Chapter Eighteen

The Goblin Island

Aireth flew on Bahamut the Dragon King to meet with The Lord of Darkness. She noticed how different it was to ride on a gigantic dragon like Bahamut, from Sleipnir and Chocobos.

Its skin felt far rougher and harder than the eight-legged horse, or the golden bird she'd ridden before. "This creature is not at all comparable to Sleipnir or any other animal I've ever met before.

His strength and Magical Power is frightening. The only reason why I can control him is because I'm his summoner, not for any other reason. If another person summoned him next time, I would be unable to make him even listen to me. This sort of animal isn't the kind of creature I have any love-at-first-sight for. At least not freely. Aw well. As long as I don't make the Seal of the Dragon with my hands, he cannot read my thoughts, so I won't have to worry about him getting angry or anything, but when I think about it, this dragon really feels like a dark and evil creature.

He's the kind of individual who does not have any love for anyone, or anything, he just does what his summoner tells him to do." Cold shivers ran down Aireth's back as she thought about it.

"I cannot say that anything I've done since I left Himitsu Shi after busting Aeris up, has made me truly happy. Everything just feels wrong. But I won't go back to my people after all this. I've got to create a new world for everyone to live in. As long as the Cetra's traditions and ceremonies are kept alive, I will never feel free. I know what I have to do." She looked around her. The sun was about to retreat in the horizon. Aireth looked up. She was expecting stars to start sparkling up there, but no stars came.

"I wonder why. Ever since I freed Lucifer from that reactor, all the stars and the moon have disappeared." Aireth sighed heavily.

"It's boring without the stars to look at."

Hours later, Bahamut the Dragon King started to fly lower as they approached an island in the middle of the sea.

It was smaller than Himitsu Shi, and it wasn't white, but green with grass all over it. Aireth made the Seal of the Dragon with her hands, to speak to Bahamut. "That's the place, then?"

"Yes." Bahamut replied. When Aireth had her hands Sealed this way, she could feel how dark Bahamut's mind was. While Sleipnir and the golden Chocobo's minds had been open and free and full of happy thoughts, with Sleipnir's mind a little more serious than the Chocobo's, Bahamut's mind was closed to anyone. He had no happy thoughts, and he spoke much less than Sleipnir and the golden Chocobo. Aireth undid the Seal her hands made. "I'll be glad once I'm off him." She thought, as they soared down towards the Goblin Island.

Bahamut landed on the shore of the island.

Aireth jumped off him, happy to be down from there.

"I wonder where he is." She thought. "Well, there's no point in asking Bahamut. He always tries to talk as little as possible anyway." Aireth looked around. Suddenly, she became aware of the breath-taking silence that stretched across Goblin Island.

Aireth started whistling to break the silence. She whistled Cetra lullabies her Mom had sung for her when she was a kid. As she whistled, she felt how an unbearable feeling of sadness swelled up inside of her, remembering her childhood in Himitsu Shi. After awhile, Aireth stopped whistling. She wiped her eyes. "I sure hope I can prove that I just want the best for everyone in this world." She thought.

"So. You accomplished your mission, I see." Aireth jumped and wheeled around. Lucifer stood there in front of her. His poisonous green eyes boring into hers. He wore a black suit with the Yin Yang symbol on his chest, with a few gigantic changes to it. The color black in the symbol which symbolized all the negative in the world (Yin) consumed the entire symbol, making the Yin Yang symbol look like some kind of symbol of darkness, with absolutely no positive Yang in it. Aireth nodded, unable to speak when she was around him.

"I wonder why this guy never asks me why I get all quiet when I'm around him. Or why my body still trembles when I feel his aura. I bet it's not because he doesn't notice it." Aireth thought bitterly. "It was never for him to begin with, anyway. It was for me and every living creature in the Universe except The Lord of Darkness."

