Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Final Fantasy 7: Darkness Falls ❯ Prologues(1&2) ( Prologue )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Darkness Falls, A Final Fantasy VII Fanfic

By: Gemini83

Disclaimer: Most characters...yada, yada, yada...belong to Square.
[insert all that legal copyright mumbo jumbo here] I don't own FF7, if
I did, I'd be rich and laughing at all of you. The story and all new
characters are mine, all mine...mwahahahahahahaha...uh...just ignore
that!

Author's note: I made up a name for Red's species, I call them the
Cian. I am sorry if I got it wrong or if you all hate this name. If
you have any suggestions, I will be glad to consider them. Also, I
will try to use this name as little as possible. In addition, I am
neither a Tifa fan, nor an Aeris fan. In fact, I was debating whether
or not to have Cloud go with Tifa for nearly a week before I wrote
this. So I'm just using what I think would be logical if Aeris had
died and Cloud was left to live his life. I mean, come on people, Tifa
was his childhood sweetheart. With Aeris out of the picture, it isn't
like he has a whole lot of hang-ups about hooking up with Tifa. By the
way, this is my first fan fic attempt. Anyway, enough blabbing and on
to the story...

Prologue 1: Darkness Falls

It had been three months since Meteor had nearly destroyed the Planet.
In that time, peace had finally come to the lands. Barret had taken
his daughter Marlene from the wreckage of the Midgar slums, and now
lived as a real family in North Corel. Marlene had developed a deep
bond with `Auntie Elmyra,' and visited her often. Barret's home town
had become a boom town once again, now that fossil fuels and solar
power were being used to provide energy around the world. Midgar was
being rebuilt, under leadership of President Reeve of New Shinra
Enterprises. Already, Sector 5 and several others had been renovated,
no longer the slums they once were. Cloud and Tifa...they married,
opened up a new `7th Heaven' bar in Costa del Sol, near Villa Cloud,
their new home.

And Red XIII, what of him? The Cian warrior had gone home again, where
his kind and humans had lived for centuries. Now he was the last of a
proud race. But Red could not find it in him to be consumed by
sadness, for he had lived a relatively happy life, and found new
friends. He thought of them often, about how all their lives had
changed after the fall of Sephiroth. Wutai had once again become a
center for trade. Last Red had heard, Yuffie Kisaragi and her father
had become the heroes of their home. Cid Highwind had married Shera,
and after fixing the Highwind, became a skipper for hire, as well as
head of the aeronautics division of the New Shinra Corp., thanks to
Reeve. Vincent, true to character, had disappeared. And what had Red
done? He had become the elder of Cosmo Canyon.

If he had been told years ago, he would never have believed it, he,
Red XIII, elder of his people...

"Master Nanaki!"

...Also called Nanaki to those who knew him well. This particular
visitor was one of the children who lived in the Canyon. Ever since
his return to the village, he had become a favorite among the young
ones.

He smiled, "What is it child?"

"Master Nanaki, may I watch you work today?" she pleaded.

"Of course Aleana, please sit."

The little girl took her seat as Red began to commune with the planet.
Red went forth to his Grandfather's machine, a holographic map of the
planet and all its surroundings.

"Grandfather Bugenhagen...what wonders will your device show me
today?"

As Red activated the hologram, he was immediately immersed in a
multitude of colors, resolving into the shapes of planets.

"Everything seems in order, let us take a closer look."

Upon zooming in on his home planet, Red heard an eerie sound. It was a
shrill cry that could still send shivers down his spine...the Cry of
the Planet.

Managing to regain his wits, Red studied the matter further.
"Computer...why is the Planet crying out again?"

Bugenhagen's device began to search for an answer, when it finally
found one, Red could see a message show itself on-screen.

`PLANET ANOMALY, LIFESTREAM IN FLUX...REFERENCES IN THE SCROLLS OF THE
ANCIENTS...CROSS REFERENCE...KEY TO THE LIGHT...END'

Red immediately shut down the machine, lowering himself back to his
study, concern etched in his face.

Aleana, sensing Red's discomfort, went to him. "What's wrong master?"

"I'm not sure...Aleana, could you bring me the Scrolls of the
Ancients?"

"Of course..."

When Aleana had brought him the scrolls, Red promptly began his
search. "Something is stirring the planet, causing imbalance."

