Making their way across the train graveyard in the direction of the slums, the group continued to move the train cars to create new paths. Monsters were few and far between, but the occasional threat did pop up to hinder them. They disposed of the monsters that got in their way and refused to let anything stop them.

Eventually, they reached a large, open area near Freight Storage. There were surprised to see the place wasn't as crowded with trains as the rest of the graveyard.

Tifa was more than anxious to find the exit of the train graveyard. "Almost there. Come on!"

"Right," Cloud said.

Lailah came to a stop next to Aerith. She looked around the open area but her gaze moved to the sky when she felt goosebumps form along her arms. The ghosts from earlier emerged from the shadows and flew around. She confusingly watched the ghosts as Cloud attempted to draw his sword. She then spotted the ghosts forming another vortex. She saw the ghosts were heading straight for her and Aerith.

Lailah attempted to erect a barrier around her and Aerith, but a single ghost rammed into her arm and interrupted her casting. She held up her arms as she and Aerith were swarmed by the ghosts. A gasp fell from her lips when she felt she was being swept up in the powerful torrent of black wind.

"Cloud!" Aerith shouted as she too was being swallowed by the vortex.

Cloud lunged forward and tried to grab both girls. "Aerith! Lailah!"

The two girls were swept away before Cloud could reach them.

Carried away from Cloud and Tifa, Lailah and Aerith were dropped in another part of the train graveyard. The shapeshifter sat with her legs pushed out on either side of her while she was hunched over, palms resting on the ground. Beside her, Aerith sat on the ground with her legs tucked next to her.

"Are you okay, Aerith?" Lailah asked.

The florist nodded. "I think so. What about you?"

"I'm fine, but..."

Words failed her as a familiar ghost floated towards them. It was the spirit of the child they had met at the maintenance facility. It slowly hovered closer to the girls.

"You're just trying to help, aren't you?" Aerith asked.

When the ghost floated over to Lailah, it reached its claw-like hand toward her. She didn't hesitate to hold its hand. "You're helping us. There must be a way we can help you and your friends. What can we—"

Suddenly, the ghost let go of her hand and flew away when a shriek rang out. Aerith and Lailah winced at the harsh sound. Before them, a horrifying creature known as an eligor manifested. The menacing red eye focused its eerie gaze on the girls.

"You. You're the one who..." Aerith began, but her voice failed her as they were swarmed by the black wind. They both looked around when they heard the voice of children.

"Are you ready? Well, are ya?!" a spectral image of a boy questioned while looking around.

Another spectral image of a boy appeared. "I'm ready now!"

The spirit of a girl joined them. She sat on the ground, hugging her knees. "Me too!"

The boy ran over to the girl. "Found you!"

"No way!" she shouted.

Then, the boy found his other friend with the girl. "We found you!"

He was bummed to be discovered. "Aw, you got me."

"Hey, where's Aerith?"

A little girl that resembled Aerith appeared. "I'm ready! I'm ready!" She looked around when she couldn't hear or see her friends. "I said I'm ready! Come get me!"

Lailah couldn't believe the eligor was using its power to torture Aerith with her childhood. She felt her heart break when the younger version of the girl started to cry.

The little girl whimpered, tears falling from her eyes. "I'm right here..."

Aerith was horrified to relive her lonely childhood. She too was about to break into tears, but she was startled when a golden silhouette came from the back winds. It was a little girl with short white hair that had multicolored tips. She wore her hair up in two pigtails that were tied up with pale blue ribbons. The scenery then seemed to change and the black winds vanished.

Aerith recognized it as the area outside her house in the Sector 5 slums. She watched the little girl run over to the child version of herself. She was in utter shock as she recognized the child. "Lailah..." Her wide eyes were focused on the image of the pig-tailed child. She thought it was a simple vision, but it wasn't. It was a memory.

Aerith and Lailah had met when they were children.

Neither of the girls recalled their first meeting because of how young they were.

The child version of Lailah didn't hesitate to hug the crying Aerith.

"Don't cry, Aerith. I'm here," the snowy-haired child replied sweetly. "Could you show me how to play hide-and-seek?"

The child version of Aerith sniffled and wiped away the remainder of her tears. "O-Okay."

"And then we could grow some flowers after!"

This cheered the little girl up. Her tears were gone as she hugged Lailah back. "Yeah!"

Breaking the hug, the two children held hands and ran off.

The eligor screeched before vanishing. The images faded and the area was quiet.

Aerith and Lailah still were shocked they both had forgotten they had met before. Now the memory that seemed to have been locked away resurfaced and the details broke the floodgates.

