Quote:I... Don't know what happened. But first there was... Fire in the sky. Amazing shades of reds and oranges coated what seemed to be a serene night previously. All I could remember was that there was fire falling from the sky. Bright, balls of flames falling towards the various towns and cities in Eorzea. And the next, there was clear as day, not a cloud in sight. The sun high in the sky as the day was before hell was unleashed. Just what happened...

The red moon that had appeared. It seemed to explode with some sort of immense power all of a sudden. And then that creature. That... That huge, destructive force and beast... He annihilated everything. To this day, I am unsure how I survived. But apparently, I did. And I woke up, still in Gridania. It's a mess. But I will help rebuild it where I can.

Quote:Nothing strange or fun about today, it seems. Just a normal day in the life of a normal guy. Woke up, checked in to see if there was anyone needed from the Adventurer's Guild, nothing there. Just headed on with a normal day's worth of work. Went to do a bit of shopping. Cleaned the house. Cooked some dinner, and read a bit more of that book. It was a nice day, all in all. A relaxed one. Something that was so sorely needed.

During my shopping trip I found a delightful little trinket. Couldn't buy it though. I'm not rolling in the gil just yet. I need to space out my shopping trips as it is. Food is top priority, and then everything else. Maybe someday I'll be able to come back and buy myself something nice. Something that I can really call my own. A locket of some kind, maybe. That would be nice...

Quote:The cuts opened up a little today... They haven't opened up in a long, long time. I had almost forgotten about them existing. Everything came flooding back to me. Every moment of it. Waking up as he was tying my hands together. The rope in my mouth to muffle my screams. My legs bound so I couldn't run. Nothing was scarier than that moment. I was so helpless. The job seemed effortless. Easy. A nice way to get the gil I needed. But he turned out to be... A monster. I remember struggling. Trying to scream as he cut the back of my shirt open.

It was warm, that night. I remember it far, far too well. Humid, even. I remember being able to shove him off... Only to be shoved back down, rolling on my back was met with a swift punch, energy was leaving me and there was no way I was going to be able to get out of it. No way at all. I knew it. So I laid there, and let him do what he wanted to do. At first there was the anticipation of it. The wait for whatever he was going to do. And then there was nothing but pain.

So much pain. The knife cutting into my skin. Marking out lines in my flesh covered back. He engraved something on my back that night. And I still don't know what it is. But it remains with me to this day. I don't like looking at it. But sometimes I can do nothing but look at it. Wonder what it meant. Why he did it. Why he marked me with it. Who knows... I remember it rained that night. It stung. A lot. I don't know what brought him to cut the rope on my wrists and legs. But he did. And if he hadn't, I may not be here, now.

I might get lucky and find this rotten piece of chocobo shit and get to exact some sort of revenge... Until then. I sit here. Cry. And remember what the pain was.

Quote:I met a young woman today. Silver hair. Violet eyes. She was from Ul'Dah, I believe. It was a nice day. Sun was high. The lake was beautiful. She didn't seem to be able to appreciate it, though. I guess that's city folk, for you. Can't appreciate the quietness and grandeur of the Gridanian scenery. She offered me the opportunity to visit her in Ul'Dah if I was ever in that area. I think I'll take her up on it sometime. Soon, but not too soon. I need to raise the gil for it, of course. And if I do, I will set off on a proper trip. Not just there and back... It will be amazing.

A lengthy trip that will consist of me exploring the various places of Eorzea. But it will start in Ul'Dah, that is for sure. Now if only... If only I could remember her name. By the twelve, what was her name... I'm sure it'll come to me sometime later. For now, it is fleeting. Alas...

Quote:I made it to Ul'Dah. I shouldn't have drank that much alcohol. My head is killing me...