Summary: The beginning of the Temple of the Ancients. We meet a dying Tseng, navigate some Escher-esque settings, and get hints at Sephiroth’s goals.
Temple of the Ancients
-Aeris falls down on walking towards the temple, struck by the pure weight of the Ancients’ knowledge floating around. “You could be one with the Planet, but you’re stopping it with your own strength of will. For you? For us?” Hm. I guess this means the Ancients’ spirits are floating here somehow, resisting the pull of returning to the Planet.
-GREAT MUSIC. LOVE IT! Super ominous and tension-building.
-One of the Caped Clones is at the top of the temple, moaning about “Black… Materia…” He’s got a #9 tattoo. We take something from him and he floats into the air and disappears. Huh.
-Tseng is inside, lying at the altar. He looks hurt.
TSENG: “It’s not the Promised Land… Sephiroth’s searching for…” WHAT IS IT THEN?? This combined with that “Jenova’s not an Ancient” has me freaked out beyond belief.
-Aeris seems somewhat glad Tseng is hurt, and that she sees Shinra failing.
-!!! Aeris says she knew Tseng from when they were little. And she’s choosing to let him die.
-Tseng gives us the keystone to place on the altar.
-We sink through the floor into what looks like an M.C. Escher drawing.
-A guy who looks like an FFI black mage (a bit, anyway) keeps running away, but we corner him. Aeris notices him as an Ancient spirit. He’s afraid. I’m not sure of what, but my guess it that it’s not Sephiroth himself that scares this spirit. Probably closer to Jenova, or whatever the “calamity” Jenova will become.
-He’s a nice spirit, and lets us save.
-Lots of frogs and centipedes in this temple.
Eesh. Centipedes are creepy business.
-Cool platforming mini-puzzle! It nets me a “Morph” materia.
-After we complete the puzzle, Aeris senses something… from this Mako-well looking thing that holds the wisdom/souls of the Ancients.
-…it warns her of an evil consciousness. It says it will show her.
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The Recent Past
-It transports Cloud and Aeris to the recent past, when Elena and Tseng are contemplating what to do in this temple.
-AW! Tseng and Elena!
I swear, the last thing I thought I’d see, let alone care about, when I met Tseng (nee “fucking Tseng, that jerkface) was him asking out a colleague on a date.
-The wall near Tseng is covered with art. It looks somewhat Egyptian. Lots of people standing near an altar. At the altar is a prism that must be the Black Materia. Tseng notes that this doesn’t seem like the Promised Land…
-AAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH
-SEPHIROTH
-And it’s not like he showed up as a solid form interacting with Tseng in the past. He’s in ghost form like us, unseen by Tseng. And unseen by us.
-Or maybe he was just in the foreground of the past. Hard to tell, but he moves into Tseng’s level, solidifies, and pulls out that ridiculously long sword.
SEPHIROTH: “I am becoming one with the planet.” Then his spirit erupt out from him, and begins to grow.
-Ah. I think I begin to see his master plan. He wants to commune with the Planet and become one, become a god basically. This is some Father-in-FMAB bullshit right here. Still not sure what Jenova’s role in all this is.
-As he says this, he runs Tseng through. I feel sorry for Tseng. Bravo, FFVII.
CLOUD: “I’m taking [Sephiroth] out.” I mean, probably? Eventually? We’re still too early in the game for him to actually be about to take Sephiroth out.
Unless this is like an FFVI thing with Sephiroth as Gestahl and Jenova as Kefka. But I don’t think so. I think it’s like FFVI in that Sephiroth and Jenova are as Kefka, and the Shinra Corporation is as the Gestahlian Empire – a front villain that will probably pale in comparison to whatever Sephiroth and Jenova do.
-!!! THEN SEPHIROTH’S SPIRIT DESCENDS DOWN THAT SPIRIT WELL BRIEFLY AND THEN LEAVES. This dude is CREEPING ME OUT.
-We then arrive at a clock puzzle thing, with the Guardian of Time. Not sure what this is about. I could walk across the minute hand and I set the time up, but fell off when cross into the pit.
-Two dragons attack us. Tried summoning Odin for the first time, and IT IS SO COOL LOOKING.
-We get a “Nail Bat.” Much better offense for Cloud, but no materia slots. I’ll stick with Rune Blade.
-After the fight we pop back into Escherville. Maybe I have to do the clock thing again and get it right.
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Next time: Continuing through the temple to a clock section.
