Transforming into a dragon, Lailah soared across the night sky with Cloud in her grasp. The Whispers that remained followed her movements as she circled the roof of the Shinra building. Glancing at the roof, she saw a familiar face. Tifa had come back for both of them. The sable-haired girl smiled and waved at the two.

Just when Lailah was about to land, various explosions were triggered. The landing platform was falling and the Whispers quickly dispersed. Hearing Tifa scream, the dragon swooped down and grabbed her in her other hand and flew away from the roof as pieces of the building rained down.

"Thanks, Lailah!" Tifa shouted over the blowing wind. "Think you can get us back inside?!"

Lailah circled the building. She looked through the windows and searched for the perfect place to enter. Once she found one on the eleventh floor, she flew toward the window. She protected Tifa and Cloud from the glass as she broke through the windows. Shaking the glass from her body, she brushed the shards away with her tail before releasing her friends.

Seeing they were uninjured, the shapeshifter reverted to her human form. "Sorry for the rough entrance."

Tifa smiled. "Don't worry about it. I doubt there would've been another way to get back inside."

"Why did you come back?" Cloud asked the sable-haired girl.

"Something felt off and I wanted to make sure you both were okay," Tifa answered. "Looks like that feeling was wrong. I should've known Lailah would've been able to get you out of any tough situation, Cloud. And me too, of course. I can't believe they blew up the roof..."

"Me either," Lailah said. "If they're willing to do that, who knows what else they have up their sleeve. We need to find the others and get out of here."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Tifa looked over at the elevator. The light above was flashing red. "The elevators aren't working."

"The stairs," Cloud said. "They can get us to the lower floors."

"Let's just hope they haven't been destroyed," the shapeshifter commented.

Fortunately, the stairs were still intact. The trio rushed down the long stairwell to the main lobby and were just in time to witness Aerith, Hayden, Red, and Barret being surrounded by security officers and Heidegger.

Cloud, Tifa, and Lailah took cover to avoid being spotted.

"What should we do?" Tifa asked.

"I could transform and attack the officers, but we still need an escape plan," Lailah replied.

Cloud looked around, remembering the motorcycle and truck that were on display from their first visit to the lobby. "Know how to hotwire?"

Both girls shook their heads.

"Wait," Lailah spoke up when an idea came to mind. "I don't know how to hotwire, but all we need is a spark, right?"

"Pretty much," Cloud said.

She grinned. "Then let me give it a try."

The first vehicle they approached was the truck. Tifa jumped behind the wheel and gave the snowy-haired girl a nod of approval. Placing her hands on the hood of the vehicle, the shapeshifter sent a small jolt of lightning through it. When the engine came to life and the display turned on, Tifa smiled. "It worked!"

Lailah smiled in relief. "Good. There should be enough room for the others. Cloud and I will clear the way for you."

"Got it," she replied.

"Now," she cast her smile in Cloud's direction. "Let's get that motorcycle up and running."

The couple rushed over to the motorcycle. The ex-SOLDIER hopped on while the shapeshifter shocked the engine. When the vehicle hummed lowly, she knew she was successful. "Nicely done," he complimented her.

"Now that we've got our escape vehicles, time to get the others. But first..." She glanced in the director's direction. "Promise to leave Heidegger to me. I want to pay him back for that Airbuster nonsense."

Cloud smirked lightly. "He's all yours."

She stepped aside. "Time to flatten some officers!"

At her declaration, Cloud revved the engine of the motorcycle before taking off.

Laila watched as he expertly maneuvered the vehicle and use the stairs as a ramp. He launched off the top step and soared through the air toward the officers. Once he began sweeping the men off their feet, she transformed into a wolf and used the chandeliers as jumping platforms. She landed on top of the reception desk and howled, grabbing the attention of the enemies and her friends.

Aerith smiled at seeing the shapeshifter. "Lailah!"

The wolf remained on her perch, watching Cloud knock over the officers with the motorcycle. When the way to Heidegger was clear, she leapt down and charged at him with a snarl. She heard him order his men to protect him, but they were down for the count. She pounced on the man, pinning him to the cold marble floor below. Growling, she bore her fangs and dug her claws into his body. He screamed as a blistering cold emitted from his pierced skin.

