Shetlands was a little isolated from the rest of London, one with a lot of space and picturesque views and one where there was a lot of land between one house to the next.

It was precisely why Mar-Vell decided to sell some of the items of alien origin in the black market at a high price and buy a mansion with a private jetty, and right now, against all expectations, she was looking at three children.

Mar-Vell sat on the comfortable sofa, one leg atop the other, watching the three kids sitting in front of her, observing, “So, let me get this straight. This Earth had another side to it, the place where a whole magical civilization lives, and you three are kids who were using magic to become adults?”

“No, we are adults, but we reverted to this age because of an experiment by an organization. Although it came with few benefits, we were able to awaken a few abilities,” Aerith looked towards Cloud, who sighed in annoyance.

He summoned Buster Sword Keyblade, pointing towards the fireplace, and a light shone on the tip of the Keyblade, and a Keyhole became visible, which he locked.

“This is Keyblade that I awakened; it allows me to permanently lock and unlock any space. I used it to unlock the space, and we escaped from there. We didn’t think that we’d fall on the magical side,” Cloud scratched his cheek, “And then, we were disoriented because of the sudden change in age, so they thought we lost our memories, but we were the right age. At age 11, they send letters of invitation to all children with magic power, and since we were there, we decided to take the admission, thinking it was a safe place.”

Mar-Vell watched the Keyblade with interest, “May I hold it?”

“You can try,” Cloud gave it to her, and Mar-Vell took it in her hands, tracing it with curiosity in her eyes, only for the Keyblade to disappear and reappear in Cloud’s hand.

“Something wrong?”

“It’s not…it’s just that the Keyblade is Sentient, so only Cloud can wield them,” Tifa explained.

“You awakened a sentient weapon? How does that work?”

Cloud shrugged, “They have more outrageous powers than me, so don’t look at me.”

“Right, you can talk to the planet itself,” Mar-Vell glanced towards Aerith, sighing, “I guess that is pretty outrageous, and you?”

“I don’t have any strong power…but I can control the gravity of my body…and the other one is called Amalgamation….”

“Amalgamation?”

“It’s something like this….” Tifa took two sofa pillows, putting them together, and they both entered each other, overlapping, crisscrossed. The two became one before Tifa gave them to Mar-Vell, “Like this.”

Mar-Vell touched the center, feeling the double density and thickness, touching the corner, “Amazing. The material density and weight density have changed, yet the space they occupy is the same.”

She sighed, leaning back against the couch, “So…a magical community, and superpowers that are awakening. This quaint little planet sure is interesting.”

Tifa leaned forward, bowing, apologizing, “We are sorry, but now that you are here, you must understand?”

“Right, I can’t go out; what about the Skrulls?”

“They have been informed of this location and moving towards it, one by one, to not raise any suspicion,” Tifa informed.

Mar-Vell stood up, exhaling, “And what do you want from me?”

Cloud, Aerith, and Tifa exchanged a look before Aerith told her, “Actually…there’s no reason behind it…we had the power to save you, and then, not saving you…it would probably haunt us forever.”

Mar-Vell laughed, “Haha, I see…when you said you used to be adults, I was expecting something different. So you have no plan?”

Cloud stood up, “There is one. Could you study our powers? You were able to create a Light Speed Engine, other than the fact that you an from a Technological Advanced Civilization and have Enhanced Strength, among other Stats. Even one of your people had gloves with Gravitation Power.”

“If we want to keep the Skrulls safe, then Kree will be a threat, and it doesn’t sit well with me that we had to let them take Carol. However, we can’t save her right away. We need more Magical Knowledge, and I hope to combine it with Advanced Technology and develop our powers. Everything so that we can save her when needed,” Cloud stood in front of her.

“You…I have noticed this. It isn’t the first time. Do you have dissociative identity disorder?” Mar-Vell wasn’t joking. Only a person who stood in front of the boy could tell that he was something else at one moment, and at the other, he was like another person.

