A Realm Awoken
Victory at last. It tasted as sweet as I imagined it would. It was by no means an easy one, but when we saw the Praetorium go up in flames, everyone knew that the Black Wolf of Garlemald and his Ultima Weapon had been defeated.
As we waited for our hero's triumphant return, something peculiar happened. Like a veil that had blocked the view on the sun, the shadow that had obscured everyone's memories was torn away, and with an explosion that shook the earth underneath our feet, the friend that had been lost for five long years had finally returned.
The stars were glittering all across the night's sky over Vesper Bay on this quiet night, with only the sea breeze serving as company to S'eni as she stared up at it.
A sigh escaped her, followed by a smile, and a wave of fatigue washed over her, calling her to bed to get a well-earned rest. But she didn't want to sleep, not yet.
Her thoughts went back to five years ago when all of her comrades had disappeared one by one. Had they returned, just like her? And if so, would they hear about what Eorzea had done today?
These were questions she had no answer to, but if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that they were alright, wherever they may be; their faces were no longer forgotten.
It was too bad, really. They missed quite the victory bash. Well, for as long as it lasted anyway.
Shortly after the leaders of the Alliance had declared the Seventh Astral Era, a deafening roar had shaken the very earth underneath their feet; a primal.
After that, no one was in any mood to celebrate anymore and the Scions had officially started their investigation into the matter, but aside from some aether readings they weren't able to do much at the time and decided to return to Vesper Bay to recuperate.
And now she was sitting here, all alone on the rooftop of the Waking Sands, looking at the stars. That was until her ears perked up at the sound of familiar steps coming from behind her.
"Can't sleep?" she asked, turning around and smiling at the not unwelcome intruder.
"I could ask you the same," was Y'shtola's reply.
"Hmm, in my case it's more of a don't want to, yet."
"I see even being the Warrior of Light does not rid one of some childish notions." The corner of the other Miqo'te's lips quirked upward. "But yes, I suppose I can't sleep. There's a lot to think about."
"About the primal?"
Y'shtola nodded. "That too. But there's also the matter of remembering things I did not even realize I had forgotten."
"Oh, believe me, I can relate," S'eni replied, tapping her temple.
"I believe your case is a tad different than ours, but I suppose it's similar enough." Her friend stepped up next to her, mint-colored eyes going toward the stars above. Her bangs were moving in the wind. "It's strange. I forgot your face, your name, but whenever we talked I had this strange feeling that I couldn't shake off. Like a part of me still remembered you somehow."
"You're not the only one. Before I got my memory back, Papalymo asked me if we had ever met before."
"Seems like you have left quite the lasting impression on all of us," Y'shtola commented, with amusement in her voice.
"I don't know about that. I'm just me, always have been."
"Don't sell yourself short. The things you have done, past and present, are feats no ordinary person could hope to achieve."
"That was mostly because of the Echo," S'eni replied.
"Maybe so," the other Miqo'te said. "Yet it still takes courage to do so, and that courage is yours and yours alone."
S'eni didn't know how to reply, so she didn't, and instead moved to rest her hands on the railing in front of her. A slight wince crossed her features as she put too much weight on her right hand and the pain shot up her arm.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
"Show me your hand."
"Really, it's fine. It doesn't even hu—" whatever excuse she wanted to give died on her lips as she turned to face Y'shtola and saw her narrowing her eyes in a glare that left no room for argument on the matter. Heaving a sigh, S'eni held out her right hand.
She winced once again as Y'shtola removed her glove.
"I should have noticed you were favoring your left hand," Y'shtola muttered while examining her hand. "It's slightly swollen. Does it hurt when I do this?"
After asking the question, she gently pressed her thumb into her palm.
"Yeah," S'eni replied, her voice strained.
"Honestly..." Y'shtola shook her head, letting her other hand hover over hers, before casting a spell. Tingling warmth started to spread through her fingers as the white glow of the healing magic engulfed them, slowly taking the pain away like the caress of a warm summer breeze on her face.
S'eni couldn't help but watch Y'shtola, eyebrows drawn in concentration.
"Remember how we first met?" she found herself asking.
"I do now."
"You called me a brave one."
Y'shtola let out a huff, never taking her eyes off what she was doing. "If I knew back then that I would find myself piecing you back together I would have called you reckless instead."
"And yet that recklessness saved Eorzea." She grinned, lifting her uninjured hand and extending two fingers. "Twice!"
"And there it is: the start of an overinflated ego, five years in the making."
"Hey, Cid's words, not mine!"
They both shared a laugh.
"There's something that I find curious though," Y'shtola asked after a moment of silence. "Since you wanted to become a member of the Pugilist guild, why did you take a ship headed for Limsa Lominsa and not Thanalan?"
