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[esfirona]

Dreams of the First

Two: Amh Araeng

Never had Esfir felt the summers as blistering once she stepped into Amh Araeng.  The sun has beaten the dry land with a massive fist that even the sands itself could've been created by the dust of fire shards.  Any inhabitants, she suspected, could've been a result of just releasing such scorching aether that weathered bestiary stomped on the shards back into the sand.  Plants that grew normally had flourished wildly in the desert, it was almost unbelievable on how such a simple sabotender mutated into a giant...gigatender.  With the blinding light in such an arid region, it wasn't an option, but a necessity to seek coverage or else one may die of overheating.

She leaned back and hopped off the dark creatures with humped backs.  As intimidating with their slitted black eyes and not too quizzical glances like a chocobo, the amaro may have resembled a smaller dhamel with wings.  Oddly enough, such odd creatures had a soft pelt similar to the chocobo's small feathers, whenever they wanted to be petted.  They were docile creatures, even if they looked a little clumsy, but the amaro also had such an impish quality, as if they were ready to fly off if a trainer wasn't gentle enough.  

It was definitely different than the oases in Thanalan, it's giant sandstone pillars made have made her thought of Ul'Dah, or maybe the grand structure of Ala Mhigo,  mayhaps with the tales of Rabanastre it would've been similar, yet the writings on the building were foreign to her.  At some point, Esfir hoped she'd find herself walking in the streets of Thanalan's city-state, how she missed taking a short journey to the Goblet and to have tea with one of her close friends, Adede Ade.    

Despite the desolating heat, the structured area left the mystel (miqo'te) aghast as she stared at the giant frozen wave.  The fluid-like structure was in stasis, just as the tide had hit the crest, ready to crash down into whatever remnants of the city.   Soft colors reflected off the mother of pearl surface, glittering of frozen opalescent shades of yellows, reds, and blues.  Such beauty, yet there was overwhelming light energy that may be an erasure of any other, creating a discerning structure creating a vast barren land beyond when looking beyond the cracks of the tide.  

"It was where the Oracle had stopped the Great Flood.  The Minfilia of our time had sacrificed herself to prevent the Calamity, but it was too late." The scholar from the Crystarium mentioned.

It wasn't long till they reached an erected structure, similar to the carved stone of Little Ala Mhigo, sans the oasis. Esfir was a small community existed, surprised to find inhabitants with limited resources yet, this was were too resilient to leave. Looking about there were sickbeds everywhere and very minimal on supply.  There was a hume who took care of them, an excitable girl who worked hard nonetheless to keep them comfortable.

"Sin eaters were created in a way when there's an imbalance of light in their aether.  When other sin-eaters attack anyone, the minor scarring can create a devastating change of creating the same monstrosity."  A fair-haired elf spoke.  Somehow, Esfir felt that she may have known the girl in red.. Her hair resembled a turbulent cloud, as whisps moved freely that even one strand stood on end.  The rest of her hair was tied in a braid with a matching red ribbon.  She appeared younger than her, and even more so in stature.  However, Esfir saw as this petite girl had not only a strong backbone, but carried around a presence where her opinions cannot be swayed, and her firm resolve to protect those in this small hostel was necessary.  

"More and more of them would come to hunt for victims, and we've managed to gather who we could before they could turn but as you can see," the hume continued "but, we do our best to keep their spirits up, and we try to keep them tethered here, to our world...at least to give them the reason not to change."

Yet sometimes it would be unfortunate, and what was explained to Esfir that the only resort left before there is no place to return is to let them rest in kindness.  For there was no way of turning back from a sin-eater, and the only way is to put an end before they were close to transformation.  Esfir's eyes closed in pain as she saw the stages of such a disease, watching how it had no prejudices on who they were.  But as she looked around, she noticed the caretakers, their worn gaunt faces, as well as the look in their eyes, were to console their loved ones was by giving them everlasting peace.  

"There is a way, is if we bring back the darkness back to this world, to restore the balance." The fair-haired elf spoke to her." There is a tale of the Warrior of Darkness that they will bring back to the night sky in this everlasting day.  Mayhaps there was a reason you were summoned here with us."

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Dreams of the First

One: Awakening

"Hume...Hyur" "Mystel...Miqo'te" "Elves...Elezen"

Esfir stared at the parchment deciphering between their equivalent of the paired words.

"Galdjent...Roegadyn." "Drahn...Au Ra." "Dwarves...Lalafell

Both seemed to be synonymous, as well as the written language, but clearly, she was not home.  Beings that walked on the grounds of the glass palace resembled everyone from back home in Eorzea. Clearly...this must be a dream.

Yet, could such a dream elicit the same responses of a tangibility?  The dark Lacquered writing table felt as reliable as the one she had at her apartment.   The scent of fresh flowers floated gently into the air, its perfume so fragrant, yet she couldn't identify its origins.  She felt the heat from the sunlight when she opened the windows, her vision clear and bright.  