Aerith looked over at the shapeshifter. "We met here...in Midgar. W-We played together and grew so many flowers. How could I have forgotten?"

Lailah was also just as surprised to remember the memory. "I can't believe I forgot, too." She placed a hand on her head when she felt a twinge of pain. "I...I can't remember all the details, but I do know we were friends before the fall of Tellus. Did my parents truly leave Tellus and come to Midgar? If they did, why...? That would mean the tales of our seclusion are falsehoods."

Suddenly, the black winds returned as Lailah felt her memories shift from her happy time with Aerith to the horrifying images of Shinra destroying Tellus. The eligor reappeared and now was torturing her with the haunting images of the frightening day her people were slaughtered. Hearing the screams of her people and watching the spectral images of their bodies falling to the ground, she couldn't take it.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. She covered her ears and closed her eyes. "Stop it... Stop it!" Her actions were fruitless. She could still hear the bloodcurdling screams and the sound of blades cutting through flesh. She didn't even notice the eligor had formed a black vortex around her, preventing Aerith from helping her. She was cut off and lost in the images and sounds of her past.

"Lailah!" Aerith shouted. She scrambled to her feet and tried to help her friend, but the black winds were too powerful. She was knocked back.

Just then, Cloud and Tifa arrived.

"Aerith!" the ex-SOLDIER shouted.

The florist pointed to the black vortex. "We have to save Lailah!"

The eligor, deciding to not remain invisible any longer, manifested in a single-horse chariot. It rode around the three, preparing itself for battle.

"Let's take this thing down and save Lailah!" Tifa chanted.

As the three fought against the eligor, Lailah remained tortured by the past. She wanted to crawl into a ball and disappear into herself to avoid ever hearing and seeing the day that haunted her again. She could hear the booming voices of the SOLDIERs who infiltrated Tellus as they cut down the innocent people of the Tenebris Tribe. Women and children were not spared and were brutally slaughtered like the rest.

Daring to open her eyes, she saw the SOLDIERs who broke into her house and killed her father before setting their sights on her and her mother. She witnessed them drag the spectral image of Laurel away before slaughtering her in cold blood just like her father. With her parents dead, she was the only one that remained. The spectral images of the SOLDIERs marched toward her.

From the black vortex, Lailah could see a blurry figure enter the ghostly image of her house with their sword raised. Unable to stand it any longer, she closed her eyes again and prayed to Gaia it would end. Tears continued to pour from her eyes as she kept her hands over her ears. She expected to feel the pain she did all those years ago. However, there was nothing. The voices had ceased and the black winds were gone.

Feeling a familiar warmth on her cheeks, she slowly opened her eyes to see Cloud. On his knees in front of her, he gingerly wiped away her tears. She didn't witness the fight against the eligor due to being tortured by the visions. Her eyes darted around to see only him, Tifa, and Aerith.

Slowly, she wound her arms around his torso and hugged him. She clung to him, her hands clutching tightly to the back of his shirt. Her rapid breathing began to calm after feeling his warmth.

Cloud encased her in his arms. He squeezed her tightly. Tucking her head under his chin, he refused to let her go. "I'm here," he whispered.

Once Lailah had calmed down, she loosened her grip on him. "Thank you," she mumbled. Her tears vanished and she felt better than ever. Pulling away, she wiped at her reddened cheeks. "Sorry for causing trouble."

"You haven't done anything, Lailah," Tifa spoke up as she and Aerith walked over. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

The shapeshifter shook her head. "No, I'm fine." She glanced between the three. "What...happened?"

Aerith squatted down beside her. She told her about the eligor and how she was trapped in the vortex of black winds. She then smiled in reassurance after her explanation. "But everything's okay now." She took Lailah's hands in hers and helped her to her feet. "I can't believe I didn't remember you, Lailah."

"Neither can I," the shapeshifter replied, smiling.

"Wait," Tifa was intrigued by the conversation. "What are you two talking about?"

"Lailah and I met when we were children. We didn't remember until the eligor showed us," Aerith said.

Suddenly, orbs of light floated into the air from where the eligor was slain. They watched in awe as the small orbs started to fade. The ghost of the little boy from the maintenance facility drifted towards them.

"It's that ghost..." Tifa said. It, along with its friends, soared upward before slowly fading. "Wow..."

Lailah felt a sense of peace wash over the train graveyard. She sighed in contentment, knowing the spirits of the children were finally at peace. A smile spread across her face when she heard the familiar giggles of the children one last time. "Farewell, everyone."

"So long," Aerith smiled.

With the train graveyard at peace, they continued to the Sector 7 pillar. Proceeding to exit the train graveyard, they arrived at the fenced-off outskirts of the pillar.

