Placing the spear into a small leather sheath on the right saddle-side upon approach, Leo pulled himself onto the beautiful bird, his fingers finding the reins, allowing him to guide Solstice towards the exit of this closed canyon-like section
"C'mon." He tugged hard to the left, and began to steer his ever faithful steed towards off. His direction? Home.. or what he considered to be home.
Solstice let out a low, steady "Wark." She picked up the signal instantly, her powerful legs propelling them forward with a practiced rhythm, her steps surefooted even on the uneven, rocky terrain. The old canyon walls loomed on either side, the high cliffs casting long shadows as the morning light struggled to break through. Leo felt a breeze whip through the narrow path as Solstice picked up speed, her feathers catching a faint shimmer from the sparse sunlight that reached them.
The journey was familiar—an instinctive path they'd both taken countless times. Yet, after his strange encounter in the temple, the landscape somehow felt different, as if the canyons themselves held secrets, or were watching as he passed. His mind kept drifting back to that apparition, the woman with her calm, knowing gaze. Her words had pressed upon wounds he'd long buried, and now, they seemed to fester, rising to the surface despite his attempts to ignore them.
When they finally broke free from the canyon and onto the open plains of the Calm Lands, the expanse stretched out before them, a mix of sunlit grasses and distant hills, dotted with the familiar stones and scattered ruins that spoke of Spira's storied past. Solstice let out a satisfied "Kweh!" as her pace quickened across the familiar grassland, eager to reach their secluded spot where Leo had made his solitary refuge.
But even here, in the openness of the Calm Lands, the memory of the woman lingered, her words like echoes in the wind that tugged at his cloak. "What did this place mean to you?"
As they rode on, the horizon opened wider, yet for the first time, it felt narrower, as if Spira's ghosts had begun to haunt him in earnest.
The Calm Lands was an ever expansive grassland, surrounded by gigantic grey canyons that divided the Macalania Woods and Mount Gagazet. Many Summoners would come through here on their travels to The Lost City of Zanarkand, and many would find themselves falling here, for the Calm Lands was not a safe place to be if you knew not of it's dangers.
Leo? He had the benefit of growing up here. Every part of these lands was almost akin to a playground for him. Bromm took him out hunting many times. And whenever they needed supplies, he would often go with Mama Flake to Rin's Travel Agency.
Of course the elder Al Bhed Twins, Koran and Toran were always asking for extra parts- well.. at least Toran was. Koran didn't speak a lick of Al Bhed, in fact- he was quite the insane one; rambling while building incredible machines of utter wonder. On the opposite end, his brother was kind and well-spoken, opting to take care of the rambling elder with just a smile.
They were gone now. It was just Leo- Leo and his lone bird, Solstice. And now, as they trek across the ever reaching lands, he continues towards his home.
The stretch of the Calm Lands opened wide before them, its golden grasses rippling in waves under the steady push of the wind. Each familiar dip and rise, each hidden hollow or wind-battered tree, brought back memories—some welcome, others sharp enough to sting. Leo felt them all with every step Solstice took forward.
As they crossed one of the rolling slopes, he remembered Mama Flake's hearty laugh, the way her eyes sparkled as she showed him how to track fiends or find edible herbs among the grasses. Then, there was Bromm's patient instruction, his deep, grounding voice guiding Leo through the subtleties of the hunt. He could almost hear Bromm's low chuckle when Leo had stumbled or lost focus, always followed by a firm but kind correction. The Calm Lands had once been a haven, and the Wild Roses a family.
But now, the emptiness of the land mirrored his own solitude. It was haunting to think of the lively figures who had once roamed these fields beside him, now gone like the pyreflies—mere memories floating in and out of his mind. Leo cast his gaze toward the distant cliffs, where he could just make out the outline of Rin's Travel Agency. The thought of the place stirred something familiar and bittersweet in him. He could almost see Toran waving him over, his hands full of half-finished parts, while Koran yelled nonsense in the background, oblivious to anyone's presence but his own.
Solstice seemed to sense the weight of his thoughts. She slowed her pace, giving a low, almost sympathetic "Wark," and flicked her head back as if to check on him. Leo ran a hand down her neck, a faint but grateful smile finding its way to his face.
"I know, girl," he muttered. "I know."
