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Description
FFVII
Miasma

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Emotive themes
Setting: 3 years after DoC
Rating: M
Status: WIP
OCs: 25%
Disclaimer: All related Final Fantasy VII names and characters are copyrighted © by Square Enix. However, this story and the OCs are ALL mine. Thank you.

NOTE: ‘Hive’ (mentioned in Ch29) has been changed to Miasma (for those who remember) Ch29 will be revised accordingly. Miasma really does suit Jenova better.

MIASMA

Marlene followed the Cetras through the underground forest under a shroud of silence. Ely walked behind her in the single line procession, and Belia was somewhere further back. She wasn’t even free to speak with him and when she looked over her shoulder, a hooded Cetra frowned and put his finger to his lips.

The longer they walked in the restricted silence, the more she felt like a prisoner. She was even beginning to read it in Ely’s thoughts. If she couldn’t talk to anyone, she would keep her mind occupied by admiring the passing forest. The exotic vegetation seemed to become denser the further they ventured in. A green swathed pillar of rock loomed amongst the sweeping leaves. They halted at the formation of stone and gathered around in silence.

Talana pulled away a short lattice, covered with vines, revealing a squat opening. Without a word, the Cetras ducked through the three foot hole. Althaea, the older, white haired, Cetra, walked between them. Even Belia, with a short glance at Marlene and Ely, trooped past and into the hole.

“Come.” Talana beckoned Marlene and Ely to enter.

Marlene bobbed her head and entered the darkness with some trepidation, and she whispered, “Where does this go?”

“Up top.” Talana waved them past.

“Into daylight?” Ely said.

Talana snorted. “Not where we’re going.”

It wasn’t as dark as Marlene feared. The green glow from the rocks was adequate to see as they walked up a type of natural stair. By the time she stopped at the landing, she was near exhausted. She dreaded to think how far she had actually walked.

Branan opened another secret door above them and they lifted themselves up one by one. Eventually it was Marlene’s turn to ascend. She pulled herself up and over the lip of the hole. The floor, in the giant tree trunk, was layered with decades of plant debris. Sombre light came from the slight opening. A Cetra, waiting in the shadows, indicated for her to be quiet and make her way outside. She crawled through the opening and stopped at the sight of the old overgrown forest. There was no sign of any of the Cetras who came through the hole, and she stared amazed at how quickly they could ‘disappear’. She was beginning to understand why no one had seen these Cetras. They seemed to be experts at sneaking around without being seen.

Abruptly, Branan grabbed her arm. She turned with a jolt, and noted how much his clothing was the colour of the deep wood and green moss. Even though he was carrying belts with weapons, he didn’t make a sound. Holding her firm, he directed her towards a cluster of shrubs and covering leaves from a great tree growing on an angle.

Althaea and Talana waited. Marlene could see no other Cetras, but imagined they were watching from the shadows of the trees. Belia grabbed her hand and pulled her in. Ely was not far behind her, and when he arrived, Talana spoke. “The beginning of the miasma is less than half a mile from here. I’ll take you.”

“I’ll take them,” Branan overrode her statement.

Talana’s mouth formed a cruel line. “No--”

“Branan can do it,” Althaea exclaimed, and she said to the young man, “Do not get too close.”

“And I can help!” Belia cried, pulling on Marlene’s hand.

Talana hissed, “You will not!”

Belia glared and pouted. Letting go of Marlene, she folded her arms high across her chest.

Marlene slouched with disappointment. They were right of course. Belia would become tainted, but still… for some reason, and selfishly, she suspected, she wished she could come.

“So, what exactly is this miasma?” Ely also folded his arms, in a larger imitation of Belia’s stance.

“It’s an infection on the Planet,” Talana responded, gruffly.

Ely raised a brow. “Right, because it’s sick?”

Branan cut in, “A part of the forest has been overrun by Jenova. Lifestream has been corrupted and it manifests as…” he finished with a shrug. “Pus.”

Marlene made a face of disgust. “Pus?”

“You know, like when you get an open sore…” Branan ran his hand through his hair.

“Sounds disgusting,” Ely remarked.

“I’m sure it is.” Branan grinned and he handed Ely a holstered sword. He withdrew it to show him the straight blade shining in the dim light. “Like I promised. There’s even some materia.”

Ely took the blade and admired the circular green and yellow raised emblems in the long curved hilt, similar to a gun handle. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Branan strapped it to his back, so the blade could be drawn easily. “You’re going to need it.” He laughed and slapped his arm. “Nah, it’ll be a breeze.” There was a sparkle of envy in his eyes and he spoke to Marlene before Ely could interject. “Can you use a bow?”

Wide-eyed, she shook her head.

“A gun?”

Her brows arched with remiss, she shook her head. Why, oh why, couldn’t she have learned some useful skill? But she never in all her life ever wanted to fight. She hung her head, feeling all their disappointed stares. “No…”

Talana rubbed her temples with irritation. “You can’t use anything can you?”

“I’ve never needed to,” Marlene cried, and her eyes moistened with the sudden pang of tears.

Ely took a step forward, half shielding Marlene from their stares. “I’ll be there, so she’ll be alright.”

“You’ll have to do.” Talana sighed.

Branan shook his head and still smiling, he held out a belt with a short sword. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. So I think you’ll be able to use this.” He buckled the strapping around her waist, and a thin harness went over her shoulder and across her chest. “It just fits,” he said with relief.

It sat neatly at her hips and she ran her hand over the silver design and embossed circles. She couldn’t see the materia, but she could feel it, humming with power. “What’s in it?”

“I’m not sure anymore.” Branan scratched his chin and admired it. “Umm, I think there’s an Elemental offensive. You’ll find out.” He winked at her.

Marlene looked to Althaea. “Can’t I use my Cetra power?”

Althaea stepped forward and put her hand on her head. “There’s no guarantee, but you can rely on Gaia’s strength.”

Her hand was a comforting pressure. Marlene stared with her mouth open, relaxing in the warm consuming glow.

“Enough of this chatter!” Talana broke the peaceful moment, and she turned to Branan. “Get going.”

Belia tugged on Marlene’s hand, and her mouth dropped with sadness. Marlene reassured her, “We’ll see you soon.”

Belia crossed her arms and grinned. “I know.”

“Don’t get into any trouble.” Ely patted her head.

Branan turned to leave and Marlene and Ely followed him into the ancient jungle.

Keeping an eye on Branan, and without being too distracted by the scenery, Marlene tried her best not to lose sight of him. The journey already seemed to take ages, but it was made more tedious, by giant tree roots, and the random swarms of pesky insects. They hounded her face, and she realized it was best to keep her mouth shut, in case the horrid things flew in.

She was glancing upwards a lot of the time, attempting to catch sight of sunlight. The ancient trees went up so far she could not distinguish their peaks, and their layers of massive limbs were more like bridges in the sky, blocking any light they might have received. But the yellow haze signified it was day at least, but for how long she couldn’t say, and where they were going, it probably didn’t matter. Tree trunks were as thick as a house, and as they walked further, the roots growing out of the earth, became a canopy above them. Everything was enormous and Marlene felt like a miniature person amongst the spectacular creations. She stepped closer to a huge pink flower, desiring to feel its vibrant sheen.

“Don’t go near those flowers!” Branan yelled over his shoulder.

Marlene halted in her tracks, her hand outstretched, and staring at the beautiful pink-purple flower, a foot off the ground, some were higher, but all had the same silken petal and intoxicating scent. She had been observing them on their journey. Now she stepped backwards, watching the petals softly drop to the floor, exposing a red stamen. In an instant, the petals snapped shut, engulfing a glut of large insects.

Ely stopped next to her, also watching the actions of the exotic monstrous flower.

Branan came to a complete stop and stared at them. His voice echoed amongst the overgrowth. “On second thought, don’t touch anything!” He turned back to the path. “It’s just safer.”

She had to agree that was good advice. As they walked, she looked to and fro in awe, spying more to look at. Everything seemed to be covered in a rich green, even stone and mounds. Hanging from branches, were lengths of leafy branches, so condensed, Branan had to cut a way through at times.

