Spoilers for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers lore and locations.
Day
1
I was forced to
buy a new tome, which I did with posthaste. Perhaps at some point I shall be
able to return it to Norvrandt with the help of my benefactor. If that is the
case, perhaps it will find its way to you mother. I hold that hope close to my
heart, so that you may know the truth.
There is a beyond.
There is a place
beyond Norvrandt. Beyond Lakeland, and most certainly beyond Holminster Switch.
My benefactor spoke true. I dare not even dwell on what demonic magics it took,
but they upheld their bargain. We met on one of the balconies of Eulmore for
the ordeal.
I had assumed
there would be fanfare attached to such a feat, but there was none. My benefactor
confirmed that I was dedicated to the journey, and told me that whatever I
wished to bring had to be on my person. I had already prepared for this,
bringing nothing more than a scholarly tome. With little more than a wave of
their hand, I was sent on my way. The only indicator they had even done
anything was their face running a blood red, so I cannot begin to guess what sort
of magic they used.
At first, it felt
as though I were moving through the aether as you do when using an aetheryte.
That feeling passed, and yet I had reached nowhere. I had dreaded that I might
never reach another place again, but just as quick as the feeling started, I was
spat out of the aetherstream or whatever it may have been.
I laugh thinking
about it now, but my first actions in this great beyond were nothing heroic.
No, I must unfortunately report that I spent my first minutes here retching as
my stomach settled back into itself. It felt as though every inch of my form
was trying to reconfigure itself, as though it had been shifted and scattered
and slapped back together. Even still I feel a tingle at the edge of my hand,
as though it is waking up from sleep.
When I collected
myself, I had believed myself the cove of a rather grassy cave. I could barely
see anything save the light of a lantern from afar. I could never in my life
have dreamed of being so wrong. I dream this book can reach you at some point
in the future, mother, because I must tell you that there is not just a beyond
Norvrandt. There is a beyond the Flood.
It was no cave,
for what I mistook as the ceiling, was the sky mother. A dark night
sky filled with glittering stars. To call it breathtaking does it no justice.
It took more than my breath; I feel as though it took everything from me. My
entire body grew limp, I fell backwards. I cannot describe the feeling, but I
am certain you would fully understood if you saw it for yourself.
I felt as though I
could never bring myself to leave, and yet when I did I was light as a feather.
I was sprinting over the first hill I saw, only to stop when I reached the top.
I stared out over a vast ocean, and further down the grassy plain I found myself
on was a city, the windows of it looking just like the stars above in the dark.
At first I mistook it for Eulmore, as it seemed almost similar in structure,
but a second look was enough for me to realize the differences. I sprinted
there next, my heart racing at the thought of what could be beyond the ocean,
or beyond the mountains, or in the city itself.
I had planned to roam the city the moment I
arrived, but fatigue claimed me before I could even consider it. I asked for
directions to the market to buy this tome, and went to the nearest inn straight
away after. Just the process of doing so revealed to me the foreignness of this
place. Everyone is so lively, even in the dead of night. I spotted boats coming
on and off the harbor, carrying goods from places I could only imagine.
I shudder with excitement and fear I won’t
be able to sleep tonight. I have so much to see that I have failed in any
attempts to plan what excursions I can make tomorrow. Even now my thoughts rush
so that it is difficult to put them into words. I suppose I shall deal with it
as it all comes.
No comments:
Post a Comment