'Temple of the Ancients/ Sephiroth's Motive' Hi there. Here's the continuation to yesterday's thing. Before you read this, and in order to understand what Sephiroth is talking about, you'll need to understand BugenHagen's Cosmos theory. Bugen's theory summarized: What exactly is Makou energy? What happens to us when we die? The body rots, and 'returns to the planet', but so does the soul. The soul becomes a green glowing matter which seeps into the ground. It then mingles with the souls of the other dead, inside our planet. This matter is called 'Lifestream'. When things are born, the lifestream reemerges from the earth and gives the newborn organism another soul. In this way, lifestream is always recycled from the dead to the living. This matter has another name however... it's also known as Makou energy. We must stop exploiting the lifestream, because like other natural resources, it will one day run out. When the day comes, there will be no more souls left, therefore, no more life -BugenHagen download the 'temple of the ancients' mp3!! That's what I listened to when I typed this up- :> ---------------- (Outside the temple) Aerith: (at the bridge, she stops and kneels down, hearing voices from below) This...temple... I can feel it. The thoughts of the Ancients. They died and could have returned to the planet...but they are holding themselves back. For the future? Or for us? Claude: What are they saying? Aerith: (runs to the stairs) They are worried...but also happy? Is it because I came? (addresses the voices) Sorry..but I don't understand what you're trying to say! (to Claude) Hurry, I need to go inside. (Black robed figure creeps out from the entrance) Blackrobe: Black....Materia.... Aerith: Look... Vincent (or other 3rd member): Tattoo...number 9. (black robe disappears) ------------- (Inside the Entrance, Zwong is sitting down, hurt. Vincent aims a gun at him) Aerith: Zwong!! (Zwong forces himself to stand up) Claude: Zwong, of the Tarx!? Zwong: ...he...beat me... (slumps back down)...Sephiroth...is not looking for the Promised Land! Claude: Sephiroth!? Is he inside!!? Zwong: See for yourself... fuck! (slams his fist on the ground in anger) I should never have let you go, Aerith. The president was wrong... (a sidenote here* Rufus previously told Zwong not to kidnap her, because Hojo who wanted her for the experiments left the Shinra company and disappeared. Rufus' idea was to simply track down Aerith, so that she, being a Setra, would find the Promised Land for them.) Aerith: No, you were ALL wrong. The Promised Land is not what you think it is! I would have never helped you anyways, so the Shinra Company would have failed regardless of their decision! Zwong: Haha... those words are so...you... (to Claude) Place the keystone on the altar (gives you back the keystone). Claude: (runs to Aerith, then turns to Vincent) Is she crying? Aerith: (shakes her head)...Zwong is a Tarx...he's the enemy but I knew him since I was a child. I don't have too many people who I've known for so long... I have very few people I know... Zwong: (gets a spasm of pain) I'm...still living. (Claude descends to the labyrinth below after using the keystone) -------------- (labyrinth) Aerith: Voices..thoughts...I can hear so many voices down here. Vincent: This place has no exit... we can't turn back now. Aerith: ...Claude! I know everything is so hard but we must keep going. ----------- (Claude, Vince, n' Aerith chase the wizard into a treasure room) Wizard: Nemu nemu Aerith: (to Wizard) We met...finally. Thanks for waiting for me. (To Claude) He's a psychic shade of the Setra. He waited here without returning to the planet, in order to protect this temple. He can no loner talk now...no, the inhabitants here didn't need to communicate because they had a common cause. (to wizard) Tell me... What are you afraid of? Sephiroth? Or is it something else? Wizard: Nemu.... Claude: 1. Can you sell me something? 