Gradually, among the green, she spotted black. At first she thought it to be shadows, but as it grew in frequency and opaqueness, she knew it must be the infection. It became easy to feel the difference. Not that she really understood it, but it was like a pain that took her breath away, and soon enough, she felt physically sick.

Branan stopped and waited till they were near. They had walked through the deadened forest under an ever darkening light above them. Branan spoke, his voice a solemn weight. “I can’t go any further.”

Marlene nodded, having the impression he had already gone beyond where he should have stopped.

“You can go from here.” He indicated a pathway under the rows of tree roots. “I’ll be around here somewhere.”

Marlene peered ahead. The miasma stretched as high as she could see, like a yawning ominous mouth of blackness. Overall she became even more nauseous. She hadn’t even entered it properly yet.

“What’s going to be in there?” Ely looked into the miasma with anxiety creasing his young face.

“Old Harbingers, probably, shadow creatures, deformed monsters--”

“Old Harbingers?” Ely scratched his head.

Branan replied, “They’ve been poisoned a long time. Eventually they turn into monsters.”

“And how--” Marlene shivered. “How will we find it?”

Branan squinted at her with consternation. “You’ll find it. It will be the only thing in there that’s not tainted.”

“Oh.” Marlene frowned with annoyance. Of course that sounded simple, to a Cetra. “But, how do you even know its there if you haven’t been in?”

“Because we can sense its presence.” Branan watched her with concern. “All you need do is sneak around and find its location. Then take it.” He demonstrated with his hand, and finished with a note of victory in his voice, as if it had already been achieved.

“I can use Hide?” she said with hope.

“Ah, I wouldn’t rely on that,” he said, “They don’t necessarily see, they use their senses, besides, I don’t think Gaia’s gifts will work in there.”

Marlene’s mouth fell agape. “Now you tell me!”

“That’s why I gave you the materia sword.” Branan smiled, not appearing uncomfortable by her offense in the least. He placed his hand on her shoulder and exerted a firm weight. “You’ll be fine. There’s nothing to it. Pray to Gaia if you get stuck.”

“Yep, we’ll be fine,” Ely told him. “We’ll see you when we’re done.”

Marlene steeled her shoulders, and took a breath to settle her apprehension. “Alright then, I’m ready.”

In a subdued silence, Marlene and Ely walked some way into the miasma, keeping to a semi-track between the trees bereft of life. It was similar to the forest they had just passed through, yet the colossal trees were blackened with decades of decay, and twisted branches formed narrow thorny canopies bare of leaves. Overhead, the trees’ limbs were in a mangled mess of dead wood. Even the giant flowers were present, yet they were mottled with a slimy grey. Underfoot was a muddy sludge of leafy debris they had to step through. Everything was bleeding with the oozing black stain. But the worse of it was the stinking sacks hanging in clusters from black roots and vines wrapped around the trees. Marlene kept well away from them, noting that some had burst open, and were dripping a globular blackness. The infectious liquid reminded her of the geostigma, and she imagined it must be the same. Perhaps the sickness she was currently feeling was similar to what Denzel and Cloud had suffered.

Marlene stepped tentatively into this new and sickening environment and into more murky light. For the first time since discovering her Cetra abilities, she could sense no life. Instead there was a cumbersome weight making her breathless and sick. Underlining the nausea was despair that they would achieve nothing.

“Now I’m beginning to get it,” Ely stated. “This Jenova stuff.”

It was so potent even Ely could sense it. “It’s…” Marlene took a gasping breath and shook her head, attempting to shake off the dismal feelings and the bile in her throat. “…depressing.”

The restricted gaps through the packs of spores offered little choice in paths. Ely choose the largest of the thorn laden canopies. “We’ll go further in and see if you can sense anything.”

Marlene followed close behind him, fighting off the vomit, and hoping her body would endure the rotten environment. “Yes, keep going for now.” Because at the moment, she could sense nothing but the evil surrounding them. For some reason she thought it would be easier than this. In the ancient forest she could sense the trees and the wildlife, but here in the midst of the Jenova miasma, she wanted to crawl up and hide away. She muttered her thoughts aloud, “Do you get the feeling we’re being used?”

“We are being used.” His statement was followed by a cocky grin.

Marlene gasped, sensing the reproof in his thoughts, and she took a slow thoughtful breath. Was she the one being selfish? This was for the good of the Planet, after all, and ultimately for Tifa. “Saving the Planet…” she mumbled, earnestly, but her words came out more like a grumble than a heroic declaration.

“The way I see it,” Walking along, Ely raised his eyes to the squints of dirt grey light through the twisted overhang, “If it weren’t for your mum, and Belia, and you, I wouldn’t even be here. And I mean, I probably wouldn’t be living…”

Marlene exhaled a rueful sigh.

“I’m lucky, if you ask me. Everything from here on in, is a bonus.”

“Okay. You can stop making me feel… bad.”

“Nah, it’s this place.” He gazed at the oozing sores on the tree. “It makes you feel… wrong somehow.”

She lifted her chin and her eyes reflected determination. He was right, it was so cloyingly evil, she could barely stand it. “No matter what I’m feeling, we are going to find that materia.” She finished in a huff, “If it’s the last thing I do.”

Ely chuckled. “That’s great, except, we have no idea where the thing is. And now…”

Marlene’s lips rolled in frustration. “Yeah, I know.”

“Let’s go further in.”

After some time of walking, and listening to strange noises in the distance, but not encountering any monsters of any sort, they finally stopped for a breather. Hands on his waist, Ely examined the cramped clearing. Mounds of rocks were scattered over the mushy ground, and a pool of black water was almost indistinguishable beyond a segment of rock, except for the spiraling vapours of black trailing upwards. Growing along the edge, were sharp needle like plants. Further still, was a shadowy outline of more spores.

Marlene stated her thoughts aloud, “I don’t understand what the Planet was thinking, choosing me. Why couldn’t she have picked someone more effective? Someone like Cloud. He would be much better at this.”

“Cloud?!” Ely replied, sharply.

“Oh, he’s like my other dad.” Marlene sighed with longing. Not for the first time, did she wish she could see Cloud right then. “The one I live with.”

“Cloud? The one who commanded the assault on Deepground?” His blue eyes were brightening with awe.

“Yep. That’s Cloud.” Marlene leaned her hand on the petrified wood of a tree, but then thought better of it, and removed it quickly. “But he doesn’t work for WRO now, even though Reeve asked him,” she grumbled, although she didn’t mean to, but she knew Cloud could be frustrating at times. Tifa had also asked him, she could even recall Denzel hinting at it.

“Whoa! I’ve heard he’s an amazing fighter.” He stared at her with fascination.

“I guess he is.” Marlene smiled, feeling relaxed with the chatter about her home life. “He’s very humble too.”

“He’d be good at finding this materia?”

“Ah, yeah…” She bit her lip, wondering if she could talk about Cloud’s past so freely. But on second thought, he would hate this place. “He’s good with materia. But, he’s not here. It’s just us.”

Ely nodded, scrunching his lips up. “Why don’t you ask the Planet? Like Branan said.”

Why couldn’t she think of that? “It’s worth a try.” She brushed grit from a larger boulder, and checked it over, making sure it wasn’t covered with the black liquid, and she sat.

Chuckling, Ely shook his head.

It was such an odd sound she looked up. “What?”

“I thought you would ask, not have a rest.”

Tilting her head, her pony-tail swished over her shoulder and dangled over her chest, and she looked at him with a chiding sweetness. “I just have a feeling I should be concentrating.”

Smiling, he rested his chin in his hand. “Okay, whatever you need to do.”

Ely kept an eye on the shadows, stretching past the pond and through the overhang of roots. Peculiar and eerie sounds were echoing about the corrupted woods, and he listened for any that might be coming closer. As he watched the weird pool, and the black twisted stream of Jenova infection, the water bubbled. He heard a strange rumble, and what he thought was a boulder, suddenly jumped at him, on squat legs. The grey-brown monster opened its mouth, and a long tongue shot out towards Marlene.