Lucifer looked at Aireth. "Got nothing to say, Shimobe? You've just given The Lord of Darkness what he desired the most. Surely you must have something to say?" His hoarse whispering, Aireth noticed, was gone. His voice was now high and cold, and it seemed as if with every word he spoke, he sucked at the air, and drained it of oxygen, making it harder for Aireth to breathe properly. "Is this feeling of being slowly strangled just my imagination?" She thought. Aireth took a deep breath, and looked directly into The Lord of Darkness' eyes. She held her gaze. "Will this create a new world?" Aireth asked, her voice no longer small and frightened as it had been the day she released Lucifer. It was the same voice she'd had when she Unsealed the Reactor of Sealing. That harsh, penetrating voice.

Lucifer didn't seem to take any notice of the change that had come over the young Cetra standing in front of him. An evil smile spread across his haunted face. "Of course it will, Aireth."

Aireth looked at him. "To ask more than that is picking a fight. I really don't think I should ask more." She nodded.

"So what will be our next move?" "The time to crush Himitsu Shi has come, Aireth. Your time has come. You'll get your revenge." "What's this revenge business, anyway?" Aireth thought. "I've got a feeling this guy has misunderstood something here." Lucifer turned away from her, and walked a few steps away. he stretched his arms into the air. He summoned his army of Puppets. All the mindless Cetras who'd appeared wandered mindlessly, purposelessly around. "How can this army, together with Bahamut create a new world?" Aireth wondered. "The reason why I released him in the first place was to break free from the narrow world the Cetra lived in. I thought that he just wanted the same as me, back then when he made his rebellion." Aireth looked over at The Lord of Darkness. he was standing there laughing. "Apparently he thinks he's come up with a perfect, flawless plan, or something." She thought. After awhile, Lucifer laughed so much he started coughing. He coughed for a long time, and when he'd finished, his voice was back to that hoarse whispering when he spoke again. "With this army, I'll be able to recreate this world, and shape it as I see fit." He explained hoarsely. Aireth didn't say anything to this.

"As he sees fit?" Aireth thought. "Now I get it. He just wants to be some kind of Chief or something over this world. What he wants to accomplish is what I call "world domination." Suddenly, Aireth understood what Aeris had meant when she'd said "I don't want you to become another Lucifer." "Well. One thing's is for sure. I don't want any part in something like this. I've got to get back to my people. Even after all I've done." A great sadness swelled up inside Aireth, far stronger than any sadness she'd ever felt before. She had to fight to keep her emotions inside. "Aeris….Ageha….Tao Shi...The Valkyries...Everyone...I understand now. I'll make it up to you, somehow." Lucifer made the Seal of the Dragon with his hands. "Come, Bahamut. Help me crush the Cetra!" "No. Why should I listen to you? You're not the one who summoned me." Bahamut replied. Lucifer swore under his breath. He undid the Seal his hands made. "Aireth." He said in his newly hoarse voice. "Dismiss Bahamut and give the device used to summon him to me." Aireth thought for a moment. "If I don't do as he says, he'll probably kill me. Seems like I don't have much of a choice." She raised the summoner device. "Bahamut. Your present summoner commands you to return to your Materia." At once, Bahamut the Dragon King flew up into the air, and sped into the Materia used to summon him. He was once again inside the device used to Seal him by Kami-Sama.

Aireth handed Lucifer the small red ball. Lucifer smiled in an EVIL way. He put it in a pocket on the inside of his cloak, making it impossible for Aireth to retrieve it in any way. The Lord of Darkness laughed hoarsely. "hehehehehe (cough cough)." "This guy sure is pathetic, in a way." Aireth thought. "When will we attack Himitsu Shi?" She asked, playing along. "I just have to do a few things, first. Then we'll be ready." "And what is it that you have to do?" Aireth asked. Lucifer lied down on the ground. "Sleep." He said. "Eh. Come again?" "I used up most of my Magical Power when I summoned that army. I need to sleep." "And just how long are you planning to sleep?" "ZZZZZZZZZ" The Lord of Darkness had fallen asleep. "He sounds like an earthquake. "He could even compete with Toomy Hermaanius." Aireth said. And with that, she left the Goblin Island, trying not to think about how it would be to swim all the way back to the Northespole, or if the other Cetra could ever forgive her…..