Jaune's trial began with a great roar from the crowd.

Aqua heard it from down below, in the Hall of Heroes. She'd left her mark on the Pyrrha cup already, and had raised her keyblade to the cheering of the Athenians. Last time she'd competed here, the struggle and victory carried a rush. She'd ascended into glory. This time felt stagnant.

This Hall felt stagnant.

All the glory of heroes past, reduced to statues and mementos. Nothing living; nothing moving. One podium at a time, she glanced at the mementos, skimmed the plaques, and moved on.

Sunlight didn't reach through the whole crypt. She crossed the dividing line, out of the sun's beam, into the cooler air, and waited for her eyes to adjust to darkness.

On the far wall, she found what she'd sought. Atop a podium, glimmering bronze, a small statue of a Chocobo. And on the plaque beneath it: the name Zack Fair.

Aqua halted in place. All warmth had left her skin, and now she shivered.

She'd come looking for proof. Here it was.

Zack Fair had lived his life. For almost a decade, Aqua had run in circles and fought for survival, getting nowhere, learning nothing, meaning nothing. And her friends had lived out their lives without her. Zack had fulfilled his dream, probably fallen in love, joined groups, left groups, practiced skills and triumphed in competitions.

Phil's hooves shuffled at the entrance, announcing his presence. He cast a long shadow, and his face was barely visible due to the contrast of the light.

"Figured I'd find you in here," Phil sighed.

"It's alright," Aqua assured him. "I'm alright. I just… Wanted closure, I guess."

"You're sad."

"Of course. My friend is dead."

"Bah." Phil waved dismissively. "Our values are different. You know, I cheered out loud for him, when I found out. Threw a party. Hercules was overjoyed. Women cried happy tears, and children threw flowers for him. Zack was a popular guy. And his dream, to be a hero, to die in the prime of his age and leave a beautiful body behind…" Phil placed a hand on his heart. "Aqua, there are few who will ever do so well in life."

"You're right," she nodded. "I should be happy for him."

But the admission didn't change her feelings. She covered her eyes, with one hand, to hide the tears that she'd held for so long.

Phil reached out his arms. "Aqua. Look. You were young once, naïve and childish, right? And then your master sent you into the world with a light heart. You did your great deed. But… Well, that place you've been for ten years? Instead of dying, you did something not quite like it. And now you're you."

She listened and nodded, but kept her eyes covered.

Phil licked his lips, clearly uncomfortable. "Aqua, think for a second about the whole journey you've been on. If you had to start over from the beginning, as who you are now, could you do it again?"

Ten years she'd spent reacting to every motion and sound for combat. And not a second of that decade was spent in meditation or thought. She hadn't even noticed. What was left of her? An animal with quick reflexes. Barely any personality. No warmth of love, nor Will to Power.

For a moment, she tried to look inward. But she found that she didn't dare to. A wall of fear barred the entrance to her heart.

She lowered her hand and looked to Phil for grounding.

"No," she admitted.

Phil's dimples sagged, pulling his expression down. His whole face wrinkled in sorrow, as if she'd cast those ten years onto him.

"Death is a sad thing," he said. "But it's not the worst thing."

Aqua hugged herself and rubbed her arms, fighting off the chill. "Am I better off dead?" Her voice quavered.

Phil cast off his sorrow. A laugh jumped up his throat. "HA! No, you just have to do another great deed is all. Double the work." He threw his head back to laugh more, and the laughter was contagious.

Aqua giggled for the first time she could remember.

And as the joke caught on to her, she remembered the days she played under the sun with her friends, and the nights under the stars. This would be the first of her new happy times. She would nurture this laughter like a flame and share it with Terra and Ventus someday. She would lighten her heart and learn to fly again.

For now, she was ready to accept that Zack was gone. That she had to continue without him.

She caught her breath, wiped tears from her eyes, and asked, "Alright, Phil. Could you… Whew. Could you tell me the story? What was Zack's great deed?"

If requested, Phil could recite the story of every hero in this hall. He served this ceremonial role at the beginning of every cup. Now, for an audience of one, he began. "The greatest hour of Zack Fair's life, from the account of his brother in arms, Cloud Strife."

