Chapter Text
Waking Sands
Cyrielle Leveilleur
“What in the seven hells were you thinking, prancing about Ul’dah by yourself?! No, scratch that, what was mother thinking letting you travel here by yourself knowing full well that we would be coming here in the next several days?! She could have warned us but no, we had to find out from some adventurer who killed a primal instead of our own family!” Alisaie shouted frustratingly after taking a moment to confirm my overall wellbeing.
“Now, now, no need to shout Alisaie. I am sure that she has a valid reason for going behind everyone’s back and not telling us that she was here.” Alphinaud said passive aggressively. I don’t think I have ever seen him like this before. He got upset in the game, but he was mostly cool, calm, and collected. This is exactly what I was hoping to avoid: relationships.
“I um…” I started.
“No, no way will I allow you to make excuses. This is not something you can speak your way out of, not this time.” Alisaie enforced loudly. You know for some odd reason I have the sudden urge to keep quiet and shut my mouth for now. Strange…
“What have you even been doing all of this time? According to the Scions you have been here for several weeks, and we didn’t even know.” My rambunctious sister continued unabated.
“Furthermore, it was made clear by our astute fellow Sharlayans that you even lended aid to Rivi in her defeat of the primal. I do not believe it is a stretch to say that every time you and Urianger work together on a project some form of mischievousness is underfoot. Knowing the both of you, I can say with absolute certainty that you are the quirky factor that always ends up spiraling out of control.” Alphinaud added with sincere confusion. He was not as angry as Alisaie, and that made sense given his personality but nonetheless I would have thought him to be a little more forgiving when it came to research and … other things.
“I don’t know what you are talking about.” I muttered before a wild Urianger escaped from his lair.
“Aw Cyrielle, I hath parted from my quarters but not for a twinkling and the revelation struck me, should’st we continue upon the concept of journeying across the beauty of the great expanse, the heightened requirement suggests an abundance of aether that which frighteningly compares to an amount not to unsimilar to that devoured by Primals in their summonings. To mutter no less, the craftmanship, we should employ upon setting aside such reserves” I wanted to smack him up the side of the head right now, not the time Urianger! We all just stared at him giving him a moment to figure out how awkward this was.
“Oh, tis rather an unforeseen circumstance that a momentary lack of judgement led me upon the path of forgetfulness as I’ve an errand that eagerly calls my name.” Urianger quickly stuttered out as he realized the situation, his pupils growing to twice their normal size. No one is going to back down to Alisaie when she goes on a rant, well except maybe Fourchenault but that’s a different ball game all together. Perhaps it is something that runs in the family?
“Like I was saying, I didn’t do anything crazy. I simply used the aetheryte ticket that mother had and teleported over here. Furthermore, Thancred and Urianger have assured my safety ever since, there is no need to worry. I have even made myself useful around here.” I attempted to assure them but even I doubted my weak answers.
“That may or may not be true but that is not the point. Why did you not tell us that you were here?” My sister complained.
“Um, well I guess I kind of just got caught up in the research. Besides I wasn’t sure where you even were anyway. I knew you would show up eventually and we would walk then. Now we are talking.” This was the most obvious answer and one that would not appease her, but it would leave me blameless in my opinion. The truth was that I didn’t want to meet them until I had to. It was already weird meeting the parents and the rest of the scions who already knew me as Cyrielle, but these are my siblings, the ones that would know the most about me and likely care the most as well. They would know if something was different about me immediately.
“Ugh! Everyone I know is crazy!” Alisaie shouted putting her hands up in defeat.
“Well, I for one am gladdened by your safety as well as your gifts in ingenuity. You must regale the story of how you helped defeat Ifrit.” Alphinaud asked smiling. At least someone is interested in my work. Now I am not really the one that made the design or put it together, but it was a concept that I thought could potentially help the warrior of light in the upcoming battles against Ifrit. Of course, if Rivi was the warrior of light, she would need to move past that crutch at some point. My guess is the first battle against Zenos will be a good reality check.
