Bizarre Occurances Chapter 5
Temple of Ancients
By Dino Pollard
Cloud looked at the Temple of Ancients with awe. He had never seen anything
like it. If not for their mission, he probably would have taken the chance
to explore the temple, to take in all its magnificence. He turned his head
and saw the others following close behind. His eyes went to Tifa, then to
Aeris. Tifa was a good friend, that was it. Cloud told himself that over
and over. But was Aeris just a friend, or something more? Cloud promised
himself that the next time they went to the Gold Saucer, he’d take Aeris
on the gondola. And he still wanted to keep his promise of taking her on
the Airship. However, now that Sephiroth was with them, Cloud felt more compelled
to keep his eye on him, rather then worrying about Aeris. He stopped and
turned to the others.
“Okay everyone,” he began. “Let’s be ready for
anything.”
“Cloud, look!” Red exclaimed. He motioned to a man in a black cloak,
lying on the ground, nearly dying. Cloud looked at the man’s hand.
“Twelve,” he said. “A sword wound. We’re on the right
track. Bizarro-Sephiroth is definately in here. Let’s move on.”
Cloud led the group inside the temple, trying to figure out what the hell
was going on.
*****
Tseng heard voices outside. “Thank god,” He said to himself. He
crawled over to the entrance, the cut he received dripping blood. He
wouldn’t survive unless he got help, and soon. But when Tseng looked
up, his hopes of surviving instantly shattered.
“Tseng!!” Aeris cried out. She ran over to him. “He’s
losing a lot of blood.”
“So?” Barret muttered. “He’s a damn Turk!! Let ‘im
die!!”
“Barret, he’s not evil.” Aeris said. “He just works for
evil people. Tseng, who did this?”
“Him...” Tseng replied, pointing to Sephiroth. “But how did
he get out of the Temple so fast?”
“Been a long time, Tseng.” Vincent said. “But I trust you,
Sephiroth was with us. The Bizarro-Sephiroth attacked you.”
“V-Vincent?” Tseng said, losing breath. “They said you
d-died.”
“He’s not gonna make it unless I do something!!” Aeris exclaimed.
“Cloud, I need a Hi-Potion.”
“No, Aeris.” Cloud said. He winced at those words, hating having
to say no to her.
“Do it, Cloud.” Vincent said. “I know Tseng personally. Give
him the Hi-Potion.” Cloud shook his head. It seemed like Vincent was
hiding something. He reached into the small sack at his side and pulled out
a plastic bottle marked ‘Hi-Potion’ which he reluctantly handed
to Aeris.
“Thanks Cloud.” Aeris said. She took the bottle and poured the
sparkling liquid on Tseng’s wound. It slowly began to knit itself together.
“It’ll take awhile for the wound to heal, but he’ll live.”
“Thanks you.....Aeris.” Tseng said. “You’ve got to stop
him. Take the Keystone and put it on the altar. And hurry. The Turks will
be here soon.”
Cloud nodded. He took the Keystone from Tseng and placed it on the altar.
The ground started to shake as the team was lowered deep into the Temple.
*****
“Shit,” Cid muttered, looking at the maze they were now in. “What
the hell do we do?”
“Let’s split up,” Cloud replied. “Shen, take Aeris, Cait
Sith, Vincent, and Sephiroth and search the west side. Barret, Tifa, Red
XIII, Yuffie and Cid will come with me. We’ll keep in touch with PHS.”
“Very well.” Shen replied as he took the PHS that Cloud handed
to him. “We’ll call you once we find something.” Shen walked
off, his team following close behind.
*****
Sephiroth walked stiffly, his expression unchanging. His mind, however, was
racing with thoughts. Thoughts of his mother. Thoughts of his imposter. Thoughts
of Jenova. He briefly wondered if he could prevent what Bizarro-Sephiroth
was planning when the time came. He hadn’t told anyone what he knows.
He hasn’t said a word about Bizarro-Sephiroth’s plan to summon
Meteor. He looked over to Aeris for a brief second, who stopped dead in her
tracks.
“What’s wrong?” Shen asked her.
“I....feel someone near.” She replied.
“Bizarro-Sephiroth?” Vincent asked.
“No, someone else.” Aeris answered. She walked over to a small
alcove, the feeling she was getting became stronger. She turned to the others.
They began to draw their weapons. Aeris looked inside the alcove, her Guard
Stick ready. “Who’s there?”
