Hello! Lilith here.

And this is the beginning of my take on Final Fantasy 5, one of those games in the main series that took so freaking long to reach the West. But I'd bet it was worth it.

Now, I'm gonna give a fair warning to any readers coming into this that there are going to be original characters, and without giving too much away, there's gonna some with traits that might raise a few eyebrows.

Anyway, since this is my first time tapping into FF5, please don't be hard on me about this story. I'll happily take compliments or constructive reviews, but rudeness is not tolerable in my book.

So without further ado, please enjoy the intro!

I own nothing of Final Fantasy 5 except my OCs.

Read, leave a review, but flames are not allowed at all.

Chapter 1: Disturbance

Fire

Water

Wind

Earth

The peace and prosperity of the world is thanks to the power of the crystals. However…that power is nearing its limit.

Not far off is the day when the wind slows…the water stills…and the earth trembles and quakes…and yet, everyone remains blissfully unaware…and the grave secret hidden within the crystals remains untold.

The new morning, at first glance, appeared to be as peaceful as it can be in the prosperous city of Tycoon. But for its king, Alexander Highwind Tycoon, he can't shake off the feeling that something in the world is not right. Ever since he greeted the morning light, he noticed an unsettling change in the winds – not that he was sensing a storm, but rather there's something in the winds that felt disturbed by an unknown presence. It's almost as though an unnatural force is throttling the air, cutting off the flow of the sky's breath until the sky itself has drawn its last gasp of air. Has something happened to disrupt the force of nature that has both embraced and challenged mankind at every fickle turn?

It would seem so, as he heard the unnerving cry of the drake that stands perched atop the castle balcony looking over the kingdom. Perhaps the beloved beast also senses the disturbing change in the elements. Some animals in the world are said to be more in tune with nature than man could ever dream to be according to scholars.

He really didn't want to leave his kingdom so suddenly, let alone his daughter who he loves very dearly. But he can't afford to ignore the warnings right in front of him. He must depart quickly to get to the bottom of the unexplained changes, if only to understand what has gone wrong with the sacred crystal valued by the world. As king, it is his responsibility to ascertain the dangers and prepare accordingly in order to protect his people in any way possible. If the Wind Crystal is in peril, then everyone in Tycoon could be endangered as well…

"Father!"

The concerned call of his daughter quickly caught his attention as he turned to find her meeting him atop the castle walls. A young lady of nineteen, his daughter – Lenna Charlotte Tycoon – has blond hair hanging slightly past her shoulders with light skin and aqua blue eyes; she is in her nightdress with her robe barely tied securely by a long sash, as she had apparently woken up due to the cry of the drake sounding off from outside the castle terrace.

"Do you really have to go?" Lenna asked worriedly.

"You know I do, dear," he told her, "I need you to protect the castle. Under no circumstances are you to follow me, do you understand?"

"But Father…" she started to protest.

But she couldn't find the words to express how unhappy she feels about her father leaving the kingdom alone and she hung her head in shame. He didn't have to guess she is concerned about what might happen if he departed and failed to return home like he always did. As he placed his hand on her shoulder, Lenna looked up at him, greeting his gentle but stern face as he explained to her what the situation is.

"Something is wrong with the wind…" he explained, "I must go to the Wind Shrine to make certain nothing's happened to the crystal."

She nodded nervously. "Yes…I've noticed it as well. But, to go alone is –"

"Lenna, don't worry," he gently reassured her, "I'll be fine. Have faith."

Although she still held worry in her heart, Lenna gave a nod in agreement, which put the king at ease. As he made his way to the dragon, he took one last look at his daughter as she watched him go. He then pulled down the visor from the crown over his eyes, and mounted atop the back of their family's wind drake. With a shrill cry and a mighty flap of its wings, the beast and its rider soared off through the skies away from the kingdom into the lands beyond. Lenna gave a wave of farewell as she watched her father disappear from sight.

