------------------
PROLOGUE
------------------

Somewhere, an upswelling of energy formed into a physical being. It took it a moment to realize hunger, but it was a very small action to swallow some of the fluid that surrounded it. Hunger sated for the moment, it surfaced. It announced its birth with only a tiny "meep?" sound, but it knew what it had to do.

The last remaining Ancient looked up in surprise from her flowers. With awe in her expression and joy in her eyes, she whispered, "the Planet defends itself…"

Sephiroth was enjoying his walk. It was a quiet day, a good day to be on leave. He had only been attacked once, and then only by a strange-looking creature that had run when he drew his sword. He had walked on, unafraid, until he reached this clearing. It seemed a holy place, one that should never have been seen by the eyes of man. Or, he mused, anything else. It was a picturesque place, almost perfectly circular, surrounded with trees whose arching branches turned the brilliant sun to a mottled green light. The pool in the center seemed to set it all off. If one was not looking carefully, it seemed like a deep, blue-green pool of water, but when the eyes were shaded, it glowed softly. The pool's glow surged suddenly, and a tiny lizard-like animal surfaced, regarding him curiously. "Meep?"

The SOLDIER commander was suddenly wary of the Mako fountain and its glowing reptilian inhabitant. He tried to step back and found that he could not. Curiosity, seemingly inspired by a source outside of his mind, drew him forward until he crouched nearly nose to nose with the little creature. Then, he noticed its scales. There was nothing unusual about the tiny plates of its neck, shoulders, head… but the larger, stronger throat and belly scales…

There were two tiny, yellow orbs imbedded in the top two throat scales. One, if he read it right, was a tiny Sense materia. The other, the one that had captured him so effectively…

Manipulate.

He shook his head, clearing the will-dampening spell from his mind by force of sheer anger. This…lizard dared try to manipulate him? And he had let it succeed? So much for a pleasant leave day. He stepped back again, readying the Masamune for battle. Little guy, he thought. Can't be more than three feet from nose to tail. Hardly worth fighting.

The lizard looked up at him, wedge-head cocked to one side, slender neck in an S curve as it studied him. "Meep?"

"What do you want?" he asked, almost reflexively. As if waiting for a cue, the lizard looked him straight in the eyes. The contact seemed to initiate some sort of channel, for the world fell away and all he could see were those blazing sapphire eyes…

Take me with you.

"What?" Again Sephiroth shook his head, this time trying to clear the ringing in his ears.

Take me with you. The command was more emphatic. I must go with you.

"Listen here, lizard-"

I am named Artec. I am not a lizard but a Mako dragon. I must go with you.

"You can't go with me. Where would I put you?" Sephiroth could feel his willpower giving way under the remorseless assault of the dragon's continuing attempts at manipulation. He let the point of his sword dip until it touched the ground.

I can fend for myself. Take me with you.

"Forget it, reptile." The commander turned, walking back the way he had come. At once, his foot stopped as if he had kicked a wall. Against his will, he turned again and his head was wrenched around to meet the dragon's gaze.

I will go with you.

"You will stay right where you are," he managed to grind out between clenched teeth. And then his will was lost in the will of the Planet, beating at him with Mako-colored waves of sheer power.

I WILL GO WITH YOU. YOU WILL RETURN TO THIS PLACE LATER... REMEMBER IT THUS. IT IS A MAKO FOUNTAIN, A MIRACLE OF NATURE...

When the Planet's will released him, Sephiroth found himself holding the dragon in both hands. It gazed at him a moment longer, then broke the hypnotic stare. He tucked it under his coat, thoroughly convinced that he should be killing it right now, but unable to do so. Nonchalant, trying to ignore the feel of claws against his skin as the dragon clung to him, he started back to the encampment. What more problems can there be? Here I am, unwilling servant to a LIZARD… He hoped Artec could pick up his thoughts. But there was no response, no indication but a soft and scaly body that the dragon was even there.

ILLUSTRATIONS:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~rivven/seph/heaven/heaven.htm

Rivven(rivven@usa.net)
Dies Irae(dies_i@usa.net)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------