Across the Divide and Through Valhalla

Explanations Somewhat

Chapter 5

Sherry had to swallow a couple of times and take a sip from her water before she could manage to get her voice working right. She could tell by the barely restrained glares she was getting, that most of the group was coming to the end of their patience. She finally looked up at the canopy of leaves that were barely visible and started talking. "Let me start off by telling you all that I had no idea something like this would happen today. Honestly, this is the last thing I ever expected to become a reality."

She paused at that and finally looked around again. The glares were no longer being held back, but Genesis spoke into her brief silence. "You didn't expect this to become a reality, yet you are familiar with who we all are. How is that possible?"

She shook her head at his tone and reminded herself that it was expected for them to be wary. She was surprised they had bothered to play nice and follow her up to this point. She was sure the display in the cave was part of it, at least for some of them, but she didn't expect it to keep her safe for long. "Because to me, and everyone on this planet that might recognize you, your stories are just that, stories. I wouldn't have believed you to be anything other than people pretending to be characters out of tales I love if it weren't for the fact that someone decided that I needed to be roped into their will."

She couldn't hide the bitter note in her voice, and she looked away from them all as she tried to get herself back under control. She was surprised that Caius was the first to speak. "It is an honor to be made l'cie."

She glared at him, but Sephiroth stepped in before she could retort. "Your words only make more questions. What happened with the mako earlier that made you change your mind? You originally accused us of wearing costumes and- larping? What is that?"

She barely bit back a sigh. She knew the whole situation was going to cause her headaches, but she also knew she couldn't afford to walk away. Her eyes flicked down to her wrist, and even though she couldn't see the mark on the underside, she could feel its presence. Her look was hard when she finally answered him. "I didn't realize that was mako, although it makes sense. When it surrounded me, I was branded and given a focus." She held up her wrist for them all to see. She knew it wasn't necessary as they had all seen it previously, but it helped make her point. "I know most of you have no idea what that means, but for people on Pulse and Cocoon as well, there are powerful creatures called Fal'cie. Most people consider them god-like, although that isn't quite the case. The Fal'cie will occasionally choose a person to fulfill certain quests. They are given a brand similar to mine, which allows them to be faster, stronger, etc. It also allows them to use magic."

At that, Genesis sat forward. "Magic, without materia?" She nodded. His eyes widened before he spoke again. "Show me."

She frowned at him. "You do realize I haven't the slightest clue how to do that yet? Just because I know what this means doesn't mean I automatically know how to control it. Did you hear me when I said these were all just stories to me before that happened?"

Her gaze flicked to Caius when he spoke again. "The Fal'cie all have certain things that they hold dominion over. It is not unusual for the l'cie they brand to be focused on the same thing. If you were branded by a Goddess, there is no telling what that might mean." He paused and gave Genesis a curious glance before continuing. "No magic is possible without the brand, however. What is materia, and what does it have to do with magic?"

At that, Genesis' eyes widened further, but Sherry spoke up. "Just like you can only perform magic as a l'cie on Pulse, on Gaia, you can only use magic if you have the corresponding materia. The magic doesn't actually come from the orbs, they allow the wielder to focus the planet's energies into certain spells. They are supposed to be the concentrated experience of the Ancients, the Cetra. Both of your planets are different, but the kicker is that magic doesn't exist on Earth at all. Here, it is only heard of in legends and stories, or illusions to wow people for entertainment."