I updated It's been what? A month? Well ,because of ALL the criticism (not all friendly,) and boredom ( and not wanting to do gay homework) I did an update. And a different start and ending. So that 'James' jerk can be quiet because now it explains stuff. So meh read the story already (and review otherwise purple monkeys will kill you in you're sleep)
I own nothing.
The streets of the jammed metropolis were crawling with people as everyone was scuttling in a rush to enter the stadium. The shrieks of the younger fans were echoing throughout, and the warm summer night's air was vibrating with the buzz of excitement.
Lenne tried to conceal a smile. Hidden under her cloak, no one could recognize her and realize that she was the one they were all waiting to see. She quickened her pace as she manoeuvred through the bustling crowds.
"Excuse me, sir," she muttered as she kept her eyes lowered at the ground, still trying to evade the swarms. Lenne's heart was beating so rapidly she thought it would burst out of her chest. She clutched her lucky necklace and prayed toYevon that this concert would go well.
In the blink of an eye, Lenne found herself smacked down on the ground and in pain. She groaned as a young soldier was begging for forgiveness. Lenne grumbled as she struggled to get up then gave the man a sharp look. His shaggy brown hair swept across his face and almost hide his dark black eyes.
"I am sorry if I have caused you any grief, Ma'am," he stated solemnly. "We were in pursuit of a rogue soldier, who is notorious for hurting summoners..."
He gave her a salute and without even a smile turned to walk away.
"Wait " Lenne shouted out after the man. He swivelled to look at her. She flashed a coy smile and throw back her hood. "Don't you want an autograph?"
He gave her a puzzled look. "I have no clue what you are talking about, ma'am, but I have duties to attend to so if you'd excuse me..."
Lenne shrugged and continued to the stadium. Although she thought it odd that he didn't identify her, she wasn't fazed. After all, the soldiers now a days were all a little aloof.
There was a special one in particular that was dense when it came to certain things, but she loved him anyway. He often joked about her singing, saying that it was always off key and out of pitch but the mesmerized look on his face would always tell her that he loved the music.
It was her job as a songstress to try and ease the pain of the people of Spira. The Machina wars were taking a toil on the minds of the civilians and panic was swirling everywhere.
Lenne started to hum as she grew near her dressing room. She could make out the silhouette of her manager as he sat in the dark outside the door.
"Where have you been? The concert starts in 10 minutes ? Do you want me to have a stroke? " he exclaimed as his face was turning beet red.
Lenne giggled. "Relax Why can't I have just a little fun? After all, I have to look after my needs too, you know."
"You get more rebellious everyday. Where did you slip off to this time? Not the docks again?"
She gave a fake pout. "First off, I am not a rebel. I just do what my heart tells me to. And for your information, you can met some interesting people at the docks "
Her manager rolled his eyes. "Oh who, the local drunk? Or the old lady that keeps giving you chocobo feathers and claims that they are the reason for life?"
"I don't have time for this," Lenne laughed as she combed her flowing chestnut hair.
"Yeah you're right You have NO time Better get out there, it's a full house. Another military send-off."
Lenne strutted onto the stage and glanced around at the blur of faces. Without a moments hesitation, she began to perform. She could feel the beat flow through her, and she was swept up in the ecstasy she got when performing.
After the show, she went back to her dressing room and wiped the globules of sweat off her forehead.
"Hello, Lenne," spoke a voice and Lenne jumped in alarm, splashing her water down the front of her shirt.
"Sorry I'm the writer for the magazine. You're manager set an interview for this time."
Lenne grumbled as she wiped her shirt and had mental images of ripping off her insolent manager's head off.
"Anyway," continued the young man, who looked as if he hadn't been out much for a very long time, "I want to know you're story."
Lenne giggled. "Not much to tell there."
He smirked. "Right... famous singer, world renowned summoner...everyone knows this side of you. But I want the inside scoop; tell me your story. I want to know you're life-where you've been and what you've seen. What goes on inside that head of yours?"
"This is my story," Lenne began thoughtfully. "It all began about 5 years ago, back home on the farm where I grew up. Life was simple then, until he came..."
"In order to dream, you must first wake up" the decrepit man shouted as he danced off a nimbus cloud. The teenaged girl observed this, feeling placid as he fluttered down into the fire. The flames shot up and licked at the maroon sky, and the horizon cried out in anguish. As she swam in the inferno of colour, she could distinguish a noise. Someone was calling to her, beckoning her . . . Lenne . . . Lenne . . .
