Chapter Text
Azel sat in the wagon, silently watching his sleeping companions. Abaward had been the first to fall asleep. He had gotten onto the wagon taking them to Ul’dah, set down his bow and pack, then dozed off. A few hours later, Sylphie had joined him. She pulled out a large blanket from her pack and fell asleep next to him. Finally, just half an hour ago, Pipidake had also turned in for the day. He had been with Azel for most of the day, watching the desert landscape of Thanalan pass them by. They spent most of their life in a small town in the eastern region of Thanalan, so the two of them had been very excited to see someplace totally new. But after a while, he had gotten tired and had fallen asleep, resting against a crate.
Azel was about ready to join him. It had been a long day of traveling. His hometown of Hirane was nearly a day away from the city, and the wagon they were riding in didn’t make it any faster. They were still several hours away from Ul’Dah, the capital city of Thanalan. When they got there, Azel wasn’t sure how much time there would be for sleeping, so it would be wise to sleep now. But he wasn’t quite ready to sleep just yet. He looked around the wagon, looking at the other wagon riders.
He saw the Elezen twins sitting in one of the corners, still sleeping. He hadn’t had a chance to meet them yet. He has moved away from the wagon for a while to gather a few things and look at the landscape. By the time he had returned, the two had already fallen asleep. The only other person on the wagon was an old Hyur man, the one driving the wagon. Azel decided to speak with him for a bit, then sleep.
He jumped out of the wagon and looped around to the front. There, he saw the two large chocobos that were drawing the wagon. They seemed happy enough with their life, giving small chirps occasionally, their golden feathers showed no sign of abuse. It was something that Azel had specifically looked for when they joined the wagon. He looked up to the old wagon driver. He had a deep tan and a fully white beard. Sylphie had told the group that that meant that he was a seasoned traveler or something similar. When they had boarded and found several crates containing miscellaneous items such as ores, wood, and toys, she had decided that he was a merchant. Azel had wondered how she had figured that out. He also wondered why she bothered, as he was more than willing to tell anyone who asked.
“How’s it going up there?” Azel called out to the wagon driver. The man gave a grin and waved him up to join him. “I haven’t been robbed yet, so this is actually a pretty good day. How are you and your companions doing?”
Azel climbed up to where the man was sitting. “They’re fine. Once again, I appreciate you taking us with you.” The roads had grown more dangerous over the years, and a wagon wouldn’t protect them that much. But it did give them a place to rest on the long road to Ul’Dah. That alone was worth it.
The man waved his hands dismissively. “It’s no trouble to take a few wanderers with me. And besides, it gives me some company.” Azel nodded to him, then spoke. “Still, I'd like to give you a small gift, just as thanks.” The man laughed again, and Azel gave a small chuckle himself.
“I’d be a fool to refuse a gift! Go ahead, give me whatever you want.” Azel nodded, and reached into his satchel. From it, he pulled out the thing that he had worked on during the long wagon ride, an iron skillet with an ash lumber grip. “It’s nothing special, but I’m sure it will be worth something if you sell it.”
The man took the skillet, examining it carefully. He weighed it with one hand, felt the inside and outside of the pot, then set it down. “It’s nice work. Could sell it easily. Thank you.”
Now it was Azel’s turn to shrug off the compliment. “It was just something I put together for some practice. But I’m glad you enjoy it.”
“Well, I thank you regardless. But, I’d like you to answer something for me if you don’t mind.
“Of course, it’s the least I could do.”
“Well, if this skillet you made is anything to go by, you have no small skill in crafting. Good enough to make a living, I would say. Yet, judging by that gear your wearing, that’s not what you’re doing.” He gestured to Azel. Azel was wearing the armor that he had spent three months perfecting. It was based on the armor of the Paladin Order of Ul’Dah, with a focus on mobility over bulkier plating, and no helm. Azel had worn it the entire time he had been with the wagon, it was comfortable enough for that. The man continued.
“A man dressed like that only has two reasons for going to Ul’Dah. They're either signing up as a gladiator to fight in the Ul’Dah arenas, or they’re joining the Adventures Guild. Now, which one are you?”
Azel gave a proud smile at being recognized as something more than an average person. It was a bit silly, but Azel couldn’t help but feel like he had passed some sort of important threshold.
