I Never Let Her Die! (Aerith x Male Gamer Reader)

Disk 01: Chapter 35: But A Man Of Honor, Who Can Find?

===Begin Third-Person P.O.V: Ganthet ===

Vanishing Point. Floating two feet above the floors, the Guardian Ganthet moved quickly through the complex he had built with the aid of Gandalf and other members of the Tempus council. He exited the central tower and crossed a narrow bridgeway, then entered a smaller tower near the perimeter of the base. Inside the structure was similar to the larger main tower. The walls, floors, and ceiling were made of a pure white material partly metal and partly crystal which glowed faintly from within. The middle of the tower was a grand, open lobby which stretched up all the way to the roof, twenty floors above. Circular balconies surrounded and overlooked the lobby from each level. Parked in the middle of the lobby floor was an incongruous object: An archaic blue police box.

As Ganthet approached, the door opened and a man stepped out from the box. "About time Ganthet." He said.

Waving a hand, Ganthet replied "Apologies Doctor. My position as the leader of Tempus affords me few opportunities for social visits. I am quite busy, you understand."

"As are we all. But this isn't a social visit. It's time Ganthet."

"You are certain? I had expected a longer delay, given the unpredictable nature of temporal and transtemporal mechanics."

The doctor grinned slightly. "You Guardians claim to be even more advanced than Time Lords and you can't even keep track of something this simple. Well, no matter. I assure you that the right time is indeed now. If you want to interfere to prevent the girl from dying of her injuries after her protector is snatched away, you must enlist your chosen agent now."

Ganthet nodded and answered "Very well. I trust your judgment Doctor. I will go." He began to glow, wrapped about in green and blue energies, when the Doctor stopped him.

"You speak of how busy you are. Couldn't you send someone else?" He asked.

This time it was Ganthet's turn to grin. "You mean like you? No, I fear your unique... personality... would do more harm than good in this situation. I will return soon." Ganthet gathered his power and opened a rift in space and time, aiming for a very specific place on the planet Gaia...

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=== Resume First-Person P.O.V. ===

Cloud rushed headlong down the slopes of the crater left behind by the destruction of the Ancient Temple. He was after the Black Materia, and couldn't stop or even slow himself down to wait for the rest of us who followed at a more measured pace. We reached the bottom to find Cloud already holding the materia.

"It's beautiful, in a way..." Cloud whispered.

"It's evil is what it is!" Yuffie declared. "I may not have the kind of senses Aerith does, but even I can feel it! That's one materia I wouldn't steal even if you paid me the world to do it."

Red agreed. "Indeed... The evil is almost palpable."

Vincent nodded, and Aerith said "Maybe you should put it down Cloud..."

"But... why...? No! No I have to keep ahold of it! Sephiroth could come back any moment!" Cloud exclaimed.

"Now calm down Spikey... Dere's no sign 'O Sephiroth right now." Barrett said.

"No, he's here..." Cloud insisted.

"Can we prevent this?" I thought to Aerith.

"I don't think so." She answered. "Here, let me try to show you what I'm feeling..." I felt the connection that we were able to hear each other's thoughts through grow wider, stronger. Aerith looked at Cloud, at the Black Materia, and I could almost see what she was seeing. The Materia itself looked even darker than usual, as if it were a sort of spiritual black hole, a singularity pulling in and devouring the last of Cloud's self, eroding away his remaining resistance to Sephiroth's influence and control.