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uridestiny · 2 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 22 (End): From night to dawn of adventure

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/747592370303975424/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-21-tears-of?source=share

Sometimes when a story seems to end, it's as if the end is the last thing we see. But the truth is that, when a book closes, another opens to continue, just as when a person stumbles, they get back up to take the next step; In life, each decision and each step is a new line for our story. And when it ends, a new journey will begin.

5 years passed after the events of the Calamity, but 4 years ago, on that night full of stars and tears, I had made a decision.

But I didn't feel ready to communicate it at that time, so I decided to wait for the right moment, and with that, continue improving and learning.

In addition to my hours dedicated to using my bow and arrows, also at work when I took my breaks, I studied to learn about Eorzea and its history, as well as the history of the other distant lands of Etheirys. If I had to leave the island again, I had to be prepared for anything. But, if I knew anything from experience, it was that a person is never sufficiently prepared for life, so the only thing I could do was accept what could happen, and keep my feet on the ground as best I could. It wasn't going to be easy, but I considered myself stubborn enough to be able to do it.

And then... Finally that day came.

Adrien had come to visit us at home, bringing with him fruits and ingredients to prepare a dessert at home. I was really happy to see him and because of that, Aaron offered to make dinner in exchange for Adrien making dessert.

Even before the events of the Calamity, we have had the habit of having dinner together as a family even once or twice a month, to stay informed and share things together. We could talk about the good and the bad, as well as our worries and future plans. It kept us together by being open like this at our family dinners.

That particular day, I was feeling a little nervous, my tail kept moving restlessly against my chair and I felt like if I sat any longer I was going to swallow my words before I had a chance to say them. Adrien, who was checking the ingredients, pointed out my strange behavior, but it was not because of my tail, but because of my ears, which kept fluttering restlessly.

That was embarrassing.

At first, Adrien joked that I was in love and that I was going to break the news that I was in a relationship with someone, but I made an angry and disgusted expression, he said that he was just joking with me, but Aaron didn't let the opportunity pass and mention my friend Maral from the reconnaissance and espionage department. Which for some strange reason, made Adrien very happy to have made friends from there too.

After dinner was served, I felt the need to eat quickly to break the news, but I held back as much as I could and tried to take bites as slowly as possible so as not to feel choked by the food and the words that were accumulating in my throat, and although I had gone over what I wanted to say several times, I was really worried about the reaction of both of them, after all, I don't know what kind of opinion they had on the subject.

When I finish eating, I tried to clear my throat by drinking a glass of water. And when I took my last sip, I took a deep breath and put the glass on the table.

¨Aaron, Adrien... I have something important to tell you.¨ They both looked up, Adrien had not finished eating yet but he left the spoon on his plate, on the other hand Aaron took the spoon and had it in his mouth and was chewing the food slowly.

I got up from the chair, and I felt like my tail hid between my legs and my ears slightly sank a little on my head. My heart was beating hard from my nerves and I let the words escape, letting them leave my chest.

"I... I have decided to become an adventurer" I said, trying to sound as confident as possible.

When my words echoed in the dining room, I had expected many scenarios, but the one I was seeing right now seemed like something out of some comedy book.

Adrien had a big smile on his face and even stood up from his seat applauding.

¨I can't believe it, our little sister has finally grown up!¨ He said sounding very happy, I understood his words immediately, because for years I had always doubted what I wanted to do with my life, but now, I no longer felt doubts on my heart, this was what I wanted to do and it made me feel good, but now my only worry was what they would think.

Aaron, on the other hand, had already taken the spoon out of his mouth and dropped it onto the plate with a thud, his expression clear of pure terror and surprise. Clearly very different from Adrien.

Aaron raised his hands covering his face and then made a sound very similar to a moan. On the other hand, Adrien moved from his place and approached me to give me a big hug, he looked really happy. So, when he noticed his twin brother's reaction, he moved away from me for a moment and approached him.

¨Brother, what's wrong?¨ Adrien said carefully, at that moment I feared that he had taken the news badly.

I heard Aaron to murmur a few words, but they were not understandable and then he removed his hands from his face and we saw how tears fell quickly from his eyes. ¨I can't believe it... I can't believe it...¨ I heard him say in a whisper.

Adrien patted his brother on the back and grabbed a tissue from the table to give it to him.

¨Brother... ¨ I approached Aaron, but before I could touch him, he stood up and hugged me very tightly, it was then that I heard his words more clearly in my ears.

¨I can't believe it, that it's time to let you go... I'm not ready, I'm not ready to see you go yet... ¨ Aaron's emotions overflowed and also made me cry with him. Adrien smiled and approached us, joining the hug.

¨I knew this day would come... I knew that one day you would decide to take your own path away from us... But... I was just waiting for you to stay a little longer ... ¨ I heard Aaron say between sobs.

¨Brother... ¨ I tried to find the words, it was the first time I saw Aaron show his feelings overflowing like that. ¨I promise that I will come to visit you too, and I will send many letters so that you know that I am well and the trips I am going to take... You both are my family, and you will always be with me in my heart as I walk. ¨

My words only made Aaron cry louder, and he continued to hug me very tightly to the point where I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore, but I held on as best I could...

After several tears, Adrien seemed full of energy and happy when preparing dessert, and while we waited for him to finish, Aaron showed me several things that he wanted to take with me in case I needed them, preparing a list with possible things that I could take with me for my trips, I just listened to him talk while smiling. Just as he gave me paper and ink that he insisted I take with me so I could write to him whenever I could and he promised me that he would read all my letters.

That night, we decided to sleep together because I also told them in advance that I already had the trip and my luggage prepared to leave the island and start my way to Gridania to register in the city's adventurers guild; Therefore, we prepared my room to sleep on the floor and watch the stars together like when I was a little girl. They both tried to stay awake for as long as they could, but in the end, exhaustion and the news I gave got the better of them and I held their hands while looking at the sky through the glass. Observing this starry sky that I would share with them for the last time before leaving.

The next morning, my brothers accompanied me to the dock where the ship would disembark in Limsa Lominsa and with my savings during my time working, I would use it to travel to Gridania once again. Everything was already prepared and all that was left was to wait for the boat to be ready...

¨Destiny, wait a moment.¨ I heard Adrien say.

I turned to look at them both, they seemed restless and I noticed how Adrien hid his hands behind his back.

¨When... We met you for the first time, we didn't know your name or where you came from, but when Aaron and I decided to adopt you, your papers were incomplete, there was only your first name and your date of birth, but there was only that.¨ Adrien said sounding unsure.

¨But the more time passed and we learned to know you, we noticed many of your traits and differences that exist between the cultures of our races. As you well know, both Aaron and I are Seekers of the Sun, but we noticed that you appreciate the night more and we came to the conclusion that you are Keeper of the Moon and well... We were forced to investigate and learn more so that you could feel comfortable with us...¨

And suddenly Aaron raised his hand, interrupting his twin.

¨What Adrien is trying to tell you; It's just that we want to do something for you that is in keeping with the traditions of your people.¨ Aaron said and then he looked at his brother who hesitated for a moment before taking out what seemed to be a small circular piece of plastic.

“After confirming the information we obtained after asking some questions to some colleagues, we were able to obtain this for you,” Aaron continued. ¨Among the Keepers of the Moon, when one of its members begins to take a path separate from their clan, they have to paint their faces to mark their determination and strength along the way. As well as not to forget its roots and promises.¨

I opened my eyes surprised at this new information, I had never intended to investigate my race or the culture that surrounds them. At this point I didn't care much about that, because those who looked after my well-being and who I met in my life, were all from different cultures, races and beliefs. But... To think that Aaron and Adrien would go so far to give me the opportunity to respect the traditions that I no longer remembered from my roots touched my heart.

¨We... We want you to know that you will always have a home with us, because you are an important part of our family, and please, I would like you to promise us that... You will always return safely, that you will see to your well-being and that you will live with all your strength.¨ Adrien said finally finding the words to speak and Aaron nodded his head, agreeing with his words.

I smiled and hugged them both. They really are wonderful, but to tell the truth, from the moment they gave me a name, I already felt part of their family, and I must say, I couldn't feel more fortunate to have grown up next to them as their sister. I couldn't find the words to express all this, so I just promised them that I would fulfill that promise they asked of me.

When I separated from them, Aaron took the paint from Adrien's hands and opened the plastic container, revealing white paint inside it.

¨What would you like us to paint on your face?¨ Aaron asked.

¨Whatever seems good to you, but please don't paint anything strange on me¨ I joked.

Adrien showed a small laugh, but Aaron just shook his head, I understood that the reason he came forward was to prevent Adrien from painting something strange on my face.

Very carefully, Aaron dipped his fingers into the white paint and asked me to stay still, on the other hand, Adrien walked and stopped behind me and held my hair to clear my face. I felt Aaron's fingers touch the skin of my cheeks with the white paint, I felt a little tingle with his fingers tracing gently.

But suddenly, Aaron started making funny gestures while he was painting my face, I couldn't help but laugh a little and receive a reprimand from him insisting that I stay still or the paint stroke would look bad.

After a few seconds, Aaron withdrew and contemplated the work he did with my face, a few seconds later he was joined by Adrien who was also curious to see what he had done and they both seemed happy with the result.

¨Destiny looks perfect on you!¨ Adrien said sounding happy.

I felt restless, unlike them who could look at me, I can't look at myself from their perspective, Aaron quickly understood that and took out a small mirror that was stored under the plastic that kept the painting.

When I looked at my face, I was surprised, Aaron had drawn some lines that went from my nose to the end of my cheek, like a bridge or a curved line that went down and up, as well some small circles on the line and positioned under my eyes. He did that on both sides of my face, but I noticed that he had also done circles on the side of my forehead above my left eyebrow.

“I love it” I told them both, smiling.

This seemed to ease Aaron's heart who sighed in relief, apparently he was worried that his creativity with painting would not be to my liking. Immediately afterwards, Aaron approached me and rested his forehead against mine and closed his eyes, I did the same and then I felt him move away, when I opened my eyes again, it was Adrien's turn to approach and he did the same. A fairly common gesture among us to show affection.

When he finished, he extended his hand with the small plastic filled with paint and with the mirror still inside.

¨Have this, so that you can always remember our promise and you can touch up your paint every day... If you want you could also try new styles to paint your face, you could let your creativity flow if you want...¨

"Are you belittling my work, brother?" Aaron interrupted, sounding a little bitter.

¨Nothing of that! Just saying in case Destiny is curious to try something new.” Adrien tried to sound reasonable.

I just laughed, and told them both. "I'm fine with this one, I like it a lot."

Aaron sighed and kept his attention on me.

"Try to sleep well and eat well" Aaron said as he raised a finger telling me what things I should take into account. "You already got your paper and ink ready, right?"

"Yes, I did it, brother" I said, feeling somewhat tired of his restlessness, but I didn't want to stop him.

¨Remember, you can write to me whenever you want, if you want you can do it every day, or maybe not exactly every day, but when you have time to write obviously... But I want you to know that if I notice that you stop writing, I will ask Adrien to go look for you...¨

"Brother, breathe" Adrien said, almost to laugh here and now. ¨She will be fine, she is already a grown woman.¨

I nodded my head and gave them both a big hug once again . "I love you, take care of yourselves"

Aaron hugged me immediately and Adrien hugged me gently.

“We love you too Destiny,” Aaron said, his voice threatening to break and his eyes to overflow with tears again. ¨You are our ray of sunshine, please continue to shine as you always have.¨

"I'll try hard brother" I said, at this moment I felt that if I stayed in their arms any longer, I wouldn't be able to separate myself and I wouldn't want to leave, but I decided to take courage and separate myself and I smiled at them as I walked directly towards the boat.

I decided to ask one of the people who were nearby to ask if I could get on the boat at once, and he said yes, because there were only a few items left to carry and if I got on the boat earlier, the better so as not to have to wait for a long time for the remaining passengers.

When I entered the ship, I looked over the platform to see my brothers, and Aaron looked worried, but Adrien was smiling gently, I smiled back at them and raised my arm to say goodbye to them.

It didn't take long for the boat to begin moving through the sea, slowly moving away from the island. I stayed there for several minutes while I watched my brothers and the island itself disappear from my sight. 5 years ago I embarked on a journey that introduced me to a world that I thought I knew, and now, a new era was rising over Eorzea and I wanted to see it with my own eyes, in this new adventure.

Every moment of my life I push myself to get here, and finally I will regain the strength in my heart and soul to move forward on the path I want. And everything was possible thanks to them... Who I met on my path to being who I am now.

Final notes of the story. -The flowers that were mentioned in the first chapter are a gift from the ancestors of Destiny's family, which have served as a special remedy to cure common illnesses. -Maral is on the same boat as Destiny and is going to accompany her, only he is hiding and plans to surprise her. -There will be more drama in a next story...

Leave your impressions about this story in the comments box, I would love to read them. (^人^)

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 writing #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #my writing #new journey #goodbye #siblings #decisionmaking

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uridestiny · 2 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 21: Tears of memories

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/747036113351376896/the-warrior-of-the-moon?source=share

The days that passed after that incident passed normally, and the Forum withdrew the punishment and gave me an apology for how rude they were to me to the point of leading me to collapse. But deep down I couldn't blame them for anything, I couldn't even explain what was happening to me.

Adrien even came to visit us more often, and informed me about how the reconstruction of the cities was going after the Calamity left several destructions in its wake. It was a slow procedure, but sure, Adrien assured that they would recover sooner than we thought if they continued at this pace.

My days in the Noumenon passed normally, it has never been a job involving much effort other than organization and observation. However, something in me felt that things were no longer the same, and over time being between these walls and the shelves inside the library became suffocating for me. Sometimes when I had the opportunity to return home early I would take my bow and arrows, as well as the map that Adrien made for me on one of his visits, because the previous map was lost with the rest of his cabin.

I spent some afternoons walking through weeds and rocks to try to find a safe path between the lesser-known corners of the island. I was even curious to understand why the zone of civilization had a considerable limitation on the size of the island, although the most logical answer was It would probably be inside the empty volcano that is now known as Labyrinthos. Whose projects and experimentation to create ideal terrain for exotic creatures would be more entertaining work than the complete exploration of the island.

Thanks to Adrien's map, I was able to find an easy way to get back home just by looking at the position of the sun, I just had to get close to the shore next to the rocks and the sea to know where to go. On the way I found some trees and pine trees with holes, when my finger brushed over them, I noticed that they were made by arrows and I smiled to myself thinking that Adrien probably passed by here to leave his mark, I just hoped that the trunk of these didn’t has been damaged a lot.

There were also times where I felt watched, but Adrien warned me in advance that students from the reconnaissance and espionage department might be hanging around the area to practice their skills. So, I decided not to pay much attention while practicing.

I spent several months repeating this routine, but there were times when Aaron and I would return home together and it wasn’t possible for me to practice with him nearby; After all, knowing him, he'd make me listen to a sermon until his tongue hurt from talking so much.

But this day was different...

While I was trying to shoot an arrow, when I shot it, it never touched the trunk of a tree in front of me, because my arrow had been cut in two and was now on the ground. And when I tried to reach out to pick it up, a dagger landed right next to me.

I raised my head carefully and paid close attention to the sound, my ears perked up when I managed to perceive the sound of a person's breathing from above. I stood still, waiting for his next move.

¨Hey, where do you want to go by shooting so many arrows?¨ I heard someone's voice with a tone of sarcasm.

I didn't answer, but I stayed in my place, my eyes scanned the trunks of the trees around me, hoping to find the person who was talking to me, but it seemed like he was using an illusion spell to hide. Which didn't surprise me at all.

¨Hey, I made you a question, aren't you going to answer?¨ He continued insisting, but his tone was rude.

"I don't talk to people who are so cowardly as not to show themselves when they shoot a dagger almost in the face." I responded defiantly, if there was one thing I didn't like, it was being played with like that.

¨Oops, does it bother you little princess?¨ His tone sounded mocking.

I wasn't in the mood to deal with pranksters, much less spoiled children, so I got up from my position and with a quick movement with my bow and arrow I aimed up where I could see a small shadow and shot there. Then I saw how the shadow staggered and jumped somewhere else.

¨Are you trying to kill me?!¨ He shouted now sounding angry.

¨It seemed like that was your intention towards me with that dagger, I'm just giving you the answer back¨ I said sounding annoyed.

The shadow jumped from one branch to another, from one tree to another it moved, it looked like a slippery squirrel at this moment, probably its intention was to confuse me to prevent me from landing the next blow, but I didn’t want to continue this game of point and shoot towards the prize and lowered my bow, trying to show that I didn't want to continue with that. When he noticed this gesture on my part, I heard how he landed on the nearest tree behind me.

¨...How did you know I was there?¨ He said, sounding tired.

“You're not good at staying silent” I told him.

Then I felt his shadow descending towards me and I jumped forward and rolled around to face him; Leaning on one knee, I saw a young Aura, with blue skin and dark scales with glowing orange eyes. He seemed to be only a couple of years older than me.

We looked at each other for a few seconds, until in our awkward silence we finally put an end to this game of hide-and-seek.

¨My name is Maral¨ He said and stood up. "Maral Kahkol"

I also got up, as we were standing face to face, I could see that he is tall, but he still needs to mature a little, because as I have heard, the Aura can measure up to 2 meters in their adult stage, even surpassing the Elezen, but at this moment, he barely surpassed my height, he would probably be close to that; When I was just about to open my mouth to speak and introduce myself, he spoke first.

¨You are the younger sister of Aaron and Adrien Urih; Destiny Urih I have heard a lot about you¨ He said and crossed his arms. ¨However, I didn't expect that after getting into so much trouble when you went to Eorzea without permission, that you would be willing to get into new ones, if any of my classmates ever tell our professors that you are in this area, I can only imagine that you will receive a letter for the next call to the Forum for your behavior.¨

I crossed my arms, actually kind of surprised to he knew even a little bit about me.

¨But something tells me that you are not snitches, there is a reason why you have the espionage department, not only do you learn to be stealthy, which you have failed today, but also to keep secrets very well.¨ I said without seeming affected by his words.

To my surprise, he smiled.

"You're clever, but that doesn't take away my curiosity to see you shoot arrows in such a far corner. The way you hold that bow, it doesn't seem like you're just practicing for fun. What are you trying to do here?" He asked and I noticed how he was looking at my face, scanning my gestures and probably something that would reveal my thoughts more easily.

"I'm just looking to be stronger" I said without giving much thought, but my answer apparently brought more questions to young Aura.

¨But why do you want to do that? I mean from my knowledge, you have a good family, and you don't seem to be in a bad position to need to go into battle, you even have a pretty face, you could even get a husband and never work in your life, not even the possibility of taking another weapon in your hand... Well that would only happen if you were looking to stay on the island of course.¨

In addition to having flaws in his stealth, he talks too much. It says mere theories about a person about their personal life from the present to the future without considering other possibilities, such as the person's will. I sighed to myself, I didn't have to explain my life to a complete stranger and give them reasons to imagine new scenarios.

¨What I do shouldn't worry you, better try to improve your stealth.¨ I said as I turned around to leave.

¨So that means you want to leave the island?¨ He said suddenly and I stopped.

I didn't say a single word, but then I felt him approach me again and try to look at my face again, trying to figure me out again.

"Listen, I have heard a lot about what happened with the fall of Dalamud and the Battle of Cartenau, it was a very dangerous and frightening scenario, one would think that a person would be traumatized to return to the place where they saw such a nightmare" he insisted.

"I have my reasons" I responded without flinching, but inside I was already eager to leave and burning with anger, however I didn't want to show this to him.

He kept his gaze fixed on me, as if waiting for a reaction from me of some kind, and then he changed position and put his arms behind his head. He walks a few meters away from me and then lowers his head to look at me out of the corner of his eye again. Seriously, I didn't understand this guy.

¨If you want to survive out there, you won't achieve it just by shooting arrows... You need to know the basics.¨ His words resonated in my mind, but I didn't want to hear a lecture from him.

“I know some things” I said, trying not to sound smug.

¨Really?¨ He paused and smiled, mocking. ¨Do you know how to collect wood? Turn on a wood fire? Or do you even want to prepare a tent to camp at night?¨

I changed position and faced him, already tired of his teasing.

¨Yes, but preparing a tent for camping no.¨ Then I crossed my arms. ¨But I learned that a viable option to avoid predators is to climb trees. Or preferably high places with good visibility, but you should not be in sight, but in the shadows.¨

Then he nodded his head, ran his tongue over his teeth making a clicking sound and then smiled big.

¨You seem like a decent person, did you have another life before coming to Sharlayan?¨

I didn't want to answer that, instead, I sighed and tried to leave.

“If you are good with your homework, you will have to find out for yourself.” And with that said, I decided to make my way back home.

Of course I had my reasons for leaving the island once again, but I had to prepare for it, I didn't want to shelter in the walls of Gridania again waiting for stronger people to protect me again. I couldn't do anything before during the events of the Calamity... And that feeling hasn't stopped tormenting me since that night...

It had been almost 1 year since those events...

That night, when I was looking at the stars after that unusual dream, I tried to find solace by looking at the sky, like I always used to do; I looked for the constellations, and watch the stars shine in different colors, to observe the brightness of the full moon, and even try to follow the trail of a shooting star that passed over the sky.

But none of that had the answer I was looking for, there were no words in heaven that could explain to me the reason why many people lost the memory of adventurers who were no longer here. Then I tried to focus on the words I could remember from that dream, although they were few, I could understand a couple of things.

I could vaguely remember having helped an adventurer, I didn't remember if they was a man or a woman, I couldn't remember their appearance and I couldn't hear their voice, but if I could remember that them was injured, I help them, and even support them in the work, we exchanged many words, but they talked about heroes and adventures, about stories that they heard and that they wanted to make a difference and to help those who need it...

¨ To make a difference and to help those who need it...¨ I whispered those words as if they were important, they created a strange feeling in my chest, like a kind of mantra that I had to do for myself too.

