Chapter 1: Genesis


"Hurry up, will you?"

Raen was practically being dragged behind his little sister as she sprinted through the forest, dodging roots and branches, laughing all the while.

"Slow down, Lani!"

But she was too caught up in her own glee. Luckily, her destination wasn't that far ahead. After a few more minutes of giggling her way through the forest, she stopped at a large clearing.

The trees parted here and opened to a grassy field that ended with a shallow blue lake. The moon's light sparkled off of the water, making the lake look like glass. The trees surrounding the area swayed gently with the breeze, as though they were dancing in joy at the sight of the spectacle.

Raen had never seen this part of the woods before. He smiled in awe as he took in the breathtaking view in front of him.

"It's so pretty…" he said, breathlessly.

Lani nodded her head. "Mother says the forest is filled with places like this at home, but waaay bigger!"

Raen frowned. "This is our home."

"Like home, home! Where her and father's home was," Lani explained.

"Still. That's her home. Our home is right here."

Lani folded her arms. "I still want to see it one day."

"Maybe one day we can-"

But his words were cut short by an awful, gurgling, roar from behind them.

Raen whipped his head around and staggered backwards at the sight. It was a large, round beast with tendrils flailing on every ilm of its body. The only part of its body not covered in tendrils, was occupied by a gaping mouth with rows of razor sharp teeth. Saliva was spilling over its mouth and was so thick, it seemed to hold its jaws together like an adhesive. It was slowly slithering towards the siblings, leaving behind a trail of slime and muddy water in its wake.

Raen was paralyzed in fear. His whole body felt cold, he could hear his heartbeat pounding in his head, and time seemed to move in slow motion. Lani's sudden scream broke him out of his stupor, and he turned to her quickly.

"Run! Now!"

She hesitated for a moment, and obliged, heading towards the water.

Raen searched the ground for something, anything to help him. He grabbed at a stick that was an arm's length away from him and he turned back towards the creature. He'd seen his father wield a sword before. He could do this. He had to do this.

One of the creature's tendrils slithered towards him, and he struck it hard. The branch snapped in half and the tendril whipped Raen across the side, knocking him onto his back.

"Raen!" he heard his sister scream.

The breath had been knocked out of him and his vision was blurry. He tried to make himself stand up, but he couldn't find the strength. He had to, for his sister. He had to…

And then, he was falling through the floor. He was sinking into darkness, infinitely. Until he wasn't.

He blinked his eyes rapidly and realized that he was no longer in the forest. In fact, he seemed to be no longer in a place at all. He was floating along in a sea of stars, and yet he was not moving at all.

"Hear…Feel…Think…"

A voice called out to him. He did not recognize it, but it came from everywhere. It comforted him.

In front of him, a light was floating towards him. He wanted to go towards it, feel it, accept it. But the moment he made a move, it was snuffed out in a burst of darkness. Out of that darkness, a shape formed. It was a man in a hooded robe and a red mask.

He stared Raen down. He could not see his eyes, but he felt the glare burning into his soul. Raen felt no fear inside him and he stared back at the man. He would not back down.

The same words of the voice called out again.

"Hear…Feel…Think…"

A light engulfed Raen, and he found himself standing in white and gold armor, with a sword in his hand, and an even greater resolve to stand against the threat in front of him.

Without warning, the hooded figure rushed towards him, and Raen readied his sword. He would strike him down in a single blow.

The two men collided in a flash of light.

"...Hey. Hey, you!"

Raen's eyes shot open. He immediately covered his face with his hand, trying to find his eyes refuge from the harsh sunlight. Blinking the blurriness out of his vision, he turned towards the voice that had woken him up. It was a grizzled, middle aged man, with a coarse beard and a weary looking face.

"Y'all right, lad? You were moanin' something fierce for a while there."

Raen sat himself upright. He'd almost forgotten he was on a cart. To tell the truth, he didn't even know where he was going. Those damned goons had come to ambush him in the middle of the night, and he'd narrowly missed them after he made his way out the window of the inn. He'd hopped on the first cart he saw, though his options were limited in the dead of night.

"Just a couple nightmares. Sorry if I've woken you up," Raen managed to say through his dry throat.

Those dreams though. That was the third time he'd dreamt of that man with the mask. And that voice, that seemed so sweet, yet it was foreign to him.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Wasn't much to do here either way. My other company ain' that talkative neither."

He gestured towards the other occupants on the carriage, two silver haired twins, that appeared to be fast asleep. The grizzled man chuckled to himself.

