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[color=mediumpurple][i]Why am I here?[/i][/color]

Nyxia marvelled at how high up in the sky she was. It was strange, being borne into the air on an airship. She felt light and a little unsteady on her feet. True, she had often wondered how it would feel to soar through the sky as she watched the fal'Cie Dahaka emerge from Taejin's Tower and glide effortlessly through it. But never in a million years could she imagine that she'd be where she was now. 

[color=mediumpurple][i]Why am I here?[/i][/color] the unanswered question flashed through her mind again and this time, she found herself looking towards the floating continent that was to be their destination. Cocoon. She often looked up at the sky and wondered why anyone would be tempted to live there in the Viper's nest. [i]'Within this shell lies paradise.'[/i] How can it be paradise when those living there are merely slaves of the demon Lindzei?

Or at least, that was what she was taught as a child. Everything had been simple then. The fal'Cies were gods put in place by the maker to provide, protect and nurture the land and its people. She looked up to them and often prayed for protection and blessing. She was content and never found herself wanting. She thought back to the events that led her to leave Oerba and ultimately join the war effort.

[i][color=mediumpurple]"Mother, I--"[/color]

[color=Slategray]"I know. I'm dying. It doesn't matter. Save your strength. There are still those who need you."[/color] The bloodied hand of Oerba Xin Yulia gently stroked the cheek of her daughter. [color=slategray]"I am proud of you, Nyxia. Of who you are, of what you've become and I will look after you even in the after life. So will your father..."[/color] she paused as her body was wracked with cough and blood trickled down her lips. [color=slategray]"He may not have been able to say it often but he is proud of you, he always was. And in his last moment, you were the one that freed him from his torment. That Cieth... that attacked... That... was... your father, Nyxia."[/color] Her brown eyes shone with tears and slowly, the light faded from them.[/i] 

With the memory came resentment towards her father for his secrets, for the destruction and death he brought upon Oerba and for her mother's untimely demise. But she bore a deeper resentment and stronger anger towards the fal'Cie Anima. What sort of god would condemn its follower to such a horrible fate? They had been taught to pay homage to Anima, to thank this 'benevolent god' for the protection he bestows upon Oerba. But what kind of protection was it that turned her father into a monster that brought death to the village? She thought about confronting this 'god' and demanding an explanation so many times. She wanted to cry at it, to shout at it, to accuse it and to destroy it all at the same time. But the elder of the village, knowing the rage that had built up inside her from the death of both her parents, forbade her to. And in the end, she opted to leave, to wander throughout Gran Pulse in hopes of finding herself and finding some sort of purpose to her existence.

[color=mediumpurple][i]Why am I here?[/i][/color] 

That ever present question that she had never been able to answer before loomed in her head. But as she stared at Cocoon as it loomed closer, for once in her life, she had an answer.

[color=mediumpurple][i]War is destruction. I bring destruction. Perhaps fighting in it would give my life the meaning I've searched for for so long.[/i][/color]

Finally, the airship docked on Cocoon's outer rim. Nyxia was brought out of her reverie by the sight of Lake Bresha. It was different from the bodies of water seen on Pulse but it was, nevertheless, a beautiful place. [color=mediumpurple][i]Perhaps there is some truth to this cursed place being a paradise after all.[/i][/color] She didn't waste any time. She was, after all, not on Cocoon to do some sight seeing. With a single leap, she was off the airship.

She took a deep breath. [color=mediumpurple]"Oerba Xin Nyxia, this is where your story begins,"[/color] she said to herself.