quickly set themselves into defence position.

“Let the fight begin.” The Jenovian said with his arms wide opened, ‘announcing’ the start of a great fight.