The world cried for sanctuary

Ifalna had always told her daughter she would leave Midgar one day, and at age seventeen the young woman heard the wind calling her on an adventure. Already curious about the world outside, she left her home with only a note to the ones she was leaving behind, explaining that she would return.

However, a kidnapping attempt by the first, more militant AVALANCHE group frightened her. Though she was under pursuit by Shinra as well and was still afraid of Tseng, the Turk had never tried to capture her by force yet. To her, it seemed better to stay under his curious protection and tend to the flowers that had been damaged in the attempt.

This is what happened in Before Crisis. This Aerith left Midgar without incident, just managing to slip past AVALANCHE operatives without capture--but make no mistake: once Tseng noticed her absence, he immediately set out to find her with the help of a highly trusted Turk and an upset Zack. But Aerith seemed to have left at a fortuitous time for herself, as incidents such as Veld's absence and AVALANCHE's attacks distracted the senior Turk.

In addition, a few weeks after her disappearance, he received a surprising report of dragons swarming near an old reactor. As Aerith journeyed to the central continent, the whispering of the wind solidified into a plaintive cry: "Calamity is stirring..."

The petal that wished to be carried away on the wind would soon find herself swept up in a storm.

( Canon fact and reasoning behind the AU. )

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