Once the icy patches across Heidegger's body stopped spreading, he was unable to move. He glared up at the wolf. "Damn mutt!"

Lailah jumped off him, satisfied with her work. Returning to the others, she saw everyone was ready to go.

Cloud held out his hand toward her.

She didn't need him to say anything. Reverting, she took his hand and he helped her onto the motorcycle.

"Let's roll," Cloud said, holding his sword in one hand.

Tifa nodded. "Okay!"

Lailah wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as he drove up the stairs to the second floor. She could see the officers standing at the top of the stairs, but they were knocked down when Cloud sped between them.

Suddenly, the ex-SOLDIER brought the bike to a halt after entering the lounge area. Tifa slammed on the brakes of the truck and came to a stop behind the motorcycle. In the distance stood a single officer, his gun aimed at them with shaky hands.

Yanking on the handle of the motorcycle, Cloud spun it around in a circle and tossed his sword. The blade pierced the window behind the officer just inches away from his face. He shrieked in fear as he dropped his firearm. He collapsed to the floor and quickly got back on his feet before running away.

Cloud looked over his shoulder and gave Tifa a nod. He then redirected his gaze to the sword embedded in the glass. "Hold on," he told Lailah.

She tightened her arms around his waist.

Feeling this, Cloud grabbed the handles of the motorcycle and sped off. He drove through the window, shattering it. Tifa was right behind him, driving the truck through the window.

Cloud caught his sword just before the motorcycle landed on the highway. Holding it with one hand, he focused on the road ahead while the truck followed him.

As they sped down the empty highway, Lailah heard Barret cheer, "Home free, Red!"

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet," Red said.

"We may have escaped the building, but we aren't out of the woods just yet," Hayden responded.

"Man, you two need to lighten up," Barret groaned. "Hell, you two might even try smiling."

Red tried to smile, but the brute grimaced. "On second thought...maybe frowning suits you better." Seeing the animal's face scrunch up in disdain, he said, "Hey, don't pout!"

Hayden glanced at the man. "You're the one who told him to smile."

"You try!" Barret pointed at the sable-haired man.

"No."

"Damn..." The brute muttered. "Not even for your own sister?"

"Hard to smile when there's nothing to smile about. Besides," Hayden looked over his shoulder at the Shinra building. "The Whispers are becoming frantic."

Barret followed his gaze to see the specters were swarming the building. "Whoa! Are you guys seeing this?!"

Cloud and Lailah look behind them to see the current state of the Shinra building. The Whispers created a black vortex around the building. He slowly brought the motorcycle to a stop. Tifa did the same to the truck.

Cloud and Lailah got off the motorcycle. The others climbed out of the truck to see the current state of the Shinra building. They were shocked to see the specters swarming the building.

"Whispers," Aerith muttered.

"It's like the whole damn building's made of 'em," Barret commented.

Cloud gripped his sword in one hand. "Yeah."

"I don't understand. What are they doing?" Tifa asked.

"Who knows..." Aerith replied.

Suddenly, one of the Whispers floated towards them. It hovered near Lailah, who held out her hands as it circled her. She could hear its voice in her head. "Danger? What are you talking about?"

The specter went silent and took off.

Hearing what the shapeshifter had said, Barret remembered Wedge was in the building and grew concerned. "Wedge—you don't think he got caught up in it do you?"

"If he did, I hope he's okay..." Tifa mumbled.

While Lailah was trying to figure out what danger the Whisper was talking about, she heard something in the distance.

Red also heard the noise and knew what it was. "They're coming."

Barret turned to him. "Who?"

Down the road, multiple officers on motorcycles appeared. They were speeding towards the group.

The brute was angered at their sudden arrival. "This, we don't need."

"Time to go!" Cloud shouted.

Everyone rushed back to the vehicles. Tifa sped off in the truck. Cloud was right behind her.

As the officers drew closer, Cloud was the first to attack. He used his sword to take out the first two men.

Unwinding her arms from around his waist, Lailah activated her chakrams. Without infusing them with magic, she tossed them at the other three officers. One by one, the curved blades took out the men. The tires exploded on one bike, causing the officer to fall off. The other two were knocked off their bikes when the chakrams sliced the vehicles in two.