"LENNE Wake up You'll miss your bus " hollered the voice of her mother.
Lenne groaned as she struggled out of bed. She shuddered as she stood, no longer did the blankets protect her from the cool of the morning.
Morning, she thought with disdain. Consciousness forces her to leave the surreal world behind and to be exposed to the dull objective drudge of everyday life. Sleep is her only escape from the slander she is forced to endure. If only life were like a dream-
"LENNE Last warning "
As she became more awake, panic soon consumed her. As usual, she went into a frantic haste; trying to brush her teeth, while combing her knotted hair and struggling into a pair of jeans at the same time. In a matter of minutes she was dressed and out the door.
Lenne feels as if her body were the vessel of two people; Lenne the punctual hard worker who excels at everything and has no time for immaturity. The other Lenne is an introvert that is vulnerable to many things in this hostile world. That's the Lenne that needs protection.
Deep inside she is hidden away under the visage of the other Lenne. Many barriers have been built to keep her safe in a fortress of solitude where she can be free to be herself without chastisement.
As she walked down the icy road, thoughts kept churning in her head. It all happened about 20 years ago. An epidemic broke out across Spira killing thousands. It was the virus to end all viruses, and so was fittingly named Disease. The symptoms and treatments are unknown until the plague hits your area. Then, everyone mysteriously dies.
After about five minutes of tottering in the frigid weather, Lenne found herself at the bus stop, waiting with her usual crowd.
The bus pulled up to the curb and frozen commuters all rushed inside. The heat from the vent released her body from the numbness and she began to drift into a day dream again.
This time, when her eyes peered open, she was in a grove surrounded by thousands of lilacs and lilies. Enticed by their alluring aroma, Lenne lay down and inhaled the fragrance. The sereneness was broken by a shot followed by an agonizing scream.
Lenne jumped up in alarm. In the distance she could see two minuscule groups in guerrilla warfare. Each member was slashing and tearing at the opposition fighting until the bitter end. From the midst of all the violence, there was a man clad in white. He was the puppeteer of the battle and he was ordering men to go to the front lines. Then, the pallet on his clothing went from white to coal-black. His two hollowed out eye sockets were focussed on her. As he flashed a sinister grin, he took aim with his rifle and fired.
Lenne's chest exploded with pain and she cried out. She was gasping for air, her heart beating in staccato. She glanced around at the adjacent people. One elderly lady gave her a frightened smile and whispered, "If it's your first period, I have a pad if you need to use it. And don't worry, the cramps will pass."
A few girls snickered and she could feel her face flush with embarrassment. Dreams often seemed so real she could grasp them and cherish them forever. This one was different. It had snatched her and kept her as its captive. She was powerless over her own thoughts. Hopefully, she would never go back to that dream world again.
Beads of sweat were running down her face as she struggled with the plough. All the hours she had poured into this once barren field were paying off and finally she was reaping what she'd sown. The ground was more fertile and now could be used for substance farming. All the factories that had once produced machina for agriculture were now being used to create weapons. People had been able to live with the outdated and unrepairable tools, as there were very few non-violent machina anywhere in the world.
The wind's wrath made him lash out at the people with his cold tongue which sent shivers down Lenne's spine. Lenne sighed and decided to go home, doubting that the wind would ever calm down.
As she turned to leave, she noticed something rather odd. A few people from neighbouring plots of land were giving her a funny look. They glared at her and continued to whisper behind their hands. Knifes hacked at her heart. What had she done now?
Lenne was perched on her bed, contemplating what had happened. Why was it bothering her? She had been picked on many times before; for not dressing right, for not watching the 'cool' shows, for feigning an interest in what other people did. That's when she started to make a mask to hide who she truly was. And on top of the mask she added false confidence that sometimes could fool even herself.
She discovered that if you don't want to be a target, stay off the radar. You can get lost in the sea of random faces.
Just then the door opened. Her mother entered with a worried look on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark rings clung to them. Then with a painful squeak she tumbled onto the bed.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
She turned to Lenne and the fear shining in her eyes gave her mother an eerie glow.
"The Disease is here."
