Minutes passed in heavy silence.
Slowly, their grip began to loosen, though they did not let go completely. Aerith still held Johnny's trembling fingers, her thumb gently rubbing the back of his hand, trying to transfer whatever warmth she had left.
Aerith's breath hitched. Her tears had dried, but her eyes still radiated horror. As a Cetra, she could hear the screams of the planet, but what she had seen in Johnny's memory was something else entirely. It wasn't just death; it was a desecration of life itself.
She couldn't imagine how a human being could remain standing after watching his friends be butchered, devoured, and violated by those demons. The cruelty of the Eclipse was far worse than anything Shinra had ever done. Shinra might destroy bodies and cities, but the monsters in Johnny's memory destroyed the soul until nothing remained.
'He bore that hell alone,' Aerith thought, her chest tight as if crushed by a stone. 'In the middle of that field of blood... he was all alone.'
Meanwhile, Johnny kept his head down, his breathing heavy. But behind his closed eyes, the gears in his brain were turning coldly. He had seen Aerith's memories. He hadn't seen giant monsters, but he had seen a monster in human form.
Hojo.
The name was seared into Johnny's brain in burning ink. The bespectacled man with the sadistic grin who had caged little Aerith in a glass tube. Johnny felt a familiar rage boiling in his blood—the rage of the Black Swordsman.
'That man...' Johnny clenched his left fist until his knuckles turned white. 'If I ever meet him... he won't die quickly. He is my priority target.'
But Johnny realized that rage alone wasn't enough. To protect Aerith from monsters like Hojo and the greater threats looming above, He must surpass Guts—and transcend even the very limits of power itself.
Johnny lifted his face, looking at Aerith.
"Thank you, Aerith," his voice was raspy, but sincere. "You saw my worst, and you didn't run."
Aerith smiled weakly, but her eyes were steadfast. "I will always be by your side, Johnny. We carry this together now."
The silence was broken again. But this time, not by an explosion or an absolute command.
The surface of the Lifestream pool trembled gently. The green light that had been raging softened, glowing warmly like a mother's embrace. The voice of the Planet echoed again, this time much lower, filled with affection, like a parent giving final provisions to a child leaving for a long journey.
"The road ahead is silent..." the Planet whispered.
"You now possess the strength to crush stone and withstand pain. But your hearts... your hearts need a 'voice' to keep the smiles from fading."
Johnny frowned. A voice?
"Son of Iron... From the many memories you carry, I call them back to your side. Your companions..."
Johnny froze. His heart pounded against his ribs. The feeling came suddenly—a painful, piercing nostalgia.
'Fairy...?' he thought. 'Could it be...?'
He had only been Johnny for a few weeks, but it felt like years since he had heard the sound of those tiny fluttering wings. The voice that was always noisy, always annoying, but always there when he was dying in the mud.
Unconsciously, Johnny whispered, his voice trembling with hope.
"Puck... Ivalera...?"
As if answering his call, two orbs of light shot out from the surface of the emerald water.
One orb was a bright blue that moved erratically, darting in zig-zags with no rules like a drunken fly. The other was a soft pink orb that moved with grace and calm.
POP!
The blue orb exploded right in front of Johnny's face, scattering sparkling dust that made Johnny's nose itch and his eyes sting.
"PUAAH! Finally, I'm out!"
A small fairy with dragonfly wings, a tiny body like a chestnut, and messy blue hair appeared in mid-air, stretching his body until his tiny spine cracked.
"Oi! Big Boss!" the fairy shouted with a wide, all-too-familiar grin. He immediately flew over and landed casually on Johnny's nose.
"Do you know how cramped it was inside that energy stream?! It felt like being trapped in a jar of peanut butter for a thousand years! Tight, sticky, and dark! Kupo!"
Suddenly, Puck shapeshifted. His body rounded, grew white fur, and a blue pom-pom appeared on his head, complete with a blue bandana. He turned into a small floating Moogle.
"Kupo! I'm a Moogle now! Kupo!" he cried, dancing in front of Johnny's eyes, before POP—turning back into his original fairy form. "Just kidding! I'm still Puck the Great!"
Johnny's eyes widened. Tears pooled in the corners of his eyes again, but this time, not from sadness.
Memories of the past slammed into him. This noisy creature... the creature that had always accompanied him in his darkest moments. When everyone feared him, when he slept in cold forests chased by evil spirits, Puck was always there, throwing chestnuts and making stupid jokes so Guts wouldn't lose his mind.
"Puck..." Johnny hissed, his voice barely audible through his choked throat.
"Of course it's me!" Puck stood with hands on his hips atop Johnny's nose, staring sharply into his master's eyes. "The Planet said your soul was too gloomy—as usual—so they called me back from cosmic memory to be your stress relief! We're partners again, Guts—I mean, Johnny! Don't think you can get rid of me that easily!"
Meanwhile, the pink orb landed gently on Aerith's shoulder.
The light faded, revealing a small female fairy wearing a beautiful dress made of flower petals, carrying a tiny lance made of a rose thorn. Her face was elegant, radiating a noble aura.
She bowed respectfully to Aerith with a graceful curtsy.
"Greetings, Lady Guardian," her voice was clear, polite, and dignified. "I am Ivalera. I manifested from your desire to have a companion who understands the burden of this destiny."
Ivalera straightened up, then cast a sharp glance at Johnny (and Puck, who was currently tugging on Johnny's red hair).
"I will ensure that brute over there does not drag you into ridiculous trouble," she added firmly.
Aerith laughed, a sound that was free and happy. Her eyes sparkled with delight at the beautiful little creature. "Hi, Ivalera! You are so pretty. It's nice to meet you."
"Thank you, My Lady. The honor is mine."
Johnny raised his hand slowly. In his old life, he would have swatted Puck away or hit him for being noisy. But this time was different. He remembered the Bond—if he hurt Puck and his hand hurt, Aerith would hurt too. But more than that... he didn't want to hit him.
"So..." Johnny rubbed his temples, trying to hide the smile forcing its way out. "Now I have superpowers, a curse of shared pain, and a noisy fairy returned from the dead. The complete package of suffering."
"Don't complain, you dummy!" Puck flew circles around the hilt of Johnny's greatsword, scattering fairy dust. "Without me, you'd be an emo crying in the corner of a church! Come on, Boss! New world, new adventure! Let's find some good food!"
Johnny's defenses crumbled.
With a movement that was fast yet gentle, Johnny's left hand caught Puck mid-flight, and his right hand scooped up Ivalera (very carefully).
"Hey! Let go! Fairy Rights Violation!" Puck shouted in surprise.
But Johnny didn't let go. He brought the two small fairies up to his face. His large, trembling hands cupped them, and he leaned in close.
He kissed the tops of both their heads, then pressed his cheek against their tiny bodies.
Johnny's shoulders shook. The sobs broke free again. Not tears of pain, but tears of overwhelming relief. Part of his family had returned.
"Thank you..." Johnny whispered between sobs, his tears wetting Puck's wings. "Thank you, Planet... Thank you so much..."