Arkwind Twins

Melo, a beacon of genuine kindness in a world often shrouded in cynicism. With a heart as vast as the horizon, his sincerity and naivety are not weaknesses but strengths, illuminating paths of compassion and understanding wherever they tread.

WIP

Born 26 years ago in the city of Ishgard to a mother who was an ala mhigan refugee (escaping a genocidal maniac ruler bent on killing all worshippers of Rhalgar) and a father who he never knew, Melo was all of a single year old when his mother was found and killed by the ala mhigan royal hunters. Knowing they were coming, Melo’s mother (Alice Arkwind) sent Melo and his twin sister Meli away with an old friend to be taken as far away from the royal hunter’s reach as she could manage to plan on such short notice. The plan was to have them sent to an orphanage in Old Sharlayan. To hopefully both find a better life, far removed from the troubles of the parent. There was one problem, however; the royal hunters had found the carriage and the only way the mother’s friend could see saving the two children was to hide Melo and travel faster with only the one child. So that’s what they did. Melo was safely hidden on a trading caravan bound for the Black Shroud, and Meli was swiftly taken to a ship chartered to Old Sharlayan as intended, both eluding the grasp of the despicable hunters.Found by a young Elezen woman named Idele, Melo was taken in and raised as her own. Until he was 16, Melo spent the majority of his days helping around the Carpenter’s guild, helping the archers of Gridania keep the outskirts of the city safe from the monsters of the forest, albiet not very good at archery due to poor eyesight, and learning how to wield a spear from the lancers of Old Gridania instead. For even from an early age, Idele had come to the realization that Melo was a natural at martial combat and physical labor and hand-crafted artisanry came easy to the young mysterious half-hyur prodigy. On his 16th birthday, Idele took Melo aside and showed him the note and letter that Alice had left for him whenever she sent her children away for safety all those years ago. The letter contained an apology and an explanation of why things happened, and a hope that he have a better future than he ever could’ve had with her. Yet with all it contained it still wasn’t even a fraction of what Melo wanted as far as information of who he was and where he came from. So Melo told Idele that he wanted to journey to find the answers, wherever that may lead him. He wanted closure amidst his wanderlust from staying in the same place for 16 years. Idele begrudgingly agreed to let him go, but made him promise that if things ever became too hard, he’d come back to her immediately.For the next few years, Melo journeyed across the Shroud and to Gyr Abania and learned two things. His mother was Ala Mhigan, and currently, the Garlean Empire was occupying the city-state of Ala Mhigo for the foreseeable future. Feeling closer than he’d ever been, Melo painstakingly and quietly hunted for information about his mother throughout the newly occupied enormous city, to no avail. He learned that the Garleans had uprooted and taken all historical and cultural documentation out of the city to be held at ransom against whatever political and noble leaders were left. Unearthing the secret location of a warehouse the Garleans were keeping all of this was difficult and arduous, but nonetheless Melo succeeded in his task and had a new heading; the cold, unforgiving landscapes of Garlemald.The journey to and across Garlemald is not for the faint of heart, especially when new Legatus’s and would-be legion commanders were constantly looking to prove their worth by maliciously executing any ala mhigans who were on a similar venture to find the hidden warehouse containing their country’s most treasured histories. While Melo had received decent enough training from the archers and lancers, he knew he would be of no match for the seasoned military leaders of the Garlean Empire. Burdened with this annoyance, Melo spent quite some time living in Garlean farming villages, hiding his pointed ears, and training by saving towns and villages from monsters and animals beyond the scope of what meager farmers could handle. He became something of a folk hero to the peasant people of Garlemald. Enough such that a village elder came to him, looking to repay his benevolent kindness with an ancient Garlean secret; passed down from generation to generation. It was said that, should a warrior venture to the ancient temple beneath the mountain to the north of the village, and be found worthy, they would be granted power beyond the likes of mortal men. Figuring that would be worth looking into should he ever be strong enough to fight his way through to get to the warehouse, Melo decided he would test his mettle and venture down. Weeks went by in that underground labyrinth. At several moments, Melo believed he might not make it back. Yet he found the temple, and within it, he found his trial. An unbelievably powerful dark creature from some place called the void explained that should he be able to survive its test, he would be allowed to enter a contract with the creature where it would give him power whenever he called upon it, and he would release it from this wretched prison. Agreeing, and nearly giving his life to do so, Melo ended up satisfying this creature’s measure and gaining newfound abilities. Dark ones. Yet self-promising to use them only to help and protect others as Idele had taught him all his life.Among the new dark arcane martial abilities, Melo gained an incredibly powerful new sight. The ability to see Aether in its purest form, as bright and clear in the darkness as it would be to others in the daylight. This voidsight would be perfect for navigating the dark world of the thirteenth, yet on the source, it nearly blinds Melo to constantly be seeing as he does. Something he painstakingly noticed as soon as he emerged from the cave. To remedy this, Melo donned a blindfold that would help him see easier through the curtain as well as assist in hiding his ears from the Garleans so that he may pass as one of them on his task and journey home. With his new abilities, the task of finding his way into the warehouse was far easier than he’d originally thought it might be. As the avatar creature allowed him to phase through the walls, unnoticed, as he learned of the old king Theodorac and his genocidal attempt at removing any rebellious people by eliminating all worshippers of Rhalgar so that he may continue his “divine reign” unopposed. He learned that his mother was a simple baker in the city, yet a well-loved woman and popular amongst the church community of the fists of Rhalgar. He learned of her old home and that his would-be grandparents were murdered in the first wave of royal huntings. Feeling an odd anger toward Garleans, Melo took this information with him as he left the warehouse to begin his journey home, eventually learning of his true calling as the Warrior of Light and the events thereon.It wasn’t until Melo and the Scions got to Old Sharlayan and were giving their names to the dockmaster to be allowed entry into the city, that he became aware of his sister. When he gave the name “Melo Arkwind” and the dockmaster thumbed down the pages and came across a “Meli Arkwind”, the confused half-hyur dismissed the problems of the moment to investigate who this possible imposter could be. Coming across his long-lost twin-sister, Melo and Meli finally were reunited where Melo promised he would catch up with her on everything, just as soon as the entire universe wasn’t in immediate peril.

^{The Archon professor approaches Melo after her assistance with Ardbert}

Ah, so you are Melo Arkwind, the Warrior of Light...
Arkwind, intriguing...*
Well then, it appears you owe me a favor now. When you have the opportunity, do consider visiting me at the Studium in Sharlayan. There is some information I believe you will find quite enlightening~
S.T. - Archon of Conjuration at the Studium in Sharlayan