Instinctively, Ely stuck his hand out to stop it, and it coiled around his arm instead. Bound fast, he yanked against the frog, intent on pulling him into its mouth. The thing was strong and it became a battle of strength. Ely drew his sword, and cut into the tongue, slicing through the taut muscle. The release flung him back, and with a glance at Marlene, she still had her eyes closed and was oblivious to what was happening. Where the heck was she? Visiting Gaia herself?

The frog croaked with rage, and not giving up, it leaped and landed on his legs, pushing him backwards. Its breath was a horrid stink and he hoped it wasn’t poison, because it sure smelt like it.

The thing didn’t seem to care that Ely had a pointed weapon, and its mouth opened even wider as if to swallow him whole. With one hand, Ely attempted pushing its jaw away, and he grimaced at the saliva dripping down his wrist. “Gross!” he grunted, and he thrust his sword into its side, squelching through its solid flesh. Again and again he stabbed into it, before it fell back with a last rasping croak and was still. He wiped his blade on its blubber.

Marlene opened her eyes, and sat watching him with a confused and then horrified look. Eyes like tan saucers, she stared at the dead monster, and pointed. “What… is… that?”

It was now a red-grey mess on the ground and not much flesh left inside it. “I think it was a frog.”

Marlene stared dumbfounded. “But…” she hadn’t heard a thing.

“Did you get an answer?” he blocked her view of the dead creature.

“Ah…” her shoulders slouched. She had asked the Planet for guidance and even straight out help. But she could hear nothing in response. She had to admit this place was not teeming with Gaia’s voice.

“Okay, we’ll keep moving,” Ely answered for her.

They chose a pathway that looked clearer than the others and slowly went down it, cautiously and always expecting some monster to appear. They could hear frightening howls and bizarre far-off calls, but so far they had not come across any creatures, except for the frog. Marlene wondered if the Jenova enemy even suspected they were a threat at all.

After some time walking, Marlene said, “At least I’ve worked out the materia in this weapon.” She gripped the exposed hilt, and ran her palm across the raised circular etchings. “Well, mostly.”

“You can tell that?” Ely looked over his shoulder and paused to let her catch up. “How?”

“I’m not sure, really.” She creased her brow in contemplation. “When I touch it, and focus on the feeling, I can work it out.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Mmm, I guess.” She had never thought about it before, but as she did, she realized that not everyone had the ability. Certainly, Barret didn’t. “Aunt Yuffie taught me.” She went on, “She knows a lot about materia.” Recalling Yuffie’s ‘Guess the Materia’ game, she gave a low chuckle. Marlene would always win, unless Cloud played, although he hardly ever played willingly. “We used to try to figure out the materia, like a game.”

Ely gave her a questioning look.

“Most people need to touch it, but Cloud, he could tell what it was without touching.”

“He’s that good?”

Marlene nodded, envy shining in her eyes. “He doesn’t even need to see it. If Cloud played, we would hide it behind our back, just to make it challenging.” And if he didn’t play, he would cheat and tell Denzel what it was.

“And he guessed it?”

“Everytime.” Marlene smiled at the fond memory. Yuffie would even try holding two globes, if not more. Denzel usually guessed the elements, but Cloud would tell him, he had to concentrate more. You have to quiet your mind. How Yuffie could do it, Cloud didn’t know, but she must have some sort of knack with Materia. Yuffie quipped, ‘it’s in my genes!’

“Can you tell what’s in this?” Ely pulled out his sword and held the handle for her to view and touch.

She took the blade in her hands. It was not as heavy as she expected, but she still had to hold it firm. She stopped and closed her eyes, letting the weight rest in her hands. “Oh.” She paused. “Something stabbing into my flesh, and something cold, but there’s something making me feel safe.”

“You think Ice?” he watched her eagerly.

“Yes, and something else that will hurt. The blade itself is augmented.” She had touched Cloud’s swords a number of times to understand the complexities. Her own bracelet was packed with materia. Cloud must have known she would sense it right away, but he never said a thing, so she thought it best to go along with his secrecy. But now, she was more than thankful for it. It would protect her against all sorts of spells, and give her strength. “There’s a Shield, and there’s more… but it’s a type of fusion.” She concentrated on the strange sensation that was making her breathless. “Maybe it Stops?”

“Different materia together?”

“That’s right. If you’re not experienced with materia, you probably won’t be able to use it.”

“That’s handy to know…”

“Do you know how to use it?” Marlene blushed at the sudden presumptuous question.

“Sure.” He cocked his head and grinned at her awkwardness. “Back home, we had a Heal materia. I practiced. A lot.” He quickly diverted the conversation away from him. “What have you got?”

She clutched the strapping over her chest, and gripped the hilt. “Fire and Heal.” She paused. “But, there’s something else, and I can’t read it.”

“Hopefully we won’t need to find out.”

Marlene’s body raced with adrenaline at the thought of facing enemy foes. “Yeah…” she mumbled.

They continued on through the broken and tangled forest with the noises always beyond their sight, as if the monsters were also wandering the somber tunnels. On hearing a growling sound close by, Marlene whispered, “Can you hear something?” She flicked her eyes around the confined clearing.

“Shs!” Ely grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards into the shadows of a massive trunk. He quickly slid his sword from behind his back.

She withdrew her own blade, more in apprehension than the need to attack, and gripped it till her knuckles were white. From out of the darkness, sinewy black hounds appeared, along with a humanoid creature. Its bare torso and arms were a deep blue, yet beneath its waist its skin was midnight black, and on its head were flattened spikes. Except for the hounds’ sharp sallow teeth, their forms were near indistinguishable.

Marlene backed up till she was almost touching the ashen bark of the trunk, and she held her sword straight out in anticipation.

Ely stood ahead, and holding his sword with both hands in an offensive position, he directed it at all of them. He looked intimidating, to Marlene at least, and the monsters approached with wariness at the sight of the weapons. He shouted with impatience, “Come on!”

You don’t need to excite them, Marlene wanted to say, but she couldn’t get any words out, because everything happened so quickly. The first one jumped in, followed by the others. The monster on two legs was slower and Marlene seemed to be its target.

Ely moved so fast, she hardly knew what he was doing, but he was keeping them back, except for the half blue and black man-monster lumbering towards her. It made a groaning demand, and with its palm raised, red energy swirled on its palm.

Connecting with her materia, she let her spirit energy surge through her blade. Flames erupted on the muscular blue chest of the monster and spread over its skin. It not only affected the creature intent on her, but she noticed fire came upon all the monsters. Did I do that? She could only guess, because the monster had a hold of her arm with a vice grip and was ready to punch her with its crimson hand. With a startled cry and her heart racing in her throat, she stabbed into the stomach of the burning monster. Closing her eyes and cringing with horror, she pushed her blade in one more time as she felt the burning pain of the red energy in her muscles. The thing fell forward, and she doubled over, clutching her side at the excruciating pain.

Ely was swinging his sword madly, taking care of the rest of their attackers, all wounded by the fire. The fire certainly gave him the advantage.

Amid trying to heal herself, Marlene leaned against the tree, breathing fast and catching her breath. How did Cloud and Tifa, and Barret ever do this sort of thing, she had to wonder?

Finishing off the last of them, Ely stood for moments, breathing hard, and watching the shadows, just in case. “Are you hurt?” He finally turned to her, and released his grip on his sword, he offered her his hand.

Marlene used his hand as leverage to move from the tree. “I was…” The Heal materia was soothing her flesh, and she could breath easier again. “We really did it, didn’t we?” She glanced at the dead monsters.

“We sure did!” Ely’s hand became a fist and he grinned with exhilaration.

“That’s a relief.” Marlene exhaled slowly. “At least I know what that other materia is now.” She let a smug grin escape.

“Yeah? Whatever it was, it made a difference.” He slipped his sword back and rested his hand on his waist.