“You have a good eye. My companions and I are going to the Adventurer’s Guild.”
The man nodded, his expectations confirmed. “Now, if you don’t mind me prying a bit more, why are you becoming an adventurer? Not your whole group, mind, just you.”
Azel looked off into the distance. The sun was just beginning to set, filling the landscape of Thanalan with a slightly red light. Farther off, past the flatter parts of the desert, Azel could just barely see the form of small cliffs and hills. Somewhere past all of that was Ul’Dah, often called the ‘jewel of the desert’. His new home, for who knows how long. He turned back to the wagon driver.
“The world is pretty messed up right now. Even a small, unimportant town off in the corner of Thanalan is feeling the effects of the Calamity. I guess… I don’t know, I just felt like I could do more good in Ul’Dah as an adventurer than a smith in a city somewhere.”
The man gave Azel a long look, looking for something within Azel. After a moment, he laughed. It was a long, strong laugh. After an uncomfortably long time, he finally continued. “That’s a damned good answer you gave. And you know what, I bet you can make a difference, somehow. You and your friends are something special, I can see it."
Azel wasn’t really sure if that made him feel better about his decision to be an adventurer, but it was nice that someone was supporting him. Assuming they weren't mocking him, but Azel liked to give people the benefit of the doubt. “I… appreciate your encouragement.”
“Don’t mention it, at least not to me. Hey, when you get to Ul’Dah, look for a place called the Quicksand, ask for the owner, Momondi. Tell her that Brendt sent you her way.”
“I will. Is there anything specific I should tell her?”
“No, not at all. She’s a real friendly type, would help you even if you don’t mention me. But if you do, you should be able to get a small discount. Her establishment is also partnered with the Adventurer’s Guild, which means that you should be able to accept missions from there. Assuming they let you join, of course.” Azel nodded, thanked him for the directions, and climbed back into the wagon. He sat down on one of the chairs that were in the wagon. They were comfortable enough, but it wouldn't be the best sleep he ever had. But slowly, the exhaustion of a long day and the rhythm of the wagon rolling through Thanalan lulled him to sleep.
***
Azel dreamed of the Seventh Umbral Calamity, as he often did. Despite the five long years separating now and then, he remembered it all perfectly. Who didn’t?
The dream was one that had repeated in his mind time and time again. He was in his home, watching as the very sky was filled with a blood red. Next to him was a figure of pure white. It was only a vague figure, with nothing discernible about them at all. The figure turned to Azel, and spoke. He couldn’t hear the words, but he knew what the figure said regardless.
“Wait here. I will return soon.”
The figure then turned and left the building. Azel stared at the door for a moment, then returned to the window. He stood there for some time, watching as the world ended. Just at the edge of his eyesight, he could see it. A ball of red light was slowly falling to the ground, bit by bit. Every once in a while, something would fall from the ball of light, and hit somewhere far away. If he focused, he could almost notice when it landed, a slight shake of the earth, the sound of a distant crash.
Azel continued to watch it all happen. He had this vague idea of helping, but what could he do about this? So he simply watched. Then, he heard it, a powerful, ear-shattering roar. Azel covered his ears, trying desperately to block the terrible noise. He was still staring at that bright red light in the sky, then it began to grow brighter. Azel’s eyes hurt trying to look at it, but he couldn’t look away. There was something important happening, and he wasn’t sure what it was. After a moment, he saw it, rising from the ball of light. There were impossibly large wings appearing from the ball of light. Even from this distance, he could make them out clearly. Just how large were they? Then he saw what the wings were attached to.
Azel had heard of voidsent before, and had seen a few sketches before. And this thing, this monstrous creature, was something even more horrifying. He felt a deep primal fear that seemed to come from his very soul. The beast gave another roar, then hundreds of beams of light erupted from its back. They moved with terrifying speed, and began to strike all over Eorzea. Each one caused a massive explosion wherever it struck, and soon the air was filled with ear-shattering booms and screams.