Castrum Meridium
Vishroch sans Prior
Eorzea, I had finally escaped the frozen hellscape that was my new home, and I was running straight into treasonous territories. Even through all the brainwashing and the pain that I endured over the years in Garlemald I was able to recover most of my memories of this world and all that it entailed. I was a reaper serving the might of Garlemald, an assassin given the power to slay any foe, anywhere. The difference between me and the rest of Garlemald, I know the history of another world too and I know what happens to countries that try to brand a one world government under one banner and one race. Yes, Garlemald had an interesting background when it comes to the founder of the nation but most of their ideologies were pure Nazism. Only when the people are freed from the propaganda will they see the errors of their ways and the ones who will accomplish that one day are in Eorzea.
I was surprised to hear of my assignment here under Gaius van Baelzar, but I relished the opportunity that it would give me. Knowing that the fall of the XIV imperial legion was imminent I could use this as my way of going rogue just like Nero does or more importantly Cid. On a positive note, I can at least say that I went rogue before ever killing a single Eorzean which says a lot given the deadliness of the reaper class.
Crap now that I think about it, it would only make sense for me to be used in the clean out of the Waking Sands when we do that. Of course, they would expect me to kill everyone there.
“Prior!” An ugly and shrill voice shouted at me. It was Livia sas Junius.
“Yes, commander?” I asked in calm but annoyed voice.
“It seems like we have a good use for you after all.” She said most likely smiling behind that mask of hers. With all the manipulation and greed inside the legions of Garlemald it was not the least bit surprising that these bloodthirsty fools have become crazy in their lust for conquest. I just needed to hope that they wouldn’t drag me too far into their machinations.
The Black Shroud
Cyrielle Leveilleur
It was almost time for the attack on the Waking Sands. I had not witnessed any difference in the actions of Thancred which was strange to say the least but after Rivi had subsequently taken on and defeated Ifrit, Titan and Garuda it was clear that Garlemald was soon to intervene with a move of their own. Rivi never responded to my letter which gave me reason to believe that she was not a player of FFXIV. I would not rule out the possibility of her being someone from my world, but it was unlikely that she was aware of the future here. If that was the case that would mean it would be up to me to warn everyone of any future events. That being said, there are several events that have to happen in order for the future of Etheirys to remain intact. Also, I wasn’t fond of the idea of playing chess not like the ascians do.
With the additional interactions with my siblings, it became clear that my free time would be shortened greatly in the future. Alisaie had made it clear that she would be with her or Alphinaud at all times. It was not that she didn’t trust the scions but rather they didn’t trust that I wouldn’t abuse their offhand approach to my situation. It was not like I was planning anything, but this predicament made it hard for me to do any sort of reconnaissance.
Because I didn’t have a good feel of the outside world, I decided it was best to tag along with Alisaie for the time being to avoid being taken hostage by the Garleans. There would be plenty of time for working with the scions later when we had a more solid foundation. Thanks to the Crystal Braves that might be a while away, but we will see.
Anyway, with Rivi getting attention as a potential warrior of light the scions saw this as an opportunity to entertain more and more negotiations with the nations of Eorzea. Everyone wanted to see the end of Garlean occupation, and it would take the full might of all of us to stop them. Rivi had taken on a key role as a commander in the Immortal Flames quickly rising up the ranks with her legendary feats. There was little doubt that she would be leading the charge against the Garleans despite her small stature.
I was wondering how the story would progress with the warrior of light in the early game when she fought alongside nobody adventurers that never took any of the credit. I was surprised to see that Rivi had been a part of a party of adventurers for a while who actually helped her defeat the primals, albeit at a distance. Aewyn, Zoe and Syfri were a pretty cool group of adventurers all with their own quirks who I had been able to meet as Rivi went to-and-fro. Aewyn was a big teddy bear quite literally and if he didn’t hit like a tank than I might have thought of him as such. I think in a way I was influenced by the fact that he was the only Hrothgar that I had met so far but I digress. Zoe was clearly a quiet and shy girl, but it became clear that she idolized Rivi and wanted to do everything with her in her quest to stop the Primals; not to mention she was also a wizard with a katana in her hand. The lalafell on the other hand was much more guarded than the rest.