Out in the open seas, a pirate ship travels defiantly with the tides that fluidly rush along with the winds. The salty waters crashed against the wooden planks as the scruffy crew of dubious sailors worked their hardest to steady the ship and stay alert while riding the treacherous tides. At the front deck of the ship, the fiery captain gazed across the horizon while the winds brushed the skin and hair like an invisible mercurial lover, and not far behind is the fellow first mate barking out orders around the ship as the crew worked hard fast to ensure no harsh words spew out of the mouths of their captain or the first mate. The sails are struck with ferocious opposition by the untamable gales while the wood creaked and moaned from the pressure exerted against the forces of nature the sea-hardened crew continually oppose against all odds.

But then, as the captain approached the edge of the ship's front, something amiss suddenly happened. The winds, which have been guiding the ship across the wide watery territory beyond, abruptly came to a halt. The ship ceased to move, stranding it in the middle of the sea with nothing to move it along. This unprecedented moment quickly caught the attention of the crew as they looked between each other in surprise and confusion as to what happened. The first mate, sensing something might be disturbing the captain, made haste to approach in concern for whatever it is that would perturb their leader. No doubt everyone must've noticed this change right away and would've wanted to know what could possibly have gone wrong in the middle of their journey, especially given how the winds have been an essential force of nature to guide all who traverse beyond their boundaries for better or worse.

"Captain, what's wrong?" the first mate asked in concern.

The captain gave a simple answer in a puzzled tone of voice. "The wind just…stopped…"

The first mate went wide-eyed from shock. "What?!"

Surrounded by walls of stone with nary a light in the vicinity, an older man seats nestled in the center as he feels the violent vibrations reverberating throughout the area. Despite his location, he has sensed a great disturbance in the elemental forces, an imbalance so distressing that he had to find out what is the cause behind it. It grows stronger with each passing moment, and with one of the elements abruptly silenced, he dreaded to think of what caused the troublesome event to occur without anyone else knowing about it. The urgency, frankly, is increasing the longer he has to travel in this godforsaken place.

"I've got to hurry!" he said urgently to himself.

In the busy streets of the city of Tycoon, a large decorated merchant's wagon gently rolled its way across the cobblestone roads, pulled by two chocobos under the guidance of a well-dressed middle-aged man. Riding inside the wagon are two young adults – young man and woman - relaxing quietly under the shelter of the wooden canvas and casually enjoying the bustling environment of the peaceful city life. Some of the townsfolk would momentarily glance at the beautiful wagon passing by with curiosity as to what's in store, while other passersby would greet the driver warmly as they walk by and be warmly reciprocated by him in kind. Today must be the perfect day for friendly faces to emerge from their comfort zones and enjoy the pleasant weather while they can.

As the talkative crowds of merchants and customers filled all corners of the marketplace to investigate the goods of the trade that can presented in the public eye, everything went along as they always did on days when merchants are trying to increase interest in their clients and people of all ages search fervently for anything they can present for their loved ones or their own personal interests.

But inside the market stall storage room of the visiting merchant, the young lady was in the middle of helping unpack the precious cargo when she abruptly stopped in her tracks. Her hands trembled ceaselessly as the small box rattled along with the contents inside. Vague visions danced within her psyche, forewarning of ill tidings momentarily indiscernible. Before long, a pain in her head disrupted her focus hard enough to cause the items to slip out of her hands and crash to the floor below, forcing her to grasp the table for support. The noise quickly caught the attention of the young man working with her, prompting him to stop his chore and hurry to aid and investigate what is disturbing her today of all days.

"Maud, sister, are you okay?" he asked her in concern, "What's bothering you?"

With a shaky breath, she gave a disturbing answer. "Jules…something's wrong in the world. I can't sense the presence of the winds."

