[center][h3]Now and Forever[/h3]
Level 7 Sandalphon (17/70)
[b]Word Count:[/b] 1893[/center]

Though Sandalphon boarded the Avenger alongside her teammates, the archangel still had her fair share of reservations. Regarding the Lost Numbers and their intentions specifically, she chose to believe in their sincerity. They’d clearly made enemies of Moebius, putting them as public enemy number one alongside the Seekers themselves as far as the World of Light was concerned. If Dawn spoke truly about her own existence in this world, she and the others had been living on the run for a long time, and revealing the Avenger no doubt carried an enormous risk for them. In addition, they’d seemingly relied on Dante and the other Alcamoth survivors to actually fight Consul Z, rather than any weapons or powers of their own. Though trapped in a precarious situation, both now and in the event of the campaign’s success, they seemed intent on putting their trust in the Seekers of Light.

Unfortunately, that alone wouldn’t suffice for Sandalphon. She needed to be able to trust them as well, and she couldn’t do that when the Lost Numbers were obviously keeping secrets.

While the others examined the map and made plans on which facilities to visit, Sandalphon internalized the Avenger’s layout at a glance, then approached Dawn in order to take her aside. Though she’d lost some of her height and otherworldly grace thanks to her fusions, the archangel still stood quite a bit taller than normal, and with such unusual eyes her unblinking stare possessed an unsettling intimidation factor that she now used to full effect. “May I speak to you privately?” she asked, her tone flat enough to suggest that this wasn’t as much of a question as it normally would be.

Dawn sized up the archangel with a wary expression. In the short time they’d known one another Sandalphon had already proven herself extremely sharp and perceptive, quickly figuring out that the siblings were allowing important things to go unsaid. It seemed like this guest in particular would not let sleeping dogs lie. The woman sighed. “...Come with me,” she replied, her voice low. She turned and headed from the Cargo Bay through Engineering, waving to the other Seekers as she passed. “Excuse me for now, I’ll be back to show you around in a bit! Feel free to guide your own tours.”

Sandalphon followed her guide through the ship’s sprawling, almost labyrinthine interior. Even though she’d seen the Avenger’s vast size from the outside firsthand, traveling through room after room really put into perspective how much of a mobile town the aircraft really was. It boasted a whopping five floors, which meant a lot of stairs to climb. They barely slowed Dawn down, as she’d been climbing them for decades even if she wasn’t built like a construction worker, but so many stairs proved to be a challenge for Sandalphon. The archangel trudged up the flights stiffly, doing her damndest to uphold her dignity with a minimum of huffing and puffing. Though Dawn was nice enough to wait for her, Sandalphon could detect a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. When they finally reached the top floor, Sandalphon came to a stop with a shaky sigh of relief, her pupils in the shape of spirals. They had arrived in some sort of command center, with a very elaborate table projecting a three-dimensional geoscape of the World of Light, with regular scans going off for any sign of hostiles in the vicinity. “...How much farther?”

“Sorry, just through here.” Dawn looked a little sheepish. On the other side of the Bridge lay a common room, with a number of tables, chairs, and resting nooks where members of the crew probably slept. Given the time of day, though, the place was empty. The arrival of the Seekers had evidently gotten the Lost Numbers’ full attention. Dawn pulled out a chair for Sandalphon, then seated herself. “Please. We can talk here. Can I get you something to drink?”

“Thank you. Coffee, please, if you have any.” Sandalphon seated herself as gracefully as she could, keeping a stiff upper lip despite her heavy breathing. She waited while Dawn ran and grabbed the coffee pot. While the brew wasn’t exactly fresh, the archangel wasn’t about to complain. She drained it completely, then took a deep breath. “Allow me to begin, then. I am Sandalphon, former leader of the Apostles of the Illian Church. To me, there are few things more important than efficiency. When it comes to communication, that entails both speed and completeness. However, it is clear that despite your offer of alliance, you and your brother are concealing information from us. If we cannot trust you completely, we may be forced to take matters into our own hands.” Though delivered matter-of-factly, those words could still very much be taken as a threat. “I need to know everything that you know about the World of Light. What you meant by ‘Source Engine’, and what you both said about our lives. If you meant only to shield us from distressing revelations, please be assured of my mental fortitude. Once I have the full picture, I will decide whether to keep or disseminate this information.”

Dawn nodded, her expression glum, as if this was pretty much what she expected. “Fine, fine. You know, you’re one intense lady, Sandalphon. It’s true, we only wanted to keep this stuff from you to protect you all. But if anyone can handle it, I’m sure you could.” She leaned back in her chair, sighing.