2. Can you heal us? 3. I want to save... 4. Nothing. -------------- (after the rolling boulders scene) Aerith: Phew! We did it!! (out of breath) Claude: Are you OK? Aerith: (turns around, as if something is calling her) Claude...come this way! Hurry!! (runs to the magic pool) It's filled with the Setra's knowledge...no...not knowledge, but thoughts, what they really believe from the heart. They are trying to tell me something. (to the pool) Sorry, I can't understand you! (puts her hand in the pool) What? What is it? Did you say danger? Evil? Show me! (the pool glows pink and a hologram shows up) ------------- (hologram, Claude Aerith and Vincent are watching) Claude: What does it look like? Aerith: Wait...look, it's going to start! (the pool shows a room with paintings and ancient heiroglyphs. Irena and Zwong are there. In case you don't know, Irena is a Tarx member, the platinum blonde dressed in a navy suit) Irena: Zwong-san, can you read this? Anything about the Promised Land? Zwong: ....don't know... report this to President Rufus. Irena: (nods) Be careful Zwong-san. Zwong: I will. Irena...after this job, are you free? Want to go eat out? Irena: Sure, thanks! I'll see you later. (leaves) Zwong: (Walks up to the wall and examines the ancient writing.) This is the Promised Land? It can't be... (There's a bright white flash and Sephiroth materializes behind Zwong) Zwong: Sephiroth!! Seph: So it was you who opened the gate to this temple... I thank you. Zwong: What is this place? Seph: ...A vault filled with treasure...knowledge of the Ancients. I will become 'one' with this planet. Zwong: (shrugs) You are going to combine with this planet... Seph: (makes a duplicate of himself...now two Sephiroths are walking around the room. One speaks to Zwong as the other one stares right at you - noticing that Claude is eavesdropping) ...You fools... you would never think of it. The entire energy of the planet...the entire knowledge...all of it will become a part of me. I will take it all. Zwong: (mockingly) So, you can do all of this? Seph: The means of accomplishing my goal lies in this temple... (suddenly strikes Zwong, stabs him, then slices the blade away. Sephiroth watches Zwong die, and talks to the corpse) You all have but one fate... TO DIE!! But feel no remorse. By reaching death, you join the lifestream, and one day, you will become a part of me. (laughs) ------------- (back at the hologram/magic pool) Aerith: Did you see that!? Vince: So this is the Setra's message to us... Claude: Where is the heiroglyph room? Aerith: It's close. Claude: Sephiroth is there...Whatever he things, it's going to end today, RIGHT HERE! I'll kill him. Vince: ......... (* Vincent is silent here, because to Vince, Sephiroth is more than just a formidable enemy...) (as Claude and his group leaves the pool, Sephiroth appears, floating above the pool. He watches the three suspiciously) Optional - (wizard) 1. rest (HP/MP max) 2. save 3. nothing ------------- (at the locked door, at 6:00 from the Time Chamber) Aerith: It's locked! We have to catch him (the wizard, who has the key) This is hard... Claude: 1. yeah it is... (I picked this one) 2. I want to get out here... Aerith: You know... after hard times, you always will get your chance to smile and relax. So, just a bit more to go, OK Claude? Narration: The Wizard does not run away in random directions. He has a pattern. Anticipate where he'll be next and catch him! It's possible to jump down the ledges by pushing the circle key at the left hand side of the cliff. ---------------- (after catching the wizard and opening the locked door, inside the Heiroglyph room) Aerith: This is the room... Claude: (looks around) COME OUT SEPHIROTH, WHEREVER YOU ARE!! (screen flashes and Sephiroth is right there in front of him) Seph: ...You are so cold Claude.... I am always nearby. Come. (shows Claude the painting)..just breathtakingly beautiful. (to Claude) So full of knowledge... Claude: Everything you say means nothing to me. Seph: (amused, points to a painting of a meteor)...Take a good look. Claude: At What!! Seph: To the one which gives me knowledge.... This planet and I will soon become One. (leans on the altar) (to himself) Mother....just a bit more time...I'm almost there. Aerith: Become One with the planet? What are you going to do! Seph: It's very easy... When this planet gets hurt...Makou energy flows to the wound to heal it. How much energy depends on the degree of damage. (Stabs the sword into the ground)....Consider this.... imagine a wound so great that it could kill our planet....imagine