Chapter Text
„The Lifestream. Also known as spirit energy and mana. It orbits the planet, Gaia, with separate bands of green-white fluid, flowing as a whole.
It contains the essence of the planet and the memories, emotions and knowledge of all living beings that lived on the planet.
It is believed that portions of the Lifestream are used to create new life and that the energy of the people returns to the planet when they die, passing on to the planet the memories, emotions and knowledge they experienced in their lives.“
It was already in the middle of the night in Nibelheim, but a small family house lit up the village with a warm light that shone through the windows while the moon and the stars tried to flood the entire landscape with their shimmer.
It was also extremely quiet and you could hear the wind rustling through the leaves every time the wind longed for a dance.
In the family house, the fireplace in the living room was burning and a few candles on a table were lit in the room of a child to create a cozy atmosphere.
The wood made crisp noises in the background, which didn't bother the family much but rather added to the atmosphere.
Next to the bed was a wooden chair on which a woman was sitting with a fluffy blanket on her shoulders. She held a book in her hands that she was reading to her son.
Her voice sounded to him as if it belonged to an angel. The child listened intently to his mother who turned the page, paused briefly and gave her child the warmest smile after she saw her son's eyes sparkling with joy in the candlelight.
"You really seem to be interested in the planet, don't you?"
He nodded happily and lay down on the mattress, his eyes fixed on the book.
"The planet is so beautiful! Even the Lifestream is so interesting and gives nature and people the strength they need. I love it, mother!"
A giggle escaped from her lips.
"One day I want to travel the world and enjoy nature to the fullest. I hope that I will meet people who also have the same goal as me and that we can travel further together to better understand the planet and share new memories!"
Her lips formed into a sincere smile while her eyes reflected her child.
"That's a beautiful goal that I can only support!"
He stretched his arms up and stared at the ceiling.
For a moment he said nothing.
Her son had another dream that he wanted to fulfill, but would that dream be too far away to achieve?
He gathered all his courage, clenched his hands into fists and raised his voice to tell his mother about his second dream.
"I would also like to help people in need. No matter how small their worries may be. I therefore have to become much stronger in order to protect you too!"
Her eyes widened for a short time, but she closed the book after a few seconds and stood up from the wooden chair, which also creaked briefly, and placed the book on it. She sat down on her son's bed and gently stroked his cheek with her left hand while her right hand held the blanket that continued to warm her back.
"You have a lot planned for your future. Listen to what your heart tells you, but don't forget that I will always protect and support you and will always welcome you in my arms when it becomes too much for you."
"Thank you, mother!"
He smiled at her. Then his eyes wandered back to the book that was still lying on the chair.
"I hope that people don't have to suffer again because of the geostigma, that it never happens again. Fortunately, the Lifestream is strong enough to give everyone strength."
A surprised sound came from her lips.
"Oh! You continued reading the book?"
"Yes, I couldn't help it. I was so interested in what happened 500 years ago. That's why I want to help everyone who needs it."
He paused again, then he looked up at her.
"I still wanted you to read it for me. Your voice is so angelic!"
Her left hand now wandered to his hair, which she ruffled back and forth.
"I would read all books in the world for you!"
She gave him a kiss on his forehead before she stood up and tenderly covered him with his blanket.
He felt the weight of the blanket that landed on his chest, closely followed by the warmth of it.
This hour was extremely special for him. He was the only child in the village who stayed up late, as his mother allowed him to.
However, she insisted on setting a condition, namely that she would stay with him until he was tired and went to bed.
Every late evening, she would read him a story or a book worth knowing that told of the past in order to give him the necessary knowledge.
"It's really getting late now. Sleep well."
"Good night, mother!"
Another smile was on her lips. As she stood up, she took the book in her hands and went to a cupboard to put the book in it.
Then she got a candle snuffer and extinguished the small flames of the candles that had previously illuminated her son's room until it got darker.
When his mother closed the door, he looked out the window and could see the moon, which he found beautiful.
After the warmth of the candles disappeared, the light of the moon entered his room and individual rays of light spread across his bed.
He held his hands above his blanket and the light of the moon touched his arms and hands as if the light wanted to embrace him.
He always found the light cool but at the same time so pure and free. His eyes became heavier and it wasn't long before he fell asleep contentedly.
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The ground shakes and crumbles.
The Lifestream rages and is full of sadness.