They moved through the last stretch of grasslands, and as they neared his solitary home—a modest shelter built from scavenged wood and stone, nestled beside a small rock outcrop—he felt an odd pang of relief mixed with sorrow. The calm of the lands had become his isolation, and though he had grown accustomed to it, a part of him couldn't help but remember when this land had been filled with life and laughter.
He dismounted, patting Solstice on the side as she began to graze nearby. Surveying his modest home, he took a deep breath and settled himself. Here, in this place of stillness and vastness, it was just him and his memories. And perhaps, he thought, that was all he deserved.
This wasn't home, but it was all he had now. Home was gone, burned and tattered- nothing but the skeletons of his past remained. It's too hard to stay there now... so this was where he lived. It wasn't too bad either- a nice hut, enough to wether the elements.
The hut was simple, pieced together from the remains of old caravans and scavenged wood, lashed with sturdy ropes to keep out the worst of the elements. It wasn't much, but it was solid—enough to keep the biting winds at bay and provide a semblance of shelter. Inside, there was only the barest of furnishings: a cot made from woven reeds, a low table carved from driftwood, and a few scattered supplies. A fire pit lay in the center, ringed by stones that Bromm had helped him gather long ago.
He set his spear against the wall, then unbuckled his traveling pack, setting it beside the cot. His fingers brushed against something rough and old—a small piece of cloth, faded from the sun but still carrying the faintest trace of the Wild Roses' symbol embroidered into it. It was from Mama Flake's shawl, he remembered, something he'd clutched tightly during those long nights after the Wild Roses were gone. He hadn't looked at it in months, maybe even a year. But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to discard it. It was his last tether to the family he'd once known, to the life he'd had before everything fell apart.
As he stared at the worn fabric, memories flooded back unbidden. He could almost hear the old Al Bhed twins arguing over some half-baked invention outside, their laughter filling the air as Mama Flake scolded them, her voice a warm balm against the tension that had always lingered in their fugitive lives. That warmth was gone now, leaving a hollow chill that even the fire's heat couldn't fill.
After a moment, he let the cloth slip from his fingers and sat down heavily by the fire pit, striking a few sparks to bring it to life. The flames rose slowly, crackling as they cast their light across the walls of his humble shelter, flickering like ghosts of the past he tried to leave behind. His gaze stayed fixed on the fire, lost in its hypnotic dance, his mind caught somewhere between the past and the present, between who he had been and who he had become.
As the flames grew, he spoke softly, almost a whisper, as if talking to the empty air, "You'd laugh at me now, wouldn't you, Bromm?" He paused, his voice barely above a murmur. "Telling me to live for the future. But here I am… still haunted by what's gone."
He fell silent, the only response the steady crackling of the fire, a familiar but lonely sound.
Hours passed, and the night had swept across Spira. The stars shine brightly in the sky for a beautiful sight to adorn.
Why did he stay here- what was he even doing wasting his life. There were so many places he could go; nobody even knew who he was. Yet he feels the trapping nature of the Calm Lands so... tightly around his psyche.
Sleep isn't easy for him. He dreams a recurring nightmare. Nothing but an empty void full of screams of his family, only growing louder as he tries to run from them. He awakens in a sweat.
The morning sunlight seeped into the hut, cutting through the shadows and pooling around him like an unwelcome visitor. Leo sat up slowly, wiping the sweat from his brow as he tried to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. Those screams—the voices of people he could never save, of those who depended on him and fell because of his choices—still echoed in his mind. They were never truly gone, lingering just below the surface, a constant reminder of the weight he carried.
He stared down at his calloused hands, his fingers tightening briefly into fists. Every day felt the same, a cycle of survival that felt almost like a self-imposed exile, as if he didn't deserve anything more. He had become a ghost wandering the plains, a relic of a life that no longer existed.
But something about today felt different, or maybe he was simply at the edge of his own patience. This life he'd confined himself to—this life of solitude, of haunting memories and silence—was like a prison with invisible walls. As he looked at the small pack in the corner of the hut, filled with the last of his supplies, he knew he couldn't keep this up forever. And perhaps he didn't want to.
A decision hovered before him, tenuous but almost tangible. He could return to the Travel Agency, maybe pick up a job or two. The thought filled him with equal parts dread and relief, the idea of seeing people again—of leaving this endless isolation—both repelling and drawing him in. He wasn't even sure if Rin still ran the place or if it had been taken over by some other wanderer, but that was almost irrelevant. It was somewhere to go, somewhere other than the vast, lonely plains.
