I open my window and let in the fresh, spring air. The snow melted during the three months I've been home. Three months…it's almost here.
I shake my head. No need to think about it until I see Ivo. I grab the basket I set next to the door. "I'm going out!" I yell to Shadow who hasn't yet come out of his room. Was he even up yet? Who knows! I walk out. The bushes have berries, frozen by the winter months and soon to be ripe. I pick blueberries and only the reddest strawberries.
Goosebumps quickly appear on my arms, especially when the winds kick up. Dew drips from the leaves and onto my hands creating an icy feeling. I hum softly while coming back home with a basket full of figs, berries, and lavender flowers. I stop by a tree. Shadow and Rogue are boarding he airship Ivo always manages. Again Omega would be left behind.
"It's time to go!" Ivo yells to me.
I take a deep breath and get on the airship. It's time. The Harvest Festival was quick to approach.
I get on the airship. Everyone is quiet and staring at me.
"Geeze you all act like you're coming to my funeral!" I sit on the floor. Nobody is amused by my attempt at making the atmosphere less dark.
"Nice to see you too." Ivo mutters as he steers the ship toward the clan.
"So what have you decided to do?" It's Shadow, his voice underlying with concern again. I almost forgot he could be so concerned with my safety. In the last three months he hasn't been concerned at all about me.
"Don't be going soft on me, now." I play around but he isn't amused. "I don't know."
Ivo grips the steering wheel tightly. "You mean to tell me that you spent your three months on vacation?!"
"Don't yell, Ivo! I spent it thinking, trust me! But I also spent it with friends. Of course I was distracted!" Ivo lands and I stand. We file outside. The cool winds slap my face. It's bringing a storm for the Harvest Festival.
We crest over the hill and I freeze to take in the scene before me. Everyone is bustling about. Children make paper lanterns to light tonight and adults exchange gifts from the winter harvest.
Jay whistles for everyone to come around when he sees us. I turn to Ivo. "Promise me something." I whisper to him. "Promise me you'll get Shadow and Rogue out of here if I make the wrong choice."
Ivo stares down at me, at first confused because I had told him I didn't know my decision, then he seems to understand, then he pats my head. "You won't."
"Please Ivo!" I insist.
"Fine. I promise."
I smile. It makes me feel better that I know my friends and family will be safe even if I don't make the right decision.
The whole clan gathers around us as we try to make our way to the tent I had been in three months before. The crowd doesn't let us part. Children start to climb on a displeased Shadow, Rogue scares the ones that attempt to climb around her, and Ivo is scaring off all the young men that try to hit on me. I braid my hair to the side of my head.
In the back of the crowd Mona coughs obnoxiously loud. "Let the Priestess get ready. Your clothes are in your tent, Priestess."
I nod my head in a small bow and make my way to the tent. All of the beds but one had been taken out and replaced with dead flowers and jewelry. On the bed is a dress made of deer's skin. The end of the dress skims just above my knees. I bite my lip. The wind pushing up beneath my dress makes me uncomfortable wearing it. The only thing that keeps it up is a single, inch wide shoulder strap. It's all adorned with turquoise beads and elk skin trim.
A young girl pushes her head into the tent. "Knock, knock, can I enter?"
"Might as well, half your body is through."
The young girl has red hair, one half of her head is shaved. "You don't have any tattoos so I have to paint them on you. May I?"
I nod and let her paint my body with stars and trees and in the middle of my forehead she paints the Yin-Yang symbol. I lick my thumb and smudge off the Yin symbol.
"What are you doing?" The girl demands.
"Trust me. This makes me look a lot better."
The girl shrugs and takes my palm. "The sun and the moon." She whispers as she paints it. "You are ready. Jay shall escort you when it is time."
I wait until she's out of the tent to let out a breath. My hands start to shake and I pace my tent. I can! I can do this! I can do this!
"Priestess?"
I jump at Jay's voice.
"Forgive me." He starts to bow out but I run over.
"No, no, no, it's okay. It's okay. What is it?"
"It is time."
"O-oh…Okay…" I take a deep breath. "Okay I can do this." He's confused but leads me without questioning me. My heart races with every step we take. Every step leads me one step closer the Crystal. My heart pounds in my throat and in my ears. I don't hear everyone cheering for me. I stop by Mona and sit with shaking legs.
"…Isn't that right?" Mona is looking at me. Everyone is looking at me.
"Yes?" I look at Ivo who shrugs. He isn't paying attention either.
