August 3rd, 1800
...
I'm no longer a Forest Oracle.
And I do not deserve to be if I could not predict the fall of Cleyra.
By the power of gods, the sandstorm wasn't enough to protect the paradise men has stripped from this desolate Gaia.
Before me stands a barren land filled with sorrow and dunes as far as the weeping eye can see. A corrupt, deformed creation of antinature... Each and every day, the endless void where once Cleyra stood upon grows in size. It'll eventually consume the whole desert if no one does anything.
What did we do to deserve this? Are we responsible for our very tragedy? All that we wanted was to live in our own world, to build a community whose ideals stood far away from our inherited greed. I saw the life of Cleyra and its people vanish before my eyes. There were no soldiers on the streets, only refugees and their wives, their children, the flesh of their flesh, all of them burnt by the same wicked flames that stole their souls from a world that is yet to redeem itself from its sins.
They say violence is part of our nature, that it comes from our knowledge of pain inflicted on others... But empathy is also born the same way. If I did not feel anything for Cleyra, my homeland, then why would I stand here?
It doesn't matter the place or time, I'll always be fascinated by how life always find its way to grow. The roots of Cleyra lie under the dirt, waiting for the proper conditions to grow anew.
During my stay at the Library of Daguerreo, I did research on regenerative spells. From one source, all things depend, and if we're able to attain a great power through that source, a power that can destroy... Could it also be created as well? How much healing does a tree need to return to its original self? A tree like Cleyra, whose trunk stood taller than any fortress or palace built by men... How many years, how many people, how much effort is needed?
Freya taught me how to cast Regen and other healing spells that I mainly use to seal minor wounds and restore ruined crops. She was very polite and offered to help, despite the difficulty that arises when you're assigned to lead a team of Dragoons, veterans and newcomers. I said that I could do it on my own after months of training, and so far I've figured out how to speed up the germination process of the seeds and to make small plants grow bigger, which takes a lot of energy and so I can only do it a few times a day.
Will I be able to do the same with Cleyra? My plans to cultivate a green desert may have results beyond my lifetime. If this is the case, how will I know that my efforts were not in vain after my death? I'm only a Cleyran... I'm alone until I find myself lying in a soft bed of evergreen grass that I helped grow.