“It’s an All materia. Everyone gets affected, depending if they’re against us or not.” She rubbed her hand over the hilt, impressing on her mind the feel of it. “It’s not an easy materia to recognize.”

Ely watched her with admiration. “You really know about this stuff.”

Marlene shrugged. It was true, but… she never thought it was something difficult to learn. “I guess I do… But next time, we’ll do things differently.”

Both hands went to his waist this time and he cocked his head, and eyed her with a raised brow. Even in the dark, his eyes were a clean blue. “Is that so? Strategist now, are you?”

Folding her arms, she stepped nearer, and looked up. She couldn’t get over how tall he was, and they were so near in age. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Mmm, considering you know so much about materia… okay, but, if we get out of here and get home, you’ll have to teach me about it.”

She lifted her eyes in consideration and realized he was only half teasing. He really did want to know. But seeing as materia was not meant to be openly used anymore, she wasn’t sure that was a wise idea. Even so, she wasn’t going to say no. Not when he was watching her, his eyes framed by dark lashes, lowering in anticipation, and it almost sounded like a date. She realized she was standing a little bit too close, and she could feel the rosy glow hitting her cheeks. “Ah, sure.” Why was she even feeling this way, here and now? “You’re already pretty good.”

“You think?” he smiled and his eyes sparked even more.

Marlene’s blush deepened, and responded, quickly, “At using that.” Her eyes shifted to his weapon.

He touched the blade, peeking over his back. “This is turning out to be great practice.”

A piercing moment of anxiety came upon her, and she stared at him with wonder, and overwhelming appreciation. She said, softly, “I’m so glad you’re here, with me. If you weren’t, I would be alone…” She choked back tears at the thought of it, and covered her eyes with her hands. He didn’t need to come, he was never asked. He came of his own free will.

“Don’t even think it.” He lowered his face and shook his head. “I am here. There’s a reason for that.”

She wiped her eyes, and looked down. “I’m… it’s just… I’m grateful.”

“Marlene.” He paused and put a steady hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, don’t worry about it. After all, we have to get out of here first.” He gave a spontaneous chuckle. “After we find the thing.”

A dismal groan escaped her. It was past obvious, the materia was beyond her ability to sense.

“Now, what is your ‘plan’ if we are attacked?”

“Oh…” she scratched her chin in thought. “I think, if we can, I’ll keep back, and do a spell as many times as possible before I’m spotted. I think I can be more effective that way, and I can Heal you.”

“Sounds great, the healing especially.”

“Did you use the materia in the sword?”

Ely let his hand rest on the sword hilt, his face scrunching with consternation. “No, I didn’t get a chance. But I did feel the strength of the blade cut into them.”

“Okay, but next time, you use that materia,” she ordered with a pointed finger.

A smile played on his face. “Right, if you say so.”

“I’m being serious!” she pleaded. “I do want to find this materia. And I want us both to get out of here.”

“I’m with you on that.” He nodded in agreement.

After more walking and more frustration, and a growing annoyance, Marlene was near ready to admit she really didn’t know where she was going. She was tired of wandering around in the sickening and depressing environment. But despite her despairing emotions, she sensed something that gave her a spark of hope.

“What’s up, Marlene?” Ely had stopped and his mouth curved down in concern. “You keep checking over your shoulder.”

She glanced down another cramped path into darkness. “It’s just, I feel something, but it’s not bad… something good.”

“The materia?” He walked up to the decrepit overgrowth that formed a congested tunnel of black spores. “Down there?”

“Maybe…” Marlene had no desire to go down that way. “Oh, how I wish Belia were here. I’m sure she would know, somehow.” She threw her hands up in irritation at herself.

Movement in the shadows caused Ely to withdraw his sword at top speed and point it towards a tangle of brittle shrubs.

Out of the darkness ran a pale white haired child, dressed in blue. This was no monster.

“Belia?!” Marlene squealed with a sharp mix of confusion and joy. It was followed by words struck with sudden fear. “But, no! Why are you here?”

“Marlene!” Belia, breathing heavily, ran to her and hugged her waist.

Ely holstered his blade and crouched to see the girl’s shining eyes. “Belia, this place is dangerous, for you especially.”

Belia pouted, and her eyes misted over.

“Ely’s right, you could get sick.” Marlene caressed her hair in anxious worry. What had they done? Didn’t she understand? She would definitely get sick now, being in this awful place.

“I don’t care!” she cried. “They don’t want me. You don’t want me either.”

“No. We care about you.” Ely stood and shared a worried glance with Marlene.

Marlene gulped and calmed her rushing nerves. What she really wanted to do was shout with anger and cry. “Did you run away?”

Belia let Marlene go and wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, she nodded. Opening her fingers, she revealed an object in her hand. A green orb of materia. “I got this too. To help.”

“You ran away and you stole something?” Ely couldn’t help smiling. “That’s really something.”

“They’re not going to be happy.” Marlene frowned. It would just make them mad and more suspicious. But would they have reason to? She didn’t want to think of that. But what if she and Ely saw her change into a Harbinger? Could they even kill her if they had too? She knew she wouldn’t be able to. She couldn’t, she covered her mouth in shock at the notion that Belia would become corrupt from Jenova. “Ely…”

“Let’s not think about anything, yet. Let’s get this darn materia.” He told her resolutely. “You thought Belia could help, right? Maybe this is the Planet’s answer?”

His profound comment amazed her, and she stared mezmerised for moments. Eventually she gave him a sharp nod.

Belia took his hand and squeezed. “That’s why I came. Too help. Because Marlene won’t be able to find it.”

“Eh? What?” Marlene was indignant, but… she was right, of course.

Ely shook his head at the two of them and laughed. He walked ahead with Belia. “Yeah, I know. We would have been walking a long time.” He looked over his shoulder to see Marlene pulling a face. “Does that mean you know where it is, Belia?”

“Uh-huh!” she tugged him a little further along.

Marlene came up beside her. “And how do you know?”

“I’ve touched it. I know its feel.” Belia had a serious glint in her eyes.

“Oh.” Marlene pondered her words. That meant it was in her possession at one time.

“It used to be yours?” Ely asked.

Belia shook her head swiftly, her white locks swishing over her shoulders. “Papa’s.”
“Your papa… he’s gone now, isn’t he? And your mother?” Marlene could read that much in the girl’s thoughts, and she began to piece together what might have happened to her family. “I see now. Your parents kept this materia.”

Belia nodded. “I can’t remember what happened exactly. But I remember, after it happened I was very sick, and grandfather looked after me till I was well. And then I was stolen.”

“Your grandfather? Where is he?” Ely asked

“We were living in Kalm, but he’s not my real grandfather. He was my parents close friend.” Her voice turned to a wistful whisper, and a sad look came over her. “He cared for me, and he’s not even a Cetra.”

“I’m sorry about your parents, Belia.” Marlene took her free hand, and was once again warmed by the child’s essence.

Belia nodded. “It’s okay, we’ve all lost people to the life-stream. Ely’s lost his brother, you’ve lost your Cetra friend, and I’ve lost my parents.”

“Hey, how…” Marlene was about to ask, but of course, Belia, the intuitive Cetra child, would know.

Ely didn’t bat an eye, and said, “You know about that?”

“I know a lot of things. But some things are harder to know than other things.” Belia looked at them one at a time. “But the things that affect the people I like, I can see.”

“I’m not even going to ask about that.” Ely shook his head, his eyes widening with wonder. “Actually that’s slightly disturbing.”

“Maybe there is a reason to all this, somehow,” Marlene said, and she glanced at Ely, gaining a new insight into his emotions. Now she understood what she couldn’t previously read in his thoughts. He had a wall of pain, protecting many memories. Of her own sadness, she assumed she had dealt with it years ago. Did her grief over Aeris still linger?

“Well, Miss Belia, if you can see things that others can’t see, can you see this materia?” Ely’s voice turned playfully stern, but they could tell he really did want an answer. It had been too long a time lost in the miasma.

“Yep!” Belia sang, “Let’s go!”