the amount of Makou flowing like blood... (shoulders shaking with laughter)....I will stand in the middle of the wound, and the energy will be mine. I will combine with the Lifestream and become a new being. A being which no longer exists...but once ruled the minds of man. ......I will become...God. Aerith: By destroying our planet!? Seph: Look at the wall painting... the most devastating Spell of Destruction - Meteo. Claude: Not so fast Sephiroth. (Sephiroth flies away, and Claude hears a painful ringing in his ears... and he loses his conscience. Instead, Claude starts to act as if he is possessed.) Voice in Claude's head: Wake up... Aerith: Claude!! Vince: What's wrong with you!? (Claude hears a SECOND heart beating inside his body) Claude: (a sinister laugh) Black Materia....Call the Meteo... Aerith: (panicking) Claude!! Get a hold of yourself!! Claude: ...Claude?...I am...Claude....How do I..? .......I remember!! MY way of doing things..... Aerith: ....Claude? Claude: (regains his conscience, but totally does not remember what he said, or what happened) Why are looking at me like that...something wrong? Aerith: ...(stops, thinks, then shakes her head) No, nothing. Don't mind, everything's fine, right Vincent? Vince: (covers his mouth).... Aerith: (quickly changing the subject) Sephiroth got away. Claude: Don't worry. I now understand what he meant. (points to painting) This is the Meteo.... Vince: It's going to come from the sky... Aerith: Summoned by magic alone. Just what Sephiroth said...the Spell of Destruction. It attracts asteroids from space..then....collision. (suddenly the room becomes dark, and there's an earthquake) Claude: SEPHIROTH!?? IS THAT YOU!!!? Seph: (voice)....no...It's not me. -Red Dragon attacks Claude/ boss battle- Claude: Any sign of Sephiroth? Aerith: He's gone. Claude: (walks around the room and finds a small floating replica of the temple on top of the altar) What's this? Aerith: Something is written on it....B.....l...a..c....k...M..A...TE..R ..I..A... Claude: Black materia! Aerith: ...black materia...what do we do Claude? Claude: 1. Shake it >> When Claude touches it, the whole temple shakes 2. Take it 3. Leave the thing alone! Aerith: WAIT! Let me ask the Setra. (listens to the mysterious voices of the dead) I don't konw...what? Really? (to Claude) They said that this whole temple is the Black Materia. Claude: What does that mean? Aerith: Just what I said, literally! This building IS the Black Materia. Claude: This huge building? Then no one can walk around, holding the Black Materia. Aerith: It's hard to explain. This thing is a replica of the temple. It's lika a puzzle...if you keep on solving one puzzle after the other, the replica gets smaller and smaller, and so does the actual temple...until the whole place fits on your palm. Claude: So that's how we can carry it with us... Aerith: But you see...We can only solve the puzzle at this altar, and the person who does it will get crushed when the place shrinks. Claude: ...It's like a curse, so people can't easily take the BlackMateria... Vince: It's safer to leave it here. Claude: No. We have to take it with us...Sephiroth can make copies of himself, remember? He can get it without risking his life, so we can't leave it here. Aerith: But HOW? (the mobile phone rings, Claude picks it up) Phone: Hello hello Claude-san...It's me Cait Sith. I heard your story. Have you forgotten me? My real body is safe in Midgard, and this cat is a robot which can be replaced. I'll d the puzzle. Claude: I won't give the Black Materia to Sephiroth OR the Shinra. Cait: But Claude, think about it. You really have no choice, believe me. Claude: 1. Fine... >goes on with story 2. I can't trust you > Cait: Claude, you are one stubborn boy. Claude: 1. Fine, alright... 2. Still I can't trust you > this repeats 'You are one stubborn boy'... Cait: Great! Leave it to me, get out of the temple. I'll be at the exit. ----------------- The End, for now.... I fought the boss after this...and I had forgotten to heal all my characters. The boss beat me in one turn...and I hadn't saved in the last few hours!! I'm really not in the mood of redoing all that playing... but I will have the continuation of this story done as soon as possible! -Cathy --