Zack Fair held up two fingers to Cloud's face.

Boyish excitement lifted his features, and he whispered to Cloud as if they were hiding from grownups. "Remember, we need The Princess and the Heart, and we need to get them before anybody else does, okay? You brought the materia, right?"

Cloud patted the bulky bracer on his throwing arm. A socketed gem the size of a fist sparkled with magical power.

"Zack," he whispered, "They're not gonna let us in with these weapons."

High above them towered Radiant Gardens' Clocktower Keep, the center of all political and military power in the universe, the scepter from which Ansem the Wise lead this golden age of prosperity. Its mighty shadow traversed the city like a sundial. The shadow was just leaving the courtyard, and glorious rays prismed across the jeweled, marble flagstones.

Across the courtyard, two royal guards nervously shifted their weight and watched Cloud.

Zack turned his back to them. "Yeah, I know, Cloud. That's why we brought the weapons." Zack patted the massive sword on his back. Cloud's eyes draped the length of the blade. He'd seen shorter spears. This thing was the size of a whole man.

Cloud licked his parched lips nervously. "We're going to jail, and I'm gonna feel like an idiot."

Zack chuckled, still looking too excited- hopped up on adrenaline. "You trust me, Cloud?"

Cloud held out his hands, frustrated. "I trust you, Zack, I'm just a little surprised, okay? You're telling me the whole country's been taken over by time-travelling, interdimensional, child-snatching monsters who want to steal the world's heart. Whatever that means."

"It means no more Radiant Gardens."

The guards were still watching them.

Cloud scratched the back of his neck. "Zack, we're acting real suspicious, man."

Zack checked his watch. "We're waiting for Avalanche."

"Avalanche? The Eco-Terrorists?"

Zack put a hand on Cloud's shoulder. "Look, we can't be picky. Our enemies are literal and pure evil."

"Sure, but you could've mentioned Avalanche sooner. And, hey," Cloud gestured to the doors. "Isn't there another guy from SOLDIER stationed here? A first class, like you, right?"

Zack nodded his head sideways, "Yeah, Sephiroth's here, but that's not our problem."

Cloud blinked. "How is that not our problem?"

"Because if it is a problem, then the whole world ends. And that's not gonna happen."

Cloud frowned. "Zack I love you, man, but the plan is that two farm boys are gonna fight the entire Royal Guard."

Zack shook his head. "No, Cloud. The plan is to steal the Heart of the World, save the Princess, and not fight the entire Royal Guard."

"Alright. And I'm the guy you brought along?"

"Of course."

"Why?"

Zack released Cloud's shoulder and cradled his cheek, chuckling like they were pulling a prank. "Because I love you too, Bro."

Thunder, distant and deep, announced the destruction of a Mako reactor. It shrieked like a thousand jet engines and blazed like a colossal road flare, distracting the guards. Horror crossed their faces.

Cloud asked, "That's our cue?"

"Go!"

Cloud was an above average runner in his recruit class; Zack was on a whole other level. He checked his shoulder and shouted, "Gotta keep up, Cloud!"

They sped through the front gates, skidded around the hallway corner, and stopped at their first challenger.

A cloaked man leaned against their door, arms folded. This was one of Ansem's Apprentices.

"Bad guy," Cloud warned.

Zack straightened to a stop, his grin still shining. "Hang on a sec. I know this one. Axel, right?"

Axel threw down his hood and blinked in surprise, then answered Zack's smile with his own- far sharper. "I'm glad you remembered."

Zack puffed out his chest and announced, as if casting a spell, "Let your Heart Be Your Guiding Key."

Cloud raised his eyebrows and looked at Zack like he was crazy.

Axel looked paralyzed. Shock in his eyes, utter stillness across the rest of his features. He stammered, "H-how do you know about that?"

Zack shook his head wildly. "Don't got time, Man. This is a jailbreak. Somebody's gotta put this right."