"Alright, Solstice," he muttered, reaching for his spear and swinging his pack over his shoulder. "Looks like we're heading out today."
Solstice, hearing her name, lifted her head from her grazing just outside, letting out a curious "Wark?" She sensed his mood, the subtle shift in his intent, and trotted over as he stepped outside.
Leo took a deep breath, feeling the cool, crisp air of the Calm Lands fill his lungs. There was still that tightness, that binding grip around his chest, the weight of his memories pressing down on him. But as he swung onto Solstice's back and nudged her forward, he felt, for the first time in a long while, the faintest glimmer of something more.
Freedom, perhaps. Or maybe just a fleeting purpose. Either way, he allowed it to guide him across the plains toward Rin's Travel Agency, each step taking him further from the isolation he had woven around himself.
Now, Rin didn't man the Calm Lands branch, no- He was all the way on the Mi'ihen Highroad, where most of the people would travel through between Luca and Bevelle.
The person in charge of this one was an older fellow named Jin. Jin was- of course, an Al Bhed. he had a long rugged beard, thinning hair and a pair of glasses that sat on his nose, hair greyer than ever.
He knew the Wild Roses from their various trading trips. But after a while- they just stopped coming. Tragic as it was, business had to continue. He felt bad for Leo, the last remaining one, but there was little the old man could do.
His grand-daughter, Tera; kept the Chocobo rental nice and sharp. Each bird was cared for by her. She couldn't have been any older than Leo, and her relationship with him was... questionable. Leo never really talked- she saw him as nothing more than a hermit really. She wasn't around when the Wild Roses were still active after all- only being a new addition to the Agency after her parents died before the Eternal Calm.
They found it... difficult, to talk to him. He had regressed into an anti-social hermit, and they were such simple folk. He never spoke, just small motions. He feared making any meaningful connection to anybody, it was too hard to lose anybody like he had before.
He felt a pang of apprehension that he couldn't entirely suppress upon his approach. The small, squat building, with its carefully stacked supplies and bright Chocobo pens beside it, stood as a beacon of life in these empty plains—a life he had grown used to observing at a distance. But now, as he drew closer, there was no avoiding it. He needed supplies, and like it or not, he had to interact.
Jin was out front, stooped over an old crate he was carefully inspecting, muttering in Al Bhed under his breath. Even in his advanced age, his movements were steady and precise, like he'd been doing this for decades. Leo wasn't sure how much Jin knew about the Wild Roses' fate, but the old Al Bhed had a way of looking at him that seemed to cut through the silence Leo hid behind. In a strange way, it was both comforting and unsettling.
Leo halted Solstice a short distance from the agency, letting the Chocobo graze while he dismounted. His movements were cautious, almost wary, as if approaching a fragile piece of glass. As he walked up to Jin, the old man straightened, squinting at him through his thick glasses with a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Well now," Jin began, his voice rough but friendly. "I'd wondered if I'd see ya again. Thought maybe the Calm had finally swallowed ya up, hmm?"
Leo gave a single nod, keeping his gaze low, trying to avoid the scrutiny in Jin's gaze. He could feel the weight of his memories pressing down on him, the urge to turn around and leave before the conversation even began. But he couldn't afford to avoid this any longer. Clearing his throat, he held up a hand with two fingers, gesturing briefly.
"Supplies," he muttered, his voice barely audible. "Enough for two weeks, if you have it."
Jin studied him for a moment, his face softening as he took in the sight of Leo's worn clothes and haunted expression. He didn't ask any questions, merely nodded and began gathering items from the shelves behind him.
"Two weeks' worth, eh?" he repeated, placing bags of provisions on the counter with a practiced ease. "Should be able to spare it. Slow season, what with all these fiends on the rise." He hesitated, glancing back at Leo with a hint of concern. "You still huntin' to keep the fiends down, or just avoidin' 'em?"
Leo shrugged, unwilling to offer more than a grunt, and Jin seemed to take that as answer enough. As the older man continued gathering the supplies, a familiar voice drifted out from around the Chocobo pens.
It was Tera, calling out to one of the birds, her tone light and affectionate as she fussed over the chocobos she cared for so diligently. She hadn't noticed Leo yet, which, for some reason, felt like both a relief and a burden. He knew she viewed him as a strange, distant figure, someone to nod to but never engage with, and that was how he preferred it. The last thing he wanted was anyone looking at him with pity or curiosity.