Lenne's family consisted of her mother, brother and sister all huddled in the basement. Mother was trying to console the younger brother, John, who was bawling. Lenne's older sister was listening tentatively to the family radio for information about the Disease.
So far, all that was known was that the virus was quickly spreading into the West and had already killed most of the people in the Malacania areas. The news reporter cautioned everyone to be on full alert for any signs of the Disease.
A lump was forming at the back of Lenne's throat. She wished with every atom of her soul that she could escape into another world, one free of any sort of virus. But that wasn't going to help her now. The Disease was coming, and it was notorious for not letting a single soul survive.
Rumours had been spread of what the side effects were. Some thought that the Disease would eat away at your insides like a carnivorous beast until nothing was left but a pile of bones. Others argued that the plague spread through the livestock and caused the people to go insane and die of strokes and heart attacks. These seemed pleasant compared to the other tale.
They say that the Disease would enter through particles in the air. It would slowly and excruciatingly painfully rip apart your lungs. As you struggled day after day to inhale, the germ spread through the body and dissolved your muscles, including the heart. Then, when you think you can endure no more and you pray for the kiss of death, your brain shuts down and you live out your last days as a shell of a person, not human in many ways.
Lenne thought most of these speculations were absurd, but some did sound plausible. She, like everyone else, would just have to wait for answers. For the next couple of weeks, her whole community was poisoned with fear. Days slowed passed by and the people were still kept in the dark.
Everyone was unsure of what they were supposed to be avoiding and that's where the temples of Yevon came in. Every day they held ceremonies for the atonement of the sins the area was committing. They reprimanded anyone who did not follow the teachings to the best of their abilities. According the High priest, a lamb must be sacrificed every week in order to maintain the purity. Lenne would always wince as she watched them slaughter the innocent creature.
Then, one day as she was sitting in the temple the priest gave an unusual proclamation. His face was sullen and there was almost a dark aura around him. Then he said the words that would shatter Lenne's world.
"People of the congregation, I have horrible news. The greatest thing that we have ever feared has arrived. This is not a time to panic. We must remain calm and united as a community. The teachings of Yevon state that we are to love our neighbours as we would ourselves.
But there are times when we must purge the ones around us in order to obtain purity. To be immune to the Disease we must kill the ones who are likely to carry it. Over the centuries most of us have been genetically passed down chromosomes that protect us from the Disease. Some people, however, are highly susceptible to the Disease and can become hosts very quickly. After it spreads to them, it can transfer to us and in the end we are all dead. So, the logical thing to do is to eliminate the threat by killing the likely hosts of the Disease. The needs of the many will out weigh the needs of the few.
In life, certain sacrifices are mandatory and we must push for the survival of our people."
Lenne knew in her heart that this kind of discrimination was wrong. And it deeply sickened her that the temples indorsed such cruel intolerance of this magnitude. She could feel the words bubbling inside her and they wanted to froth out in a furious rage.
Already there were around 67 people murdered because of their physical appearance. Lenne struggled every day to hide the pain she felt, and she refused to go to the weekly service at. The priest was convinced that the purification of the town was not going quickly enough. So, in a new commandment, if you saw anyone with dark coloured skin, they were to be assassinated as well. Lenne could hear the cries of her neighbours as they suffered in their last moments on earth.
The slaughter continued to grow and consume the people and now the death toll had reached 143. Friends were conspiring against each other and the trust that once existed was now shattered into shards of hatred. Corpses were laying on the street; no one dared to touch the bodies of the unclean. Soon the stench was causing nausea to anyone who went outside.
This discrimination and intolerance were spreading. It was infesting the minds and bodies of the victims. It left them without a heart, without a soul. It . . . was . . . the Disease.
Lenne swooned as the epiphany hit her. All this time, we thought we had to be careful of some germ, when it turns out it's a mental condition. It was a timeless infection of the brain that has been around and splitting up humanity for thousands of years.
She had to do something before the whole country was killed by this evil.
The men and women marched onto the frigid fields with the rusty rifles slung over their shoulders. The opposing party also trotted onto the field, but they had only knifes and small swords to arm themselves. Each eye was locked to an enemy on the other side. Then, the Priest gave the order and the battle commenced. Lenne dashed around in the chaos and pleaded with people to put down their weapons. Blood was pouring everywhere, staining the frozen flowers as the fight continued.
Lenne could take no more. Her rage had involved her and she a mere puppet to her emotion.
