It has been five years since many of you last received a letter from me. I've come to learn that many if not all of you do not remember me. But, believe me, I remember all of you. Though five years have passed since the coming of Dalamud at what is now known as The Battle of Cartenau, for me it has been only an instant.
Amid the din of blades meeting armor, and screams of death, those of us you now call the Warriors of Light looked to the sky as Dalamud made it's approach. We saw the shell of the moon collapse revealing the terrible dragon Bahamut. This was last thing we saw before we were enveloped with a white light. What occurred next, I really cannot explain. I have no real recollection. I do recall that I dreamed. In my dreams I saw a hooded figure. His face was obscured with a mask. He mocked me. I also heard the voice of the Echo - beckoning me.
The next thing I knew, I was in the light again. When the light faded and my vision was restored, I found myself outside of Gridania. Only, it wasn't like the Gridania that I remembered. It was different. As if it had been completely rebuilt... Come to find out, IT WAS! I ran to the Canopy and found Mother Miounne. But she did not remember me. For a moment, there was a glimmer of recognition in her eye as we spoke, but it faded as fast as it appeared. Almost as if her memory was altered by some unknown magic. Much like she did on my original arrival to Gridania, all those years ago, she asked me to enroll as a member of the adventurer's guild. In a daze, I agreed and as she continued to speak to me, things started to fall into place. She talked about the war. It seems that while everyone remembers the adventurers that fought against the Garlean invasion, no one is able to remember their names or faces. We have come to be known as the Warriors of Light.
As Dalamud descended, the terrible dragon Bahamut emerged from it and laid waste to everything in its path. At the sight of the beast, the Garlean's retreated. The coming of Dalamud and the flaming meteors it rained from sky decimated the entire land of Eorzea. Whole regions were destroyed, others were forever changed. Ul'dah and Limsa Lominsa suffered little. But Gridania was hit hard. The whole city is now barely recognizable. But, in the five years that passed, it has been rebuilt. In fact, many consider New Gridania to be quite an improvement over the original.
The lay of the land is not all that was affected during the Calamity. Coming of Dalamud and the attacks by the voidsent Atomos permanently altered the flow of aether that our society so vastly depended on. Established linkshells were rendered useless. Transportation by aether has also been changed radically.
Reeling from all of this information, I decided not to reveal my identity at this time. I decided instead to wander about town and try to better understand everything that has transpired. From what I can gather, both us "Light Warriors" and the dragon Bahamut vanished with the arrival of the mysterious light. The archon Louisoix has also not been seen since the battle. If I had to venture a guess, I think it safe to assume Louisoix had a little something to do with saving our skins. Perhaps his goal to summon the powers of the Twelve to our aid was met with some small degree of success after all.
After exploring Gridania and undertaking some errands for the locals, I started to get a handle on many of the changes. For everything that was changed, there were just as many things that had stayed the same. I found this to be quite comforting.
As far as changes go, I found one thing to be most curious. My furry little Moogle friends have actually come out of hiding! These rascals are now operating a delivery service of sorts! Can you believe that?! During my exploration of town I also came upon an individual who dealt with material salvaged from the Calamity. I actually found several of my own personal valuables among the collection of salvaged gear! Thankfully, my items and I have now been reunited!
During my trek around New Gridania, I soon came to the realization that while I may have been a recognized hero the last time I was here, thanks to whatever mystical power is at work, I am now little more than a stranger. None of the guildmasters recognized me. Neither did the officers of the Twin Adder. In fact, at this point, I cannot even get the time of day from the bastards!
All in all, It's been quite an unusual experience. I still have lots of questions and few answers. I'm sure that more pieces of this puzzle will fall into place over the coming days. But for now, it is time for sleep!
~Kiji
No comments:
Post a Comment