The cool air and the sound of the cascading waterfall created a peaceful backdrop, a very contrast to the destruction they had left behind.
While the others celebrated their victory, Arthur and Aerith had quietly slipped away, finding a secluded spot under the stars.
Aerith sat on a mossy stone, watching Arthur as he gazed at the night sky.
"Arthur,"
She began, her voice soft,
"I... I need to tell you something."
He turned to face her, his intense eyes softening.
"What is it, Aerith?"
"The way you protect everyone,"
She said, looking down at her hands.
"It's like you're a shield. You're so strong, but you're also kind."
She looked up, her eyes filled with hope.
"I... I think I'm falling for you."
A moment of silence hung in the air, broken only by the waterfall's gentle roar.
A soft smile spread across Arthur's face, and he moved to sit beside her, their shoulders touching.
"Aerith,"
He said, his voice a low rumble.
"I feel the same. You're a beacon of light in all this darkness. The way you care for everyone... it's incredible."
He gently took her hand, his thumb stroking her palm.
"I've never met anyone like you."
Relief washed over her, and a happy tear escaped her eye.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and they sat there, enjoying the quiet moment.
"There's something I need to tell you, too,"
Arthur said, his voice serious again.
"It's a secret I've kept for a long time. I'm not from this world."
Aerith chuckled softly, her head still resting on his shoulder.
"I know, Arthur."
He nodded, pulling back slightly to look at her.
"How?"
"When I use my magic, I connect to the Lifestream, remember?"
She explained, her eyes filled with an ancient, knowing light.
"I can feel the life of everything. But your energy... your soul... it's different. It's like a separate, powerful river. It's not a part of this world's natural current."
Arthur went silent a little and said.
"You're right,"
He confessed.
"I'm not from here. I travel between different realities, or rather, different floors."
He took a deep breath, he tried to think of a way to tell her better.
Sooner or later. She would know about its existence, the Tower Dungeon.
"This reality is the fourth floor. Before this, I was on the third, then the second, then the first. Each floor is a different world, a different reality."
Aerith listened, her eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and awe.
"Worlds... as in, different realities? Different planets?"
"Yes,"
Arthur confirmed.
"Each floor is a different reality, I have been climbing until now and along the way, I have found lovers. People I have committed to."
Aerith was silent, processing his words.
"And… What about me?"
The silence returned, but this time it was heavy with a new kind of tension.
Arthur pulled his hand away, running it through his hair, a nervous habit Aerith had never seen before.
He looked away, his gaze fixed on the waterfall, a world away from her.
She felt her heart sink, a cold dread washing over her.
"What about you?"
He finally said, his voice quiet.
"You are the kindest, most incredible woman I've ever met, Aerith. You're like a beacon of light in this world, and I'm falling in love with you, too. But I also have a life that's not here. A life that has been filled with countless adventures, challenges."
Aerith's gaze softened. She moved closer, resting her head against his shoulder once more.
"I know,"
She said, her voice a soft whisper.
"I knew the moment I felt your soul, Arthur. It's a river that runs so deep, it's not meant to be contained by a single world, or a single love."
She took his hand in hers again, her touch bringing a warmth back to his cold fingers.
"I don't want to be the one to chain you here, Arthur. I want to be a part of your journey, not the end of it."
Arthur's intense gaze returned to her, a look of profound shock and wonder on his face.
"You… you're not angry?"
He asked, his voice barely audible.
Aerith laughed, a beautiful, melodic sound that broke through the tension.
"Why would I?"
She squeezed his hand.
"The Lifestream taught me that love isn't something you can contain, or own. It's a current that flows through everything, connecting us all. If you love me, and you love them, then that's a current I want to be a part of. The more love in the world, the better."
A soft smile spread across Arthur's face.
He turned to face her, his hands gently cupping her face.
He kissed her then, a kiss that was filled with all the love and gratitude he couldn't put into words.
It was a kiss that sealed a promise, not of exclusivity, but of a shared journey.