“OK,” a voice said. “I give up.” He stepped out of the
alcove, his short blonde hair combed neatly back, his piercing green eyes
studied the group. “Wait, you guys aren’t with the Shin-Ra.”
“We’re fighting against them,” Shen said. “And we’re
on a quest to save the planet. Who are you?”
“Ray Blaze.” Ray replied. “I’m a Cetra in hiding from
the Shin-Ra. I was raised by the Elders of Cosmo Canyon, and recently they
told me to seek out the knowledge of the Temple of Ancients. I was able to
get in here, but I saw a Turk and immediately hid in this alcove.”
“You’re a Cetra?” Aeris asked.
Ray nodded. “That’s right.”
“And here I thought I was the last Cetra.” Aeris said.
“If you guys are trying to save the planet, I can help.” Ray suggested.
“I’m very much in tune with it.”
“We’ll need to check with Cloud, but I don’t think it will
be a problem.” Shen said.
*****
Cloud didn’t know why he put Aeris and Sephiroth on the same team. He
should have taken her with him.
“You’re worried about Aeris, right?” Tifa asked.
“Yeah.” Cloud replied. “I shouldn’t have put her on that
team.”
“Don’t worry,” Tifa said reassuringly. “Shen and Vincent
are there, too. So is Cait Sith.”
“Cait would probably run away.” Cloud said, chuckling lightly.
But he was sure this team would work out. After all, he felt he needed to
keep an eye on Yuffie after she stole their Materia back at Wutai.
“Cloud, up here!!” Red said. Cloud ran over to the lion-like creature.
“What the hell is that?” Cid asked.
“It appears to be some type of pool.” Red replied.
“Okay, I’m calling the others.” Cloud said. He took the PHS
out and put it to his ear.
{{Shen here.}} Shen said on the other end of PHS.
{{Shen, get over here. We found something.}} Cloud said.
{{We’re on our way, Cloud.}} Shen replied. {{There’s also someone
I’d like you to meet. Shen out.}}
Cloud replaced the PHS in its small case which hung at his belt.
*****
Once Shen’s team had arrived, Aeris introduced Ray to everyone else.
“This is Ray Blaze,” she said. “He wants to join us.”
“I’m a Cetra, like Aeris.” Ray said.
“Might as well.” Cloud said. “We can use all the help we can
get.”
“What’s that thing?” Cait asked.
“Look inside it.” Ray said. “It will show us images of what
happened.”
Aeris looked into the pool. “It’s Tseng!”
“And there’s Bizarro-Sephiroth.” Vincent pointed out. They
then saw Tseng turn around, only to be slashed by Bizarro-Sephiroth.
“Where’s the room with the pictures in it?” Cloud asked.
“That’s where he is.”
“Follow me.” Sephiroth said. “I can feel him. He’s
near.” Sephiroth walked off.
“W-wait!!” Cloud ordered. But it was useless. Sephiroth wouldn’t
listen and just kept on walking. Cloud sighed and followed, as did the rest
of the team.
*****
Ray found it hard not to stare at Aeris. She was, after all, a Cetra like
himself. And a stunning one at that. The two of them were the last of their
kind. He wondered if there was any small chance that she would have any feelings
for him.
“She’s amazin, ain’t she?” Barret asked Ray from behind,
startling him. He almost drew his Star Sword in surprise, until he realized
it was only his new teammate.
“Umm, what are you talking about?” Ray asked, nervously.
“The Temple,” Barret replied. “Whatcha think I meant?”
He gave Ray a confused look.
“N-nothing, umm Barret was it?” Ray said. Barret nodded. Once he
walked away, Ray breathed a sigh of relief.
“My God,” Cloud said. He turned to Aeris and Ray. “Do you
know what these pictures mean?”
Aeris walked up to it. “Something about the Black Materia and Destructive
Magic. I can’t make out the rest.”
“Ha ha ha!!” a booming voice erupted. “That is because you
have not experianced what I have.”
“YOU!!” Sephiroth cried out, an angry tone in his voice. He drew
the 8 foot sword, prepared to strike.
“Yes.” Bizarro-Sephiroth replied.
“What are you doing here?” Cloud asked, reaching for his own weapon.
“What does it look like?” Bizarro-Sephiroth replied. “I’m
absorbing the knowledge and wisdom of
the Ancients. Did you know they called themselves the Cetra?”
“Why are you doing this?” Aeris asked. “I thought you were
looking for the Promised Land.”