Syfri was very clearly an old soul. He wasn’t quite bitter towards everyone around him, but he had an air of exasperation on his face at all times. I guess the only time that I saw him smile was when he was looking upon the exploits that Rivi performed daily. It was funny but it almost seemed fatherly of him in some way. You can never know what’s going on in the mind of a lalafell though.
Point in case, I did not like the fact that there were key components to the story that I am unaware of because they weren’t in the game. I don’t know why but I feel like something is changing the further we go along in the story. It might possibly just be the difference between fiction and reality, but something just doesn’t sit right with me.
“This just doesn’t make sense to me!” Alisaie suddenly shouted aloud as we made our way across the windy path of the forest of the Black Shroud.
“What is it?” I questioned surprised at sudden juncture. The forest had been so peaceful that I had bit of a mini heart attack.
“Alphinaud might have come here in some sort of grand scheme to follow in grandfather’s footsteps but for me I just wanted to know why this place was worth his sacrifice. Why was Eorzea worth saving when he had a home, a life, a family back in Sharlayan? I felt that father was a bit too harsh when he spoke of him, but looking at the state of this place… the people here are selfish, greedy, unintelligent, and incapable of rational thought. Cyrielle, you know that I am not like most of the people back home, I know there is more out there than just an obsession with knowledge and yet I feel like everything I see points to the contrary. How am I supposed to reconcile his death with the mess that has been mired in war and strife at every corner!?” Alisaie questioned loudly. It was clear that she was frustrated and honestly, I could understand it. If I grew up strictly in Sharlayan myself, I knew very well that I would have a similar thought process. By comparison to Eorzea, Sharlayan was a utopia but the problem with a utopia is that as long as it is ruled by humans, or in this case, humanoids, they will fail to see the bigger picture. Life is bigger than any human concept of perfection.
“Alisaie, you knew grandfather better than I ever did, but I think if he were here, he would want to tell you to look beyond their failures and their inabilities and look at what is important. I think that even through the conflicts, there will always be those who are innocent and deserve a chance at living. Grandfather may have sacrificed himself for those who were unworthy, but I think he also saved those who were innocent, those who still had much left to fight for.” I said trying to comfort her. But even though I didn’t have any real attachment to the man known as Louisoix, my heart felt a stir of emotion as a small tear fell down my cheek.
“Oh, Cyri, I’m sorry I shouldn’t have brought it up. I just have all this built-up frustration and I didn’t think about your feelings on the matter.” Noticing my deteriorating emotional state, she attempted to comfort me in return. Again, I was surprised at how easily my expression was read but at this point, I probably just needed to accept it as a part of who I am now.
“It’s alright, I think we just need to remember what grandfather taught us. He was the one who appreciated us for who we were instead of the accomplishments we made. Maybe if we think about the people here the same way we can see them in a new light. See the good in people.” I thought aloud through my emotions.
“Maybe you’re right…” Alisaie agreed hugging me lovingly as we continued our sightseeing of this crazy world.
Lahabrea
Why does it have to be her!? Why can’t it be literally anyone else? I have held the position of Lahabrea for thousands of years and I have never had any doubt in the completion of my duty and yet here I am, questioning myself. I had already betrayed her once by giving her up to that wretch now known as Hydaelyn. We were never a family in the traditional sense thanks to my lack of caring, but I never felt disappointment in her, not even when she abdicated her seat as Azem. Even then I knew that she was simply doing what she thought was right. The fact that she never joined her mentor despite the brainwashing brings credence to her allegiance the people of the star. Now she is fighting for what she believes is right once more but instead of doing it of her own will, she has become a pawn of her predecessor once more.