"We made it!" Tifa shouted as she ran over to the fence.

The sound of a helicopter flying overhead caught their attention. A Shinra helicopter flew towards the pillar. Explosions lit up the distance.

Tifa gripped the fence out of fear and anger. Aerith joined her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We best hurry," Lailah spoke up.

Tifa released the fence. "Right."

Eventually, they found their way back to the undercity station. As they drew closer to the pillar, the explosions and screams crescendoed. Shinra helicopters swarmed the pillar and fired upon the members of Avalanche who were trying to fend them off.

Tifa stared at the pillar. "Dropping a whole plate...just like that. No. No way." She broke out into a sprint.

"Tifa!" Aerith shouted before taking chase.

Cloud and Lailah followed after them.

When they arrived at the plaza by the station, the shapeshifter felt goosebumps form along her arms and legs. She knew what the source was and looked around.

Aerith also sensed the presence. "Please! Let us through!"

From the ground emerged a single specter. Seconds ticked by and more specters appeared. They began to swarm around the group.

Cloud didn't hesitate. He drew his sword and attacked the specter floating in front of them. Swinging his sword, he was flabbergasted when the blade was stopped by the specter. "What are you?"

The specters swirled around the plaza, preventing them from going anywhere. Seeing they were blocking their way to the pillar, Aerith called out to her friends. "Cloud, Tifa, Lailah! We have to get past, whatever it takes!"

"Right!" Tifa shouted back.

Lailah was about to activate her chakrams but stopped. Hearing a familiar hiss, she knew Zeus had arrived. One by one, she grabbed Cloud, Tifa, and Aerith and dragged them away from the specters.

A white cobra with yellow markings broke through a nearby wall and lunged at the specters. Bolts of lightning surged from the serpent's body as it wiped out the assailants and cleared the area.

Tifa lowered her fists. "Another ancestral beast?"

Lailah stepped forward. She carefully approached Zeus, knowing he could be more temperamental than the other ancestral beasts. The only one who could top his temper would be Hephaestus, the ancestral beast of the Ignis Tribe.

The cobra hissed at her but didn't attack. Instead, it calmly observed her.

The snowy-haired girl stared into Zeus' slit eyes pleadingly. "I know I have no right to ask much of you, but please help us."

The cobra lowered its head and spoke telepathically with her. "You are young but wise. Tell me what you wish of me and it shall be done."

She took a hopeful step towards Zeus. "Please, protect those at the pillar. Stop Shinra from killing innocent people."

The serpent lifted its head. "Though I am weak, I shall provide as much assistance as possible. I cannot promise I will be able to save everyone."

Lailah lowered her gaze. She knew it would be impossible to save everyone, but she hoped with the beast's help, they could avoid more casualties. "Thank you, Zeus."

"Farwell for now, Rhea."

Within seconds, Zeus slithered off and vanished out of sight.

Aerith ran up to the shapeshifter. "What did he say?"

"He is weak, but he'll help as much as he can," she answered. "Let's hurry to the pillar."

Running down the path, they soon arrive at the Pillar Plaza. They looked around to see the various citizens of the slums gathered around the pillar.

"What you got?! Come on!"

Hearing Barret's booming voice, their attention was drawn to the pillar.

"That's Barret!" Tifa shouted she spotted the brute fighting against Shinra on the pillar.

When an explosion rang out, they heard a scream. It belonged to Wedge. The man had been blown off the pillar. He used his grappling gun to halt his descent.

Acting quickly, Lailah transformed into a bird.

Another explosion shook the pillar. Wedge's grip on the grappling hook slipped. Just before his body hit the ground, he was grabbed by talons. He was gently set down on the ground.

The bird loomed over him protectively as Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa ran over.

Cloud kneeled over the battered Wedge. "You okay?!"

Wedge struggled to push himself up. "Cloud... It's Shinra! They're trying to take out the pillar!"

"I know," the blonde replied.

Wedge began crawling towards the fence. "I have to go back—Barret and the others are still—"

The bird squawked and blocked his way.

"Stop!" Cloud shouted at him. He looked over at Tifa and Aerith, who were by Wedge's side. "Stay with Wedge. Lailah and I are going up."

"Sure," Aerith responded.

Wedge tried to protest. "I'm going too! I can still fight! Biggs, he—They were shooting at me and he—"

Tifa stopped him. "Wedge, please. Let Cloud and Lailah handle it."

Aerith glanced up at Cloud. "Don't worry. I'll patch him up."

Wedge was able to get to his knees with Aerith and Tifa's help. "Hang on, guys! Help is coming!" He shouted up to his comrades.

The specters Zeus disposed of suddenly reappeared. They set their sights on the Pillar.