Axel was shaken, but he didn't step aside. He nodded upwards, a challenge to Zack. "What makes you think you can take on the whole Royal Guard?"

Cloud stepped forward. "Hey, man, know who you're talking to! This is Zack Fair, Soldier First Class!"

Axel sneered at Cloud. But he nodded, and asked Zack, "First Class?"

"If anyone can pull this off, it's me."

Axel nodded, then moved aside. "If we meet again, we're enemies." He nodded them onwards. "Go. Good luck."

Zack sprinted, and Cloud kept pace, running the interaction through his head. Farther down the hallway, he asked, "Let your heart be your guiding key?"

Zack laughed. "Pretty good, right? I know Ansem's Apprentices better than he ever did."

"Zack, what the heck does that even mean?"

"Not a clue. Next step. Got that materia ready?"

"Yeah!"

This hallway was part of the inner acropolis. King Ansem had kept the old aesthetic in the remodel. Walls of stone and mortar.

Ahead of them, where the hallway left the great wall and became a catwalk, sunlight shone through windows on both sides.

Zack stutter-stepped to a stop at the last point of safety, his back pressed against the wall. "Okay. Lemme take a peek."

He leaned timidly until his eye entered the beam of light. "Not on the right side," he hummed.

Cloud had gotten a truncated version of the plan. He asked, "You sure your guy's here? I mean… How would he know to wait for us at this catwalk?"

Cloud leaned into the sunlight to look left. Across the acropolis and atop the wall, he saw a twinkling light, where the sun reflected on a rifle scope. Zack shot a hand out and pushed him back, and the stone exploded where Cloud's head had been.

Cloud and Zack stared at each other wide-eyed, then exhaled their adrenaline dumps together.

"Like I said," Zack said, "This one's Xigbar. Guy has a knack for being exactly where he needs to be."

Cloud cocked his throwing arm and cast his materia with a gesture. The gem glowed in his bracelet, and a barrier formed over the windows.

As they ran along the catwalk, a shot ricocheted off the arcane force field. Zack cupped his hands and shouted, "Try aiming with both eyes!"

The catwalk lead into the cathedral, but brought no sunlight. This service route took them along the top rim of the atrium. Gone were the nation's pews. Now mechanisms clicked and electrical arcs snapped, echoing terribly in the darkness. Coolant pipes mauled the architecture and shed puffs of frost into the stagnant air. These were the corpus of an age of reason, the inner workings of the national computer.

Zack pointed and lead them to the chapel's head. The balcony there had once hosted a pipe organ. Now it was a control room, all white tiles and white panels. Zack slid into place at the keyboard overlooking the hall.

Down on the floor, all the wires and pipes converged on a platform attended by mechanical arms and sparking instruments.

Cloud squinted at it. "That an assembly line?"

Zack was staring intently at the keyboard, reading each key carefully, heart rate visible in his veins. "Yeah. The Apprentices are manufacturing Heartless."

"Heartless?"

"Ansem discovered them under the castle. His apprentices studied them. Now they manufacture them."

"I thought the shadows under the castle were a metaphor."

Zack wiped a drop of sweat from his brow and held up a hand to stop the questions. "Gotta focus. The password is…"

Tap. Tap. Tap.

He poked each key with a pointer finger. "Another."

Tap.

The wall behind them slid open for a secret passage. Zack pointed. "This way."

Cloud pointed at the keyboard. "How'd you figure all this stuff out?"

"Angeal did most of that," Zack shrugged.

Cloud followed him into the secret room, a dark, downward staircase.

As they crossed into the umbra, he asked, "Why isn't Angeal here with us?"

He could barely see Zack as they descended, and only by the glimmer on the Buster Sword's cutting edge.

"Because Angeal's dead, Cloud."

"King Ansem killed a Soldier First Class… And covered it up?"

"Ansem's dead, too."

"He gave a speech last week. I was there."

"Hologram," Zack grunted.

Cloud couldn't dispute it. They continued down the stairs, the air growing colder, feet tapping on each step, until Cloud realized, "If Ansem's gone, who's running the country?"

