The AN: God Shadowbringers was, is, amazing. The new classes look badass, Gunbreaker especially, I loved all the characters old and new, the way everything is better from story-wise, animation-wise, and just an all-round blast to play. And as for not updating or anything in a while, well, my computer decided to commit seppuku after four years of service, rest in pepperoni.
I'm going to be doing a weird mix of Displaced on this, so it may be good or bad...
Anywho, Disclaimer; I own neither Kuru-ino nor Final Fantasy XIV, they belong to their respective owners.
The Void, Time: N/A
3rd POV / Unknown
When the Warrior of Light and Darkness came too he found himself in front of a familiar crystal, as he beheld it's shining brilliance, he closed his eyes as a motherly voice boomed in his skull. "Welcome my child, you have done well to save both your companion's and the people of this shard."
Nodding, the Elezen opened his eyes as he gazed upon the crystal, a question brimming at the forefront of his mind. As he went to open his mouth he closed it, instead bowing his head toward the crystal. "No praise is needed, Hydaelyn. You should know by now I'm doing my duty, nothing more." At his words the crystal shook slightly, a gentle and flowing laugh echoing in his skull. "We know, child of mine. However there is another reason I summoned you here. There is another place that requires your help, but the circumstances are different…" At Her words the Elezen adopted a confused expression. "Whatever do you mean, surely this is a matter of Primal or Ascian influence, is it not? And unless it's as corrupted as the war between Nidhogg's brood and the lies and corruption of power of Ser Aymeric's father, the Archbishop, I wouldn't see a reason to interfere."
There was a sigh as the crystal dimmed slightly. "As you have most likely seen, especially during your journey to the First, there are more worlds, not only the shards of my fractured being due to Zodiark and I clashing, but other worlds. Worlds with their own gods and beings." The Elezen nodded his head, glancing down into the infinite void as he assumed where this line of thinking was going. "And I'm going to assume that one of these worlds is in need of my help?" The Mothercrystal shined briefly for a second, "You would be correct in that assumption, but before you leave I must ask. Do you remember who you were before you came here?" The Elezen raised an eyebrow, but before he could answer he gripped his head and doubled over in pain. Two sets of memories began to flood back, those of him and his many exploits in Eorzea and then another set, of a young man going to some event, a Comic-Con, with some people. Panting slightly as he recovered, he began to sort them out. Soon coming to the realization that he had been what his older sister and a couple of her friends had told him stories about. Groaning, he rubbed his head, "So that's what the Merchant meant when he said he was repaying a debt…" Hydaelyn glowed once more at his words. "Indeed child, I am the Hydaelyn you know, yet at the same time I am not. For I am one whose job is to watch over lesser known realms that need help from Displaced like you."
Rubbing his head the Elezen grumbled politely, "I thank you for telling me this Mother Hydaelyn, but tell me. What happened to my sister and her friends, those who were with me when the Merchant displaced us?" At his question Hydaelyn glowed once more as visions entered his head, one of them being two figures facing a mob of enemies in an open, medieval-looking town square. One; a female Viera Astrologian with shoulder-length curly brown hair tipped in white; chocolate brown skin and dark green eyes. A confident smirk on her face as she channeled energy into an Astrometer of the Round, the weapon glowing bright blue in an almost holy fashion as it floated above her left hand, her right hand ready to draw a card from the tarot deck. Dressed in a dyed black version of the Eternal Innocence Gown, a pair of silver reading glasses rested on her nose as she casted Gravity, the grey orb of magic creating a crater in both the earth and easily flattening blurry creatures who he couldn't identify. The other was a female Miqo'te Seeker of the Sun, having dark green hair. An almost manic grin on her face as her lone purple eye twinkled in anticipation and battlelust, the other being covered by an Rogue Scion's Eyepatch. Her hands held no weapon, but he noticed that they glowed and wisped the same deep purple and red energy one would find from a pair of Seeing Horde Knuckles as she danced around the mobs, landing punches or kicks that either obliterated or sent the enemies flying, before performing a Bootshine, the simple, yet furiously powerful punches blasting holes in a larger mob. As she danced away he noticed that the Miqo'te was wearing a metallic-dark purple dyed Jacket of the Rising Dragon, along with a pair of Strife Bags, Boots and a single Lucian Prince's Fingerless Glove.
As his vision cleared another vision replaced it, this time showing an oriental type of land, complete with cherry blossom trees, and there he spotted two more of his friends' characters. An female Au Ra, wearing only bandages around her chest and a white Garlean Jacket hanging loosely off her shoulders, one resembling that of Zenos Yae Galvus'. Her lower half only clothed, if you can call it that, in a pair of 2B Leggings as she wielded a massive axe, an Edenchoir Battleaxe to be exact. He chuckled slightly as he watched her cleave a werewolf nearly in twain, before the blade got stuck in its body and she simply resolved to the use the corpse as a makeshift club, crushing a group of imps and goblins, before finally yeeting the body at what appeared to be a troll of some kind, the force and weight of the body snapping the thing's neck. As she straightened her stance, he got a better look at her features, matching the beauty of the previous two, she had long purple-ish hair flowing down her back, with two violet-blue horns sweeping on each side of her head. Her draconic eyes gleamed with bloodrust and rage, both fitting of a Warrior, their color a deep brown. Next to her was another female Au Ra, a Samurai, who would have easily been her twin, the only difference being her eyes were colored red. Holding a Seiryu's Sanctified Katana, the blue blade being surrounded by a blueish-white energy that seemed to glimmer ominously. She dashed from one enemy to the next, cutting them down with unrelenting precision and power, yet not a single drop of blood managed to stain her silver dyed Edenchoir Gambison of Striking, nor her silver Deepshadow Bottoms of Striking.