Perhaps when people dreamed, Esfir smiled a little, that this was a state where a fragment of a person's aether is released into the Life Stream, and are transported into another plane of existence.  "Oh if the theory were true," she mused aloud.  Much to her chagrin, she wished she had her tome with her to write down such findings, even if it were a mental note.   After all, one would wonder if such possibilities of fragmented aether are maybe just tethers to their corporeal forms, so they do not continue drifting into time and space.

Time was disorienting in this new land, the First WOrld.  The chronometer correctly read "PM" yet the daylight remained its steadfast radiance.  Usually, with the sunlight, it would give energy releases such energy to "rise and shine," yet Esfir felt thoroughly exhausted.  Even a more unusual event was the person who found her looked like he was in a verge of turning into a tiny replica of the Crystal Tower.

"That is to say, over here the existence of Night and Day had been relinquished to simply Day." the Exarch explained while he brought her to the Crystarium.  His kindness extended to even giving her lodging, for which she took gladly in this strange world. Esfir lowered her glasses and rubbed the tension between her eyes.  "Sin eaters..," murmuring quietly "What in the gods would create such a horrific creature."  Similar to the voidsent, instead of darkness, the imbalance of light aether shatters a soul and mutates the dead into something more monstrous.  She didn't even think twice after remembering the previous encounter.

"Ha, to think such a term to erase sin means to massacre all kind," a deep voice echoed through the air.  Not far, the faint transparent outline of Arbert, standing and watching the bright day.  His gear resembled those of the tales of the legendary Warrior, his ax tarnished with blood.  If he had visited her a few summers ago, she might've screamed in fright, but nowadays, with her understanding of aether, she looked at him within curiosity.  How odd why such a phantasm would appear, and only she could see him.

"Do you still think this is a dream, girl?  I fear to tell you the truth, but your senses tell you it's far from it." the Warrior turned to return her glasses to her, yet his hand passed through the material.  

"I wonder if Hydalyn plays a cruel joke to me." he frowned while Esfir picked up her eyepiece, "to have me watch you try not to blunder like I have, or to watch you create much worse circumstances."

[esfirona]

There were times that when Esfir  dreamed, visions would appear of her walking through the mist.  Darkness shifted and surrounded her, as if it were a tangible mass with the soft echo of ‘Soon, hear my cries, throw wide the gates.’ 

She imagined herself as she had reached to Silvertear, a sight to behold in Mor Dhona.  She’d venture towards the ruins of where once a great race stood, the Allag,  and she noticed a crystal that glowed intermittently.  One would’ve thought it was breathing, as if trying to send a beacon to anyone who can see it.

‘ Throw wide the gates.’

[esfirona]

Hello! It’s been a while!

With the new expansion running up, I’ll be writing a few bits here and there fanfic of Esfir’s Journey which will be titled with : “Dreams of the First.”

The Premise is of Esfir has a dream where her body has been transferred to the First.  Given that canonically, there would be no way that she would be a warrior of Light, but mayhaps her aether resonates beyond the plane. Warning: There might be minor spoilers but hopefully as I write away, everyone is enjoying the story sequences as I have as well!

This is all fanfic so nothing is really canon.

Follow Esfir’s journey by looking for the tags #Dreams of the First

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FC finally got a photo studio and I gotta tell you, it’s great <3

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Date night for Heavensturn

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Do you recall what happened that day? “I...try not to recall,” she spoke slowly, yet in the back of her mind.

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I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! This one has been busy working on the holiday meals!

She got the roast beast, and curry,

Not to mention the sweets!

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“Hello! Tito! Esfir! Trick or Treat at All Saints’ Wake!  Anyone home?”

“No? Odd...they said to stop by.”

“Woah! How did they make the treats float?!  That’s really cool!”

“Maybe they’re downstairs. Tito?? Esfir??”

“Hewwo?”

“They must really like All Saints’ Wake. These are really cool!”

“Oh! more food!”

“Wh-”

“This Ghost wasn’t here....wait..”

“ESFIR!!!”

Ona’s trip to see Esfir is a little more magical than usual.

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Awoo

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It was a mere decoration that her roomate found, but little did she know it came alive when no one was watching.

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“Thank you, now I can adventure out into the world.”

Those words echoed through her ears but how could that be possible?  Chocobos only variations of ‘kweh.’

(A friend of mine found Alpha so I snuck some quick pics) 

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After going through her adventures, she still has her lab at home at the Free Company.  

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“Why won’t you believe me? As further research, Aether must be both not energy but the spirit.”  Esfir’s fur seemed to puff vehemently as she argued with the roegadyn scholar. 

During her research in Aldenard, she had joined a small group of scholars/hunters in a trip to Mor Dhona.

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“What...is this feeling...who is this?” the miqo’te flinched at the feeling that would be described as a prick.  This heaviness...it wasn’t of the mother crystal...

Then who could it be?

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Also, late but the moonfire faire was great!