Life Finds a Way

Chapter 86

Once she was inside, Clarissa threw up a thick wall of ice to block the entrance. She didn't want to take the chance that Sephiroth might slip by them and enter the reactor after her. She knew it would barely slow him down if that happened, but it would at least give the others the chance to keep him from entering. The last thing they needed was for all four of them to have an all-out battle in the confined spaces inside.

As soon as she made it to the innermost room, she didn't hesitate to blast the door to Jenova's room with ice as well. When she reached it, she brought both of her swords down on it and watched it shatter. She squashed the momentary satisfaction as that was the easiest part.

She paused in the center of the small room and looked up at the effigy that was supposed to represent Jenova. Her anger boiled over at the sight. It was far too angelic for the monster hiding behind it. She pushed those thoughts aside as well and quickly formed a thick sheet of ice that blocked off all access to the flowing mako below them. She wanted to prevent any part of the Calamity from being accidentally dropped into the lifestream. That was likely to cause even bigger issues.

She then moved to cut down the effigy. It took her a couple of tries, but it wasn't long until the thing was in pieces on the floor. Once it was cleared she looked up to the thing in the tank with a shudder. She raised another prayer of thanks that Jenova no longer had any access to the cells in her body. Although, since she was this close to the source she thought she could hear a screaming. She ignored it and moved to freeze the liquid in the tank as well. She was going to have to shatter the glass to get to Jenova and she was pretty sure there had to be some of her cells in the tainted mako she had been stewing in.

When she tried to cast the spell, she realized the mako would not freeze. She bit back a curse as she tried to figure out what her next step was. She knew she didn't have time to waste. Although she knew the two protected Firsts and Vincent would be more than able to keep up with Sephiroth, it would not be easy, not even for them. She was terrified that one of them would end up killed and she was not willing to let that happen to any of them, not even Sephiroth.

She quickly came to a decision, although it was one that she wasn't going to enjoy very much. She downed one of the few ethers she had on her and then pulled out the summon Genesis had given her less than a month ago. She summoned Shiva and then directed her to keep the sheet of ice up as well as build up a secondary barrier to keep the tainted mako confined once the glass was broken. Clarissa knew she wasn't going to be able to do that and incinerate Jenova at the same time, even if keeping Shiva summoned took a great deal out of her magic reserves.

Once everything was set up, Clarissa immediately struck the glass. It cracked but didn't shatter. Her rage at the delay fueled her next strike, causing a large piece of the glass to crack and fall out. The mako streamed out as well. Clarissa only watched for a moment to ensure the barrier was working before she flung out her other hand and sent a white-hot flame into the enclosure. It caused an explosion that nearly knocked her off her feet, but she didn't let it stop her. She instantly threw another one.

By this time, she was certain she could hear a screaming, but it was faint and unclear. The fact that she was sure it was Jenova made her shiver, but if that was the worst the alien could do, then she was going to keep ignoring it.

She should have known it wouldn't be that easy though. She was facing the cracked and burning tank that held Jenova when she barely missed being knocked down. It had only been the sound of something slipping on the ice that warned her she wasn't alone anymore. When she came up from where she rolled out of the way, she turned to see several monsters headed toward her. Her heart lurched when she realized they had broken out of the pods. It sickened her even further when she realized they were under Jenova's control.

She turned back to the tank briefly and found the fire was nearly out. She was having difficulties keeping it burning with the liquid still surrounding it. She had to duck another swing and cut off the arm that had been aimed for her head. She was surrounded though, and the fire was out. She flung another fireball at the charred body and caught one of the monsters in the blast, but she realized she wasn't going to be able to fight them off and keep the fire burning. She gritted her teeth in rage. Getting rid of Jenova had to be a priority, but if she was killed it wouldn't get done. She screamed out a prayer, hoping she could somehow find the strength to save those she loved. "Minerva! I know you said I have to do this without you, but I could really use a little help here! I don't care what happens to me, just help me find a way to get rid of this bitch!"

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It had been nearly a week since the voice of the planet came back stronger than ever. As happy as Aerith was to be able to hear again, she found that it was accompanied by a constant feeling of dread. Zack had brought his new friend Cloud out to visit her, but she had an overwhelming feeling that she was going to be needed soon. She knew Zack was a little disappointed, but she stayed in the church. At least Cloud was able to convince him it was better there anyway. As fidgety as she was, she still managed a smile at the sight of Cloud showing Zack his favorite blooms.

She sighed again for probably the hundredth time that day. She really liked Zack and it was days like this that made her wish she could just go ahead and tell him everything. She trusted him, and he deserved to know why she was sometimes off. It was just old habit that kept her from speaking to him about it. As she watched him clap Cloud on the back and laugh, she decided that now was as good a time as any. Especially if it got her mind off the antsy feeling.

She hadn't made it more than a few steps when the planet cried out. There was a great sense of urgency and fear, but it was different than the last time. She could tell it had something to do with Clarissa, but the urgency was much larger. There was more at stake now than there had been before. That fact didn't serve to lessen her fear. She didn't even realize she had dashed for the center of her flower bed until she was on her knees. She realized she had scared Zack and Cloud again, but she didn't have time to explain. For the first time ever, she heard Minerva speak to her directly. "Child, you are needed. Now is the time for you to use your heritage. Call forth Holy."

She blocked out the boys that were still standing several feet away as she lowered her head. All her concentration was spent praying to the planet, so that it could use her guidance to bring forth the ultimate white magic. She could feel the planet responding finally but she did not relax, not even when the warm drops of rain started falling all around her. She knew this was not going to be over quickly.

edit 11/21/2019