Cilnea Crystal Chronicles

A/N: This is a remake of one of my old FF:CC stories. I've recently gotten back into the FF:CC series, and so I'm going to start working on my Crystal Chronicles stories again. Also, I'm trying to find more definite personalities for my characters. Anyway, enjoy.

By the way, readers may notice that I named the Tipa Peninsula the Pyiron Peninsula. I have my reasons for that. Namely, another one of my files is named Pyiron, and I am using that in place of Tipa. The Pyiron caravan will play a part in this story and I figured that if the port and the town are named Pyiron, then calling the peninsula by the same name would be less random than Tipa coming out of nowhere.

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, but I do own my original characters.

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Prologue

It was well past midnight, but the small town of Cilnea bustled with life. The villagers were in a festive yet somber mood. Their crystal, which usually radiated a glow that lit up the town even during the darkest of nights, was growing dim. Its light was dull, a sign that the power of the myrrh that kept the crystal energized was fading. It was time to send out the crystal caravan.

For seven years, Cilnea had been served by the same caravan – the leader, a clavat named Loren; his companions, two fellow clavats named Dania and Jacob, and three selkies named Xiang Lian, Kien Rei, and Raimu. But the six of them had chosen to retire that year, all of them at once. The new caravan would consist of wholly new faces, none of who would have previous experience with the outside world.

In Cilnea, it was generally tradition to send prospective caravanners on at least one journey with veteran members of previous caravans, to lessen the risk of losing their new adventurers. If the caravan were composed of solely newcomers, for any reason, then the group would consist of at least six or eight caravanners; again, to minimize potential losses.

The caravan for the coming year would consist of four young teenagers, all newcomers. It was unusual for a new caravan to be so small, but it was deemed to be for the best. Eight strangers were more apt to argue and less likely to cooperate. A smaller group would possibly learn to work together faster and to fight less frequently. It was more likely to be the case if the four caravanners were not entirely strangers to one another.

Mikira – he was the new leader for Cilnea's caravan. He was irrational and immature, displayed pyromaniac tendencies, and a showed complete disregard for rules and logic. However, he was one of the most determined people in all of town and showed great skill in weapons combat. His only other forte was the fire spell; all other magic was lost on him.

May – she was Mikira's sister, younger by a year. She knew how to keep her brother in check, to reason with him when he was moody or unreasonable. She was also an excellent combatant and she was adept at healing spells, which would come in useful during the journey. She was the voice of reason when nobody else dared to make sense of the situation.

Keshi – he was one of the better-known people in town. He was social, outgoing, and got along with almost everyone. He liked to laugh and have a great time, often to the point of not taking anything seriously. When he was not socializing, he was practicing his swordplay in distant corners of the village or working on mastering his thunder magic.

Levi – he was Keshi's younger cousin. He was Keshi's opposite in most ways, being more distant and reserved and less tolerating of people. He kept to himself and a small group of friends. But he shared the same passion for swordplay and magic as his cousin did, although he specialized in ice magic instead. He would be the one who kept the group focused on its goal.

Cilnea was a small town, located on a small island several miles west of the Pyiron Peninsula. There were not many who had heard of Cilnea. The village of clavats and selkies had no historical significance like the great city of Alfitaria, the citadel of Shella, or the crossroads town of Marr's Pass. And so, it remained virtually ignored throughout history. Known only as a town on a map. Just another small village with no achievements worth mentioning.

It was all about to change.