It was so apparent that anyone with sharp eyes could sense that the boy standing in front of her wasn’t the same boy sitting on the couch. He carried himself; the way key talked, the confidence he carried, and the aura around him. It was obvious.

And there was another change; he became more closed off and looked away, “I don’t know. Maybe? I can’t say for sure.”

“Anyway, Cloud here is multi-talented, and he can help you with a few things for sure,” Aerith joyfully walked over, hugging Cloud’s arm, pulling him close.

She grinned, “But this is something you can or cannot do. If you don’t, it would be helpful; you are free to stay here. After all, you did claim that you were our family.”

Aerith clapped her hands, “Anyway, now that we are done with that. Should we go out for some sightseeing?”

She walked over to the couch, picking up the bladed staff that she kept under it, using it as her wand to cast the spell, and transfiguration on themselves, restoring their adult forms.

Aerith linked one hand with Cloud’s, the other with Tifa’s, “Now, let’s go and enjoy ourselves!”

Mar-Vell watched them leave without saying anything before moving towards the window. Her eyes followed their back, “There is so much to think about…magic…and superpowers. This planet…it might be more than the Kree Empire Bargained for.”

Outside,

Aerith grinned, enjoying the cold air against her body, wearing a full-sleeved dress and a jacket over it, “What do you two want to try? Other than each other, that is.”

“Eri!” Tifa blushingly gave her a look, pulling her cheek, “Cloud, any place you want to go?”

Cloud glanced towards Tifa and then Aerith before a reminiscing smile appeared on his lips.

“What?” Both of them curiously blinked, wondering what he was smiling about.

“I remembered the yellow flower that Aerith gave to me….”

“You gave it to me,” Tifa had an awkward look.

“Yes, and then the drink that you made. I asked for the hard one…and it tasted awful,” Cloud softly closed his eyes, remembering that day, “I want to taste something good. Something that’s I’d like, rather than drinking something for a show.”

“Aw, and here I thought you would get us a flower,” Aerith pouted but soon smiled and softly said, “But that’s a good idea, right Tifa?”

“Yes, that’s an excellent idea,” Tifa sweetly smiled, cheerfully pointing forward, “Then let’s go to a bar!”

The three of them walked on the long road to the bar, their voices becoming distant, “It’s far, right?”

“Probably.”

“Are we going the right way?”

“Maybe.”

“Does anyone even know where the bar is?”

“No idea.”

“Me neither.”

“Let’s pray then that we reach there today.”

The path was long, and the distance from their mansion to the market area was even longer. Though the people here were straightforward, both Tifa and Aerith got more than their share of looks.

It was strange, though, making Aerith whisper, “Whose the thirteen-year-old on the inside?”

Tifa chuckled, “I guess they are like Cloud.”

Cloud looked away, “Shut up.”

“See?” Tifa and Aerith giggled since the young men they met didn’t have the patience to properly talk to them; they seemed overzealous as boys would.

“I thought that all the girls would be over Cloud, but I didn’t see any,” Tifa looked in the distance, “I wonder what’s that about?”

Cloud felt his sight zoom in the distance, near the shop, at the name, “BR? Oh, A is missing.”

“You saw that from here?”

Cloud rested his palm over his eye, “My eyesight has improved recently. It’s nothing to worry about; these things will keep happening. From what you told me, Jenova Cells are trying to take over mine, and the more I desire strength, the faster they will grow. But with the Guidebook to Keyblades, I can focus more on magic, and I won’t be needing physical strength that badly, so it won’t stop increasing.”

“It doesn’t augment magic power?”

“It does, but I would have to burn out all of my own to need its magic power. I doubt that would happen,” Cloud shrugged, softly smiling, “Don’t worry about it. I can handle this much.”

 “We’ll worry about it,” Tifa held his arm, smiling at him, “But it’s unnecessary to worry today. Today, we get to have a break.”

