Dream or Reality?

     The Sun rises in the sky. The warmth from its rays touches my skin, yet I am not warmed by its glisten. Eorzea is forever changed. The memories of the past seem to evade my minds eye. As if a glare is before the sight. I remember little. I search desperately for those loved ones that I do recall. Siuan... where have you gone. I Pray the Twelve has not received you in their arms just yet. It's been 5 years... or so I have been told ,since a great battle ensued. I bare the scars of battle... Could I have played a role in its outcome? I must seek answers. I MUST find Siuan...

Waking From the Nightmare

I wake up and look over at Vendeen.  She sleeps peacefully.  It's the first time either of us have slept for any length of time in five years.  Ever since.....

I remember an explosion, running, screams...death.  I don't want to remember.

What everyone who survived is calling the Calamity, I call it evil.  Vendeen and I have grown to depend on each other now more than ever.  Where she consistently tried to keep me cheerful and happy, I'm now trying to keep her from depression.  We need each other.  Food is difficult to find.  Scavenging is pointless.  It only results in fighting one beast or another.  We are working to find a permanent place to live.  We hear there is lodging and homes being built somewhere.  We've yet to see them.  We search for our friends, but we have yet to find them.

I regret now waking up so early.  Vendeen is starting to groan in her sleep.  If only the pain would go away...

Wardrobe Change, As Told By Siuan.

I've never own so much clothing in my life.  I've never needed much more than an ax, my scythe, a good sturdy pair of boots, leggings and a top.  Of course, I never went out without my hat, but since practicing the Dark Arts, I've found that the clothes I wear makes all the difference.  

I'm fortunate to have Vendeen.  She has helped me find appropriate clothes out in the wild, strangely enough.  Who knew you could find a good robe hidden on spiders?!  The skies remain busy.  Vendeen continues to urge me on practicing my Magic.

I've actually become quite fond of it, and the nice clothes I get to wear, but the trees....they continue to whisper to me.  Their whispers have grown more frantic.  It's as though they are aware of Dalmud.  As though they know we should be fearful.

But, I continue.  I continue to learn all that I can.  Vendeen has walked beside me on my journey.  In one ear I hear whispers from the trees urging me to hide, in the other Ven urges me to practice and become stronger.

I've become confident enough to help some friends.  My magic is still not what I've seen by others, but I'm strong enough to help when help is needed.  Ven understands my apprehension, so she continues to be my companion through it all.

I watch in fear as she is so close to the beast we are to overcome!  Moments after we accomplish our goal, the beast nearly collapsed on top of Ven!  I was about to run after her when our friends told me to wait and Ven crawled out from under the beast, wiped the dust from her gear and smiled triumphantly at us!

After some time, I reached the highest level one can as a Black Mage.  I still have some fancy clothes to gather up, and at some point, I must learn Burst, but I'm getting there.  I do hope that Ven is feeling more confident in my abilities and will stop worrying.  Her constant encouragement is honestly accomplishing the complete opposite.....

Passing Moments, and the Search...

I have seen such beautiful sights in the far lands. Great fortresses, untouchable by the hands of adventurer's  for reasons beyond my comprehension. The moments I spend in Eorzea pass like the fleeting seconds of the clock tower's second hand. The sky grows darker...

The red moon seethes with hatred. We shall all face it, one way or another.

Siaun, I pray you are ready to fight by my side. For before me, you may fall, and apart from me, your confidence cannot slip. I am relieved to see you practice your magic. The Ancient tomes will teach you powerful chants. 

I need not explain to you farther the desperateness of these lands cries. You've heard them in the wood, and in the rock. Pray my sister, the Twelve will save us. If only to shield the strong, so be it.

Pray hard, all of Eorzea. We need a place in the heart's of all. Face the truth. The land will soon be forever changed. Find a safe place for your loved ones, keep their memories close to heart. Take them with you when the time comes... 

