Day 15

[from Project Sky]

I'm standing near the edge of the largest of the five small floating islands that my village stands upon. If I look straight ahead, I can see the infinite sky around us, and the clouds floating just above. If I look down, through the wispy clouds I can just make out the ravaged lands below. You don't want to fall off the edge; it's a long way down. I'm told some of the bigger towns have walls, to stop you stumbling over the edge, but here only the bridges have walls.

These islands have been floating here since before I was born. Since before my parents were born. We all know, however, that they weren't always floating. That the continent wasn't always like this. Most of us know what happened to make it this way. I don't. Not yet. But now that I've come of age, I'm about to hear the full story, directly from the only one of us left who was there when it all happened: the village elder.

"I thought I might find you here," he says, as he approaches from behind. "Not really the safest place to be having this chat, but I guess it's… maybe the most poignant." He draws alongside me, and I see that he, too, is looking wistfully down at the shattered surface. He sighs gently into the wind. "Fifty years… fifty years, and I still miss what this land used to look like. There's nothing I can do about it anymore: I'm too old. But… your mother told me you want to see the land restored as well. That might be a lofty goal, but it sure is a noble one. Well," he continues, "I was gonna tell you how this happened anyway, so perhaps you can find some clue as to how to undo it.

"It all started many years ago, when a new emperor rose to the throne of Alondis. His name was Javiz, and as far as tyrants go, he was surely one of the worst this world has ever seen. He put his people to work in harsh conditions, taxed them into poverty and starvation while he and his advisors grew tremendously wealthy, and funded research into all kinds of dark, twisted magic. Anyone who spoke out against him was executed. We know all this because people fled Alondis in droves, seeking better lives elsewhere. If his troops caught you fleeing, though, you would also be executed.

"Fifty-five years ago, Javiz decided Alondis wasn't enough. He wanted the neighbouring kingdoms as well. So he invaded Concordia, our nation. For the first year or so, it looked like he might win, but of course we fought back… our allies on the continent joined us, as well. They realized it was about time that Javiz fell. And so, by fifty years ago, we'd pushed his army back towards the capital. It looked like it was all over.

"But Javiz had one last trick up his sleeve. During his research, he'd discovered an ancient magical superweapon known only as "The Ruin". Nobody knows what "The Ruin" is, or how it works; we only know that it was created by a long-lost civilization, and sealed away inside a hidden temple for fear of the destruction it might cause if used. Javiz found it, unsealed it, and decided to use it to turn the tide of the war back in his favour. He didn't know what the device was truly capable of.

"When Javiz activated the weapon, it created a tremendous blast of magical energy that shattered the entire continent. The capital of Alondis was completely destroyed, much of the rest of his empire crumbled, and the land across the continent was broken into millions of pieces and scattered across the sky. They remain here even to this day; most likely the power of The Ruin keeps them afloat.

"We've had to rebuild our civilizations in the past fifty years. We've had to change our entire way of life. And those of us who were alive when The Ruin was activated… we're growing old. I'm the only one left in this village who still remembers what the world used to be like. Soon nobody will remember at all. I fear that it will become nothing more than a legend, a myth. That the continent will never be restored to its former glory. And that thought saddens me more than anything else."

The village elder turns to me, his face grave. "I want to see this land restored," he says. "I know you do too. I'm too old now, I couldn't possibly do it, but I know you could… if you can undo this destruction, and restore the land, I know I won't be the only one you'll be making happy. Where to start? I'm afraid I don't know exactly… but I can tell you were to look, perhaps.

"In the fifty years since it happened, I've come up with two different theories of how to reverse this damage. The first, is that there must be some kind of magical energy keeping the fragments afloat. No doubt this energy is generated by The Ruin, which would mean that it is still intact. Perhaps, if you were able to find it, you could deactivate it, and the islands would return to their normal places on the surface. It's a long shot, but it just might work.

"The second, is that if The Ruin's creators were so afraid of its power that they sealed it away, perhaps they built a second device that could undo its effects, in case it ever was activated. Again, it's a long shot, and finding such a device - if it even exists - would probably be even harder than finding The Ruin. But it's almost guaranteed to work."

"I know this will be a long and difficult voyage," he says to me finally. "But you have grown into a strong and highly capable young man. I'm sure, if there's anyone in our village who can restore this land, it is you. So… will you do this? Will you take up this mighty quest? Will you find a way, no matter what, when or how, to reverse this cataclysm?"

As much as I would like to make this promise, I know in my heart of hearts that the chance of me finding a way to reverse this is almost zero. But, as long as there is still a chance, I can't give up. I have to at least try, and try I will, with all my might. So I look the village elder in the eye, and tell him: yes. I will restore this continent.