The wind howled ferociously, causing icy flakes of snow to pummel your face and strands of your hair to whip sharply into your eyes. Even through the thick fabric of the scarf that protected the majority of your face, the unrelenting cold weather of Paramina Rift seeped in. The water from the snowflakes, which melted against your warmth, leaked through your layers.

You trudged through the thick crystallized blanket of snow that coated the ground, regardless. Your back aching from the weight of the canvas bag that was strapped to your back and your gloved hands numb and sore as they clutched your worn Yoichi Bow.

You could hear the brittle clinks of bone nearby and you pull an elegant arrow from your quiver, settling it against the string of your bow. Then you turned your eyes to the blinding whiteness, searching the blizzard of snow for the Dark Skeleton that wandered the white landscape.

You stand still as you see it stumble across the slippery ground, it's bones only lightly heard against the howling wind. You hold your breath as you pull your bow taut, lining your shot with the Skeleton's head, hoping for a one shot kill before it came tumbling after you.

You wait patiently for it to still before you release the arrow and send it flying through the air, watching as it strikes the fiend through it's skull, causing the enchanted bones to clatter to the floor, once more become a pile of darkened, lifeless bone.

You breathe a sigh of relief before trudging your way to it's inanimate remains, looking around where it lay for anything it may have dropped. You notice a small canvas pouch tied with a red piece of string lying in the snow, just centimeters from the creatures remains.

You pick up the pouch, unraveling the string before upturning the little bag into your palm. A rough cut stone falls into your palm and you roll it around watching how its dark glassy surface absorbed the light of the unseen sun that seeped into the brilliant white snow.

Dark Magistite.

You shoved it back into its pouch before tying it shut and stuffing it back into your pocket. You kept your bow in your grasp and continued to walk deeper into the blizzard stepping with caution, listening for anymore fiends that could be lurking nearby.

You continue on, coming across nothing. No fiends, No life, just snow, ice and boulders. You look around, confused as you could see nothing but white in every direction, your footprints being swallowed up mere seconds after you left them.

You were beginning to realise that maybe you had bitten off more than you could chew. The snow was falling heavy, and the wind was bitter and relentless, a biting chill creeping across your skin. You stand still as a muffled thud reaches your ears. You pause looking around for a sign of someone, or something, any clue as to the origin of the noise.

You hear it again, this time closer, the sound becoming repetitive like heavy footsteps. You shove your bow to its holster on your back, pulling your sword from it scabbard, the soft pink blade glinting as you crouching low eyeing your surroundings warily as the thudding grew louder. You throw yourself at the bolder closest to you and pin yourself tightly against its slippery cold surface, gripping the handle of your sword tightly.

You wait. The sound of steps having stopped, nothing but the bellowing wind could be heard before an almighty roar emanated from behind you and a massive clawed paw tied to swipe at you, cracking the rock against your back.

You leap away, twisting yourself so that you could attempt to see what was trying to attack you. Your body screamed as the sub-zero temperature touched your bare skin, the ice-cold snow painful against your now revealed skin.

You crawl backwards, your sword still being held tightly in your hand as you watch the creature advance. It towered above you, at least seven foot tall, with fur almost as white as the snow that coated the ground. It's large yellow eyes staring at you as it came closer, baring it's teeth at you in a grotesque smile.

A Yeti.

You stumble to your feet brandishing your blade as it strikes at you again with its claws. A sharp noise pierced the air as the two clashed; you retract your sword and slash at it's stomach. It gives a pained yowl as you slice through it's clean fur, staining it red.

You laugh as you turn to strike again, only to feel something crash into you knocking you flying. A burning pain runs up your side before you crash back to the ground feeling yourself being crushed into the bitter snow, all the air evacuating your lungs. You struggled to breathe as you get pushed down harder, feeling your ribs crack and give way from the pressure being applied.

You try to hit the Yeti off, but the attempt is in vain. It continues to bear down on you, the lack of oxygen making your vision fade, everything seeming to become out of focus. You finally give up and allow the darkness that tinged your vision take over.
You were under within seconds but not before you heard someone shout.