In my time in the Gridania infirmary, many people asked about these adventurers, and out of curiosity, I ended up hearing that most of these people sought glory or fame about their deeds, searching for treasures by accepting challenges and battles that ordinary people couldn’t do, face danger with courage to protect... Not many adventurers had good intentions, but of the few who tried their best... They no longer had a face or name, and that... Destroyed the hearts of many.

It was then that, under the starry sky and the cold air entering my lungs, I remembered that there was a pleasant warmth in the words of the adventurer I met, although I could no longer remember it, a part of me told me that, they was a good person, and they truly wanted to do the best for others. I remembered the feeling how nice was it to spend time with them, but now...

That person no longer existed in the world...

During those months that I spent practicing using my bow and arrow more intensely, I remembered the words of this adventurer. And then I thought about my life; I had seen myself how cruel and raw the world could be, a hell that can consume you if you face it alone. There are people who simply see a vulnerable being to do whatever they want with them, who do not care about the well-being from others only just the benefit they can obtain, whose selfishness could kill more than one person along the way, to the point to end their life; Just as there are those who see the weak as tools to serve others, oppressing them with fear and binding them with false promises of freedom, those who enjoy seeing the pain of others, because they are pleased to see someone weaker than them...

With each of these thoughts, I shot the arrows with more anger at the trees, reaching the point of feeling my fingers hurt from holding my arrows roughly and I only stopped when I ran out of arrows and looked at my hand with cuts and blood bathed in it...

There were days when I came home with my fingers bandaged, but at no time did Aaron ask me any questions about it. I guess he was waiting for me to explain my injuries. Fortunately, that never affected my work, I was still able to hold the books and record them, so I didn't see the need to take a break for this.

When I returned to practice, I just hoped I wouldn't see again that Aura that interrupted me on the previous occasion, with him in the middle, I was worried about hurting him. But for my misfortune... He was standing there.

I silently walked forward with the intention of walking past him and looking for another place to practice my aim, but then I felt him take my arm.

¨You know the trees aren't to blame, right?¨ He asked and I raised an eyebrow, not understanding his intentions now.

¨Don't you feel any love for nature? Unleashing your anger against their trunks is not going to recover what you have lost.¨ He insisted, but I raised my arm so that he would let me go and move him away, but instead he squeezed my arm a little more.

"Could it be that you did your homework? Or do you just want to bother me again?" I asked in a sarcastic tone.

When I looked into his eyes, what surprised me most was seeing that there was concern in them. And I realized that he was holding me by my arm with my hand injured by so many hours of furious practice to shoot arrows.

¨I didn't do it, but I can easily say that you didn't do this to yourself because of your desire to practice for self-defense or just be stronger... This is anger.¨ He kept his hand firm and didn't let go of my arm, but he wasn't squeezing it anymore.

"That's not your problem, so I'll ask you to please let go of my arm" I said in a warning tone.

Maral paused, trying to gather the words he sought to express.

¨I decided not to investigate your life, so I don't know anything about you, only what my classmates and I have been able to see from afar and hear out there. But I can see in your eyes that you have suffered a lot." He said, for the first time he spoke in a soft tone and there was not a hint of joking.

¨Whatever it was, anger won't fix any of it. And you may lose yourself"

I looked at him in silence, I had no intention of talking about my life with a stranger. After that, he let go of my arm.

¨...Tell me something, was everything in your life bad?¨

He asked and walked a few meters away from me. I turned around to see him, but he only showed me his back.

"Maybe this is just personal opinion but... I think you should try to remember the good things too, after all, there must be a reason why you have a nice smile."

Before I could say a complaint about it, I saw him take a big leap upwards and I could hear him laughing out loud as he jumped from one tree to another. I didn't understand at all what bug had bitten him to say those words.

It was probably him trying to bother me again, which, he run away just to leave me with this feeling of confusion. In the end I decided not to think about it too much, and just take it as a mockery towards me.

I decided to sit in the grass and brush as I look up again, the stars are just making their appearance in the sky, but there is enough illumination for me to understand my surroundings.

I looked at my right hand covered in bandages and sighed at the slight sensation of pain between my fingers full of wounds, it was clearly the reflection of my arduous nights of practice, but I couldn't deny that all that time I was also feeling deeply frustrated by my thoughts about our world. Although I didn’t have a normal childhood, there were situations that made the suffering less...

I ran a hand through my hair, ruffling it as I sighed... And finally I decided that I didn't want to train today, so I let myself fall on my back in the grass and brush, and I saw the sky and the stars, the night was coming and the stars would cover the sky in that vast black sea that has always been out of our reach.

During all that time, I tried again to find the constellations, but I didn't have much luck with all the trees around me, limiting my area of vision of the sky, but that didn't bother me at all. Since the moon was more difficult to hide between the trees, especially if it shone with all its splendor when it was in its full phase.

At some point I ended up taking one of the arrows and started playing with it with my good hand, making it spin around in the air a few times, and then holding it in my hand to play with the feathers and the sharp metal tip; For some strange reason, I felt hypnotized just holding it and playing with it. Before the bow and arrows, my father had taught me to use a small knife, but he only taught me to use it to defend myself against small animals, but if I was unlucky enough to find a large one, I had to hide until he came to find me or wait for the beast to take another path.

But in the end... He was always there to save me.

I sighed sadly at the memory.

Unfortunately, time plays very badly with the mind and you end up forgetting almost all the details of your life, and only the ones that had the most impact remain, I was no exception. I remembered my parents, but the moments of happiness and peaceful days felt very far away for me, and I hardly remembered much about them. Which sometimes gave me a little anxiety about forgetting them.

But I did remember clearly what my uncle did to me... I remembered my sisters when we worked for him. I even remembered clearly how he handed me over to Garlemald soldiers after selling me.

The days I spent as a slave were deeply etched in my mind... The fear, the anger, the pain, the helplessness I felt when I was trampled by them every day. But... She wasn’t like that, Khistis was different... She, despite being Garlean, took good care of me and it was she... Who freed me from that life.

My vision became cloudy as I felt tears emerge in my eyes, a feeling of sadness and relief washed over me like that day. I could never forget that feeling I had when I got out of that bag and in a long time I had left my cell to see the stars, the forest, the wind, the night... They were the greatest and best gift I received in my life.

When I met Adrien, it was the beginning of a new life that I had never thought I would have, I met my brothers and thanks to them, I was able to feel like I belonged somewhere again.

I didn't want to forget any of them; to my parents, my sisters, Khistis, or my brothers... Even... Mr. Leveilleur and the adventurer I met.

My tears didn’t stop falling that night, as I recounted all the good and bad things that happened in my life, each of them showed me a small part of the world in its cruelty, but also showed me its beauty and goodness.

Time passed since then...

With every visit I made at night to continue practicing, the more often I had Maral's company with me, apparently, apart from not doing his homework, he used to sneak out of some of his classes just to annoy me with his new methods of hiding and sharing his ways to “survive”. Although I found his jokes in bad taste, I admit that he was pleasant company over time and we became good friends.

We even trained together several times to continue growing in our fighting style. Thanks to his support, I managed to improve my aim a little more and was able to shoot arrows when a high-speed target appeared in front of me. Just as he would ask me for help to test his hiding skills, with my good hearing and sense of smell, I could easily detect where he was and the challenge was that I wouldn’t find him, which, sadly, he couldn’t achieve. But a part of me wondered if he even had any intention of getting serious about improving his stealth skills.

Also, we had moments of breaks, where he, being very curious and observant, used to listen to many interesting rumors and gossip, but he always asked me for discretion in not sharing them because he would probably be the one who would get into trouble.

My work at the Noumenon was no different than usual, but when Aaron finally decided to ask me what I did with my free time, because he ended up noticing that I wasn't home after my work hours, I ended up telling him the truth about my nocturnal activities during training of using my bow and arrows, but that I did it with a friend from the reconnaissance and espionage department.

His only reaction to this was to run a hand over his face and say that "I was easily following in Adrien's footsteps by making friends with them."

I smiled a little sheepishly, knowing that probably a new worry had been added to Aaron's list. But the surprises would not end there.

For those curious, when Maral mentioned Destiny's smile. It's because he has been watching her since the moment she entered the territory to train with her bow and arrow for the first time. Since then, if he has the opportunity to see her, while he is wandering around the city or on an exercise with his classmates, he goes to see her.

#ff14 #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #ff14 writing #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #my writing #emotion #sad thoughts #anger #new friends

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uridestiny · 2 months

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A gift for Ameliance

The Warrior of Light arrives at the Leveilleur mansion to deliver a very special gift to Ameliance.

The Leveilleur family reunited once again

I must say honestly that I haven't drawn in years, but I felt the need to reflect this through drawing and not in writing because it would be too short that it would even be laughable. So after a little effort and trying to remember how to properly hold a pencil to draw, I managed to make some very simple drawings. This idea occurred to me a long time ago during Endwalker when they first started Custom Deliveries for Ameliance, I just couldn't find the time to do it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I must mention that the Leveilleur twins are my favorite characters.

Oh and in the image of the comic, that is my username for my Twitter in case you want to visit me there too (^人^)

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ffxiv ameliance #ameliance leveilleur #my art #my art <3 #ffxiv endwalker #ff14 endwalker #ff14 alphinaud #ffxiv alisaie #ffxiv alphinaud #ff14 alisaie #ffxiv forchenault #ff14 comic #ffxiv comic

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uridestiny · 2 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 20: Fresh scars

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/746301944017141760/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-19-truths-after?source=share

We spent 5 days in the makeshift infirmary until Aaron was finally able to have contact with Sharlayan and a friend of his so that he could help us return to the island, during which time the healers checked on me every few hours and helped me receive therapy to to keep my body moving, every time they touched my feet, my whole leg hurt up to my head, but thanks to healing spells and medicine the pain could be tolerated for a few bells.

I wasn’t used to seeing all the wounded around me, some were moved and others remained, there were few who had minor injuries and could leave only with a small prescription for medicines and potions. It was really a bitter thing to see all this, and I really wished I would never touch another nursing in my life once I fully recovered my health.

As dawn fell upon us on the 6th day, we took a carriage with other patients to be transferred to different parts of the three city states, my brothers bought a wheelchair to help me move easily as we made our way to Limsa Lominsa to take the boat to Sharlayan.

While waiting for news, I looked at the sky, there isn’t a single cloud in sight, I could only see the beautiful blue extending as far as the eye could see, but I couldn’t get rid of that strange feeling in my chest, in which I still remembered the red sky and the fragments of Dalamud falling like meteorites over Eorzea, there was something in that sky that... It was familiar and terrifying.

I ducked my head and shook it, trying to get the thought away, but that wasn't all I was worried about; I remember that before I fell unconscious that day, everything turned bright blue like the sky, and I could swear I heard a voice...

I looked up at the sky again, vaguely hoping to hear that voice again, but there was nothing, I could only hear the ocean water and the seagulls flying nearby. But not the voice I heard that day.

When we returned home to Sharyalan, Aaron received a letter from the Forum requesting his presence, I assumed it was for disobeying the city rules and leaving the island without consent. Adrien and I tried to support our brother as best we could when we waited for him outside the gates. Then we watched as he came out and approached us, sighing in relief, as if all that time he had been holding something in his chest that he had finally been able to let go.

That night Adrien offered to cook, but Aaron kept insisting that he continue to rest due to his injuries, the two argued in the kitchen for a while until finally they both decided to cook together and Adrien would only assist him with things that didn’t require much effort, but from his perspective, his brother was exaggerating a bit about his health condition.

When we were both finally able to recover, Adrien returned to Gridania to continue working as a soldier; He promised to send letters more regularly as well as more visits, he only asked us not to be impatient, because Eorzea had suffered a lot of damage from the Calamity.

Instead, the Forum called me as soon as I could stand on my own feet, also with the same intention of scolding me for having abandoned my job and the island without prior notice when permission to travel directly to Eorzea wasn’t being given to the Citizens, my punishment for my recklessness was to work overtime to make up for the days I missed and during that time they also lowered my salary. This, according to them, would be enough punishment to make me reflect on my actions of getting involved in other people's affairs. They promised to restore my normal salary once my period of attending overtime ended.

They left me no choice but to reluctantly accept this. But if I thought twice, that was a better option than being forced to leave the island. During that time, I spent long hours working in the library, recording, reviewing content, and reorganizing scroll information. There were days when I had to stay inside to sleep while I continued working, and only went out to rest for a few hours and take showers. On some nights, Aaron came alone to give me dinner for the day and lent me some blankets so I wouldn't get cold.

One early morning when I returned from buying a coffee at The Last Stand, I heard the murmur of some students in the hallways between the shelves of books.

¨ Have you heard about that rumor is true?¨ The voice of a young boy sounded.

¨Which one? You know there are many rumors flying around on the island, be more specific.¨ This time it was the voice of a girl with a high pitch.

¨Do you remember that one of the most recognized archons of Sharlayan, Louisoix Leveilleur, left the island to help the land of Eorzea? ¨

Hearing Mr. Leveilleur's name made my ears perk up and listen more closely to what was happening.

"Ah yes, I heard that he was involved during the appearance of the primals and in the events of the Calamity." The voice of another young man was heard, but with a critical tone.

¨Well you see... The archon Louisoix Leveilleur... Died during the Calamity ¨ The youngest boy finally said and the others around him were heard gasping in disbelief at the news.

I felt a sudden leap in my heart at the news, when I was in Gridania I briefly met Mr. Leveilleur, but he was very kind to me and gave me advice when I wanted to get closer to my brother. I couldn't believe that he...

¨I-It must be a mistake! Stop joking like that Neoport!¨ The girl responded, her voice sounded trembling, I couldn't distinguish if she was afraid or if she was doing her best to deny that the news was true.

“I'm not joking Trisha!” Neoport sounded nervous too. ¨I heard that Elder Seedseer found the archon's broken staff after the Battle of Carteneau!¨

¨Do you mean the Tupsimati?!¨ Said the other man.

“The same one.” Neoport continued and talked about the details about the magic staff, but by that time, I had already moved away from them and took a seat in my work corner where I had left the most recent book record.

I sighed to myself... And suddenly I felt more tired than I had been in days. I couldn't believe that Mr. Leveilleur died that day... Although the only thing I knew about him was what everyone else did, I felt bad thinking that, in his last moments of life, he was far from his loved ones... For a cause he believed in with his heart.

How could his family take the news?...

I shook my head and looked at the paper with the record again... But I only looked at the paper for a few seconds until my head clicked on a detail.

It is assumed that the adventurers who were so close to the Calamity in the Battle of Carteneau could no longer be remembered due to their presence at the event, the leaders and certain people stayed away... But it took them a while to find the staff and survivors...

I ran my fingers to grab the bridge of my nose, scolding myself for thinking about such a possibility when I didn't even have enough evidence, I couldn't even understand what were the factors that made some people disappear from others' memories... But if that were the case... Then why haven't we forgotten the existence of Mr. Leveilleur?

I tried again to force myself to remember the adventurer I met in my short period in Gridania, I had been trying to remember them for days, but nothing came to my mind, it was as if I saw a white spot in my memories and I couldn't even see their body or hear their voice. I remembered some words, but it didn't seem like they were mine, but like someone else's, like they had been that adventurer's...

The more I thought about it made me feel dizzy, when I looked up, I started to see how everything was spinning around me, and the next thing I remembered was that everything went black.

When I opened my eyes, I was in a place I had seen before, Bentbranch Meadows, I was sitting and in front of me there was a light, as if someone should be there, suddenly, I saw words floating in the air coming out of that light, but these evaporated so quickly that I could barely read some parts.

¨...great stories, of heroes who fought to protect the world from great threats... great villains... living great adventures, exploring new lands and facing new challenges... helping those in need, extending a helping hand or words of comfort...¨

I stretched out my hand to try to reach the words, but they escaped from my hands, and then more words appeared, again and again more appeared. I tried to move and reach the light that was in front of me, but for some strange reason, my feet seemed to have anchored to the ground, I wasn’t able to move and I could only watch as the words of that light evaporated into the air.

¨... different stories... and... if there were people like them, the world could be a better place... share kindness... strength... protect what we hold dear...¨

I felt the anxiety to reach those words, I was sure that they were important, and I felt helpless that I couldn’t reach them... While that light spoke, more words were missing and less coherence they had.

¨... pain... helplessness... contempt... abandon... hope... they supported each other¨

Please... Don't let me forget you...

¨ ... just stories... don't give up... better day.¨ ¨

I felt my tears overflowing, desperate to reach them, my body moving away and their light fading into the air until nothing remained. But when everything around me began to turn dark, a single phrase of words manifested in front of me, full of light...

“I want to make a difference and I want to help those who need it.”

I woke up abruptly with a cry of surprise, with cold sweat on my forehead and on my bed at home. Which seemed really unusual to me, because... The last thing I remembered was being in the Noumenon when I was listening to the conversation of those students...

I touched the sheets that covered me between my hands, feeling the texture of the fabric between my fingers made me understand that I wasn’t dreaming; I looked up at the glass ceiling of my room to determine what time it was, by the position of the sun... It was already more than noon.

I ran out of bed and washed my face, readjusted my clothes and brushed my hair. When I went down the stairs to leave, I saw how the door opened earlier and Aaron entered, with a surprised expression when he saw me standing and adjusting my coat.

¨I have to go Aaron, if I go right now I'll probably be able to complete my day and I'll take more overtime...¨

“Calm down Destiny, they gave you the day off” Aaron said, raising his hand to stop me when I tried to walk past him.

I blinked a couple of times, unable to understand how that was possible, especially since my punishment given by the Forum required that I be responsible with my work attendance and punctual, only then would they consider that I had fulfilled my punishment.

¨How?... ¨ I asked trying to formulate words.

Aaron sighed and when he closed the door I noticed that he was carrying a paper bag in his arms and my nose could detect a delicious aroma coming from the bag.

"You fainted at work" Aaron said and walked towards the stairs further down, he shook his head in my direction, making me understand that he was asking me to follow him.

¨Some students found you unconscious on the floor and called a healer. They called me shortly after they found you and the healer told me that fatigue and high levels of stress were probably the reason you collapsed.¨

Aaron and I arrived at the kitchen and dining room of the house, he opened a chair and asked me to sit down. When I approached the table, my brother sat in front of me and began to open the paper bag; taking out two metal containers and freshly baked bread wrapped in paper.

I finally took my seat when my nose detected what was inside the metal containers, my ears fluttered happily on my head, waiting impatiently.

Aaron realized this and got up to pick up some plates to serve the contents on them. Once he opened the metal container, that was when I realized that my nose correctly detected the food. Chicken and mushrooms, one of my favorite dishes.

“I took the liberty of going to Last Stand to order this for both of us, and I brought a set of extra vegetables to accompany the dish” Aaron said as he brought the plate towards me with cutlery and more vegetables included.

Even though I have little affection for vegetables, I considered my situation twice before saying anything, I really needed to eat something better, especially since I had passed out while working.

¨When you finish you will eat some fruit and rest, tomorrow you will be able to work again.¨ Aaron said as he unwrapped the freshly baked bread from the paper, the smell of the bread made me feel like my mouth was drooling; In addition to the fish, meat and sweets, I really loved smelling the freshly baked bread.

¨Have I told you how much I love you brother?¨ I said to Aaron smiling when I took some bread for myself.

"Don't let Adrien listen to you or his heart will break." Aaron said in a serious tone, but I could make out a small smile on his lips when he bit into the bread.

For a few minutes we were eating in silence, but then I remembered that Aaron probably did have to go back to work, and I looked up slightly at a clock we have near the kitchen, where I could see that he has just under 10 minutes left until his break time ends.

"Brother" I said trying to get his attention.

He just made a sound, letting me know that he was paying attention to me.

¨Why did they give me the day off? I mean, they could have just given me medicine so I could continue working¨. I was really confused, after all the rules of the Forum are so strict that I really doubt they wanted to give me special treatment at this point.

"Because I insisted" Aaron responded.

My eyes widened when I heard this.

¨When you were temporarily transferred to an infirmary, a member of the Forum introduced himself.¨ Aaron putdown his plate and got up to wash his hands."It wasn't a pleasant conversation, but to sum it up, I reflected my displeasure at the punishment they gave you considering that little time had passed since you recovered from your injuries."

Aaron turned off the water but stood there with his back to me.

¨They were inconsiderate and that bothered me a lot...¨

At this moment I didn't know what to think, for years Aaron had always followed the orders of the members of the Forum without question, much less raising his voice at one of them, because he has always been a man who stuck to the rules. But at this moment, when he turned his back on me and told me all this... He had fought a lot for me, but this would also cause him problems; How did he feel about it? I couldn't say it as he turned his back to me and his tone of voice sounded as firm as ever.

¨Although the healer pointed out that you needed to rest for 3 days, the Forum only allowed you to rest for today, so, as a measure for you to continue working, they decided to prescribe certain medications and a note of recommendation for you to eat Archon Loaf¨

I grimaced at the mention of the Archon Loaf and Aaron turned to look at me just in time for me to make this gesture.

¨Don't make that face, Archon Loaf has good nutrients that can help you at this time, you will recover faster this way¨ He insisted.

"The reason I didn't want to enter the Studium was because of that, brother" I pointed out in a disgusted tone.

¨I know and I made it clear that I will not ask you to enter the Studium if you don't want to, but you must eat the Archon Loaf so that you can recover, not to mention that it is an order from both the healer and the Forum so that you can continue attending your work schedule.¨

I sighed heavily in disgust, but gave in to the idea that I had already caused too much trouble in so few weeks, so I resigned myself to having to endure eating those slices of cardboard-flavored bread as my punishment ended.

“I have to go, I have to get back to work” Aaron said as he left the kitchen and approached the table.

"You better be in bed sound asleep when I come back." Aaron caressed my head, even if he spoke to me in a firm and rough tone, I knew that he was not doing it out of malice, but that this was his way of worrying about me.

“Understood boss” I said, trying not to sound rude or sarcastic. But Aaron just looked at me out of the corner of his eye as he went up the stairs and I heard him start to take some things from his room before leaving through the front door of the house.