These past months fighting alongside her once again as reminded me of the adventures she would enthusiastically recant upon her return home to Amarot. She was not home often but when she was it was always a treat, she made the otherwise stiff convocation lively. There was nothing wrong with our sturdy dutiful nature, but, in a way, Zara was a reminder of what we all worked so tireless for. We longed for the perfect world so that our people could smile at the beauty we created. What never ceases to amaze, is that even here, in this pitiful fractured world, she finds a way to keep that same smile. But is all for naught.
“Lahabrea, they have raided the base of the Hydaelyn’s chosen. They didn’t stand a chance. They took their leader as well as several others as prisoners. However, they reported that they did not find the eikon slayer or the rest of her band of adventurers.” My son muttered explaining the details of the raid.
“I see, please keep an eye on the Garleans. I want to know when Hydaelyn’s pawn makes her move.” I commanded leaving it simple.
“You expect her to attack the Garleans? That’s suicide!” The boy yelled. Hmph, he never grew up did he. Pathetic.
“Of course, she will, she is a pawn of Hydaelyn, and I have no doubt that she will be the strongest of her kind that we have ever seen. We will need to strike when she is at her weakest moment.” I said with distain in my voice both for my son but also at the thought of having to do the deed.
At the tone of my voice, he decided it was best to keep the rest of his unnecessary drabble to himself. Leaving my presence, I was left alone once again in the darkness. This was what was right, I had to do this for the sake of my people and my home. She will understand when she returns to us, but for now that is impossible. I must severe her connection with the deceiver.
Cape Westwind
Vishroch
“I knew from stories that reapers were pretty gloomy, but I don’t recall hearing a word come from that mouth of yours the entire time you’ve been here. Vishroch, you landed a heavy blow to the Eorzean cause. The driving force to their alliance has been taken down. This is reason to celebrate!” The praefectus Rhitahtyn had been placed in charge of imperial barracks at Cape Westwind and it was under him that I was placed after the success of raiding the scion’s base.
“Most of the soldiers lack the foresight to understand that this blow is only going to enrage the eikon slayer. I am well aware that the only reason the ascians told us the location of their base was because they perceived her as a threat and now, we have been placed in between their feud. I am aware that you are not fully on board with the ascians aid, but I know for a fact that their interest do not align with ours. The ascians are devils.” For once I was able to speak my mind on something and not gag immediately.
“Hah! And I thought that you would have liked them given your shared interest in the shadows. I will admit that I don’t know much about the reapers but what I do know is that they are fiercely loyal to Garlemald. If you are suspicious of their aid, then I can probably assume that there is something up with them. If that’s our thinking, the next time I speak with legatus I will explain our misgivings.” Rhitahtyn assured me.
“We may not get a chance. After my interrogation with their leader, I am all but certain that we can expect their warrior to set her sights on Garlemald next and we are the easiest pickings.” When I say interrogate, it was more like I watched them for an hour, and I just shared information that I already knew. There was no way that I was going to hurt them for the Garlean cause. I want to end this war with as little bloodshed as possible and hopefully without any ascians. Don’t get me wrong, I sympathize with the ascians struggles but until they can find a solution that didn’t involve killing everyone that isn’t complete, I cannot and will not listen to them. Rhitahtyn at least was a sensible person who didn’t want to kill people for sport but rather simply believed in unity even if that unity is all under one banner where individual ideas are shut down.
“Well, I don’t plan on surrendering this base under any circumstances. I have been trusted with leading these men against every Eorzean threat that comes our way. If that threat is the Eikon Slayer than I will take on that challenge myself. Besides, we have you, don’t we? I am pretty sure that we’ll be alright.” He protested leading me to raise an eyebrow under my own mask. I had never worn a mask before but it seemed like around these parts the more sophisticated your mask was the more standing you held so, here I was.
“Such confidence.” I muttered to myself. The warrior of light was coming and when she does, she will lay claim to the lives of the fourteenth legion. Unlike Rhitahtyn, I am not going to sacrifice myself for the Garlean cause. I will speak to the humanity of each side but if that fails than the Garleans are alone.
