Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 3: Pursuit

SIXTEEN

"You okay, Jessie?" Aerith asked.

I sighed and looked at her. "Yeah. Throw me the rope."

She did, and I caught it and tied it snugly around one of the posts at the end of the dock, making sure the knot was good and tight. After she'd secured the other end in the boat, Aerith started passing me our supplies. Backpacks with food and camping gear, that sort of thing. I took them as she handed them to me one at a time and put them down nearby. And as I did, something fell from mine and clattered onto the wooden planks. It was a hunting knife, its hilt black, slim, and slightly curved, its long blade still tucked safely inside its leather sheath.

Where had I gotten it, and why? I didn't know—at least, the me that was dreaming didn't. I recognized it, though, and shivered. The other me, the one in the dream, didn't seem to like it any more than I did. Like my feet, it seemed to land more forcefully on the dock than it should've. And the weight in my mind grew heavier. But before I could bend over to pick up the knife and put it away, Aerith was passing me her staff. It was new, one my dreaming self had never seen before.

The shaft was slim and metal, wrapped in black and red leather, and on the end was an elaborate headpiece, an expertly-carved eagle made of gold with its wings stretched out to either side. In its claws it held a large, glittering red ruby. And everything from its beak to its feathers had been shaped in incredible detail. No way this had been bought in a store. I was sure Aerith had found it somewhere, probably tucked away in an ancient ruin or something. With its seven materia slots, all of them glowing with colored orbs, I knew it had to be powerful.

I took it and carefully set it down by our packs. As I did, I picked up the knife, intending to put it away. But as soon as I touched it, I felt dizzy and strange as my blood burned and something dark and alien inside me suddenly yanked my mind aside just like on the road to Wall Market. As I knelt there, still bent over, I heard Aerith start to climb onto the dock. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My voice was locked. I was just a spectator inside my own body, trapped.

I closed my eyes for a moment, wincing in pain as my head throbbed like a bad tooth. When I opened them again, they felt different, as if they belonged to someone or something else that was using me to look through them. I saw myself look down to find my knife clear of its sheath as I held it even though I couldn't remember drawing it. Then, as I slowly lowered my arm, I heard Aerith cry out behind me.

"Jessie! Help!" she called.

I turned and saw her on the edge of the dock about to fall backwards into the water. She'd lost her balance as she'd gotten off the boat and was teetering on the edge. She reached desperately for one of the posts but just missed it and started to slip away, her arms out wide to either side of her as she shrieked in surprise. But just before she would've plunged into the icy water by the boat, I quickly caught her by the wrist, holding her with my left hand while she grabbed onto me.

Aerith sighed in relief and smiled. "Thanks. You know, for a moment there, I really thought I was gonna—"

She never finished. As both the me that was dreaming and the other me that was trapped in my mind watched in horror, I buried the knife in her chest with my other hand while she clung tightly to me with her arm around my shoulders. Aerith gasped for breath, her green eyes wide with pain and fear as they met mine. On the inside, I was screaming, terrified of what I was seeing and what I was doing and not wanting to believe it, but outwardly, I was sneering at her. I pulled her closer, pushing the knife further into her as I did, right through her heart.

"Jess... ie..." Aerith whispered.

When I spoke, it was my voice, but at the same time, it wasn't. It was colder, harsher, alien. "It's over, Aerith. Mother says you have to die now instead of later. So this is as far as you go."