Description
FFVII
Miasma

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Emotive themes
Setting: 3 years after DoC
Rating: M
Status: WIP
OCs: 25%
Disclaimer: All related Final Fantasy VII names and characters are copyrighted © by Square Enix. However, this story and the OCs are ALL mine. Thank you.

NOTE: ‘Hive’ (mentioned in Ch29) has been changed to Miasma (for those who remember) Ch29 will be revised accordingly. Miasma really does suit Jenova better.

MIASMA

Marlene followed the Cetras through the underground forest under a shroud of silence. Ely walked behind her in the single line procession, and Belia was somewhere further back. She wasn’t even free to speak with him and when she looked over her shoulder, a hooded Cetra frowned and put his finger to his lips.

The longer they walked in the restricted silence, the more she felt like a prisoner. She was even beginning to read it in Ely’s thoughts. If she couldn’t talk to anyone, she would keep her mind occupied by admiring the passing forest. The exotic vegetation seemed to become denser the further they ventured in. A green swathed pillar of rock loomed amongst the sweeping leaves. They halted at the formation of stone and gathered around in silence.

Talana pulled away a short lattice, covered with vines, revealing a squat opening. Without a word, the Cetras ducked through the three foot hole. Althaea, the older, white haired, Cetra, walked between them. Even Belia, with a short glance at Marlene and Ely, trooped past and into the hole.

“Come.” Talana beckoned Marlene and Ely to enter.

Marlene bobbed her head and entered the darkness with some trepidation, and she whispered, “Where does this go?”

“Up top.” Talana waved them past.

“Into daylight?” Ely said.

Talana snorted. “Not where we’re going.”

It wasn’t as dark as Marlene feared. The green glow from the rocks was adequate to see as they walked up a type of natural stair. By the time she stopped at the landing, she was near exhausted. She dreaded to think how far she had actually walked.

Branan opened another secret door above them and they lifted themselves up one by one. Eventually it was Marlene’s turn to ascend. She pulled herself up and over the lip of the hole. The floor, in the giant tree trunk, was layered with decades of plant debris. Sombre light came from the slight opening. A Cetra, waiting in the shadows, indicated for her to be quiet and make her way outside. She crawled through the opening and stopped at the sight of the old overgrown forest. There was no sign of any of the Cetras who came through the hole, and she stared amazed at how quickly they could ‘disappear’. She was beginning to understand why no one had seen these Cetras. They seemed to be experts at sneaking around without being seen.

Abruptly, Branan grabbed her arm. She turned with a jolt, and noted how much his clothing was the colour of the deep wood and green moss. Even though he was carrying belts with weapons, he didn’t make a sound. Holding her firm, he directed her towards a cluster of shrubs and covering leaves from a great tree growing on an angle.

Althaea and Talana waited. Marlene could see no other Cetras, but imagined they were watching from the shadows of the trees. Belia grabbed her hand and pulled her in. Ely was not far behind her, and when he arrived, Talana spoke. “The beginning of the miasma is less than half a mile from here. I’ll take you.”

“I’ll take them,” Branan overrode her statement.

Talana’s mouth formed a cruel line. “No--”

“Branan can do it,” Althaea exclaimed, and she said to the young man, “Do not get too close.”

“And I can help!” Belia cried, pulling on Marlene’s hand.

Talana hissed, “You will not!”

Belia glared and pouted. Letting go of Marlene, she folded her arms high across her chest.

Marlene slouched with disappointment. They were right of course. Belia would become tainted, but still… for some reason, and selfishly, she suspected, she wished she could come.

“So, what exactly is this miasma?” Ely also folded his arms, in a larger imitation of Belia’s stance.

“It’s an infection on the Planet,” Talana responded, gruffly.

Ely raised a brow. “Right, because it’s sick?”

Branan cut in, “A part of the forest has been overrun by Jenova. Lifestream has been corrupted and it manifests as…” he finished with a shrug. “Pus.”

Marlene made a face of disgust. “Pus?”

“You know, like when you get an open sore…” Branan ran his hand through his hair.

“Sounds disgusting,” Ely remarked.

“I’m sure it is.” Branan grinned and he handed Ely a holstered sword. He withdrew it to show him the straight blade shining in the dim light. “Like I promised. There’s even some materia.”

Ely took the blade and admired the circular green and yellow raised emblems in the long curved hilt, similar to a gun handle. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Branan strapped it to his back, so the blade could be drawn easily. “You’re going to need it.” He laughed and slapped his arm. “Nah, it’ll be a breeze.” There was a sparkle of envy in his eyes and he spoke to Marlene before Ely could interject. “Can you use a bow?”

Wide-eyed, she shook her head.

“A gun?”

Her brows arched with remiss, she shook her head. Why, oh why, couldn’t she have learned some useful skill? But she never in all her life ever wanted to fight. She hung her head, feeling all their disappointed stares. “No…”

Talana rubbed her temples with irritation. “You can’t use anything can you?”

“I’ve never needed to,” Marlene cried, and her eyes moistened with the sudden pang of tears.

Ely took a step forward, half shielding Marlene from their stares. “I’ll be there, so she’ll be alright.”

“You’ll have to do.” Talana sighed.

Branan shook his head and still smiling, he held out a belt with a short sword. “I had a feeling you were going to say that. So I think you’ll be able to use this.” He buckled the strapping around her waist, and a thin harness went over her shoulder and across her chest. “It just fits,” he said with relief.

It sat neatly at her hips and she ran her hand over the silver design and embossed circles. She couldn’t see the materia, but she could feel it, humming with power. “What’s in it?”

“I’m not sure anymore.” Branan scratched his chin and admired it. “Umm, I think there’s an Elemental offensive. You’ll find out.” He winked at her.

Marlene looked to Althaea. “Can’t I use my Cetra power?”

Althaea stepped forward and put her hand on her head. “There’s no guarantee, but you can rely on Gaia’s strength.”

Her hand was a comforting pressure. Marlene stared with her mouth open, relaxing in the warm consuming glow.

“Enough of this chatter!” Talana broke the peaceful moment, and she turned to Branan. “Get going.”

Belia tugged on Marlene’s hand, and her mouth dropped with sadness. Marlene reassured her, “We’ll see you soon.”

Belia crossed her arms and grinned. “I know.”

“Don’t get into any trouble.” Ely patted her head.

Branan turned to leave and Marlene and Ely followed him into the ancient jungle.

Keeping an eye on Branan, and without being too distracted by the scenery, Marlene tried her best not to lose sight of him. The journey already seemed to take ages, but it was made more tedious, by giant tree roots, and the random swarms of pesky insects. They hounded her face, and she realized it was best to keep her mouth shut, in case the horrid things flew in.

She was glancing upwards a lot of the time, attempting to catch sight of sunlight. The ancient trees went up so far she could not distinguish their peaks, and their layers of massive limbs were more like bridges in the sky, blocking any light they might have received. But the yellow haze signified it was day at least, but for how long she couldn’t say, and where they were going, it probably didn’t matter. Tree trunks were as thick as a house, and as they walked further, the roots growing out of the earth, became a canopy above them. Everything was enormous and Marlene felt like a miniature person amongst the spectacular creations. She stepped closer to a huge pink flower, desiring to feel its vibrant sheen.

“Don’t go near those flowers!” Branan yelled over his shoulder.

Marlene halted in her tracks, her hand outstretched, and staring at the beautiful pink-purple flower, a foot off the ground, some were higher, but all had the same silken petal and intoxicating scent. She had been observing them on their journey. Now she stepped backwards, watching the petals softly drop to the floor, exposing a red stamen. In an instant, the petals snapped shut, engulfing a glut of large insects.

Ely stopped next to her, also watching the actions of the exotic monstrous flower.

Branan came to a complete stop and stared at them. His voice echoed amongst the overgrowth. “On second thought, don’t touch anything!” He turned back to the path. “It’s just safer.”

She had to agree that was good advice. As they walked, she looked to and fro in awe, spying more to look at. Everything seemed to be covered in a rich green, even stone and mounds. Hanging from branches, were lengths of leafy branches, so condensed, Branan had to cut a way through at times.