“Well, I guess I’ll get started,” she began in a low tone, her face solemn. “I mentioned that us Lost Numbers were born naturally, but it’s different for ‘old life’ like you, people from before the World of Light, and that’s directly related to how this world works. See, it’s like one big perpetual motion machine, able to sustain itself forever, but never move forward.” She narrowed her eyes, trying to think of a good way to explain things. “It begins with the Source Engine. That’s just what we call it, we don’t know its real name, and it’s more theoretical than anything. We think that somewhere out there, there’s some kind of ‘factory’ where people are made. Then they’re spawned fully-formed all around the World of Light, tied to various Flame Clocks that strictly control their lifespans, forcing them to fight and steal the lives of others to prolong their own, while Moebius skims off the top to keep themselves immortal.” She clasped her hands. “But apparently that’s not good enough, ‘cause when you guys get made you’re slapped with two limitations.”

Sandalphon nodded. “One must be the ‘gleaming’ state that alters the cognition and memory of the populace, rendering them oblivious to the incongruity of their situation.” Her pupils turned to question marks. “And the other…?”

Dawn sighed. “Everyone is made to fight and die, right? Well…you’re not exactly made to last. It’s impossible to worry about and fight for the future when you’ve got no future to begin with. It’s the ultimate way to prevent rebellion. Anything other than living in the now.” She looked down at the table. “The Flame Clocks aren’t the only way Moebius keeps your lives in check. Everyone spawned in this world is made with a limited lifespan. Sure, you start at whatever age and don’t really get older over time, but when your time’s up, that’s it. And that span…is just ten years.”

For a few moments, Sandalphon sat quietly. So, according to Dawn, she’d been made, possibly by the same architect who made the World of Light itself. That explained the otherwise inexplicable gulf of time prior to the beginning of her own memory in Midgar. And even though she’d lived for centuries in her own world, with no discernible end in sight, her re-creation in this world had slapped her with a lifespan of just ten years? Even for a human that was terribly short, but for an angel it might as well be the blink of an eye. Now she could see just why Dawn wanted to spare the Seekers this knowledge.

“I question how ‘endless’ this can be, depending on how long it goes on,” she wondered. “Given enough time, would this system not exhaust the sum total of all ‘old life’?”

Dawn shook her head. “When someone dies, they go back into the cycle. Someone who was part of it to begin with, at least. Then they’ll show up somewhere else, without any memories of what happened before.”

Once again Sandalphon hesitated. She chose her next words carefully. “Your parents…”

After taking a deep breath, Dawn nodded. “You said you saw Tifa in Midgar. I’m glad she’s okay, really. But the Tifa you saw wasn’t my mom. My mom was a previous Tifa, who lived over thirty years ago. She and Cloud had been freed -’destoried’, they call it- and were part of a group fighting to overthrow Galeem, just as you are now. They even managed to take down three Guardians. Eventually, though, Moebius caught up to them. It was a slaughter. The four of them -Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Barrett- fled the carnage, but just when they thought they’d escaped, they ran into him. Moebius A.” The words hung in the air ominously. “I never got the full story, but mom said they were forced to ‘choose’. In the end, only mom and dad made it.” She shook her head. “After that, there wasn’t much they could do. They went into hiding and settled down. Eventually had us. Then, when Cirrus and I were just toddlers…” She sniffed. “Their ten years were up. They disappeared. Turned into light. Leaving just their clothes behind. And us.”

Dawn wiped at her eyes with the back of her hands. “It was…hard for us. Cirrus especially, he’s always been so sensitive. The Lost Numbers raised us, at least. But I can’t even imagine how hard it was for mom and dad. Knowing they’d fade away. Putting their hope in us, to fight for a future they’d never get to see.” She took a deep breath. “So no matter how many heroes come and go, I have to keep going. We all do. Just like our parents, we probably won’t get to see a brighter future, whatever lies beyond this meat grinder. But maybe someday, someone will. And that’s what we’re fighting for.”

A moment passed before Sandalphon nodded. The weight shared with her had been heavy, indeed. But rather than terrified, the archangel felt amazed. Amazed by the bravery and tenacity of these poor people, born into a hopeless world of strife yet determined to make a change someday. “Your courage is incredible. Humbling, even,” she told Dawn after a moment. “Is…there anything else?”

Dawn shook her head. “Nothing that important.”

“Then in light of everything you’ve shared with me, I accept your alliance on behalf of the Seekers of Light,” Sandalphon told her. “From this day forward, I will protect the Lost Numbers with my life. And before our campaign succeeds, I vow to find a way to bring you with us when the worlds are restored.” She extended her hand.

Smiling, Dawn took it and shook. “Thank you, Sandalphon. We’re glad to have you.” After taking a deep breath, Dawn stood up quickly. “Let’s get a move on, then. We have a lot of ground to cover!”