"A few years ago, this guy named Xehanort appeared in the middle of town. Happened at night. Fell out of a corridor to darkness."

"A what?"

"Ansem brought Xehanort into the Apprentice program. Xehanort took it over. Exiled Ansem. Impersonates him."

They landed at the bottom of the stairs. "Welcome to the oubliette," Zack whispered.

"Zack, this wasn't part of the plan."

"I know. But I made Axel a promise, remember? Don't wanna go back on my word. Find a light switch."

Cloud pawed at the wall and flicked a switch. Fluorescents made him squint.

The room was a large circle, steel walls, with hallways branching out cardinally. At the room's center, a suit of foreign armor lay chained down on an examination table. Zack halted at the sight of it.

A pauldron lay partially disassembled on the table, displaying its layers: adamantine plating, orichalcum absorption, gold wires, hundreds of tiny materia cores socketed and linked in an elaborate silicone chip.

Cloud nudged him. "We gotta move, remember?"

Zack nodded at the table. "The night Xehanort appeared… This suit of armor was with him."

Cloud tilted his head at the breastplate. "Looks like it's for a girl."

"It belongs to a woman named Aqua," Zack murmured. His mind was elsewhere. "Thought she'd come back for this someday, but…"

"Where's she… Where's this thing from?"

"Scala ad Caelum," Zack remembered.

Cloud raised his eyebrow. "The fairytale kingdom?"

"The world's ending, Cloud. Get used to fairy tales."

"I thought we're saving it."

Zack wobbled his head side to side. "We're doing the next best thing."

Zack drew the buster sword from his back and busted the chains restraining Aqua's armor. Cloud had never seen Zack truly let loose with the sword before. His blows were like watching a man set records at a gym. Every strike sounded like the plates hitting a squat rack.

Bash.

Bash.

Bash.

Bash.

And there went a million gil worth of mythril restraints.

Cloud scratched his forehead in wonder.

Zack stared at the armor expectantly, like it would jump to life. "It can move on its own."

It didn't.

Cloud asked, "Are we rescuing the armor?"

"No, but…" Zack snorted, then beckoned, "You're right, we gotta move."

They sprinted. Zack took corners tightly. He knew his way.

The jails in Radiant Gardens would be scandalized to have a single cell like these. Thatch on the floors. Blanket in the corner.

Only one was occupied. An emaciated girl curled naked under her blanket.

Cloud swallowed. For the first time, he was seeing proof of the atrocities. The rumored darkness under the Clocktower Keep.

Bars. Keypad. Cloud reached for it and asked, "Zack, you know the code?"

"Yeah."

Zack gripped the steel bars and dropped into a power stance. He huffed oxygen into his muscles and then exerted so much raw strength that Cloud stepped back.

Zack's muscles flexed and shook with the effort. A roar built in his throat, and then the steel groaned and made room for him.

"Damn," Cloud noted.

Zack pulled the prisoner from the cell and lifted her into his arms. "Hey. I have a message from DiZ."

Limp and blanketed, she was like a ragdoll without its stuffing. But from the darkness under her blanket hood, Cloud saw a shimmer- her eyes had found Zack's.

"He says he's found the Key."

The Girl reached feebly for Zack's hand, and squeezed him.

Zack handed her to Cloud.

Cloud had never been so bewildered in his life. "Zack, who the heck is DiZ? Who's This?"

They took off again, Zack retracing his steps to the stairs.

The added weight had Cloud puffing his cheeks and feeling the burn in his lungs. Exhaustion crept into his muscles.

Zack, meanwhile, had wind to spare. "I told you the Apprentices are manufacturing Heartless right?"

Cloud timed his exhale to grunt, "Yeah."

"They turned themselves into Heartless, too. As a side effect, the survivors become Nobodies."

"Huh?"

"People without hearts."

"Why?"

They reached the circular entry room. The armor was gone. Zack noted this with a glance.

"Maybe their conscience was bothering them." Zack gestured at the girl. "Stopped freaks like Vexen from kidnapping people."

"Ahem," a new voice announced.

