Dark Phoenix: Prologue

Chapter 1- To the Settling of Everything

The Lifestream flowed freely, unchecked and unhindered, the cherished blood of the Planet. The precious green substance surrounded and enveloped all within its power, following the drum-beaten rhythms and sweet melodies of life. All existence began and ended with it, nurtured carefully until they could be recycled into new lives; new souls to replace those that were lost. The dead merged into one channel, a river of life within death. All but one soul. The figure of a young woman could be recognized through the seemingly tangible fog of the stream. Her face was hidden within her youthful hands, the salty taste of tears fresh in her mouth. The flowing gown she wore shimmered as it was bathed in delicate light, a soft baby pink that displayed the vibrant color in her cheeks. It was low and long, sweeping behind in a graceful train of pure silk as she moved about. Her long chestnut hair was removed from its restraining ribbon, framing her gentle face as it spilled delicately over her shoulders and down her back like silken torrents of water. She was not part of the Lifestream- or was she? The Planet had honored her for sacrificing herself, so as the Planet's final "daughter," she ruled and controlled the Lifestream from within, forever watching, forever waiting... forever loving.

Cloud's eyes blazed with fury unmatched as he brandished his mighty sword, the blade shimmering with the image of Meteor from above. The brilliant blue sapphires locked furiously with the aquamarines... Sephiroth smiled cruelly at his opponent as if to taunt him, his long silver locks flying back with the coming Meteor's power. Images raged through Cloud's thoughts as he stared deep within his foe, finding the answers he had so long never understood within himself.

"Tifa, Mother, my friends..." They all raced through his mind wildly, uncontrolled in the budding fury as his anger rose, staining his entire world a brilliant crimson. It all ended with one last picture... a scene he would never forget. Her smile. Aerith's smile. She loved him. He loved her! It was beginning again... he swung the sword over her helpless figure, unable to control his own movements. Her blood had almost stained his hands... but in the end it did, for he held her in his arms that day, even if it was too late.

The red began to fill Cloud's vision, a deep crimson shade of blood, as he swung the sword above his head screeching, "OMNISLASH!!!"

Before he realized it the ordeal was over, and it was not her blood that was beginning to crust upon his sword; it was Sephiroth's!

His foe fell limp to the ground in death, a surprised Cloud victorious. The blood-strained blade dropped from his trembling hands, the tempered metal clattering upon the rough terrain that was now bathed in crimson. He fell to his knees onto the rocky surface in the depths of his mind, every remaining ounce of energy seemingly drained from his body. She was finally avenged; his quest was at an end.

As his tearful eyes looked forth to the hazed and darkened sky, a familiar hand reached from the heavens, blessed with youth and beauty. From within the misty haze, he thought he could hear her voice... a sweet tinkling laugh as he reached his hand out to meet hers...



From the Lifestream, Aerith cried out with joy, ever reaching for his hand, his loving embrace. She could see him, hear him, love him... She laughed in ecstasy as she leaned out towards him, falling through the image and into his waiting arms...



From the haze emerged Lifestream, the bright glowing mist that represented hope. Aerith moaned in pure anguish as she realized that she was nothing but a soul... no body to embrace him with, only a series of cloudy emerald wisps that floated delicately on the heavy winds. All she could do was surround him, healing and transferring her love through her touch... He knew her presence instantly; tears slid slowly down his cheeks as she caressed him with love.

The tender scene was interrupted when the ground began to shake violently underneath Cloud's feet. Aerith gasped with fright at the abrupt intrusion and fled swiftly back to her station within the Lifestream, ready to protect her Planet with all of her power. Cloud was shaken out of his dazed state, finding himself face to face with the beautiful Tifa, who was leaning dangerously over the ravine, screaming his name in desperation. She shrieked in dismay as the ground beneath him began to crumble to dust, the fragments of rubble falling deep into the Lifestream below. Without warning, the unstable cliff below her collapsed and she screeched as she plunged, the echo of her voice reverberating throughout the crater:

"CLOUD!!"

"Tifa!!!" Cloud dashed to her rescue like a bolt of gold and navy lightning, bounding off fallen rocks in his mad rush. With all of the strength in his frenzied body, he took a giant leap… Time seemed to stop as he soared through the air, caught Tifa firmly in one arm, and grabbed frantically at the cliff edge in what seemed to be one fluid movement. Tifa gasped with fear, her slender arms wrapped tightly around her savior's body and her long black hair swinging wildly over the ravine. They could hear the faint splash of the rock face far below them... Tifa buried her face into his chest, feeling his racing heartbeat through the heavy fabric of the SOLDIER uniform. Cloud pulled himself up onto the cliff, boosting Tifa up gallantly before himself.

"If I go to the Promised Land... maybe she'll be there! I must see her again..." Cloud murmured to himself, his radiant eyes seeming even brighter as they rejoined their friends and fled to the Highwind. Relieved that everyone was still in good health, Cloud barked the order to depart from the crumbling crater.

"If we stay here much longer, Holy will toast us... Aerith or no Aerith..." His face was grimly set as the Highwind's rockets flared as bright as the intense noon sun on a clear afternoon, the heavy winds caused by the pressure howling past their ears. They blasted off quickly… yet not quickly enough. Holy had arrived!

The Highwind's sturdy frame began to crumble within Holy's powerful wrath as the spell purged the Planet with its fury. "Damn!" cursed a desperate Cid as he strained for the emergency handle on the deck with his fingertips. In a flash of blinding light, the Highwind shed its propellers and huge bulk, morphing into a sleek jet plane that blasted off into the sky with a powerful flare of its engines. They had escaped Holy... for now.