And there Azel continued, stuck there, unable to move at all. Alone. As he watched, one of the beams of light turned, and launched straight towards where he was. He didn’t even react. He just watched as the beam got closer and closer. Then everything went white. Do the stars mean the end of a chapter? Cause this would be the perfect spot to do one
***
Azel awoke with a start, breathing heavily. It had been a constant dream for years, one that he had dealt with for five years. When he asked around, most people had very similar dreams about the Calamity. Everyone had lost something that day. Faith in their gods, their homes, loved ones, all were destroyed in the flames of Bahamut. Some had lost something more. Azel thought about that figure of light in his dream. He knew, somewhere deep within himself, that that was his mother. He remembered the emotions involved with that figure. The comfort, the warmth, and the joy that he felt around that figure didn’t fade.
Yet despite that, he didn’t remember a single thing about her. Nobody did. And nobody could explain why. He had asked everybody he knew, and they all said basically the same thing. They knew that Azel had a mother, that she had somehow saved the town during the Calamity, as well as a few others, but that was it. They had no memory of her, no recollections of her face, not even a name. All he felt was an odd gap, a place where something was missing.
All that they knew about her were the things that she had left behind. An odd book about foreign places. A few maps, some trinkets that must have held meaning at some point. If these things were the key to who his mother had been, Azel had never found the lock. What she had been like, what she did, who she was, all of it was gone.
But it wouldn’t do to dwell on the past. His father had done that, and it had broken him. If he wanted to avoid that, he just needed to keep moving. Azel shook his head and tried to clear the fog of sleep from his thoughts. Now that he was fully awake, he looked around the wagon, trying to get his bearings. He didn't see the Elezen twins anymore, and Pipidake and Sylphie were both gone. Sitting directly across from him was his old friend Abaward. They'd met each other about a year after the Calamity, and had been friends ever since. He was holding his weaving kit with one hand. He was always surprised by just how precise and careful he could be with his bulking size. Azel gave a long stretch, then spoke.
"Hey Abaward."
Abaward looked up, setting down his sewing supplies. "Azel! You're awake!"
"Yeah, I am. How long was I asleep?"
"Not too long. A few hours, maybe? I only woke up an hour or two ago myself, just before dawn. We're taking a quick stop to cook some breakfast and give the chocobos a break."
Azel nodded, then stood. He stepped to the entrance of the wagon, and stared out into the distance. There, just in the distance, was Ul'Dah. He was close, very close. He wasn't the best at estimating distance, but he felt that they were very close indeed. Azel turned to his friend.
"Do you think we can make it by today?"
Abaward shrugged. "The wagon will probably want to stop at several smaller towns and outposts on the way, to sell and buy goods. Combined with the breaks the chocobos will need, and the relatively slow pace of the wagon, we should get to Ul'Dah by nightfall, assuming we don't spend too long in the towns." He paused, then added. "At least, that's what Sylphie said. She's the one that actually has the map, so I'm sure she knows what she's talking about."
"Oh, I'm sure she does." Azel sighed. He looked back out into the desert. Nightfall. That wasn't too bad at all. But what if they went the rest of the way without the wagon? Surely they could get there even faster. He would have to ask Sylphie. For now, he would have to eat, regardless of what they decided to do. He leapt out of the back of the wagon, and started walking towards the rest of the group. He could see a strong campfire being attended by Pipidake. Sylphie was sitting off to the side, tending to one of the chocobos. She looked up as Azel approached, and gave him a smile.
"Good morning! Did you sleep well?"
Azel nodded. It wasn't really true, but he was rested at least. Nightmares were unpleasant, but it was nothing he wasn't used to at this point. "Yeah, actually. Not too bad."
Sylphie smiled. "That's good to hear! Are you ready to go?"
Azel nodded, and they walked over to the cooking fire. Pipidake was standing near the cooking fire, holding a skillet that Azel had made for him a while back. He'd learned quickly and mastered the basics of making meals. In fact, he was doing that right now. When he saw Azel, he waved him over.
"Did you see it?" Pipidake asked him, his excitement evident on his face.
"See what, exactly?" There were a lot of things to see out here. The sunrise, the sunset, the beautiful landscape. But he didn't know what Pipidake meant.
Pipidake gestured down the road to Ul'Dah. "The City, of course! We're getting close! Right now we're about ten malms away, but we'll be there before nightfall! At least, that's what Sylphie says."