Her brother at first didn't understand what she meant, but when he looked outside at the marketplace, he noticed right away the draperies above the stalls suddenly stopped fluttering. In fact, any hair or clothes that would've been caught by a breeze and play around no longer moved. To him, it's visible evidence his sister is right. What he isn't sure about, though, is what exactly is going wrong in the world…

Not long after her father had left the castle atop their family's beloved drake, Lenna quickly sensed something is horribly wrong. Where she once felt winds while her father rode the drake, she now can't feel the invisible element brushing against her face or dance in her hair. She could feel no winds whatsoever. It made her worry more and more.

"The wind's stopped… Father!" she squeaked in fear.

Now she can no longer restrain herself. She had to find out what's wrong posthaste. Knowing her situation, her family's loyal retainers, especially the chancellor (who has served her father for many years), would never allow her to venture outside of Tycoon on her own without a proper escort. It seems, for once, she'll have to take matters into her own hands and head outside of the castle by herself and find out whether her father made it to the Wind Shrine or not. If she has to sneak out of here to do so, then she'll have to do just that.

Following her impulse against her better judgment, Lenna hurried back to her bedchambers to change out of her nightclothes and find something suitable she can wear while she's outside, something more manageable so she can make faster progress before anybody suspects what's going on and question where she is. First, she placed up her hair up, holding it in place with a pin, and then she dressed herself in a yellow leotard with sheer sleeves that draped her shoulders with at least two sashes tied around her waist, and slipped on gold heeled shoes.

As she finished, she stopped a moment to look down at the medallion worn around her neck before she hurried out the door, hoping she can disappear before anyone finds out.

Meanwhile, inside the Wind Shrine far off from the kingdom, Alexander hastened up the stairs leading to the great doors of the chamber where the Wind Crystal has been held for safekeeping for many years. With what strength he still has at his age, he forced the doors open wide as he hastily entered the chamber. What beheld him confirmed his worst fears: the dearly revered and magnificent Wind Crystal's illustrious green colors have begun to dim and its radiant light faltered fast akin to an elderly living being losing grip on life. But while the truth is right in front of him, the good king couldn't understand what is really happening to the Crystal, or how it's happening for that matter.

"What in blazes…!?" he exclaimed in shock.

As the light of the Wind Crystal disappeared to the point of the stone itself being reduced to a dully dimmed green stone, the relic suddenly cracked all over and shattered into many pieces, leaving nothing left of what once stood there.

At the same time the Crystal broke apart, a strong blinding light that manifested from the shattering of the stone filled the room, blinding the king's eyes as he struggled to stand his ground against the powerful force pushing him towards the walls of the chamber by the shrine door…

Far from civilization, in a deep wooded forest filled with majestic trees of great sizes and flowery shrubbery scattered across the area, a young man and his chocobo companion are settled close to a comforting campfire in the middle of the dawning hours inside a clearing in the middle of the forest. The wildlife is peaceful at this time as birds chirped jovially somewhere in the branches of the trees and the skies, no dangerous creature in sight to threaten their peace, and the smallest insects danced along the trees and flowers. For the duo enjoying a relaxing reprieve, it's almost as though nothing can disrupt the harmony they are living in.

"Well, Boko, it's almost time to move along," the young man said casually, "I wonder where we can go for today. Hopefully there's a spot I can start fishing again."

His chocobo, Boko, let out a squawk of suspicion. "Kweh! Kweh."

He gave a playful pout at his feathered friend. "Aw, c'mon! You know there are some plants I can't eat like you can, buddy. I have to find something else sometime. I know someone who once told me so when I was smaller."

"Kweh? Kweh…" Boko squawked almost sadly.

The young man nodded. "Yeah, I know, Boko. You miss being around the Thorsons, right? If it helps, I kinda miss them, too. I hope Dimitri's getting by, especially Jules and Maud…"

However, as the young man's mind wandered off on bygone days, he unwittingly went oblivious to the disturbances stretching across the sky, not realizing the air has gone quiet so soon. For a moment, Boko looked up to the sky as though silently sensing something may be amiss.