A murder was committed that hurt everyone.
A child who froze after making a difficult decision.
His sword fell to the ground.
The image of his mother blurred.
At that moment, the most important object from that child, a necklace, disappeared, fell into the Lifestream and slowly dissolved into small green particles.
The memories and feelings merged with the white-green fluid - the threads of life.
They wandered around in the fluid and waited to be found by the right person again.
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It was a sunny day in Midgar.
The bright light embraced every house and every street gently. The adults pursued their interests and jobs while the children played various games and laughed together.
Looking down on Midgar from above, it looked like there were a lot of ants working there, the city was so crowded. No one dared to stand still and take a break for a minute.
Everything had to go quickly. "Time would never wait for you," was the only thing that was said.
But the sun's rays were not to warm the skin for long that day, because a mysterious woman appeared out of nowhere.
The people of Midgar never forgot that day. Gray clouds covered the view and blocked out the warm rays. It began to rain and a young woman stood motionless in the middle of Midgar's square.
None of the residents moved at that moment because their curiosity was too great. Everyone stood still. Some, however, took their umbrellas out of their bags to protect themselves from the sudden rain.
The drops hit her pale skin, her long, slightly wavy, black hair and her black dress caught the drops that was soaking wet in no time.
Nobody except a little girl came up with the idea of helping the young woman and offering her an umbrella.
She had an extremely tiny umbrella, that matched her size, ran to her and tugged lightly at her dress while looking up at her.
"You'll catch a cold if you keep standing here!"
When the young woman heard the little girl's voice, she blinked several times and then looked down at her.
The child was amazed at her appearance, as she had crystal blue eyes that were full of life and looked as if she was carrying the galaxy in it.
"Your eyes are so pretty!"
"My eyes?"
Before the little girl answered her, she took her hand and pulled her away from the crowd.
"I've never seen you here before. Are you new to Midgar?"
As she asked her a question, she looked more closely at her face and noticed her many birthmarks on the left side of her face.
"Woah! You have a lot of birthmarks! I have some too, but not nearly as many as you! When I grow up, I want to look as beautiful as you!"
A gentle giggle could be heard from the young lady's mouth.
"I inherited the birthmarks from my parents." The young lady looked into the little girl's eyes, which were shining brightly.
"Oh, then I really have to meet your parents! I have to see it!" she said with great anticipation and jumped up and down at the same pace.
The young woman paused.
Her thoughts were focused on her parents, whom she had been looking for since she was a child.
Two adults stepped out of the crowd to keep the little girl away from the woman. Not wanting to cause trouble, the young lady took a few steps back.
"I have to go now. Thank you."
With a warm smile, the young woman said goodbye and ran in the opposite direction. Her goal was the slums to find shelter, but the little girl shouted another question after her.
"What's your name?"
The black-haired lady turned to her one last time and gave her another smile.
"My name is Matsuri."
So many weeks and months passed in which Matsuri strolled through Midgar to find information about her missing parents.
She had always lived in Midgar, but on this rainy day, everyone's eyes fell on her as if it was fate that she should be seen.
She had already come to terms with it and got used to being ignored by her fellow residents and not getting any help.
Matsuri would not blame anyone for her parents disappearing without a trace. No one could have predicted it, she thought at that moment.
How long has it been since both of them disappeared? She no longer had a sense of time after searching for information day in and day out.
During all those months, Matsuri also helped people in the slums. She could put herself in people's shoes, as everyone had their own personal burden to bear.
In addition to her goal of finding her parents, she wanted to help people when they were in need or simply needed someone to talk to.
For Matsuri, a smile on their faces made her much happier and that motivated her to continue looking for her parents.
She received encouragement from the people in the slums and every night Matsuri was happy to have a roof over her head.
Sometimes she was visited by the little girl, who held the umbrella for her, called Aileen and they spent a few hours together before Aileen went home again.
Matsuri went out of her small house every day to see if anyone needed help.
Now that the people of Midgar were finally noticing her, she wanted to help even more and took on any task she could.
Be it going shopping for the elderly or doing housework. She even climbed roofs to help cats down and generally loved animals more than anything.
Some days she went for a walk and hoped to find information about her missing parents and even then she never forgot the people all over Midgar.
However, on some days she hoped to get help herself to find her parents, but only a few people managed to help her, for which she was nevertheless grateful.
