Chapter 21

The red, slimy material grew faster than Cloud and the others ever thought. At first it spread to the floor and consume all the dead bodies of the monsters, then it spread to the walls and the ceiling. Cloud and the others ran as fast as they could out of the cave, but this material seems to be catching up on them. Before Cloud realized it, everything looked red in color behind him.

“Take this!”

Cloud turned around and shouted, wielding his sword. The man wanted to stop him but he was too late. Cloud struck his sword onto the hard earth and then bright green light appeared in a semi-circle shape in front of him, followed by strong tremors. The green light charged forward and it destroyed a part of the red material like a mop that went across a piece of dirty floor. Cloud smiled and attempt to do that again.

“Stop it! You are making it grow faster!”

The man said and then pulled Cloud’s shirt, forcing him to be on the run again. At first Cloud thought that his move can save them, but after a short moment, Cloud regretted it. Cloud can see the red material growing even faster and is coming towards them at higher speed.

“This weapon eats on energy to grow. With a whole cave filled with Mako, it can consume the entire area in less than an hour.”

The man said while running with the other two. The other two looked behind them and saw the red material catching up on them. There is still a long journey to the closest exit. There is no way they are going to make it.

“Cid. Hover the Highwind to the east of the mountain. To the east.”

Cloud saw the man talking through a PHS to Cid. Cid is the one that brought them here to Nibelhelm. They can easily make their way using chocobos but the man insisted on using the Highwind. The man must had something in mind already.

“Prepare yourselves.”

The man suddenly stopped at turn in a tunnel and said. Cloud and Aeris stopped too but they grew more and more nervous looking at the red material coming towards them. The man stepped backwards a little and lift his hand, shooting a green light out from his palm and blasted the wall in front of him. Cloud and Aeris saw light in front of them. The man had just blasted them an exit to escape. The rumbling noise of a machine is heard and Cloud and Aeris instantly knew what it was. A large airship appeared in front of them with Cid on board, waving towards them. Cid reacted quickly by throwing a rope ladder towards the three and await for the three to come aboard.

Aeris is the first to climb on the ladder, followed by Cloud. The man just in time managed to grab hold of the ladder when the red material is directly under him. The Highwind hovered away from the exit they came from and the three could see red color appearing at the east side of the mountain. This thing is consuming the mountain.

“Cid! Fire the missiles!”

The man shouted at Cid and Cid gave a thumb to acknowledge this. Cloud wondered why would the man do this. Doesn’t this means giving more energy to that thing? Aeris is now already on board and Cloud is only yards away. But the man is still hanging onto the end of the ladder, waiting for the missiles to be fired.

In just a short moment, the Highwind shook violently and then many loud roars were heard. More then twenty missiles are seen being fired towards the east of the Mount of Nibelhelm. The missiles sped towards many areas and then when the missiles are seen colliding against the mountain, a large explosion appear, blasting the mountain into chunks of rocks.

At this time, the man was charging up something in his hand. He is concentrating a lot and something black in color appear in his fist. Every second the man was charging up that thing, the surrounding turned darker. In less than ten seconds, the surrounding turned dark and the only source of light is the explosion.

Suddenly, the man cried out and then he threw that black thing in his fist towards the explosion and a awesome phenomenon was seen. The bright light of the explosion was being pulled into the black thing and rocks are seen being sucked into it. The suction of the force is so powerful that Cid have to keep the Highwind a distance away from that dark matter to avoid being sucked into it. Cloud and Aeris looked at it in awe, not believing what they had just seen.

After only a short while, the dark matter died down. The darkness started to clear up and the surroundings became bright once again. What was left is a Mount of Nibelhelm that had it’s east area missing. There was a big hole and no sign of that red material was seen. All of it had been suck by that dark matter. Aeris saw that the man is climbing up and she saw Cloud had something in his mind. Aeris wondered what kind of powers these two hold, powers so strong that could even destroy a solid mountain. What about herself? What is she capable of?

“Did you heard that Cloud?”

The man said while boarding the Highwind. Cloud looked a little stunned at first.

“Voices in your head. Did you heard it?”

The man actually knew what Cloud just heard! Cloud heard something in his head, something only he heard but not Aeris. Did the man heard this too?

“I heard…something like…total des..…”

“Total destruction.”

The man replied for Cloud. Aeris got a shock. What was going on? Isn’t this thing over?