Lailah caught her chakrams with a satisfied smirk.

Cloud was surprised to see the curved blades were able to cut through the motorcycles like butter. "Didn't know those were so sharp."

"The traveling merchant did say they were quite sharp. Honestly, I didn't expect them to slice cleanly through motorcycles," she replied. "But I'm not complaining."

Hearing the low humming of more engines, the couple saw more officers approaching.

"We've got more company," she told him.

"They're gainin' on us! C'mon, step on it!" Barret hollered, banging on the side of the truck.

"I'm trying, but it won't go any faster!" Tifa yelled back.

"How the hell'd we get saddled with this junker?!"

As the officers caught up, Lailah heard one of them shout, "Give it up! There's nowhere to run!"

"Time to take out more trash," Lailah sighed.

"Let's make this quick," Cloud said, grasping his sword tightly. "I'll take the ones on the left. You take the ones on the right."

"Gotcha covered."

The couple got to work. They took out the officers in perfect sync. One of the men maneuvered closer to them and reached out to zap the blonde with a baton.

Seeing this, Lailah tossed her chakrams into one hand and infused the other with lightning. She grabbed the baton and used her magic to deflect the electricity. The lightning from her palm surged through the baton and shocked the officer. His body jolted as he screamed and fell off his bike.

Still holding the baton, Lailah realized her magic had fried it. Curious, she fused her own magic and grinned when it worked. Spotting the last officer pulling up beside them, she tested out her new toy and watched as the man's body jolted like his ally's. He lost control of his bike and veered into the side barrier, triggering an explosion and his entire body being engulfed by flames.

The second wave of enemies approached. Alongside the motorcycles was an armored truck. "Pull over right now! We will use lethal force to make you comply!" An officer shouted from the larger vehicle.

Deactivating her chakrams, Lailah held onto the baton. She patted Cloud on the shoulder. "Leave this one to me."

As Cloud drove up to ride next to the truck, the shapeshifter jumped onto it. She climbed up to the roof and made her way to the front of the vehicle. She successfully grabbed the attention of the officer on the passenger's side. He aimed his gun at her but was unable to pull the trigger when she tossed the baton at him. Lightning coursed through his body and he fell out of the truck.

She was slightly disappointed that she lost the baton, but she still had her chakrams. Climbing to the side of the truck, she entered the passenger side and smiled sweetly at the driver before shoving him out the door. Taking the wheel, she took control of the truck.

"Do you even know how to drive?!" Barret shouted at her.

"Nope!" Lailah replied before running the truck into the other officers' bikes, making sure to avoid Cloud and Tifa.

"Look!" Aerith shouted, grabbing the shapeshifter's attention.

Tifa saw the barricade of officers in the distance and whined in annoyance. "Come on!"

Lailah grinned. "I may not know how to drive, but I do know how to destroy things." Slamming her foot against the gas pedal, she sped toward the barricade. Once she was close enough, she spun the wheel and caused the truck to veer dangerously. Before it toppled over, she jumped out and landed back on the motorcycle with Cloud. He quickly pulled away and slowed down a little to avoid being squished by the armored truck.

They watched as the truck tipped over on its side and barreled into the blockade and eliminated the officers. The way was clear and they zoomed past the incapacitated enemies.

Barret laughed at their failed attempt to stop them. "And let that be a lesson to you!"

Suddenly, a Shinra helicopter appeared. "Firing warning shots."

"Heads up!" Cloud shouted.

"That chopper is all mine!" Barret announced. "I'll bring it down real quick!"

"We'll take it down," Hayden corrected the brute. He unholstered his pistol and unloaded round after round into the chopper.

While dodging missiles from the helicopter, they soon entered a tunnel.

Seeing the chopper couldn't reach them, Barret guffawed. "Try catching us now, ya bastards!"

"I hate to spoil the celebration, but...there's more," Red said.

Slugrays zoomed toward them in the tunnel and attacked. Unlike the officers, the small robots were easier to handle and dispose of. However, their small victory was short-lived when a M.O.T.H. Unit arrived.