Switching to an open plain just outside a fortified city, he could see a male Miqo'te Dragoon seeing a dark-teal green tail swishing about, and fully clad in the royal blue and snow white armor of the Ward Knight's, his facial features being covered with an Allagan Visor and facial mask. Stabbing forward with a Gae Bolg Novus Replica, he engaged a massive beast, appearing to be some kind of hybrid of a lion, gryphon and snake, much like the Chimera's he's fought in previous dungeons but looking slimmer… and uglier.
After watching the battles, more like slaughters, between his friends and these new foes, he turned back to the Mother Crystal, smiling lightly. "I thank you Hydaelyn, for showing me that my friends are alive and well, but if I may ask, why are we intervening in this world? You haven't explained or given any reason as to why?" This led to the Crystal dimming slightly, an eerie sigh resounding throughout the Void as she spoke softly.
"I will assume you know of slavery? The act of forcing others to do your bidding or desire, regardless of how another feels?"
He nodded.
Slavery, while it had been outlawed in nearly every part of the world back where he was from, it was still a stain upon humanity that could not be washed away. "Of course. It was, sadly, a common practice up until recently in human history that common sense and decency won and it was abolished and outlawed. But it has instilled quite a bit of racism for years on end… what does that have to do with this world?"
The Mother Crystal shined, almost blindingly so at his words, before dimming once more. "It is the very reason that this long war has started. The Queen of Garan and the Dark Elves, Olga Discordia, had declared war for her people centuries ago. All because of the cruelty of, mostly human, slavers had towards her kind, treating them like objects. Objects of high value and price no doubt, but objects nonetheless. This was made worse when her best friend, Cellestine Lucross, the Goddess Reincarnated, had not truly given justice or a punishment to those responsible. Of course, this had led to Olga becoming clouded with vengeance and hatred, starting a war and recruiting various monsters under her command to deal twice what happened to her people. While callous and filled with malice towards humans, she's definitely a Queen for her people…"
The Elezen nodded slightly, a knowing look appearing in his mismatched eyes. Wars had been fought for both grand and idealistic reasons, and both petty and pathetic ones. Whether it be for land, much-needed resources, and power, or revenge. Or in some cases, for an insult, for the love of a woman, for the sake of murdering innocent peoples to fulfill some religious or self-anointed crusade. After a period of silence, the Mother Crystal glowed once more, but in a dimmer, somber tone. "But… her actions have labeled her as a villain, worse than even some of the most heinous souls in other worlds. For revenge, she had given the monsters and demons under her command to do whatever they want, and this world's monsters were known only for one thing. For their loyalty she even sacrificed one of her people's cities, Lorraine, letting them do to her people whatever they wished, I best believe it's better if I show you…"
He went to speak, wanted to know what made these monsters so bad and vile… and saw something that both filled him with the coldest malice, and utmost disgust. A village was set ablaze, only the male, from what he saw, occupants being cut down, or beaten to death. Crushed, or trampled, eaten or simply beaten until they could no longer move. While that had certainly raised his ire, it's what the monsters were doing to anything female that made him sick to his core and caused his hands to clench so hard, his nails dug into his palm and started to bleed. The monsters were raping them, regardless of age, marrital status, or even regard to size, the Dark Elves of Lorraine completely at the monsters' mercies.
He felt sick, he then felt bile rising in his throat as he saw how wives, aunts, sisters, and daughters either died from the sickening pleasure forced upon them, or their minds broke under strain of it all, either too far gone or trying to save what little sanity they had left.
...
This is what Olga had deemed necessary for revenge for her people? To throw an entire village, a city, of innocent families to some of the most vile things in creations he had ever seen?! To be so consumed in some self-righteous vendetta that she hurriedly sacrificed people who looked and asked her for guidance and protection?!
The Elezen stopped and closed his eyes as the more rational part of his mind kicked in, there was no feasible way Olga made this choice consciously, to think that her rage, feelings of betrayal from Cellestine's 'punishment' against those who wronged her people, and desire for revenge would push her to do something so vile and inhumane to those who looked to her for leadership. And considering that from what Hydaelyn had told him, it hasn't happened again, tells him she suffers from some form of guilt or regret for that monstrous decision. The burden of such a thing would weigh heavily on the mind of anyone, much less a ruler who chose to gain the allegiance of horrendous things by sacrificing her own subjects.
Shaking his head to stir him from his inner thoughts, his gaze turned once more toward the Mother Crystal as he spoke, "Hydaelyn, what is my role in all of this, from what I've gained, you've sent my friends, no doubt to be part of the Seven Shield Alliance… pray tell what role shall I play in this?"