After cleaning and eating some fruit for myself, I decided to go to bed, but I couldn't sleep. Especially since I had already spent several nights working overtime without being able to sleep at my usual time. I ran a few fingers along the bridge of my nose, my tail wagging agitatedly under the covers, reflecting my uneasiness and discomfort. Even looking at the glass ceiling to see the sky didn't calm me down.

I kept thinking about that dream I had when I passed out... And about the missing people. I even questioned if the Forum had any explanation for this event but I couldn't think of anything about it, not even they were present at the event, but at least if they should have reports about the events of that day. Also... They should consider the factors in case there was any anomaly for those who disappeared...

I moved out of bed again and again, restless before new possibilities... When night fell, I had already given up analyzing this problem, because in the end, I don’t have evidence or more information about the case, the only thing I could do was let the real investigators see for it. But I couldn't just leave it aside... Not when I forgot someone.

I got out of bed, already tired of playing with the sheets, I took the ladder near my bed and placed it on the wall, carefully I began to climb to open one of the windows of the crystalline ceiling and rest my arms on the stone right to one side of the glass to get out, however, touching the cold stone with my feet gave me a terrible chill throughout my body and I felt the pain return for a few seconds. Fortunately for me, I managed to maintain my balance and walk on the cold stone of the roof of the house.

I took a seat in a comfortable place on top of the semicircular building, and looked at the stars and the moon, although I was already used to the cold nights of Sharlayan, the stone on the surface made the cold more intense. But still, I didn't want to move from my place.

Unlike my room, which only allows me to see a fragment of the sky, going out here allowed me to have a complete view, perhaps... I hoped that the sky would have the answer I was looking for, but I only found the constellations and stars shining with different colors in the distance.

Seeing the sky like that reminded me a little of the dream I had before waking up in the infirmary during my time in Gridania, there was light and darkness, stars and voices... I had never experienced anything like that before, and I didn't understand who those were from. voices.

But... I couldn't forget the words I heard in these dreams...

For those who follow my story punctually, I didn't have the opportunity to publish the new chapter on the designated days due to events beyond my control. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 writing #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #my writing #healing #sad thoughts #loss #siblings

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uridestiny · 2 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 19: Truths after the tragedy

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/745677145875070976/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-18-waking-up-in?source=share

My eyelids felt heavy, my legs were numb but I was able to move my toes, my feet hurt horribly, as if I had stepped on a bed of nails with my bare feet; My arms hurt a lot, they were heavy and burning, as if I had been exposed to burns, but I could feel my fingers and I could also feel the touch of someone holding my hands. I could barely open my eyes, the light around was dim, but enough to illuminate the surroundings.

¨She woke up!¨ I heard someone scream.

¨Quickly! Someone call a healer!¨ Another voice shouted.

I moved my eyes lazily, trying to look for those who were making too much noise. Two similar faces peeked out to see mine, I recognized them immediately and smiled at both of them.

¨Good morning Aaron, and also your Adrien¨ I managed to whisper, but I didn't have much strength to speak and my throat was slightly dry.

They both started crying, which surprised me. I had never seen Aaron cry, he had always remained serious and very distant in showing emotions such as happiness or sadness, you could say that most of the time he was serious or angry, but seeing him cry right here and now... It made me feel great pain in my heart, what was causing those tears?

On the other hand, Adrien was also injured, he had bandages on his chest that reached his neck, where there is a slight trace of blood, and he has some bandages around his head. After waking up and seeing him, I thought he was crying because his wounds were too painful, but after seeing them both staring at me... I realized that they weren't crying for them, but for me.

After passing a checkup from a healer and being helped into a sitting position on the bed, I was told they found me under some debris from the Carline Canopy after Bahamut unleashed a wave of destruction on Eorzea upon breaking free from Dalamud, apparently a prison that kept him locked up for several centuries, a creation of the Allag before their demise.

When they found me next to the man Elezen, thanks to the twelve he also survived, only we both had first degree burns, since the debris that fell with us prevented us from having worse burns when the sky glowed in flames, but it also hurt my legs and arms due to the weight on my body and I almost risk being crushed. The healers also pointed out to me that my feet were considerably damaged and I would not be able to walk until after two weeks of rest, with corresponding medication and sessions of healing magic.

“How long was I unconscious, sir?” I asked the healer who was treating me, an elderly Roegadyn man who looked exhausted and had dark circles under his eyes.

¨It was 6 days, your brothers arrived recently because no one had been able to identify you, there were many wounded in the battle and also many missing.¨

The healer kindly explained to me that, in the midst of all the chaos created, a prayer circle was formed in the sky with the 12 symbols of the deities with the intention of containing Bahamut, but for some reason, it failed to enclose the Primal; his power and his anger were so great that it was impossible to contain him, but out of nowhere, a light filled the sky of Eorzea and spread... Even without knowing what happened, everyone looked at the sky full of residual Aether that fell on the earth, Bahamut was gone and no one could explain how, but that was not all, when some realized, most of the adventurers who were present at the Battle of Carteneau disappeared without a trace.

I didn't understand how it was possible for thousands of people to disappear in such a moment in battle, but that wasn't what terrified me the most to hear since I woke up.

"The only bad thing is that we can no longer locate those missing in the Battle of Carteneau, due to some strange phenomenon caused in the battle, no one remembers the names or faces of the people who were present there, they have not even been able to start a search because we do not have any information that identifies them. It is a terrible tragedy that we cannot even give them a decent burial if there is no body or a name to put on their tombstones...¨

At that moment I thought I was living a nightmare, I couldn't imagine myself forgetting someone I met from one day to the next...

¨Miss, I know this is probably very sudden for you, but I would like you to cooperate, any information you can remember about these people would be greatly appreciated. Have you requested the help of an adventurer recently?¨ The healer said kindly.

An adventurer? I tried to search my memories to try to remember someone, I had heard that term before, and I had also gone to Carline Canopy to speak with Mother Miounne to ask her about a certain adventurer...

¨Miss?¨ The man's voice slowly became distant, I fell into my thoughts trying to remember something about this person, a name or face, anything!

My head hurt and I felt dizzy, I remember seeing someone when I first arrived in Gridania, it was around my age, they told me their name, helped me... I saved them, and we worked together to support each other...

"Miss, are you okay?" The man's voice was barely a whisper, I clenched my fists in frustration.

I didn't remember their name... I didn't remember their voice... Not even their face...

...Who... Who was?...

Before I knew it, my bandaged fists were shaking in my lap, and became slightly wet with the tears that fell from my eyes, a great feeling of frustration washed over me and hit my heart, but no matter how hard I tried, it was like if something prevented me from remembering it and it was only replaced by light; It hurt me to think that this person I knew was gone, and no one would be able to find if them was hurt. I remember screaming to stop them, I could have sworn I screamed their name, but I couldn't hear them, my ears were ringing and the pain in my head was getting worse.

¨Miss, you better try to rest, you will be transferred to Sharlayan when access to the island is reopened. Until then, you will stay here.¨

The man got up and walked towards another patient who was close to me, it was then that I lay down on my own bed and looked around me a little, I wasn’t the only one who was present, many civilians and soldiers who were wounded are gathered together. In the same improvised room, it seemed that this was the home of a small family, but with so many people injured, at least from here I can count that there are at least 14 or 15 patients.

A few hours passed, but I couldn't sleep, I felt like if I went back to sleep it would probably be another 6 days without waking up, the thought alone made me feel chills, but I didn't have to wait long before I saw Aaron walk into the makeshift infirmary to bring me a bowl of hot soup for me.

"You've gone 6 days without eating, you must be hungry." He told me in a soft voice, it had been a long time since he spoke to me like that.

¨In all honesty brother, I'm not hungry...¨ I lowered my head while holding the bowl of soup in my hands, it hurts a lot to hold it, but not even the delicious aroma of the food could make me take away the feeling I have in my mouth in my stomach when they told me what happened that day.

“You must eat to regain your strength, and well, as rest.” Aaron sighed, trying to cheer me up. ¨I'm sure that in a few days the ships to Sharlayan will flow again, they can't go long without knowing what has happened here, so don't worry...¨

Aaron reached out with his hand to move a few strands of my hair back so I could have a clear view to eat.

"We will return home sooner than you think" he concluded.

I spent a few seconds looking at the bowl of soup, and then Aaron took the bowl and lifted the spoon with some soup broth on it, and brought it to my mouth trying to feed me.

"I'm not a child" I told him reluctantly.

"I know, but you have to eat, the soup is going to get cold and it won't taste good."

With a pout, I opened my mouth and received the spoon with soup, it was hot to say the least, the taste was pleasant and I felt like going days without eating shook my whole body at the arrival of food, my stomach turned, but to my luck, I didn't vomit the soup, I just squirmed a little.

¨Take it easy, I will help you eat, you should consume small bites so that you can consume food regularly again.¨ Aaron said with a serious look, he passed the spoon over the soup again and took another small amount with this.

Before he brought the spoon closer to me again, I asked him.

¨When did you arrive in Gridania?¨

“Today, in fact, I recently arrived here.” I saw how he frowned and looked bitterly at the bowl of soup.

¨The Forum wouldn't allow me to leave the island, and neither would any civilian, so I had to ask a friend for a favor to bring me here and he agreed, we'll probably have problems once all this can calm down a bit.¨

I sigh and then he bring the spoon to my mouth, repeating the process over and over at a slow pace. Although it was evident that he brought with him many problems and worries, Aaron didn’t raise his voice, instead, he remained calm and with his soft tone when speaking.

¨Adrien arrived with you 2 days ago, he also had burns and wounds from the battle, but he was in another makeshift infirmary so it took a while for the healers to allow him to go out and look for you.¨ Aaron paused and left the spoon in the bowl that was still half finished.

¨When he found his cabin destroyed, he went to look for you in various corners of Twelveswood and in Gridania, as well as asking several people he met, he managed to give a physical description about you and that helped his search bear fruit; He found you here unconscious, he has been here taking care of you since then until I could arrive.¨

I felt sad at the thought of how desperate they both were trying to find me in the middle of all this chaos, Adrien was probably desperate to get out of the infirmary even if his condition still wasn't the best and Aaron not hearing from us and not being able to leave the island... They both suffered a lot...

¨Where is Adrien?¨ I asked, I felt my throat close due to guilt.

"He’ll be back in a while, he went to talk to a healer to ask about your condition and he will also have a checkup to see if he will be allowed to return to work soon."

Aaron spooned some soup again and brought it closer to me, but this time I didn't open my mouth.

"Destiny? Does something hurt?¨ His voice sounded worried, and that only made the pain in my throat worse than the rest of my wounds.

“Destiny, do you want me to call a healer?” He kept asking, but I didn't have the strength to answer, so he placed the bowl of soup on the bed and tried to get up to call a healer, but I stopped him abruptly when I took him from the arm.

¨Please stay...¨ I whispered, trying my best to speak, but all of this also hurt a lot.

Aaron took a seat next to my bed again, moving the bowl of soup once more so it wouldn't fall. We were silent for a couple of minutes. I think he realized that I was trying to say something to him but he had to give me my time to speak.

He waited patiently, which surprised me, he had always shown himself to be a busy man and that if there was something to say, it had to be quick, but this time it wasn’t like that, he didn’t pressure me to speak, instead he remained silent. Waiting for my words, this wasn’t the Aaron I knew, but it was clearly him.

¨I’m so sorry…¨ I whispered and felt my chest hurt.

¨I'm so sorry for worrying you both, for everything that happened... I didn't want to hurt you both...¨ Finally my tears fell, I couldn't control them, my emotions overwhelmed me in such a way that I couldn't stop them, I couldn't stop them anymore, couldn’t speak. I raised my bandaged hands to my face to wipe away the tears.

Then I felt Aaron's gentle hands on mine.

“Destiny, none of this is your fault” He said softly, caressing my bandaged hands.

¨There are circumstances that are out of our hands, this calamity was not caused by you, it was out of your reach, so was the decision of the Forum to not allow me to leave the island, as well as the fact that the healers will not allow Adrien to leave until that he wasn’t cured.¨

My tears blurred my vision, but I could clearly feel Aaron's presence near me, I clung to his hands, because I felt that if I let go, he probably wouldn't be there anymore.

¨But I came here... I came here and that caused you...¨

Aaron shifted his position slightly, straightening up.

¨Destiny... Adrien told me the reason why you came here. It's true, I was angry, but you didn't do it with bad intentions, you only cared about your family... I couldn't go look for Adrien, but you did it, because you cared about us; If you didn't, you wouldn't have left me the warning that you were leaving, but in that letter, you promised to come back.¨

Aaron squeezed my hands lightly and he was shaking a little.

¨You are no longer the little girl who first came to Sharlayan, you became a woman, but still... Sometimes the idea of letting you go is difficult for me, because both Adrien and I want to continue protecting you.¨

Finally, Aaron hugged me, it was a gentle hug but full of sweetness and warmth, although I recognized that he doesn’t tend to be very expressive when it comes to giving affection, I never thought he would do it at a time like this.

¨Do you know how I found you that day in the forest?¨ I heard Adrien's voice behind Aaron and I saw how his silhouette approached us, I saw how he went to the other side of the bed and moved the bowl of soup, towards another piece of furniture, he sat on the bed, even with his wounds and body bandaged.

¨Because I became what I am now; Because I wanted to protect those I can still save, a wise man taught me this and thanks to that... I found you.¨

Adrien approached. But he leaned on Aaron to join the hug as well.

¨You were like a ray of light that illuminated our lives and every day that we saw you grow has been the most wonderful we have ever seen, it was when I realized that I have something special to fight for and that I want to protect; and I want to continue doing it.¨

A great wave of emotions invaded me, I was moved by both of their words, my chest hurt so much that I couldn't distinguish if it was because of the injuries I suffered or because of this feeling, but it was... A warmth so pleasant and sweet, that I couldn't. I had felt in a long time... My sadness turned into joy and love, even with my sore arms, I extended them to hug them both; my burns burned under my bandages, but I didn't care, I just wanted to hug them both. For the first time in many years, I realized how fortunate I was to know my brothers... How blessed I was all this time.

I cried in both of their arms, it had been a long time since I was like this... Since I was a little girl and they both accompanied me to sleep when I suffered from nightmares, they hugged me warmly, gave me a glass of milk and lay with me on my bed to see the stars; My room in Sharlayan has a glass ceiling that allows me to see the moon and stars, and they both slept next to me while we watched the night sky, they both tried their best not to sleep at night just because of me, they didn't fall asleep until that I could sleep first; But sometimes it was too much for them and I was only content to hold their hands and lend them my blankets so that neither of them would get cold while they slept. Holding his hands while I slept gave me the security of being able to sleep... That was so long ago...

Then I felt how Aaron tried to get away from me, and then I hugged him a little tighter. I think he noticed that I grimaced because his expression showed disapproval and he moved away. That's when I noticed how he put his hand on my arm and came back to adjust my bandages that were falling off. When he finished, he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped his tears. Adrien had also left and then looked at his twin with a mocking smile.

"Aaron, by chance you don't have another handkerchief with you to dry my tears?"

Then Aaron had his usual expression again and grumbled.

¨No, also, how many times have I told you to always have a handkerchief with you at your disposal if the occasion arises? Every day I told you in Sharlayan and you never listened to me!¨

Yeah, that's Aaron.

"How can you expect me to keep up with you when we clearly have different occupations? I work as a soldier, Mr. Elegant.¨ Adrien responded, his tone of voice sounding playful and sarcastic. "I don't think I need tissues to work when I'm exposed to dirt or monster slime, not all of us are fine like your Aaron."

At this point, it was normal for me to see them having those kinds of conversations, Aaron always pointed out Adrien's faults in terms of his environment and stability, but Adrien didn't care much and took it with humor, he knew very well that his own brother, he always wanted to check on his well-being, but sometimes he was simply too serious and strict. It even gave the impression that Aaron acted as if he were a grumpy father and Adrien was the naughty little boy of the family, but the sad reality for both of them is that they are twin brothers, with similar faces and the same age.

Some people even tend to be surprised when they meet both of them and find out that they are twin brothers, because they are so opposite that you could not believe that they are from the same root even if you were able to obviously see that they both have the same face. However, only if you were observant enough could you notice what kind of differences both of them possess in addition to character, including hair color and the marks in their eyes.

¨However, I am glad that you could show some kindness and love from the bottom of your heart towards our sister, hearing your words also touched me quite a bit Aaron¨ Adrien said smiling gently, and his healthy hand reached my head and began to caress me gently.

At these words I could see how Aaron's face flushed slightly and he looked away, feeling ashamed that he had been seen so vulnerable like that even for a brief moment. Then he suddenly stood up and took the almost empty bowl of soup that Adrien had left on a nearby piece of furniture and walked out quickly, before walking away completely he said almost shouting.

¨I'll go get more soup for Destiny! I hope you two are still there resting when I return or I will drag you both to the seven hells if I find out that you are gone even though you are injured!¨

Adrien just laughed out loud as he listened to Aaron's words, his healthy arm stopped caressing my head and raised it higher to say goodbye to his twin as he left the infirmary; I was relieved to see that despite his injuries, Adrien was still showing himself as he always does.

¨You also said corny words Adrien¨ I responded with amocking tone.

“I know, I know, I just wanted to bother Aaron a little. He has been worried about both of you all day, since he arrived, he hadn’t left your side and you could tell how distressed and helpless he felt...¨ Adrien changed his tone of voice, stopping from sounding joking to being serious and calm.

"I haven't seen him cry since Mom and Dad died..." Adrien said, sighing and looking down. "Seeing him like that again, and also the fact that you didn't open your eyes... I didn't know where to put my head and my heart, I felt desperate, trying to find something to do.¨ Then I saw how a tear fell from his eyes, although I couldn't see his expression, I could tell that he felt relieved.

He quickly wiped his face with his hand and looked at me again with his smile.

"I'm happy that you're with us, please don't scare us like that again."

I smiled too and decided to play with him a little to try to cheer him up after everything that had happened recently, I didn't want to keep thinking about our conversation, I simply wanted to be happy with my brothers.

"I'm also happy to be here, but sadly I can't promise to avoid another scare."

At that moment Adrien seemed bewildered.

¨Just wait for the All Saints' Wake of this year, I will give you both a new scare that will make your hair dye white!¨

He finally understood my humorous side and started laughing while also taking my challenge seriously.

¨No, I will outdo your costume and take all your candy!¨

At this point, Adrien and I took the sheets of the infirmary to joke around and play as ghosts for a while, the people passing by us laughing at our funny poses and voices. At some point, Aaron had already returned, but he had stood a few meters away from us, looking at us with shame and exhaustion, as if he were dealing with two small children who still don't know how to behave.

It wasn't until after some bells rang that he came over and took off the sheets to scold us and ask us to rest.

For those who have forgotten the detail, during the FF14 story it is mentioned that during the battle of Carteneau that after the failure of the invocation of the Twelve (the deities of that world) to seal Bahamut, the adventurers who were present disappeared without leave a trace and people could no longer remember them. But this is in reference to the players who were playing before ARR (A Realm Reborn) and to make sense of the story in this way.

#ff14 #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #ff14 writing #my ocs #my writing #forgetting #dont forget #emotions #feelings #wake up #siblings #hugs #healing

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uridestiny · 2 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 18: Waking up in a nightmare

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/745011036483190784/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-17-a-white-lie?source=share

I woke up hearing a huge explosion, the earth shook and the wooden cabin looked like it was going to collapse at any moment. I heard loud crashes, the surface became unstable, it became so loud that I fell off the bed and was stumbling in my attempts to stand up; I barely managed to get up to run out of my brother's room...

¨Adrien!¨ I screamed, I looked around frantically, searching for him everywhere in the cabin, but I found no trace of him.

I ran out of the cabin, trying to look for him, but I couldn't find it anywhere, then another explosion occurred and the earth shook again, collapsing to the ground, when I looked up at the sky... It's red… and Dalamud…

I was really scared, the crimson sky caused a stinging sensation in my heart, for some strange reason... I felt like it wasn't the first time I had contemplated that sky.

Another shock in the earth made me react, I got up and ran directly to the forest, my feet hurt a lot, I left the cabin without shoes, my bare feet were exposed to the earth, the stones and the ash that fell from the sky. The smell of smoke and fire was unbearable...

When I managed to get to Gridania, things didn’t look better than what I had seen before, people were running to hide, buildings are on fire, guards were running everywhere trying to calm and guide people to stay in a safe place. I ran through these people, trying to make my way and get to Adder's Nest and ask someone, whoever... If they had seen Adrien...

But it was to be expected that I wouldn’t find any soldiers inside Adder's Nest, everyone was supporting the civilians to protect themselves from the fireballs that fell from Dalamud.

I heard children crying, men and women screaming in despair when they saw the sky, the fire and Dalamud so close as if he were really about to crash into us; It didn't matter how much further I went, the scenario repeated itself and looked just like a terrible nightmare...

I ran looking for my brother in Carline Canopy, when among many people they were leaving the place, less experienced adventurers, some with serious burns, others were no longer moving and were on the ground in pools of blood...

As I tried to help some people out, I recognized someone in the crowd, but now those bright blue eyes were clouded by the great feeling of fear.

¨Elwin!¨ I shouted when I recognized him, andran towards him.

¨Destiny! Quickly help me!¨

Elwin was holding an Elezen man with cuts on his forehead and arms, despite the size difference, he had managed to get the Elezen man to rest his arm on his shoulders and they both crawled out of the building Carline Canopy. I ran to him and helped him carry the other side of the weight of the man who looked semi-conscious and while we were moving at a slow pace, I saw how another meteorite fell near here, making the ground shake and we fell to the ground.

Elwin was holding his leg and I could see how he had a new cut on the back of his leg, as well as burns on his left hand. I quickly stood up and helped him to his feet, I cast a small healing spell but it wouldn't last long, we had to get help.

¨Destiny...¨ Elwin was agitated, trying to catch his breath from the previous effort.