Raen glanced around outside the cart. There was certainly no shortage of sand. Grass was sparse here, and instead, sand and rocks seemed to stretch across the entire landscape. Still, there was no absence of greenery. Every so often, a large tree would cast a shadow across the path, and more commonly, cacti littered the ground as far as he could see. He spotted large, lizard-like creatures darting behind rocks and tangling with each other, and a group of blue and red avians with massive beaks, lounging underneath the shade of a tree.

The most unusual sight was the pair of chocobos that were closing in on each side of the carriage. There were men on the back of them, and the red chainmail barding on the chocobos was identical to the armor worn by the men.

"You there- halt!" a loud voice called out from in front of the carriage.

There was another man in red chainmail, blocking the road in front of them. The man who had woken Raen up shook his head.

"Not a surprise.." he muttered.

One man rode his chocobo to the front of the cart and unsheathed a large, curved sword. He pointed it at the driver. "Inspection! Men, search the carriage!"

The other men walked towards the back of the carriage and, unceremoniously, began to rifle through the sacks and boxes sitting on the edge of the carriage.

"I'm just an honest peddler, friend," the grizzled man said, shaking his head again, "so don't be surprised if you don't find nothin', eh?"

The armored man glared up at him. "Mind your tongue old man, lest I cut it out!"

Raen's hand automatically drifted towards the sword at his side, but one look from the grizzled man warned him otherwise.

The armor clad man pulled a small pouch from his belt, and placed it on the back of the carriage. Then, with enthusiasm, he picked it back up and exclaimed, "Sir, look! Somnus!"

Raen was all too aware that the mind altering herb was illegal in the major city-states.

The armored man in front of the cart rode towards the back of the carriage and shuffled the pouch with one hand. "Honest peddler, was it? I didn't know honest peddlers deal in prohibited herbs."

There was a smug look on his face that made Raen's blood boil.

"You're in a lot of trouble, old man. You'll rot in a dungeon till the end of your days. Unless.." he smiled, with a glint in his eyes, "you can afford the fine."

Raen gritted his teeth. He hated men like this. He grew up around them his whole life, worked for them, and was damn near killed by them. He locked eyes with the merchant again.

The grizzled man smiled wearily. "Business as usual."

Suddenly, Raen's long ears perked up. He could hear the bow being drawn somewhere behind the rocks behind them, and he looked up to see the arrow whizzing towards the unaware merchant.

Raen tackled the man to the ground, not a moment too soon, as the arrow thudded into the floorboards of the carriage, right where the man was previously sitting. The man gasped out in surprise, and Raen heard the voices of the armored men screaming "Amalj'aa! Amalj'aa! To arms, men!"

As Raen and the merchant collected themselves off the floor, they felt the cart lurch, and they were speeding back across the sand. Rael didn't even get a chance to take a look at these 'Amalj'aa', but they were certainly the savior of the situation. He glanced over at the twins, who hadn't seemed to move, or even woken up at all. He was almost envious.

"I owe you my thanks for makin' sure I wasn't on the wrong end of an arrow back there. But don't be getting so hasty against the Brass Blades, lad," the grizzled man said, dusting off his clothes.

"Who are they?" Raen asked.

"Not anyone you wanna cross. Bastards'll have the shirt off your back if they fancy it. They're like common bandits, only less honest."

Raen had seen the type before. Holding up 'toll roads' and such as a way to make coin off of innocent traders. It was a pathetic racket, especially since these 'Brass Blades' seemed to masquerade as authoritative figures.

His feelings must have shown on his face, because the grizzled merchant waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, don't worry none about it. Just mind yourself and you'll keep out of their sight."

"I guess."

"Brass Blades aside, we may as well get acquainted after all that mess. Brendt's the name, an' peddlin's me trade."

"I'm Raen."

"Judgin' by your unusual garments, I'll wager you're one of them new adventurers."

Raen hesitated. Is that what he'd call himself? An 'adventurer'? It was probably the closest thing to the truth he could get without a long explanation, so he nodded.

Brendt chuckled. "I figured as much. Don't see many Viera out here neither."

That was true. Raen knew that most of the Viera resided in the jungles of Othard. He thought of his sister, and how much she wanted to visit their homeland, although she never understood why that would be so impossible for them. Their parents left Othard, and thus, they were banished from society. Their children, being born outside of Othard, wouldn't be allowed in. Still, Raen promised that he would take her one day. And he wasn't quick to break a promise to his sister.

"Goin' wherever the wind blows, seekin' fortune an' glory- now that's what I call living… so long as you can keep from dying, that is." Brendt continued on, with a certain passion in his eyes. "What was it that first attracted you to it?"