“Right,” Cloud smiled at them, and the three of them entered the Bar that was missing an ‘a’ on the board. It wasn’t wide but long in terms of length.

“Let’s see, I wonder how many of them I know,” Tifa focused on the drinks on the shelves, “They are similar…so….”

The more she looked, the more curious and assured she got that she’d be able to choose the drinks, “How about we start with a cocktail?”

“Anything you like,” Cloud sat down, letting Tifa handle the ordering. His mind was somewhere else entirely, the two of them might have come for drinking, but his interests lay elsewhere.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with them, but the voices in his head had been a bit more active ever since they had the freedom. There wasn’t much he could do in Hogwarts; even the walls had eyes, literally.

Here, they were free, and there was much to do since they sought a base. Mar-Vell might have used enough money to buy the mansion, but the items needed to create a Space Ship would be costly, and for that, they needed to be rich, very rich.

He doubted that the Magical Community was enough to make them so rich, so the only way to get that rich was by doing something in the Muggle World.

And then, one day, one of the voices said something that caught his attention.

‘You know, isn’t that Tifa girl a bartender with good knowledge of drinks? Moreover, can Aerith grow any plants necessary?’

‘Though, there would be the need for magic that could either fast forward the time or travel back to time and keep them in one place. Taking them out now, aged?’

‘Hey, that girl is mixing the drinks to make a cocktail. Can’t you have her mix these drinks to make the new drinks?’

‘Hm, that could work, though since it’s a cocktail, its life may reduce, and how would the kids even distribute that fast enough?’

‘Ah, these guys have juice boxes. How about a cocktail in cans that’d be popular?’

‘I have an idea about the distribution, buying or renting shops, creating bars in different places, one with more productive economy or production factories. Can’t those Skrulls shapeshift? Use them to act as the bartender or something. They’d be more than happy to take care of the bars if they know the money would be used to make a ship for them?’

‘Talking about Shapeshift, Cloud, you should put some of your cells in one of the Skrull and then take them back, taking their ability to shapeshift. With that, you should be able to get your body back truly, and not worry about your age.’

Cloud ticked his eyebrows in annoyance, ‘Shut up, all of you.’

The voices thinned out one after the other, disappearing from his mind.

Cloud drank the cocktail that Tifa put in front of him, standing beside him, watching, waiting with a smile for him to taste and tell. He took a sip and lightly smiled, nodding, telling her that he liked it.

Even though she was beside him, talking to Aerith, he couldn’t hear her. He couldn’t hear anything. He was inside his mind, wondering if he smiled and nodded because he was Cloud Strife or because that was what Cloud Strife would have done.

He used to think these voices had thoughts of their own, that they were people, personalities formed by their memories; that is what Sephiroth’s voice made him feel, and so did the others.

But when he was told that these voices were stored inside Jenova Cells, and those with solid will wouldn’t be hearing it, his weak will caused them to appear. That wasn’t what Aerith said, but that is what she meant.

He tried to figure out if these voices even had any personality, and there seemed to be some, but not enough to call a person. Instead, these voices were centered around him, and his needs, without anything of their own.

It was a truth he didn’t want to accept but had to; the voices he had been hearing were his own, and they manifested through the numerous personalities within the Jenova Cells.

According to Aerith’s story of the first timeline, Jenova was at the top of the Hierarchy until Sephiroth devoured it. From that point on, it was unsure who was controlling who. He had the S-Cells, and they sought to make him a clone of Sephiroth, so Sephiroth and Jenova had control over him to a certain extent.

That was supposed to be his fight, but now that he is in another world, away from their range of control, he reached the top of the Hierarchy, and now that the only Jenova Cells were inside him, they were trying to consume his own and revive themselves.

Being at the top of the Hierarchy, he had access to all the information stored inside them, but he was in no way capable of handling that treasure trove of information, so this situation was created. Parts of his consciousness were divided, and his separated consciousness took refuge in these personalities.