****

You begin to slowly wake up, feeling like someone had drugged you. You gingerly open your eyes, the light stinging them at first, but after a few attempts they flutter open. You pull yourself up, feeling only a lick of pain spread across your ribs as you came to a sitting position.

Your eyes scanned the room as you took in your surroundings, seeing how brilliant sunlight streamed from the large windows that were to you far left. You took in the worn dark wood features that decorated the room; a carved vanity on the wall behind you, decorated in tan swirls that were etched into the wood, reaching to the ceiling.

You pulled of the soft white sheet that lay over you, only just realising your were sitting on a soft blue sofa, showing signs of wear here and there. You run your hands over your body to find that your scarf had been removed along with your bag and cloak, your white hair free of its ponytail, an untamed wave down your back.

You still for a moment, listening for a sound of anyone nearby but the only sound being a soft hum, its origin unknown. You stand up, glad to find your legs were in working order and still clad in strong black boots, the dark colour standing out sharply against the circular, quilt rug that sat central to the room. The patches of yellow, green and cornflower blue still bright yet clearly aged.

You head straight to the windows, the sunlight that shone through no longer hurting your eyes. You gasped softly and rested your palm against the cool glass as you stared at the vast, endless sky that consumed your sight. The sky was a startling blue, decorated with cotton clouds and wisps of white.

You cast your eyes downwards, only seeing flashes of golden sand as it tried to peek through the blanket of fluffy clouds. Whilst gazing at the beautiful view, you came to realise you were on an airship. The only conclusion, naturally.

But how?

"Ah, I see your awake," A voice asked from behind you.

You spun round sharply, your hand automatically reaching for your sword as you looked at the speaker, discovering that your scabbard was empty.

"It's alright, we mean you no harm," the man assured you, a devilish smile at his lips. You look him up and down; trying to weigh him up. He had short brown hair, lined with blonde that flicked up at the front. He wore a white high-collared shirt that was covered by an embroidered vest in olive green and gold paired with tight leather trousers, a looping pattern just visible against the black fabric.

You eyes lingered on the brightly coloured rings and bracelets that adorned his left hand, realising that you'd seen this guy somewhere before. You relax a little, leaning against the window, waiting for the man to speak again.

"We found you passed out in snow, down just a few meters from the Shrine of Mirium. Just in time, too. It looked like a Yeti was about to finish you off, right, Fran?" He joked lightly, drawing your attention to the tall woman beside him.

She had ebony skin, the colour of milky coffee, with thick curls of white hair reaching to her hips; a pair of soft white rabbit ears with brown flecked tips protruding from her hair. You recognized her, too, the lacy, lingerie style of her armor decorating her torso and long legs very memorable.

"Yes, much longer and I fear you would have perished," The viera murmured in her soft chime-like voice, a slight hesitation after each word. You look down trying not to stare at the part-rabbit human's red eyes.

"Thank you," You say giving both of them a smile, watching how the man returned it , and the viera merely nodded with a tiny smile on her lips.
Before anything else could be said, a tanned boy ran into the room, strands of his blonde hair falling into his eyes.

"Hey guys, you need to come back. We've almost arrived," he informed them, turning his blue eyes to you. The nameless man turned to look at the boy with a sigh.

"Vaan, why must you run everywhere? It's not becoming of a sky pirate." He teased the boy, beginning to walk towards the door the boy had once come from, the elegant rabbit maiden following close behind.

"Shut up, Baltheir. I've seen you run." Vaan bit back, his eyes turning to the glare at the man. Baltheir laughed as he continued pass the boy, "Yes, but only when its necessary," he called over his shoulder as he left the room. Fran turned to look at you, her vivid red eyes a contrast to her graceful form.

"If you feel well enough, come along." she beckoned you before turning to follow Baltheir.

You nod looking at Vaan to see him watching you again with curious eyes. "Come on, I'll show you the way," he said, gesturing you to follow him. You do so, taking your first step into a new adventure.