Gradually, among the green, she spotted black. At first she thought it to be shadows, but as it grew in frequency and opaqueness, she knew it must be the infection. It became easy to feel the difference. Not that she really understood it, but it was like a pain that took her breath away, and soon enough, she felt physically sick.

Branan stopped and waited till they were near. They had walked through the deadened forest under an ever darkening light above them. Branan spoke, his voice a solemn weight. “I can’t go any further.”

Marlene nodded, having the impression he had already gone beyond where he should have stopped.

“You can go from here.” He indicated a pathway under the rows of tree roots. “I’ll be around here somewhere.”

Marlene peered ahead. The miasma stretched as high as she could see, like a yawning ominous mouth of blackness. Overall she became even more nauseous. She hadn’t even entered it properly yet.

“What’s going to be in there?” Ely looked into the miasma with anxiety creasing his young face.

“Old Harbingers, probably, shadow creatures, deformed monsters--”

“Old Harbingers?” Ely scratched his head.

Branan replied, “They’ve been poisoned a long time. Eventually they turn into monsters.”

“And how--” Marlene shivered. “How will we find it?”

Branan squinted at her with consternation. “You’ll find it. It will be the only thing in there that’s not tainted.”

“Oh.” Marlene frowned with annoyance. Of course that sounded simple, to a Cetra. “But, how do you even know its there if you haven’t been in?”

“Because we can sense its presence.” Branan watched her with concern. “All you need do is sneak around and find its location. Then take it.” He demonstrated with his hand, and finished with a note of victory in his voice, as if it had already been achieved.

“I can use Hide?” she said with hope.

“Ah, I wouldn’t rely on that,” he said, “They don’t necessarily see, they use their senses, besides, I don’t think Gaia’s gifts will work in there.”

Marlene’s mouth fell agape. “Now you tell me!”

“That’s why I gave you the materia sword.” Branan smiled, not appearing uncomfortable by her offense in the least. He placed his hand on her shoulder and exerted a firm weight. “You’ll be fine. There’s nothing to it. Pray to Gaia if you get stuck.”

“Yep, we’ll be fine,” Ely told him. “We’ll see you when we’re done.”

Marlene steeled her shoulders, and took a breath to settle her apprehension. “Alright then, I’m ready.”

In a subdued silence, Marlene and Ely walked some way into the miasma, keeping to a semi-track between the trees bereft of life. It was similar to the forest they had just passed through, yet the colossal trees were blackened with decades of decay, and twisted branches formed narrow thorny canopies bare of leaves. Overhead, the trees’ limbs were in a mangled mess of dead wood. Even the giant flowers were present, yet they were mottled with a slimy grey. Underfoot was a muddy sludge of leafy debris they had to step through. Everything was bleeding with the oozing black stain. But the worse of it was the stinking sacks hanging in clusters from black roots and vines wrapped around the trees. Marlene kept well away from them, noting that some had burst open, and were dripping a globular blackness. The infectious liquid reminded her of the geostigma, and she imagined it must be the same. Perhaps the sickness she was currently feeling was similar to what Denzel and Cloud had suffered.

Marlene stepped tentatively into this new and sickening environment and into more murky light. For the first time since discovering her Cetra abilities, she could sense no life. Instead there was a cumbersome weight making her breathless and sick. Underlining the nausea was despair that they would achieve nothing.

“Now I’m beginning to get it,” Ely stated. “This Jenova stuff.”

It was so potent even Ely could sense it. “It’s…” Marlene took a gasping breath and shook her head, attempting to shake off the dismal feelings and the bile in her throat. “…depressing.”

The restricted gaps through the packs of spores offered little choice in paths. Ely choose the largest of the thorn laden canopies. “We’ll go further in and see if you can sense anything.”

Marlene followed close behind him, fighting off the vomit, and hoping her body would endure the rotten environment. “Yes, keep going for now.” Because at the moment, she could sense nothing but the evil surrounding them. For some reason she thought it would be easier than this. In the ancient forest she could sense the trees and the wildlife, but here in the midst of the Jenova miasma, she wanted to crawl up and hide away. She muttered her thoughts aloud, “Do you get the feeling we’re being used?”

“We are being used.” His statement was followed by a cocky grin.

Marlene gasped, sensing the reproof in his thoughts, and she took a slow thoughtful breath. Was she the one being selfish? This was for the good of the Planet, after all, and ultimately for Tifa. “Saving the Planet…” she mumbled, earnestly, but her words came out more like a grumble than a heroic declaration.

“The way I see it,” Walking along, Ely raised his eyes to the squints of dirt grey light through the twisted overhang, “If it weren’t for your mum, and Belia, and you, I wouldn’t even be here. And I mean, I probably wouldn’t be living…”

Marlene exhaled a rueful sigh.

“I’m lucky, if you ask me. Everything from here on in, is a bonus.”

“Okay. You can stop making me feel… bad.”

“Nah, it’s this place.” He gazed at the oozing sores on the tree. “It makes you feel… wrong somehow.”

She lifted her chin and her eyes reflected determination. He was right, it was so cloyingly evil, she could barely stand it. “No matter what I’m feeling, we are going to find that materia.” She finished in a huff, “If it’s the last thing I do.”

Ely chuckled. “That’s great, except, we have no idea where the thing is. And now…”

Marlene’s lips rolled in frustration. “Yeah, I know.”

“Let’s go further in.”

After some time of walking, and listening to strange noises in the distance, but not encountering any monsters of any sort, they finally stopped for a breather. Hands on his waist, Ely examined the cramped clearing. Mounds of rocks were scattered over the mushy ground, and a pool of black water was almost indistinguishable beyond a segment of rock, except for the spiraling vapours of black trailing upwards. Growing along the edge, were sharp needle like plants. Further still, was a shadowy outline of more spores.

Marlene stated her thoughts aloud, “I don’t understand what the Planet was thinking, choosing me. Why couldn’t she have picked someone more effective? Someone like Cloud. He would be much better at this.”

“Cloud?!” Ely replied, sharply.

“Oh, he’s like my other dad.” Marlene sighed with longing. Not for the first time, did she wish she could see Cloud right then. “The one I live with.”

“Cloud? The one who commanded the assault on Deepground?” His blue eyes were brightening with awe.

“Yep. That’s Cloud.” Marlene leaned her hand on the petrified wood of a tree, but then thought better of it, and removed it quickly. “But he doesn’t work for WRO now, even though Reeve asked him,” she grumbled, although she didn’t mean to, but she knew Cloud could be frustrating at times. Tifa had also asked him, she could even recall Denzel hinting at it.

“Whoa! I’ve heard he’s an amazing fighter.” He stared at her with fascination.

“I guess he is.” Marlene smiled, feeling relaxed with the chatter about her home life. “He’s very humble too.”

“He’d be good at finding this materia?”

“Ah, yeah…” She bit her lip, wondering if she could talk about Cloud’s past so freely. But on second thought, he would hate this place. “He’s good with materia. But, he’s not here. It’s just us.”

Ely nodded, scrunching his lips up. “Why don’t you ask the Planet? Like Branan said.”

Why couldn’t she think of that? “It’s worth a try.” She brushed grit from a larger boulder, and checked it over, making sure it wasn’t covered with the black liquid, and she sat.

Chuckling, Ely shook his head.

It was such an odd sound she looked up. “What?”

“I thought you would ask, not have a rest.”

Tilting her head, her pony-tail swished over her shoulder and dangled over her chest, and she looked at him with a chiding sweetness. “I just have a feeling I should be concentrating.”

Smiling, he rested his chin in his hand. “Okay, whatever you need to do.”

Ely kept an eye on the shadows, stretching past the pond and through the overhang of roots. Peculiar and eerie sounds were echoing about the corrupted woods, and he listened for any that might be coming closer. As he watched the weird pool, and the black twisted stream of Jenova infection, the water bubbled. He heard a strange rumble, and what he thought was a boulder, suddenly jumped at him, on squat legs. The grey-brown monster opened its mouth, and a long tongue shot out towards Marlene.

