Chapter five

Aireth's weird behaviour

Later the next day, the two girls got on their ceremony clothes. They were white cloaks, with hoods. On the back, was the Yin Yang symbol. A circle cut in half, with the right part black, with a little white in it, and the left part white, with a little black in it, to symbolize the negative, and the positive of mankind, and how there exist a little bit of Yin (negative) inside Yang (positive) and a little bit of Yang in Yin. The two girls went over to the Temple to celebrate.

When the Cetras went over to the Temple, they had to go around a small spring in order to reach the temple gates. Aireth looked at the clear water in the spring. Hers and Aeris' reflections smiling back at her. She felt indescribable happiness as she saw their reflections. They looked so happy together.

They reached the temple gates. A two-floored building stood before them. Like every other house and building in the village of the Cetra, it was built in a circulated form, and the stone were white, with no symbol on it, or religious signs of any kind.

Aireth scowled up at the temple, and clenched her fists. Suddenly, she'd stopped moving towards the doors. Aeris turned, and looked at her best friend. She looked as if something she was thinking about really made her angry. "What's up, Aireth?" Aeris asked. Suddenly, it looked as if her body returned to her senses. "What?" She asked,

"You suddenly got all quiet, and it looked as if you were thinking about something you resented." Aeris told her, looking concerned.

"Dunno what're talking about." Aireth replied. She stepped over the entrance of the temple. "I think I'll keep an eye on her." Aeris said to herself. She went after Aireth.

A few hours later, the temple was filled with laughter and celebrating Cetra. The room they were in, had no statues, or anything to decorate the room, apart from the colors the room was painted in. The ceiling was painted dark, with white dots all over to resemble the Universe. The floor was painted in green, brown, and red, as the Cetra saw Earth.

"Hey, Aireth. What's up?" Aeris came over to her with a pair of milkshakes in her hands, looking concerned again. "You've been all quiet all day….." "So? Am I not allowed to stay silent if I want to? Just shut up and leave me alone." Aireth said in a low voice. "Aireth, tell me what's wrong." "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

The milkshakes Aeris carried fell to the floor and smashed as she dropped them.

She backed away, shocked. Suddenly, the entire hall had gone quiet.

Aireth looked around at the faces which, just for a few moments ago, had been celebrating happily. "I just don't understand you people." Aireth said quietly, but loudly enough for the Cetra to hear her.

"Why the hell do you keep doing this? It's just bullshit, celebrating something like this." "What do you want to say, Aireth?" The chief of their village said; an extremely fat man with a uniquely loud voice. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" Aireth screamed again. And without as much as a glance at her best friend, she ran out of the temple.

She ran and ran, not knowing where. All she knew was that she wanted to get away from everything related to her people.

Suddenly she fell. Aireth lied there, with her face down, facing the flower field. "GODDAMN IT, I CAN'T STAND IT ANYMORE!"

She got up. Suddenly, her eyes changed. Those happy eyes she'd once had which had always been full of an indescribable happiness, were suddenly sort of dead-looking. The happy light which had danced in each of Aireth's eyes since she was born was almost gone. "I'm gonna break the Seal holding Lucifer locked inside that reactor. Finally I'll be able to break free from my people and all that Holy bullshit of theirs." She laughed at the thought of how she'd finally be free. And it wasn't the usual cheerful laughter that usually came from her. It was penetrating and sharp. She raised her hand, and released her Magical Power. For the first time in her life, she used it to destroy. All the flowers on the flower field died instantly, and a great shadow suddenly fell over it, instead of the sun that had always shone at the field. "AIRETH!" She turned around.

Aeris had caught up to her. She was carrying a long, white Combat Staff. "What are you doing?" "Aireth? Hmph. I no longer answer to that old name. "What are you saying?" "Quit asking me such things." Aireth snapped. "I have absolutely no interest in you or the Cetra anymore, Aeris." "What are you planning to do?"

"That's none of your business, Aeris. "Why did you become like this? Destroying the flower field. You used to love it!"

"Well, not anymore" Aireth said indifferently. "How can you ask me that, anyway? How do you know I've put the Cetra behind me?" Aireth asked suddenly. "What you just did to your favorite place of Himitsu Shi is not something you'd have done a few hours ago." Aeris said shaken. "Lately, I've done some thinking. I feel that this village and all of its traditions are hardly different from when the Cetra searched for The Promised Land, and Lucifer decided he would raise a rebellion against his people." "But we don't struggle anymore! We've stopped wandering! What is it that you think is so disturbing?"

"All those goddamn traditions and ceremonies. I feel that we don't have any freedom left. The Cetra has always been bound by such things, Aeris. I wish to break free from all this captivity.

I want the Cetra to be independent and free. I want to kill all these musty old traditions, and I'll kill every Cetra who tries to stop me. None of you has the right to tell me what to do or were to go."

"I won't let you do this, Aireth. It's for your own sake! I'll do anything to prevent you from becoming something like this, but don't force me to fight you. Don't make me kill you." Aeris pleaded, tears streaming down her face. "What does it matter to you what I become?

"I don't want to see you become another Lucifer, Aireth."

"I'll say this one more time. Leave me alone. And don't try to make me change my mind. If you do, I'll kill you." She raised her hand. Aeris could see how sparks of fire erupted from them. "Leave now." Aireth said in a low and dangerous voice.

Aeris put down her Staff. "If I'm gonna fight you, I want it to be fair." She said. The tears continued to pour from her eyes.

"Then, so be it." Aireth said, her eyes grew colder