Grinning with the thought that perhaps the mammet’s numerical message had meant that I could be a beacon of light and meaning to all living beings, I made my way to the Merchant Wards to see what information I could glean.
First I spoke with Nonoru.
“As of late, our guild has seen many newly woken adventurers pass through its doors, and each day seems to bring more.
“Oh? Why do you suppose that is?”
“I first thought the sudden influx might have had something to do with the Fall of the Keeper, ten summers past. However, after speaking with several of those newly come to the Path, I now believe I may have been mistaken.”
“I see…”
I strolled over to a Miqo’te standing nearby. She introduced herself as Sahja.
“Those who walk the Path of the Twelve do so in the hope of apprehending not only the mysteries of the benevolent deities, but also the secrets of their own souls.”
I smiled and nodded. Perhaps my first impressions of Ul’dah as a town driven by greed, false dreams and loose woman was made in haste.
“If it is truth you seek, then to you our doors shall remain ever open.”
“That I do. Thank you Sahja.”
I continued to make my way through the corridor until I came upon a Lalafel who stopped me.
“And who might you be? Nenekani never forgets a face, and yours is one I am quite certain I would remember. This must, I conclude, be your first time in the Waking Sands.”
“Yes, that is corrrrect.”
“Then I assume Lady Minfilia will be wanting to speak to you of your awakening.”
“I… would assume the same.”
“Very well, I shall waste no more of your and the Lady’s time with my idle ramblings. You will find the Antecedent in the Hall of the First Step.”
“Thank you.”
I didn’t head straight to the Hall, though. There were several people milling about and I felt compelled to approach them. I was first stopped by someone who appeared to be in their seventies.
“I beg of you, milady- you must help me. I am far too old to fight them on my own.”
“Peace, peace. It is my privilege to serve, fret not.”
I next approached a Mi’qote carrying a foreboding-looking axe.
“Leave me be, wanderer. I have much to deliberate, and there are some paths one must walk alone.”
“Sorry to bother…”
I bowed and walked away. Her words caused me to think of my sister. How I imagined we would be forever side by side to face anything. Yet here I was walking this path alone…
I wandered the halls listening to the thoughts bouncing about in my mind until I came upon a man.
“For a man such as myself, the Waking Sands is a Twelevesend. Here, I need not don my merchant’s mask, knowing that none will judge me by my station, but only by my desire to pursue the truth.”
I smiled and nodded. This was the respite for the bustling city, indeed. I wished Kaumari had visited here before her hasty departure. Perhaps this place could be a surrogate to the hermitage.
Or perhaps not, the next person I spoke with wanted nothing more than to “lay low the imperials out there”. I sighed, I was not particularly fond of battle. Though, I understand sometimes it is necessary.
Next I approached a hulking Roegadyn. He looked formidable with his dark coloring and gladiator armor.
“I’ve not woken, and therefore cannot hear the Echo as do the others on the Path. Yet I’ll not let that prevent me from setting off on my own search for the truth. You see, when the Empire assaulted Ala Mhigo, I alone of all my family was spared, and I consider it my life’s duty to return peace to the realm they loved, and I love still.”
“That is a noble cause you have. I think, as long as you let truth lead you and not vengeance, you will find your way all right.”
Not yet ready to visit with Minfilia I continued strolling until I came upon a couple, both wearing hooded robes. The woman looked at me curiously before speaking.
“You saw one, didn’t you?”
“Saw one what?”
“A starshower. I can tell from the sparkle left in your eyes.”
“Oh, aye, I suppose I did... see one…”
“It is said that starshowers affect no two people the same. Yet none can deny their power to move the hearts of all.”
I nodded. Something surely had happened that night I saw what this women called a starshower.
The fellow standing beside her piped up.
“New recruit, eh? All the whispers and sidelong glances pricklin’ ye like knives, I bet.”
I shrugged.
“Well don’t go takin’ such petty discourtesies to heart. ‘Tis the same greeting every wanderer newly come to the Path receives. Once you’ve spoken with Minfilia, ye’ll be one of us, and before ye know it, it’ll be you who’ll need remindin’ of her manners.”
“I should hope I am always able to maintain my manner, sir.”
The two smiled and I decided I should dally no longer and went to the Hall of the First Step.
Minfilia was seated behind a large desk.
“You must be the woman of whom the hermit spoke. As you may have heard, I have many questions. Ah, but I seem to have forgotten my courtesies. Please forgive me. My name is Minfilia, acting Antecedent of the Path of the Twelve.”
Until I arrived at the Waking Sands, I hadn’t heard of such a… group. I quietly listened as Minfilia regarded my expression. She went on to explain that it is an underground organization dedicated to the documentation and research of divine intervention.
This news was quite intriguing, as I felt I knew something of the divine.
“I shall not bother to elaborate on precisely what I mean by “divine intervention”, for I believe you have already experienced that phenomenon yourself.”
I nodded, thinking of what happened at the cleansing rite.
“You have a rare and special gift, Amrita Prakriti, and it is that gift that has led you here to us.”
“I see…”
Not a moment after I uttered those words to her there was something to be seen. A flash… and suddenly beside us was the Hermit! I touched my finger to my forehead, perplexed by the sudden apparition.
“I reckon I’ve found me another woken, Minfilia. The lass collapsed during the celebration.”
“After years of naught but rumors, the past several moons have seen the hill of reports on my desk grow into a veritable mountain. Why the sudden influx? And why now, of all times? Which of the Twelve is waking men anew? Which… if any at all?”
It was then that the Hermit seemed shocked.
“How did you-- But you’re supposed to be-- Oh…”
“It seems you have a keen eye, my friend. And it seems you have passed our test.”