Aerith gasped at seeing the larger robot. "What the—?!"

The robot was quick. Because of its spinning blades, it was impossible to approach it currently. Barret and Hayden used their guns while Lailah tossed her chakrams.

Once they were able to get close enough to the M.O.T.H. Unit, Cloud used his sword to slash at it. Because of the altering spinning blades, he would transition from close-range to long-range.

Eventually, they were successful in destroying the machine.

Barret chuckled heartily at seeing it explode. "Ha ha ha! How do you like that?!"

"Cloud, Lailah, you two all right?" Red asked.

"We're fine," the snowy-haired girl responded. Her attention was then drawn to the faint sound of beeping. "What's that noise?"

Cloud heard it as well. He looked up at the ceiling of the tunnel to see bombs had been planted. "Get down!"

The bombs triggered the moment they passed under them. Barrett began shooting at the collapsing tunnel in an attempt to prevent them from being crushed. Lailah was ready to erect a barrier when she heard the familiar mumbling of the Whispers.

"Them again?!" Barret hollered.

Listening to their chatter, Lailah understood what they were doing. She watched in awe as the Whispers prevented them from being crushed by the crumbling ceiling of the tunnel. They exit the tunnel without a scratch on them.

Barret was more than grateful to be in one piece and looked back at the specters. "Guess we owe you another!"

Not long after exiting the tunnel, the helicopter from before returned. The brute aimed his prosthetic gunarm at the chopper. "Shit! We got incoming! Broody and I'll take the chopper! The bikes are all yours and Lailah's, Cloud!"

Hayden glared at the man. "What did you just call me?"

"No time for arguing!" Lailah shouted at her brother.

More officers driving motorcycles appeared. Cloud took care of the enemies that were driving alongside them while Lailah dealt with the ones who pulled ahead to get out of reach. Unfortunately for them, she could easily toss her chakrams and slice their bikes in half. Like with the previous waves of assailants, the officers were easy to annihilate. All that was left was the helicopter.

"Barret, do it!" Hayden shouted.

The burly man aimed his gunarm at the chopper. "That's it—I'm takin' you down!" Using a powerful round, he was able to cripple the helicopter. "We done here?!"

"Not yet!"

Cloud propelled the motorcycle forward. Using a ramp, he flew into the air and sliced off the helicopter's rotor blades.

Lailah had clung to him the moment he sped up to make the jump. She looked back at the helicopter as they landed to see the chopper falling from the sky. However, she gasps when the helicopter crashes onto the highway directly in front of the truck. Her eyes widen when she heard Aerith and Tifa shriek.

Cloud also saw the chain of events cause by his actions and was horrified. He slowed down at the same time the Whispers appeared to protect the others. Driving by the truck, he peered worriedly at his friends. "You good?"

"Somehow!" Aerith answered.

Barret gazed at the specters. "So now...they're on our side?"

"The Whispers intervene not to defend us, but to preserve the flow of destiny," Red explained.

Some of the Whispers floated over to the motorcycle and swirled around Lailah. She could hear their warnings and pleads before they vanished.

"They do seem to like you a lot, girly," Barret commented.

"Because she is the daughter of Gaia," Red said.

"Yeah, but, uh..." Barret glanced over at Hayden. "Ain't you her son?"

Hayden checked his handgun. "I may be one of the Twelve, but I am not the one chosen by Gaia herself. Unlike the other Twelve Deities, Lailah has succeeded where the others had failed. You do know why Gaia gave birth to the Twelve Deities, right?"

Lailah was clueless. "What are you talking about?"

The sable-haired man met his sister's puzzled gaze. "The Twelve Deities are the blood-related children of Gaia herself, unlike the other children who were creations of the ancestral beasts. They were twelve possible candidates. Gaia would choose one of her children to become her successor. That child is you, Lailah."

Her brows furrowed together. "But..." The grinding of wheels and metal scraping against metal silenced her. She looked to their left and saw a set of large wheels. Her eyes widen at the sight. "What is that...?"

The large machine, known as a M.O.T.O.R., arrives. It jumps to the road they were traveling, landing between the truck and the motorcycle. Lailah gripped Cloud to avoid falling off when he was forced to pull back to avoid being crushed by the machine.

