All storylines in the first three chapters are copyright Namco. Only the names Heather and Julia are not. Got it? Good!

Chapter 3: Introducing Julia

"The moment Spain declared the Philippines as part of its empire, Southeast Asia was thrust into an age of turmoil. The westerners introduced their new culture without giving any regard to the indigenous culture or people. The foreigners stayed near the shoreline at first, but it was only a matter of time before their influence reached all the way to the mountains.

As if they felt the need to hide from the encroaching footsteps of the foreigners, a tribe of people secluded themselves in a small village nestled deep within the mountain valleys. The tribe honored the Wind Deity and lived as one with nature.

Julia was born during this era into a family of shamans. She was raised as the Last Priestess of the Wind during a time when western influences grew stronger, and faith in the Wind Deity gradually waned.

One day, Julia was reading the winds, just as she had done since she was a young child. That day, however, something about the winds felt odd. Unlike the normal, soft whispers of the winds mixed with murmurs of distant cities, the winds were tainted with an evil aura that seemed to devour everything in its path. The screams, hopelessness, and madness of faraway places carried by the evil aura surged into Julia before she realized what was happening.

This occurred on the day the Evil Seed spread across the world.

Julia crumpled to the ground and lost consciousness for days. The people of her village were on the verge of losing all hope when she finally awoke. Julia's eyes were filled with deep sorrow, and she cried without knowing why.

By Julia's fifteenth year, it was common to see western merchants and explorers in her once secluded village. One day, a westerner brought a "vitality charm" to the village. The elders expressed concern when they saw the unusual metal fragment. They sensed that it did not belong in their village; it belonged somewhere else. They also felt that its presence would have an evil influence on those who came near it.

Julia immediately recognized the evil in the piece of metal; it was the same malevolent energy that she felt on the day she collapsed. "I must return the fragment to its rightful place!" Julia exclaimed.

The elders tried to prevent Julia from leaving the village with the metal shard. They feared that the purity of the Last Priestess would be tainted if she were exposed to the outside world. Her parents disagreed. On the contrary, they felt that by experiencing the world, Julia's purity and love of nature would grow. The young Sibyl left on her journey with her parents' blessing.

As her village slowly disappeared behind the mountain range, Julia sensed the resonance of the same evil aura from other parts of the world. She could feel it in the winds that traveled across the seas and continents, circulating throughout the world. She knew that everything would soon be consumed by illness if the evil force continued to spread with the wind.

Julia reasoned that there were more of these metal fragments. And like the one she possessed, unwitting people carried the pieces to all corners of the world. Julia knew she had to find all of the fragments and seek their rightful place.

Although Julia had never set foot outside of her village before, she was not afraid-no matter how long the journey, she knew she would be fine as long as the winds were with her.