S'eni looked out towards the stars once more, a thoughtful expression on her features.
"My apologies, I shouldn't have asked."
"No, it's alright." The corners of her lips curled into a smile. "It's really nothing special, I just wanted to see the place my father was from."
She returned her gaze towards Y'shtola and did a little shrug. "My father was a seaman, born and raised in La Noscea. Maybe he was a pirate too; his stories tended to change depending on how much wine he had."
Chuckling, she continued. "He always told us stories of his adventures, as he liked to call them, but he would always say that his fondest memories were from there. When I was a child, I always liked listening to his stories, so it was only natural I wanted to see what the outside world looked like."
"Outside world?" Y'shtola asked.
"I'm from the Cieldalaes. My tribe has a village on one of the isles. We're fishermen by tradition, but we also make wine out of the many fruits growing there, so we have healthy trade relations with some of the neighbouring islands and beyond," S'eni explained. "It's not that big a village, the most notable thing we have is an old temple we use to pray to Azeyma, so the days when a ship came to trade goods were always the most exciting to me; strangers from places my father had seen."
"So always the little adventurer at heart?"
"Yeah." She huffed out another laugh, the look in her eyes turning wistful. "And as I grew older my desire to see what was beyond the sea grew with me. My father must have noticed because one day while training with my sister he took me aside to 'teach me how to really fight'. He was the strongest man I knew."
"Is he...?"
"Mmh." She nodded. "Undefeated by any would-be Nunh, until sickness claimed him."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's alright. He didn't want for us to mourn him, and when he finally passed, I didn't see any point in sticking around. I took the next ship heading to Limsa Lominsa and I think you know the rest of the story from there," S'eni said.
"I do," Y'shtola replied. "Thank you. For telling me."
"Well, just repay me with some embarrassing kid stories the next time we're having tea and we're even."
"Duly noted."
Cherry pink eyes locking with mint green ones, a comfortable silence set over them, the sound of the soft sea breeze the only thing disturbing the quiet as it made their hair dance gently in the wind. Another smile formed on her face, one that her friend soon mirrored.
They remained like this for a while, until S'eni moved her gaze to look at the hand that Y'shtola was still holding, the spell having long since ended. Following her eyes, the other Miqo'te slowly let go of her, taking a step back.
"Thanks. Feels as good as new," S'eni said after flexing her fingers a little.
"I couldn't very well let the hero of the realm walk around with an injury that might have impeded on her ability to save it time and again," Y'shtola replied, amusement once more twinkling in her eyes.
"Then I thank you, mighty Y'shtola Rhul, for you have saved the Warrior of Light from her aches and pains." She did a bow reminiscent of Urianger, then sighed as she came back up. "That's going to take some getting used to."
"I'm afraid that's what happens if you save Eorzea twice. As you pointed out yourself."
"I know I know..." another laugh was shared between them and they turned towards the starlit sky. As she watched them twinkling in the distance, it made her wonder what secrets they were holding. Were they watching them as well right now?
"I...should go back," Y'shtola said after a while. "And I suggest you do the same. There's still much to be done for us."
"Alright. But I think I will stay for a bit longer," S'eni replied.
"Very well. Good night."
"Good night."
Closing her eyes, she listened as her friend's step echoed behind her. Y'shtola was just about to round the corner when S'eni called out. "Shtola, wait."
She turned around, opening her eyes once more to see Y'shtola look at her, lips slightly parted in surprise.
"I changed my mind. You're right, we should get some sleep," she said and walked towards her. The look of surprise gave way to one of curiosity. "What?"
"I don't remember giving you permission to call me that."
"Really? After all we've been through?" S'eni grinned. "I even met your sister."
"Honestly..." Y'shtola put a hand on her hip and shook her head. After a short pause, she chuckled. "Very well, have it your way, Eni."
Together, the two of them walked towards the door that led inside. After Y'shtola had walked through, S'eni stopped in the doorway to give the stars one final, lingering look, before following her friend.
Ah, but this wasn't the end of the story. In fact, it was only the beginning. Many more adventures awaited the Warrior of Light, both great and small; some of which I had the pleasure of accompanying her on.
Suffice to say she saved Eorzea more than just two times.
And here we are, the end of 2.0.
So funny story, I actually came up with her backstory while joking around with some friends and I showed them screenshots of her in the Moonfire Faire outfit. Lore wise it doesn't really say if there are Miqo'te on the Cieldalaes or not, much less a tribe, but the idea just didn't want to leave me so I've decided to just go ahead with it. I hope it'll add more to her character as the story goes on.
Anyway, next update soon.