"Don't talk too much and don't overexert yourself, I'm in charge of taking this man to a safe place, you just keep up with me." I spoke hurriedly, there was no time to sit down and talk about what hurt us, there was no time and we had to evacuate...

Elwin barely got up, groaned in pain at his wounds but remained firm on the ground; Despite my small stature, I managed to support the man under my shoulder and began to guide him slowly, there had to be someone closer who could help us, but when I looked around, most of the people had already left...

¨Elwin, the citizens are gathering at the Nophica's Altar, we have to hurry if we want...¨ Although I was talking, I noticed that Elwin had stayed behind.

I looked over my shoulder and Elwin was staring at the crimson sky, as if he was hypnotized by the sight of it.

¨Elwin... Elwin!¨ I tried to call him, but he didn't move.

Several seconds passed and then I saw how he lowered his head.

¨Destiny... Please take that man to a safe place, and stay there with the others.¨ He began to say...

I didn't understand what he was talking about, why did he ask me to do such a thing?

¨I have to go... They need me...¨ He whispered.

By this point, I thought he was delirious. ¨Elwin, this is not the time for you to be about to do something stupid, we have to get to safety!¨

Elwin turned around... At that time I could clearly remember what his face, his hair and his eyes looked like, but when it was all over... I could no longer remember anything but a blue glow in them.

¨No... No Destiny... I... ¨ Elwin whispered, trying to find the words. The weight of poor man Elezen on my shoulders was too much and I fell to my knees, my feet hurt too much and I couldn't stand.

¨You don't understand... They called us all... All the adventurers to go to the front, to defend Eorzea...¨

I remain silent, not understanding his words.

¨The alliance of Eorzea... Born from the united force of the three city states, to fight against the Garleans who have not ceased their attempts at conquest... We, the adventurers, must fight alongside the alliance, to defend our home... If we don't, there will be nothing left for us, there will be nothing left that we can protect...¨

He paused and raised his right hand, reaching for his magic conjuring staff.

¨I wanted to join them, but I was afraid that my injuries would only slow me down and I would become a hindrance to them... But...¨ He shook his head, observing the crimson sky.

¨But I can't ignore this... I have to go help them!¨

¨DON'T BE AN IDIOT!¨ I screamed desperately, knowing what he was about to do. ¨You are not in a position to support others, you yourself are hurt! You would only be putting yourself in danger!¨

“I have to try” Elwin said, his voice clearly showing determination. ¨There are still those I can save and I cannot abandon them!¨

"Elwin! ELWIN!¨

I watched as Elwin began to run away from me, even with his injuries, he used his left hand and pulled out a chocobo whistle, blew through it and running through the entrance now destroyed by chaos a blue-plumed chocobo appeared, the poor bird was covered in ash, and reached Elwin; With difficulty he climbed onto his saddle and they left the city.

My screams and attempts to stop them were in vain, I wanted to run and catch up with him, what he was doing was reckless and he would only be risking his life for nothing; and there was also the man Elezen, who was no longer moving but was clinging to life when I saw how his chest rose slightly, he is breathing, but he would not last long without medical attention; but all thought at that moment vanished when I heard a roar that shook the earth...

When I looked up, I saw how Dalamud broke and a pair of enormous wings sprouted from its spherical shape...

I couldn't believe what I was seeing... A huge black dragon with terrifying red eyes; With another roar, he broke the sphere around him and all the fragments of it fell everywhere, shaking the earth as if it were a terrible earthquake. I crawled over to the unconscious body of the Elezen man in a poor attempt to protect him and keep us grounded, he was breathing very vaguely... At this point, I feared that neither of us would survive...

When I looked up again, I saw the dragon above our heads, flying over the night and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake; behind its tail meteorites followed it crashing on the surface...

Was I going to die like this?...

I closed my eyes, the explosions didn't stop and I was very afraid.

If what Elwin had said was true... Adrien was not anywhere in the city, but would be fighting on the front lines with the other adventurers...

I wouldn't be able to have the chance to apologize to him... We wouldn't be able to have dinner together again at Sharlayan... I wouldn't be able to tell them again how much I loved them...

But now everything was lost... I... I couldn't...

Then... I felt a gentle caress on my cheek, a touch so warm and sweet, that I had never experienced before, I opened my eyes slowly; A blue light illuminated the sky, so bright and so gentle, that for some strange reason it brought me peace...

Was I dying?... Or was I in the Aetherial Sea?

¨Hear¨

A voice whispered vaguely...

¨Feel...Think¨

I looked around, the Aether was flowing around me, as if embracing me.

¨Hear... Feel... Think...¨

A white light approached me, with a soft and gentle voice, who was telling me these words? What did they mean?...

¨My dear child…¨

The voice echoed in my head, but for some strange reason I wasn't afraid to listen to it.

¨You have gone through a long journey full of suffering and misfortune... That has filled your heart with fear of the days to come, however... Your heart remains sincere and full of goodness and with a great desire to find the beauty beyond tragedy in this world... But you are afraid to take the first step...¨

¨Do not be afraid of what you will encounter in the future... Not everything will be good, but not everything will be bad, but that is part of the experience... A journey we call life.¨

I started to feel dizzy and my vision started to blur....

"Don't give up yet, this is not the end of the road, it is the beginning of a new journey"

Suddenly the white light slowly dissipated, but around me, the blue began to shine brighter, to the point where I felt completely blinded, but then I heard another voice, this one sounded different, it was... Familiar.

¨I'm so sorry Destiny... I can't stay anymore...¨

Whose voice was that? How did you know my name?

¨If we meet again... Could you remind me that I owe you a walk around the city? I would like to walk with you one more time...¨

A walk? I didn't remember who I had promised that to... But... I do remember that someone had offered to show me the forest and the city of Gridania... But who was that person?...

The light dissipated and everything became darkness. I don't remember how long I spent like this, but I couldn't wake up, I couldn't move or speak, I was just there, in this darkness, trying to understand if I was still alive, or if I was dead.

I heard strange murmurs in the distance, as if they were so far from my reach, I didn't feel cold or hot, it was as if my senses had been turned off except my hearing, but I couldn't make out any words.

Not even the darkest night without a moon could be compared to this, like an absolute void, I moved my eyes trying to find even a small star in this dark blanket, but not being able to move, I could only look in one direction, I didn't even know. Whether I was looking up or down, I couldn't determine if I was standing or lying down, there was just... There was no way to tell.

¨Please wake up…¨

A voice whispered, and for the first time in all that time in the dark, I felt a gentle warmth on my left hand, where was this sensation coming from?

The warmth was pleasant, like touching the sunlight that passed through the leaves of the trees, and then, my hand felt slightly moist, like hot drops of dew touching my skin, small and fragile, was someone crying in my hand?

¨I don't want to lose you... Not like this...¨

¨You are safe now, please come back to us little sister...¨

Another voice joined the first, sobbing, his voice becoming weaker with each word he said and threatening to fade away between pain and sadness.

Finally, I could see a small point, like a small star among the first that appear at night, from one, more arrived, they multiplied around me, as if the night had finally arrived just for me.

A star grew bigger and turned brighter, its light enveloped me and all my senses began to bombard me with a single push.

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uridestiny · 3 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 17: A white lie

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/744327346981650432/the-warrior-of-the-moon?source=share

I was carrying some bags with me as I walked back home; after having helped Elwin return safely to Gridania, we went our separate ways and I took the opportunity to take the fast route to go to the markets like the last time I visited them. I bought some ingredients, at first I wasn't sure what I could prepare, not to mention that I still had to consider what ingredients my brother has in his cabin; But I still decided to bring a couple of necessary things, then more ingredients wouldn't hurt and maybe would help my brother consider more dishes to cook.

To my surprise and fortune, the cabin is in sight and I saw Adrien inside it, turning on some lights inside the cabin to provide illumination.

Seeing him from the window made me feel great relief to see him again, I sighed and tightly took the bags with me with the ingredients, after the dinner, a part of me really wished I could sleep better tonight.

¨I'm home!¨ I announced when I arrived at the cabin and opened the door.

Adrien raised his head when he was turning on the oven at home.

"Hi sister" He said, and blew into the wood that was burning inside.

¨I thought you would be back later, how was your day brother?¨ I asked.

Then I saw Adrien get up with a serious expression, he wasn't looking at me, his eyes focused on the burning flames sent by the wood he had placed inside the metal oven.

¨Adrien?¨ I asked, his silence was unusual for him.

He sighed; he really seemed upset about something. Adrien turned around and looked at me in the eyes, in them I noticed that he was worried.

“We'll talk after dinner and making the cookies” He said, trying to force a smile, but I really didn't like him doing that.

During the preparation of dinner, we remained silent, I was excited to cook with him, because I had brought ingredients to prepare one of my favorite dinners that I used to prepare with my parents, Meat Miq'abob.

Before his letter to Sharlayan arrived saying that he wouldn’t be attending the dinner, I admit that I felt a little sad and upset; especially because my intention was to prepare dinner myself, in a traditional dish that after a while I learned to prepare thanks to several weeks of practice.

But now... I felt like my fears had returned, as if a great wave full of anguish was emerging in my heart. I tried to concentrate and not think about the worst, so I simply prepared the meat and put it in the oven to cook it; While I was watching the meat I saw how my brother took out the ingredients to start preparing the cookies.

When the meat was ready, I took the skewers out of the oven and cleaned the area a little to receive the cookies in a while. I approached Adrien and helped him beat the dough while he prepared the table to place the cookie dough, with a rolling pin we spread the dough and I took out figurine molds from a bag.

Adrien laughed as he took a star mold and started making star shapes.

"I bet Aaron will give us forgiveness points if we give him some in the form of stars."

I smiled to myself, remembering how Aaron has a soft spot for the things Adrien and I do together, especially when it comes to the subject of stars. With that in mind, I looked for another mold and found one in the shape of a pine tree, I showed it to Adrien and then brought his head closer to mine, trying to show affection.

Any shape similar to trees have always been Adrien's favorites, because he has always appreciated life in nature and its beauty.

When Adrien finished using the star-shaped mold, he took out two more molds, one in the shape of a heart and the other in the shape of a circle.

I raised an eyebrow when I saw the two shapes, it wasn't usual for us to use the heart shape to make cookies, I looked at Adrien confused.

"The heart is to say how much we love each other as a family," Adrien said and then smiled to show me the circular one, pointing a finger at me.

"And these are for you, since you like the moon so much." Adrien showed a real smile.

I laughed a little at his unusual way of looking at the circle-shaped cookie on a moon. “Are you going to make it look realistic?” I joked.

"Aren't I the king of the kitchen in our family? I consider myself skilled enough to decorate cookies too, and I will give you the brightest moons just for you. " Adrien boasted of his talent in the kitchen.

I laughed again, couldn’t deny his good skill in the kitchen, but sometimes that boast bothered Aaron a lot that he even constantly questioned him if he used the recipe exactly as the book said, since he didn’t usually keep his eyes on the book with the instructions, but Adrien always defended himself by saying that "He learned well from someone else."

When I was thinking this... That I realized that Mr. Leveilleur was right, cooking these cookies together had calmed my heart and it was as if nothing bad had happened.

Once we prepared the tray to put the cookies to cook, my brother and I had dinner to eat the juicy meat on the skewer, and I felt nostalgic when I remembered that my father used to prepare them and he and I ate this together quite a bit.

I looked at my brother over the food, I saw how his eyes focused on the cookies.

¨Do you think we should save some for ourselves?¨ He asked distractedly. "I don't think Aaron would mind, after all he's not very interested in eating sugar."

I smiled at his comment.

"Believe me, he would eat a whole jar full of cookies, especially when he's so anxious, sometimes when it's too much he eats sweets to try to distract himself."

Adrien's eyes widened, truly surprised at this new information.

"He's never going to admit it, but don't tell him I told you that."

We both burst out laughing.

After dinner and cooking the cookies, the two of us dedicated ourselves to decorating the cookies with icing and sugar. To my surprise, Adrien managed to give a good design to the moon-shaped cookies that he prepared for me, I decorated the stars and some pine trees, at some point Adrien also offered to help me with half of the pine trees cookies.

When we finished, I decided to tell Adrien everything that happened that day, from my meeting with Elwin, as well as the treasure we found together after fighting some beasts.

¨Can you show me how you are raising the bow?¨ Adrien said, standing up and heading to the door.

¨Right now? Shouldn't you go to sleep soon?¨ I asked, but I followed him anyway.

"I'm fine, besides, there's still time, the night is young, let's take advantage of it." He said and motioned for me to follow him out of the cabin. I quickly grabbed my bow and arrows to follow him outside.

Adrien asked me to show him my stance and I obeyed.

"I see what the problem is" He said and then took my hand with which I was supporting the metal tip of the arrow. "The angle of your hand is inadequate, you’re shaking a lot, that's why your aim at the critical point was failing."

I looked at him again and felt him raise my hand slightly and hold it for a couple of seconds to help me not shake, then he pointed to a wooden training dummy.

"Calm down and concentrate, shoot while maintaining that angle." I heard his voice when I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them, I focused on the doll and shot, the arrow hit what is supposed to be a person's throat.

¨Although there is a critical point, it’s always advisable to aim at the chest, the head and neck of an enemy will always be more difficult to target while you are moving.¨ Adrien said walking from one side to the other as he spoke.

¨You haven't done it wrong but you need practice¨ He concluded.

¨There are not many places to practice archery in Sharlayan brother.¨ I responded, puffing out my cheeks, it had been a long time since I used my bow and arrows in Sharyalan. Not to mention that I was rarely able to practice with my current lifestyle.

¨If you go along the shore of the island there are good places to practice, I think... It would be a good idea if you could access them now¨ Adrien said and I tilted my head a little in confusion.

He smiled and said in a cheerful tone.

"When mom and dad raised us on Sharlayan, I used to sneak out to practice using the bow and arrows in various corners of the island, and to avoid worrying them, I always used to return home early." Adrien motioned again for us to enter the cabin and then he entered to his room looking for something.

When he came out, he had a scroll in his hand and after moving some plates and cups, he spread it out on the wooden surface. It’s a map of Sharlayan with several circles drawn in ink.

"The points made here are good to practice, besides, I doubt that the students who are in the reconnaissance and espionage department will tell you anything if you go there" Adrien said. "They already know me and if you tell them that you are going to explore those areas on my behalf, they will not say anything to the Forum about your presence outside the safe zone."

I was really surprised, I had heard before from Aaron that Adrien always used to act carefree and was always anywhere but where he had to be. At first I thought it was something about character and preferences between the two, but now it had been revealed to me that my own brother had done more than just be carefree, he was very serious about what he focused on and went after it no matter what the cost.

"I didn't know you liked being a rebel, dear brother" I said, sounding sarcastic and showing a smile.

He shrugged.

¨When I was little I always really liked to explore, especially when we first arrived at Sharlayan, while my brother, as you know, has always had a great attachment to rules and obedience, I considered myself a free spirit. I really liked exploring the hidden routes of the island, because I found many ways to cross the island without being seen.¨

Adrien put the map back and handed it to me.

¨Aaron always scolded me for doing it, always saying it was dangerous and irresponsible. But I was always careful, in my own way obviously¨ Adrien winked at me and I laughed.

¨Maybe I'll tell you the story about how I reached an agreement with the intelligence and espionage reconnaissance department to wander wherever I wanted, but that will be a story for another day.¨ Adrien said smiling.

Being in Adrien's company made me feel better, it had been a long time since he and I had spent time like this, like we used to do in Sharlayan, I found it entertaining to listen to his antics and that he taught me to be stronger.

I remember looking at the time out of the corner of my eye on a clock that hangs next to the window, and wondering why Adrien hadn’t yet proceeded to clean and put everything away to go to sleep.

“Brother, are you okay?” I asked, noting how unusual it was for him to stay up late at night.

¨I'm perfectly fine... ¨ But then he yawned and ran a hand over his eyelids.

¨Adrien...¨ I crossed my arms with the map still in my hands. ¨ What's the matter?¨

He sighed defeatedly, and ran a hand through his hair before looking into my eyes, somewhat sad.

¨I received another letter from Aaron, this time I decided to read it¨ He said and then shifted his eyes to his jacket resting on the couch. ¨In the letter... He asked me to take you to Limsa Lominsa for you to take a boat back, there is even a ticket in the letter envelope.¨

I looked at Adrien perplexed, I couldn't believe that Aaron had quickly managed to get a new ticket to go straight to Sharlayan.

¨I wanted... I wanted to spend more time with you, but I don't think it's possible now...¨

This was wrong, I wasn't upset that Aaron had gotten a ticket to send me straight home, but that Adrien had given in so easily I couldn't believe it. He's never been the type of person to give in easily to his own brother's demands, and he proved that to me yesterday... What had changed?

¨Adrien...¨ I tried to formulate some words, but I couldn't find a way to express what I felt, the anger, the confusion and the sadness of leaving as soon as the sun came out.

¨I'm very sorry Destiny, but it's already decided...¨ He still didn't look at me as he spoke ¨I'll take you to Caroline Canopy early in the morning so you can take the first flight on the airship to Limsa Lominsa.¨

¨It doesn't make sense!¨ I screamed.

Adrien was surprised by my outburst, but quickly regained his composure.

¨Destiny...¨ Adrien started but I interrupted him.

¨Let me read the letter! What did Aaron tell you that made you so easily agree to listen to him?¨ I shouted again, slammed the table leaving the map there, and clenched my fists tightly, waiting for answers.

Adrien continued to remain silent and frowned.

¨Why don't you say anything?...¨ My anger began to fade at Adrien's silence, and I felt a great wave of sadness.

¨...It's a decision that Aaron and I made together, I already sent him a response, I wrote that I agreed to take you back home.¨ Heextended a hand and placed it on my shoulder. ¨If the circumstances were different, I would fight over and over again for you to stay here with me, but that's not the case... All Aaron and I want is to take care of you...¨

¨I DON'T NEED TO BE TREATED LIKE A CHILD!¨ I screamed again, pushing his hand off my shoulder.

Without saying a single word, I walked at a fast pace angrily away from him and locked myself in his room.

I remember it was a difficult night, I lay down on Adrien's soft bed and wrapped myself in his sheets, they had a very peculiar woody smell, almost the smell of an oak tree; My tears fell as I let myself be enveloped by the softness of the fabric on the bed... I was too upset, not because of their decision... But for lying to me.

Adrien wasn't telling me something and Aaron seemed to have exposed him and made him feel vulnerable... That might be the only explanation...

My tears fell silently because of the anger I felt, they were few, but enough to leave small wet circles on the sheet, I closed my eyes and slowly fell asleep.

I don't remember how much time had passed while I was immersed in my dreams, but when I opened my eyes again, I saw myself again surrounded by those metal walls, with children surrounding me trembling with fear... Just like that day on Garlemald 's airship that transported us to Ala Mhigo... To then be enslaved.

¨ We are under attack!¨ The voice of a soldier was heard again.

The airship shook violently as we all struggled to stay in place, but there was something strange... The sound was different.

The shaking became stronger and the sound became louder, as if we were closer than we had been, the metal walls began to contract and space collapsed on us...

#ffxiv #ff14 #ffxiv wol #ff14 wol #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv fanfiction #ff14 fanfic #ff14 writing #my ocs #my writing #siblings #sad thoughts

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uridestiny · 3 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 16: Crossing paths again

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/743783186468864000/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-15-the-life-of-an?source=share

Before I could understand what was happening I ran towards the direction of the sound, and saw a person on his knees trying to stand before a group of Chigoes, I took out my bow and aimed first at the ground to try to scare away the creatures, but they only jumped a little to back away and continued hitting the person. I had no choice, and aimed directly at its weak point between the creatures' spine and head, and killed two of them.

More appeared, but I shot my arrows and hit some of them with my bow to move them away from the injured person, I stood in front of him with the intention of protecting him and continued shooting arrows, although some of these gave a critical hit, others of my arrows fell to the ground because the Chigoes avoided them. But thanks to the Twelve, I was able to kill most of them and the rest fled.

I returned my attention to the wounded man and extended my hand to use a healing spell that Aaron taught me to use some time ago, the man flinched at the touch of my Aether on him, but slowly seemed to recover.

¨Thank you, I would have died if you hadn't arrived... I owe you one...¨

When he got up, I believed at that moment that life was playing with me, and it seemed that I was not the only one surprised by this coincidence or perhaps some game of the gods.

¨You!¨ Elwin exclaimed, surprised to see me "You're the girl from yesterday!"

"My name is Destiny" I told him bluntly, it's not that it really bothers me that people don't remember my name, but it does make me uncomfortable that they address me as "the girl."

It was a few awkward seconds, but suddenly Elwin let out a small laugh, I didn't really understand why he found it funny, unless...

¨You came here and saved my life... As if it were more than a mere coincidence, it's as if it were ¨Destiny¨ that you arrived at this time and place¨

Yeah... He really said it, that was always my classmates' favorite joke when I finished my basic education when I lived in Sharlayan.

I kept a stoic expression at his mockery of my name, at this point it no longer bothered me to hear people mock my name, but it did seem inappropriate that he could say something like that when a moment ago his life was in danger; At least it gave me the peace of mind that he is in a good mood.

"My apologies; I'm so sorry, I just... I couldn't help but bring up this pun" Elwin said, wiping away the tears of laughter, and then he bowed with the intention of showing an apology, but I couldn't really take it seriously.

“How are your wounds?” I was looking a way to change the subject. "I could only apply a simple healing spell to you, but I think it would be best to find a safe place to care for you properly."

Elwin seemed surprised by my words and I noticed how he looked closely at my face, I couldn't decipher what he was thinking so I asked him.

¨Is something wrong?¨

He shook his head and looked south. ¨We are near Bentbranch Meadows, we can rest there.¨

¨Do you think you can walk?¨ I asked him, I noticed how his right leg had some notable cuts and there was still dried blood on his pants.

"I'm fine, I can support myself with the staff" he said, taking out his magic conjurer's staff.

I shook my head and stood next to him, taking his arm and placing it on top of my shoulders.

“Don't be stubborn” I reprimanded him. "Your magic staff will break before you can take 4 steps forward, lean on me, we will get there quickly and you will save your staff."