"They give me their precious time. I am grateful to everyone," were her words in response.
The black-haired lady sounded too perfect, some of the residents thought. One evening there was a small group meeting and some of the residents expressed their concern about this woman.
"It's been two months since we saw her on the street. I'm surprised that so many people are playing into her hands," said an older lady in her forties, looking worried.
"Not only that. Her appearance stands out too much...This woman can't be up to any good." a young man intervened.
While the group continued to share their worries, the street lights came on and lit up Midgar again.
"Does Shinra actually know about this?"
When she heard the name Shinra, beads of sweat appeared on the older lady's forehead.
"You want to report it?"
The man crossed his arms.
"I mean, what if we get a nice reward for it?"
Another man intervened, stepping through a door and taking off his jacket.
"You want to hand over a person just to get a reward?"
"Just look at her?! This woman looks far too suspicious to me, despite the fact that she helps people and animals. Doesn't that all sound too perfect? There's definitely something dangerous behind it and we're wasting our time by holding a secret meeting here while she can keep snooping around our beautiful city!"
A younger lady now stood up from a chair. "You're right. We hardly ever get any help...so what if there really is something to it? She appeared suddenly. I don't remember ever seeing her in Midgar, as she claims. Not to mention her outfit. It looks like she's from another city...or even crazier...from another time."
Another woman now intervened. A woman who, judging by her appearance, must have had a lot of money.
"Have you noticed that she also goes to the slums every time to help the "poor" people there? As far as I know, she even seems to live there...voluntarily. Urgh."
An old man in his sixties now slammed his hands on a round table while everyone's eyes were fixed on him.
"There we have it! It was the poor and it will always be the poor. They are just jealous of us because we made the breakthrough! I agree with the gentlemen that we should report this lady, as it is very likely just a scam by them to get money!"
"Not only that. They also don't seem to be afraid of bringing children into the picture. Aileen is a good example. She must have been scared that day when that woman looked at her. Did you see her eyes?"
"Well, I think we all agree that we should report her to Shinra."
"Exactly. Things have to go back to business as usual and she is disturbing our peaceful everyday life."
That evening, a selfish decision was made.
Hidden by countless other residents and the slums, the same people made their way to the headquarters early in the morning to report Matsuri.
In fact, these people received a reward and went about their daily lives contentedly, thinking that they were right and had made the right decision.
For the group, this topic had already been forgotten and their sympathy was also non-existent. They let a young woman down even though the group also received help from her.
But on that day, everything is supposed to change for Matsuri.
A few days passed and the Turks were assigned to observe Matsuri.
Photos were taken of her continuing to help people, how she surrounded herself with animals and how she entered her small house in sector seven.
These photos were then collected in a file and given to Mr. Shinra personally.
The Turks even went so far as to speak to Aileen and ask questions about Matsuri, but Aileen gave them no useful information, only what the Turks already knew from their observation.
Aileen was worried about Matsuri and visited her every day after talking to the men in the black suits to see if she was okay.
The little girl sat on Matsuri's bed and looked at her from a distance. She was trying to sew a scarf for a young lady whose current scarf was torn.
"Since I met her, she seems to be putting in even more effort for people." thought the little girl and took a pillow to cuddle with.
"I wonder if she's thinking about herself too?" Her thoughts were circling around and her eyes were focused on the red scarf.
"Look, Aileen! I'm almost finished with the scarf! When I see the lady again, I'll give it to her and hope that it keeps her neck warm."
Matsuri's eyes sparkled with joy and her arms were stretched out in Aileen's direction to bring the scarf to the front.
"I didn't think I could sew! Would you also like a scarf in your favorite color, Aileen?"
The black-haired lady smiled gently at her.
"Oh yes, of course! I'd like a yellow scarf! Yellow for the sun, yes!"
Aileen pushed the pillow aside and jumped up full of optimism.
"No, wait! Or would I rather have orange for the dawn? Or green for the plants? Blue? Aaah!"
She threw herself back on the mattress and held the pillow on her head.
"I can't decide! All colors are so beautiful!"
Matsuri had to giggle and put the now finished scarf on the table.
"I already know what I'm going to sew for you. Stay tuned."
Aileen's amber eyes widened and her joy radiated from her face.
Aileen considered Matsuri her big sister despite only knowing her for two months.
She liked Matsuri and didn't care where she came from. She found Matsuri kind and helpful and that was all she needed to know.