"Oh no, don't you dare!" Barret yelled as the large machine tailgated them. "C'mon! You see the piece of shit we're driving here?!"

"Says the three hundred pound sack of it," Red remarked.

"Hey!"

Hayden cackled at the insult, earning him a glare from the brute.

"Focus!" Tifa chided them.

As the M.O.T.O.R. sped ahead, Hayden holstered his handgun. He looked over at his sister. "You ready for this, Lailah?"

She knew what he wanted. "Let's do this."

"I'll take the right, you take the left."

Hayden jumped out of the bed of the truck and transformed. The deer ran along the right side of the machine.

Cloud maneuvered the motorcycle behind the machine to get Lailah as close as possible.

She leapt from the bike and transformed into a wolf, running along the left side of the M.O.T.O.R.

The deer and the wolf teamed up together and were able to confuse the machine. With it being unable to target them both, it had to focus on one or the other. Hayden used his antlers to destroy the wheels on the right side while Lailah used her fangs to mangle the wheels on the left side. They were able to incapacitate it.

Combining light and dark magic, the siblings were able to nip away at the machine's life before it was able to repair its wheels. They proceeded the same way, destroying the wheels and attacking the central unit once it was busy repairing its wheels again.

When the M.O.T.O.R. spun around and spewed flames, Hayden and Lailah were forced to back off until the machine stopped. With the flames gone, they closed in and dealt with the wheels again.

After destroying the wheels, they were able to deliver the final blow to the machine. Flames licked at the M.O.T.O.R. as it lost control and spun around.

"Hell yeah!" Barret cheered.

Leaving the machine behind to be destroyed, the siblings followed after the vehicles as they jumped the gap in the roadway. The machine, having lost all control, didn't make the jump and fell off the roadway.

The wolf and deer cleared the gap with ease and caught up to the vehicles just as they came to a stop. They reverted and caught up with the others to see they were going to leave the motorcycle and truck behind.

Lailah stopped at seeing the checkpoint. "So, we're leaving Midgar..."

"Yeah," Tifa said.

Silently, the group walked through the checkpoint. They trekked down the road until they came to a stop not far from the entrance to Midgar.

Lailah noticed a black feather floating in the air and gently took it. She recognized it. "This is..." Looking up at the sky, she saw Sephiroth. He slowly descended, smirking at the group.

Barret scowled and was ready to attack. "Okay, asshole, let's—"

Aerith's arm shot out to stop him. "Don't." She glared at Sephiroth. "And you... You're wrong."

Sephiroth continued to smirk. "Those who look with clouded eyes see nothing but shadows."

"Everything about you is wrong."

"All born are bound to her. Should this world be unmade, so too shall her children." His cyan gaze drifted over to Lailah and Hayden. The siblings glared back at him.

"The world won't end today. But you..." With a glower, Cloud drew his sword. "You will."

Lailah felt a chill creep down her spine when she could sense the Whispers. Looking back, she saw the specters dissipate from around the Shinra building and spread across the sky. She could hear their shrieks as they drew closer to them.

"Listen," Sephiroth grinned as the Whispers approached, the shrieking going unheard by him.

The others covered their ears as the screams echoed around them. They struggled against the ear-piercing sound while Sephiroth was unaffected.

The platinum-haired man held out his arms as the Whispers swarmed around him. "Destiny comes." Turning his back, he used his sword to create a portal.

The shrieking of the Whispers vanished as the tear in space silenced them.

Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder at the blonde, smirking. "I'm waiting, Cloud." He then entered the portal and vanished from sight.

Cloud sheathed his blade and tried to purse him, but Aerith lunged forward and grabbed his arm to stop him. He looked over at the florist.

"This is the point of no return," Aerith explained. She let go of Cloud with a shake of her head and approached the portal. Using her magic, she purified the miasma seeping from the portal. The ominous violet mist was replaced with a calming radiant glow. She turned back to him. "Destiny's crossroads."

"Then why did you stop me?" Cloud asked.

Aerith shook her head with uncertainty. "I'm not really sure."

"What will we find on the other side?" Tifa asked out of fear.