Garrison of the Immortal Flames
Rivi Night
I don’t know when I lost track of time or when I stopped paying attention to the signs around me, but I got caught in the hype. I began to believe that I was invincible and that inevitably led to my downfall, our should I say the downfall of my friends. I knew that it was coming, I knew that the Garleans would invade the Waking Sands and yet I did nothing to prevent it. I was too busy going on adventures and taking any and every request that came my way. I wanted to help the people of Eorzea to make up for my failures and now I have risked failing again.
At least there is the small comfort that in the original story this happens as well, and everyone seemingly comes out of it unscathed. But this isn’t a game world. This is a real world, with real world consequences. There is no reason to assume that they will evade death this time around. And as much as I hate to admit, this will be the first time I will be faced with killing a person. I was able to reconcile the beast men because they were savages but now, I will be faced with taking the lives of people who have hopes and aspirations.
I believed in absolute truth and therefore absolute good. Although I knew that not all Garleans were evil, the war that they fought was as evil as it came. The only way that perpetrators of war were in the right was in the rare instance that the people they are fighting are indiscriminately evil. The problem is that people like to hide behind religions and wicked ideologies as if it gives them an excuse to harm other individuals. To be put simply, it doesn’t. Religion, beyond its ability to set moral expectations for a faith has no place in any world. A faith that discriminates against race or peoples is not a faith, but an excuse. Politics given its connection to religions throughout human history always fail when you attempt to force beliefs on others.
Garlemald was a product of ideals that discriminate against other peoples because of their differing views. I understand that nothing in this world can be solved by a kumbaya, but sometimes you wonder why selfishness always rears its ugly head when lives are at stake. If only we could get people to think for themselves instead of teetering on the words of their leaders. I get that not everyone can make a difference because of varying circumstances but leaders are elected at some point. Until the defeat of the leaders of Garlemald or Eorzea the war will continue and I for one am going to make sure that it’s the right side that wins.
“You wish to take the fight directly to them?” Raubhan the flame general asked me directly. After the events of the Waking Sands raid, I felt it necessary to bring the matter to the man I trusted the most outside of the scions. Raubhan was one of my favorite characters in the story so it was no surprise that I joined the immortal flames but at the same time it was a strategic move that would allow me the necessary backing in times of crisis. Don’t get me wrong I know that the leaders of the other three nations were great but none of them came close to Raubhan.
Now that I had worked my way up the food chain in the immortal flames, I had gained enough respect from Raubhan that he would consider my opinion on various matters related to adventuring and the little bit of insight I could provide on the scions. I was loyal to the immortal flames, but I was also loyal to the scions, and I would never compromise either for the sake of the other. Because of this loyalty and production, I have risen up the ranks high enough to gain my own unit and that is why I am here in his office today.
“Yes sir, I know that I have a clear bias in this matter given the situation, but I am also aware that if nothing is done then Garleans will continue to encroach on Eorzean soil. Scion intelligence has led me to believe that they are building a super weapon with the help of the ascians. We must act now before it’s too late and our most influential allies and mediators are lost.” I stated with a bout of confidence and determination. The battles with the primals had clearly made an impact on me and as I got stronger physically, I became stronger mentally. This was not a battle I would lose because of intimidation.
“Our three nations, Ul’dah, Gridania and Limsa Lominsa have just now returned to being an alliance after the failure of the seventh umbral calamity. Now that things have been relatively settled for now, we must take our next actions very carefully. Anything that we do will affect the other nations and vice versa. That being said, I agree with your proposal as it hearkens a most dire opportunity, one that we cannot bare to let pass. Captain, I will have you lead a small platoon of immortal flames to their base in Cape Wind. If you are to succeed, then your victory will resound throughout Eorzea giving heart to every fighting spirit who still wishes for a free Eorzea. Should you accomplish this feat, I will lead the forces of Eorzea against Van Baelzar myself and we will rid the land of their treachery.” Raubhan promised with a bout of his own convictions. Something told me that we weren’t sneaking in the back door.
This was it; it was time to take a stand against Garlemald, this was when the legend of the Warrior of Light began.