Everyone bursts into excitement and cheers. Whatever Mona had said 'yes' was the right answer. Mona presents me with the Crystal. "Touch it. And renew the world in fire!"
I grab the Crystal. So that's what she wants. She wants me to destroy the world. I close my eyes and I feel my spirit leaving my body, it feels like someone is yanking my heart from my chest but it isn't painful. It's a different feeling than the one before. Before I had been in my own subconscious but now I am going into their world, into their territory. I watch everyone below watch my body expectantly. Time seems to have slowed. Ivo is trying to usher out Shadow and Rogue with little to no explanation. Everyone is still in the middle of cheering and Mona is watching me…expecting the demon.
"So you have decided to join us as Yang." Yin and I look at each other. It looks like I'm looking into a mirror…I am looking into a mirror. All around me are mirrors and all I see is Yin but one mirror holds the demon claiming to be Yang.
"Who are you really?" I demand of him.
"I am Yang." He claims.
"Stop lying to the girl!" Yin hisses. Her hand comes from the mirror to point at me. "Look at her forehead!" The mirror that I thought Yin was in went away.
This is like a dream…I remind myself. Of course the laws of logic don't exist here!
The mark on the man's forehead replaces itself with a mark I've only seen once before. Maria drew it out long ago for me and claimed I should get it as a tattoo. It was a half spiral with spikes coming from the outside spiral.
"You saw right through me!" The mirrors disappear and it is just the three of us. "But I will be the one taking your body. The world must be baptized in fire!"
"No!" I shoot out my hand to grab him but it looked as if he hit glass. He turns on me, his eyes turning red.
"What magic is this?" He growls.
"She never intended to listen to you, genius. Therefor her body nor the world below will accept you." Yin folds her arms. "How does it feel to be trapped…Cornella."
Cornella growls. His body turns from humanoid to snake. "It must burn!" He goes for my neck.
"Watch it!" Yin pushes me out of the way. Cornella bites her neck and she writhes in space.
"Yin!" A force starts pulling me back to my body. "Yin what do I do?"
"Destroy it! Destroy the Crystal in fire!" She commands.
I'm surrounded by darkness. I feel my body hitting the ground.
"Yuna!" I hear Ivo call my name.
"Now Rise, Cornella!" Mona commands.
I open my eyes. They must look different than before, or not what she expects because Mona looks confused.
A voice that isn't my own pulls out of my throat. "You have been such a disappointment." It sounds like mine, and Yin's, and Cornella's. I stand, holding the crystal tightly in my hand so it leaves an impression.
Destroy it in fire, I remind myself. Beyond Mona I can see Ivo, fear stains his eyes and aura. I wink at him to let him know I'm still here but it doesn't help.
"Who are you?" Mona demands.
"I'm…me…" The voices disappear and it's my own again. "I'm me…Who do you think I am, Mona? I'm not an idiot!"
"You aren't supposed to be in there!" Mona tries to take the Crystal but I throw it at Ivo. It hits his forehead and lands in the palm of his hands.
"Destroy it, Ivo!"
"Get the Crystal!" Mona yells at Jay.
"Intense heat! Like a flame! Go! Run!"
A blur of black and red lines snatches the Crystal from Ivo's hand. "You said fire, right?"
"Like fire, Shadow!" A knife is held to my back.
"Bring me back that Crystal or she'll die!" Mona demands.
Shadow stops in his tracks. He's so far away. He almost made it to the airship.
"Go!" I scream at him.
Rogue takes the Crystal from his hands. Whatever she says to him gives him hope and he takes off skating down the hill. I keep my eyes on Rogue until she's over the hill.
Even though I don't have the Crystal somehow my spirit gets pulled from my body. Again I am watching a scene in slow motion. Yin is lying, looking lifeless in the space next to Cornella.
"It's your turn to disappear, little girl." He hisses and slithers over to me.
I back up slowly into an invisible wall. Yin hasn't disappeared but why isn't she moving?
Cornella goes to strike but I move out of the way and run to Yin. I try to shake her, feel a pulse, but I can't get any sign of life from her. We're spirits after all…logic doesn't exist…
I reach my hand out into space. I need a sword…sword…sword… I wrap my hands around the nothingness and feel a solid object. A sword.
Cornella shakes the stars from his head. I stand and twirl the sword. "Come and get me you snake!" I challenge.
He strikes and I use the sword as a shield. Cut off his head!
I step on his tail. He abandons the sword and goes to strike but I move my foot and cut off its head.