"Grandpa… the truth is this…" Solon starts, his voice trembling slightly. He tells his grandfather about the strange cloaked figures he encountered on the ship—the ghostly monsters talking about destiny and somehow getting defeated by a blinding light. He also mentions the flower girl, her presence lingering in his mind.
"That flower… I feel like she saw my future and decided to save me! I know it sounds crazy, Grandpa, but I swear everything I told you is true! Those ghosts are real! And… I want to see her again!" Solon's voice is desperate, pleading for his grandfather to believe him.
Mason reaches out and gently strokes Solon's head. "Solon, some things are so unique that trying to figure them out only brings pointless worry. But you're right to trust your feelings. To tell you the truth, I'm also starting to worry about staying here in Nibelheim. It's not just a feeling—I'm seriously considering moving. Your mother could benefit from real medical experts. Her mentality has improved as much as it can here, and I've saved enough money to make it happen. And your aunt Mina… she can't waste her life in this tiny, pathetic village. She's still young enough to build a future. Since I adopted her, I can't let her rot here. She needs to go out there, find love, and start a family of her own. In another ten years, it might be too late."
"She's our family! If she can't find anyone, she has me!" Solon blurts out without thinking.
Mason chuckles, a huge grin spreading across his face. "Hehe, Solon, I think you're a little too young for her, but I bet she'd be thrilled to hear you say that!"
"You know what, Solon?" Mason's tone shifts, growing more determined. "Let's plan our move! We'll take our time, but we'll aim for Midgar. For your future, for your dream, for your mother, for Mina… and for my dream too."
Grandpa's dream? Solon tilts his head, curious. "What's your dream, Grandpa?"
Mason smiles warmly. "Hehe, Solon, you should know by now. If you really want to find out, take a look in the mirror." With that, he walks away, leaving Solon to ponder his words.
Grandpa…
— [Scene Break] —
Time in Nibelheim almost stands still. In a town where nothing ever changes, even the smallest shift is noticeable, creating ripples that lead to more changes.
Since arriving in the village, Solon begins to notice a few distinctive changes.
Tifa spends less time with her usual group of friends and more time with Cloud and Solon. Her personality seems different too—less vain, less focused on her biggest hobby, fashion, and more interested in books. She even started working out regularly with Cloud and Solon.
Cloud, on the other hand, seems to enjoy their time together, though he does his best to hide it.
Solon stands in his backyard, going through his daily Materia training. He focuses on casting spells, working to improve not only his accuracy but also the number of spells he can cast before needing a break.
"Fire!" Solon yells, launching the spell in a graceful arc around a wooden pole he set up. The fireball hits the stone behind it perfectly.
Perfect! My aim and control are improving! I can almost make it move exactly how I want. Curving it is so much fun. Let's check how much progress I've made with the Materia itself.
Solon pulls out the Fire Materia and scans it.
[Fire Materia]
Level: 1/3
AP: 17%
Spells: Fire
Not bad! That's something, at least! I've heard even experts need years to level up their Materia.
As Solon examines the Materia, Tifa rushes into the backyard, her excitement obvious. She runs up to Solon, her face glowing with happiness.
"Tifa, what's wro—" Solon starts to ask, but Tifa interrupts him by hugging him and pulling him into a dance. Solon blushes as he looks at her beaming face. She's wearing a beautiful new yellow dress.
"Solon! Look what I got!" Tifa holds up a glowing green orb, her eyes shining with pride.
Materia? How did she get one? Let's see… It's an Ice Materia!
"It's an Ice Materia—where did you get it, Tifa?" Solon asks, clearly curious. He knows even a basic Materia like this is worth around 20,000 Gil, a huge amount.
"Hehe, my dad gave it to me! It… belonged to Mom. He was gonna sell it, but he decided to gift it to me after I told him I wanted one. Come to think of it, without you being so obsessed with them and constantly talking about them, I wouldn't even be interested. Anyway, teach me how to use it," Tifa says excitedly, doing her best to overcome the recent tragedy.
"This particular Materia isn't really suitable for me, so I can't show you how to use it. If you want to use it on your own, you'll need a weapon or bracelet with a Materia slot," Solon explains.
"Too bad the Bronze Bangle you gifted me doesn't have a Materia slot," Tifa says, slightly dejected.
"It's fine. I can try to create a weapon or tool for you, or maybe an Iron Bangle! The standard model has a slot for Materia, which is exactly what you'd need." Solon starts thinking about the best approach.
"Anyway, you probably want to try it out right now, right?" Solon asks her. He grabs his Broadsword, strapped to his back, and removes the Fire, Barrier, and Poison & Petrify Materia from it before handing it to Tifa.
Tifa slowly takes the sword, looking a bit nervous. She struggles a little with the weight at first but quickly gets used to it. She fumbles slightly as she tries to insert the Materia into one of the four empty slots.
Despite her obvious nervousness, she succeeds and smiles at Solon.
"Good job," Solon says with a smile.
Wait… why am I acting like this? She just inserted a Materia into the sword! Anyone can do it.
Tifa looks at Solon curiously. "I slotted it in—what next?"
Solon stares into Tifa's reddish-brown eyes, noticing for the first time how beautiful they are. They remind him of her late mother's eyes, only even more vibrant.
