Final Fantasy XVI - Thunder's Torrents

Ch. 30 - Homecoming

Some time had passed, and Erie had rebuilt all the skills she had lost from her teenage years. Tracking, fighting, information gathering, people skills, all of which she had been able to practice in the presence of either Gav, the Cursebreakers or occasionally Cid for the missions of the hideaway, getting feedback and working her way closer and closer to her final test, which had now come - and Cid had insisted it should take place in Rosaria.

Erie had avoided traveling to Rosaria during her training, hadn't felt ready at all. The uncertainty of returning home without being prepared for what might await her was too great. But now the day of her trial had arrived, a day that would also herald her independence. All that training had prepared her for this, had given her confidence, and she knew returning to Rosaria was the final piece of the puzzle she needed to complete her fresh start, her new self on Storm.

Gav and Cid had gone along to evaluate her. Erie had no idea what they had come up with. All she knew was that she was and had to be ready for anything that would be thrown at her.

"You okay?" Cid asked as she stared at the ground, watching her steps on the greening path as they trekked northeast from the deadlands toward Rosaria.

"I'm fine," Erie confirmed, looking up from the trail to smile at Cid, "now can you tell me what my task will be once we arrive?"

"So eager." Cid smirked, taking another drag on his cigarette. "You'll know when we get there."

"It's something cool, I can tell you that much." Gav had left the ball to the wolf to add to the conversation.

Erie made a sound of acknowledgment and went back to watching herself put one foot in front of the other. She knew the two of them cared about her and showed it in their own way. Cid by asking her about her well-being and Gav by trying to get her excited. With both of them by her side, Erie actually felt a little lighter.

Yet she hadn't been prepared to face the green fields and moorland of her homeland again, despite all the mental preparation and kind words.

They had arrived in Three Reeds, standing at the top of the hill overlooking the picturesque landscape of Rosaria. Erie didn't know what she had expected. In her worst imagination, Rosaria was disfigured, marked by a decade of subjugation. She had imagined no more sunshine, no more green grass, no more living fauna, all kinds of horrible scenarios, stopping herself from returning.

Now she stood before a land that looked exactly as she remembered. A bright, friendly country, its sky light blue and cloudless. The damp earth of the moorland, still sporadic in Three Reeds, reflected the bright sun, creating a soft sparkle in the puddles as soon as a gazelle or other animal waded through in search of food. And they had plenty of it, as the land in the area was untouched by the Blight. Lush green grass, moss and wildflowers grew everywhere where no paved road had been built, and nature had even reclaimed part of the Trans-Rosarian Aqueduct. The aqueduct that was originally commissioned by Elwin to transport water to and from the capital to the blight-infested areas. The project had probably been abandoned after all that happened.

A warm breeze blew in Erie's face, playing with her hair as she stood in quiet awe, not even daring to blink. Memories of her childhood and early youth flashed through her mind. She thought of her father, her mother and the friends she had lost. Now she had come back to make amends. Tears welled up in her eyes. She allowed them to run silently down her cheeks, soak the earth at her feet. She was home.

"That's Martha's Rest over there," Gav's voice suddenly broke the silence. He had approached Erie to point towards a hill on which a small village had been built Erie had never seen before.