Part 54: The Storm

Chapter 54 - The Storm


Last time we set off to the northmost continent, searching for Aeris.



We're back to the Bone Village. It plays a fairly soothing song.



We need the Lunar Harp in order to move on, otherwise the first area of the Sleeping Forest (the place Aeris went to - also the place we got the materia [Kujata] before the Temple of the Ancients) will be an infinite loop.



The mini-game is fairly simple. We can place multiple people across the Bone Village zone and they'll all look towards the treasure, allowing us to triangulate its position.



You can also pick up different treasures, but placing the staff members cost 100 Gil each.



There are some treasures available right now but nothing urgent. We can come back later.




Let's get going.



I love the song that plays in this place. Again, very soothing and moody.



Once we cross the forest screen we reach this weird coral place.



There are encounters here...



...enemies that drop and morph into [Dazers].



Dazers inflict [Paralysis].



The [Water Ring] is a very useful item for the next boss and... well that's mostly it. It's an accessory that absorbs Water damage. The next boss only deals Water Damage, so equipping it makes you invincible to it.







There's not much to show, so here's a nice screenshot. The pathway out of the Sleeping Forest is fairly straightforward.



We exit at this small valley in the world map. Ahead, our final destination.



The City of the Ancients.



Let's explore it a bit. We can do north, west and east. We'll start west.



A small house. This place has a really alien feel to it.



It's terrestrial, but it looks like an underwater place. Look at that shell. The corals outside. The seaweed.



And it looks really bleak, compared to the other places we've been, color-wise. These places are sterile. The Temple of Ancients was mostly grey and brown.



Crossing the bridge we get here. There's nothing we can do in this room right now. But there's a treasure to be had:



The [Aurora Armlet] is an armor with fairly good stats overall and Ice absorption.



Maybe this entire place was underwater. It's below the sea level in the map, and there's water and cold-themed equipment to be found. This raises more questions than it answers, though.



But these are pointless questions. The ancients are gone.



All but one - it's only ironic that in our search for her, we end up here. It all revolves around them. The first men.



But why? What is it that they found, or that they knew, that took them to this place? That extinguished them? What was the "threat" that Sephiroth mentioned?



The houses look like shells too. Fibonacci anyone?



It's only fitting. Water. The Birth of Life as we know it. But as irony would have it, it's a cradle we cannot return.



Such is our existence, both literally and metaphorically.



And here we are.



What did they find?









We must sleep before moving forward, otherwise the next part is inaccessible.





The blinding light. To step into the world.



Slowly we approach it. The climax of it all. Nowhere to escape.



On the upper floor, a Comet, ironically enough. A shadow of what we're looking for.



We start our descent. The heart quickens.



We're now underwater, deep down below.



Water. The birth of life. A place unlike any other.



A wonder, a marvel to behold, different from anything the Ancients had to show us before.



And in the deepest depth, Cloud finds her. The motherly figure his group had. The one who knew what to do, what had to be done. She had to step up, because she knew no one else would. Cloud wanted to, but he couldn't.



The last one of the Cetra.



Cloud sees her. And it's all as he feared.



Can he resist?



Could they have been saved?





His friends do it. They pull him out.



Aeris smiles. She knew Cloud wouldn't do it. Everything will be fine.



The blinding light.



Cloud followed it throughout his life.



An illusion, to shadow life as it is.



It's the first thing we see when we're born. Some say it's the last thing we see.



Death.











And just like that, it's over.



Her materia falls to the depths.



They could not have been saved.







She'll never get to know him.



She'll never be with him.



She'll never fly with him as she dreamed.







We're surrounded by water.



Just like last time we confronted Sephiroth.



And just like last time, he runs.







Just like last time, we have to deal with Jenova.



There's no change to the music. As we fight Jenova, the sad theme keeps playing in the background.





"I'm... a puppet?"





Yuffie has one of the strongest reactions.



She just cries for a good while. No words are said.



But there's really not much to be said.





It's ironic that she died here, out of all places.







They never stood a chance.



"I'm Cloud, ex-SOLDIER, born in Nibelheim. I came up to settle with Sephiroth."





"That's why I should quit this journey."





"I must go on."





I really like this part. His sincerity. The awareness that he's as much of a danger as his enemy.



It shows the frailty of this situation. How delicate it all is. There are consequences for failure. We just met one.



Everything is at stake.



And, truth be told - the odds of succeeding seem slim at best. Can we do it? Do we have any chance?



Can we be saved?



And with this, I conclude this update.



Next Time:

To the north, past the snowy fields, we chase Sephiroth.



Music we listened in this update:


You can hear the Cry of the Planet - The music that plays at the City of the Ancients. A beautiful yet haunting tune.

Parochial Town - Bone Village music. Not exclusive to Bone Village, but still pretty nifty.

Chasing the Black-Caped Man - Plays during the Sleeping Forest section. Also played in the Mythril Cave way earlier in the game.

Aeris' Theme - The music that plays during her death.

If you don't know, I would recommend checking Zbigniew Preisner's Lacrimosa.




Chapter 54 Bugs & Bytes

Last date next time, don't worry about it.

The Hidden Cave

Something of interest is a cave in the background of the path to the city of the ancients.



Taken from FF7 Citadel. Beware, massive spoilers all across that site. And also, very weird speculation that may or may not make you facepalm.

Either way, it's one of those things that were removed from the game. This one marked me because I noticed the vine when I first played the game and was like "How do I get up theeere". Turns out you can't.