“Test..? Tell me Minfilia, how I just saw you two speaking when…”
“Yes, yes, you are wondering how what you just witnessed-- a conversation between myself and the hermit of the wood—is even possible, considering the fact that one of the involved persons left the Waking Sands nearly a bell ago.”
“Aye, that is what I want to know.”
“Well that, Amrita, is your gift. And I shall go one step further by suggesting that this is not the first time you have had such an experience.”
I drew in a long slow breath, thinking back and wondering just what all this meant.
“Come now, it is not, is it? Oh you need not withhold your secrets from me. Here, you are among friends, and I give you my solemn word that no harm shall befall you. However, it might still prove prudent to refrain from informing those not on the Path of your awakening. Very few will understand this gift, but many will seek to judge you for possessing it.”
Immediately I thought of my sister… She would be the one I would want to tell, but if she misunderstood, what then? I did not want a repeat of the day I left the hermitage. My heart ached merely allowing myself to remember that exchange. Furthermore, how would I even explain it.
“What… is there a name for this gift?
“It is a rare talent which we have come to refer to as “the Echo.” We believe it is in some way connected to the strange phenomena which have been occurring in locations all about Eorzea.”
“Hmm… the Echo…”
“Were you not witness to the skies turning dark and showering the land with a storm of stars? Some of our brothers believe those who partook in this celestial event were “touched” by the Twelve, and that that is how they came by their gift.”
I clasped my hands together on my chest. So it happened after I came here, but what then, caused me to seek out Gridania in the first place if I had not had this Echo beforehand?
Minfilia was still speaking.
“The Path is not only a place for study, but a refuge for those who have been touched in some way. We aim to uncover the meaning behind these unexplained events while offering protection and guidance to those who hear the Echo. But that is not all. My fellow walkers and I share the firm belief that this power was given to us for a purpose. Why entrust man with a gift so extraordinary, after all, if not to have him use it?”
“Well… I suppose it would all depend on how we used it… It should not be used for selfish gain, but selfless actions.”
“Yes. And so we offer those who have been touched the means to use their power to better the world—to bring peace to Eorzea. So, what say you Amrita? Now that you have heard who we are, and what we are trying to accomplish, will you consider joining us?”
“Well this is quite a lot to think about, what you have just told me…”
“Ah, I beg your pardon. It was not my intention to force you into making a decision without allowing you time to consider my words. You are free to explore the building and speak with the others gathered here. When you feel ready to answer my question, visit me again in the Hall of the First Step.”
I nodded and turned to walk out… But I had already spoken to those gathered. Wasn’t my intention for leaving my family to serve more people in the first place? This seemed exactly the reason for leaving home. Exactly what I had been looking for, yet I was about to walk away and do what? Tell my sister, my parents? The longer I thought, the more silly that notion became. Why wait when there was a woman behind me offering me seva. As much as I wanted to run off and tell Kaumari, and ask her to join me, I already knew in my heart she would say no. With a deep sigh I pressed my palm to my heart, turned and nodded to Minfilia.
“I will join you, Minfilia.”
She clapped her hands together and smiled.
“Very good. I pray together we can learn more of this gift… for though we have scoured the realm for nigh on ten years, I fear there is still little we understand. Scores of men and women have passed through our doors looking to find answers, and scores have embarked on quests to do just that… but their efforts have gained us little… and many have not returned. Of those few who have… not one is willing to speak of what he saw at the end of the Path. It is as if they all bore witness to a truth too terrible… or too shameful to be told.”
Now I wondered, did my parents poses such a gift? They always seemed reluctant to speak at length about their lives before coming to live in the wood.
“There are those who would have me use the Echo to delve into the past of the returned. Yet it would be wrong of me to use my gift to tear that truth from them against their will. Were I to condone such an act of violation, we would be no better than the monsters people think us already.”
Monsters? I suppose those with abilities beyond that of the masses would tend to be feared. People fear what they do not know. Fear begets anger…and so on. It was becoming more clear why I mustn't speak of this Echo to others. Minfinia seemed to take my silence as uncertainty.
“Ah, but enough talk of the knowledge we lack. Let me tell you of what we do know.”
“Please do.”
“The Echo allows you to breach the wall of a person’s soul, and hear the resonations of their past. You will be there in their memories, seeing things as they saw them. You may even interact with that which lies therein. However, the past is like a stone tablet. You cannot uncarve what is already written. As an unexpected side effect of the gift, it seems the ability to reach into the soul of another also allows some of us to understand their words without having to comprehend the sounds they utter. In short, the Echo has granted these fortunate souls mastery of every language existing on Hydaelyn. Unfortunately, that is the sum of our understanding of this gift from the gods… Why, we are not even sure the gift is from the Twelve. It is certainly true that many of those who hear the Echo also claim to have witnessed starshowers, but who is to say that even the starshowers are sent by them?”
“But of not from the Twelve then..?”
It is a sad admission, but this very lack of knowledge accounts for much of the persecution faced by our walkers. The less that is known about something, the more it is distrusted by the masses. If we were to learn more of the Echo, perhaps we could educate people, and help them to realize that we mean them no harm… But until we have learned that which we must teach them, we can expect only hatred.”
“Yes… that is—“
Before I could finish my thought, a Lalafel came in asking if I had made my decision. Minfilia confirmed that I had and the Lalafel requested that I go with her so that she could add my name to their records.
“I do not believe we were properly introduced. My name is Tataru, and I have been charged with the keeping of our guild’s annals. As you have pledged to follow the Path of the Twelve with us, I shall add your name to the List of Walkers. From this day forth, you need no longer to wander the realm alone, Amrita Prakriti. You are our sworn sister, and we will not let you stray from the Path.”