"STOP IT YOU MUST STOP " she roared at the top of her lungs. "You're all acting like savage beasts, not people What number must the death toll reach in order for you to see how stupid you are acting? Can't you see? The Disease isn't a flesh-eating germ. There is no Disease It's all in your heads You've killed your loved ones and your friends, for what? Look around you."
The people looked in shame at their fallen comrades on the ground. They were as horrified as inner-Lenne had been at the killing of the lamb; they had realized they had slaughtered innocent blood.
"But the temple told us to do it " shouted a man at the back. Eyes swivelled to focus on the priest. He growled.
Lenne had a vision of a man in white, then the hollowed out eyes, then the pain . . .
"I suppose we've all learned two valuable lessons; first that we shouldn't judge others on physical appearances. And second, that trying to usurp someone's power and make a fool out of them is never a smart idea. "
As he spoke, he took careful aim at Lenne. He watched as her lips trembled and she fell to her knees.
"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER " roared a voice above Lenne. Lenne opened her eyes and gaped in awe as a soldier stood between her and the rifle. The military recruit was tall and had golden hair that swept across his face and hide his eyes. With a quick glance she noticed that there were now hundreds of solders tending to the wounded and trying to stop Larry, the local drunk from shooting people.
Lenne struggled to get up and looked directly into the eyes of her saviour.
"Thank you," she mumbled with a smile. He shot her a friendly smirk but continued to glare down the priest.
"These kinds of actions are unacceptable for a servant of Yevon. You are hereby relieved of your duties and are asked to leave the temples immediately. Failure to do so will result in death."
Lenne could see a muscle twitch in the corner of the priests mouth as he threw down his weapon in disgust.
The young man continued to stare at Lenne, and feeling his piercing blue eyes she blushed. Never in her life had she seen such a handsome figure, one almost flawless in every way.
It turns out the Disease was one of the catalysts to the Machina wars, though at the time we were all too scared to notice. The temples of Yevon had just been started a year ago, I recall, and it was this Disease that corrupted them. The temples had started as a simple place of worship, but then turned into a force that no one would ever dare to challenge.
Well, the troupes that saved my life that day thought it would be best if I came with them, in order to escape the wrath of the priest. So we went to Zanarakand my new home and that's where I underwent the training that would change my life forever....
I own nothing.
The streets of the jammed metropolis were crawling with people as everyone was scuttling in a rush to enter the stadium. The shrieks of the younger fans were echoing throughout, and the warm summer night's air was vibrating with the buzz of excitement.
Lenne tried to conceal a smile. Hidden under her cloak, no one could recognize her and realize that she was the one they were all waiting to see. She quickened her pace as she manoeuvred through the bustling crowds.
"Excuse me, sir," she muttered as she kept her eyes lowered at the ground, still trying to evade the swarms. Lenne's heart was beating so rapidly she thought it would burst out of her chest. She clutched her lucky necklace and prayed toYevon that this concert would go well.
In the blink of an eye, Lenne found herself smacked down on the ground and in pain. She groaned as a young soldier was begging for forgiveness. Lenne grumbled as she struggled to get up then gave the man a sharp look. His shaggy brown hair swept across his face and almost hide his dark black eyes.
"I am sorry if I have caused you any grief, Ma'am," he stated solemnly. "We were in pursuit of a rogue soldier, who is notorious for hurting summoners..."
He gave her a salute and without even a smile turned to walk away.
"Wait " Lenne shouted out after the man. He swivelled to look at her. She flashed a coy smile and throw back her hood. "Don't you want an autograph?"
He gave her a puzzled look. "I have no clue what you are talking about, ma'am, but I have duties to attend to so if you'd excuse me..."
Lenne shrugged and continued to the stadium. Although she thought it odd that he didn't identify her, she wasn't fazed. After all, the soldiers now a days were all a little aloof.
There was a special one in particular that was dense when it came to certain things, but she loved him anyway. He often joked about her singing, saying that it was always off key and out of pitch but the mesmerized look on his face would always tell her that he loved the music.
It was her job as a songstress to try and ease the pain of the people of Spira. The Machina wars were taking a toil on the minds of the civilians and panic was swirling everywhere.
Lenne started to hum as she grew near her dressing room. She could make out the silhouette of her manager as he sat in the dark outside the door.