Instinctively, Ely stuck his hand out to stop it, and it coiled around his arm instead. Bound fast, he yanked against the frog, intent on pulling him into its mouth. The thing was strong and it became a battle of strength. Ely drew his sword, and cut into the tongue, slicing through the taut muscle. The release flung him back, and with a glance at Marlene, she still had her eyes closed and was oblivious to what was happening. Where the heck was she? Visiting Gaia herself?

The frog croaked with rage, and not giving up, it leaped and landed on his legs, pushing him backwards. Its breath was a horrid stink and he hoped it wasn’t poison, because it sure smelt like it.

The thing didn’t seem to care that Ely had a pointed weapon, and its mouth opened even wider as if to swallow him whole. With one hand, Ely attempted pushing its jaw away, and he grimaced at the saliva dripping down his wrist. “Gross!” he grunted, and he thrust his sword into its side, squelching through its solid flesh. Again and again he stabbed into it, before it fell back with a last rasping croak and was still. He wiped his blade on its blubber.

Marlene opened her eyes, and sat watching him with a confused and then horrified look. Eyes like tan saucers, she stared at the dead monster, and pointed. “What… is… that?”

It was now a red-grey mess on the ground and not much flesh left inside it. “I think it was a frog.”

Marlene stared dumbfounded. “But…” she hadn’t heard a thing.

“Did you get an answer?” he blocked her view of the dead creature.

“Ah…” her shoulders slouched. She had asked the Planet for guidance and even straight out help. But she could hear nothing in response. She had to admit this place was not teeming with Gaia’s voice.

“Okay, we’ll keep moving,” Ely answered for her.

They chose a pathway that looked clearer than the others and slowly went down it, cautiously and always expecting some monster to appear. They could hear frightening howls and bizarre far-off calls, but so far they had not come across any creatures, except for the frog. Marlene wondered if the Jenova enemy even suspected they were a threat at all.

After some time walking, Marlene said, “At least I’ve worked out the materia in this weapon.” She gripped the exposed hilt, and ran her palm across the raised circular etchings. “Well, mostly.”

“You can tell that?” Ely looked over his shoulder and paused to let her catch up. “How?”

“I’m not sure, really.” She creased her brow in contemplation. “When I touch it, and focus on the feeling, I can work it out.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.”

“Mmm, I guess.” She had never thought about it before, but as she did, she realized that not everyone had the ability. Certainly, Barret didn’t. “Aunt Yuffie taught me.” She went on, “She knows a lot about materia.” Recalling Yuffie’s ‘Guess the Materia’ game, she gave a low chuckle. Marlene would always win, unless Cloud played, although he hardly ever played willingly. “We used to try to figure out the materia, like a game.”

Ely gave her a questioning look.

“Most people need to touch it, but Cloud, he could tell what it was without touching.”

“He’s that good?”

Marlene nodded, envy shining in her eyes. “He doesn’t even need to see it. If Cloud played, we would hide it behind our back, just to make it challenging.” And if he didn’t play, he would cheat and tell Denzel what it was.

“And he guessed it?”

“Everytime.” Marlene smiled at the fond memory. Yuffie would even try holding two globes, if not more. Denzel usually guessed the elements, but Cloud would tell him, he had to concentrate more. You have to quiet your mind. How Yuffie could do it, Cloud didn’t know, but she must have some sort of knack with Materia. Yuffie quipped, ‘it’s in my genes!’

“Can you tell what’s in this?” Ely pulled out his sword and held the handle for her to view and touch.

She took the blade in her hands. It was not as heavy as she expected, but she still had to hold it firm. She stopped and closed her eyes, letting the weight rest in her hands. “Oh.” She paused. “Something stabbing into my flesh, and something cold, but there’s something making me feel safe.”

“You think Ice?” he watched her eagerly.

“Yes, and something else that will hurt. The blade itself is augmented.” She had touched Cloud’s swords a number of times to understand the complexities. Her own bracelet was packed with materia. Cloud must have known she would sense it right away, but he never said a thing, so she thought it best to go along with his secrecy. But now, she was more than thankful for it. It would protect her against all sorts of spells, and give her strength. “There’s a Shield, and there’s more… but it’s a type of fusion.” She concentrated on the strange sensation that was making her breathless. “Maybe it Stops?”

“Different materia together?”

“That’s right. If you’re not experienced with materia, you probably won’t be able to use it.”

“That’s handy to know…”

“Do you know how to use it?” Marlene blushed at the sudden presumptuous question.

“Sure.” He cocked his head and grinned at her awkwardness. “Back home, we had a Heal materia. I practiced. A lot.” He quickly diverted the conversation away from him. “What have you got?”

She clutched the strapping over her chest, and gripped the hilt. “Fire and Heal.” She paused. “But, there’s something else, and I can’t read it.”

“Hopefully we won’t need to find out.”

Marlene’s body raced with adrenaline at the thought of facing enemy foes. “Yeah…” she mumbled.

They continued on through the broken and tangled forest with the noises always beyond their sight, as if the monsters were also wandering the somber tunnels. On hearing a growling sound close by, Marlene whispered, “Can you hear something?” She flicked her eyes around the confined clearing.

“Shs!” Ely grabbed her arm and pulled her backwards into the shadows of a massive trunk. He quickly slid his sword from behind his back.

She withdrew her own blade, more in apprehension than the need to attack, and gripped it till her knuckles were white. From out of the darkness, sinewy black hounds appeared, along with a humanoid creature. Its bare torso and arms were a deep blue, yet beneath its waist its skin was midnight black, and on its head were flattened spikes. Except for the hounds’ sharp sallow teeth, their forms were near indistinguishable.

Marlene backed up till she was almost touching the ashen bark of the trunk, and she held her sword straight out in anticipation.

Ely stood ahead, and holding his sword with both hands in an offensive position, he directed it at all of them. He looked intimidating, to Marlene at least, and the monsters approached with wariness at the sight of the weapons. He shouted with impatience, “Come on!”

You don’t need to excite them, Marlene wanted to say, but she couldn’t get any words out, because everything happened so quickly. The first one jumped in, followed by the others. The monster on two legs was slower and Marlene seemed to be its target.

Ely moved so fast, she hardly knew what he was doing, but he was keeping them back, except for the half blue and black man-monster lumbering towards her. It made a groaning demand, and with its palm raised, red energy swirled on its palm.

Connecting with her materia, she let her spirit energy surge through her blade. Flames erupted on the muscular blue chest of the monster and spread over its skin. It not only affected the creature intent on her, but she noticed fire came upon all the monsters. Did I do that? She could only guess, because the monster had a hold of her arm with a vice grip and was ready to punch her with its crimson hand. With a startled cry and her heart racing in her throat, she stabbed into the stomach of the burning monster. Closing her eyes and cringing with horror, she pushed her blade in one more time as she felt the burning pain of the red energy in her muscles. The thing fell forward, and she doubled over, clutching her side at the excruciating pain.

Ely was swinging his sword madly, taking care of the rest of their attackers, all wounded by the fire. The fire certainly gave him the advantage.

Amid trying to heal herself, Marlene leaned against the tree, breathing fast and catching her breath. How did Cloud and Tifa, and Barret ever do this sort of thing, she had to wonder?

Finishing off the last of them, Ely stood for moments, breathing hard, and watching the shadows, just in case. “Are you hurt?” He finally turned to her, and released his grip on his sword, he offered her his hand.

Marlene used his hand as leverage to move from the tree. “I was…” The Heal materia was soothing her flesh, and she could breath easier again. “We really did it, didn’t we?” She glanced at the dead monsters.

“We sure did!” Ely’s hand became a fist and he grinned with exhilaration.

“That’s a relief.” Marlene exhaled slowly. “At least I know what that other materia is now.” She let a smug grin escape.

“Yeah? Whatever it was, it made a difference.” He slipped his sword back and rested his hand on his waist.