It amazed Lenna how none of the townspeople paid any notice their beloved princess is in a rush outside of the safety of the castle. But then again, it must be one of Tycoon's busiest days, so it may be possible that they haven't even noticed anything out of the ordinary right now. But how long can this last? Surely someone must've wondered if there's anything amiss in Tycoon or within the royal family. After all, her father left rather quickly for the Wind Shrine to investigate the condition of the sacred relic, so someone must've seen the drake flying overhead, unless the overflow of the markets prevented anyone from looking up into the sky.

But if there's one thing even she should've known better about, it's that she also has to exercise her attentiveness while she's out in public. As she searched for a path out of town, she didn't pay attention to where she was going and abruptly bumped against something that let out a startled noise at the unexpected impact. Before she knew it, she nearly found herself falling to the ground when she felt a hand reach out and catch before her face hit the cobblestones.

"Whoa, that was close!" a young man's voice breathed in relief, "Didn't your parents ever tell you to pay attention to your surroundings in crowded places?"

Curious as to who saved her from having an accident (and chastised her a bit), Lenna turned to find herself being held carefully by a young man taller than herself. She can tell from the quality of his clothes he comes from a well-off family.

He is a tall but averagely built young adult in his early twenties with short, wavy amber hair and lightly tanned skin complemented by his blue eyes and decorated by freckles dotted around the right side of his facial cheek. He is dressed in a mid-collared, quarter-sleeved pink shirt with embroidered turquoise silk pants and an asymmetrical buttoned tea-green waistcoat; on his feet he wore short brown leather boots tightly laced, and on his head he wore a small light-green fedora decorated with colorful feathers.

Feeling embarrassed at the scene she made, Lenna stammered, "I-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bother you, but I'm in a hurry. I have to find my father…"

A curious look crossed the man's face. "Your father? Did he go somewhere in a hurry?"

"He left for the Wind Shrine hours ago," she explained hurriedly, "I have to go find him, make sure he's alright."

She couldn't believe she had to tell a complete stranger what she's doing by herself, but she couldn't help it since she's full of worry for her father. She felt sure this man would either laugh her off or would think she's lost her mind. But that's not what happened here.

"Well, does anyone else know where you're going?" he asked her. When she shook her head 'no' in answer to his question, he went wide-eyed from disbelief. "You seriously ran out without seeking help? We need to rectify that problem right away. I mean, I wouldn't want the thought of a pretty lady wandering off alone in danger weighing on my conscience."

"Oh, no, I don't want to trouble you –" She tried to decline politely.

"Nah, it's no big trouble at all. My sister and I can join you, see you there safely," he interrupted casually as he led her to the nearest market stall, "I'm sure our Pa wouldn't mind us leaving a while to lend a little help. Besides, we've always been told that there's no wrong in helping someone in need."

The market stall this jovial stranger led the princess into is nothing too big or extravagant compared to many of the others she had visited with her father on occasion in the past, but it's large enough to hold a nice variety of goods, many of them of solid quality ranging from eye-catching jewelry pieces to meticulously crafted selections of household wares from different parts of the world. At the helm of the operations is a well-dressed elder man assisted by a young woman noticed to be starkly different from him and the young man handling the business on their own.

The elderly man appeared to be somewhere in his fifties with shoulder-length, wavy amber hair and light peachy skin complemented by blue eyes that ignore the small traces of wrinkles forming around the eyelids. He is dressed in an ankle-length, long-sleeved dark blue tunic with gold trimmings around the edges and maroon silk leggings held together by a leather belt around the waist; on his head he wore a moss-green feathered beret, and on his feet he wore brown leather shoes laced firmly in place.

The young woman is nearly Lenna's height with shoulder-length black hair and light pale skin. She dressed in a high-collared, long-sleeved grey blouse and a long purple skirt with blue frills barely hiding a black underskirt held together by a black buckled corset; she wore a bell-sleeved indigo jacket over her blouse held by a gold brooch bearing a pink gem shaped like an eye, and buckled leather boots on her feet. However, what struck Lenna as odd is that the young woman is also wearing something like a silver crown, thoroughly concealing her eyes from sight. It made her wonder why an otherwise healthy-looking person would wear such thing unless there's something to hide…

"Hey, Pa! I got a lady here who needs a spot of help," the young man called enthusiastically.