He looked uncomfortable, but then sighed, giving up trying to make an excuse or deny helping him; Although I met him yesterday, at this moment he seemed little like the enthusiastic boy I met yesterday, but I assumed at the time that he was feeling bad about his injuries. The people outside Bentbranch Meadows met us and helped Elwin be treated for his injuries, I stayed with him until he was moved to another room.

I stayed outside waiting for him to come out, they would probably have to use a more advanced healing spell or they would recommend taking potions, in any case, it would be a quick recovery. As time passed, I focused my attention on the chocobos in the barn, while some were sleeping peacefully on the hay, others who were awake whistled happily as their keepers fed them or stroked their feathers.

Seeing the chocobos reminded me of Koro, although Adrien preferred to leave his chocobo in the Adder's Nest stables, this meant I couldn't see it as often, I hope next time I can see it.

My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the door open and saw Elwin come out accompanied by an Alchemist who gave him two potions with a bright blue liquid, I saw his leg and it looked better than it did a few bells ago.

When I took my attention away from the chocobos, I approached Elwin and noticed that the sun's rays were in a different position than a while ago, it was already noon.

Elwin noticed me approaching him and showed a smile.

"They told me that it was nothing serious; they asked me to drink liquids and if my body hurt, to take these potions."

¨That’s good news¨ I responded and showed a small smile.

He put the potions back in his backpack and ran a hand behind his neck, scratching his head.

¨Thank you again for helping me, I feel ashamed that you had to come save me after I accepted the task of eliminating the small pest that Mother recommended...¨ He lowered his hand and looked serious. "I would like to make it up to you for putting you through these problems, what would you like?"

I looked at him perplexed, my original intention was to look for him to ask the same question, after all, he offered his service as an adventurer and I didn't pay him.

¨In fact... I came here for that reason¨ I wanted to clarify the issue and staying silent wouldn't solve it.

After explaining to him that my intention today was to look for him and pay him for his help yesterday, I also told him that I went with Mother Miounne to ask questions about the payments to the adventurers and his possible current location, she guided me to look for him at Bentbranch Meadows.

When I finished explaining, there was another silence between us... And then he burst into laughter; This was the second time he started laughing suddenly and I didn't know if that was normal for him, or if he had lost his mind.

"It's really ironic in my opinion." He said trying to catch his breath. "You came looking for me to pay me, but now I want to pay you"

Yeah, it is somewhat unusually ironic that we both now wish to repay a debt for helping each other, but I am not like him, I am not an adventurer who should be paid for their services.

"That means we're even" Elwin said as he straightened up and showed a big smile.

¨Wait¨ Now everything had become confusing. "When you agreed to help me, I couldn't give you anything in return for helping me. Aren't the rules as an adventurer supposed to say that I have to give something in return if I ask for help or a favor?"

"But it wasn't necessary, I didn't want you to pay me" Elwin said, maintaining his smile and with his characteristic shine in his eyes. ¨Do you remember what I told you yesterday? When you said you didn't have a way to pay me, I told you We'll figure it out later, my intention was to tell you later that it wasn't necessary for you to pay me.¨

It didn't seem fair to me, I felt my eyes widen at his confession, but something had me baffled.

¨You never told me not to pay you... You left shortly after my brother looked at you...¨

Elwin seemed nervous and looked away when I mentioned my brother.

¨It's just... I was in a hurry.¨ He looked uncomfortable; when I understood that probably my brother's intimidating look towards the strangers with me must have scared him, but I wasn't going to admit it.

¨But if you are very worried about paying me, don't worry, you saved my life and I consider that a sufficient payment.¨ Elwin said, looking at me again and trying to smile.

¨It was a mere coincidence that I saved your life...¨ I said, my intention was to get to Bentbranch Meadows to wait for him there, but thanks to my ears with good hearing sense, I was able to find him, it was almost like pure luck that I was there to save him. "Besides, you don't owe me anything, I'm not an adventurer like you."

Elwin seemed surprised at my words, he looked around and put a hand behind his neck, then his gaze focused on a person near a guard post.

¨I have an idea.¨ He pointed to the person near the guard post. "Let's do a task together and get a reward to divide between us, this way we both win"

It didn't seem like a bad idea to me and considering that an adventurer constantly lived off the tasks and help he provided to others, Elwin was not yet in good condition to fight, if he wanted to continue working for today, he required support and... I wouldn't have the heart of leaving him alone.

¨Okay, I'll help you¨ I crossed my arms and agreed, Elwin smiled gently, I thought it was nice.

We both walked towards the person who was handing out some small tasks in the area, and we agreed to do a task that asked us both to guard the territory and look for enemies, defeat them and keep them away from the populated area, the reward offered for such work was a 400 gil sack and a piece of mage armor.

I thought it would be an easy task when we agreed, but some beasts turned out to be very stubborn and generated heavy damage, it was difficult for me to dodge them in time because I didn’t know their movements, and even my arrows tended to fail in precision to deliver a critical hit, but thanks to the support of Elwin with his healing magic, I was able to stand firm and as a team we were able to defeat the beasts.

Before we could retreat, Elwin caught a glimpse of something in the distance and we found a treasure chest, I was amazed at the discovery, and Elwin explained to me that sometimes when you face certain strong enemies, they tend to protect small treasures that can be beneficial for adventurers, but you had to be careful, because he would not be the only adventurer looking for challenges to find the treasures that the beasts protect.

The treasure we found had two pairs of earrings, one pair sparkled with red crystals and the other sparkled with white crystals. Elwin put away the treasure and we headed back to the man who gave us the task, and presented the evidence of our job well done. He congratulated us and gave us our reward.

With the reward in our hands, we decided to take a break by buying a drink with the money we got, one for me and one for him. We still had 300 gil left in the bag, which was still good news.

Then Elwin decided to distribute the reward, he gave me the gil sack and also gave me a pair of earrings with red crystals. I wasn't waiting for him to give me the earrings, but that meant he would only keep the armor piece and the other pair of white crystal earrings. Then he took out a small bag from his pants and took out 50 gil and then gave it to me in my hand.

¨This is for the drink I bought for myself using the reward money, I hope this is okay with you¨ He said while placing the white earrings in his ears.

I stopped to think if this was what he face every day to live as an adventurer... Although Mother Miounne had previously explained to me what adventurers do; to receive and face other adventurers, it was difficult to believe that they agreed to this lifestyle, because that would mean that they would be unstable and the idea of having a normal life with what they do would be considerably difficult. What would motivate someone to become an adventurer?

“Elwin, can I ask you something?” I said as I put the gil he gave me into the new bag they gave me recently.

He nodded his head, bending down a little to check his leg, Elwin's frown made me realize that he still has pain even when he looks healed.

¨What motivated you to become an adventurer?¨

At my question, he looked up and left his leg, his eyes were open and at first he seemed to have the intention to speak, but he bit his lip a little and looked away, he seemed hesitant to tell me, but I didn't want to pressure him into telling me.

I bowed my head slightly, I thought I had touched on a sensitive topic or it was probably not a topic he wanted to talk about; I sighed and proceeded to put away the red crystal earrings and the gil sack; It was then that I heard him speak.

¨When I was a child, my father used to tell me great stories, about heroes who fought to protect the world from great threats, but they were not limited to facing great villains, but they also often lived great adventures, exploring new lands and facing new challenges, and in the way, helping those in need, extending a helping hand or words of comfort.¨

He paused.

¨Every night my father told different stories, and although I could never confirm if any of them were true or not, hearing about them made me think that, if there were people like them, the world could be a better place, with more people willing to share kindness and strength to protect what we hold dear.¨

He raised his head towards the sky, contemplating the blue sky and the sun's rays touching the leaves of the trees.

¨Although not all heroes have wonderful stories, they also suffered a lot, facing the pain of loss, the helplessness of their actions and the contempt of others. But they didn’t abandon even once what their hearts told them, they never abandoned hope no matter how difficult the situation was and they relied on those who still had faith in them.¨

Elwin closed his eyes and clenched his jaw slightly.

¨Really... I thought they were admirable, even if they were just stories, even if none of it was probably real. They motivated me not to give up and to give my best day after day.¨

He returned his gaze to me with a shy smile.

¨I'm sorry if I've put you in an uncomfortable situation by telling you this, I know... It sounds childish that my motivation to be an adventurer comes from fantasy stories.¨

I shook my head.

¨I don't see it that way, if it is important to you and it has given you the strength to move forward, that is what really matters.¨

Elwin's eyes widened at my words, I got the impression that he was waiting for another answer, when he recovered, he lowered his head a little and ran a hand behind his neck.

¨When I heard that adventurer guilds were opened in different city states to support Eorzea in its growth, I decided to enter to become an adventurer... Although, I don’t possess great power like the heroes in the stories, I do have a magical ability considerably good, and Brother E-Sumi-Yan has told me that, with time, patience and practice, I will improve, that there’s potential in me to be good at the healing arts.¨

Elwin showed a smile and the shine in his eyes grew bigger, he looked happy and inspired, as if remembering his motivation to be what he is today remained constant in his heart like a fire that will not be extinguished, a feeling that, to me, it moved me and made me feel happy for him, I smiled too.

¨Maybe it's not good right now, but I want to make a difference and I want to help those who need it, even if what I do is still small.¨

His eyes filled with determination.

"I want the world to be a better place"

His words really reached me, even I felt motivated by what he said, but doubt arose in my mind, even if I had his motivation, things would no longer be the same for him. But I thought it wasn't my place to ask about those things, I had already asked something that was very personal for him, it would be best for me not to insist on my curiosity for now.

¨Destiny, can I ask you something?¨ Elwin asked, tilting his head slightly to look at me, I considered it a strange act but I nodded.

¨How long will you stay before returning to Sharlayan?¨

I sighed, I really didn't want to remember that part, especially because the sooner I returned home right now, the closer my time would be to confront my brother Aaron about my absence and make him worried.

¨I don't know, but I don't plan to stay for long, I have to attend to some important things in Sharlayan yet.¨

Elwin rested his hand on his jaw, he seemed to be meditating something.

¨Is it okay if we meet tomorrow around the same time as today?¨ He asked.

I raised an eyebrow, why would he and I want to see each other again?

¨I would like to show you the forest if you allow me, there is more than you can see outside of Gridania, I promise it will be fun.¨ He seemed nervous, I didn't understand why.

¨Are you going to want me to pay you for showing me the forest?¨ At first I thought he was offering to get a task and get paid for it, after all, it couldn't be free twice... Right?

¨No, no!¨ He raised his hands, making his denial of my question more noticeable. ¨It's nothing like that, it's just… Yesterday I remember that you said that it's been 6 years since you were here, and I don't know if you're curious to explore the forest and what has changed over the years and I'll accompany you so that you don't get hurt ¨

I blinked twice, not believing what I was hearing.

¨I can take care of myself, you know?¨ I crossed my arms and made a mocking smile. ¨Also, I remind you that today I was the one who saved your ass.¨

My answer hit the nail on the head, he hung his head, ashamed of the sad reality. I felt the urge to pat his head to comfort him, but I refrained, instead I smiled and closed my eyes.

"But, if your leg still feels bad, I will support you in your work tomorrow" I said with the intention of trying to cheer him up.

He raised his head, his emotions changing in ways I didn't understand, from one moment to the next he seemed to smile as if stars were shining in his eyes, then he would look nervous or surprised by my comments.

¨ That won't be necessary!¨ He raised his hands again, denying. ¨It’s my job as an adventurer, and I must fulfill my chosen tasks on my own. Furthermore, you’re not registered as an adventurer and I risked a lot today by asking you to support me because of my injuries, if Mother Miounne finds out that I have been asking civilians for help...¨

I interrupted him there.

"She doesn't have to know, besides, I don't think she would consider it right leaving you alone with your bad leg either." I put my hand on my cheek. ¨Also, probably if they know that you became worse for agreeing to work even when you were injured, they will probably suspend you temporarily, with no new tasks until after a few months of recovery.¨

Elwin's face paled. He couldn't ignore that he felt bad and needed to rest, but he couldn't ignore when an opportunity could arise to gain more experience and improve his interaction with people. It was the first time I saw him cornered, I felt a little bad for him.

"I propose something to you" I said, raising my index finger of my right hand. "Can you have a day off tomorrow? But without saying it openly."

Elwin looked confused.

¨You must rest in the right way, I am in no hurry to explore the forest, not to mention that I still have to know how long I will stay here.¨ I paused, trying to find the right words to explain to him. ¨I haven't been able to explore all of Gridania because I've been focusing on other things. I think it's better to stay in a safe area until you recover and while you're at it, show me the city, but at a slow pace so you don't get hurt anymore.¨

Finally, Elwin seemed to understand and even seemed interested.

"And if it's okay with you, maybe we can share a new reward together when we go to the market, that way you don't lose days of work and I'm not exposed to having problems with the adventurer's guild... Is that okay with you?"

Elwin looked at me carefully, as if trying to understand my words again and again. At that moment I felt like one of those contracts in which you have to be careful to read the small words, because if you're not careful, something could go wrong, however, what I proposed has nothing hidden, it is just as I explained it to him.

#ff14 #ffxiv #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 wol #ff14 writing #ffxiv wol #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #my writing #new friends #dream #fantasy

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uridestiny · 3 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 15: The life of an adventurer

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/743113015298326528/the-warrior-of-the-moon?source=share

I woke up with pain in my back due to the bad position I had while sleeping on the couch. I admit it wasn't the most comfortable I've slept in years, but this was better than sleeping on the floor or letting my brother sleep here while I was in his bed. I would have felt bad knowing that he had to go to work and I didn't. I stretched my body and stared at the ceiling of the cabin for a few seconds, trying to mentally determine what time of day it was.

I got off the couch and went to the bathroom to clean my face. That's when I realized that my brother had already left, but I saw a piece of parchment on the table.

"I made you some sandwiches in case you're hungry, the cabin is yours until I get back, I'll leave you the key, don't break anything else that's already broken if you know what I mean, see you tonight.

PS: If you are going out, don't be late because you're spending time with your boyfriend.¨

Below those words is a scribble made with a shaky hand, it seemed that Adrien tried to draw himself with a flirtatious or perhaps mocking smile and a raised eyebrow with a small glint near his eyes, despite how bad he is at drawing, at least I was able to save his illustrated message to show his intentions.

I crumpled the parchment in my hand, trying to contain my urge to run straight to Adder's Nest to throw the now crumpled paper in my brother's face for insisting on this joke; Adrien was really harping on this nonsense too much, the idea of that adventurer and I had something on our hands even though I had only known him for a few minutes, it was annoying, I took out my own paper and wrote.

"You better stop insisting on that, or next time I will let you sleep outside the cabin dear brother."

I made my own drawing below this comment, but unlike my brother Adrien, I have a little more practice thanks to my little hobby of drawing objects from my environment when I feel bored. I drew myself trying to look menacing while trying to preserve my smile, trying to mirror my attempts to remain composed, but that sooner or later I would run out of patience to tolerate his jokes if he kept insisting, or at least try to mirror that, well I was more used to drawing objects and not self-portraits. I hope my brother understands the message...

My ears fluttered as I remembered what I was really considering doing today.

¨I'll go out for a while, maybe with luck, I'll be able to find this adventurer in the Carline Canopy. I will also stop by the market and buy ingredients for dinner. I'll see you tonight, I hope you don't forget that we promised to make gingerbread cookies together.¨

When I finished writing, I left the piece of parchment on the table as well, only I left my name written on it to prevent my brother from thinking it was the same piece of paper.

After eating the sandwiches for breakfast, I also prepared a coffee with milk and sugar, I dressed to go out, my intention is to stay near the city of Gridania, but just in case I had any doubts I decided to empty a little of the contents inside my backpack and leave it on the couch, at that moment I thought "at this point my brother shouldn't feel embarrassed for seeing my belongings" but unlike Aaron, he would scold me for leaving my personal belongings in front of his eyes.

I accidentally spilled a drop of coffee on the piece of parchment when I walked next to the table, I decided to clean whatever I used for breakfast; then I took my bow and arrows to carry them on my back along with my backpack.

I really didn't expect to use it, but life tends to throw up big surprises when you least expect it and I learned that the hard way, carrying something with me to defend myself wouldn't do any harm.

From the position of the sun, I could tell that it was still early, but I had to get moving if I wanted to find that adventurer. When I made my way back to Gridania I walked towards the building Carline Canopy, I saw the elezen woman I had greeted yesterday again and I approached her.

Even though this was the second time we shared glances, she was startled and made a singular sound when she saw me.

¨Ah, I remember you! Elwin was showing you around the city yesterday.¨ She smiled, which reassured me despite my worry of not being received well.

¨Welcome to Carline Canopy, I am Mother Miounne and I am the owner. How can I help you?¨ Her kind, warm voice calmed me, and I felt like I could open up to her easily.

"Good morning, my name is Destiny Urih, I'm looking for Elwin, do you know where he could be?"

"Are you looking for Elwin? That will not be an easy task darling, he is very restless, he looks like a child running around when he has a lot to do.¨ Mother Miounne placed her hand on her chin, it seemed like she was trying to remember something important.

"If my memory serves me correctly, he have a task to do in Bentbranch Meadows, it's about a small pest that is bothering the inhabitants of the area, but above all making the chocobos nervous" she said and gave a sweet look.

"If you like, you can wait for him here and I can offer you some tea. All adventurers return here to report on their tasks and to receive new ones ."

I shook my head

"I appreciate the gesture, but I would like to go look for him myself, I need to talk to him."

But before I could leave then I remembered something important.

“Mother Miounne, If you allow me to ask, how can I pay an adventurer for his help?”

She seemed surprised by my question, but smiled sweetly again.

"It can be anything from money, food, ingredients, armor, jewelry, and even mamets or mounts for your travels."

I couldn't believe that adventurers could agree to receive so many things to consider it "a fair payment", after all, if a person decided not to give them money when they needed it, in any case the activity and the reward would not be exactly a factor equivalent at the weight it had. Which from my perspective generated more disadvantage than being beneficial.

¨The adventurers may be open to receiving anything, but in any case, it is also their decision whether they want to accept the task to receive the reward. An adventurer is dedicated not only to helping those in need, but also to exploring beyond what one can see. They are given certain freedoms and to do so, they sometimes tend to require materials of all kinds for their trips.¨

Mother Miounne continued to explain to me, but in my mind, I kept questioning this lifestyle, since it would mean that you must be resourceful and strong to be able to deal with what is at your disposal and the time you invest... Which, it wasn’t really something simple to do, there are people who may have the strength to do certain complicated tasks and skill in fighting, but also those who didn’t possess such strength but did have knowledge and ingenuity. In any case, how would it be possible to compensate for one side and the other?

¨Some adventurers tend to seek advice from the owners of the adventurer's guild about what tasks one can or cannot do, because, even though they are free spirits, it does not mean that we want to abandon them to their fate. Being adventurer means risking your life in exchange for a job that a person needs to support themselves, which is not easy. We have the responsibility to ensure their safety.¨

¨I understand¨ I responded; I was curious about the topic. ¨And what could I give to an adventurer who agreed to help me without me being able to offer him something as a reward?¨

Mother Miounne blinked, immediately realizing my point in the conversation.

"Like I said honey, it could be anything, but I think it would be better if you asked yourself what the adventurer would like."

I thought about her words for a moment, my best option would be to ask him myself of course, but I didn't have the slightest idea what I could offer him being in a place far from the city. But, there was no point in standing there rambling about things, time moves forward and I had to find Elwin before he left the place for another task.

"I understand... Thank you very much for the information."

As I left the Caroline Canopy, I raised my hand to say goodbye to Mother Miounne one last time for her kindness, she was really very sweet to me. I walked towards the gates of Gridania, where I saw Cenort and Igront outside the protective walls, I bowed my head slightly in respect to address them, but Igront was the only one who greeted me back while Cenort, ignored me, moving his head in another direction, he really didn't like me but that wasn't my problem.

It had been a long time since I walked alone in The Shroud, the whisper of the wind calmed me a lot, but its sound couldn’t keep me away from the reality around me, now I was exposed to many animals and with every step I advanced I was further from the safety of the walls, a part of me I felt a slight feeling of anxiety at the idea of being suddenly attacked, but I tried to control my mind and heart by taking deep breaths and showing my steps decisively.

If the creatures sensed fear in me, the probability that they would attack me was very high, therefore, I had to be confident and not hesitate with every step I took; If something tried to get close to me, I felt my left hand ready to hold my bow, but I just prayed to the Twelve that I wouldn't need to use it.

I may seem like a coward for not wanting to use my bow to defend myself, but I really didn't want to take the lives of creatures. I always had a hard time raising my bow with the idea of killing. Both my parents and my brothers had taught me to respect the life of living beings, and taking it away unjustly is not right; and that if I take the life of another, it will be because I had no choice, in a battle where one wishes the death of the other, you have two options: you defend yourself to live or you die.

I looked up at the sky, the sunlight passed through the leaves of the trees, I raised my hand to reach one of these rays of light near me, a warm sensation ran from my hand and then I felt a chill all over my body, I closed my eyes, enjoying the feeling of warmth filling my entire body, unfortunately, I couldn't bear this feeling for long; my ears perked up as I heard a sound in the distance, a scream.

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 writing #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #adventure

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uridestiny · 3 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 14: My next step?…

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/742481483263098880/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-13-our-reason?source=share

After several minutes of silence between us, with the sound of the oven, the sweet bread and the forest insects, Adrien's ears fluttered, he had probably remembered something.

¨Now that I remember, why were you and that adventurer holding hands?¨ Adrien's question baffled me, it took me a few seconds to understand what he was referring to.

¨He was just giving me a little tour of the city¨ That wasn't practically a lie.

"But holding hands?" He insisted with a mocking smile. "I didn't know you were a heart-stealer, sister."

I grimaced at his comment, he just shook his ears and tail at my expression, he was clearly joking with me. But I intended to hit him back.