"Where have you been? The concert starts in 10 minutes ? Do you want me to have a stroke? " he exclaimed as his face was turning beet red.
Lenne giggled. "Relax Why can't I have just a little fun? After all, I have to look after my needs too, you know."
"You get more rebellious everyday. Where did you slip off to this time? Not the docks again?"
She gave a fake pout. "First off, I am not a rebel. I just do what my heart tells me to. And for your information, you can met some interesting people at the docks "
Her manager rolled his eyes. "Oh who, the local drunk? Or the old lady that keeps giving you chocobo feathers and claims that they are the reason for life?"
"I don't have time for this," Lenne laughed as she combed her flowing chestnut hair.
"Yeah you're right You have NO time Better get out there, it's a full house. Another military send-off."
Lenne strutted onto the stage and glanced around at the blur of faces. Without a moments hesitation, she began to perform. She could feel the beat flow through her, and she was swept up in the ecstasy she got when performing.
After the show, she went back to her dressing room and wiped the globules of sweat off her forehead.
"Hello, Lenne," spoke a voice and Lenne jumped in alarm, splashing her water down the front of her shirt.
"Sorry I'm the writer for the magazine. You're manager set an interview for this time."
Lenne grumbled as she wiped her shirt and had mental images of ripping off her insolent manager's head off.
"Anyway," continued the young man, who looked as if he hadn't been out much for a very long time, "I want to know you're story."
Lenne giggled. "Not much to tell there."
He smirked. "Right... famous singer, world renowned summoner...everyone knows this side of you. But I want the inside scoop; tell me your story. I want to know you're life-where you've been and what you've seen. What goes on inside that head of yours?"
"This is my story," Lenne began thoughtfully. "It all began about 5 years ago, back home on the farm where I grew up. Life was simple then, until he came..."
"In order to dream, you must first wake up" the decrepit man shouted as he danced off a nimbus cloud. The teenaged girl observed this, feeling placid as he fluttered down into the fire. The flames shot up and licked at the maroon sky, and the horizon cried out in anguish. As she swam in the inferno of colour, she could distinguish a noise. Someone was calling to her, beckoning her . . . Lenne . . . Lenne . . .
"LENNE Wake up You'll miss your bus " hollered the voice of her mother.
Lenne groaned as she struggled out of bed. She shuddered as she stood, no longer did the blankets protect her from the cool of the morning.
Morning, she thought with disdain. Consciousness forces her to leave the surreal world behind and to be exposed to the dull objective drudge of everyday life. Sleep is her only escape from the slander she is forced to endure. If only life were like a dream-
"LENNE Last warning "
As she became more awake, panic soon consumed her. As usual, she went into a frantic haste; trying to brush her teeth, while combing her knotted hair and struggling into a pair of jeans at the same time. In a matter of minutes she was dressed and out the door.
Lenne feels as if her body were the vessel of two people; Lenne the punctual hard worker who excels at everything and has no time for immaturity. The other Lenne is an introvert that is vulnerable to many things in this hostile world. That's the Lenne that needs protection.
Deep inside she is hidden away under the visage of the other Lenne. Many barriers have been built to keep her safe in a fortress of solitude where she can be free to be herself without chastisement.
As she walked down the icy road, thoughts kept churning in her head. It all happened about 20 years ago. An epidemic broke out across Spira killing thousands. It was the virus to end all viruses, and so was fittingly named Disease. The symptoms and treatments are unknown until the plague hits your area. Then, everyone mysteriously dies.
After about five minutes of tottering in the frigid weather, Lenne found herself at the bus stop, waiting with her usual crowd.
The bus pulled up to the curb and frozen commuters all rushed inside. The heat from the vent released her body from the numbness and she began to drift into a day dream again.
This time, when her eyes peered open, she was in a grove surrounded by thousands of lilacs and lilies. Enticed by their alluring aroma, Lenne lay down and inhaled the fragrance. The sereneness was broken by a shot followed by an agonizing scream.
Lenne jumped up in alarm. In the distance she could see two minuscule groups in guerrilla warfare. Each member was slashing and tearing at the opposition fighting until the bitter end. From the midst of all the violence, there was a man clad in white. He was the puppeteer of the battle and he was ordering men to go to the front lines. Then, the pallet on his clothing went from white to coal-black. His two hollowed out eye sockets were focussed on her. As he flashed a sinister grin, he took aim with his rifle and fired.