Upon hearing the call, the elder man turned his attention away from his wares and gave off a kind, inviting smile that isn't forced like other people would do while interacting with people in public.

"Well, is that correct, Jules?" he asked, "And who is the damsel in distress this time around?"

This man, now identified as Jules, replied nonchalantly, "Well, she said she's got a father that went to a shrine or something and didn't come back."

That tidbit of information quickly caught the attention of the young woman listening to the whole debacle as she stopped her work to approach Lenna intently, startling the already perplexed young lady in the process.

"Tell me, did you sense the ceasing of the winds, too?" the young woman asked.

Lenna nodded nervously. "Um, yes... It stopped after my father left for the Wind Shrine."

The woman shook her head grimly. "I was afraid of this… The loss of the winds can only mean something evil has silenced the source. The visions warned of it. But, sadly, I couldn't see what manner of evil is causing it."

Afterwards, the young lady turned away a moment, mumbling something to herself in so low a voice that she couldn't understand what she's talking about. Needless to say, poor Lenna had no idea just what this strange lady meant regarding visions and sensing something evil. How can someone foresee a troubling event as this earlier than everybody else can? She nearly had half a mind to ask questions, but the young man now identified as Jules stepped in and clarified things without even asking her what confused her in the first place.

"Sorry about that. Maud's been a bit on edge since she had a vision of danger," Jules explained to her, "It's one of the trade-offs with being a medium: when the mind's eyes see something wrong, it gets her tensed up for a good while."

"Now, it's not like nobody can do anything about it," their father told them, "For all we know, the child's missing father and my daughter's visions might be connected in some way."

"So, Pa, do you mind if we accompany the lady out of town?" Jules asked. "I promise I'll make sure Maud is nearby at all times, just in case she needs help navigating difficult places."

Their father thought about it for a moment before he gave his answer. "If you're going to be the escorts, you'll need to come prepared for the worst. Not everything in the wilds is friendly to humans, you see. Even I've had to deal with less inviting residents when I was your age, you know."

"But Pa, will you be able to manage on your own?" Maud asked in concern, "Ships can't go anywhere without the winds, and it's not so simple to tread the land."

"Oh, I'll manage somehow," he reassured her, "I'm not entirely helpless."

Seeing how nobody has come to their stall at the moment, Lenna watched with curiosity as the kind merchant bent down below the stall to pull out a chest and opened it to unearth thoroughly stashed supplies stored inside. To his son, he entrusted to him a short sword and satchel held by a belt. To his daughter, he gave to her a simple oaken staff and a belt with two satchels held together on one side. And then, when Lenna least expected it, he took out and handed to her a sheathed dagger with a satchel held on a belt.

"It's going to be dangerous out there, my dear child," he told her, "Please, take it, just to give this good soul some peace of mind."

"Are you sure?" Lenna asked him worriedly, "I'm just a stranger."

"I know we've only just met, but I promise you you'd be safer with them," he insisted politely, "My son is no slouch in defending himself, and Maud is not as helpless as people believe she is. Please, trust me on it just this once."

Though baffled at the merchant's trusting nature, Lenna just couldn't bring herself to refuse his request. Her father always told her she's most like her mother, always being altruistic to the needs of people other than herself. So, not wanting to disappoint the man, she carefully took the belt with the equipment and strapped it around her waist. Though she isn't the type of person who would use a weapon without good reason, she couldn't help but quietly remind herself that there is no harm in at least keeping something to protect herself, something she wished she'd thought of before she went out of the castle. But now is not the time to criticize herself for her carelessness. She has to put her trust in these two new people who have been offered as the help for her journey.

"So, then, just to make sure we know where we're going," Jules said as he readied his sword, "do you have a general idea where the Wind Shrine is?"