Then lock them all away to keep the evil of this land from ever reaching it! Fight Eorzea! Fight for the land, the love and the memories! So that they may live, for the later! So that they may carry on! For their memory of you, might just be, the path to salvation.... /pray... 

Dreaming, As Told By Siuan

I had a dream. Vendeen refers to them as my "premonitions" normally. When I told her about my dream, she insisted my worrying was for naught. My dream began with my standing at the docks and Vendeens ghost standing beside me.  I was looking out, waiting for the boat to come and bring me to Limsa Lominsa to do some logging in the woods there.  Vendeens ghost started to become more solid and she began to warn me of things to come.

 
The impression I had from my dream and the way things were going is that Vendeen had died and I was used to getting regular visits from her.  She warned me about Dalamud.  She insisted that I was right all along and she'd wished she listened to me.  With death, she inherited knowledge.  Knowledge of things us living did not possess.

"My sister.  It will consume this land.  All that you know, love, cherish will perish in the depths of Dalamud.  You must tell all who you know.  They must be made aware."  A chill ran down my spine.  Vendeen has been telling me that all I fear is unnecessary for as long as I can remember.  She has assured me that the land that I love is not in danger.

"Siuan, tell everyone.  When ships gather in the sky and float towards Dalamud, be ready.  The end is near." In my dream, I stood watching the ships gathering towards Dalamud.  I wondered what they would do.  Would they attack?  What would their ammunition be?  What good would it do?

She began to walk me through the land and remind me of the beauty I already knew was there.  "I should have trusted you, dear sister.  I should have listened to you when you insisted something was amiss."

"But now you must listen to me.  You must pick up your staff and practice all that you have learned in the way of Black Magic.  You must learn more.  You. Must. Be. Ready!"

We walked through the lovely greenery of Gridania.  One of my favorite lands to be is among the trees and plants there.  I am most relaxed in my home town.

"Lay down your ax and wield your staff, sister.  Take heed!"  When I turned....

 She was gone.  Her warning remained.  I felt a sudden jolt.....

And woke up aboard the ship that was to take me to my friend.  I shook myself and cast a spell of protection around myself.  There were no foes on the sea, but it made me feel better knowing I had a shield. As the ship docked and those of us aboard took to the land, I looked to the skies and gasped....

The ships were gathering...

Impending Danger

I had spent many days adventuring with members of my guild, I longed to see Siuan. I worry about her well being from time to time. I met her on the docks of Limsa, where she had told me of a frightening premonition. I assured her that her concern was in vain. We had been friends since memory could recall, and neither time nor distance could separate us, at least not forever...  

"The Skies grow ever so busy these days", I anxiously warn Siuan. "You should do more sharpening of your sword, and less of your axe". However I had lost her ear long before this warning. She dreams always of the woods. I grow ever so frightened for her safety, for I know what horrors lie ahead in the coming days. 

Changing Jobs, as told by Siuan

I'm a Botanist at heart.  I prefer flowers, trees, herbs, even weeds over other two legged species.  If there are too many creatures around, I become very uncomfortable and begin to yearn for my green friends.  The exception is Vendeen.  She's been my best-friend since we were children running around in Gridania.  Unfortunately, our parents abandoned us when we needed them most and we forged a path for ourselves.  Vendeen has always looked out for me, and I've always made sure she stays grounded.  She has many friends whereas I talk to only a select few.  The "good" population of Eorzea frighten me.  I imagine at this point I don't need to go on to say I prefer being alone.  I think I've made my point.

However.  Ven does not agree that I should stay isolated.  Infact, as of late, she's pushed me to study an art I gave up years ago.

I am once again donning my shield and wand.  I laugh in the face of oversized Yarzons...right before they spit their nasty sticky breath at me and bind me to the spot.  Needless to say, I do not venture out on my own without Ven.  She keeps me safe....

 
If not alive.  My strength is obviously not magic, but Ven insists that I keep at it.  I think she's afraid for me.  The red sun continues to get closer.....