But Meteor was yet to arrive. Its gigantic mass loomed threateningly in the sky, blocking the even the sun's most powerful rays like an eclipse... The midday darkness was eerie and frightening to everyone, from the townspeople to the heroes themselves. A cold chill danced down Tifa's spine suddenly, causing her to shudder with fear and apprehension.

Holy shot up high into the atmosphere, to the delight and relief of the heroes. With the help of the great white magic, Meteor would surely be defeated in one decisive blow. However, Holy soared like a majestic white dove of justice towards the darkened Midgar, ransacking the defeated city, destroying what remained of the battered Shinra headquarters. Completely neglecting Meteor, it would first wreak its revenge!

Aerith observed the scene of devastation from within the Lifestream, and with a scream of utter dismay, she gathered the souls of the dead with the power of her aura. "We have to help!" she muttered decisively, directing the Lifestream towards the fallen Midgar and the approaching Meteor. "We must protect the innocent!" she thought grimly, determined to see the destruction of Meteor and the salvation of the Planet.

A green mist arose from the dying land, the living also contributing their strength to the stream as it thickened and pulsated magically. Gathering over Midgar, it began to form the only barrier powerful enough to deter both the white and black magic; a shield made from dreams, hope, prayer… and life.

Meteor neared Midgar, looming frighteningly close and forcing the citizens to turn and attempt to flee for their lives. Its battle was nearly won... but then with surprising subtlety Holy turned upon its foe, and shooting violently into the sky, it penetrated Meteor with awesome amounts of power. It faded slowly away, the eerie glow disappearing from the horizon. The sun beamed radiantly over the land, which appeared to everyone as if it had been suddenly reborn, blossoming with new life. Joy reigned supreme in each of their hearts as life began to return to normal. The entire planet had remained mostly unharmed except for the destroyed Midgar, which lay in ruins, forever to remain a symbol for future generations not to make the same mistake.

--- One week later

Aerith sighed from within her lonely post in the Lifestream, victorious, yet somehow uncontented. She watched her friends celebrate their triumphant achievements, Tifa clinging to Cloud's side incessantly. Jealously boiled in her heart as she imagined them married, Tifa bearing Cloud's children... She turned away, her eyes burning with the sting of tears.

"Will they… forget me...?" she wondered aloud, miserable in the loneliness of the role she still had to play, even after death. She was unable to prevent a single tear from sliding down her cheek before she sensed the presence of someone else behind her. She whirled around angrily at being interrupted in her mourning solitude, but gasped slightly as she recognized the figure before her.

It was she! The witch! The cause of everything... the source of pure undiluted evil. Aerith's eyes burned fiercely with hatred as they settled upon the distorted and mutilated form of Jenova, her stomach turning with queasiness in her body as she absorbed the horrid abnormalities of her figure. Jenova smiled crookedly at the pretty girl, her dull eyes reading her thoughts, her fears. Her eyes were so clear to her… too clear. Jenova hissed sibilantly, the serpent that tempted Eve...

"My dear, you look so glum," Jenova sweetened her voice, the syrupy stickiness of the tone disgusting Aerith completely. "What is wrong, Ancient? Perhaps I can make is better..." a cruel smile appeared on her face, causing the truth of the matter to stare Aerith in the face. She was the cause... the cause of it all!

"Why should you care?! Go away!" she yelled harshly at the apparition, her emerald irises afire with righteous rage.

Jenova cackled, her evil aura destroying even the beauty of simple laughter. "Because... I think I can help you..." she began with an air of amused distraction.

Aerith's heart jumped wistfully but her sensible mind took over before she said anything she would regret. "I don't need your help!" she hissed furiously under her breath before turning to flee before she lost her temper.

"Oh, yes you do, my dear, if you ever want to be with that spiky-headed lover of yours, Cloud..." Jenova chuckled cruelly, sending compulsive shivers down Aerith's spine. "Death is the one thing you cannot counter… alone that is."

"No!" shouted Aerith in distress, her bleeding heart betraying her mind. She clutched frantically at her shoulders for security, wishing he was there to defend her like he always used to...

"We can make a deal... You can have another chance at life. That is, IF you're willing to help me with the task at hand..." Jenova accentuated the word "if" with a luxurious hiss of her breath and chuckled as she morphed quickly into Cloud's image, a hauntingly thorough transformation, causing Aerith to choke in stabbing pain.

She cried out, a sob rising from deep within her throat. "W-what do you want from me?"

"Not much..." Jenova's attitude seemed relaxed and casual, almost impassive. "I'd like to plant a few of my cells into you. That's all! I assure you, Ancient..." Jenova's convincing tone was too much for Aerith's broken heart to bear.

"B-but..." Her voice steadied as images of Cloud filled her mind, her heart. She choked back another sob as she realized that she was betraying her Planet- becoming just like Sephiroth. But... it was a small price to pay... to be with him. Jenova smiled evilly, her work almost complete. She effortlessly finished the torture by transmitting an image of Tifa and Cloud at the alter of marriage, her lips brushing his, bound in holy matrimony... Another image of the happy life they'd have together, their children, grandchildren...

"NO!!!" Aerith gave a strangled sob from her throat, and fell to her knees with the mental agony, tears cascading down her cheeks. "All right! I-I'll do it!!" she gasped painfully for breath, heart torn apart. She sobbed wildly, her head buried in her hands as she admitted her weakness to the greatest of her enemies. "I'll do anything… for him..."she whispered, head bowed in shame.

"Good... good..." Jenova sinister hiss was triumphant. Laughing cruelly, she reached towards Aerith's neck, her sharp claws penetrating her delicate skin. Aerith cried out in agony and collapsed into a deep darkness...