¨And when one of my brothers would come home with a girlfriend, I wonder?¨ I smiled when I saw my brother's reaction, he changed his position and looked absently somewhere else while trying to remain calm.

I felt pleased with my victory, I really rarely could stand up to Adrien when he acted joking with me, but I felt relaxed knowing that he was even in the mood to make jokes.

¨And how are things at home?¨ Adrien asked.

"They’ve been boring, Aaron complains bitterly every day." I sighed at the idea of mentioning how my brother would be feeling at this moment.

¨Don't tell me, has he complained again that his coffee doesn't have enough foam?¨ Adrien asked in a joking tone.

"Not only that, he has even complained that he can't fall asleep because the pajamas he wore yesterday can't be worn again that same night because he's already worn them once and it smells bad."

Adrien laughed, he knew very well how Aaron usually complains a lot, especially when he was very stressed about work.

"He's probably worried about me too." Adrien sighed after laughing.

¨Believe me he does, he complained yesterday about your absence and your decision to become a soldier, every time we mention you, he complains bitterly... But he really seems very distressed.¨ I sighed a little sadly, knowing that Aaron had his own way of reflecting his concern, even if he seemed to act with annoyance or anger towards others at times.

"I bet he still complained but knowing that you left without warning. “ Adrien said and then his ears fluttered again. ¨Oh, wait, speaking of the evil...¨

Adrien raised one of his hands and took out a letter from his pants; he placed it on the table and I managed to see Aaron's name written on the envelope...

¨I received it recently when I was asked to return to rest.¨ Adrien paused, contemplating the letter and then returning his gaze to me. ¨At first I didn't think about reading it at that time, because when I didn’t find you in the Adders’ Nest I thought you had already started your way to return home, but now that I know you haven't left... And that Aaron is probably cursing the heavens and the hells right now...¨

I immediately understood Adrien's point, it was his way of pointing out that the best thing for me would be to return home before Aaron was angry enough to take it upon himself to come to Eorzea and drag us both back to Sharlayan.

¨Do you want to read the letter?¨ Adrien asked.

“No” I responded quickly.

¨I know what will be written, first a greeting, then a panicked message about my absence and then a final curse for you, and probably what he adds at the end will be, - ¨If you find her, convince her to come home, don't take her side because I already have a lot of problems to deal with right now¨ - I know he won't say that last part with bad intentions towards us... Lately he has been very stressed with the demands of the Forum.¨

Adrien sighed and ran a hand over his head, knowing he couldn't ignore his own twin's letter for long.

"I plan to send a letter to him tomorrow, first I will tell him that you are with me and that you’re fine, if I don't tell him that, he will probably come sooner than we think to scold us both for keeping him away."

I placed my elbows on the table and rested my head on my hands that supported me, I thought carefully about the situation, I was cornered by what was inevitable.

¨Do you intend to stay here for a few days or are you planning to leave early tomorrow?¨ Adrien asked, I pouted, disgusted at the idea of leaving so soon, but then I remembered something important.

"I can't leave" I declared firmly. "I have a debt to pay here"

Adrien raised an eyebrow, confused.

"I uh... I didn't pay the adventurer who helped me today." At my comment, Adrien tried to contain his laughter, but he couldn't.

"I knew you and that adventurer were planning something," he said, laughing. ¨I won't stop you if you want to go on a date with your boyfriend, but I'm warning you sister, you're moving forward in leaps and bounds-¨

¨THERE IS NOTHING BETWEEN US!¨ I shouted indignantly, interrupting Adrien, but that only made him laugh harder.

I complained bitterly at my brother's laughter, he was clearly bothering me, but I never liked misunderstandings, and the mere thought of seeing myself dating a person I had just met made my blood boil with frustration and anger. I have little tolerance for this type of jokes.

When Adrien managed to control his laughter, he looked at me somewhat curious.

¨What kind of debt is it if I may know?¨

At that moment I could have sworn I could punch Adrien in the face, but I held back, because I really didn't want things between us to get tense again, so I swallowed my anger and pride and decided to explain what happened today as well as our meeting.

"From what I was able to learn, adventurers are rewarded for their efforts in helping people who ask for their services, and since I couldn't pay him before he left, I don't feel it's fair to leave without paying him properly." I finished explaining to Adrien.

He seemed to understand and then got up from his seat to stick his head out the window and check how much time he had left before he would probably receive his next call to continue his service.

"I would recommend that you think about it early in the morning, it's getting late and I need to sleep at least a few hours to be able to work tomorrow." Adrien said walking towards the door that led him to his room with bed.

¨If you want, I'll give you the bed, I'm just going to change my clothes ¨ He said while taking off his shirt; for me it was no longer strange to see him changing, but even so, I decided to turn around when I saw him walking into the room to look for more comfortable clothes.

¨It's not necessary, I remind you that I usually stay up late out of habit... ¨ Then I remembered something important. ¨Brother... When you return from your service tomorrow... Can we bake gingerbread cookies together?¨

After that question, I felt him reach out and pat my head again.

¨Of course, and we'll send a package of cookies to Aaron as an apology.¨ Adrien said with a smile.

I turned around and hugged him again, he had changed his clothes and was now ready to go to sleep.

"If you feel like going to sleep in a while, then the couch is available for you" Adrien said and then he let go of the hug, walking towards his room to sleep. "Good night Destiny"

¨Good night Adrien.¨ I smiled as I saw how Adrien said goodbye and closed the door to his room.

I sat in the chair next to the small table, looked at my empty metal cup for a moment and refilled it with the little warm water that was still inside the kettle. When I left it back in its place, I looked among my brother's utensils if there was anything that could help preserve the dessert that was left over after our conversation. I placed a cloth napkin on the bread, hoping that it wouldn't get too dirty, and I approached the oven boiler to reduce its heat and in a while it would turn off. The night is cold in the forest, not excessively but still felt considerably.

I turned off the oil lantern, leaving only the furnace boiler light on. I took a set of clothes out of my backpack and went to change in the bathroom. When I left, I was wearing more casual clothes that were ideal for sleeping, except for a jacket that I decided to take with me to go out.

It is a habit of mine to go out at night to look at the night sky; After all, my kind has always preferred the night for many of our activities, and although my brothers taught me many of their customs and raised me again in Sharlayan, they let me retain the customs that my own parents had instilled in me, among others. The most common was to go out to admire the night, the moon and the stars. Although I also used to sing at night next to my mother, being in a city like Sharlayan where every Scholar required their rest, I only limited myself to humming the song that my mother taught me or simply staying silent.

Leaving my brother's cabin, I managed to climb on top of the roof and sit on the tile on top of the wood. The air around was restless, I could tell something wasn't right, there was something... It just wasn't right. I looked at the sky seeking solace in the stars, but my eyes kept focusing on Dalamud.

I tried to ignore its presence, but it was difficult with its bright color standing out unusually in the sky, being unusually closer than it should be. I turned my back on Dalamud, hoping that would calm me down and focus my gaze in another direction. Although Aaron taught me the constellations, I really had little interest at this point in looking for them right now, my intention was simply to get lost in my thoughts until I started to feel drowsy. I thought about what happened today and how it was thanks to the kindness of people that I was able to make peace with Adrien. But I was still worried about the new storm that would come with Aaron.

Even after I turned 16, Aaron still saw me as a little girl, probably for the simple fact that I lived under his roof and we worked in the same place; Although at this point I could already consider the opportunity to be independent, I never considered for myself what I wanted to do.

While Aaron always pointed out that I should seek to study an approach to advanced magic or perhaps advanced research, I never really had any interest in following in his footsteps and showing myself as a useful woman for science. I preferred to follow my own pace without the need to feel pressure on others.

When you focus on something, there will be people who always expect you to do the best, and will pressure you to continue doing it at the cost of many things, you abandon what you used to do to adapt and continue doing it; I know those who don't find that a problem, and they adapt because it is what they have chosen to do and they know they are good at it.

On the other hand, Adrien has always supported me in doing what I want to do and taking my time to make a decision, because once I do it, it will be for life and although there is the possibility of taking another path, I must choose carefully where I should go and where I want to go.

The future is something that is always left to worry and to the expectation that things will be done as such, the thought of it has always filled my heart with fear; and even though Aaron and Adrien have different opinions about my future, it just shows that they care about me too much and don't plan to leave me alone. It's a little frustrating at times, but this feeling calms my heart every night I look up at the sky.

But, if I have learned anything today it is that "In the present there are many good things that we can do, because we are here and we are capable of making it possible."

Maybe I should keep my focus on the present and what I can do while I'm here.

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 writing #ff14 fanfic #ffxiv fanfiction #my ocs #my writing #thoughts

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uridestiny · 4 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 13: Our reason is...

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/741840904343683072/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-12-emun%C3%A1?source=share

When this was resolved and we said goodbye politely, Mr. Leveilleur and I returned to the bookstore, apparently, he had not yet bought the book, but he wanted to ask my opinion on what kind of book to choose, whether between a novel or a new book about the founding of the great Companies of the City States of Eorzea. I didn't really feel like deciding which book to choose, so I just chose the history book without thinking much about it.

After a long while, we finally managed to leave the markets and then I followed Mr. Leveilleur's step without paying much attention to where we were walking, I was really lost in my thoughts, in a constant conflict debating whether it is the right thing or not to accept my brothers' decisions even though I try to protect them.

¨Destiny¨ I reacted only when Mr. Leveilleur put his hand on my shoulder, it seemed like he was trying to grab the bags himself.

¨Y-Yes Mr. Leveilleur?¨ I stammered out of surprise.

¨I was asking you if it was okay if I helped you a little with carrying the bags?¨ He asked me and then I stepped back.

¨D-Don't worry, I can handle this, I've helped Aaron with the books many times when we worked together in the library.¨ I stood up straight and held the bags with the things I bought on my shoulders, trying to stay steady and strong.

Mr. Leveilleur's expression softened and he seemed... Worried.

¨I don't mean to seem rude by getting involved in personal matters but, are you worried about something?¨ He asked me softly, I looked away from him and looked at the ground, my bangs hiding my eyes and then I looked towards a water fountain near us.

"It's just... I don't understand it."

I paused, I know Mr. Leveilleur doesn't even know what I'm talking about and I probably shouldn't even tell my problems to a man who probably has more important things to do... But still...

I just wish someone would listen to me...

¨My older brother Aaron is a man who has dedicated his entire life to working and having a simple life away from problems and on the other hand there is my other older brother Adrien, who decided to become a soldier because he wants to help those who need it... Even if it means putting your life at risk... But I don't understand, I don't understand how protecting others and putting your life at constant risk of death is more important than putting your own life to safety... I... I don't understand.¨

There was silence between us, my hands made fists and then I looked up at Mr. Leveilleur, he had his eyes closed, he seemed to be meditating to give me an answer.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have bothered you with this" I said but then Mr. Leveilleur opened his eyes and responded.

¨I was also asked a similar question not long ago.¨ He looked up at the blue sky, which was slowly beginning to turn darker due to the setting sun.

¨For years, my family has followed the teachings of our ancestors, in order to abandon war and devote ourselves to the search for knowledge and wisdom.¨ He paused as he continued speaking. "Although I respect and value the teachings that several generations have given and what future generations will give; change always resides in the present, with the actions we decide to take today."

I felt a little confused by his words but I didn't want to say anything, so I continued listening to him while staying silent.

¨In the present, there are many good things we can do, because we are here and we are capable of making it possible. Sitting around waiting for things to happen doesn't solve anything, if our intention is for the things we want to turn out well, we have to work on it; If you want to save a life and you have the opportunity to do so, you should try.¨

¨To ignore the plight of those one might conceivably save is not wisdom—it is indolence. We must all protect that which we hold most dear in the manner of our own choosing.¨

At these words I was finally able to understand... My brother refuses to sit back and wait for someone to solve things for him, when, as long as he is here and is capable of making a difference, he will.

Always in all his letters, Adrien asked that Aaron and I not worry about him, the several long days in which he agreed to be in service without getting enough rest, in order to help his companions and keep the peace as well as help to those within their reach... It's their way of protecting the people of Gridania... And us.

¨And what happens if we can't achieve it? What if it's in vain?¨ I asked, feeling filled with fear again.

Mr. Leveilleur hardened his gaze slightly and told me firmly.

¨It is not wise to assume what may and may not be; The actions we take every day are never in vain, everything we do triggers changes around us. Not all changes may be reflected instantly, others take time and dedication to make them a reality, but never think that "You can't" because you will only stop yourself.¨

My eyes widened at his words, he really made a good point.

¨By telling yourself ¨You can't do it¨ not only generates doubts in your heart, but also insecurity in your actions, sometimes, you must face the challenges that you have in front of you and even if you don't always emerge victorious from it, at least you tried and you can try again. Your brother knows exactly what he wants to do, and if I may say, I consider he is absolutely certain he will do it right and if things still don't work out, at least he will try and get back up to keep trying. But remember, what he did will never be in vain.¨

He approached me and gently took my shoulder again.

¨Trust your brother the same way he trusts you.¨

Mr. Leveilleur smiled, when I looked into his eyes, I found great empathy and strength in them, for an older man, I could see all the strength in his heart; He has his own reasons for being here and fighting for what is right just like my brother, and he is determined to fight to protect what he has chosen.

I lowered my head slightly.

"I would like to protect him like he also protected me... I just wish I could do that." I whispered, trying with all my might not to cry, because I finally understood my fears, I understood my heart and... I understood my brother.

¨You will be able to do it one day, with time you will achieve it, be sure of it.¨

Night fell, after asking some soldiers from the Order of the Twin Adders for directions, I managed to find the cabin where Adrien was staying. I really thought that my brother had a room with the other soldiers, but I found it reassuring that he had his own space. The wooden cabin is stable and looks like it has only been built for a few years, however, it didn’t have any outdoor furniture other than a simple wooden roof and a glass window.

I searched high and low to find a way in, but to my surprise, I didn't find anything, so I just waited outside for Adrien to return.

While waiting, I looked up at the starry sky and the bright moon, when I changed my gaze towards Dalamud , it now seemed that the moon was a little smaller compared to the red dwarf that had been accompanying it for ages. I felt a chill running down my spine as I kept my eyes focused on Dalamud, something wasn't right with them, but what could it be?

I closed my eyes and when I tried to delve deeper into this feeling, I felt an enormous anger accumulated in Dalamud , an immeasurable and destructive anger... My ears were ringing, my chest felt heavy, it was as if I had forgotten how to breathe.

¨Destiny, are you alright?¨ I heard a voice call me.

Adrien's voice brought me back to reality, I was sitting on the porch of the cabin and Adrien was a short distance away from me. The feeling that overwhelmed me moments ago had faded, my breathing returned to normal, I grabbed my backpack and the bag I brought with me and stood up from my uncomfortable position on the wooden floor.

“I'm fine, don't worry” I assured, trying to make my voice sound calm.

¨When I didn't find you in Adders Nest I thought you left to take a ship to return to Sharlayan.¨ Adrien said as he approached the door of his cabin and took out a key to open the door.

“You said we'd talk at night” I responded quickly. "Did your day go well?"

Adrien opened the door and went in to light an oil lantern. Upon entering I couldn't help but peek inside, unlike our house that Aaron and I shared in Sharlayan, Adrien is surrounded by wooden walls, with very little wooden furniture in a darker color. There is a small table and a very simple oven next to the wall, a sofa extends over the room with a rug and a smaller table, but none of these are of great quality, they simply fulfill their function of allowing visitors to receive.

At the back there are only two doors and if I had to guess, one is for the bathroom and one is for his bed.

"I know it's not a big deal but feel comfortable, Aaron would kill me if he knew I didn't have much furniture in my house to receive visitors." Adrien walked over to a piece of furniture by the window near the oven and took out a jar of herbs.

"To answer your question, it was a hard day, but my colleagues insisted that I come back and rest, and that they would call me again soon for new information, so I probably won't stay for long."

"I understand" I responded a little upset.

His eyes returned to me and he raised the jar of herbs. “Would you like to drink tea?”

"Sure." I agreed and closed the cabin door behind me, dropped my backpack and then approached the table with the bag.

¨What do you have there?¨ Adrien asked when he placed the kettle on top of the oven so that the water could begin to heat up.

¨Today I accompanied a person to the market to help him with his purchases and as a thank you he gave me a dessert and also ingredients to prepare gingerbread cookies.¨

When the sun went down, Mr. Leveilleur and I had one more conversation, and he mentioned that probably after sending the package to his grandchildren, he would not return to Gridania for a while because he was needed elsewhere. He thanked me for helping him and we returned to the market once again where we approached a small corner where they were selling desserts. Mr. Leveilleur asked me if, as a token of gratitude, I would accept a dessert and I agreed, as well as buying extra ingredients to prepare gingerbread cookies.

¨How about you make gingerbread cookies with your brother as a form of reconciliation?¨ Mr. Leveilleur suggested.

I really thought it was a good idea and a very nice gesture on their part.

I took out a glazed cinnamon bun from my bag, it could easily be enough for 6 people, but it was enough for both of us.

Adrien and I sat across from each other at the small table, with the bread between us, the water for the tea still taking several minutes to be ready, which gave us enough time to chat.

¨Adrien... I'm sorry¨ I started to apologize.

Adrien's ears fluttered once at my words, he seemed confused, but then he seemed to remember the reason why he was saying an apology, he sighed and rested his back on the back of the chair.

¨I really understand your concern Destiny, I really do.¨ Adrien focused his gaze on his hands in his lap. ¨I know that what I do here has you and Aaron constantly with fear in your throat...¨

His gaze changed and he looked sad now.

¨I admit that I am not a good example or the good brother that I always wanted to be for you; and I am very sorry if I have made you both suffer for me...¨

The kettle started to whistle, but Adrien didn't get up from his chair to move it away from the heat.

"I will not beg your forgiveness, because I am aware that it is unfair, but it’s my decision, I am sorry."

Seeing him now, he looked very bad, tired, stressed, he has dark circles in his eyes and he looked thinner than usual. His whole workload was really pushing him to the limit, and now that I was here... It's probably made things worse, maybe... It would have been better if I hadn't come.

I got up from the chair and grabbed a nearby towel to move the kettle away from the oven. Its sound really made me feel worse at my brother's look full of sadness. I couldn't help but feel guilty at the idea that despite all the things bad things he was facing here, he found comfort in the idea that Aaron and I were okay waiting for me to come home.

But after I reflected my fears and concerns back to him... I had probably made him doubt and made him feel guilty when he shouldn't have.

"Adrien... You're not a bad brother." I started feeling a lump in my throat and how my stomach contracted when I spoke, trying my best not to cry.

¨Since I was little, I always thought that you were brave and funny... You found me when I felt most lost...¨

I poured the hot water over the tea leaves in a metal cup I found, I poured two cups, one for me and one for Adrien, my hands shook as I brought the cups to the table and Adrien looked up when I sat back down on the chair.

¨You taught me how to use the bow and make my own arrows, I had a lot of fun playing with you and Koro... We also laughed out loud when we played a prank on Aaron.¨ The words were starting to build up in my throat, I wanted to say more, I really wanted to do it, thank him for everything he and Aaron did for me, for all those years in which they took care of me and taught me to be strong.

¨All these memories that we shared together, I appreciate them, they are really special to me . And for that reason... I really wish I could do the same for you.¨

I clenched my hands into fists and felt them shake every time I continued speaking.

¨Brother... I will not stop you in what you want to do or want to do with your life. But I want you to know that I care about you a lot as a family and I don't want to lose you... I can't lose you or Aaron like I lost my parents.¨

My voice broke and tears began to fall from my eyes...

¨I just wish I could do something more... Because I want to protect you all!¨

Adrien didn't say a single word in my entire speech, really, unlike Aaron who always found the words to speak and address others, I really preferred to keep silent about my emotions. But this time was different, I didn't want Adrien to feel guilty for our pain, just that our feeling was to look out for his well-being. I couldn't just stay silent when I really had a lot to say, but I couldn't find a way to express all of it.

Silently Adrien stood up and bent down to give me a big hug.

When I hugged him, my shoulder felt wet, he had also started to cry; at this point, my emotions were already chaos, I felt sadness, fear, but at the same time relief and happiness while I was in Adrien's arms. I hugged him back tightly and felt him caress my head.

We spent a few minutes hugging, at this point our tea had cooled a little, when Adrien separated from me, he moved his hand to lift the bangs from my face and I saw a smile reflected on his face. He looked happy, it seemed that not even himself could find the words to tell me at that moment, but through his eyes I was able to share his feeling.

He got up from his position and approached another piece of furniture to take out a bread knife and some plates to distribute the dessert that Mr. Leveilleur had bought for us. The sweet texture and soft bread made that moment very special, from a bitter moment that we had gone through, it had become sweet and full of relief between us.

I really wanted to get that out of my heart, and it was thanks to Mr. Leveilleur that I was able to find the courage to tell these feelings to my brother.

#ff14 #ffxiv #ff14 wol #ffxiv wol #final fantasy 14 #final fantasy xiv #ff14 writing #ffxiv fanfiction #ff14 fanfic #my ocs #my writing #feelings #family

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uridestiny · 4 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 12: Emuná

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/741255912500674560/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-11-nostalgia?source=share

It was already more than noon, night would soon fall, and although I considered myself capable of going on my own at night thanks to my good eyesight and instinct, I couldn't with my little experience deal with a huge monster if I had the bad luck to meet one. My mind and heart were in great conflict, whether to risk being brave or perhaps stupid to venture into the unknown or to stay within the city walls doing nothing as always.

¨It's a nice day, don't you think?¨ I heard the voice of an older man.

When I turned around to see who was speaking, I saw an elderly Elezen man, his skin dark, hair gray and... The symbol of the archon on his forehead and neck.

¨Ah, but where are my manners?¨ Then he bowed

¨ Louisoix Leveilleur, at your service.¨

I felt my eyes widen and, if it had been possible, they probably would have popped out of my head right now, I really didn't know how to react at a time like this, my brother Aaron had told me that the man in front of me is someone extremely respected in Sharlayan.

¨And who do I have the pleasure?¨ His question made me get out of my internal conflict in my head.

