Disclaimer: Final Fantasy is a licensed work of fiction owned by Square-Enix. As such, I do not own the characters or places taken from such materials. This is a non-profit work of fiction and I gain no monetary compensation from it.
Author's Note: Thank you for taking the opportunity to give this story a chance. This is a tale that combines various elements of the final fantasy universe, primarily focusing on Final Fantasy 7 as the nexus with Ivalice as the setting. However, various elements of other Final Fantasy titles will make their presence known. It is my attempt to combine elements of the titles that I enjoyed and merge them together into one. I hope everyone enjoys it. Thank you.
Prologue: Ivalice
Ivalice. The large fractured continent which sits divided from the rest of the world by a vast body of water has thrived on its own since the beginning of time. Gifted with the three Crystal Towers, Ivalice has long been a land of great potential and great war. While the Crystal Towers infused the land with a well of mystic energy, referred to as Mist, the people of Ivalice prospered, using the Mist for agriculture, infrastructure and healing. But as time passed, those who could harness the power of the Towers grew fewer in number. Greedy for more power, many nations struggled to gain control of the towers and any person with the ability to harness the threads. It lead to centuries of endless war and violence.
But in the year 512, a single woman rose up against the warring armies of her nation to lead a force that dared to grasp the reigns of fate and forge a new destiny for their troubled land. Ajora, hailed as the architect of peace for all of Ivalice, waged an impossible war with numbers that continued to swell in her favor. As time passed, nation after nation fell to her might and swore fealty to her cause.
After a lifetime of war and well into the advanced years of her life, she finally lead her armies in their last campaign against the greatest empire of Ivalice and also the greatest threat to her goals; Dalmasca. In the end, the battle claimed many lives including her own. But after her death, the Acolytes of her cause carried up her final wishes in memory and honor of her noble sacrifice and the life she gave for love of her homeland; a united Ivalice. Immediately, peace swelled and though nations retained their autonomy, a lasting agreement was reached. Each of the three crystal towers were guarded with barriers and protected by the Guardians of Ajora. The Mist flourished with the prosperity of Ivalice and while small conflicts still came and went, never again did the continent face a war the likes of which many scholars have later called, the dark ages.
This is the legend of a time long past by over a thousand years. Now Ivalice has reached its fifth age. It is a time of technology and airships, where the balance of power is split between the Shinra Empire, and the Kingdoms of Dalmasca and Alexandria. Each power gains its prestige as the home of one of the ancient crystal towers, long guarded by Ajora's Guardians; a small order of men and women who can control the Mist.
Suddenly, everything changed when, fifty years into the new age, a great calamity struck down from the skies, crashing into the Shinra Empire. After decades of restructuring, the Empire soon blossomed with a wave of technology, the likes of which, Ivalice had never seen before. For a time, peace seemed to resume its course.
But ten years ago, the Shinra Empire shocked all of Ivalice when they launched a surprise attack against their neighboring Kingdom of Alexandria. After five bitter years of conflict, the Empire moved on to launch send invading forces against Dalmasca as well. Many feared A return to the dark ages. In the hopes of dissuading such disparaging events, the Council of Guardians met in secret with the newly crowned King and Queen of Dalmasca as well as the Thunder King Orlandu of Alexandria. Together they launched a fierce reprisal at the heart of Alexandria's great forest and the home of that nation's Crystal Tower. The Guardian's all came together, pouring everything they had into the offensive.
It should have been a sure victory for the Alliance. But in the passing weeks of what would become known as The Great War, the Empire released an army of new soldiers they called Elites and Weavers. The Elites possessed an inhuman strength that easily rivaled the power of the Guardians and tore through their ranks. At the same time, the Weavers were able to harness a strange energy that rivaled the Mist.
The Alliance buckled under the surprise assault but the Empire took advantage of their shock. In a ruthless display of savagery, the Empire raided Alexandria's Tower, killing the Council and hunting down every living Guardian that remained. The Alliance tried to help but the Great War, that should have only lasted a few weeks, stretched on into the years until the Empire finally raided Alexandria's walls. King Orlandu held out for several months with the aid of King Rasler and Queen Ashe, but in the end, King Orlandu was killed in battle by one of the Empire's four Generals, their greatest Elite named Sephiroth.
The blow came as a crippling strike to the Alliance, and in a last ditch effort to preserve what little they had left, The Dalmascan Army withdrew to protect their own walls. But the Empire was hard on their heels. Now that the Kingdom of Alexandria was crushed, the Empire saw little need to focus their full efforts on the remnants of their resistance. Instead they turned their sights on Dalmasca.
The hour is bleak. The Alliance has failed and the Empire is on the final road towards victory. But in this desperate time of need, a glimmer of hope still remains. Two years have passed since the death of King Orlandu but word has reached the Alliance of a possible key that could finally bring an end to the Empire's Reign of terror. Thus, on this thread of a hope, our story begins as two brave souls set forth on this journey to find this key and bring peace to Ivalice once again.
XXXXTo Be ContinuedXXXX
Author's Note: This is just the beginning. Thanks for reading. Please stay tuned for Chapter 1: The Search.
Writing Gamer