But as he watched her pat a Chocobo on the neck and give it a soft smile, he felt the faintest pang—a whisper of longing for a connection he'd forced himself to abandon long ago. It was easier to keep people at arm's length, to avoid the pain of loss, but watching her kindness to the birds stirred something he hadn't expected.
As Jin finished packing up the supplies, Tera finally noticed him, her green eyes widening slightly in surprise. She offered him a nod, polite but unsure, as if debating whether to say more.
"You're here for supplies?" she asked, sounding slightly hesitant. "I could… help pack 'em up, if you need it."
Leo shook his head quickly, not wanting to make this exchange any longer or more complicated than it needed to be. "I'm fine," he replied shortly, gripping the edge of the counter.
Tera nodded, glancing at her grandfather with a silent look that spoke volumes. Jin only sighed, a subtle shake of his head letting her know not to press further. Leo noticed their exchange but chose to ignore it, busying himself with securing his pack and avoiding their gaze. It was enough that they were here, that they still treated him with respect despite his silence and solitude. That was all he could allow himself to accept.
As he turned to leave, Jin cleared his throat, offering a final word in that gravelly voice. "Don't be a stranger, lad. Ain't good for anyone to be out there alone all the time, ya know."
Leo paused, swallowing hard as he nodded. He didn't respond, merely stepping back outside, hoping to leave the weight of their unspoken kindness behind him. But as he mounted Solstice again and started back toward his shelter, he couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. He'd spent so long shutting himself off from others, believing he was safer that way. But maybe, just maybe, it was time to let himself face something more than just survival.
Just as he was about to disappear back into the endless plains. there appeared to be somewhat of a commotion around the side of the Agency. At first it was quiet and missable, but things had escalated to the point where now- a rather angered growl could be heard.
It wasn't a Fiend, that's for sure. No- it was one of Spira's many races; a Ronso. Perhaps a couple from Gagazet? Not many survived the brutal purge brought to them. But some still lingered- remaining to bury those that fell at the hands of Maester Seymour.
They mostly kept to themselves. But unfortunately, it appears they had run into the one other race they had come to despise. A small family of Guado.
"YOU NOT WELCOME HERE!" The Ronso's roar was echoing, and their throwing of a Ronso man was all too clear that this had escalated.
Seymour was indeed, a half-Guado; and it was his action that almost left the entire Ronso race- extinct. Not only had he killed them, but because of the Wild Rose's involvement with Lady Yuna, he had too executed all of the Wild Roses aside from Leon. Some of the Guado had even been an accessory to it all.
The younger Ronso and some of the arrogant ones had developed a deep hate for the Guado. and although their punishment came with the exile of the Guado from their homeland. Many considered this not enough.
Leo merely watches, he doesn't get involved. There's a mixture of feelings on this... somewhere deep down, he felt like they deserved it.
The Ronso's deep, guttural roar filled the air, and the sight of a Guado male sprawled on the ground left little to the imagination of what had occurred moments prior. The Ronso's massive frame loomed over the smaller Guado family, his fur bristling as he snarled down at them. Two others stood just behind him, their faces contorted in anger, one gripping a jagged, primitive blade.
The Guado family huddled together in fear. The elder male tried to shield his kin, his trembling hands raised in a gesture of surrender. The Guado had no weapons to defend themselves, no means to fight back against the sheer power of the Ronso before them. Words were exchanged, but the language was drowned in the thick tension and the ever-growing crowd
"Puny and WEAK. Ronso disgraced!" Another gutteral shout
"Strong enough to harm a family of travelers? I thought the Ronso were warriors, not common thugs." Leo cuts him off. It's at that time did The Owner and his Daughter came over to break up the commotion.
The Ronso froze mid-snarl, his hulking frame turning toward the source of the voice. Leo's words cut through the commotion like the wind sweeping across the Calm Lands, low but sharp, with enough weight to halt the escalation. The Guado elder looked up from where he crouched, his eyes wide with a mixture of confusion and relief, while the crowd murmured in hushed tones at the unexpected intervention.
Leo dismounted Solstice with a fluid motion, his spear held loosely at his side. His hood remained drawn, shadowing his features, but the sharpness of his gaze could be felt even from beneath its darkened fabric. He approached without hesitation, his steps deliberate and steady.
