FF VII: The Big Three

Prologue

A THOUSAND YEARS AGO

Gaia

The mother of creation of life and humankind, she has carried the weight of our feet against her body since the beginning of time. She is our home, caregiver and protector. Yet, who protects her from the darkness and evil who prowl upon her and harm her children. High above us, past the clouds and just beyond the atmosphere of our world lays the defenders of Gaia; Celestial Beings. The humans had many names for their home: Polaris, North Star, Pole Star, and the longer name Alpha Ursae Minoris, but the only name they knew was Olympia. Olympia held the most powerful Celestial Beings known to the universe, beings who could control the elements to controlling the humans and creatures and even those who have seen the future before humans could discover them. And the ruler of them was Meklo, God of the Stars and Son of Angus and Leto, God of the Heavens and Goddess of Gems. Meklo was an honorable king, fighting in the great war of Utopia, he defeated the enemy using the power of a dying star to destroy their home and end the darkness. He was respected but also feared, what all kings should be by his father's words. Yet, nearly a thousand years from today, he did not feel like a king. It was a sorrow filled day, all the Celestial Beings abandoned their duties to return back to the lofty heavens, for the mourning.

Many vividly remember his once bright blue eyes speckled with stars was dark with the vast open sky, but with no heavenly light sparkled in his eyes. Weakened with grief, he came forth in front of his fellow gods,

"My people, today we join to mourn my daughters, the Triad, and send them back to Gaia where she may care for souls and join the Lifestream once again," Meklo uttered through his silent tears. The crisp white beard that once seemed to almost sparkle, was matted by his hot tears. "They all held large hearts that many of us dreamed to obtain, they dreamed nothing more of peace between Celestial Beings and humankind, but sadly the humans they read from the fairy tales and stories became false and they died at the hands of a mundane," his rage began to slowly grow at the thought of what they did to his daughters, but the wave of anger subsided back to mournful tears, "That is why I declared the law of no personal contact or connection with humans, only to fulfill your duties and return home," a long and shaky sigh escaped his thin lips from more tears to leave his eyes, "and safe here in Olympia." His beloved queen Rhiannon, Goddess of Motherhood, with her tears streaming her face came to his side. Her presence reassured him and gave him a slither of strength to continue on. "Now we will begin the return back to Gaia, and we couldn't truly do this ceremony on our own, I can only trust our faithful enchantress, Morgana, to carry out with ritual." Her name seemed to ring through the bodies of the gods, all turning back to a cloaked silhouette.

Clanks from a wood staff grew as she emerged from the shadows and into the light of the white flames. All feared her more than their own king, not because of her magic made the skeptical, but what she turned to be. Her once soft, olive skin and dark hair withered away and became an old woman; skin like dried leather, cloaked in rags sewn by a red thread to bend them together. A large mass of muscle laid on her back, making her hunch so far forward, she was unable to travel anywhere without her staff. Her hood covered her face, but the gods could see her long, stringy white hair with an emerald amulet. As she came to the king and queen, she kneels before Meklo's feet and removes her hood.

"My king," softly to him, "my deepest condolences to the both of you." She lifted her head to look into his dark eyes, they make a connection and his body ever so slightly shuddered in fear. One eye resembled that of a black cat's and the other pure white. Many feared her because of her enchanted eye, she could invade the minds of any being or human to search for the truth.

"Thank you, may we begin?"

"Of course." She stood back up and nodded to her right, beckoning forth three white cloaked guards, each with a small chest in their grasps. All three were carved with an animal, their guardian, into the dark wood chest. "May they all lay to rest and return to Gaia." She raised her staff, a radiant light sprung forth from the head as the chests began to float on their own. She began the ritual, speaking in a different tongue, "Mater Gaia, rogamus vos et deprecari pro animabus reversus horum dilexit. Age sis filiis vobis. Nos obsecro, supplicamus, obsecro, interveni..." A stream of blue light came through the kingdom, reaching all the way to the windows. The wave of light began to circle around the chests, waiting for them to open. With a flick of her wrist, the chest unlocked. Gold light burst into the white halls, the Lifestream cradled these souls of the goddesses and returned back to Gaia. As the sun rose into the bringing of a new day, the stars began to dim and the sadness turned into tranquility.

~~~~~

Just on the edge of Olympia, in the shadows of the palace that stood so high was Morgana's cottage, shambles of what used to be a clean, rustic home. No life grew on her land, only plants that thrived on the shadows and darkness. She entered the doorway and sprawled on her old spell books was her only companion, Banshee, a scraggly black cat with yellow eyes and gold claws.

"My mistress, how was the ceremony?" He said with a slimy voice.

"Ceremony went accordingly and he did not suspect a thing."

"You know, for a king who is to be feared, he truly doesn't know what proceeds from under his nose."

"No one has come here since?"

"Not a single soul, my mistress. However, I must ask, how were you able to switch the chests without the guards noticing?"

"A simple slip of Melroot juice into their wines desensitized their minds, unable for them to recognize the different souls."

"Oh my mistress, you are quite a devil," he said smiling to his owner, "and do the families know of what happened to their loved ones?"

"'A small sacrifice for a greater cost' I said to them. Those who wanted more from me...while, they met again as souls." She smiled at the thought of her workings.

"And the plan?"

"Will continue, guard those chests with your life, my beauty and we will see our hard work pay off."

Morgana's bony hands hovered over the spell books as they dissolved to the true chests that Banshee rested upon. The emblems of the great Triad; the snake, the wolf, and the jaguar shined in the dim light room, light of the souls seeping through the cracks of the chests.

Her revenge plot was in effect and nothing was going to stop her until Meklo was dead and she ruled Olympia.

Some characters and scenes are based on the Final Fantasy 7 series of movie and video games.