¨D-Destiny Urih¨ I made a small bow as well to show my respect to the man.This would be the first time that I came face to face with a member of the family Leveilleur, and none other than the current eldest member.

¨If you allow me to ask, you just arrived in the city, right?¨ The man asked.

"Yes, I came to visit my brother."

¨You are lost? It seemed like you were feeling bad for a moment¨ The voice of the kind man made me forget for a moment that I had a high-born person in front of me.

¨That's not... I yelled at my brother...¨ It was embarrassing to tell something like that to a stranger, especially to a person who probably wouldn't be interested in talking about insignificant things like this.

But to my surprise, the man closed his eyes for a moment and smiled at me.

¨Is it okay if you accompany me for a few minutes?¨ I felt my eyes widen again in surprise at such a suggestion.

¨I would like you to help me with some things, I am going to the market and I need strong arms that can support me with a small errand. I'll compensate you for your help of course.¨ I didn't really understand, but I agreed anyway, even a Scholar like my brother Aaron didn't have strong enough arms to carry a whole stack of books or the bags with more research materials, on that, it was always me who supported him.

And now with an older man like Mr. Leveilleur, my conscience wouldn’t be clear knowing that I left him alone carrying the things he required, so I nodded my head, agreeing to accompany him. I followed the man's slow pace, we walked together for a considerable distance.

We crossed into a short distance tunnel, which took us to another important part of the city, as I remembered at that time, that sector was known for having several places with people dedicated to work for trade between the cities, however, in Gridania only sufficient resources were used, efforts were made not to abuse them and the goodness of the Forest.

It was at that moment that I remembered the merchants who came to Gridania from Thanalan, I thought to myself that they were playing dirty right now with someone.

¨If you allow me to ask, you were born surrounded by these trees, right?¨ Mr. Leveilleur's question took me out of my thoughts.

¨Yes, although I was born here, my brothers raised me in Sharlayan.¨ The man showed a soft smile towards me.

¨It's a pleasure to see that someone from my motherland is interested in reconnecting with their roots.¨ Then he continued looking ahead and we arrived at the entrance to the markets after having passed in front of the Leatherworker's Guild.

¨Many come to Sharlayan to learn and seek knowledge, it’s a quiet and pleasant place, some when they get to know the city, they wish to never return to their lands, but just because things are at peace there does not mean that the world is at peace.¨

Mr. Leveilleur went through several stores, but most of the things he chose referred to ingredients, the more we walked around and he selected to respectively buy what he was looking for, I realized that most of the things were for making sweets.

My curiosity was piqued and I couldn't help but ask.

¨ Mr. Leveilleur, are you planning to prepare a dessert?¨

He smiled. ¨Good observation; not exactly, I won't use these ingredients. But I plan to send them to someone who appreciates sweets.¨

I tilted my head a little confused and then mentally went over all the ingredients to try to figure out what I was planning to make, but I really was a little confused.

¨ Mr. Leveilleur, If you allow me to make a guess... Are these ingredients for gingerbread cookies?¨

"Indeed" He nodded, placing a set of new ingredients in a makeshift bag and handing it to me.

¨You see, my granddaughter loves the gingerbread cookies that I usually make when I'm in the kitchen, although at Sharlayan we have similar ingredients to prepare them... Without meaning to offend the culinary art of my people, they don't have the same taste as the Eorzea ingredients¨

I gave a small laugh at his comment, I really understood what he was referring to. During the 6 years I spent living in Sharlayan with my brothers, I realized that there was a big difference in terms of taste compared to Eorzea; although Last Stand's food has considerably improved its way of introducing more flavor into food. Many of the Scholars try not to give importance to flavor but to the vitamins and beneficial factors of food consumption, leaving in the background, if not almost non-existent, the need to add flavor to our foods, as long as they fulfill the function of giving us the strength to continue studying.

This often happened because students and scholars had a tendency to forget to eat due to how deeply involved they were in their work and research. It was thanks to this that I decided for myself to only finish my basic education and not... Go too deep into a branch of study. I just couldn't imagine myself prioritizing my research and studies on food; really, rather than a satisfactory way to show my achievements and intelligence, it sounded more like a nightmare and punishment for my poor palate and mind.

"I understand perfectly, don't worry." I smiled and Mr. Leveilleur continued guiding me to another place, apparently to choose a coloring to paint the candy on the cookies.

He spent several minutes choosing the colors and even went over to check them over and over again to check the intensity of the color, he seemed to be having difficulty.

¨If it's not too much trouble that I ask your opinion... ¨ He began by addressing me and showing two colors of red in his hands.

¨Which of these colors is more intense?¨ He asked.

I examined the two colors, one clearly seemed less intense, like a coral and the other was more intense, like a bright scarlet. I raised one of my hands and pointed to the crimson color of his right hand.

After buying the color I selected we continued walking and arrived at what seemed to be a small bookstore, and apparently the only one in Gridania by the looks of it. I waited for Mr. Leveilleur again, and then while he was selecting a book, I looked around, people were walking back and forth buying or choosing products here and there. A normal view for any commercial place.

I even saw adventurers buying weapons and products for their personal growth in their profession, some took seriously the task of choosing their tools and equipment, while others seemed more interested in quickly returning to look for new tasks rather than investing time deciding what is good to wear or not. They seemed to me to be very energetic and restless people, as they moved from one place to another constantly, never in one place, as if duty called them to be in all places at once. It looked really overwhelming.

Then, in the crowd, I saw a Hyur boy standing alone in the middle of the market corridor. I glanced at Mr. Leveilleur who seemed still absorbed in deciding what book to take or not and then I quietly carried the things with me in one arm and approached the child, I had a bit of difficulty because many people were moving from one direction to another and they pushed me, but fortunately for me I managed to reach the child.

¨Hey, how are you?¨ It was the first thing that occurred to me to ask.

¨Have you seen my brother?¨ He answered me with another question. "He is tall, and has long, messy hair, and he reeks of animal skin."

I blinked, feeling bewildered for the lost child, he knew how to make his brother look bad with so few words, not to mention that he had given me good points to look for him.

"No, I haven't seen it, but if you want, we can ask if anyone has seen him." I extended my hand for him to follow me, but he backed away.

¨No, I won't go with you.¨ He sounded scared. ¨I don't know who you are and my brother has always told me not to go with strangers.¨

This was a problem, in such a crowd it would be hard to prevent me from getting lost again, and his stubbornness to stay in the same place would not help him in this situation.

¨Your brother is someone intelligent, it's true, you shouldn't go with strangers.¨ Then I raised my hand to point at me. ¨My name is Destiny Urih, I am 16 summers old and like you I have brothers.¨

The boy tilted his head slightly.

¨My brothers, although they look almost identical, there are very simple ways to tell them apart, one of them is grumpy like an ogre, and the other is sweet like sugar. But these last few days I can't find a way to tell them apart, lately they're both acting like ogres.¨

"How can sugar turn into an ogre?" The boy asked innocently and I couldn't help but laugh a little.

¨I would like to know that too, but above all how to make these two ogres turn into sweet sugar again¨ I said trying to continue the conversation with the boy.

"Your brother is probably very worried about you, and will be shaking like a vanilla pudding when he realizes he can't find you, my brothers would do the same, but do you know what my brothers say to me every time I get lost?"

¨What do they say to you?¨ The boy asked.

"If you feel lost, look for a way out and lean on those around you, but always have the security in your heart that we will find a way to reach you wherever it may be."

I extended my hand back to him, offering my help once more.

¨It's okay to ask for help, can you let me help you find it?¨

The boy looked at my hand and then looked at me, he extended his hand and took mine, I smiled softly at him. I looked behind me and saw Mr. Leveilleur walking toward me through the crowd.

¨Are you okay Destiny? Why did you leave?¨ It was then that he looked down where the boy and I were holding hands.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Leveilleur , but this boy is lost and is looking for his brother." I told him the truth and I saw how the boy hid behind me. I think Mr. Leveilleur's height made him afraid.

"I'll stay in Ebony Stalls, in case his brother shows up, he must not have gone very far¨ I told him.

"In that case, I'll ask someone at the entrance if anyone has asked about him." Mr. Leveilleur suggested and moved forward, moving quickly to reach the center of the market.

I squeezed the boy's hand gently and gave him a small smile.

"Don't worry, Mr. Leveilleur is a good man and he will help us find your brother." The boy just nodded his head and he and I walked together through Ebony Stalls to ask the merchants if they had seen someone with the description the boy gave or a person who was asking about his younger brother.

¨Osred!¨ I heard a male voice shoutandthen I saw how the boy looked towards where the voice came from.

A young man dressed in a magic vest and simply tailored pants appeared running towards us and then the boy let go of my hand and ran towards him.

¨Brother!¨

The older brother bent down to receive Osred in his arms and hugged him tightly. Then he looked up and saw me.

¨Thank you so much…Tthank you¨ He said, I could see how he instantly seemed relieved to be holding his brother.

I nodded my head, feeling happy to have helped the brothers reunite, but... I couldn't help but feel sadness at the same time, it was a whirlwind of emotions for me, seeing the two of them together made me nostalgically remember my own siblings, who accepted me into their home when they could have easily ignored me and left me in the hands of the caretakers in Gridania.

But... Adrien has never been the type of person to ignore other people's problems and Aaron has always been distant when he feels like he gets too involved in something that simply turns out to be more detrimental than beneficial, but in the end, the two share a very kind heart and they both accepted me into their lives and into their home. I had many reasons to wish that both of them could receive the best, because I know better than anyone, that what they did for me I will never be able to repay as such, all the dedication and love... But...

Did that also mean letting them go to risk dying themselves?

It really didn't seem fair to me...

¨Brother! This lady has brothers who transformed into ogres and she wants to find a way to turn them into sugar, do you know how to do that?¨ The boy asked innocently.

If it weren't for the people around us looking at us strangely at Osred's statement, I would have burst out laughing at that moment, but I just limited myself to saying "It's a long story."

For those curious who want to know the meaning of this episode, it is this: Emuná means being calm despite not yet having all the answers. A reminder that I only publish new chapters on Thursdays or Fridays.

I'll see you next week when the next chapter is published.

ο(=•ω＜=)ρ⌒☆

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uridestiny · 4 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 11: Nostalgia

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/740509042899910656/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-10-my-first?source=share

As I got further away from them, I explored the terrain of Gridania, the 6 years that had passed since the last time I was here hadn't really caused much change, which I found really reassuring, but before I could go any further someone pushed me and we fell on the ground.

The blow caught me off guard, I didn't even have the opportunity to dodge or see who hit me, when I changed position to sit on my knees I looked at who the reckless person was who pushed me. A Hyur man with brown hair and bright blue eyes who was wearing really unusual clothes.

¨Ah sorry! I hadn't seen you there." He said sounding nervous, he seems to be the same age as me, and he also seemed awkward getting up.

"It's nothing, just be more careful next time." I told him and got up from the ground first, then I approached him and extended my hand to help him up.

"Thank you and sorry for that again." He ran a hand behind his head scratching his hair a little, clearly looking uncomfortable.

I looked at him from head to toe and noticed that he was just learning how to use healing magic due to the simple looking magic staff on his back.

"Are you a conjurer?" I asked out of curiosity, especially since his clothing didn’t fit that of a Gridania conjurer.

¨Ah! Not exactly, I am an adventurer and I am learning the art of white magic so I can become an excellent healer.¨ His voice changed noticeably, he now had a bright smile on his face.

“I understand.” I also smiled at his contagious enthusiasm. ¨But... What is an adventurer?¨

¨Ah, well... I can't give you as much of an explanation as Mother Miounne did, but I can try to explain it to you in my own way.¨

¨Adventurers are people who are dedicated to helping the people of the city, it can be anything, an errand, freeing an area from monsters or simply listening to someone's words, but we don't do this for free, no, in exchange for offering our strength or support also pays us in one way or another.¨

"Are they basically mercenaries?" I asked.

“Eh yes, but unlike the mercenaries who work independently, in each city state of Eorzea there is an adventurers guild which gives us the tasks and jobs that are available to us and continue to grow. You may eventually be recognized for your great deeds and find treasures to great fortunes, although Mother has told me that it is dangerous, it is also very exciting!¨

Suddenly he paused.

"Wait, when you asked me what’s an adventurer, does that mean you're not from around here?"

I nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

¨I come from Sharlayan, you are from around here, right?¨

He pointed to himself proudly. "Of course, I was born and raised here in The Shroud¨

Then his eyes shone again. “Wait, that means you might need my help!”

I rolled my eyes, I didn't really need anyone's help to be able to look for my brother. I shook my head and tried to calm him down.

¨Wait, I'm fine, I've come to this city before.¨

¨Yes, but how long has it been since you came to Gridania?¨ He asked me.

¨The last time I came was 6 summers ago...¨ Before I could finish speaking he took my hands and showed a soft smile.

"Then it means you still need help."

Because of the way he looked at me with his bright, hopeful eyes, I no longer had the courage to say no.

Then he let go of one of my hands and began to guide me through the city, really some things had not lost their touch after years, while other buildings and shops seemed new to me, however, they didn’t affect much in the nature that continues to grow around.

He first guided me through the closest building , the Carline Canopy , the main building of the adventurer's guild, we entered it and as he guided me around to go down the stairs, he raised his hand in greeting to an Elezen woman, I did the same and she seemed surprised to see me.

When we went down he showed me where I can buy the tickets to take an airship, then he guided me up again, but instead of going back the way we came in, we left through another door closer to the stairs and walked out through a wooden hallway.

However, I felt a little uncomfortable while he was holding my hand, especially since I had just met him.

¨Hey wait, if you're helping me right now I don't have a way to pay you.¨ Then he stopped and looked at me with the same smile as when he offered to help me.

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out later."

¨Wait, I don't even know your name.¨ I pulled my arm to stop him from continuing walking and despite his fragile appearance, the strength in his arm is also considerably greater than mine.

He stopped and looked me in the eyes, I think that was when he finally realized that he hadn't even given a proper introduction or at least asked me where I wanted to go. He spends a few seconds looking at me before recovering and speaking again.

¨Elwin Meteor, at your service miss¨ Finally he let go of my hand and gave a small bow.

"Now that I think about it, I didn't ask you where you want to go. Do you have any particular place you want to see?" Even after being taken aback by his lack of experience, he didn't seem to have lost the attitude of wanting to help others.

I sighed at his enthusiasm, but it was clear that he still seemed willing to support me.

"I'm looking for the headquarters of the Order of Twin Adders, do you know where is it?¨ I asked defeated.

¨Ah! That's not too far from here, I can take you right away!¨ He took my hand again, but this time he didn't pull my arm hard, instead he had his grip on me very gently.

We leave the Carline Canopy back as we moved along the grass and dirt path, right next to the building I found some men dressed in a curious way while they were taking care of some chocobos in their stables; I almost laughed when we walked past this man in costume and Elwin raised his hand in greeting. The most unusual thing about that costume was the huge chocobo beak on his head.

I looked to the right and saw a beautiful tree surrounded by a simple stream, it really looked charming combined with the populated landscape here, as well as some tents where there are merchants and friendly-looking people. But when they turned to greet Elwin, their expressions changed slightly when they saw me.

I didn't find it surprising, the inhabitants of Gridania have always had a certain distance with foreigners or people they don't know, Adrien had told me that's how they are at first, but when you let them get to know you the air of tension goes away. I simply must give them time to get to know me and let them know that I have no ill intentions towards their people or the forest.

Elwin probably didn't treat me like that because by agreeing to be an adventurer he has to help anyone who needs it.

It didn't take us long to get to the place, I practically didn't know the place when I arrived, a part of me was grateful because Elwin accompanied me here, probably if I had been willing to ask any of the locals around here, they wouldn't have helped me much.

¨Here we are, at Adder's Nest¨ He paused and looked at me. ¨If you allow me to be curious, why did you need to come here? Do you have any official business with Elder Seedseer?¨

Before I could respond I heard a familiar voice approaching.

¨Destiny?¨ I looked up and saw Adrien, a big smile formed on my face, I let go of Elwin 's hand and ran into my brother's arms.

¨Adrien! It’s good to see you!¨ I hugged him tightly although I could feel myself pushing him too much and he almost fell backwards.

"I'm happy to see you too, dear sister." He held me tightly, preventing us both from falling to the ground. "Don't tell me you and Aaron came here just to see me?"

I stayed silent, trying to think of what kind of excuse I could make up or just tell him the truth.

¨Well... You see...¨

But before I could say anything else, my brother looked at me from head to toe and then focused his gaze on Elwin.

¨Who is he?¨ His smile faded when he saw how Elwin recoiled from the intimidating look Adrien made.

¨G-Good afternoon, I'm E- Elwin, I'm an adventurer.¨ He bowed formally and then seemed ready to leave. ¨W-Well, I think everything is in order so, take good care of yourself miss!¨

Before I could say anything else to Elwin, he turned around and ran back the way he came. And then, I remembered that I hadn't even been able to pay him for helping me.

¨Wait!¨ I shouted but he was already too far away to hear me.

¨Destiny, do you have something to tell me?¨ Turning around I saw how Adrien now had his arms crossed on his chest with a serious look, at this point, I could easily mistake him for Aaron.

I had no choice but to explain to him what I did to get here and my reasons for coming to see him in Gridania. When I finished telling him everything, he ran a hand through his messy hair and looked at me worried.

"I told you not to worry about me, I can take care of myself."

¨The letters are just mere words brother, I wanted to see you and see for myself that you are okay.¨ I insisted, defending myself.

¨That's no excuse for you to have come here alone. How do you think Aaron and I would feel if something happened to you on the way here?¨ His eyes showed his frustration. "You just turned 16 summers, you are now a woman, but you are still very naive and careless."

I hung my head at Adrien's scolding, I really knew this would happen even if Aaron ended up finding me first. I clearly understood their concern about me, especially because by accepting me under their roof in that time... I was not well, physically and mentally I wasn't. But 6 years had passed, and I have grown, I have learned and it was thanks to both of them that I decided to make a decision for myself for the first time in years.

“You haven't heard what the people of Sharlayan whisper, have you?” I whispered, sounding annoyed.

¨Everyone knows about the conflict with the Garleans and there are disturbing rumors about the descent of Dalamud, every day the red moon is closer and it is terrifying to have it hovering over our heads, Aaron complains bitterly about our conflicts with the Garleans and always saying that it was a mistake that If you became a soldier, you just... I don't want to wake up one day and know that you're gone…¨

I was on the verge of tears at that moment, I didn't want to think about it, but I wanted him to come home to Sharlayan, with Aaron and me...

Suddenly I felt Adrien's hand gently caress my head.

¨You know I can't go home and abandon everyone here.¨ He tried to calm me down and then hugged me.

The warmth of his arms reminded me of the last day my father and I were together, the fear intensified in my heart, thinking that this would probably be our last hug again; I squeeze Adrien in my arms when he tries to separate himself from me.

"Destiny, I have to go." Adrien raised his voice a little when he made another attempt to separate himself from me, then I started to cry.

¨Destiny... I have to attend to a mission, it's urgent. We'll talk about this later.¨

Now this time it was me who forced him to separate by pushing him.

¨What will happen if there is no later?!¨ I screamed angrily, finally breaking down as I remembered all those bad experiences I had in my childhood and my helplessness to save my father.

Adrien had his eyes wide open, clearly surprised by my abrupt emotional outburst and reaction to his words, I couldn't continue looking at him and lowered my head, I really felt terrible for having yelled at him; I realized that losing my temper like that wasn't helping me at all, it made me look like a scared little girl instead of the grown woman I should be now.

Then I felt Adrien's hand on my shoulder and he said in a firm and serious tone.

"If there will be an later, I'll see you tonight."

I turned around, and saw him running away towards the safety of Gridania. I stood for several minutes, contemplating the exit gates of Gridania and mentally debating whether I should follow him or not.

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uridestiny · 4 months

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The Warrior of the Moon ☆Chapter list 1-22☆

Chapter 1: Roots

Chapter 2: Cage for flowers

Chapter 3: New place, new cage

Chapter 4: Run

Chapter 5: Kindness from strangers

Chapter 6: Welcome home

Chapter 7: Eyes on the horizon

Chapter 8: Home among siblings

Chapter 9: Shanti

Chapter 10: My First adventure

Chapter 11: Nostalgia

Chapter 12: Emuná

Chapter 13: Our reason is…

Chapter 14: My next step?…

Chapter 15: The life of an adventurer

Chapter 16: Crossing paths again

Chapter 17: A white lie

Chapter 18: Waking up in a nightmare

Chapter 19: Truths after the tragedy

Chapter 20: Fresh scars

Chapter 21: Tears of memories

Chapter 22 (End): From night to dawn of adventure

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uridestiny · 4 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 10: My First adventure

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/739956209571037184/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-9-shanti?source=share

As night fell, I left my work schedule early, my brother Aaron had to attend to an important matter with the Forum, which gave me time to go home to prepare what I needed to go out again; I didn't take many things to be honest, but I did take what I needed to spend a few days in Eorzea.

Before leaving home, I left a note on my brother's desk. He always came to his desk before going to sleep, so that would help give me more time to leave the island.

Although Sharlayan over the years became more reluctant to allow more people to enter its territory, probably due to its strict "non-intervention" rule, as well as the recent situation that was occurring in Eorzea, the transportation ships of goods, as well as materials, books full of knowledge or exotic animals were transported day after day. Therefore, letting me get on one of these ships for my “own knowledge” wasn't going to be much of a problem.

The man who allowed me to board his ship was in charge of bringing plants for medicinal experimentation. He warned me that he would drop me off inside Thanalan territory at an entrance called Vesper Bay. And he also warned me that, from then on, I would be alone.

I remember, during my trip, thinking in a funny way about how my brother Aaron would take the news of my absence. He would probably shout to the heavens in the middle of the night, or he would probably go to the port to ask and look for me in case I was still inside Sharlayan Island. But I also thought of the worst case scenario, after knowing him for many years, he would be furious with me once I have to go back and he wouldn't let me hear the end of it until I am an old woman.