Solon concentrates, trying to explain how to cast Materia. "You have to feel the connection with the Materia. Imagine the sword as the link between you and the Materia. If you focus on it, you should be able to connect to the Materia inside."
"Once you're aware of that connection, it's like triggering an impulse in your mind. It's as easy as moving your arm once you get the hang of it."
"It takes a little time to get used to, and you'll feel tired after casting your first spell, so don't rush."
Tifa closes her eyes, holding the sword carefully. After a minute, she opens them, beaming with joy. "I feel it! I can feel the Materia. I know if I will it, I can cast the spell now," she says.
Solon nods and gestures for her to follow. "Come on, I usually cast spells on those stones near the small hill in the backyard. They're solid targets. Why don't you aim for one and unleash your spell?"
Tifa looks at the rock in front of her, gripping the sword carefully with her right hand. She focuses and uses the Blizzard spell for the first time.
An icy blast flies out of her empty left hand, materializing directly in front of her and heading straight for the stone. When it hits, it shatters, unleashing a burst of icy energy that instantly freezes the rock.
"You did it! Great job!" Solon says, noting that the spell isn't weak at all, though it's visibly less powerful than his Fire spell.
Tifa smiles, almost as if she's addicted to the feeling. She stares at the frozen rock, sparkling beautifully under the sunlight.
"You know… I think I get why you like this so much. It really is a magical feeling. It can't hurt to have this ability. I was stupid for looking down on it. Sorry, Solon," Tifa admits, looking a little embarrassed that she had dismissed Solon's interest in forging and Materia until the accident.
"Anyway, I want to do it again!" she says with a grin and unleashes another Blizzard spell, freezing a different stone in the same way.
That's her second spell. At her age, she should only be able to cast one if she had average talent. Since she's cast two, she probably has above-average aptitude with Materia.
"Can you cast another one, Tifa?" Solon asks, curious about her potential.
"I feel like I could…" she says, holding her head, "but that would take the last bit of my concentration, I think!"
"Don't! It's dangerous to use up all your MP. You'll get headaches and feel weak for a long time. Trust me, I've overdone it once or twice, and it wasn't worth it," Solon explains, remembering the headaches he got from pushing his limits.
So, if she forces it, she can cast it three times—that's her limit. Blizzard is one of the simplest and easiest spells. Overall, her potential is above average to quite talented, but nothing extraordinary. Still, according to Dell, her potential is definitely not bad. It's worth training her Materia use. Talent is one thing, but effort is far more important!
"Tifa, you might not believe me, but you're quite talented. You should keep this up… cast a few spells every day. I can't go into details, but I know you could go far. Even if this isn't something you need, there are extremely useful Materia like Healing or Cleansing that can save your life. Training with different Materia will probably be useful for you. I don't know what your goals are in life… even if you want to go into fashion, you might still find a use for your magic talent," Solon explains.
"I'm not really sure what I want to do," Tifa admits. "I always thought about going into fashion, but I've also recently developed an interest in jewelry… I really like this pendant you gave me," she says with a smile, pointing to the pendant she's wearing, the one Solon gifted her for her 8th birthday.
"But there's one thing I know for sure: I want to travel. I want to visit different places… and traveling is dangerous, as we've both learned. So, from now on, I'll train every day, even if it's just a little," Tifa says with determination.
She hands the sword back to Solon, leaving the Materia inside it.
"I can't use it for now, so I'll leave it in your care."
"How about we grab Cloud and collect some more metal from the abandoned mansion? I want that bracelet as soon as possible, and the least I can do is help you gather materials in return! That lazy bum also demanded one, so he needs to pitch in too," she says with a teasing smile.
"Sure," Solon says with a smile, always happy to have some help collecting usable parts and metals.
They grab Solon's small cart and head toward Cloud's house. When they knock on the door, Claudia answers, looking surprised to see Tifa and Solon.
"Hello, Solon… and Tifa too! I'm sorry about what happened recently. Are you feeling better?" Claudia asks.
"Yeah, I'm fine, Mrs. Strife," Tifa replies. "Is Cloud home? We want to play," she adds with a cute, innocent smile.
"Are you planning to play with that empty cart you're pulling behind you? As long as you don't go into the mountains, I won't meddle in your business. I'll call him; he's still lazing around in bed when he should be studying! He's fallen behind since I've been so busy with work. That boy keeps talking about leaving, but what will he do without a proper education? Sorry, I'm just ranting. One second," Claudia says, looking a little embarrassed and worried about her son.
Five minutes later, a tired-looking Cloud steps out of the house, trying to act cool.
"You're coming with us. We're collecting metal! If you want more of Solon's free stuff, you need to work for it!" Tifa orders.
"Fine… not like I want anything," Cloud mutters.
"Liar! Now, come on already; we don't have time to waste!" Tifa calls him out, clearly annoyed.
That's what you get for always acting cool. Cloud seems like the type of guy who needs someone to constantly kick his ass. He's so passive and never shows any initiative!
"Now, how about some training?!" Tifa jumps onto the cart and orders, "Pull me up to the mansion!"
"Are you serious? It's on a hill!" Cloud complains.
"Move, move!" Tifa laughs as Solon and Cloud start pulling the cart together. As they pull, Tifa leans forward, wrapping her arms around both of them in a quick hug before turning around to face the other direction, her face slightly flushed.