Many, many years ago, before the judges, there was the Great War. Ivalice waged war upon the kingdom of-
Lily jumped up. "But I thought that there always were Judges!"
Grandpa sighed. "No, Lily, this was a time before even the Judges. Everything was a Jadg, a lawless, wild place."
"Sounds good to me," Kass commented.
Grandpa scowled but continued.
"Ever so steadily, the Eastern Lands gained ground upon our Ivalice. In his desperation, King Jontun sent his last hope-"
"Clan of the Silver Swords!" all the assembled children shrieked.
"Yes, the Silver Swords. They were the bravest, strongest, toughest clan out there- the trusted enforcers of the kingdom."
"But I thought there were no kingdoms!"
"I merely said there were no Judges, not no kingdoms. So, the Silver Swords traveled to theLast Battlefield. They were outnumbered, yes, one-hundred to one, but they knew the terrain. But as the battle was joined, King Jontun saw that it was a hopeless battle-"
Lily shrieked with alarm and Kass squeezed his play sword even tighter.
"What happened?" Roselle asked.
"In the morning, all theinvaderslay dead. The Silver Swords had prevailed!" He made a fist in the air. "But as the sun rose, it shone upon the blood of the Silver Swords. Although they had fought and won, they too would die soon."
All the children let out a cry.
"But as the life began to seep from their bodies, a transformation came about them. Fueled by their thirst for venegence, they tranformed into the creatures..." He paused dramatically.
"Lutia, proud Lutia, transformed into a Zombie because she had been self-sacrificing yet exploitive." The hologram of the beautiful Assassin he held morphed intoan undead.
"Gregor, their leader, turned too into an undead, for although he was strong and charismatic,he often drained opponents of their sanity one too many times." The proud Soldier hologram in his hand lapsed too into an Undead.
"Lowa turned into a Tonberry due to the angry, rage-filled nature of his heart." The burly Gladiator turned into a Tonberry, the fire in its eyes glowing madly.
"Due to his spiteful side, Caleb was transformed into a Floateye." The hologram ofthe innocent-seeming Blue Mage melted into the round form of a Floateye.
"And Opelia, sweet Opelia, was transformed into a vampire in penance for her ability to drain anything out of anyone." The dainty, sweet-looking Summoner stretched out into the form of a cloaked Vampire.
Lily gasped. "Where are they now?" she asked eargerly.
Grandfather laughed. "Oh no, you can't look for them unless you're with a clan. You see, now they wander all of Ivalice, searching for those last Queen's Guard..." Grandfather began to cough. "Well, they wander around, and will wander for eternity, lest someone put them to rest. Now, you best avoid them, they have all been transformed by their dark sides- cough!"
Lily nodded.
"Lilly, Kass, it's time for bed," a Sniper with an apron called from the stairs. Kass groaned, wishing that Mother had never hired that Sniper from Clan Bastila to be their nanny. But she needed good, strong protection, considering that she was the owner of two whole estates...
"Coming, Nanna," Lily called, moving towards the stairs. Grandpa remained in his chair, the amulet against viruses glowing softly in the lamplight.No one, not even himself, knew what specie he was anymore- maybe he was an ancientnu mou with a stretched-out body, maybe he was a human elder with a funny head, maybe he was a decrypt bangaa with a too-short muzzle, or maybe he was an over-grown moogle. But whatever specie he was, he told great stories and wondrous tales of his younger, travelling, clanning days.
"Lily, I hope that Grandpa's stories didn't give you any idea," Nanna said sternly. "I've been dispatched for this mission, and I do intend to accomplish it."
Lily nodded. But inside her minds, gears turned...