In Matsuri's presence, Aileen could be who she wanted to be without having to pretend. In her presence, it was calm and comfortable.
But the men in the black suits were on her mind. Aileen hoped fervently that nothing would happen to her.
One day Aileen told the black-haired woman about her encounter with the men while her eyes reflected concern, but Matsuri calmed her down that day and told Aileen not to worry and gently stroked her head.
After that, Matsuri was more cautious than ever and paused her search for a while in the hope that the Turks would leave her alone, but that never happened. In fact, it was worse.
Not even a week passed when the residents were visited and questioned by several Infantrymen. At that moment Matsuri was on her way to give Aileen her scarf, but she had to hide after she spotted the Infantrymen.
"So it's true...but why?"
One of the Infantrymen spoke to the people and stepped a little closer.
"Have you seen this woman today? We're looking for her to ask a few questions."
"Shouldn't you know where she is? After all, she was being watched? We have nothing to do with her." a lady said, brushing her hair out of her face.
"That's right, but we couldn't find her in the places where she's most noticeable."
Matsuri's heart beat faster the more she heard of the conversation. She definitely didn't want to be taken to the Shinra headquarters.
She didn't know why, but as soon as she heard "Shinra headquarters" she got goosebumps and her body reacted immediately. Her hands started shaking. Her knees went weak as she gripped the scarf tightly.
As she carefully backed away in her black ankle boots, the man who had been there at the group meeting found her and ran to the Infantryman.
"There she is! Now is your chance!"
Matsuri's eyes widened and she started running away from the Infantrymen.
"Don't let her get away!"
The two Infantrymen followed Matsuri, keeping their weapons ready to fire if necessary.
Matsuri ran as fast as she could into the crowd, hoping that the Infantrymen would lose sight of her.
Her shoes slammed against the ground the faster she ran. Her heart pounded in her ears as she continued to hold onto her scarf with one hand.
"I shouldn't be in the crowd! The soldiers will hurt them if I keep running down the busy street!"
Her breathing was heavy and short as she stopped and looked around rapidly.
At that moment, someone grabbed her arm and dragged her towards the Infantryman.
"I got her! Quickly!"
Her fear continued to grow. She looked around again and noticed that some of Midgar's residents were planning to hold her and were coming closer.
With their arms outstretched, they walked towards Matsuri.
She didn't know why all this was happening and she tried to tear herself away from the man. Her eyes reflected the Infantrymen who were coming ever closer.
With a huge tug, however, she was able to free herself from the man who was holding her after he wasn't paying attention for a moment.
Matsuri ran into the alleys of Midgar and towards the slums. She ran as fast as she could and took every turn so that she wouldn't be seen anymore.
"Damn it, we lost sight of her! We should have shot her leg."
"Why did you get involved! We would have caught her sooner or later!"
An argument broke out and both the Infantrymen and the residents of Midgar blamed each other.
"You could have got her, but it took far too long! We don't want "help" from someone who is extremely strange! Have you seen what she looks like?!"
"Don't tell us what to do!"
The discussions continued and was now about something completely different.
Black clouds spread over Midgar until it started to rain and the people immediately got wet from head to toe. The argument went so far that Matsuri was forgotten from their memories and the topic took a complete turn.
The black-haired lady was now in a narrow, dark alley far away from the people who wanted to catch her.
She tried to calm herself down and took several deep breaths while holding her chest. She thought about the two months in which she had been taking care of people again and again.
What was the reason why she was supposed to be caught? She had just managed to escape, but how long would this work?
She ran her arm over her forehead to wipe off her sweat and ran her fingers over her slightly wavy hair.
"Why?"
She fell on the ground and looked for the scarf that she had been holding in her hand a few minutes ago, but it was no longer there.
"Oh no. I lost Aileen's scarf!"
She sincerely hoped that Aileen was okay and that she wouldn't get into trouble with her parents.
After all, she visited Matsuri every day after the Turks approached her.
Matsuri thought about getting up again to look for the scarf, but her legs were shaking so much that she stayed seated and crouched down for the time being.
"What did I do to make you all angry? Did I do something wrong?"
The young lady was shocked and sad. She was finally no longer ignored but accepted.
There was a lot of laughter after she offered her help. As long as she could make people happy, she was happy too. What had she missed?
She closed her eyes in exhaustion and tried to remain calm.