Aerith slowly turned to gaze back at the portal. "Freedom. Boundless, terrifying freedom. Like a great, never-ending sky." She turned around to face her friends. "What you heard just now were the voices of the planet. Those born into this world. Who lived and who died. Who returned. They're howling in pain."

"Because of him? Sephiroth?" Cloud questioned.

Aerith nodded. "They... Their words...they don't reach him. All these moments and memories, precious and fleeting...they're like rain rolling off his back... And when they're gone, he won't cry...or shout...or anything. He'd tell you that he only cares about the planet. That he'd do everything in his power to protect and preserve it. But this isn't the way it's supposed to be. There's no greater threat to the planet than him. Sephiroth has to be stopped."

"Aerith speaks the truth."

Hearing the familiar voice, the group turned around to see Laurel, Gaia herself. With slow footsteps, she approached them.

"Mom, why are you here?" Lailah asked.

Laurel smiled sweetly at her daughter. "I have come to ask you all to save this world. Sephiroth must be killed to ensure this planet will not crumble. Because of my weakened state, I am unable to satiate the Whispers any longer. They do not listen to me anymore, but...they do listen to you, Lailah. You have yet to gain the blessing of all the ancestral beasts, but you will soon. I was going to name you my successor once you accomplished this, but with Sephiroth's intervention, the time of ascension is now."

She walked up to her and handed her a gemstone. "As my successor, you shall gain access to the power that dwells deep inside the planet. Use it to change the destiny I wrote to save this world."

Lailah stared at the gemstone. "Am I even strong enough to do that?"

Laurel placed her hand on the girl's cheek. "You won't be alone, sweetheart. Use your friends' strengths to help you as well." She dropped her hand from her daughter's cheek. "This will be the first step in a long journey."

She gripped the gemstone and gazed at her mother. "What will happen to you?"

"I will still be here," she gently smiled.

"And I'll make sure she doesn't push herself," Hayden spoke up, stepping toward his family.

Laurel cast her smile in the man's direction. "I thought I had lost you many years ago, my dear Crius. I am happy to see you are alive."

Hayden managed a small smile before looking back at his sister. "Leave Mom to me. You go with the others and stop Sephiroth."

Lailah nodded. She held on to the gemstone with a death grip and stood next to Tifa. She gazed at the portal. "I know my mother asked already, but I want to as well." She looked around at the faces of her companions. "Please, help me rewrite fate and stop Spehiroth to protect this world. With you all by my side, I know we can succeed."

Aerith walked over at grabbed Lailah's hand. She threaded her fingers together with her and smiled. "I want to ask everyone, too. I'm asking you to help us. I know that together, we can do this. But if we do... We'll be changing more than fate itself. If we succeed...if we win...we'll be changing ourselves... I guess...maybe, that's why I hesitated."

Suddenly, the shrieking from the Whispers returned and crippled everyone. They covered their ears until the screeching died down.

Cloud lowered his hands from his ears. He glanced at Lailah and Aerith. "You two said it yourselves. He has to be stopped. And frankly, I've heard enough howling for a lifetime."

Lailah stared into his mako-infused eyes. "Sounds like you're more than ready."

A minuscule smile appeared on Cloud's face. "Yeah."

"Never tried to challenge destiny," Tifa commented as they approached the portal.

"This could well be her last line of defense. It won't be easy," Red said.

Cloud nodded. "Let's go."

Carefully, Cloud, Aerith, Red, and Tifa entered the portal. Lailah was about to follow them when she noticed Barret stopped. She turned to him. "Is everything okay, Barret?"

"Yeah." The brute held up his prosthetic arm. "Wouldn't be the first time I spit in destiny's eye. Whether you can see the seams or you can't...doesn't change that she's always trying to have it her way."

Lailah was surprised to hear his proclamation. Out of all the people she met when arriving in Midgar, Barret had been the one to voice his opinion on how much he cared for the planet.

Then, he shouted, "Daddy's coming home real soon, honey!"

She smiled and watched him enter the portal. Looking back at her mother and brother, she waved at them. They both smiled and waved back. She still had a ton to ask Laurel, but there were more important things to do. She entered the portal and left her family behind.