He used to be a bit respectful and nervous about their views, but now he knew these voices were his own. He couldn’t care less, but the difference between him and them was the intelligence level.

Being the core of memory, they had memories of experiences, intelligence, and even abilities, and so, most, if not all, were more capable than him.

‘But I…I am only Cloud Strife,’ Cloud watched the drink, narrowing his eyes, drinking.

Since it had been a while, and the three of them were trying different drinks to see which one was better, it ended up getting late.

The night here was beautiful, and the cold made them stick together, even though drinking so much gave them more than enough heat.

Aerith stopped walking, hanging on Cloud’s arm, “Ahhh~~ I can’t do this anymore!! I can’t walk! Cloud, carry me!”

“No.” Cloud kept walking with a flushed face and slightly blurry eyes. He thought having a SOLDIER physique meant he couldn’t get drunk anymore, but it seemed that since his physique wasn’t at its total capacity allowed him to get a bit drunk.

“Tifaa~~.”

“Cloud…just pick her up,” Tifa leaned against Cloud, resting her head on his shoulder. Now that Aerith said so, she felt like being carried.

“Fine,” Cloud got rid of her hand, crouching in front of her, looking over his shoulder, “Get on.”

“Aw! Thank you, Cloud!” Aerith jumped upon him, wrapping her hands around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder, sniffing him, “Cloud~~.”

Tifa smiled, taking Cloud’s hand as he started walking beside her. The two of them walked for a few minutes when Aerith’s mumbling died down, and they realized she had fallen asleep.

Tifa gazed into the distance, asking, “Cloud…what were you thinking about?”

“When?”

“In the Bar? I could tell you were lost somewhere,” Tifa pressed her lips, “It’s not the first time you’ve done that. Even during the class, it’s like you are in a world of your own….”

She held him tightly, looking at moonlight falling on their feet, “Say Cloud…do you talk to the voices?”

Cloud interlocked his fingers with hers, looking in another direction, “I promised you…I wouldn’t do that.”

Tifa walked a few steps forward, turning to step in front of him, looking down, “Cloud…I…I don’t want to lose you…I cannot lose you. So for me…always be Cloud?”

She didn’t give him the chance to reply when she looked up, planting a kiss on his lips. She raised her hand, cupping his cheek, gripping his tshirt, and kissing him more. She clumsily pushed her tongue into his mouth, only for him to break out of the surprise that had stunned him.

He inched closer to her, placing his hand on her shoulder, cupping her neck, and curling his fingers around it. Unlike her, he did and didn’t feel that he was kissing for the time. It was as if he had kissed before.

Usually, he would be aversive to whatever feeling wasn’t his own, but right now was different.

He wanted to be good and kiss her more, but Tifa slowly pulled away, making him confusedly look at her, “Let’s go home first?”

“Yeah,” Cloud whispered, gently nodding, and the two started walking towards the house again.

Tifa breathed out the fog, leaning towards him, holding his palm in her hands. Even though about ten to fifteen minutes passed by the time they got home, and more till they reached a bedroom and put down Aerith on the bed, covering her with the blanket before getting rid of their shoes, socks, and a few layers of clothes before lying down on the same large bed, covering themselves with a blanket.

The two of them were looking at each other as if watching each other take off their clothes.

“Cloud…” Tifa put her arm around his waist, getting closer to him, pressing her breasts against his chest, stroking his jaw, and looking into his blue eyes glowing with Mako energy.

She gently kissed his lower lip, sucking on it, looking into his eyes, only to feel his pam on her back, stroking her body, exploring freely.

He stroked her upper back, effortlessly opening the hook of her bra, whispering in her ear, asking for permission, “You don’t mind?”

Tifa embarrassedly shook her head, and he unclasped her hook, freeing her breasts, and a flush covered his face. He froze only to have Tifa tilt her head and pull him close, kissing him again with a smile on her lips and her eyes.