XXVI – The Datalog
The events that occur in this story were recovered from the datalog of Miss Claire Farron when she was found last month on Mount Antrea. The events that led up to her crystallization and the death of the Primarch are recounted under the heading 'the Twenty-Six days'. The events after her awakening were originally chronicled from Miss Farron's point of view and have been kept unedited and unabridged in this document. They have been divided into twenty-six chapters. We have received full permission from the Farron, Estheim and Katzroy families to publish this document and Dajh Katzroy has led the inquest into the events. So that everything can be understood, we have split up the Twenty-Six days and edited them in at certain points in the text. In this first extract – we cover the wedding of Snow Villiers and Serah Farron on the First Day and the awakening of Claire later on. It is possible that the datalog may be re-released in an official New Sanctum instalment with the permission of the Primarch. Note – Claire is referred to as 'Lightning' in the majority of the text.
Prologue: The First Day
Pulse was lit up by the light shining through the vast crystal pillar that covered the surface of the Natural Font, a clearing in the centre of the vast mountain range that adorned the entirety of Gran Pulse's industrial zone. The dazzling lights covered the wedding that was unfolding between Serah and Snow as they held hands and joined together as one at last.
Lightning was watching from afar, believing that perhaps her long journey was finally over and that she might be able to settle down. She had been approached by the new Primarch not long ago, requesting that she might become the new leader of the Cavalry. Agreeing to this post, she was preparing to depart on a voyage to Oerba where she might find some remnant of the race and some way to restore power to the people now living in the PSICOM camp beneath the crystal tower.
Sazh and his son Dajh were also at the wedding. Dajh asked Sazh about what happened at his own wedding, unaware that the memories were painful for his father. Sazh told him that it was the most wonderful day that he ever had. Dajh wished that he could remember his mother but Sazh told him that he didn't need to – she was right there with him at that very moment.
Hope was at the wedding too with his father Bart who was now suffering from the Pulsian Flu that the citizens of Cocoon had picked up upon landing. His father was in a wheelchair and Hope was forced to push him around. He met with Lightning who told him that she was going away. Upset, Hope told her that he couldn't cope without her. However, Lightning re-assured him that he would be fine and that he was strong enough to take care of himself. Renewed with these words, Hope smiled and wished her good luck.
Snow gave a speech at the end of the wedding about how he was sure that he and Serah would be happy for a long time. They would be working together with the New Sanctum to ensure that all the citizens of Cocoon would be safe on Gran Pulse forever. They had become heroes after the destruction of Orphan and for liberating the humans from fal'Cie, saving them from the schemes of Barthandelus. The datalog had been published with all details about the journey undertaken by Snow, Lightning, Sazh, Hope, Vanille and Fang and how the latter two gave up their lives to save Cocoon.
At the end of the wedding, Lightning approached Snow to wish him goodbye before she left on her journey. Serah thanked her sister and the two embraced. Sazh, Dajh and Hope came to congratulate the Snow and Serah. Together again, they were reminded of the events before and witnessed a shower of crystalline dust around them. Snow took this to be a good omen about events ahead.
Datalog – Chapter One – Awakening
I had a dream about my past adventure and the destruction of Orphan. I saw the death of Barthandelus but heard him laughing afterwards. I awoke in a confinement field with no memory of anything that happened since we were reunited with Serah except for the wedding between her and Snow.
I soon realised that I had been a crystal just a few moments before – had I become a new l'Cie at the hands of some Pulse fal'Cie or was there some other reason why I would have been placed in crystal stasis? I did not know but carried no sign of the l'Cie or anything that might give me a clue. I wondered why I had suddenly de-crystallized.
Emerging from my cell, I found myself in a vast corridor of an ark in some mystery location. The whole place was deserted with all the weaponry that we had seen in the Fifth Ark on Cocoon seemingly somewhere else.
I found a minor armoury nearby and armed myself with a Blazefire Saber, some Potions and a few minor accessories. Entering an enormous chamber, I noticed some flans down below. Slipping from the height I was at, I slid down to the bottom and defeated the creatures. I began my advance to search for some escape from the ark that I was in and perhaps some answers as to my plight.
