~Prologue~

"…Cetra?"

In the middle of tending to some of the church's flowers as her boyfriend slept next to her, she stood up and looked around. There was a voice, she was certain, but it didn't come from anyone around the area. As a smile marked her soft features, she quietly listened.

"…It's not over."

A very direct reminder, Aerith thought, though considering her life experience, what was just said was false. "I've done all that I could," Aerith whispered with a smile, knowing what the voice meant. She looked at Zack. "And I'm happy where I am at this point."

"Don't forget them."

"I haven't." She shook her head. "I visit them every once in a while."

"They need you."

"Only when a situation is dire…"

And right there, at the very back of the church's interior, a soft flurry of green and white light manifested. Minerva appeared, and the faint image of her smiling as she held her weapon made Aerith smile too. The Cetra left her boyfriend to sleep for a longer period of time and she approached the Goddess, wondering what could possibly be the matter this time.

"They never say, but they need you," Minerva reminded softly. "And you are not done yet."

Aerith blinked. For the longest time that she had been in the Lifestream, she considered her worries correct. She always thought that casting Holy was the final task with her own Ancient life, but apparently, and according to Minerva, she wasn't quite finished yet. And the Cetra wasn't so sure what it was that she still had to do, but she felt as if it was a do-or-die situation… and hopefully it wasn't.

"What do you mean?…"

The Goddess chuckled. "I have a mission for you. Take your beloved with you, and travel - visit your friends. You'll see what happens in the end."

Aerith tilted her head slightly in curiosity. "… That's all you'd have me do?"

"Hush and trust me; the content of what I say is more important."

The Goddess chuckled as she leaned forward and gave her forehead a blessing kiss, just a few seconds before she disappeared.

"Cetra, for you and your lover, the afterlife is simply the beginning of a new journey - self-discovery."