"Wedge—listen to me. You stay here with them," Cloud told him. He then turned to Lailah, who remained in her bird form. He only needed to gaze into her eyes to tell what her plan was. She would fly ahead while he used the stairs up the Pillar to clear out any Shinra soldiers. "Be careful, Lailah."

The bird squawked again before flapping her wings. She flew up the side of the pillar in search of Barret and Biggs. Shinra soldiers fired at her, but she erected a barrier around herself to protect her from the rain of bullets. She didn't bother to take them out since she was more focused on finding her friends.

Reaching the fourth floor, she found Biggs surrounded by Shinra officers. He was on the ground, back leaning against the pillar with his gun aimed at the encroaching officers. Seeing his beaten and bloodied state, she was consumed by anger and swooped into the narrow opening of the level. Reverting, she activated her chakrams and stood in front of Biggs.

The officers aimed their guns at her, only to hesitate when they recognized her. "It's her!" One shouted. "What should we do, captain?"

The captain leading the group lowered his firearm. "We've orders from President Shinra himself to capture her alive. Make sure not to rough her up too much. Prepare the—"

A single round was fired. The bullet knocked the captain down.

Realizing the bullet came from behind her, Lailah looked over her shoulder at Biggs. He smiled weakly at her. "Hope you...don't mind me filling in for...Cloud for a bit. Someone's...gotta keep the princess safe while...the knight's away."

She cast a smile at him before redirecting her attention to the officers. She infused her chakrams with fire and got to work mowing down the officers one by one. She dodged and blocked their gunfire before tossing her flaming chakrams at them. Like dominos, they fell in succession. Minutes later, the level was cleared. She caught her chakrams, deactivating them.

Hearing a cough, she rushed to Biggs' side. Sitting on her knees by his side, she smiled gratefully at him. "Thank you for protecting me, Biggs."

His eyes widen when he heard her voice. "Holy shit..."

She blinked owlishly. "What is it?"

"You can...talk."

This made her giggle. "A lot has happened since we last saw each other."

He feebly chuckled. "Wedge is...gonna have a...field day when he...figures out." Then, he was wracked with a nasty cough.

Lailah's smile vanished. She squeezed his hand. "Let me—" She then felt the chilling presence of the specters and looked around. She saw them starting to swarm around them and grew frustrated with their intervention. The moment she went to cast a wind spell to blow them away, they suddenly vanished.

"Lailah! Biggs!"

The shapeshifter saw Cloud running towards them. She was relieved to see he was safe, but Biggs was still in rough shape.

Biggs tried to smile at the ex-SOLDIER. "You made it...though...I might not. Your special lady...has been keeping me...company. Hey. Is Wedge..."

"Don't worry. He'll bounce back," Cloud said.

"That's...good to hear. Could've used some extra padding myself." Biggs coughed again.

He put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't talk."

"It's...pretty bad up there. Cloud." Biggs grabbed the ex-SOLDIER's hand. "Promise me. Don't let it be for nothing. And don't...let those bastards take Lailah."

"I won't," Cloud confidently replied, clasping his other hand over Biggs'.

Biggs smiled through the pain. "You're a good man. Giving me that...that comfort." His hand slid out of Cloud's.

"You are not dying here," Lailah said. "I can—"

"No," he told her. "Save your...strength. You're gonna...need it."

She bit her bottom lip, knowing he was right. She would need to conserve as much mana as possible for the fights ahead. However, she needed to be reassured he would survive. Without him or Cloud noticing, she formed a small green crystal in her palm.

"Oh. One more thing. The Leaf House. It's an orphanage. In the...Sector 5 slums. The kids...they're great. I used to visit—" Another wave of coughing came over Biggs.

Cloud shook his head. "That, you'll have to do yourself."

Biggs weakly grinned. "Lemme guess...not a fan of kids."

"No," the blonde confessed.

Lailah giggled. "He doesn't know how to handle them."

Biggs' smirk widened as he looked over at her. "But they have...so much in common."

She laughed again. "They do, don't they?"

Biggs gave his attention back to Cloud and placed his hand on the blonde's head. He then lowered his arm. "Good luck...Cloud." Shakily, he lifted his hand and gave him a thumbs up. "Our future...is in yours and Lailah's hands."

With those final words, Biggs lost consciousness.

Even when his eyes slid close and his head hung limply, Lailah didn't let go of his hand. She felt a turmoil of emotions swirling inside her.

"This isn't over," Cloud said.

"No, it's not." She slid the crystal into Biggs' palm and curled his fingers protectively around it. Standing up, she turned her back to Cloud and Biggs. "We're just getting started."