Title: It Shimmers
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Rating: G
Length: just under 1k
Author notes: I'm not a fan of this text, but I've rewritten it four times now, so I'm calling it done.
Summary: In another life, Cloud probably would have grown to be a swordsman, just like Sephiroth. In this life, however, Cloud found his first materia at the tender age of fourteen. And that, as they say, was that.

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Edited: AO3 Link

In another life, Cloud probably would have grown to be a swordsman, just like Sephiroth.

In this life, however, Cloud found his first materia at the tender age of fourteen. And that, as they say, was that.

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This, Cloud decides, as he stares at the little ball of literal magic in his hand, is more than worth almost getting eaten by animals who should have been hibernating. The mountain is clear of snow and ice this winter, which Cloud has never before seen. It is almost worth getting lost in the damn tunnels of this caves system (almost because, he still needs to get back outside).

The materia is green and glowing in the weak light of the natural skylight cut in the rock above Cloud’s head. The palm of his hand tingles.

Materia, Cloud knows, is dangerous. There’s a reason why there aren’t more people using them all the time.

It is powered from your own energy, tugging at the core of power nestled deep inside everyone. Some people have more energy than others, and using your own energy leads to the core growing over time, so you can use more energy for a longer time. There are books about materia and the use of it. Shops sell low level materias and accessories to equip them. Even Nibelheim, backwater as it is, sells materias at the weapon and hardware shop. Though the shop gets most of its business from travelers, who use them to protect themselves from monsters. Everyone, at the very least, learns the basic of what, how, why, and especially, don’t if you don’t know what you’re doing, or you might kill yourself.

Magic exhaustion is no laughing matter.

There is also the fact that materia use is a very expensive hobby.

Which is why, when Cloud became obsessed with Sephiroth and SOLDIER a couple years back, a quick study of their training and what it entailed had pushed him to focus on sword fighting rather than materia usage. Finding a fallen branch and reenacting sword battles seen on television was much less expensive (and dangerous) than buying a materia and a bracer to hold it.

But now, he owns a materia.

A green little orb of power, sparkling in the sun. Cloud can feel the magic in the materia reaching out to connect with Cloud’s own magic. Both of them feel weak. The materia is just a newborn, spun from the mako spring surfacing in the caves system inside the Nibel mountain. There’s also the fact that Cloud has never before attempted to use his own magical energy for anything. He barely knows where to start. Regulating the energy used to power a materia sounds like a complicate matter. Then again, the books say that some people have an affinity with materia which makes their use rather instinctive. Like the Commander Rhapsodos, one of the three most powerful First Class SOLDIERs. But what are the odds that Cloud would have this ability? Nil, of course.

Cloud pushes the thought away. Imagining being strong like General Sephiroth was well and good when daydreams were the best Cloud could do. But now he needs to be pragmatic, like his mother always tells him. Do what you can with the tools you have. And, would you look at that, Cloud has one hell of a tool now.

Cloud’s new materia nearly ends up being the end of him. Getting out of the cave system, finding his way through the tunnels back to the entrance almost does Cloud in. His only saving grace is that with this weird mild weather, the animals and monsters are all out, taking advantage of the lack of snow and ice to explore and gather more food.

Cloud hightails it back to the village, too excited to explore anymore. He rushes to his room, throws himself on the bed, and then fishes the little orb from his pocket again. It’s still shimmering in the weak light of his room. There’s no way to tell which kind of materia it is, as far as Cloud knows, except that it’s what the books call a ‘magic materia’. Which is a stupid name, as all materias use magic. Green, Cloud knows at least, means spell casting. Not always attack spells, but the most commons are fire, ice, and lightning. There are four other kinds of materias, among them the impressive red ones, the Summon materias. Cloud takes five minutes to daydream about having is very own summon materia, before shaking himself.

First... Well, first, he needs to build a makeshift bangle to keep the materia in contact with his skin, before he can think of anything else. Some kind of wire construction might suffice. His mother will never accept to waste money on something as frivolous as reinforced jewelry to hold a materia that he might never be able to use. Then he needs to learn how to connect his inner magic to the materia. And then, he can find out which kind of materia he has in his hands and how to train it.

The next months are going to be amazing.