Lenne's chest exploded with pain and she cried out. She was gasping for air, her heart beating in staccato. She glanced around at the adjacent people. One elderly lady gave her a frightened smile and whispered, "If it's your first period, I have a pad if you need to use it. And don't worry, the cramps will pass."
A few girls snickered and she could feel her face flush with embarrassment. Dreams often seemed so real she could grasp them and cherish them forever. This one was different. It had snatched her and kept her as its captive. She was powerless over her own thoughts. Hopefully, she would never go back to that dream world again.
Beads of sweat were running down her face as she struggled with the plough. All the hours she had poured into this once barren field were paying off and finally she was reaping what she'd sown. The ground was more fertile and now could be used for substance farming. All the factories that had once produced machina for agriculture were now being used to create weapons. People had been able to live with the outdated and unrepairable tools, as there were very few non-violent machina anywhere in the world.
The wind's wrath made him lash out at the people with his cold tongue which sent shivers down Lenne's spine. Lenne sighed and decided to go home, doubting that the wind would ever calm down.
As she turned to leave, she noticed something rather odd. A few people from neighbouring plots of land were giving her a funny look. They glared at her and continued to whisper behind their hands. Knifes hacked at her heart. What had she done now?
Lenne was perched on her bed, contemplating what had happened. Why was it bothering her? She had been picked on many times before; for not dressing right, for not watching the 'cool' shows, for feigning an interest in what other people did. That's when she started to make a mask to hide who she truly was. And on top of the mask she added false confidence that sometimes could fool even herself.
She discovered that if you don't want to be a target, stay off the radar. You can get lost in the sea of random faces.
Just then the door opened. Her mother entered with a worried look on her face. Her eyes were bloodshot and dark rings clung to them. Then with a painful squeak she tumbled onto the bed.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
She turned to Lenne and the fear shining in her eyes gave her mother an eerie glow.
"The Disease is here."
Lenne's family consisted of her mother, brother and sister all huddled in the basement. Mother was trying to console the younger brother, John, who was bawling. Lenne's older sister was listening tentatively to the family radio for information about the Disease.
So far, all that was known was that the virus was quickly spreading into the West and had already killed most of the people in the Malacania areas. The news reporter cautioned everyone to be on full alert for any signs of the Disease.
A lump was forming at the back of Lenne's throat. She wished with every atom of her soul that she could escape into another world, one free of any sort of virus. But that wasn't going to help her now. The Disease was coming, and it was notorious for not letting a single soul survive.
Rumours had been spread of what the side effects were. Some thought that the Disease would eat away at your insides like a carnivorous beast until nothing was left but a pile of bones. Others argued that the plague spread through the livestock and caused the people to go insane and die of strokes and heart attacks. These seemed pleasant compared to the other tale.
They say that the Disease would enter through particles in the air. It would slowly and excruciatingly painfully rip apart your lungs. As you struggled day after day to inhale, the germ spread through the body and dissolved your muscles, including the heart. Then, when you think you can endure no more and you pray for the kiss of death, your brain shuts down and you live out your last days as a shell of a person, not human in many ways.
Lenne thought most of these speculations were absurd, but some did sound plausible. She, like everyone else, would just have to wait for answers. For the next couple of weeks, her whole community was poisoned with fear. Days slowed passed by and the people were still kept in the dark.
Everyone was unsure of what they were supposed to be avoiding and that's where the temples of Yevon came in. Every day they held ceremonies for the atonement of the sins the area was committing. They reprimanded anyone who did not follow the teachings to the best of their abilities. According the High priest, a lamb must be sacrificed every week in order to maintain the purity. Lenne would always wince as she watched them slaughter the innocent creature.
Then, one day as she was sitting in the temple the priest gave an unusual proclamation. His face was sullen and there was almost a dark aura around him. Then he said the words that would shatter Lenne's world.
"People of the congregation, I have horrible news. The greatest thing that we have ever feared has arrived. This is not a time to panic. We must remain calm and united as a community. The teachings of Yevon state that we are to love our neighbours as we would ourselves.
But there are times when we must purge the ones around us in order to obtain purity. To be immune to the Disease we must kill the ones who are likely to carry it. Over the centuries most of us have been genetically passed down chromosomes that protect us from the Disease. Some people, however, are highly susceptible to the Disease and can become hosts very quickly. After it spreads to them, it can transfer to us and in the end we are all dead. So, the logical thing to do is to eliminate the threat by killing the likely hosts of the Disease. The needs of the many will out weigh the needs of the few.