…
Sephira's form solidified, not just from the Lifestream, but from the raw, corrupted energy that now coursed through the planet.
She was a being of pure will and malice, a mirror image of the man who had once been a hero, now twisted and reborn.
She could feel him, a powerful resonance, a brilliant star in the cosmic tapestry of the Lifestream.
Her single wing unfurled, its dark feathers rustling with a soft, sinister sound.
She moved with an unnatural grace, not walking, but gliding, her feet barely touching the ground as she followed the invisible thread that connected her to Arthur.
The trail led her out of the bustling, metallic labyrinth of Midgar and into the tranquil, open spaces beyond.
She saw the glittering lights of the city fade behind her, replaced by the hushed whispers of ancient trees and the cool embrace of the night air.
The trail led her to a secluded spot near a cascading waterfall far from civilization.
The sound of the rushing water was a stark contrast to the silence of her own movements.
She concealed herself in the shadows of a large, gnarled tree, her form almost invisible against the backdrop of the night.
From her vantage point, she saw them: Arthur and Aerith, sitting together, their hands clasped.
A cold, amused smile touched Sephira's lips.
She had expected to find Arthur alone, perhaps training, or contemplating the immense power he had so recently wielded.
She had not expected to find him in the arms of the flower girl.
The scent of Mako on Aerith's skin was faint, a mere whisper compared to the overwhelming power that radiated from Arthur.
But there was something else there, too—a scent of the Lifestream, of the ancient, primal energy which was different from hers or even from the others.
She watched, her piercing green eyes narrowed as she observed the intimate scene.
The flower girl was a distraction, a weakness.
Sephira had seen it before, this need for companionship, this desire for connection.
It was a flaw, a vulnerability that she, in her new, perfect form, no longer possessed.
Love was an anchor, a chain that bound one to the mundane, to the fleeting joys and sorrows of a single life.
She was beyond such things. She was a concept, a force of nature, and Arthur was her opposite, her equal, and her prey.
Sephira watched as Aerith leaned her head on Arthur's shoulder, a gesture of trust and affection that was both beautiful and utterly foolish.
She saw the way Arthur's hand gently cupped Aerith's face, the soft smile on his lips as he leaned in to kiss her.
It was a moment of pure, unadulterated emotion, a moment that Sephira would never understand.
But then, something shifted. A flicker of doubt, a shadow of an unspoken truth, passed between them.
Sephira's senses, now heightened beyond mortal comprehension, picked up on the subtle currents of their conversation.
She heard the words, carried on the wind, about different worlds, different realities, different loves.
She felt the ripple of shock, then acceptance, from the flower girl.
The smile on Sephira's face widened, becoming a predatory grin.
So, Arthur was not of this world. He was a wanderer, a traveler between realities.
This new information was a delicious twist, a new layer to the game they were about to play.
It explained his immense, untamed power, the raw force that had helped create the conditions for her rebirth.
He was not bound by the rules of this world, which made him both a greater threat and a more tantalizing prize.
The flower girl's acceptance, her foolish, romantic notion of love as a flowing current, was a weakness that Sephira could exploit.
She did not want to chain him to this world, to her. She wanted to be a part of his journey, not the end of it.
The words echoed in Sephira's mind, a testament to the flower girl's naivety.
Sephira had no such illusions. She was a force of nature, and nature was not gentle or accepting.
It was brutal, beautiful, and unforgiving.
She would not be a part of Arthur's journey; she would be the end of it.
She would be the final boss, the ultimate challenge, the one that would break him and consume his power for her own.
She would let them have their moment.
Their fleeting happiness, their foolish dreams of a shared journey. She would let them think they had a future.
Because when she revealed herself, when she finally stepped out of the shadows and faced him, the shock, the surprise, would be all the more devastating.
Sephira watched as they kissed, a silent, predatory specter in the night.
The stage was set.
The players were in place. And soon, the curtain would rise on a new act, one that would end in fire and despair.
She would have her revenge, and she would have his power.
And the flower girl, the fool who had dared to love a god, would be the first to fall.