At some point during my trip I fell asleep on the boat, and I remember that what woke me up was feeling my throat dry, I drank some water to quench my thirst; I went out onto the deck to be greeted by the sun's rays, for some strange reason, the heat felt suffocating, the sun hit hard and I felt how it burned my skin. Having spent several years living in Sharlayan made me accustomed to cloudy, snowflake-covered days, and very rarely were we greeted by warm sunny days.

I sighed, and looked at the surroundings, to my surprise, we were already very close. Huge orange rocks as well as the land were painted brown and orange with small bushes and grasses that could barely stand out. And in the distance... A Garlean surveillance station could be seen.

This would be my first time in Thanalan, so the first thing I had to look for was a map. From there I had two options, walk by myself to Gridania or take a chocobo carriage that could give me a ride, I just hoped that the merchants there would be kind to a tourist.

Right after getting off the boat, I approached the stand where you could buy tickets for the next boat and asked if they had a map. The man who helped me was kind to me and gave me the map. When I opened it, to my surprise it had contains not only the territory of Thanalan, but also La Noscea and The Shoroud; which is actually good for me.

Before leaving I asked the man if he knew a quick route to get to Gridania, and after looking at me from head to toe, he shook his head and then pointed out two easier options, either taking an airship or taking a carriage of merchants, but I chose to take the second option, I didn’t have enough money to give me the opportunity to travel by an airship.

¨You have a fragile appearance girl, if you walk alone there they will eat you alive.¨ The man said, and then I realized that was the reason why he was showing me these two ways of traveling.

I really appreciate the man's concern, but I wasn't careless enough to let the beasts eat me, not to mention that I think the man didn't know that I myself had brought my bow and arrows in case I got into a fight or saw myself in trouble or in the need to flee.

When I left, I looked around, it seemed like a fairly modest corner, with a plaza under construction and apparently they had the idea of placing something in the center, but the area was growing quite well despite being so close to a surveillance Garlean post; I advanced a few steps until I saw a chocobo carriage with merchants preparing some boxes before leaving the area, I quickly ran towards them and asked if they could give me a ride, they agreed and it just so happens that they were heading to Gridania for their next delivery, I was lucky I thought at that moment, but the men told me that if I wanted them to drop me there it had to be on the condition that I paid them 150 gils for the trip, which seemed fair to me and I told them that I will pay them once I get there.

When I got into the carriage, two more people got into it besides me and the merchant. In the carriage, I counted 3 men and 2 women including me. It was the first time I had traveled like this, but listening to the sound of the wheels moving over the earth, the footsteps of the chocobos and the murmurs of the merchants made this moment seem very relaxing. I looked over my shoulder from time to time to see the landscape changing as we continued forward. On the trip, very rarely did the people present ask me a question or two, such as: Where did I come from? What is my reason for traveling to Gridania? Or also, they were asking me if I had heard anything about the unusual way Dalamud was so close and if the people of Sharlayan knew anything about it?

I tried to answer as best I could, but to tell the truth I also knew little about the situation here in Eorzea. Generally, I ended up minding my own business rather than listening to other people's conversations, but I have to admit that, after receiving my brother's letters, I began to pay more attention to whether someone said any news or changes from Eorzea. I really felt bad knowing so little, but there was nothing to do; which seemed quite ironic to me, after all my brother got me a job in the library once I finished my basic studies, but I didn't really focus on learning the history of the world, learning about history and science wasn't exactly my strong suit.

I absentmindedly looked at the surroundings once they stopped asking me so many questions and focused on talking about their respective businesses with Gridania. I began to notice more vegetation and trees as time went by.

My ears twitched slightly as I listened to the sound of the leaves on the trees and the soft melody of the wind, I closed my eyes and focused again on feeling that gentle touch of welcome to the forest, the animals and insects sang and the sound of the water flowing through the river made me relax so much that I let myself go and ended up humming softly. Thanks the Twelve, the merchants ignored me, they seemed too focused on competing which sale would be the best this year.

It had been 6 years since I last set foot in Gridania, I was 10 summers old at the time... And I had met my brother for the first time.

To be honest, it really was a long trip; Even after being welcomed by the forest, the merchants didn’t stop talking the entire way and the closer we got to the city, they raised their voices more, debating in an almost euphoric way, I would even say that at any moment they would have stood up fists if it weren't for the fact that their merchandise would be at risk of being destroyed. It really would have been a sight to see if it weren't for the fact that we were in a carriage and there wasn't enough room.

As I got out of the carriage, I stretched my body, I really would have liked to spend my trip in a different way, even for a few minutes before arriving in the city I questioned whether it would be a better idea to jump out of the carriage earlier so as not to hear more about sales and possible products to lead to a scam. May Nald'Thal forgive those poor unfortunates.

I paid the man who agreed to give me a ride in his carriage, and then quickly turned around to stop the merchants who apparently mixed up the boxes of their respective merchandise and were fighting over it. The man had to intervene to stop them, only for another merchant to demand his box. I didn't want to stay to see what happened, so I walked away as quickly as I could, without getting involved.

I don't usually get involved in problems where they don't call me, but especially when people get aggressive is where I don't want to be.

As I approached the entrance arch of Gridania, an Elezen man with a spear on his back stopped me.

¨Stop there miss, what is your business here?¨ The man said with a bad-tempered tone.

"I'm coming to see my brother, his name is Adrien Urih." The man didn't seem to take me seriously.

"I understand, your brother, and where does you come from if I may know?"

¨From Sharlayan, my brother works as a soldier in The Order of the Twin Adders, I think you will recognize him easily¨ I insisted kindly, trying to stay calm.

¨Who doesn't say that you are a Garlean spy?¨ The man suggested.

“Excuse me?” Now I really felt offended. ¨What makes you think that?¨

"No one who comes from Sharlayan would come to Gridania without an order or matter with Elder Seedseer." The man pointed his finger at me, raising his voice even more.

"So the only thing left to consider is that you are a spy, so I demand that you leave, if you don’t do so of your own free will, it will be with my spear pointed at your neck."

This man really seemed to have had a terrible day, he didn't even seem willing to address this with reasoning, it was as if he was blinded by anger and he only thought that the best way to keep his city free of problems was to expel everyone. At that moment I questioned whether Sharlayan had clearer reasons for not interacting with people from other states.

When I was about to leave I heard another man's voice.

¨What is all this commotion Cenort?¨ Another man with a pale complexion arrived towards Cenort and noticed how his spear was pointed at me.

¨This woman is a Garlean spy, she was looking to enter Gridania but she was already leaving, right?¨ Cenort said and I just looked at them in silence, then the man who had just arrived approached me and looked at me from head to toe.

¨Good afternoon, my name Igront, how can I help you miss?¨ When Igront introduced himself, I saw how Cenort put away his spear to try to say something, only for Igront to raise his hand and ask him to remain silent.

¨Nice to meet you Igront, my name is Destiny Urih, I came from Sharlayan to see my brother Adrien Urih, he works here in Gridania as a soldier of The Order of the Twin Adders.¨

The man inspected me from head to toe again, clearly looking for any sign that he would give me away as a "Galean spy" as his comrade had said minutes ago. I was really afraid that he would get aggressive like Cenort did, but rather than give up if he rejected me too, that wouldn't stop me, I would do everything possible to see my brother.

¨What do you work on, miss?¨ I wonder now.

¨I work as a librarian at the Noumenon¨

"Do you have any identification with you?"

This time I didn't hesitate, I took out my identification, I really didn't see any importance in having it with me, but for the first time I saw a use for it.

"Can I ask you one more question?"

I nodded, I really just wanted to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"You know it's dangerous to walk around here these days, right?"

¨Yes I know, for that same reason I came, my brother is here and I have not been able to see him, I have been receiving correspondence from him but I have heard that things are not well here. I just want to be with him.¨

The man softened his gaze and seemed to finally understand me, then he gave me my identification and cleared the way for me to pass through the gates of Gridania.

I gave him a small bow and walked inside, I saw Cenort out of the corner of my eye who seemed annoyed to let me pass, I just smiled to myself. As I walked, my ears could hear the conversation between the two of them.

¨How could you let her pass?¨ Cenort shouted angrily.

¨I have known his brother for a while now, he is very restless and rarely talks about his family, but when he does it seems like you set off a bomb; We have been told that he has a lovely sister and a grumpy twin. But, I never thought that when I met her I would see that girl who had the courage to come here alone.¨

"I never heard of that," Cenort said, bewildered.

"That's because you never come to drink with us."

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uridestiny · 5 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 9: Shanti

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/739263344661479424/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-8-home-among?source=share

It all started one morning in Sharlayan, the sun was just about to rise and as a habit since I was 16 summers old, I got up early to work alongside my brother Aaron.

Working on the Noumenon with him as a librarian had become a very simple job for me, because like him, I have a good memory for remembering names and lists; But even so, he and I had backup of that information in some small notebooks that he had made for both of us. But he rarely went to that notebook.

Most of the time Aaron only let me work with the books on the first upper floors, those that are for the free public and those that have citizenship with Sharlayan. While on the other hand my brother descended more for other books that are intended for Archons and also the forbidden sector.

The members of the Forum only gave permission to set foot on the top floor to a few and only trusted people. My brother is not exactly a top man in Sharlayan, but he has incredible memorization skills and is very organized. He also has a very focused mind on what he is doing and very rarely makes mistakes.

When he asked permission to let me work in the Noumenon, they allowed it with the condition that I would only work on the first floors, not go beyond there. And if they found me breaking that rule they wouldn't let me work there again. At first I considered it ridiculous, but in the end I did not refuse and accepted the conditions; Not to mention that I really had little interest in uncovering the darkest and most unthinkable secrets in the arts of magic or even recipes for disaster.

That specific day, I had breakfast with my brother as always at the Last Stand, but at that moment, a Hyur man arrived with a large and bulky bag hanging from his shoulder until it was on his hip, he looked at me and said.

“Miss Destiny Urih?”

I nodded my head and raised my hand to point at me. My brother looked between the man and then at me, but before he could ask any questions, the man raised one of his hands with a letter and addressed it to me.

As he took it, the man bowed and said, "Have a good day."

As the man walked away, I looked at the letter and then my brother caught my attention.

"I didn't know you usually receive correspondence" he said, trying to sound funny, but it didn't really work.

I silently took a sip of my cup of mocha coffee and looked at both sides of the letter envelope, and found the name of the person who sent it to me. Adrien Urih.

Without thinking much more, I opened the envelope and read the contents of the letter.

¨Dear sister, how are you?

Things here lately have been very hectic and the truth is that I don't have the opportunity to visit them for dinner together between the 3 of us as we agreed moons ago, I'm afraid I'll have to stay at The Shroud for a while longer, you've recently heard the attacks and summons of Primals right? As if that were not enough, the Garleans are trying even harder to advance to Eorzea...

Destiny, I hope you understand this situation and don't worry about me. And tell my brother not to worry about me either. I promise that next time I will go visit them and I will invite them for dinner, I promise that I will prepare your favorite dish if you want.

For now, just take good care of each other and until then, keep doing your best.

A huge hug, Adrien.¨

I read the letter at least 3 times, for several years my brother Adrien has sent letters to me and my brother Aaron, due to his job as a soldier, he cannot stay long anywhere other than in the territory The Shroud or in Gridania, but he doesn't mind, because it's something he wants to do, just as he wants to protect the inhabitants. From time to time he gave us the opportunity to visit us and have dinner together, even when I was still a minor we used to play together and he taught me how to use the bow, although my brother Aaron insisted that I should not be taught how to use a weapon being so little.

But in recent months, his letters became less frequent and I was looking forward to seeing him at the dinner we were having in a few days, I really wanted to see him, I wanted to know if he was okay.

¨Everything in order Destiny?¨ Adrien's voice took me out of my thoughts.

I looked up from the letter, and my brother had already finished his breakfast. Before I could say anything, he reached out to take the letter envelope and saw the name of the sender of the letter.

¨Is something wrong with Adrien?¨ He asked me, I could see how his eyes scanned me waiting for either my response or some expression on my face that would give me away, but I didn't show any.

¨ He's fine, just apologizing because he won't be able to join us for dinner. And he asks us not to worry about him¨ I said without hesitation.

Aaron sighed deeply, then ran his hand through his hair and then touched the bridge of his nose. "This is the second time he has told us that he will not attend."

While he spoke I took a sip of my coffee while folding the letter and listening to my brother.

¨I told him that becoming a soldier was a bad idea, he gets into fights constantly and now he is also in danger of facing the Garleans, if you heard the news about it, didn't you Destiny?¨

I sighed after putting down my coffee and starting to put away the letter. ¨Yes brother¨

¨I wonder why the Garleans do this to us? Why they shed the blood of innocents instead of keeping things peaceful?¨

"Not all of us are pacifists brother" I commented while finishing a quick breakfast.

"The Garleans call us savages, but aren't they savages when they invade, conquer, and enslave people?" What about the attacks they make or the damage they do to the star?¨

"I don't know brother, and I really don't want to understand their mentality." I said bluntly, got up and took the tray they gave me to one of the waiters who approached me.

¨Are you coming brother? "We'll be late if we don't hurry," I said and Aaron stood up, following me closely.

All the way to the Noumenon my brother kept talking non-stop, expressing what he felt about this senseless war, just as he had already studied the Garlean culture and about the terrible things they did, as well as some other information about the legions of battle in the present.

Although I already knew all that information, I really gave it little importance, because in reality in a city that has a strict rule of "non-intervention" in conflictive events on the star, it was of little use other than a conversation about politics.

As my brother and I went our separate ways at the start of our work schedule, I kept thinking about Adrien's last letter. I had also heard rumors about the unusual position of Dalamud, the small satellite that has accompanied our moon for a long time seemed unusually close to the star. As if it was getting bigger with each passing day.

I couldn't help but feel worried. Also lately in the mouths of scholars and curious people it was heard that a renowned archon was involved to stop the disasters involving the primals.

Louisoix Leveilleur, I heard that's his name.

Someone even like him had clearly broken one of the main rules of this place, but what reason motivated him to go so far? What drove that man and my brother to risk their lives like that so as not to be with their respective families?

I didn't really understand at first, but that day I made a decision.

That day I decided that I wanted to find the answer for myself, and I wouldn't get it through dusty books or under white painted marble walls.

As I mentioned in the previous chapter, we have advanced 6 years to the future, leaving Destiny's childhood to reach her adolescence. I hope you haven't been confused by this change, but that's how the story goes and her growth as a warrior, it's a long journey like our lives are

I'll see you next week with a new chapter. o(￣▽￣)ｄ

For those curious about the chapter title. Shanti means: “peace”, “tranquility”, “calm”, “rest”

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uridestiny · 5 months

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The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 8: Home among siblings

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/738635169864548352/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-7-eyes-on-the?source=share

When we got off the ship, Adrien took my hand once again to guide me to the registry office through our entrance. The secretary who received us looked at me carefully and asked Adrien.

¨Is she a new apprentice?¨

¨Well... I would say yes. But I think it is more appropriate that I explain the situation to you. ¨

A few minutes passed between Adrien and the secretary's conversation, for my part, they asked me to take a seat while they settled things. And just then, I saw another Miqo'te man come running towards the secretary's desk.

This man turned to Adrien and then pointed his gaze back to where I was sitting, and then the other man looked at me as well. The time that passed there felt eternal, I was even counting the darkest stripes of the wood on the bench where I was sitting due to my boredom.

I managed to hear some parts of the conversation, but most of the time it was about what to do about me and what decision they would make to allow me through.

In the end, they reached an agreement and I heard the secretary call me.

"This girl will have a temporary pass, but remember gentlemen, if by the deadline given you have not reached a conclusion, the girl will be transferred back into the care of Gridania."

They both nodded and Adrien looked at me with a smile. The secretary didn't seem that happy, but he didn't look upset, I'd say I remember him looking... Kind of sad.

When Adrien guided me again to start walking together, that was when I finally noticed something curious, the man who arrived has the same face as Adrien, but he has hair of a slightly paler tone, which unlike Adrien who had it more darker.

There I understood that Adrien and his brother are twins.

I let Adrien guide me through the unknown streets of Sharlayan, the white and mint color really seemed impressive to me, I had never seen anything like it and impressive. When I was in Ala Mhigo, I saw the stone buildings and the griffin statues, but everything always seemed to shine in the evening sunlight, but in Sharlayan, the color of the walls gave a more pleasant impression to the eyes, even now with night had fallen, you could easily make out the buildings without getting lost.

We end up arriving at a house that shares the same pale tones as the rest of the buildings, but with a different design and small size. Upon entering, the first thing I noticed were two things, the first, that from the outside the house looked very small, but inside, it seemed that up to 30 people could easily enter, the house being divided into 3 parts, in the upper part where there is a floor that connects to the roof and a huge telescope; and below where there is another larger room below the ground level, I was able to see through the view that the staircase gave me that below there is a kitchen, a dining room, a living room and it extended further, but I couldn't see much in there that moment.

¨HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!¨ Adrien's brother shouted and it made me jump. ¨How can you think of bringing the girl without first receiving my answer?!¨

¨Because I wanted you to meet her first, look at her, she's very pretty.¨ Adrien stood next to me and made a pose to show me.

¨That does not justify the fact that you have also involved me in their respective adoption.¨ The brother said annoyed.

"Did you by any chance read the whole letter Aaron?" Didn't you read her situation? ¨

Aaron remained silent.

¨She no longer has anyone to lean on and if we leave her alone she will probably never be able to heal her wounds. I have faith that we are capable of taking care of her, please give her the opportunity. ¨ Adrien insisted.

¨No brother, we are not qualified to take care of a minor, much less consider her as the daughter of one of us. The weight that one of us will have if takes full responsibility for her is very great, and we are still very young...¨

Adrien then remembered the words the woman said to us on the ship.

¨I didn't mean to have her as a daughter, but as a sister. ¨ Adrien continued insisting. ¨You already know that it is very common in our clan that we have relatives in different places and even if we don't live together much, we are still family, she can be our sister in our circle, without needing to involve the responsibility of the rest of our clan.¨

Aaron considered it seriously, it was evident in his expression.

¨Please brother, mother and father would not have refused and you know it.¨

Those last words were the ones that made Aaron sigh loudly and he said.

" Why do you always do this to me?... When the sun comes up we will go to register her."

Adrien's ears fluttered happily and he hugged Aaron tightly, who in turn insisted that let him go. That moment, I thought it was fun to see the two of them playing like that.

When Aaron regained his composure, he addressed me.

¨What is your name little one?¨

¨My name is A... ah... ¨ I don't remember why at that time I couldn't remember my real name, maybe because I got used to hearing how others addressed me, and although brother E-Sumi-Yan returned to mention it, I couldn't remember at that moment how to say my name.

Aaron looked baffled at this and looked at his brother.

"Adrien, in your time with her brother E-Sumi-Yan, didn't he mention her name at some point?" Aaron asked.

"I think she started with A... Ah... Ar..." Adrien stammered.

Noticing his brother's distraction, he couldn't help but sigh somewhat frustrated.

¨Don't tell me you forgot it...¨

At this comment Adrien raised his ears and his eyes widened.

¨I-It's not my fault! I only heard it once! Furthermore, I am not like you who are able to memorize several chapters of the books that you absorb per hour.¨

At that moment, for the first time I felt bad for Adrien.

"The papers that Gridania sent us tell us all the information about her, but I think they won't arrive until tomorrow" Adrien said.

¨In that case, is it okay if we can give you a name until tomorrow?¨ He ask to me, but then Adrien raises his hand.

"Wait, is it okay if we can give her one now?" He ask.

"I don't think it's the most appropriate, we have to respect the name her real parents gave her."

¨Yes, but since we don't know what her name is, I don't think it seems polite that we address her simply as ¨the girl¨, or would that seem appropriate to you?¨

Aaron shook his head in denial. And then he looked at me again, he came closer and then leaned down to my height looking into my eyes, Adrien was right, he seemed like a serious man, but he really didn't seem like a bad person.

"Tell me, would you like a new name?"

I nodded my head and for the first time, I saw a small smile on Aaron's lips.

¨Well, since this was your idea brother.¨ He stood up and addressed Adrien. "Do you have any suggestions on what to name our little sister?"

Adrien looked at his twin in surprise, clearly surprised that he was given the opportunity to choose a name for me. But he didn't have to think much when he said "Destiny."

“Destiny?” Aaron repeated.

¨Yes, brother E-Sumi-Yan, said that when she disappeared the elementals lost her trail, but when she returned it was they who guided her back, I think it was more than just a mere coincidence brother, it was Destiny. ¨

¨I think you've been spending too much time in the forest brother.¨ Aaron said jokingly. ¨Does the name seem good to you? Destiny? ¨

I nodded, Adrien had given me a name that from their perspective would mean something more than just an adoption, because for them, me entering their lives changed them, and they didn't see it as something bad... But as something special.

That night Adrien cooked for us, we had fish for dinner, and Aaron told me that the first food that the young ones on their clan were given after spending the time breastfeeding was a small taste of fish and vegetables. But since I was no longer so little, they served me a large, hot plate.

It was the first time in a long time that I had something truly delicious for dinner and surrounded by people who wanted to be with me. As I ate the fish I began to cry, a wave of emotions washed over me, for every juicy bite of the fish.

My parents, my uncle, my sisters, Khistis, brother E-Sumi-Yan... Everything that had happened ran through my mind and I really couldn't contain the feeling that finally, everything was going to be okay. Because I wouldn't be alone anymore.

Aaron and Adrien looked worried at my sudden crying, but I tried my best to smile and tell them.

The food it's delicious

The next morning, my documents were collected and although they asked me again whether or not I wanted to keep my name, I decided to keep the name my brothers gave me. I was registered as a Sharlayan civilian under the name Destiny Urih.

From here we will jump in time to 6 years after these events. ( •̀ ω •́ )✧

This is not the end, but one more step to find our adventurer's path, we will walk together in a starry sky to find the dawn.

Stay tuned for the continuation in the following week.

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