ARRIVAL.

[insusurromods]

𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑼𝑺𝑼𝑹𝑹𝑶: 𝑨 𝑾𝑶𝑹𝑳𝑫 𝑾𝑰𝑻𝑯𝑶𝑼𝑻 𝑫𝑬𝑺𝑻𝑰𝑵𝒀

𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄 you moved under your own power. The shadows that dwelt in the corners of your vision vanished, the world is bright and the shackles of destiny fall from your liberated limbs.

You're free.

But before you can take that next step, before you can alter your fate, a terrible howling fills your ears. It's an ill wind full of malice, one that rips you off of your feet and back, back, back from this chance to seize your destiny. The shadows coalesce into a single entity, its hands locking around your throat. It cannot let this stand.

You think that maybe this is the end. The world goes dark as it rushes past you, this is the end.

Except you wake to the feeling of rain on your skin.

The cliffs around you bare the scars of a fierce battle. Before you, a massive city faces the sea. Behind you, greenery sprawls for miles. Midgar has never looked so beautiful, but it has also never looked so unlike itself. The Sister Ray points proudly towards the sea. A bustling city crawls out from its shadow, looking wealthier and more robust than the slums ever did. You don't have long to ponder this.

Because you aren't alone. Others are coming to, looking just as confused and uncertain as you do. Some are battleworn and bloody, as if they were pulled from a fierce battle. Others appear to be in perfect health, as if they were simply pulled from a long slumber, though no less confused and lost. The howling that filled your slowly begins to fade, and as it does, the rain begins to clear.

𝐌𝐈𝐃𝐆𝐀𝐑 is within a few hours walking distance. 𝐊𝐀𝐋𝐌 lies not much further in the opposite direction. There is no presence urging you to walk to one or the other, no voice from on high telling you what path your feet should walk. Underneath this infinite blue sky the choice to go - or to stay - is entirely yours.

𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇 𝐈𝐓?

Comments

[petitepistol]

[oh thank god okay, she can work with this. this is fine

she heaves a sigh of relief and finally, finally sits up]

How can you forget me... [she won't let that go too soon] Anyway, what are you, well, doing here?

[earlylight]

[Yep, still cute! Aerith beams and continues to stay crouched, resting her cheek against her hand.]

A lot has happened since I last saw you. [What is she doing here?] I think I'm here for the same reason as everyone else.

[petitepistol]

[she rubs a hand through her hair and takes a deep breath, trying to remember the last thing she, well, remembered]

You mean those weird crop dust things? I was back home, and then...

[earlylight]

Crop dust things? [She wants to hear more about those!] Here, right? I was in the Lifestream and then I was...here.

[petitepistol]

They were here-- there-- where I was. When. It was super weird...you didn't see anything like that in the Lifestream?

[earlylight]

I might have~ But you must be from my past! [How cool is that.] Are you talking about Kadaj and his brothers?

[petitepistol]

[she recoils sharply at the mention of those brothers; some things won't heal that easily]

No, not them. It was something different. I'd know those three.

[earlylight]

[Whoops! That would be a sour subject. Aerith shakes her head and taps Elena's nose.]

Then you are from my future. I only finished visiting the children in the city.

[petitepistol]

[she goes crosseyed at the moment for a second, then shakes her head to shake off...all of this]

That makes sense...in the sense that none of this makes sense. So nothing else weird...showed up in the Lifestream, then.