“…What…is going on?”

Aeris asked the man that is looking face to face with Cloud. The man slowly replied.

“I knew that this would happen, sooner or later. The Jenovians are launching an all-scale attack against this planet.”

An all scale attack? What is this man talking about?

“The Jenovians will soon arrive, and everything will be over.”

The man said and then he walked away from the two. He seemed to be bothered by his thoughts. He used to be so confident and cold all the time. Now that he looked so worried, something is really wrong.

“The Jenovian conjurer said that you are a traitor. I am wondering, you are one of them, right?”

Cloud asked a question that he wondered for a long time. This man knew so much about the Jenovians that he had to be one himself. If he is a Jenovian, that means…

“That’s right, Cloud. I was one of them. And so are you.”

The man replied with a soulless tone. Cloud finally understood so many things that were in mystery. Those voices in his head, how easily he can be controlled by Sephiroth, how he survived being infused by Jenova cells… Of course he could survive. He himself is part Jenovian.

“Who…actually are you?” Aeris asked with a trembling tone. Till now, nobody knew the real identity of this man, not till now.

The man hesitated for a moment. But after that, he still answered.

“Remember the story I once told on Jenova, that she had bodyguard that was missing 1000 years ago?”

“I am the personal bodyguard of the earth ambassador, also your so called Jenova.”

The man said and left in silence. The two stood on the deck, not knowing what to say or do.

“Cid. Head to Cosmo Canyon.”

The man said and Cid looked at Cloud. Cloud nodded to give the order. Cid went down to inform his crew, and the man followed him. Cloud and Aeris stared at him as he slowly walked away. Never did they thought their adventures would involve so many things, including intergalactic issues.

It was about an hour since the Highwind departed from Nibelhelm and headed towards Cosmo Canyon. Although the Highwind is capable of reaching Nibelhelm in a much shorter time, Cid decided to take his time, as there wasn’t any rush about it. Cid was standing at his usual spot, commanding his crew. But now there was another person here. The man was standing in front of the cockpit, looking at the horizon, thinking.

Cid knew that this man has a very dark background and he had no interest about it. But something tells Cid that something bad will happen. Something really, really bad. But that was probably out of Cid’s control, and Cid might as well not to think about it. Now there are more interesting things to think about. Cloud and Aeris were still on the deck. This couple looked as if they can’t like without each other not long ago and now they seemed so far apart. Cid shook his head. He was glad that such a thing didn’t happen to him and Shera. Or maybe, not yet…

“Aeris.”

Cloud spoke softly from behind Aeris, that was leaning against the railing, looking out at the horizon. Aeris just hummed as a reply, as Cloud moved closer towards her.

“We haven’t met for quite some time, isn’t it?”

Cloud just said something to continue the conversation. Aeris knew what Cloud was going to say. But she would rather kept quiet and listen.

“Well, I know we said some bad things to each other, and acted stupidly…”

Stupid? We? Looks like Cloud is the only one that acted stupidly.

“But the moment I heard that you were kidnapped, all I could think of is your safety, nothing but you…”

Cloud started to express his feelings...

“I know I shouldn’t had break up with you. I was just angry, I lost my cool, I just…”

Cloud apologized about that night. Well, it was when at that night where it all started. Where they say they will never be together again…

“I know I should had trusted you…”

Aeris just listened until this moment. She was not going to say anything.

“You never did actually love that man, you were just lonely, right?”

This question brought horror to Aeris. Her eyes grew large, shocked by the question, she wanted to remain silent, but there was nothing that she could do. Her eyes betrayed her.

Cloud felt a stab in his heart when he saw this expression on her face. Though she never said anything, but Cloud could read everything on her face.

“Tell me you didn’t, you didn’t really love him!”

Cloud went panic and shook Aeris with his hands. At this time, the only thought Aeris had in her mind were those days where she was travelling happily and freely with that man. Those nights where she could read his mind, those nights where they shared the same sleeping bags, and also that night where they had their last hug, knowing that this will end…

“Aeris…”

Their relationship had ended. That’s that. She started a new relationship with Cloud, and she was happy. But the pain of an broken relationship can always have untied ends. Deep down, deep, deep down her heart… she still missed those days…but those were memories. Nothing but memories.

“Aeris!”

“Stop it!”