When he found what he was looking for, his discovery sent chills down
his spine. The scroll read:

`I BUGENHAGEN, HAVE FOUND THESE NEW SCROLLS, UNLIKE ANY I HAVE EVER
SEEN BEFORE, THEY SAY:

IN THE YEAR OF THE GREAT CALAMITY, THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN THEY
WILL COME ONCE MORE, WHEN WE AS A RACE HAVE CONQUERED THE DARKNESS,
ONLY TO BE CONSUMED BY AN EVEN GREATER DARKNESS. THE ANCIENT WARRIORS
WHO HAVE FALLEN SHALL RISE AGAIN. THE WALKER OF THE PLANES SHALL
RETURN, COMPLETING THE CYCLE. THE KEY TO THE LIGHT WILL BE FOUND. AND
IN ITS WAKE WILL COME THE DESTRUCTION OF WAR ANEW. BLOOD WILL HAVE
BLOOD. CHAOS SHALL HAVE ITS DAY.

THIS IS WHERE THE RECORDS BECOME UNDECIPHERABLE. THE ANCIENTS FORESAW
A GREAT EVIL. I CAN ONLY HOPE THAT WHATEVER FOLLOWS CAN BE STOPPED. IF
SOMETHING CANNOT BE DONE, THE PLANET SAVE US ALL...'

Red felt as if his heart had stopped.

"A great war? Warriors will rise again? What in the name of Holy is
happening?"

"Master," asked Aleana, "what is going on?"

"Trouble is afoot. It says within a year of the `Great Calamity,' that
must mean Meteor."

"But Meteor came three months ago..."

"Yes child, that means that we have six more months until..." Red
trailed off.

"Until what? Master, what will happen?"

"...Child, go and play with the others," said Red, smiling at the
girl, "nothing will happen."

`I hope,' he thought to himself, `just this once grandfather, please
be wrong.'

Prologue 2: Darkness Falls

by Gemini83

Disclaimer: You know it, I don't own FF7, so please, by all that's
holy, don't sue.

Six months later...

Red woke with a start. It took him a while to recognize where he
was...he was lying in his study. He had been having the dreams for
weeks now. Dark figures would fall upon the planet, bringing death and
destruction. Blood flowed on the battlegrounds, as foretold in the
scrolls. It was always the same, every night. Except today, today
there was something new. A voice called to him, it told him to gather
his friends again.

`Assemble at Bone Village,' it had told him, `assemble, lest you be
destroyed. And there you will find, a new beginning...'

Normally, Red would have considered it a trap, or ignored it
completely as a hallucination. But something in the voice had
comforted him. In that nightmare, it had reached out to him, forcing
him to take notice. Red resisted the urge to go back to sleep.

"I'd better call the others." Red went to his computer, and began to
make calls around the world. "I hope we're strong enough this time."

Red first called Cloud and Tifa.

Tifa was the first to answer.

"Hello Tifa"

"Red? Hey Cloud! It's Red!"

"Red!" answered Cloud, "Nice to here from you again. What's up?"

"My friends, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news."

"What is it Red?" asked Tifa. "What's wrong?"

Red took a deep breath. "It has begun..."

Meanwhile, in space, a figure dressed in black smiled. He had
contacted the one known as `Red.' Nanaki would alert his comrades. The
figure turned to his computer, reading about the various properties of
the planet. Nothing out of the ordinary. Even though the planet did
have a large supply of `Lifestream,' it was hardly a reason for the
Drahk to notice it.

`Why would they want this planet?' he thought to himself

The lonely figure sat in his spacecraft, thinking. Why had he been
sent here? Then he found something, something that piqued his
interest.

"So," he said to the emptiness, "some of the ancients lived here."

The records seemed familiar, almost as if...he pushed his thoughts
aside. He would gather more information before making any guesses as
to why the planet was so important. Then he came across more
information, about something called `Meteor,' and reports of `the last
ancient.'

"Hardly."

He looked at more clips, this time actual footage of the so-called
`Meteor.' Nothing special, the planet would destroy it. However,
something strange happened. The planet's counterattack, Holy, had no
effect. Then, something new came, the Lifestream snaked its way into
Holy, eventually helping it destroy the calamity. He read some more,
about a man named Sephiroth, and a group called Avalanche.

`This warrants further investigation.' he thought to himself, `if they
come here, it may be to find her, the one they call Aeris.'

The dark figure smiled, donning his black and silver armor. A helmet
covered most of his face, but left his mouth and his eyes open. The
man tested his armor, and smiled again. It seemed as if this trip
might be fun after all. He took a pod down to the surface of the
planet. He would first investigate this so-called `City of the
Ancients'

"Time to get to work."

Author's Note: Okay, we are well under way. In case you're wondering
what kind of mask this stranger has, think of Maverick (Wolverine's
friend before he joined the X-Men), except black instead of yellow.
What do you think so far?