Cloud and Zack turned to see four more Apprentices standing in the north hallway. The cloaked figures fanned out into the circular room.

Zack pointed. "That one's Vexen. And there's Sai'x, Lexaeus, and Xaldin."

They each flicked their wrists, summoning weapons to their hands.

Zack leaned to Cloud and whispered, "I'll catch up."

Cloud took the cue to run. The sounds of the fight chased him up the flight, and Cloud panted for his life, pushing his lungs to sprint clear. The prisoner's head wobbled lamely despite his best efforts.

From the Cathedral, he knew the way to the Light Rail system. Across the Hall, through the maintenance access, around the kitchens, and past automaton storage was the least guarded station.

Two royal uniforms stood at attention there and eyed Cloud oddly, watched him drip sweat on the carpet and pant like a hamster on a wheel. The gem on his bracelet was still visibly shedding heat. The prisoner tilted her head to them.

Thinking fast, Cloud mumbled, "I tell you what, guys. Getting into the Apprentice program ain't easy."

The guards glanced at each other, then minded their business.

It was quiet enough to hear the light beam sizzling in the air. The platform arrived, suspended by the beam of light, and the ornate brass birdcage swung open. Cloud waddled onboard and knelt into a cross legged position, cradling his ward.

The platform moved so smoothly and quietly that it felt like solid ground. The cage exited the building a kilometer above the actual ground. The platform followed the clocktower's outer edge for a while, giving him a nice tour of the gardens in the acropolis. Then the rise began, and all of the city's gardens came into view.

The fountains and their sparkling, the emerald evergreens and pink sakuras. Marble and Orichalcum architecture.

"I hope you're not afraid of heights," he hummed. She turned her head to the view, and watched from sunken eyes as the greatest city in all the worlds was laid out before her.

The higher they went, the sharper the sound of wind became. But they didn't feel it inside the cage. Some spell or technology kept them safe. Luxury had consumed Radiant Gardens long ago; These things were taken for granted. Cloud watched reactor three burn and wondered if that was changing.

A large chunk of brass fell past the platform. Cloud looked where it had been, then up.

Above them, Zack was running along the wall of the keep, sword drawn and chasing one of the Apprentices, who could fly apparently.

Arcane winds supported Xaldin's considerable bulk, whipping at his black cloak. His gestures twirled spears and launched them in violent gusts.

Zack parried with the buster sword, leaped from the wall, and swiped through Xaldin's body with all his might. Xaldin fell. He didn't bleed, nor sever. He only fell, grimacing in pain, seemingly unscathed.

Zack landed on the platform and rolled to a stop, then leaned back into a cross-legged repose with Cloud, chuckling, "Whew. That got a lot more dynamic than I expected."

Cloud asked, "Didn't you cut him?"

"They're not human anymore." Zack leaned in to check on the girl. She'd closed her eyes.

Cloud asked, "You think she's gonna live?"

Zack frowned at the horizon. "Maybe they were never human," he decided.

Cloud was only just starting to recover his endurance. He swallowed some anxiety and asked, "So… You've never mentioned Aqua before."

Zack wobbled his head sideways. "Only met her once. Eh, twice. We competed at the Coliseum. Back when I was a teenager."

"That all?"

"We had a bond," Zack admitted. "Still do."

"A… Bond," Cloud implied.

"It's called a Dimensional Link."

"Uh huh."

"She made this thing she called a Wayfinder. It connects peoples' hearts."

"Hmm."

"It means we can lend each other our strengths," Zack explained.

"Mmm."

"Damn it, Cloud!" Zack reached over and punched his arm. "Look, don't go giving Aerith any ideas that aren't right!"

"Yeah, man. I'll be sure and emphasize your deep, emotional connection to this other girl's heart."

"Whatever. Change of topic: We're gonna be late."

"Almost there." Cloud lifted the prisoner and grunted as he stood.

Zack teased, "I hope you enjoyed the rest. Oh, and Cloud?"

"Yeah?"

The platform slowed to a stop. Ten Shinra uniforms turned to look at them.

"That's them! HALT!"

