thelast-cetra:

^{A hundred Shadows, she could handle. A Darkside, she could handle. Aerith was no stranger to combat, and she could hold her own against the hordes of Heartless that proliferated the streets of Hollow Bastion. But that did not mean that she was exceptionally skilled in combat.}

^{Leon once called her scary, and he had been right. Under normal circumstances, Aerith was known to wield Fire magic with impeccable aim and precision. She could form swords of ice and shields of light. And it would have been reasonable for her to try the latter as the looming, towering presence of an undefined creature collided with earth toward she and Naminé.}

^{But she had tried already.}

^{In the village, just before the child found her roaming its streets past sunset— he was just as foolish as she for leaving himself so vulnerable in so harsh a land— Aerith had attempted to light a branch. A makeshift torch.}

^{Only the faintest of sparks responded to her call.}

^{She cooed, but her magic was silent. Why? She couldn’t say. Something in this forest dampened her call, and she felt the drag of magic in her veins. Maybe if she and Naminé ran far enough— long enough­­­— it would resolve things.}

^{A tremor formed.}

^{Aerith lost her footing. Darkness swelled on the edges of her vision, and she understood belatedly that there was not one creature coming toward them. It was a group. Their footsteps aligned just enough that each footfall slammed against the earth at once. Each roar was mimicked by the other. It wasn’t until another shadowy head came into sight that Aerith considered the possibility.}

^{❝ Can you be very quiet? ❞}

         _{Logic would state that given the way the world was, shrouded in such a thick darkness that she could feel it pulling both of them down more and more, it would be easier for her to use her limited control over darkness if she were willing to risk it. But she supposed, distantly as they continued to run, it was one of those cases where it was simply easier to get in, and far harder to get out. Something about this world felt as if it dampened magic, pressed it deep down to their cores where it was impossible to touch.}

         _{An oppressive world, and Naminé couldn’t help but wonder how it had gotten to such a horrid extent. Lack of care by the frightened people who lived there? Or rather, eternal greed and suffering that had washed over them in such a thick wave that by the time they realized they were in danger, there was nothing that could be done? Yet those thoughts did nothing to lend them any aid, and the blonde pushed them aside. Another time.}

                                             _{They couldn’t die there, could they…?}

                           _{No. Naminé had to ensure Aerith got home. To her family.}

         _{Looking wide eyed at the brunette as she asked a question, rushed and quiet, all Naminé could do was nod. Her mouth would not open, and her bones were saturated with fear that weighed her down and made it hard to lift a finger. Was this was true fear felt like, to someone with a heart? The way that her chest constricted told her perhaps it was.}

         _{The shadowy head in sight she could only see out of her peripheral vision and she tried to quiet her harsh breathing, aiming to make it calm and even, inaudible to nearly everyone.}

                  _{There was little she was good at, but keeping quiet was easy for her.}