“It’s an All materia. Everyone gets affected, depending if they’re against us or not.” She rubbed her hand over the hilt, impressing on her mind the feel of it. “It’s not an easy materia to recognize.”

Ely watched her with admiration. “You really know about this stuff.”

Marlene shrugged. It was true, but… she never thought it was something difficult to learn. “I guess I do… But next time, we’ll do things differently.”

Both hands went to his waist this time and he cocked his head, and eyed her with a raised brow. Even in the dark, his eyes were a clean blue. “Is that so? Strategist now, are you?”

Folding her arms, she stepped nearer, and looked up. She couldn’t get over how tall he was, and they were so near in age. “I’ve got an idea.”

“Mmm, considering you know so much about materia… okay, but, if we get out of here and get home, you’ll have to teach me about it.”

She lifted her eyes in consideration and realized he was only half teasing. He really did want to know. But seeing as materia was not meant to be openly used anymore, she wasn’t sure that was a wise idea. Even so, she wasn’t going to say no. Not when he was watching her, his eyes framed by dark lashes, lowering in anticipation, and it almost sounded like a date. She realized she was standing a little bit too close, and she could feel the rosy glow hitting her cheeks. “Ah, sure.” Why was she even feeling this way, here and now? “You’re already pretty good.”

“You think?” he smiled and his eyes sparked even more.

Marlene’s blush deepened, and responded, quickly, “At using that.” Her eyes shifted to his weapon.

He touched the blade, peeking over his back. “This is turning out to be great practice.”

A piercing moment of anxiety came upon her, and she stared at him with wonder, and overwhelming appreciation. She said, softly, “I’m so glad you’re here, with me. If you weren’t, I would be alone…” She choked back tears at the thought of it, and covered her eyes with her hands. He didn’t need to come, he was never asked. He came of his own free will.

“Don’t even think it.” He lowered his face and shook his head. “I am here. There’s a reason for that.”

She wiped her eyes, and looked down. “I’m… it’s just… I’m grateful.”

“Marlene.” He paused and put a steady hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright, don’t worry about it. After all, we have to get out of here first.” He gave a spontaneous chuckle. “After we find the thing.”

A dismal groan escaped her. It was past obvious, the materia was beyond her ability to sense.

“Now, what is your ‘plan’ if we are attacked?”

“Oh…” she scratched her chin in thought. “I think, if we can, I’ll keep back, and do a spell as many times as possible before I’m spotted. I think I can be more effective that way, and I can Heal you.”

“Sounds great, the healing especially.”

“Did you use the materia in the sword?”

Ely let his hand rest on the sword hilt, his face scrunching with consternation. “No, I didn’t get a chance. But I did feel the strength of the blade cut into them.”

“Okay, but next time, you use that materia,” she ordered with a pointed finger.

A smile played on his face. “Right, if you say so.”

“I’m being serious!” she pleaded. “I do want to find this materia. And I want us both to get out of here.”

“I’m with you on that.” He nodded in agreement.

After more walking and more frustration, and a growing annoyance, Marlene was near ready to admit she really didn’t know where she was going. She was tired of wandering around in the sickening and depressing environment. But despite her despairing emotions, she sensed something that gave her a spark of hope.

“What’s up, Marlene?” Ely had stopped and his mouth curved down in concern. “You keep checking over your shoulder.”

She glanced down another cramped path into darkness. “It’s just, I feel something, but it’s not bad… something good.”

“The materia?” He walked up to the decrepit overgrowth that formed a congested tunnel of black spores. “Down there?”

“Maybe…” Marlene had no desire to go down that way. “Oh, how I wish Belia were here. I’m sure she would know, somehow.” She threw her hands up in irritation at herself.

Movement in the shadows caused Ely to withdraw his sword at top speed and point it towards a tangle of brittle shrubs.

Out of the darkness ran a pale white haired child, dressed in blue. This was no monster.

“Belia?!” Marlene squealed with a sharp mix of confusion and joy. It was followed by words struck with sudden fear. “But, no! Why are you here?”

“Marlene!” Belia, breathing heavily, ran to her and hugged her waist.

Ely holstered his blade and crouched to see the girl’s shining eyes. “Belia, this place is dangerous, for you especially.”

Belia pouted, and her eyes misted over.

“Ely’s right, you could get sick.” Marlene caressed her hair in anxious worry. What had they done? Didn’t she understand? She would definitely get sick now, being in this awful place.

“I don’t care!” she cried. “They don’t want me. You don’t want me either.”

“No. We care about you.” Ely stood and shared a worried glance with Marlene.

Marlene gulped and calmed her rushing nerves. What she really wanted to do was shout with anger and cry. “Did you run away?”

Belia let Marlene go and wiping her tears away with the back of her hand, she nodded. Opening her fingers, she revealed an object in her hand. A green orb of materia. “I got this too. To help.”

“You ran away and you stole something?” Ely couldn’t help smiling. “That’s really something.”

“They’re not going to be happy.” Marlene frowned. It would just make them mad and more suspicious. But would they have reason to? She didn’t want to think of that. But what if she and Ely saw her change into a Harbinger? Could they even kill her if they had too? She knew she wouldn’t be able to. She couldn’t, she covered her mouth in shock at the notion that Belia would become corrupt from Jenova. “Ely…”

“Let’s not think about anything, yet. Let’s get this darn materia.” He told her resolutely. “You thought Belia could help, right? Maybe this is the Planet’s answer?”

His profound comment amazed her, and she stared mezmerised for moments. Eventually she gave him a sharp nod.

Belia took his hand and squeezed. “That’s why I came. Too help. Because Marlene won’t be able to find it.”

“Eh? What?” Marlene was indignant, but… she was right, of course.

Ely shook his head at the two of them and laughed. He walked ahead with Belia. “Yeah, I know. We would have been walking a long time.” He looked over his shoulder to see Marlene pulling a face. “Does that mean you know where it is, Belia?”

“Uh-huh!” she tugged him a little further along.

Marlene came up beside her. “And how do you know?”

“I’ve touched it. I know its feel.” Belia had a serious glint in her eyes.

“Oh.” Marlene pondered her words. That meant it was in her possession at one time.

“It used to be yours?” Ely asked.

Belia shook her head swiftly, her white locks swishing over her shoulders. “Papa’s.”
“Your papa… he’s gone now, isn’t he? And your mother?” Marlene could read that much in the girl’s thoughts, and she began to piece together what might have happened to her family. “I see now. Your parents kept this materia.”

Belia nodded. “I can’t remember what happened exactly. But I remember, after it happened I was very sick, and grandfather looked after me till I was well. And then I was stolen.”

“Your grandfather? Where is he?” Ely asked

“We were living in Kalm, but he’s not my real grandfather. He was my parents close friend.” Her voice turned to a wistful whisper, and a sad look came over her. “He cared for me, and he’s not even a Cetra.”

“I’m sorry about your parents, Belia.” Marlene took her free hand, and was once again warmed by the child’s essence.

Belia nodded. “It’s okay, we’ve all lost people to the life-stream. Ely’s lost his brother, you’ve lost your Cetra friend, and I’ve lost my parents.”

“Hey, how…” Marlene was about to ask, but of course, Belia, the intuitive Cetra child, would know.

Ely didn’t bat an eye, and said, “You know about that?”

“I know a lot of things. But some things are harder to know than other things.” Belia looked at them one at a time. “But the things that affect the people I like, I can see.”

“I’m not even going to ask about that.” Ely shook his head, his eyes widening with wonder. “Actually that’s slightly disturbing.”

“Maybe there is a reason to all this, somehow,” Marlene said, and she glanced at Ely, gaining a new insight into his emotions. Now she understood what she couldn’t previously read in his thoughts. He had a wall of pain, protecting many memories. Of her own sadness, she assumed she had dealt with it years ago. Did her grief over Aeris still linger?

“Well, Miss Belia, if you can see things that others can’t see, can you see this materia?” Ely’s voice turned playfully stern, but they could tell he really did want an answer. It had been too long a time lost in the miasma.

“Yep!” Belia sang, “Let’s go!”