In life, certain sacrifices are mandatory and we must push for the survival of our people."
Lenne knew in her heart that this kind of discrimination was wrong. And it deeply sickened her that the temples indorsed such cruel intolerance of this magnitude. She could feel the words bubbling inside her and they wanted to froth out in a furious rage.
Already there were around 67 people murdered because of their physical appearance. Lenne struggled every day to hide the pain she felt, and she refused to go to the weekly service at. The priest was convinced that the purification of the town was not going quickly enough. So, in a new commandment, if you saw anyone with dark coloured skin, they were to be assassinated as well. Lenne could hear the cries of her neighbours as they suffered in their last moments on earth.
The slaughter continued to grow and consume the people and now the death toll had reached 143. Friends were conspiring against each other and the trust that once existed was now shattered into shards of hatred. Corpses were laying on the street; no one dared to touch the bodies of the unclean. Soon the stench was causing nausea to anyone who went outside.
This discrimination and intolerance were spreading. It was infesting the minds and bodies of the victims. It left them without a heart, without a soul. It . . . was . . . the Disease.
Lenne swooned as the epiphany hit her. All this time, we thought we had to be careful of some germ, when it turns out it's a mental condition. It was a timeless infection of the brain that has been around and splitting up humanity for thousands of years.
She had to do something before the whole country was killed by this evil.
The men and women marched onto the frigid fields with the rusty rifles slung over their shoulders. The opposing party also trotted onto the field, but they had only knifes and small swords to arm themselves. Each eye was locked to an enemy on the other side. Then, the Priest gave the order and the battle commenced. Lenne dashed around in the chaos and pleaded with people to put down their weapons. Blood was pouring everywhere, staining the frozen flowers as the fight continued.
Lenne could take no more. Her rage had involved her and she a mere puppet to her emotion.
"STOP IT YOU MUST STOP " she roared at the top of her lungs. "You're all acting like savage beasts, not people What number must the death toll reach in order for you to see how stupid you are acting? Can't you see? The Disease isn't a flesh-eating germ. There is no Disease It's all in your heads You've killed your loved ones and your friends, for what? Look around you."
The people looked in shame at their fallen comrades on the ground. They were as horrified as inner-Lenne had been at the killing of the lamb; they had realized they had slaughtered innocent blood.
"But the temple told us to do it " shouted a man at the back. Eyes swivelled to focus on the priest. He growled.
Lenne had a vision of a man in white, then the hollowed out eyes, then the pain . . .
"I suppose we've all learned two valuable lessons; first that we shouldn't judge others on physical appearances. And second, that trying to usurp someone's power and make a fool out of them is never a smart idea. "
As he spoke, he took careful aim at Lenne. He watched as her lips trembled and she fell to her knees.
"DON'T YOU DARE HURT HER " roared a voice above Lenne. Lenne opened her eyes and gaped in awe as a soldier stood between her and the rifle. The military recruit was tall and had golden hair that swept across his face and hide his eyes. With a quick glance she noticed that there were now hundreds of solders tending to the wounded and trying to stop Larry, the local drunk from shooting people.
Lenne struggled to get up and looked directly into the eyes of her saviour.
"Thank you," she mumbled with a smile. He shot her a friendly smirk but continued to glare down the priest.
"These kinds of actions are unacceptable for a servant of Yevon. You are hereby relieved of your duties and are asked to leave the temples immediately. Failure to do so will result in death."
Lenne could see a muscle twitch in the corner of the priests mouth as he threw down his weapon in disgust.
The young man continued to stare at Lenne, and feeling his piercing blue eyes she blushed. Never in her life had she seen such a handsome figure, one almost flawless in every way.
It turns out the Disease was one of the catalysts to the Machina wars, though at the time we were all too scared to notice. The temples of Yevon had just been started a year ago, I recall, and it was this Disease that corrupted them. The temples had started as a simple place of worship, but then turned into a force that no one would ever dare to challenge.
Well, the troupes that saved my life that day thought it would be best if I came with them, in order to escape the wrath of the priest. So we went to Zanarakand my new home and that's where I underwent the training that would change my life forever....