Raen didn't know if Brendt was growing on him, or it was just the thought of his sister on his mind, but he answered truthfully. "I'm looking for someone, and I'm going to find them at all costs."

Brendt smiled. "Best of luck to you then. You'll meet all sorts of folks travelin', I'd be surprised if you didn't run into whoever it is eventually. Just remember, adventurin' is a risky business, especially these days."

Brendt scratched his head, then snapped his fingers. "By the by, this is your first time comin' to Ul'dah, ain' it?"

Raen nodded, and Brendt spent the rest of the ride explaining to him the politics of Ul'dah, and a bit of the history behind it. The conflicts between the Royalists, the Syndicate, and the Monetarists were admittedly interesting, but Raen had no real interest in these power struggles. Even if he did, the chances of him actually interacting with any of these figures were zero to none. Most people like them ruled from above without ever having to see the consequences of their actions on the working people.

Raen had zoned out in the middle of an explanation about the state of the economy, when he heard Brendt say, "An' here we are.."

Raen looked outside of the carriage and stared in awe at the giant, stone walls of Ul'dah. It was amazing. The spires of the city buildings towered high above even the tallest mountains. In this desolate landscape, it truly was a rose among the sand.

The cart began to slow as they approached the gates, and Raen felt almost giddy. He'd fled every one of his homes more times than he could count, and yet… this time, he felt determined. He'd do no more running and no more hiding. If they came for him here, he'd cut them all down or he'd die trying. After all, when he did find his sister, he'd have to be strong enough to make sure no one ever separated them again. If he couldn't take on a group of pirates and criminals, then he couldn't protect her like he'd promised.

They finally came to a stop, and to Raen's surprise, the twins were the first ones off the cart. He'd wondered if they really had been sleeping in the first place. He jumped down off the back of the carriage next, landing softly on the ground. He flexed his legs with a groan. Sitting for that long had been killing his back, and his throat was still uncomfortably dry.

Brendt hopped down after him. "I'm afraid this is where we part ways, lad." Brendt reached into his pocket and withdrew a gold coin. He held it out to Raen, and upon inspection, it was a one-hundred gil coin.

"I want you to have this- by way of thanks for puttin' up with me prattle."

Raen took the coin and shoved it in a pocket with a few others. He barely had enough for a night's stay at an inn, so he would take all he could get. "Thank you."

Brendt waved his hand dismissively. "Aye, don't thank me. Just go an' become the sort of storied personage I can brag about havin' met, an' that's all the thanks I need."

He winked, and with a final wave, walked to the back of the carriage and started unloading his cargo.

Raen made his way up the path to the gates, feeling equal parts nervous and excited as he approached the entrance to the city. He could hear the noise of the bustling afternoon crowd before he reached the stairs, and as he ascended them, he saw the busy streets filled with people.

He sighed. He'd forgotten that with big cities come big crowds. Raen had navigated his way through city streets like these for as long as he could remember, but that didn't mean he liked doing it. In some ways, the busy streets of the city felt more like home than the quiet mornings of a small village, but he wasn't too fond of the crowd while he was in it.

"Oi 'venturer! Over here!"

The streets were loud, but Raen could tell the words were being directed towards him. He turned his head and walked towards the man leaning against the lamppost who'd called out to him. He smiled as Raen approached him. His dark sunglasses obscured them, but Raen could see the crinkle of the smile spreading to the side of his eyes.

"Fresh off the carriage, by any chance?"

Raen was surprised. "How could you tell?"

"Well, you're wandering around like a lost chocobo. Not to mention, it's not everyday you see a Viera out and about in these parts."

Raen scratched his head, embarrassed. He'd been so caught up in his thoughts, he hadn't realized he'd been looking around, lost. "You've got it right."

The man grinned again. "Name's Wymond. My business is knowin' every bugger else's!"

He walked up to Raen and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Now then, what if I was to offer you some invaluable advice by way of welcome to our fair city? Free of charge, even- just this once, mind you."

So he was an information broker. Raen had dealt with his fair share of them before, but this 'Wymond' seemed much nicer than the average.

Raen shrugged, quietly breaking himself away from Wymond's hand. "Why not."

"Excellent! If I let you go wanderin' off down the nearest dark alley, you're certain to get mugged or worse, an' I don't want that on my conscience."

Raen gave Wymond a sideways look. His hand twitched towards the sword at his side. "I wouldn't worry about that, I can certainly handle myself."

Wymond frowned. "Now I'm sure you can, but I'd take the advice, were I you."

He pointed towards the large building in front of them. "This here's the Quicksand. You'll want to speak to Momodi. Lalafell, red hair, you can't miss her. She's the leader of the Adventurer's Guild, an' she'll set you right."

