Chapter fourtheen

Aireth's long journey

"Now. Listen carefully, Lady Aireth." Lucifer said in his hoarse whispering voice. They were still inside the reactor, with all the Monsters walking as purposelessly as ever around the room. "Here's your assignment. You're to go to your people's village. Inside the Temple in there, there is a secret chamber. (At least there used to be, thousands of years ago) Inside this chamber, is a magical weapon used to call upon Bahamut the Dragon King. He was Sealed inside it when Kami-Sama regarded him for too dangerous for the Cetra. I want you to go and fetch it for me. That's my first assignment. Now go. And don't return without it. I'll be waiting for you with my army at the Goblin Island far from here. You'll understand where it's located when it's time." Aireth stood still for a moment, trying to take in what Lucifer had just told her to do. She nodded. She hadn't said anything since they entered the tank room. "You who hate your people as I do should understand what a great asset Bahamut will be for The Cetra of Darkness to accomplish its objective. Now go. Fulfill your first assignment as a shimobe of Lucifer!" The Lord of Darkness said, and laughed his unbearable laughter again. (Just so you know; "Shimobe" is the Japanese word for "servant") Unable to resist being around him any longer, Aireth hurried out of the Reactor. She ran along the stone path, over the bridge, through the village were Tifa, Zack and Cloud lived. She didn't stop before she was standing outside of the gates of the village. She breathed heavily, holding her chest.

She couldn't believe what The Lord of Darkness had just asked her to do. For the hundredth time that day, she wished whole-heartedly that she had never broken the Seal. But still, now that she was away from Lucifer, she knew that it wouldn't feel right to refuse to accomplish the mission. She remembered how she had felt about the Cetra, their ideologies, their traditions and everything related to them apart from the planet. She still wanted Earth to be a place where everyone could live in peace, without such obstacles as ancient teachings and traditions in the way. She felt that the only way this could be achieved, was by joining forces with The Lord of Darkness. The only Cetra who had determination to do such a thing as creating such a world.

"I must do it. For the sake of the planet and every living creature who lives on it. I must accomplish his mission." She thought.

She looked up at the sky. The sun was about to retreat behind the mountaintops. "My people. Someday you will understand and appreciate my actions today. And you too, Aeris." Aireth whispered self-assuring. She began the long journey back to Himitsu Shi, trying not to think about what it would be like to walk all those thousands of miles back to her village.

Three days later, Aireth had reached a swamp in grasslands many miles away from the Reactor of Sealing. She observed the swamp, and suddenly became aware of the shadow of a long, snake-like figure swimming around in it. Suddenly, the gigantic creature rose from the swamp and Aireth saw what it was. She was staring at a gigantic snake. It made hissing noises when its tongue stuck out of its gigantic mouth. "I haven't used my Magical Powers in days. I could do with some practice." Aireth thought. She walked straight into the swamp, and proceeded towards the snake. The snake hissed worse than ever as it caught sight of the little figure approaching it.

The snake struck at Aireth, its gap opened wide, showing long, sharp teeth at the size of gigantic scissors and she raised her hands, blocking the attack from the snake. "Hear me, Spirits of the Universe! Remove this obstacle, and clear my path!" She called. Suddenly, a huge meteor came rushing towards the snake and Aireth. Aireth heard the sound of it approaching. It sounded like when a New-Year-rocket is being sent up just before it explodes. Only that the sound was much more intense.

The meteor hit the gigantic snake, and for a while, the grassland was filled with smoke from the meteor, and the swamp had turned into a huge crater. Aireth coughed, trying to see through the thick layers of smoke. "I told you I needed training." She told the remains of the snake. It was lying in front of her, its blood was everywhere, and its eyes bulged out of the eyeholes, looking as if they may fall out any minute. "That protective shield I put around my body in the last moment sure was helpful." She climbed out of the crater, and looked around at the grassland. The whole grass field was destroyed. All the grass had turned into burned things lying everywhere. Nothing would be able to grow there for many decades. "Perhaps I overdid it a little bit. Aw, well. Not much to do about it now, anyway." Aireth said lightly. She continued her journey back to Himitsu Shi.