Zack was more concerned with Cloud. "If I survive, don't mention Aqua to Aerith."

"If?"

Zack drew the Buster sword and cleared a path through the rifle fire and laser lances, smacking bodies to the wall and beating helmets with the flat of his sword.

The last body fell, and Zack started patting pockets.

This whole level broke the castle's aesthetic. Polished obsidian floor. Metaglass with flickering holographic designs- The Shinra logo chief among them.

Cloud asked, "Zack? I thought we're going to the heart of the world."

"We are."

"But this is the Keep's Mako reactor."

"They only pretend it's a reactor. This facility's a borehole into the Heart of the World."

"Sephiroth's stationed here."

Zack found a keycard and swiped the door open. He peeked inside and answered, "Sure is."

He sheathed the buster sword, but kept a hand on it as he entered the tight corridor. Cloud followed, hunched over and carrying the girl.

The door slid closed behind them, and the only light left was at the end of the hall: The all-powerful glow of Mako energy.

Like the nation's cathedral, this section was a nexus of pipes and machinery. The hallway spilled into a circular room. In the center, a low, wall held a dazzling pool of light. It was too bright for Cloud to stare at, but it seemed to flicker like rippling water, casting rays erratically across the room's messy infrastructure.

It made perfect sense, now that he saw it. A fountain of life: There was no better form for the heart of Radiant Gardens.

Sephiroth stared into the pool, transfixed by its beauty. He always seemed to be unnaturally aloft, like an aircraft at the moment of lift. His floor-length, silver hair drifted behind him like cat tails, wafting on the faint emanations of the Heart.

He made no motion to acknowledge their entrance. But he spoke. "Isn't it gorgeous? Ansem the Wise recoiled from this temptation. His Apprentice, however, feels no fear. Xehanort would have this world's heart. He would spend the lifeblood of our planet no differently than Shinra."

Zack tightened his grip on the buster sword. "No differently than you," he accused.

Cloud backed against the wall.

Still looking into the waters, Sephiroth explained, "What I want, Zack, is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel."

He broke away from the fascinating light. Two Soldiers First Class were staring each other in the eye. The power of their gaze charged the air.

They drew their swords together.

"Your plan," Sephiroth continued, "Is for Cloud to take the heart of this world into his own. And then you will take him very far from here, to hide them."

"And you're not gonna let me do that," Zack reasoned.

"I will."

"What?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah, what?"

"I will," Sephiroth enunciated. "Take the heart and go. With my blessing."

Zack objected, "After that big speech? Why?"

Sephiroth smiled, actual mirth crossing his features. "Because I know that Cloud will bring it back for me."

Zack stood perfectly still, sword held ready, thinking through the logic. "O… kay. So why'd you draw?"

"The shadows under the castle. Surely, you've heard the rumors."

"Yeah?"

"Shadows are cast by light."

Zack didn't answer. He didn't understand.

Cloud set down the girl, then awkwardly stepped between the swordsmen and into the water. "Don't mind me."

Sephiroth nodded to Cloud, to the point where his foot entered the font.

"And now," he explained, "They know that you're here."

"Who?" Cloud looked to Zack for an answer.

"You remember those guys in the black cloaks?"

"Yeah."

"Those are the Nobodies."

"Okay?"

"They're not the shadows under the keep."

Around the room, among the pipes and rafters, the flickering lights cast flickering shadows. The shadows took on forms, slithering, remaining where they oughtn't, and moving.

Cloud took a step back. "The monsters. Heartless."

Darkness dripped from above, pooling on the floor and then rising from it. First came the eyes, bulging and ochre. The shadows stood to their full height, to their shapes as men.

Zack pointed and named one. "Lea. Cloud, remember this guy?"

"That was Axel?"

"You're looking at what used to be his heart."

Axel's colors had changed- his skin, to be inhumanly pale, translucent so that the necrosis beneath was visible. And behind his eyes swirled a flickering fire. His arms ended in claws, and his grin was a hole full of fangs. His bared anger was past the capability of speech.

"This is what the Apprentices did to themselves," Zack explained.