Raen looked up towards the stone building, draped in blue and black banners. That would be a start, at least. He didn't have much else to go on.

"Thank you, Wymond."

Wymond grinned again. "Once you've got some coin, make sure you come an' visit me again. Anything you want to know, I'm your man."

"Noted," Raen muttered as he headed up the stairs. In truth, he did plan on visiting Wymond again in the future. As slim as the chances were, if he could find out anything about his sister, an information broker might be his best shot.

The inside of the building was quite elegant. Polished stone floors, dark oak tables sitting under marble columns, and rounded lamps on every railing in the room. Raen was shocked when he realized it was actually a tavern. It was far quieter and far nicer than any he'd ever been in, even in the daytime.

Raen quickly scanned the room and sure enough, he spotted the red haired woman sitting behind the bar counter. He made his way through the nearly empty tavern over to the counter.

Momodi appeared to be deep in thought, scouring over a book. But the moment he approached the counter, she snapped her head up.

"Why, hello there!" she greeted, enthusiastically, throwing her arms outward. "Who might you be?"

Raen personally thought it was quite over the top. "Erm, I'm Raen. I was looking to join the Adventurer's Guild."

She looked overjoyed. "Wonderful! Name's Momodi, and I own this fine establishment, if it please you. I also manage the Adventurer's Guild here in Ul'dah. So you might say that lookin' after green adventurers like yourself is my vocation."

He wasn't that green. But he figured it wouldn't do much good to go saying that now.

Momodi continued on. "And lucky for you that is. Without me to steer you right, you'd soon find yourself caught up in business you didn't understand," she seemed lost in her own thoughts now. "Like our conflict with the Amalj'aa, they've been plaguin' the sultanate for nigh on… forever now. Then there's the Garlean Empire, who've been plottin' everyday since the day they were formed. Aye, the people drink and make merry, but underneath it all, there's worry. And little wonder. It's scarce been five years since the lesser moon cracked open like a giant egg, releasin' an abomination intent on turnin' the realm into an eighth hell.."

The last line caught Raen's attention. Yes, the calamity. He was only twelve around that time, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. The world truly seemed as though it was ending. All he had at the time was his sister. They knew that even if the world was over, even if their parents could not be there to save them, they had each other. Years later, it had been so long, that he figured his parents had been one of the many casualties of the calamity. He told his sister otherwise and that they would find them one day, but she always was more optimistic than him. And more naive.

"All I ask is that you lend a helpin' hand, and try to leave Ul'dah in a better state than you found her. If you can promise that, I'd be happy to let you join the guild."

Momodi's words broke Raen out of his thoughts. He shook his head slightly, then forced a small smile. "I'll try my best."

Momodi beamed. "All right, then! A promise is a promise, now! I'm countin' on your help to put the past behind us. We need people workin' and spendin' and bickerin' like the old days!"

She pulled a pen out from under the counter and held it out to Raen. "Go ahead and write your name in the register- neat as you can."

She pushed forward the book she was looking over before. Almost every line on that page had been filled with names. Raen took the pen and quickly signed his first name. He hesitated, then signed his last name. It had been forever since he'd used it. He slid the book back over the counter to her.

"Raen Fyth," she read, before closing the book. "Ain't that a charmin' name. Just rolls off the tongue, it does."

He quite disagreed. Just as his mother said she wasn't very fond of her surname, he'd taken to avoiding it whenever he could.

"Well then, on behalf of the Adventurer's Guild, I officially-"

A scream from behind Raen cut her off. His ears twitched and he wheeled around.

"Please sir, be merciful! Twelve as my witness, I swear to you, I'll bring you your money!"

A man was lying on the ground, blood trickling from his nose, while two large, armor clad men had taken to stomping on his back. The man was groaning in pain, and a lalafell with a monocle was watching with a smug smile on his face.

"In the east," he started, his accent giving away his upper class status, "it is said that even a merciful god might be driven to vengeance if thrice blasphemed."

The few patrons of the tavern paid no attention, and continued on with their conversations. Raen himself turned back towards Momodi, who had a disappointed look on her face.

"Ain't that a sorry sight. Not an uncommon one, if I'm honest. Don't worry though, if you keep your head on your shoulders, I doubt you'll end up like him."

Raen was silent. Not in fear of ending up like that man, but for the fact that he was once the goon making a public example of a desperate man.

Momodi, misreading his silence, patted him on the arm lightly. "If you ever need a bit of advice about one thing or another, just pay me a visit. Just don't go botherin' me every time you stub your bloody toe, all right?"

Raen nodded. "I appreciate it."