“I was.” Bizarro-Sephiroth answered. “But there is a way to
gain even more energy, more power. Did you realize that when there is an
injury in the planet, the planet gathers Spirit Energy to heal itself? The
amount of energy gathered depends on the injury. So what if there was an
injury so great that it threatened the very life of the planet? Imagine the
energy gathered!! And I shall be at the center of that energy, becoming one
with the planet. When that happens, I will cease to exist as I am now, only
to be reborn as a god over souls.”
“An injury that threatened the planet...?” Cloud asked. “I
don’t understand.”
“Meteor.” Bizarro-Sephiroth replied. “The Ultimate Destructive
Magic. It will cause a great injury in the planet, so the Lifestream will
gather extreme amounts of energy. And I shall absorb all that energy.”
“Never.” Sephiroth said.
“It is not of your choosing,” Bizarro-Sephiroth said. “With
the help of Meteor, I shall become one with the planet. Goodbye for
now....brother.” Bizarro-Sephiroth vanished.
“Brother?!?” Aeris asked, surprised. “What does he mean by
that.”
“Urrrrr!!!” Cloud cried out in pain.
“CLOUD!!” Tifa and Aeris shouted in unison. Cloud ran over to the
paintings.
“HA HA HA!!!” He laughed. “Black Materia.....Meteor. It’s
all falling into place...”
“What the @#^& is he talking about?” Cid asked.
Sephiroth walked up to Cloud, sword in hand. “He is under the control
of Bizarro-Sephiroth.” Sephiroth put the sword to Cloud’s neck.
“You listen to me, Strife. Either you pull it together, or I will wash
your blood off my blade.”
“Cloud....I’m...Cloud.” Cloud said. He started to bring himself
together. “I...I know what he’s talking about. Meteor, the Ultimate
Destructive Magic. He’s going to use the Black Materia to summon
Meteor.”
“Then where is the Black Materia?” Red asked.
“The Temple itself is the Black Materia.” Ray replied.
“Say that again?” Cid said.
“The whole Temple is the Black Materia,” Ray replied.
“So how the hell do we git it outta here?” Barret asked.
“There is one way,” Ray began. “You solve the puzzles. As
more and more puzzles are solved, the Temple shrinks. It will keep shrinking
until it can be carried out. But there’s one problem. The puzzles can
only be solved inside the Temple. Meaning that whoever solves them will be
crushed by the Temple.”
“I see.” Cloud said. “The Ancients didn’t want anyone
to take such dangerous magic out of the Temple that easily.”
“The let’s just get the hell out of here,” Yuffie said. “If
it can’t get out, then Bizarro-Sephiroth can’t get it. Right?”
“Wrong,” Sephiroth stated. “He has those clones at his disposal.
Their lives mean nothing to him.”
“And nothing to you, either.” Cloud snapped. Sephiroth tossed him
a simple glare and reached for his sword. Then he looked to Aeris. He slowly
moved his hand away from the handle.
“So now what do we do?” Tifa asked.
“HEY!!” Cait cried out. “You can use my stuffed body to save
the life of the planet!!”
“No chance.” Cloud replied. “We can’t let Bizarro-Sephiroth
get his hands on the Black Materia. And we can’t let the Shin-Ra have
it, either.”
“It’s the only way, Cloud. Don’t be so stubborn.” Cait
said.
“We have no other choice, Cloud.” Red broke in.
“I guess we’re stuck,” Cloud replied. “Okay cat. Do
it.”
“Cait....” Aeris began. “...why don’t you predict our
fortunes?”
“Say, that’s right.” Cait said. “I haven’t done
that in awhile. What should I predict?”
“How about how compatible Cloud and I are?” Aeris replied.
“That’ll cost ya exactly one date.” Cait answered. “Oh
man. This isn’t good” He whispered. “I can’t say it.
Poor ......” He mumbled the final word which no one could make out.
“What is it?” Aeris asked. “C’mon tell me. I promise
I won’t get mad.”
“You two are perfect for each other.” Cait replied. “Aeris’
star and Cloud’s star. They predict a great future. Well, I gotta go.
I’m off to save the planet!!” He began to bound off as the rest
of Avalanche headed for the exit.
“Be strong, Cait!!” Aeris shouted back. She then followed the others.
*****
“She told me to be strong.” Cait said as he moved toward the puzzles.
