Johnny scrubbed the remnants of monster blood from his hands at an old faucet in the corner of the church. The cold water washed away the black stains, but the metallic scent of iron seemed to have seeped into his very pores, a permanent reminder of his nature.
Aerith waited patiently beside him, holding a small, clean towel. When he finished, she handed it to him.
"Clean?" Aerith asked.
"Clean enough," Johnny replied, drying his hands.
Aerith smiled mysteriously. "Come on. There's one more place you have to see. The source of all these flowers."
She led Johnny behind the fragile wooden altar. There, hidden behind the rubble of an angel statue with a broken wing, lay a shifted floorboard revealing a gap. Stone steps descended into the darkness.
The air changed immediately. It was cool and damp, yet charged with a static electricity that made the hair on Johnny's neck stand up—not from fear, but from the sheer power permeating the space.
They descended. The chamber beneath was a small, natural cavern. There were no lamps, yet the room was brilliantly illuminated.
In the center of the cave lay a small spring surrounded by clusters of glowing blue-green crystals. The water wasn't merely clear; it radiated a vibrant emerald light that pulsed slowly, like the beating heart of a sleeping giant. Beside it, patches of grass glowed softly like fireflies.
"A Lifespring," Aerith said.
"This is the vein of the Planet," she whispered, her voice echoing softly against the cave walls. "The place where souls rest before returning to the great flow."
Johnny fell silent. He recognized this energy. It was the same force that had shielded him from the Vortex of Souls during the Eclipse. The echo of tortured spirits screaming in his head seemed to dim here, replaced by the calm, rhythmic hum of the green light. Before the darkness of his past could drag him deeper, a cheerful voice pulled him back to reality.
"Shh..." Aerith pressed a petite finger to her lips. "Don't tell anyone, okay, Johnny? Shinra thinks they've sucked everything dry, but they missed this one because they were too busy counting their money."
Johnny stared at the pool of light with wide eyes. "It's beautiful down here... everything glows green. But... is the water safe, or toxic? It feels like... there are thousands of lives breathing inside it."
Aerith turned quickly, her eyebrows raised in amusement. "Toxic? This is natural skincare, Johnny! If you wash your face here, maybe that serious scowl of yours will smooth out a bit."
Johnny stepped closer, hesitating. He inhaled deeply. "It smells... fragrant. Like a meadow after rain, but mixed with... something ancient."
Aerith laughed crisply. Suddenly, she scooped up a handful of water and splashed it right onto Johnny's face.
"You're too serious, Johnny! Look! Now your cheeks are glowing green. You look like a giant firefly!"
Johnny wiped his face, startled. But then he realized the stinging pain from the scratches left by the Hedgehog Pies had suddenly vanished.
"The pain... it's gone," he muttered in disbelief. "The water washed the pain away."
"The Lifespring is amazing, isn't it, Johnny?" Aerith giggled, proud of her little secret. "Sit with me."
They both knelt at the edge of the pool of light. Their knees touched the cold, wet stone, while their faces were illuminated by the magical green glow.
Johnny gazed at his reflection in the emerald water. It was the face of a child, but staring back were the eyes of an old man.