A few days later, (with only what she could find in the nature for eating) she saw a in the distance, a beach. Behind it, she could see how the sea glittered in the sunlight All over the beach; small dots which looked like people were moving. "Perhaps I can find any way to cross the ocean and get back to Himitsu that way." She thought, moving towards the beach.

Now that she was so close to a place with people, she finally noticed how hungry she was. The little she had found to eat on her way had not quenched her hunger. She finally noticed how her body screamed from exhaustion for every step she took. She became aware of something else as well: she was feeling sick from the lack of proper food. "I never thought it would come to this." She thought, slowly approaching the beach.

Hours later, she finally reached the beach. She was breathing heavily, with the feeling of sickness almost overwhelming. The people on the beach started to notice her. They looked at her. Her clothing; the white Cetra cloak with the Yin Yang symbol on the back, and her the dim, brown color in her eyes. People backed away as they saw her. Aireth's eyes always scared people these days. And the way she had used her Magical Powers since she left her village, had changed her. All of this did other people who saw her become aware of. "Is there any place where I can get some food?" They were not able to speak, but just pointed at one of the small shops. "Thanks." She went over to it.

At the small shop, she saw a man standing behind a desk.

She noticed that people gave him small silver coins, and that they were given what people apparently called "food" in exchange.

"Interesting. They're doing things differently in this country than in my village." She thought. "And I can't say that I've got any coins like that." Aireth thought for a moment. Then went away from the shop, away from all the people to a corner of the beach where she wouldn't be noticed. She folded her hands and looked up at the sky.

"There's a wanderer here, unable to get what she needs to survive. Hear my voice, and give her what she needs in the form of small silver coins." Suddenly, she heard a clinging sound; the sound of small coins which fell on the ground. But she couldn't see where the sound came from, or see any small silver coins which rained down to her. Then she felt something heavy in the pockets of her pants. She ran her hands along them.

She put her hands down in her pockets, and felt many small coins against her hands. "There. Now I can get food." She said happily. She went back to the shop, and got herself a bottle with black liquid inside it. Inside the bottle, there were bubbles zooming upwards. "The shop keeper called it a "coke", whatever that is." For eating, she got something which looked like a very big meat ball, with sauce. The meat ball had bread on it. "The shop keeper called it a hamburger, whatever that is." Aireth buried her teeth in it hungrily.

She'd never eaten anything like it before, but she enjoyed it immensely. She was careful not to eat everything at once, but took small bites. Halfway through the big meatball, she opened the bottle called a "coke", and drank some of it. The taste of the coke, and feeling of all those bubbles in her mouth, was a big surprise to Aireth.

She swallowed it fast, due to the surprise over how it felt, and stared at the bottle. "Wow. What the heck is that?" She thought astonished. "This is getting more interesting than I thought. She drank more of it.

Suddenly, she heard a burp from her mouth. She held her hand towards her mouth, and looked at the bottle. "Why does not the shop keeper warn his customers that burps come out of their mouths if they drink cokes?" She thought interested. "This journey is really getting fun!"

Suddenly, a certain part of Aireth had returned to her: the happy, cheerful side of her which she'd always had before. She ate the rest of the hamburger, and drank the rest of that weird drink called a coke. (To her disappointment, no more burps came out.

After eating, Aireth started asking people if there was any ship that was going "out to sea" as she put it. No one really understood what she was talking about. They just shook their heads, and walked away, trying not to meet her eyes. She tried finding out how the heck she would get back to her village for about three more hours, until all the shops closed, and people started leaving the beach, as the sun were fading away. "Don't tell me am gonna have to swim all the way home!" Aireth moaned, sitting in the sand with her feet in the sea.