"You..." the Ronso growled, his voice heavy with distrust. "You defend Guado? After what they—"
"I'm not defending them," Leo interrupted, his tone unyielding. "I'm reminding you what your kind once stood for. Warriors. Protectors of Gagazet. Not bullies who attack the defenseless."
The Ronso's grip tightened on his blade, his muscles tensing as if prepared to respond with violence. The crowd shifted uneasily, sensing the air turn electric with anticipation. Before anything could escalate further, Jin and Tera pushed through the onlookers.
"Enough!" Jin barked, his deep, gravelly voice cutting through the tension like a blade. "This is not the place for your grievances. You'll be scaring away my customers if you keep this up!"
Tera hurried to the Guado family's side, helping them to their feet while casting wary glances at the Ronso. "Grandpa's right," she said firmly, though there was a tremble in her voice. "Take it somewhere else, or leave it be."
The Ronso's eyes flared with anger, but something about Leo's stance gave him pause. It wasn't just his calm demeanor or the spear held casually at his side. It was the weight behind his words—the kind of authority that only came from lived experience. The Ronso seemed to struggle for a moment before snarling in frustration, lowering his weapon reluctantly.
"You speak wisely," the Ronso admitted, though his voice was still rough with anger. "But my rage will not be tamed easily."
"Then take it out on a Fiend," Leo replied, his voice cold as stone. "Not a family trying to survive."
The Ronso hesitated, then turned with a huff, gesturing for his companions to follow. The crowd began to disperse, whispers trailing behind them.
Leo sighed, looking to Jin with just a momentary glance, before gazing off towards the long stretching Calm Lands.
"...How many times in the past month has this happened." He inquired.
Jin let out a heavy sigh, removing his glasses to rub the bridge of his nose. His voice carried the weariness of someone who had seen too much of these incidents lately.
"Too many," he muttered, slipping his glasses back on. "Tensions've been high ever since the Eternal Calm started. Ronso passing through, bitter as a Sandworm after what happened on Gagazet. Guado wandering south, nowhere to call home. This land was already hard enough, and now everyone's spilling their grudges out here."
Tera, still by the shaken Guado family, looked over at her grandfather, concern etched on her face. "They just showed up this morning," she said quietly, referring to the Guado. "I thought they'd move on by nightfall, but... well, you saw what happened."
Leo's gaze remained fixed on the horizon, the winds of the Calm Lands stirring the long blades of grass. He shifted the spear in his grip, the motion absentminded but weighted. "It's going to keep happening," he said flatly. "As long
"The Guado. Where did they go after they were banished from the Guadosalam." Leo was getting too deep into this, asking questions only somebody who wanted to involve themself would ask. He knew that he shouldn't- but something was spurning him on.
Jin raised an eyebrow at Leo's question, clearly surprised. "You sure you want to go down that road, kid?" he asked, folding his arms. "I thought you were the 'keep-to-yourself' type."
Tera shot her grandfather a look, then hesitated before speaking up. "From what I've heard, most of the Guado scattered. Some tried settling near the Moonflow, but the locals didn't exactly welcome them. Others wandered south, toward the Thunder Plains or even the Djose Highroad." She frowned, glancing at the shaken family. "But I don't think they've got anywhere permanent. No one wants them around after... you know."
Jin nodded grimly. "A few tried sticking together in small camps, but it's not easy. They're being hounded just about everywhere they go. Hard to survive when half of Spira hates you and the other half blames you for Seymour's madness."
Leo shifted his stance, gripping his spear a little tighter. His hood still shadowed his face, but his jaw tightened beneath the dark green fabric. "No one asked for Seymour's cruelty," he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. His mind flickered to memories he'd rather leave buried—memories of fire, of betrayal, of the Wild Roses falling to Yevon's purges.
Jin studied him carefully, his old eyes narrowing slightly. "Why're you asking, Leo? You planning to play peacemaker or something? Thought you had enough ghosts of your own without picking up more baggage."
Tera glanced between the two, her curiosity evident, though she kept her questions to herself. Instead, she offered softly, "If you're really that curious, I think the Guado at
"The Ronso don't forgive as easily. Eventually- the foolish will band together and hunt the Guado down. A repayment of Blood." Leo was versed well in the ways of the Ronso- after all, he was technically raised by one.
"As long as nobody knows where the majority of them are hiding... It'll be fine." Another murmur escapes him.