“I feel so happy.” He stepped up to the altar, his giant mog lifted
his body onto it. “Wow, the Ancients sure did a great job making this.
Lesse....uh huh, uh huh, uh huh. There may be lots of toy bodies like mine
around, but there’s only one me. Don’t forget me, even if another
Cait Sith comes along. Well, so long. I’m off to save the planet!!”
*****
Shen looked at the Temple with awe as it began to shrink. The rumbling of
it, the crushing of Cait’s toy body. He truly admired the cat for what
he did.
“Perhaps we will meet again, Cait Sith.” He said to himself. Once
the Temple was gone, Aeris, Cloud and Sephiroth ran over to the large
basement-type area it left behind.
“There!” Aeris said, pointing to the center. There was a small,
black orb left behind.
“The Black Materia,” Sephiroth said. He picked it up and studied
it.
“Give it to me, Sephiroth.” Cloud stated firmly. “I still
don’t trust that you’ve completly changed.”
“You are a fool, Cloud.” Sephiroth replied. “Take this in
your hands and you will threaten the very life of the planet.”
“What are you talking about?” Cloud snapped. “YOU originally
planned to use the Black Materia!!”
“Very well.” Sephiroth said calmly. He dropped the small orb in
Cloud’s waiting hand.
“Okay, that’s that,” Cloud said, turning to Aeris. “As
long as we have this, Bizarro-Sephiroth can’t summon Meteor. Can we
use it, Aeris?”
“No, you need great spirtual energy to use it.” She replied. “And
there’s only one place on the planet where there is enough energy.”
“The Promised Land,” Cloud replied. “And only the Ancients
can find the Promised Land.”
“And Bizarro-Sephiroth isn’t an Ancient.” Aeris said. “So
he can’t find the Promised Land.”
“Ahhh, but I have.” Bizarro-Sephiroth stated, flying in.
“I’m far superior to the Ancients. I’m a traveller of the
Lifestream who gained the wisdom and knowledge of the Ancients. As well as
those who came after their extinction.”
Shen instictively drew the Eternal Blade. “YOU DIE THIS DAY, DEMON!!!”
He shouted. Bizarro-Sephiroth simply landed near Cloud and kneeled on the
ground, his sword at his side.
“There Cloud, that’s a good boy,” He said.
“Urrgh,” Cloud said. He began to walk to Bizarro-Sephiroth, Black
Materia in hand. Bizarro-Sephiroth opened his hand, palm up. Cloud dropped
it into the gloved palm, then fell back.
“Very good,” Bizarro-Sephiroth said. “Thank you for your
assistance.” He flew off.
“You FOOL!!” Sephiroth cried out. “This wouldn’t have
happened if you simply gave the Materia to me!!”
“ENOUGH!!” Ray shouted. “If you wish to know what
Bizarro-Sephiroth really is, then shut up and listen to me. The Lifestream
can duplicate items, beings, anything. This explains why you can find multiple
Materia of the same kind. However, this process is long and tedious. If a
living creature falls into the Lifestream, the Lifestream slowly begins to
duplicate them. But the process is too long, and most beings don’t survive
the initial stage. Sephiroth is different, though. The Jenova cells in him
allow him to endure the Lifestream. We know this because he survived it once
already. I believe that while Sephiroth was travelling through the Lifestream,
Bizarro-Sephiroth was created. Bizarro-Sephiroth knows this as well, yet
he thinks Sephiroth is the duplicate. But technically, they are brothers.”
“How...how do you know this?” Sephiroth asked.
“I’m a Cetra, and very in tune with the planet.” Ray replied.
“Hi, I’m Cait Sith #2!!” A new Cait said, bounding up to
Avalanche. He looked around. “Did I come at a bad time?”
“URRGHHHH!!!” Cloud cried out, before completly falling to his
knees.
“CLOUD!!” Tifa shouted. She ran over to her friend. “He’s
unconcious!! We need to get him somewhere!”
“Gongaga is the closest.” Shen said. “We should take the Tiny
Bronco back past the river. He can rest there, and we can regroup.”
As Avalanche began to board the Bronco, Ray looked back at what used to be
the Temple of Ancients. He then boarded the plane.
_____________________________________________________________________________
AUTHOR’S NOTE: Betcha didn’t expect that little revelation about
Bizarro-Sephiroth or the appearence of Ray Blaze. In Chapter 6, Avalanche
heads out to Bone Village and the City of the Ancients to find Aeris.
.