Aeris struggled and she broke off from Cloud’s grip. Cloud backed off and stared at her in horror. Cloud turned away and buried his face in his palms.

“Cloud…”

Cloud shut his ears, he didn’t want to listen.

“I was with him at that time because I thought that you were with Tifa. “

Aeris spoke. Cloud started to listen.

“I thought that he was just a tool to forget you.”

Cloud brought his head up and continued listening. He felt a little better.

“But, at the end… it was him that was the one I can’t forget.”

Cloud heart dropped to the bottom of the pit, smattered. Aeris still have feelings for him! What kind of person is she?

“What kind of person are you?!”

Cloud shouted. Aeris just stared back.

“First you have feelings for me, then him. After you broke up with him, you came for me! You think of him as a tool, what do you think of me as?”

Aeris just kept quiet.

“Am I… am I… just a replacement…for Zack?”

Zack. Aeris haven’t heard that name for a long time already. The person she once fell in love with when she was very young. She can’t remember what it felt like already, but that was the thought that came to her when she found Cloud lying on the bushes of flower when Cloud crashed down in her church. Zack? That was her first thought…

“Cloud.”

Aeris spoke. Cloud just stared back at her.

“They were the people I loved.”

Aeris stopped for a moment.

“But you…”

Aeris continued. Cloud can’t bear to listen anymore.

“are the person…”

Cloud’s eyes grew larger. The next word could only mean…

“Sir!”

Cloud and Aeris turned to the direction of that voice. They can see one of the Highwind crew shouting at them.

“Sorry to bother, but you should really see this.”

This is the worst time a person can interrupt! Can there be any privacy between the two?

“You REALLY need to see this.”

The crew stressed once again.

Cloud and Aeris looked at each other. The thought ‘some other time’ was exchanged between them. The crew went down and the couple followed him to the cockpit.

When entering the cockpit, Cloud can see that the crew were surrounding one of the screens, of course, the man was there too. Cloud felt a sudden sense of hostility with him. This was the man that he had to fight over Aeris.

“What the ()*)@#(* is that?”

Cid cried out when looking at the monitor. Cloud was a little worried now, as he saw the worried expression on the man’s face. He quicken his pace to the crowd and looked at the monitor.

What Cloud saw was a black screen with many little white dots. But at the middle, dots with different colors are clustered up.

“What am I looking at?”

Cloud asked.

“This was a shot taken from Cosmo Canyon using the space telescope. They sent it to us just a short while ago.”

“So?”

Cloud asked again, as he didn’t get the answer he wanted.

“That cluster of stars with different colors wasn’t here until an hour ago.”

Cloud still didn’t get the idea but he sense that it was something bad.

“This cluster is heading towards our planet.”

Cloud finally got the answer he wanted. Actually he didn’t wanted this answer. This is something really bad. He finally thought that he can have a peaceful moment and now this thing spoiled it.

“What is it?”

Aeris suddenly asked from behind. The crew shook their head, indicating that they don’t know. Well, that doesn’t help much.

“What will happen to our planet?”

Aeris asked again. This time the crew went quiet. Aeris can guess the answer.

“Remember meteor?”

No. Not that.

“This is much worse than that.”

Cid replied Aeris and now the situation is clearly. The planet is once again in grave danger.

“What are we going to do?”

Cloud continued asking. The crew didn’t know how to answer.

“We will go to Cosmo Canyon first. Then we will gather the Avalanche, and whatever armies we have. Then, we will see what can be done.”

The man suddenly gave a suggestion. Everybody nodded.

“Cid. Cosmo Canyon at full speed.”

The man told Cid and Cid once again looked at Cloud. Cloud gave the acknowledgement again. The crew quickly went to their post to put the Highwind at top speed to reach Cosmo Canyon at the shortest time. They can’t afford to lose time.

“They are here.”

The man said and Cloud stared at him. The Highwind suddenly jerked violently and then it sped like the wind toward Cosmo Canyon. Looks like the Avalanche have to the save the planet, once again.

The End for Now

Something from da Author!

Well, I have come pretty far in this series and as I said in this book’s description, this book basically opens a path for the next book. Well, I don’t think I will be writing the next book so soon, so sit tight and wait. For those of you that like the entire team together once again, the next fic is for you. If not, well, just read. There are other projects that I wanted to work on too.

Thanks for reading this far. I didn’t thought I could make it here.