Momodi tapped her finger on her chin as though she had a sudden thought. "Do you have a place to stay?"

"No, actually."

"Well then! Let's get you set up with a room," she said brightly.

Raen scratched his head as he thought of the few coins in his pocket. "I don't really have the gil for a night, even."

Momodi waved her hand. "The guild has a fund setup for adventurers like yourself. Long as you're workin' with us, don't you worry about the gil."

That was a massive relief for Raen. Out of all his current troubles, that was the most pressing. With a beckoning wave, the cheery lalafell led him through a gate next to the counter and up a narrow staircase.

When she opened the door to the room, Raen was shocked. For its size, it was far nicer than he expected. A red rug sat in the entryway of the room, resting on the same polished stone floor that he'd seen in the tavern. There was a small oak desk in the corner of the room, sitting under three large, diamond patterned windows that were filtering in the afternoon's harsh sunlight. A large bed sat on the opposite side of the room, next to a nightstand with cups and jugs atop it. There was even a dresser and wardrobe sitting side to side next to a small bookshelf in another empty corner of the room.

Although Raen's experience with inns was limited to the dingy rooms littered across Limsa Lominsa and La Noscea, he was sure that this was much higher quality than the average.

"Are you certain you have the right room?" Raen asked tentatively, stepping in.

Momodi laughed. "Of course! It's been a while since we've had any green adventurers come through, so you got quite lucky with this one."

She slipped the key to the room off of her key ring, and handed it to Raen. "Enjoy. Make sure you come down and see me before you go chargin' off to find your fortune. I've got a few basic tasks I want you to get done first, just so you know how things work around here."

With that, she disappeared back down the hallway, closing the door behind her.

Raen couldn't keep the grin off his face. He headed towards the window and opened it fully, basking in the light breeze and taking in the sounds of the midday city. It had been a long time since he'd really been able to relax. Remembering something he'd seen before, he turned his focus towards the nightstand next to his bed and approached it, gingerly inspecting a large ceramic jug. Water.

He poured a cup filled to the brim and greedily drank it up. He figured he looked like a complete maniac, and thanked the Gods that for once, his sister was not there to poke fun at him. After downing a few more glasses, he flopped down onto the bed, back first. The mattress was rather thin, but it was softer than it looked. His hand found the one-hundred gil piece that Brendt gifted him earlier, and he flipped it high towards the ceiling. He plucked it out of the air just before it fell back on his face, and found himself staring at the golden face of Nymeria. He wished this was all the coin he needed for his travels, but the reality was that he needed quite a bit more for everything he wanted to do.

Raen sat up and pulled the sword from the holster at his side. It was quite a pitiful piece of metal. The iron shortsword had scratches, blemishes, and dirt clearly visible down the length of the blade, and the hilt was worn with use. Not due to lack of care on his part, Raen would add, as this had been the only weapon his 'employers' were willing to provide for him. It had been a miracle that it lasted six years.

There had come a time where they decided to 'upgrade' his weapon, and they left a brand new sword on his desk for him to wake up to. It was a standard straight sword- quality iron and leather hilt with a cheap jewel embedded in it. Truly a better weapon than Raen had ever wielded before. However, instead of keeping it, he sold it that same day, and bought his sister a brand new pair of steel daggers. She protested, but with a smirk, he told her, "I can make any sword look like Excalibur. You, however, need all the help you can get."

He was only half exaggerating. While he could work with the weathered sword he had now, he'd highly prefer to have something more reliable, and so, that was his first goal. Unfortunately, he would need coin for that, and in order to make that coin…

Raen stood up, walking towards the mirror. He ran his hands through his messy, white hair. It was getting long now, and the sides were curling down past his neck. He parted his hair down the left side of his face, and found that he quite liked it this way. His skin was dark, as was his mother's, and in comparison, his sister was pale as a ghost, more akin to her father (Which, his mother mentioned, wasn't typical of the Rava clan). Raen smoothed the hair down on his long ears, another trait he seemingly picked up from his father, while his sister and mother's were quite short. The one part of him that was completely unique, was his eyes. They were a stunning lavender color, and his sister often talked about how jealous she was.

After tidying himself up, he took a look back at his new room before exiting. He hoped these quests paid well, at the least.


AN: This is a semi-novelization of ARR, in the way that the general structure of the story will follow the ARR plotline. However, this is it's own story, and things will definitely end up changing, especially as time goes on. I hope you guys enjoy, and I would love feedback! I'm not the most technically experienced writer, but I hope to be getter better as I write more. Fair warning that I plan to have the chapters be quite lengthy, and keep uploads weekly (I hope.) Enjoy!