Azel nodded. "Of course." They had all learned to trust Sylphie's judgment on things, and she had never let them down. She always knew exactly what she was doing. Pipidake nodded vigorously. "Just think! By today, we'll be in Ul'Dah! The crown of Thanalan, the home of the most prestigious guilds around, the headquarters of the Immortal Flames, and who knows what else! That's what you said, right Sylphie?"
She nodded. "That's what all the books say. But you're forgetting one of the major groups. The Paladin Order."
The Paladin Order. Azel's excitement rose at just the mention of their name. It was the thing that he was inspiring to become. The adventurers were nice enough, but they were mostly just temp-workers, doing odd jobs and the like. But the Paladin Order was a step beyond. They were a famed organization, boasting ancient relics, powerful arms and armor for their members, and was generally seen as one of the best peacekeeping groups around. He had even heard that a group of them were dedicated entirely to protecting the sultana of Ul'Dah, known as the Sultansworn.
He had dedicated his life to joining their ranks someday, and arriving in Ul'Dah was the first step. Now that he was finally so close, he couldn't help but want to start right away. He looked at Pipidake again, and saw that he was looking at him with excitement, and Azel grinned. "Well then, shall we get going?"
Pipidake nodded eagerly, and Sylphie gave a small frown. "Don't get ahead of yourself. The chocobos will still need a while before they're ready to go again, and we'll probably stop in the nearest town along the way. Besides that, we still..." She stopped, then gave Azel a long, hard look. The one that she gave whenever he was about to do something reckless. "Don't tell me you want to continue without the wagon?"
Azel smiled at her. She always seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "Why not? We joined the wagon mostly to have somewhere to sleep at night. Now that we can get to Ul'Dah before nightfall, we don't have to worry about that. We're going to be able to get there today! Let's take advantage of it!" He looked around at the group. Pipidake was grinning, Sylphie was giving him a stern look, and Abaward was shaking his head. They always did that when he presented one of his plans, and he thought it was quite rude.
Abaward was the first to protest, as usual. "I agree with Sylphie. We have absolutely no idea what we might find out there, and without a guide, we could get lost."
"Lost? How could we get lost? We just walk towards Ul'Dah. How hard could it be?"
Abaward just laughed, and looked at Sylphie. "I guess you're right. What do you say, Sylphie?"
She shrugged. "I suppose it is possible. And the four of us should be able to handle anything that comes our way." She paused for a moment, and looked to Azel. "It seems as though you've convinced everyone. Shall we continue?"
Azel nodded, and turned back to Pipidake. "All right, we're going!"
Pipidake gave a small salute, then went to the wagon to grab his pack. The others joined him, but Azel made sure to stop to talk to Brendt before they left. "We're heading out, Brendt. Thank you for everything you've done for us." He gave a small bow. Azel wasn't sure it was necessary, but he had always heard that members of the Paladin Order were respectful, so it couldn't hurt to start now.
Brendt just chuckled. "You're welcome, Azel. I hope you and your friends find what you're looking for in Ul'Dah."
Azel shouldered his backpack, tied his sword to his hip, and got his shield on his arm. Abaward had his quiver on his back, and held his bow in one hand, Pipidake gripped a long black staff with a red gen at the tip, and Sylphie held a book filled with odd symbols. Now that they were moving away from the wagon, it would be best to be cautious and ready for anything. Azel led the way, with Abaward and Sylphie taking up the flank, and Pipidake watching the rear.
It felt surprisingly good to walk like this. It took a moment for Azel to realize why. They were really doing it, they were starting their journey for real. They had planned this for almost three years, and they were finally doing it. It made him think of another thing that he had wanted to do when he left his home. "Hey, do you guys think that we'll meet the Warriors of Light?"
Pipidake grimaced at the mention of the legendary heroes. "I doubt it. The Warriors of Light have been missing since the Calamity. Nobody's seen them since that day."
Sylphie nodded. "They're probably dead by now, or maybe they've retired somewhere far away from here. I don't see any point in worrying about them."
Azel took in their words quietly. "I guess you guys are right. Forget about it then." After all, they had more pressing matters right now.
***
And so their quest began. Unbeknownst to all there, soon the whole of Eorzea would know their names. They would be the ones to cast off the veil of darkness and bring the world once more into the light. If they knew of the destiny that awaited them, would they have been daunted by it? Or would they simply have accepted it, and continued on their path?