"This is getting annoying!" She lied back on the beach, looking up at the sky. It was getting quiet late, and stars were starting to appear up there. "I wonder what Aeris is doing now. And all the rest of my village. Wonder if I'll be able to accomplish the mission Lucifer gave me. Aw, well. It'll work out. I'll get Bahamut somehow."

And with that, she fell asleep on the beach, dreaming dreams of Aeris standing in darkness calling out to her with her arms outstretched, begging her to fulfill Lucifer's assignment to her.

Aireth woke up so early the next day that she could see shrouds of mist on the ground. "Is it that early in the morning?" She rubbed her eyelids. Suddenly, she saw something on two legs running towards her. The thing glittered like gold, and as it came closer, Aireth could make out the shape of it. it was a two-legged, golden bird. Its feathers glittering in the morning mist, and the chicken-beak-formed beak was glowing with the same golden color like the rest of the bird. It was running purposefully towards her, its clawed, three-toed feet touching the water with a splash, but without sinking through. The bird was actually running on water. "A golden chocobo!" Aireth gasped astonished. "I remember seeing one in my village, but I never thought it would escape like that." She watched it as it came ever closer.

The golden bird called a "Chocobo" reached the shore, and Aireth went over to it. She Sealed her hands, so they formed the Seal of the Bird, so she could speak to the Chocobo telepathically. "Are you from the Cetra village of Himitsu Shi on the Northespole?" She asked.

The Chocobo made squawking noises, but Aireth understood them perfectly. "Yes". The bird replied. "I see. Why did you escape from it, anyway?" "I did not like being held what I felt as captive in there. I wanted to be a free Chocobo." Aireth's whole body shook at these words. She never thought that any animal could feel it as captivity to live at the Northespole. Her resent for certain things about her people deepened at these words. "Where are you going now?" She asked.

"To a place where I can be free." The Chocobo answered.

Aireth thought for a moment. Then thought: "If you promise to take me back to the Northespole, but not so close that you are seen, I'll show you a place where you can be free." She said, though she had no idea that she could show the Chocobo a place where he could live in peace, which he couldn't find on his own. "I will." The Chocobo replied. Chocobos were easier to negotiate with than wise, eight-legged horses. "Hop on." Aireth got on the bird's back. Its soft feathers felt soft and warm against her skin as she touched them.

The Chocobo ran back to the Cetra village. While it ran, it could feel Aireth's love for him and the planet, just like Sleipnir.

Aireth looked around her as they ran on the water. The water splashed around her legs, but she didn't mind. "Aeris. I'll prove to you that I just want what's best for the planet." She thought.

Aireth and the Chocobo ran along the ocean, the Chocobo's feet splashed on the water, but they didn't sink through the surface.

Aireth put her head against the Chocobo's back. The feathers felt warm and soft against her skin. "These birds are the cutest creatures alive." She thought fondly. They ran along, getting closer to Himitsu Shi by every step. Aireth were starting to feel sleepy of lying on the Chocobo's soft feathers.

Aireth woke up by the Chocobo was standing still.

She looked up. The Island of Himitsu Shi floated in front of them.

She made the Seal of the Bird so she could talk to the Chocobo.

"We're here." The bird said. "Thanks for taking me all the way here." Aireth said truthfully. "What about your promise about showing me a place where I can be free?" The Chocobo asked. Aireth undid the Seal her hands made so the Chocobo couldn't read her mind, and thought for a moment before she replied. After awhile, the Sealed her hands again. "I cannot show you a place where you can be free. It's something you'll have to find yourself. When you find a place where you feel free, then you've found it." "I get it. I'll continue to search for a place like that." "Thanks for the trip." Aireth undid the Seal her hands made again, and jumped off the bird's back, and into the ocean.

She swam on her back towards her home, where she would fulfill Lucifer's task. She looked up at the sky, the sun was about to retreat behind a bunch of clouds. "Looks like the sun won't shine the day I'll complete your task, Lucifer" She thought sadly.