"It's what they want for my world," Sephiroth answered.

The fighting began with a show of speed.

Cloud backpedaled and pointed in surprise at the sparks where Sephiroth worked. "Whoa!"

Zack grabbed Cloud, shouting for his attention over the battle "Cloud! Focus! We're short on time, here!"

The fight echoed, even as Sephiroth carried their enemies into the atrium. The monsters screamed and howled like demons.

Zack grabbed Cloud's hand in his own, the grip of brotherhood and solidarity, close to both of their chest, and then lowered Cloud towards the water. "Relax your muscles! All of 'em! Trust me, Cloud, loosen up."

Above them, Sephiroth had sprouted a wing from his back. He was an angel of death. His sword reflected the Heart's light, a piercing beam in the mob of monsters and claws.

Zack leaned into Cloud's vision. "Cloud, you're gonna be out for a bit. It'll take a while to adjust to the Mako."

Pipe sections crashed to the ground. Mako spills flared up with random materia effects.

"I can handle it. What are we waiting for, Zack? Dunk me."

"You may not see me again, Cloud. This is goodbye."

Cloud gripped his friend's arm. "Die young and leave a beautiful corpse, huh?"

Zack smiled. "Yeah. Only way to live forever."

And then he lowered his friend into the light.

A decade later, Nora Valkyrie sat at a café in Traverse Town and listened intently as Cloud told his friend's story. Two others, friends of Cloud, had joined their table.

Aerith sat attentively with a sad smile. Cid smoked a cigar and frowned the whole way through.

Nora's mood softened as she let the tale guide her thoughts, until her irises finally reflected their natural light. She'd dried her tears about Pyrrha.

Now that the story was over, she felt obligated to react in some way. She offered, "He sounds like a great guy."

"He really was," Aerith nodded.

Nora didn't mean to be rude, but the point of this story was clear. They wanted her to take their worldview about the death of a dear friend. And the problem with that was… "I guess your home planet got destroyed anyway, though, huh? Or you wouldn't be here."

Cloud tapped his chest. "Our world never fell to darkness. Zack was successful. We escaped on a gummi ship, and we'll be returning home. Soon."

"Good for you." Nora forced a smile that she didn't feel.

Aerith had her hands clasped together on the table. She leaned onto them and strained, "When people hear about Zack, they don't say, 'Oh, Cloud's friend? That guy Aerith hangs out with?' To them, Zack is a Hero. And I guess… That's kind of alienating for us. Some of us wish he could have died with him. Or we wish that he hadn't died. We want to claim him as part of our lives. But the truth is, he was more than just our experiences of him. We can't let our sorrow blind us to that. There's a wrong way to deal with grief. And, more importantly… Believe me: There's a right way. There's a way to move on."

Nora heard, "Just move on. Walk it off."

"I don't… Wanna sound ungrateful," Nora squinted. "I appreciate you guys talking to me. But… All I want… All I can bring myself to want, is my friend back. I don't think I can take anything less. And if I can't have that…"

She stopped short of saying anything villainous. "I don't know how I can go on. I don't have a world in my heart or anything. All I had was my friends. And now I'm alone."

Aerith pushed her optimism. "Well, the other two are alive, right? Ren and Jaune?"

"Sure, but… Everything you guys have told me about… Worlds being destroyed and people appearing in this place." She gestured around them.

"Traverse Town," Cid said. He was a bulky mechanic who spoke around his cigar.

"Yeah," Nora nodded. "Traverse Town. People only come here when their world is destroyed. So… Pyrrha didn't save Remnant. It's gone. And if my friends aren't here, they're dead, too."

The Truth hurt. Nora rested her head in her hands.

Cid asked, "Pyrrha Nikos?"

Nora looked up. Everyone looked at Cid.

Aerith asked, "You've heard of her?"

Cid gestured over his shoulder. The cigar danced as he explained. "I jus' dropped Yuffie n' Leon at the Coliseum. There's a cup 'n her honor. Somebody survived Remnant."

Everyone looked at Nora.

She sniffled, swallowed, and asked, "Coliseum?"